During the mid-1970s, the Grateful Dead saga was unfolding like a Greek classic. The Sisyphean Wall Of Sound had nearly broken the band. From it spawned a Medusa head of countless side projects, all deliciously fruitful but woefully not the same as the whole. The chorus lay in wait, pondering the reemergence of their heroes, and wondering if "THE LAST ONE" had really been it...
But in early 1976, Apollonian light and healing would shine upon our intrepid wanderers once again. No more epic battles for the people with cops and lines and tightness, the Dead would return triumphant in smallness, playing intimate theaters and renting equipment along the way. No more ticket scams and greedy promoters, they'd give back with first ever mail-order ticket program, one that had a few kinks to work out but eventually served the fans well.
Musically, June 1976 signaled a Golden Age of harmony and prosperity for the Dead. It marked an Odysseusian-like return for Mickey Hart. Donna Jean was in lock-step with the sirens' call. Jerry and Bob delivered orphic delight with solo musings like "Mission In The Rain" (the only tour they ever played it on), "The Wheel," and "Cassidy," emboldened by group effort. There was fresh repertoire from Blues For Allah, breathing new life to the Dead's continually morphing sound - as Weir once said of the '76 tour, they wanted to play "a little bit of all of it." Old favorites were re-envisioned with cascading tempos and unique sequencing, making the crowd question if they'd ever heard these songs before. And there was comfort and joy in the familiarity of watching the band make it up as they went along. By all means, it was clear that the bacchanalia of live Dead would reign on.
And now the revelry from this epoch, evidenced by the near-studio quality sound captured on two-track live recordings by Betty Cantor-Jackson, lives on, bolstered by Jeffrey Norman's HDCD mastering. It's housed for posterity in a handsome box featuring original art work by Justin Helton. It’s documented in liners by Jesse Jarnow and photos by Grant Gouldon. And it’s ready for a spot on your shelf.
As part of our pre-order for this Dead.net exclusive boxed set, we'll be delivering downloads of each listening party - one for each show included in JUNE 1976 - to purchasers from now until the March 20th release. Order at any time before release and you'll receive all the listening parties to date.
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 12,000
What's Inside:
- 5 Previously Unreleased Complete Shows On 15 Discs
- Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA 6/10/76
- Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA 6/11/76
- Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/14/76
- Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/15/76
- Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ 6/19/76
- Sourced from Two-Track Master Tapes, Recorded By Betty Cantor-Jackson
- Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
- Restoration and Speed Correction by Plangent Processes
Pondering . . .
Is there any music more heart-breaking than Pigpen singing "Two Souls in Communion"?
Is there any music more lovely than a 1972 "Looks Like Rain" with Jerry playing pedal steel guitar?
Is there any music more enchanting than the Grateful Dead?
Early Morning Rain
...Stolzfus beat me to it. I really dig that one a lot; it has that cool vocal harmony going on, very reminiscent of 'the times'; perhaps those same times of which Jerry was apparently referencing in that quote someone dug out below. I don't recall ever hearing that one anywhere else other than that Rarities CD from very early primordial Dead-times. But I imagine they must've played it live at some point prior to it's demise with Said Times.
I also enjoy The Golden Road - much more nowadays; I had never really listened to it honestly back in the day; then I read the lyrics within the past decade and was like: "Ahhh! Now I get it." This song is about a giant continuous party. How fun, indeed! Trey also killed it on Cream Puff War for Fare Thee Well - one of the few he actually sang on. But that song MOVES. It's fun. They shoulda played it.
Hope People are well and taking care & caution do not step on the tracks.
Deadhead Brewer. You are correct, Sir.
Now, communal beverage toast at an appropriate time in mass appreciation.
-Sixtus
Furthur & Cream Puff War - Golden Road
Furthur played them and I enjoyed them. I remember a Help>Slipknot>Golden Road>Slipknot> Franklin's that was was smokin'! It was quite a surprise. I think it was at The Beacon Theater? It was perhaps the first time they played that combination and the crowd was ecstatic! Cream Puff was well played too and they worked that rhythm into an unrelated jam in a different second set at a Brooklyn show. I miss Furthur.
Last Cream Puff. Festival Express
According to my Deadbase- number 10, so its quite old - the last time the Dead played it was 3/18/67. So it was dropped even earlier than I expected.
I watched the dvd "Festival Express" last night, featuring that train journey across Canada in summer 1970. There are some great clips of The Dead on this-the highlight for me is the Hard to Handle, but there is also a full version of Easy Wind on here. its a strange film, though. I did like The Band's version of "Slipping and Sliding", a Little Richard song, but its a bit of a depressing film in a way. They all seem to be having a whale of a time-Rick Danko looks as though he knew how to enjoy himself, but...maybe its hindsight, knowing that quite a few of the participants died young. It sounds patronising, but I find it hard to watch Janis Joplin without feeling sorry for her. Maybe its the fact that watching people out of their heads at a party doesn't really do it for me. It might have done once-but not now.
The one exception, with Janis Joplin, I should add, is that clip of her doing "Ball and Chain" at Monterey in 1967. That is glorious.
Regarding the next Dave's Pick, does anyone recall...
whether the focus is on the first night or second night, with the other as filler?
I see from Taper's Compendium that the two shows together clock in at just over 6 hrs of music. And that the second show is considered more improvisational than the first.
So, 4 CDs have the potential for 320 minutes and 6 hrs is 360 minutes, indicating a big cut in the sum total. With sequencing/medley issues, we might get 1 1/2 shows. Then there's the fact that they cannot put non-Dead compositions on a bonus disc.
Anyone got this figured out yet? I am looking forward to a fresh injection in ~two weeks.
QSM Happy Trails
I have tried several times to "get" this record.
The cover art is phenomenol
The music...eh...
Fast selling box sets
If Rhino put out a complete box set of both the October 1974 Winterland shows and the April 1971 Fillmore East shows ,( not at the same time), they would sell out in hours. I don't care that a lot of this material has already been released, they would be gone in a flash. They could limit it to 7 thousand copies each, and then all the people who didn't get on the boat could buy the music only editions.
DP 34
@Hendrixfreak
this is what I read:
''….to include nearly 80 minutes of music from 6/22/74 as the 2020 Dave's Picks Bonus Disc, including "China>Rider," "Eyes Of The World," "Wharf Rat," and a 30 minute (!) "Playing In The Band," amongst other greatness.''
David Lemieux
So DP 34 ist 6/23
Corona
Fuckin around on the guitar with Bertha over the weekend and cameout with this little diddy...sorry R.H. but what else is there to do!
Here it goes in my best Jerry voice:
I had a hard run, runnin from New COVID
I was all night runnin....High fever, need urgent-care
I had a Run in, run around and I’m Run Down
Run around the corner, run smack into 19, COVID 19
I had to move, move....really had to
moo-ove
That’s why this disease, got me on my bended knees
Corona don’t you come around here anymore
Dressed myself in PPE, Went searchin for a vaccine
Had to see what’s goin down, hit the unemployment line
I felt the stock market fallin...fallin, fallin, fallin, turned around to see
Heard that virus callin...callin, callin, callin
It was comin after me
I had to move, move....really had to
moo-ove
That’s why this disease, got me on my bended knees
Corona don’t you come around here anymore
Ran into a rain storm, ducked back into the drug store
Wife was all night coughin, but not a drop on me
Test me, test me...test me, test me, test me, throw me in the quarantine
Sheltered up in my own house, on 30 days Lock Down, 30 days Lock Down
I had to move, move....really had to
moo-ove
That’s why this disease, got me on my bended knees
Corona don’t you come around here anymore
Be well and stay safe Dead People!
KCJ
I see the bonus disc going like this
It's all ya really need from 6/22, sick Sugar Mag to end set 2.
Fits perfectly on a 80 min disc.
Playing In The Band 28:48
China Cat Sunflower -> 9:51
I Know You Rider 5:38
Eyes Of The World -> 15:14
Wharf Rat -> 9:51
Sugar Magnolia 9:28
Suh-weet!
I was hoping 6-23-74 was the main attraction and 6-22 the add-on.
Just finished the '76 box. The Wheel on 6-15 was pretty supreme, among many highlights.
On another topic, I pulled out the 2001 re-issues of Workingman's and AB. The live bonus tracks derive from the following dates, possibly indicating more from same or completeness from same. Though I note the exceptions, which have been released. Apologies if anyone already pointed this out:
1-10-70
1-16-70
1-17-70
1-24-70 (DaP 19)
4-15-70
5-15-70 (Rd Trips v.3,n.3)
6-6-70
10-4-70
12-23-70
12-26-70
With all the Commotion
With all the commotion, I forget we were getting 6/22/74 and 6/23/74 as the next Dave's Picks. One of the two remaining non-released '74 Dark Stars. Sweet..
Workingman's and AB 50th
Something tells me we are getting a fall '70 box with both acoustic and electric Dead.
Bonus Disc. Thanks BOB T
Jim CPW
That makes sense. It's kind of like 'incense and peppermints' fits only the psychedelic era and cant be taken out of that era. I don't believe the other guy who thought mabey they were embarrassed by 'CPW' or 'the golden road'. There is nothing embarrassing about them at all. They just dont fit any other era. Just an opinion.
Fall 1970 acoustic & elctric box set
Boy, that would sell out in a heartbeat!
Trekin' Through Copenhagen
Had a midnight kickoff for 4/14/72. Gave it a rest after Cumberland Blues and some classic stage banter with the audience, when they announced they'd be taking a few minutes to fix an issue.
AUD Member: "Bulllll-shit!"
PigPen: "That man must be from America"
Jerry: "Well it's just that we want to get high between songs, is that alright? Thank ya!"
It takes a long time to bring the past up to the present
Mornin', rockers!!!
Speaking of rockers, hop in the way back machine and go back 49 years...…………
A powerful and deep show, wonderfully designed and perfectly executed by the Dead, crackling with energy, a supernova of a show that blows away almost everything else played that month. How did they do it? Did they all drop acid? I’ll even ignore the fact that there are only two Pigpen tunes. The band is on fire, every tune here works, cosmic reflections of all that was good and pure about the Dead’s music that month. Rocking all over the place, with wonderful slices of soul and psychedelia, on this night everything the Dead touches turns to gold and pure bliss. Somehow, some way, on April 14 1971, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, the Dead played a show for the ages………
X-Factor deluxe,
Rock on my friends!
Doc
You know where to find me
Quicksliver. Psyche
Stoltzfus…...it just goes to show how differently people can perceive things. I played Happy Trails by Quicksilver last week for about the millioneth time, and I still think its astonishing. It was the first West Coast album I bought, back in 1974, and there hasn't been a time or season since when I haven't played it. Beauty is in the eye ( or in this case ear) of the beholder, as they say.
Carlo...agree on that. Cream Puff was of its era, although I think it would have fitted in alright up to 1969. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb when they started on the Working Man's era. A lot of band disowned their psychedelic past as the 70s kicked in. See Emily Play is my favourite Pink Floyd record...but it wouldn't have fit into their sets too well when they moved into progressive rock with Atom Heart Mother in 1970. It seems form this distance that American psyche bands moved towards more traditional musical forms in the 1970s-country rock, blues rock etc. Shame...I preferred the stuff they were doing a bit earlier.
There are many great compilations of Psychedelic bands from 1966-1969 out there. A great one featuring San Francisco bands is "Love is the Song We Sing", a 4 cd set with a great hard back book released by Rhino about 10 years. Its got many well known songs on it--all time classics like Omaha by Moby Grape, Bass Strings (EP version) by Country Joe and the Fish as well as records that are really obscure- Fly to New York by Country Weather is out of this world.
Country Weather
Surprised to see them get a mention on here. Indeed a fine group, but what else would you expect with Greg Douglass on guitar. Almost all their recorded output was collected on the CD "San Francisco 1969-1971" on Classic Music Vault from 2014. This can be found at silly prices, and I mean silly. For instance, you can buy it new from Amazon UK for 1372.95 pounds or used for 1280.01 pounds. However, there appears to be a new copy on Amazon US for $31.97 There was a 2LP set "Country Weather" released on RD Records in Switzerland in 2005 which contains 2 tracks not on the later CD release. Conversely the CD contains one track not on the vinyl version. This is even harder to find than the CD. Greg Douglass then went on to play with John Cipollina in Terry Dolan's "Terry and the Pirates", one of my all time favourite Bay Area bands. Get some!
Still no delivery...
Feels like last year all over again.
UPS has nothing on its system since 03/24, when it says In transit by post office.
No one manning UPS phone lines, no tracking number for post office, no way to find out what has happened.
Anyone else in the UK got theirs or in same position?
Country Weather - Simon
I had never heard of them until I got this compilation. Their "Flight To New York" is a stand out track - and that's in the company of all the San Francisco heavy weights of the era. I had a look at Amazon UK last night and noticed how much it was going for. I'm not paying that much. ! The vinyl edition you mention is available on Discogs from Germany, I think, for about £35.00, which seems a bit more reasonable. I am a bit wary of getting things through the post at the moment, though. Its available as a download-the cd version-on iTunes for only £7.99, so maybe that's the best way forward.
Another characteristic of this global crisis is that I have been a lot less acquisitive over the last four weeks. I don't think I have bought a new album/cd whatever, in all that time. I don't think I have gone such a long time doing without since I was 14. Might not be such a bad thing.
Fall 1970 box
Might as well through in Calebration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OWi1g8Xz5s
Easy Wind
Candyman
Casey Jones
Brokedown Palace
Uncle John's Band
@ daverock & Quicksilver
Dave sorry if I'm pointing out the obvious but if you haven't already tried Quicksilver's eponymous 1st lp you should give it a spin. Outside of The Fool the songs are shorter, tighter. I really enjoy it and play it at least monthly to this day. And with Nick Gravenites as a producer it wouldbe hard to go wrong. 1 more ascetic benefit proving once again lps are better the 1st pressing ( which miraculously has survived incredibly well) has a foil type cover
Country Weather - Daverock
If you can get the LP for that price, I would not hesitate - Go for it. It is beautifully packaged in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve and comes with a booklet containing essays by the band members and loads of pictures. Additionally the album was a limited edition of 500 copies so it is as rare as hen's teeth.
3 weeks and what to do
This is probably the wrong forum but what the heck. I'm in the necessary worker category but my job in the Transportation industry requires we work but there isn't 5% of the pre wuhan virus work to do. Luckily for the junior employees which at 42 years I am not my company is doing everything it can to not forcibly involuntarily get rid of workers at least until 9/30. Contrast that with a southern company that laid off 25%of its workforce and cut those left pay by 25% just before the law trying to protect as many workers as possible passed. One of the stipulations was no changes until 9/30. After that we'll see how things are going. Obviously the government can't keep this up forever.
Any way what to do with shelter in place. I'm single live alone and one of the plans my company has come up with is 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off with pay to lessen exposure. With 2 at risk points age and emphysema that's a good thing. Here's my plan. Starting from Freak Out! I am playing in chronological order all of Franks albums. Since I own them all it will be quite a ( worthwhile) project. Ad to that the stack of books I have I will also cut the pile down quite a bit. Right now I'm finishing vol. 3 of Sydney Blumenthal's 5 vol Lincoln bio and vol 3 of Charles Moore's bio of Thatcher. Next up England's Glorious revolution and the '48 presidential election. Finally if time Mark Lewinson's 2 book vol 1 of the Beatles. Readers are never boared. Hahahahaha
Hopefully by then we will have a better picture of where we are heading. Treatment by the end of the summer, vaccine by the end of the year. Sure would be nice
I feel especially lucky since I was in Thailand the 1st 2 weeks of February with the " non human to human " transmissible virus. With my lung issue it could have been bad.
Stay safe everyone and don't let down your guard until Fauci and Birtz and the feds say it's ok. Even we're going to move slowly.
Calebration
Four Winds, thanks for posting this. I was thirteen years old when I first saw this on the tv. The Dead at their best!
Deadheadbrewer - Kellerbier
As a brewer, this might be interesting to you.
Look for ''Kellerbier'' on the English Wikipedia site.
Thats the good stuff from Franconia and a good addition to our beloved GD-Music.
Cheers
Gerd
Thanks--I always love reading about beer!
Here in Minnesota we're lucky to have two great breweries that each produce a delightful Keller Pils: the aforementioned Utepils and a brewery called Summit.
Now I have to finish the Newcastle show, then figure out where the Danish beers are in my stash so that I can leave for Copenhagen this evening . . .
Those 10-minute versions of Playin' from E72 are so good. They pack a complete interstellar voyage into a compact little package.
Dave's Picks 2020
Something else is telling me that Dave will scratch that fall '72 itch this year with 11/19/72 even with the mix issues in Bertha it's a good one too. It's been three years since last '72.
Calebration; You're Welcome Billy enjoy!
Keller Pils?
Deadheadbrewer,
I've never hever heard of a Keller Pils. No such beer around here.
Wonder what the difference is between a Keller Bier and a Keller Pils?
Do you have an idea?
Wish you could taste the Keller Bier I just poured in my stein (Frammersbacher Waldschloss-Bräu), while still waiting for DP 33 and the '76 box.
I'll put on Winterland 74/02/23 now.
(The Jerry photo was taken on Oct. 13, 1981, Ruesselsheim, Germany)
DAVEROCK/music purchases
Dave, I wish I had your determination. Even as society comes to a virtual standstill, I cannot completely stop acquiring new music. I realized that I was unable to rationalize the June ‘76 box, but have spent almost as much on eBay/Amazon since February 29th. Maybe it’s because I can’t buy concert tickets right now. But realistically, I should probably stop. Especially since I am going to great lengths to keep these purchases hidden from my wife’s prying eyes. But damn!! There’s so much out there I don’t have!! “I need MORE SHOWS”. Thanks Jim for putting that video out for a second time a few weeks back. That guy in the video is me!!
Tour de Pennsylvania, 1971
4-10 Lancaster
4-12 PGH
4-13 Scranton
4-14 Lewisburg
4-15 Meadville
Gerd
It's 27* F and snowing here in MinneSNOWta. Average high today is 57.
The Keller Pils is just a pilsner made without pasteurization or filtration; here's the guidelines used in homebrew competitions:
https://dev.bjcp.org/style/2015/7/7C/kellerbier/
It is probably similar to what you're drinking. I wish I could bring my copies of DaP 33 and the 1976 box to your house, and we could listen to them while drinking your Frammersbacher Waldschloss-Bräu! :)
FourWinds--Dave has mentioned that 11/19/72 does not exist in the vault, and is likely never coming home. :(
SNAFU
Sorry to hear about your work situation. A lot of people are in similar jams and its going to take the world a lot of time and effort to sort this all out. I especially feel for people who have to ride this out who live alone. A week or two in isolation is manageable, but more than that is just not a natural human condition. Glad to hear you have some tunes and good books to help you get through. If you get through your current pile I could suggest Edmond Morris's three-part bio of Teddy Roosevelt. Its amazing. Also on my list for Presidential bios is Ron Chernow's of Ulysses S Grant and Amity Shales's of Calvin Coolidge. Robert Caro's of Lyndon Johnson is said to be good too. Hit me up on the chat if you want to. Its going to be a long year and good music and good vibes are going to be important for us all.
On the subject of presidents...
All these biographical tomes about presidents are all very well but do you remember the 1981 LP "The wit and wisdom of Ronald Reagan". One side was dedicated to his wit, the other side to his wisdom. Both sides were blank. Surprisingly it sold a lot of copies. Not much help in passing the time in the current crisis though.
Edit: Just a thought - if a companion album "The wit and wisdom of Donald Trump" comes out, will it be pressed on orange vinyl?
Happy Trails to you
Snafu - thanks for the heads up about the first Quicksilver album. To be honest, I bought this shortly after I got Happy Trails back in the 70s. I agree, its a great album. Mine has "Capitol Reissue" printed in the top left hand corner, which devalues it somewhat-but it still sounds great. Much better than the cd I got, issued by Culture Factory. In England, round about 1983, there was another great Quicksilver album released. It was called "Maiden of The Cancer Moon" and featured live recordings from June 1968, a few months before the shows recorded for Happy Trails. The balance of instruments is a bit eccentric, but it works well. Higher energy and more aggressive than Happy Trails. Its been re-released countless times-I have it on a double cd called "Lost Gold and Silver" too.
Simon - that Country Weather album sounds great on vinyl. Maybe I am being a bit over zealous in not ordering things through the post at the moment. Maybe I should be led by you, Mr Ones!
Country Weather
The 1969-1971 album is on Spotify - I’ll be listening tonight!
Quicksilver bits
In 2005 Toshiba in Japan remastered and reissued the first 5 Quicksilver albums in those cool "papersleeve" miniature replicas of the original LP sleeves. The first album and Happy Trails sound great. I was never much impressed by their subsequent albums. Maiden of the Cancer Moon and the CD reissue Lost Gold and Silver are definitely essential listening. Some of the plethora of more recently released live albums are also excellent but others are not. Exercise care if you are considering purchasing any of them.
Presidential Books
John Adams by David McCullough was fantastic. Truman was not quite as enjoyable. Too much minutia.
My favorite quote from Adams was when the founding fathers were constructing the form of democratic government to be put in place, based largely on the Roman format.
Paraphrasing from memory 20 years ago - As long as those elected to government act in the best of the people, democracy will succeed. Once those elected to office act in their own self interest, democracy will fail.
Pretty cool foresight.
Old schooler needs tech advice
Looking into taking the tapes digital. Saw a Teac AD850 that can record tapes to a flash drive. Seen conflicting info on sound quality and storage size. Anyone know how many C-90 cassettes you can fit on a 16GB flash drive? Anyone sell a lightning bolt flash stick? The Teac has adjustable tape speed which will be vital as many of my traded tapes have speed issues; almost always sound too fast if they're off. Most of us didn't have dubbing decks in the early days. One of my two decks was speed adjustable and one was not. Had some issues until I figured that one out back in the day. Thanks to all and play dead.