• 8,085 replies
    marye
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    Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

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  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Back at ya BC (DM)

    Yes that 5-11 show is my new favorite. That just exactly perfect pace and performances on the 1st set matched with the killer 2nd set does it all. Everyone in fine voice and harmonies as well. I knew it was going to be good when the first song was Playin' and the first song of the second set was Dew. This show alone could have filled the EU72 album all by itself and wouldn't have shorted us one bit.
    Cheers

  • bluecrow
    Joined:
    5-11-72 Rotterdam

    I can lose my mind, so to speak, in any show from E72, and a whole lot of shows outside that tour over the many years, but that Rotterdam Dark Star > Sugar Mag > Caution > Trucking > Uncle John's will always be one my favorite passages from any show, any era.

    1stShow - check your DMs

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    5/16, 18, and 23

    NIIIIICCCCCEEEE! Glad to hear you liked 5/11 1stshow. Yeah not exactly sure why that one always resonates so well for me. I hate “favorites” (like the Jim philosophy: last one heard is the favorite etc) and this tour has so many RJs is damn near impossible for me, but this one always just pops into my head when I think of E72!
    I’m sure the set list is part of it as you mention in why you liked 5/10 etc, and yes, that Dark Star is mos def RJ!

    Though I really dug the 5/18 DS too, hell, who am I kidding, all these DS are top shelf!
    I’ve had this show and have definitely spent time with the DS, but it was nice to dig deeper into the rest!
    Actually got to give this one a good sit down listen on the big boy stereo, always a plus ; )
    Not sure what it was about Germany, but they seemed to step it up each night.
    We get another DS but pared nicely here with a decent Dew. Sing Me as part of double encore was nice.
    Another nice but rare You Win Again, shame they didn’t keep on with that one? oh, a Sitting On Top!
    That was a nice fun addition if not mind blowing.
    A reminder of another thing I’ve noticed on the tour: it’s most definitely not the 60s Dead anymore, but they still have those flashback moments, they can still totally get that vibe and energy, and at times, if it wasn’t for the completely different sound they’ve cultivated, you might think it’s the 60s. (Besides the DS/TOO weirdness!)
    But it’s not, so they throw down more stellar versions of the new stuff and a perhaps light, but satisfying side o grease.

    Ah snap, I skipped 5/16 lol. Well, at this point they are all starting to roll into one, but that becomes helpful when you do hear a particular hot version of something as it seems to stand out enough to distinguish itself from the mob…
    Don’t recall much of that on 5/16, just yet another solid well played beauty. First time for this one so I gave it multiple whirls streaming at work. Certainly they were trying to reign it in a bit and keep it tight being on world radio broadcast, though as the tour rolls on nearer the conclusion, I have noticed a loosening up occasionally and perhaps slightly more imperfections, but that’s really taking a hard micro look as even with occasional blemishes these shows are all so good. Of course they had to get at least a little weirdness out there with another trippy TOO. Wonder what that would have been like: to randomly turn on your radio to THAT! Lol.
    Interestingly, no Good Lovin again, probably due to time restraints, or the fear of Pig getting to spicy on the radio lol.

    Continuing in a haze now with 5/23. I’ve had a copy of this, but it’s missing some tracks and seemed to have songs mixed in from other shows or some weirdness, so I stopped near end of first set and started over streaming. Interesting show as they continue to mix it up and add some new/old stuff in for variety. I didn’t get the best listen in, but it seemed a tiny bit subdued? I don’t know, can’t come up with right word, so I’ll,project. They seem like their relaxing just a bit like they know they’ve got some good stuff in the can so can mix it up and let go a bit? Or not,…? definitely need to hit this again later, but honestly getting burnt not so much on this Dead as not hearing any other eras. Too each their own but I can’t just listen to one kind of Dead exclusively, but that’s just me. But whatever, another great DS/Dew, perhaps a slightly more polished Dew? Oh oh oh, Mr Kotter, can’t forget the best Comes a Time so far, another fun Sittin On Top!,
    They mix it up with a fun Rockin Pneumonia (dedicated to my cousin Eecktar who’s currently laid up in a Hawaiian hospital with pneumonia and Covid as he’s been their working on some recording studio).
    As I say, not the best listen but all good, another enjoyable show!
    Ok, on to 5/24. This has been an elusive one. I remember being a POTD but only could find aud copy so skipped it, actually a couple times, but today we’re soldiering on and gonna finish it. Since I’ve heard so much about this one I’ll probably give it multiple whirls and check it out on Spotify at work (for better audio) for a couple days before I move on to the big 5/25 beast. So that’s where I’ll be for a bit, until next time,
    ONWARD!

    EDIT: Ha who says there’s no Dead heads in this tour! Ya can hear one singing and humming along at points on this 5/24 aud lol so there was at least one, and Murphy’s law he’s standing right near the mics lol

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    5-10-72 Amsterdam (+ 5-11 Rotterdam)

    I really liked this one. Part of that may have been a good focused late night listen. Mix was slightly different with more Bob, maybe less Keith? That highlighted by Bob's interesting work in China>Rider too. They attempted to slow the tempo in the Rider part but not everyone caught the drift there. Maybe I liked it for the set list and song order again which I found appealing in more than one of the tour so far. It does seem to be the difference some times in what I perceive as a good show. Highlights: Loser, Big Boss Man, TOO which was extended and very spacey (one part had the cat looking at me like WTF?) in the first go, then a little jazzy Keith, then a lengthy somewhat quiet interlude before >Bobby McGee>TOO again. Maybe the best Sing Me Back Home so far of the tour. And a sweet but shorter Sugar Mag> NFA> GDTRFB> NFA again to end. Again DeadbaseX way off with setlist out of order and missing songs. Not really counting on that being right anymore. Still plugging away with Rotterdam next but may get stalled Mon. - Tue. with a trip to the Four Corners region. Need us some slickrock and petroglyphs before the weather starts turning.
    Cheers
    Edit: 5-11-72 Rotterdam. Jeez- Louise! I can see why Oro said this might be his favorite EU72. The whole 1st set is at that slow, let's get this perfect pace and is another killer set that starts with a Playin' so you know it's going to be good. Then this 2nd set starts with a Dew and is monumental with the best DS so far and one that is now in my top 5 of all time and the 2nd set jammed portion runs like 75 minutes! The final Caution/Who Do You Love is a great way to end that song's run. I googled best show of EU72 and this one came up often and is in the top 3 or 4 in most lists. Just a wowzer.

  • daverock
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    Icecrmcnkd

    Crumbs...sorry, I wasn't expecting that for an answer. Thanks for the heads up - nice that them upstairs read these posts.

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    Daverock

    The September GD Bulletin came out yesterday in an email.
    At the end there is a section Community Bits that briefly summarizes what it being discussed on these boards.

    It says:

    In the Pick of the Day, With Discussion thread, Daverock raises the interesting point that for Europe ’72, there weren’t so many Dead Heads in the audience — and that affected the band’s playing. Maybe for the better? What do you think?

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Icecrmcnkd

    Sorry - I'm not sure what that means!

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    GD Bulletin

    Daverock gets the call out.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Bickershaw and repetition

    1stshow -no, I have never heard Hawkwind's set at Bickershaw. Curiously, I have never read anything about it either, not from the band or from people who were there. Simonrob was there - maybe he knows something.
    1972 was the year it all came together for Hawkwind, culminating in the Space Ritual tour in December. In fact - a timely thought - the 11 cd special deluxe edition of Space Ritual is out next Friday. Probably not good value for money unless you are really into it - they basically played the same set on that tour wherever they played - this new set features three of them. I'll be getting it - but the original album may be better value overall.

    Going back to The Dead's repetitive - or otherwise - song lists - they would have played to a different audience every night, for the most part, during E72, so maybe it mattered less than later on if they played the same songs a lot. Maybe that was the case for American gigs at first, too. It wasn't common practice in England in the 1970's to see the same band twice on the run, so I wouldn't think it was in America at first. As teenager, apart from anything else, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.

  • JimInMD
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    Repetitive, Sort of..

    With the exception of Copenhagen and London, they hit these cities just once and my guess is most locals had not had any real exposure to the touring Grateful Dead. Copenhagen is the real outlier, two hits at the same venue and similar second set setlists.

    I always assumed they wanted to make a presence in Europe and knowing people were not as exposed in the US, wanted to paint a strong picture for each city.

    So 51 years later listening to the whole tour, there is lots of repetition. But if you were there then, it was all brand new. That's how I digested it. They wanted to hit Europe with a cohesive picture of what they were doing then not knowing when or if they would return.

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Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

If we are going to do 11/8/69, I am going to have to carve out the requisite amount of time like we did Saturday.. no distractions, no cell phones, no texts, no questions, no one tapping me on my shoulder.. and not the dreaded words, "one more thing" .. and of course get in the proper frame of mind beforehand.

Honestly.. these two shows, add in 2/14/68, 2/13&14/70, sprinkle in FW 69 for good measure and I have taken a liking to 1/2/70 + Bonus disc and an honorable mention for what I think of when I want to get in the transportation business.

Boy does listening to these shows take a lot out of you.. perhaps that's why they wrote AB & WMD.. to slow things down just before we careened off that cliff and into mental oblivion.

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GMLSG sounds as smooth as butter,,,

re, Well... I just hit play but, I paused it. Jim, when is a good time for you I'll wait??

The planets seem perfectly aligned this Thursday. That seems enough time to plan.

That will give us some time to switch things up too.. play around the calendar, pick shows from different periods too.

Does that give us enough time to plan?

That's a pretty nifty number ya got there!

I am all for Dick's 16, but if we need to pause on it to soak up Jai-Alai, I get that too. Let's keep this thing going! I am all for GD from any era!

Today was a good day for 74 Dead around here. Shortly after my early morning Dave's 34 was delivered (at 6:30 am!) I got another package from Real Gone containing Dick's 31, which I looked into after all of the discussion around these parts.

I hope I don't over do the 74 stuff - wait, I don't think that will ever happen.

Peace

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In reply to by Thats_Otis

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....and the sound is already impeccable. And to quote Bobby "Its the real thing".
Just like Billy Sunday in a shotgun ragtime band. This pick came at the right time.

We can pause while the WOS gently peels the plaster from our ceilings.

Whatever works.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Okay on the pause for the Picks. I will keep my own going tomorrow as my #34 is still in CA.. Okay, no whining here, that gets old.

Oh yah I might have chased a couple women around..., the waiting is the hardest part.

Week eight of this crap, be well people.

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No problem all good. Those who have received the 34 happy listening!

"New ones coming as the old ones go"

Alright, sounds like the Pick of The Day is in hold pattern as we wait for & listen to the Pick of The Dave.

#34 to be exact - 6/23/74 & 6/22/74 Bonus Disc

Roger that.

I'll proceed accordingly...

Sherman set the Wayback machine to June 1974, we're going to listen to the Wall of Sound.

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I love the overlap of old ( psychedelic ) & new ( country/workingmans ) . It’s the palindrome 69 major phase shifting. The sound of small venues compared to larger halls or outdoor concerts all have different ambience . Same goes for instruments ( Jerry’s guitars) . Gibson SG in 1969-70. A whole slew of different axes in 1971. Wall of Sound 1974, with Doug Irwin Wolf Guitar.
Suggesting different eras of GD has been educational, even heard / seen fresh, and in 2020. Who would have known fifty years ago.

RE: STRIDER 88

Interesting observation and I believe you've tapped into something.

Hypothesis:
Does inspiration then lead to a love of learning?

I would venture to guess.. Yes!

Prediction:
Being inspired by Grateful Dead music, if I listen to the Grateful Dead from many eras over and over and over, through the course of many days and years, I'll want to learn more and will be loving it!

Test Prediction:
Continue listening to lots and lots of Grateful Dead from many different eras and discuss with friends.. ad infinitum

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Perfect timing. I got an amp and speakers on the way. Had to take advantage of the 30% offer. I got the speak's for half price and ac line filter for free. I'll be putting off listening to 34 till I get set up.

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In reply to by fourwindsblow

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Carson, CA 5.5.90. 30th anniversary.My final Brent shows.
https://archive.org/details/gd1990-05-05.141262.sbd.miller.flac2496/05S…
Rumors were rampant these shows that Timothy Leary was backstage dosing everyone. The band does sound "fat and juicy", so I can see where it could be true. Phil was turned WAY up.
I remember hanging out with some hare krishnas after the show eating free rice.

Strider...I think Jerry started playing a strat at some gigs in 1969, and on through 1970, as well as the mighty SG. This always seemed to me to be a signifier of the bands gradual shift to a more country based sound. As you indicate, they could still turn on the psychedelic power in 1969 and 1970 - but the times they were a changing .

Whew.. saved from an 11/8/69 induced nervous breakdown.

Edit: Saved for now. It's always the bats that start these things. Well, a melty PITB, then the bats. Look out for Dark Star>The Other One>Dark Star's too. A sure sign that society is in collapse.

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Bats have got themselves a bad reputation lately. Hunter knew it long ago.

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DaveRock , I can only go on photographs before 1970. I believe you’re correct, Jerry would use a strat for some late 69-70 songs. Of the ten times I saw them in 1970 I only remember the Gibson SG. 1971 was all over the map. Starting with seeing the SG my last time same night as Mickeys last show 2/18/71. The next few nights was the peanut Alembic experimental . By April Jerry was playing a Les Paul and then the peanut some nights. First time I saw Jerry play a Fender Stratocaster was at the Felt Forum 12/4/71. Then 2-3 strats through 72/ 73. The Wolf was a real game changer.
This is a fresh way of listening the good ole Grateful Dead.

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In reply to by Strider 808808

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Strider...I am only going off photographs of course-I have nothing like the first hand experiences you are talking about. It must have been amazing to see them in 1970-1971-truly a mythical time. The photos I remember of him with a strat in 1969-70 are mainly in the Taping Compendium. Jerry is holding a sunburst strat in the picture accompanying the Feb 70 shows.
Its always interested me which guitars he played at shows-and Bob too, to a lesser extent. I watched the Festival Express dvd a few weeks ago, and Jerry is jamming with...a band who's name escapes me...but he is playing a tele. I don't think he played one of those very often.

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In reply to by daverock

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Good call Daverock, I need to watch that this weekend

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In reply to by Strider 808808

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Thanks for joining in on this one Vguy and Jim. Loved the cover last night Vguy. Recording is Multi Track excellence as all these shows are. Have not listened to this show in maybe three years. Of the three Omni shows, I usually pull 4/3/1990, maybe because of that glorious Shakedown opener.
Anyway, Vguy, agree with you on this show. Great first set, with a great Althea, to Lay me Down, Music Never Stopped. Even the Victim is good. China Rider, what did that guy say last night about Ship of Fools??
Great Truckin, Stella, Sugar Magnolia and one of favorite encores, It's All Over Now Baby Blue. Great show.

Check it out if you have not listened in a while.

Be well all!

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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....Victim -> Lay Me Down -> MNS is solid. Raucous Sugar Mags. And who doesn't like a Baby Blue? I know this guy does!

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*

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I'm half way through 4/1/90. Althea was playing on our boombox at a motel room at an airport at the giants show in '89 with my friends. Like anyone would care.

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He called us fools talking about potholders and other normal things. Strange.

I didn't make it through the whole show.. but made it beyond the Victim/Lay Me Down. Let it be known I LOVE To Lay Me Down, but the Victim was so much better ( a song I don't normally adhere to).

Anyway.. just had to comment. Not coherent enough to add much more than that.

Who's fucking idea was it to watch Festival Express anyway.. a great yet terrible idea all at the same time. Thank god nobody drives cars anymore. My liver and my lungs both suddenly hurt both at once.

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Man, it was HOT down there!

Anyway, just catching up. I did dabble with disc 2 of Dick's 16 the other night... that is some mind-altering stuff. It looks like yesterday was 4/1/90 - just started "Touch" now.

Today is Three from the Vault? Sounds good to me :)

Peace

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In reply to by Thats_Otis

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Sounds grate, and it’s not even Plangentized.

Smokestack Lightning! Grease it up.

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I’m there. And was there.

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I loved that Omni show! I didn't get either of the Spring 90 boxes, so this show was new to me (at least for a good, quality sit-down and listen.) I LOVED it! The band is so hot, Brent in particular was on fire, the Bobby tunes rocked, and there were so many high-quality Jerry ballads. I mean, a show that has a "Candyman" "To Lay Me Down" "Ship of Fools" "Stella Blue" AND "Baby Blue" - c'mon... all played very well too!

Just started on 2/19/71 - the first Billy-solo show. Was this chosen to celebrate Billy's b-day? Good choice! I haven't listened to this one in a while!

Peace

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I remember from 2/19/71 was, “where’s Mickey?”. Was disappointed at the beginning of the show. The level of musicianship had greatly evolved since 1967 or last time as five piece. They blew the roof off the Capitol Theater that night. Jerry played his Alembec experimental “peanut” guitar for the first time on 2/19 and continued to play it the next several nights.I went Thursday through Sunday nights. I vaguely remember Weir commenting on Sunday as it being slow. As I remember it was sold out all nights. Unlike November 1970 shows in Port Chester when I could buy tickets night of the shows at the box office. Fillmore East was harder to get Dead tickets and February 71 shows sold out in hours . I bought tickets by getting in line at 5 am on a December (1970) Saturday morning. “What’s become of the baby that cold December morn”. Blair Jackson was in that same ticket line. 70/71 was quite the phase shift. Keep em guessing.

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In reply to by Strider 808808

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Strider...do you remember much about the ESP experiments at these shows?

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In reply to by daverock

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Nice pick Conekid!.
Always thought it was odd this came out in 2007 and with no real explanation why it took so long to get it out.

Great recording with A+ sound quality. Really good Truckin, Dark Hollow, China Rider. Really liked the Greatest Story, early Bird Song. Did somebody say, Easy Wind? This was great and I wish this got more play as well as New Speedway Boogie.
Great finish!

Strider, you were there, really cool.

Good to see you here Oroborous, I thought a Spring 1990 pick might peek your interest.

Otis, as a huge Brent fan, you should consider the Spring 1990 box sets. Highly recommend.

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I think this is the thread where Jim mention Victim -> Lay Me Down (1990-04-01). I'm a huge fan of Victim, this is a great one. I think this is the depths that, Just a Little LIght, Blow Away, Foolish Heart (if Jerry could remember words when he came out of jam :-) ) could have reached. Picasso Moon probably didn't have much too go! :-) But I really like a good Corinna.

Great Victim though, thanks for pointing it out.

Is there a better "Just a Little Light", than Dozin' at the Knick? Come on? Is there? Just took it off , best.

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Only that it was a random image , not all the time. I do remember Bob and Betty being set up on a side balcony booth. Saturday night was the major rave up night. NRPS finishing their set w Honkey Tonk Woman and the crowd going bonkers, balcony shaking. Weir, Pigpen and Pigs girl friend Veronica watched the end of the NRPS set from back stage right, Bobby shaking his head as if to say”tonight’s the night”. Highlights from 2/19 for me are Smokestack Lightning. Jerry’s use of the Alembec experimental peanut guitar looked amazing after he used his Gibson SG the night before. The peanut guitar was very small in its size but belted out a sweet big sound that was especially evident during Johnny B Goode, that had most of the audience up dancing. A few people at my high school would go one night only , but I was completely consumed.
Too bad there are not many (any)more 1970 tapes. Anything from either 1970 or 1971 is no less than spectacular .