Pick of the Day, with Discussion

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April 6, 2020 - 9:47am

8,080 replies

marye

Joined:
May 26, 2007

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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February 24, 2023 - 6:38pm

#1271

rockthing

Joined:
August 2, 2020

1970-02-23

You cats are already on to 1973. I'm still savoring the gentle respite in the oasis of Austin.

Death don't have no mercy, but there's always time for lunch.
Thanks for reminding me of LL. I need to see if I can get reinstated over there.

Grateful Dead Live at The Auditorium, Austin, Tejas on 1970-02-23
Harpur College was another of my heavy, heavy rotation tapes back in the day, along with the 2/18/71 Capitol Theater show I've already mentioned numerous times. Both were massive inspirations. For what seems in hindsight like a fairly significant period of time, if it wasn't one of those, it was Reckoning.

I Know You Rider: Lovin' the energy and grit of this Rider. It's almost angst.

High Time: This is a song! It's a pretty weird song, too, and after attempting it several times, myself, I must say it isn't surprising it wasn't played often. Damn, it's hard to sing. I submitted a completely deconstructed version of this for the February Dead Covers Project a few years back. I made a point of not revisiting to the original before recording, just going off memory and some notes left in an old binder of songs. I'm sure the ever-growing defenders of canon were thinking, "You ain't doin' it right if you ain't readin' it off a teleprompter." It was an "interpretation". Lol.

Dire Wolf: What a lyric. An electric version, no less. Pretty mellow electric set, almost acoustic.

Yellow Dog Joke… ah… well way to go for completely screwing up the joke, Bobby… actually, I'm not sure I've ever heard him make it all the way to the punch line. We should all heed Jerry's advice and "Don't encourage him." Everything was so light and positive in these days. Phil could be a bit surly, as we've already heard in this tape.

Monkey and the Engineer: This was a standard in my old folk-rock duo. My partner played it and I just followed along. I'd have to start from scratch to figure out how to play it again. Such good stories in these tunes.

Little Sadie: Nice. This wasn't on the Harpur College tape or Reckoning. Another dark story. I don't see how they could possibly be breaking strings playing such gentle music.

Me and My Uncle: I don't recall hearing an acoustic version. It's a great song and works in any format. At this point everyone hadn't already heard it a million times. Imagine that!

Black Peter: One of my favourite tunes ever. Doesn't get much darker than a song from the point of view of a death bed. Started doing this one myself occasionally a few years ago, but I always need a cheat sheet for the bridge. Nothing repeats. There are some interesting mnemonic connections between the chords and the words that help. Just have to sit down and do my homework. Ahh… yeah, Pig sittin' in nicely on the organ. This song needs a really delicate hand, but the organ adds a nice little gospel flavour. If only Pig coulda added just a touch more flair to his playing to fill in some lines before Jerry takes his solo. Pig's got the tone.

Seasons of the Heart: Never heard this before. Great pick! Thanks.

Uncle Johns: Have heard this one a few times. 😉

Not Fade Away: I'm gonna call the union! The Galactic Rock'n'Roll Union! That needs to be a band name, or a song, or something! Crazy to think this tune was in their set their entire career. Some good ol' primal energy here. Jerry's "wild" tone. He must've had the amplifier turned WAY up, cause it sounds like he's not in the mix at all. His guitar is just being picked up by a vocal mic, or something. Basically, no drums, either. I can't keep track of which guitars he was playing in the early years. He seemed to play whatever was available after giving up the Starfire. Sounds kind of like a Stratocaster, The Graham Nash Strat, perhaps? Alligator did not come on the scene until later, if I recall correctly. This tone has even more of a stereotypical Stratocaster sound than Alligator, which retained very little Fender electronics by the time it gets heard on Europe '72. Anyone? Oh, cool call and response with Pig. TC has already left at this point? I need to get my timelines straight. Bobby diggin' in with some soulfully aggressive singing, rather than simply aggressive.

Mason's Children: I can't recall ever hearing this, either. The name comes up often, but it's not on anything I've listened to regularly. Again, thanks for this pick! As you say, not exactly high-energy stuff, but some very rare pieces here. Always appreciate the chance to learn something new about this fascinating family.
February 24, 2023 - 8:28am

#1272

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

Chances are that the universe neither treasures nor regrets us

Rockers!

Lunch time. Death takes a breather. We're in the land of the living, gotta eat lunch.

The "new, fixed" 2/17/73 was up at Lossless Legs first thing this morning. So, it sometimes pays dividends to get up early............

So, one can get it there, or I can supply it to anybody who needs/wants..............

The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own......

Rock on,

Doc
It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure......
February 24, 2023 - 6:09am

#1273

DeadVikes

Joined:
October 26, 2016

2/17/73

Hey Doc,

Where is the new Miller for this show? I see a 2020 transfer from Miller on the archive as of this morning, and this one has issues.
February 24, 2023 - 1:16am

#1274

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

I met her accidentally in St. Paul, Minnesota......

Mornin', rockers!!!

For all you completists out there----as well as Row Jimmy fans----the talented Mr Miller just put out a "fixed" version of the fine St Paul show from February 17, 1973. Would make up part of a nice box set from early 1973----2/9, 15, 17, 19............

Ah well, one can dream..............

Rock on, happy Friday!

Doc
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before........
February 23, 2023 - 1:20am

#1275

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

Music is the best means we have of digesting time......

ROCKTHING.............

Check your PMs...........

Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend........

Rock on,

Doc
I frequently hear music in the very heart of noise.......
February 23, 2023 - 1:10am

#1276

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

I have just got a new theory of eternity…...

Hey rockers!!!

Pick Of The Day: Austin, Texas February 23, 1970

I reluctantly discussed this at the end of last year. Here I am again. It appears that I’m stuck in a time warp. The galactic rock and roll union. I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious…..

It appears that the currently circulated recording of this show is the only surviving audio document from the Dead’s four show excursion through Texas in February 1970. It’s tough coming right after the wonderful, brilliant Fillmore West/Fillmore East shows earlier that month, and perhaps it’s not unexpected that the intensity level might come down a bit. That being said, this is still interesting, enjoyable, and worthy…..

The band is in 1970 electric/acoustic/electric mode. The circulating recording appears to be missing part of the first electric set, coming in during Know You Rider. For fans of acoustic Dead, this set is nice---Monkey And The Engineer-Little Sadie-Me And My Uncle-Black Peter-Seasons Of My Heart-Uncle John's Band. The festivities are completed with a jammy NFA and Mason’s Children.

The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity……

Did Bear travel to Texas, and did he record? Banana boxes, reveal thy mysteries…..

Rock on,

Doc
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods……
February 22, 2023 - 7:47pm

#1277

rockthing

Joined:
August 2, 2020

5/19/74 > 2/22/69

>daverock>

The vocal dropouts are not evident in the audience tape, so that must have happened on the way to the board tape.

That said, the recording is slightly overpowered by Jerry and Bob's guitars from the taper's vantage point, but a little time with a simple Equalizer was enough to bring more Phil and better presence to the vocals. I do recall a few lyric flubs with the new material, but in the overall mix it didn't really jump out at me. Probably much more obvious in the official release/soundboard recording.

2/22/69>
Oh, my. I can see this is gonna send me on a primal quest. I have all these fall '69 and fall '68 shows that I've never listened to, but I don't have much from the spring of those years. I love this gentle psychedelia. It's really these delicate type of sounds that really trigger the senses. I'm only up to Dark Star at this point, but what a beautiful way to start a show.... oops, "The transitive diamonds?" Haha. I'd probably have trouble remembering my name if I were there, so whatever.

It's such a shame that we're restricted to streaming this show. Imho, if the official release isn't so significantly better sounding than one of these circulating boards that it isn't a no-brainer to buy it, then what's with the classism, eh? I know the boys need a retirement plan... but... --mini rant off--
February 22, 2023 - 10:30am

#1278

daverock

Joined:
September 1, 2014

5/19/74

Rockthing - good notes on this show - cheers! I'm going through it very slowly, but it's the L.P. I am listening to. Although it has the famous vocal drop outs, the sound and balance of the instruments sounds fine throughout to me. I have just played the side with Loose Lucy and Money Money on. A short side. The lyrics are a bit naff on both of them - but I like the music, and they were both played so rarely that when they do crop up, it's a welcome surprise to me.
I presume the version you have listened to has the earlier vocal dropouts too.
February 22, 2023 - 3:51am

#1279

rockthing

Joined:
August 2, 2020

5/19/74 (Part II)

Wrote these notes on Monday morning while drinking my coffee and getting ready to do some work from home. After a while I was mostly distracted by the show.

I'll get to that Feb. 22 '69 show if I can, but I don't have that one handy. Hafta stream it.

The ETree identifier of this source is 115876, btw. I don't have the box set, so these are my first impressions.

It Must Have Been The Roses: Ok. /Now/ I'm awake. Possible tape change? There is suddenly a big improvement in sound quality for this hauntingly sensitive rendition. Jerry's voice is now clear above the guitars. Everything, save Phil, is suddenly much clearer and the sound field feels wider. Up to this point the tape had sounded like the tape the biker is listening to at the beginning of the Dead Movie. Nice harmony work during the refrain, blended well in the house mix.

Loose Lucy: Gettin' in the funk. Jerry's just perfectly behind the beat to make it nice and nasty. If the syncopation isn't just right, this tune can completely lose all form really quickly. Loose Lucy must be a pretty new song at this point. I have no idea when this tune debuted. They didn't do this in concert much, as far as I know. I was lucky enough to see'em do it once, but the performance I saw was almost unrecognizable. Something was wrong with the timing, so it sounded all backwards. I was embarrassed to not even recognize it until Jerry started singing. This is a nice treat.

I Know You Rider? Something seems to be wrong here. The info text says Money Money should be next followed by China/Rider, but we're just dropped into IKYR. Looks like some minor surgery might be needed on the meta data.

Money Money: Ok. Someone's just mislabelled these files. Man, this has always been one of my least favourite songs in the Dead's catalogue. I rarely skip songs on albums, but being the album closer on Mars Hotel makes it easy. I don't think I've ever heard a live version of it, so this is kind of a treat, in its own sort of way. Having not heard it in such a long time, I guess it's not such a bad song. The negativity of the lyric just sems to strike such a contrast to most of the other stuff in the repertoire. John Lennon, for example, has a lot of negativity in his lyrics, but when I listen to him, I expect that.

China Rider: Yeah. They're keepin' that funky groove going that was working so well during Loose Lucy. The transition jam seems to go almost immediately to an I Know You Rider feel. The guitar tone is very unusual here. It almost sounds like Bobby's Gibson 335 tone. He's playing lots of double-stops, where he plays two notes at a time even while soloing… wait… maybe that /was/ Bobby!? Some very cool interplay between Bobby and Phil before a guitar sound that is unmistakably Jerry joins in just ahead of the trademark unison bit before I Know You Rider. What is now clearly Jerry's tone keeps it going after the unison part, and now there's a Feelin' Groovy jam. I can almost see the smiling faces and twirling homemade sun dresses with flowers in the hair right now. Big, big ovation from the crowd as they settle into the Rider vamp before going into the first verse. They know what they've just heard. That was sweet, breezy, and smooth as can be. I'm guessing Jerry had some sort of equipment or other issue causing him to stop playing for a bit at the beginning of the transition. Oh, yeah, Jer, dig into that "On a north bound train" line. This and the out-of-place IKYR are going to get merged into one track when I get a chance.

Set II:
Promised Land: Yeah. Everybody's definitely up off their blankets now.

Bertha: Got a little "Yee Haw" from someone nearby for "All night pouring, but not a drop on me." It's quite amazing how inobtrusive the audience is, considering this was recorded with a handheld mic by someone just hanging out in crowd.

Greatest Story: Nice wah wah Jerry licks. Jerry's wah is so bubbly and has a rich swell, like the sound of a wave on the ocean. Using the rocking motion of the foot pedal definitely puts the player physically off balance, so I can understand why he seemed to abandon it later in favor of the Mutron "auto-wah" tone filter. Sounds so good here, though. Jerry's volume sounds cranked, though, totally drowning everything out. I ain't complaining. Oh, yeah. A little jam in GSET? They seem to have gone into something altogether different. I'm not sure if this is a set piece, but it feels unfamiliar to me. I know that I've heard occasional jams in Greatest Story, but they seem rare. This is definitely no longer the Greatest Story chord progression, but I don't know what it is, and then Wamp, Wamp-Wamp, right back into it. Now I'm gonna hafta start checking out Spring 1974 Greatest Stories. That was hot and adventurous, like maybe something went wrong and they fought through it… but maybe there was just a jam in this song back then.

Ship of Fools: Giving the manic dancers their first break of the second set. The taper is stopping the tape between songs, though, so who knows how long they spent tuning in between. Very nice harmony work from Bobby and Donna.

Weather Report: Seems a bit tentative in the earlier segments, but the Let It Grow jam is developing interestingly. The whole band just seems sort of in a gentle mood this night. Everything is soft and malleable, and most of all, creative, when they go off into improvised sections. The straight tunes are tight and, well, straightforward, but I'm hearing all sorts of novel ideas coming through during the instrumental segments. There seems to be a completely different confidence at work during this jazzy work out. You can hear Billy getting back to his swing roots and playing off Keith. This is fantastic. Such subtle interplay. Normally when I hear the full suite performed I wonder why they didn't continue to use the first parts, but in this case I didn't feel that way.

Peggy-O: Jerry's picking is quite aggressive, and his tone is very chimey, even behind his vocal. Relaxed tempo, even by Peggy-O standards. In this recording it sounds almost like Billy and Jerry doing a duet, but Keith adds some accents here and there.

??: What is this? A playful little jam and some quiet noodling where the audience's shouts and requests become more prominent. Bobby announces technical difficulties.

Truckin': Nice buildup, but not the major bomb drop I'm used to, and from there things start to get really weird. It's not spacy weird, just, "Whoa, what the heck is this?" weird. Some of the early 70s Truckin's could get totally abstract, so this is just the way they rolled back then. Great stuff. Gettin' that funky groove goin' from the first set again, even as the changes take on some jazzy influences. Bobby is very clear in the mix, and my oh, my it's gettin' Weir'ed. Jerry busts in with a burst of guitar feedback which seems to shock everyone for a moment, but they're still groovin'. This is the gold I look for in any show. It's funny because Mind Left Body actually sounds a lot like Loose Lucy. Billy and Phil getting' into a little funky-drummer exchange. Finally Phil breaks through in the mix with some space for him to hit that Bootsy one. In the info text "Jam" and "Mind Left Body Jam" had been listed separately, but they're actually all included in the Truckin' track, which is my preference. Cousinit made a real mess of this file set, but I can fix it. Rarely are there such glaring mistakes on the Archive, but this one has definitely been put together somewhat carelessly.

NFA: This interesting because I've been listening to a lot of Alligator era NFA's or Bean era NFA's, and that gives a nice context to compare to this Wolf tone… of course, there is a LOT of recording tech affecting the sound here, but even though there's a nice honk, everything seems so nice and round and gently muted. Hey. What's this breakdown in NFA. Pretty sure I've never heard that before… and GTRFB. THAT, was an interesting transition.

GTRFB: Nothing to worry about here. The old standby. Billy's hi-hat figure during the breakdown is, again, getting really funky with a swinging 16th note feel, or something. Very cool.

US Blues: Mars Hotel weighted setlist. What month did that come out? Good, tight version.

Johnny B. Goode: Full colosseum clap along for a high energy reading that does justice to the Check Berry original. Sometimes this can get a bit too languid. This one is rockin' hard.

On repeated listen, I've messed with the EQ some. First of all I bumped up the EQ preamp level, I dunno, about 10db, I guess. I then added a further 12db of 64Hz, and 125Hz on the 10 band EQ to bring Phil nicely into the mix, but also lowered almost everything else about 6db on frequencies that had been flat to make the bass frequency differential greater. The bass still isn't terribly defined, but it at least brings Phil into play. He was completely inaudible without EQ. Got just a touch more vocal by giving the 1KHz and 2KHz about 1db. The tape has a sort of nostalgic cheap car speaker sound, so I actually wanna preserve a bit of that… not that I could really get rid of it. There's quite a nice venue ambiance, especially when there is more space in the arrangements, like during the Mind Left Body Jam.

The vocal drop-outs others have mentioned were not audible to the audience.
February 22, 2023 - 3:28am

#1280

daverock

Joined:
September 1, 2014

2/22/69

That is a great show. According to the cd notes it was recorded, along with shows in late January and the Feb-March shows, for possible inclusion on Live Dead. It probably won't happen - the song lists are obviously very similar, but it would make a great box set to release all the shows recorded.
The shows from 1967-1971 inclusive are the main ones for me in 30 Trips.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Currently Listening To...

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.

5/8/77

Yes, for sure Vguy!I

Holy shit, not that I forget about it, but, this one for me always deserves a very loud and focused listen.

I know there have become naysayers regarding this release, but man it is really good.

Be well folks.

Its engrained in a heads DNA....

....whether you like it or not.

@ DeadVikes RE: Spring 90 Boxes

I have been keeping an eye out for them, but they are pricey! I would love to see an "All Music Edition" released - I would be all over that, but if I recall, there was mention at release of the original box that there would not be an AMR, nor would the individual shows be released for sale.

Thankfully, I have access to most (all?) of these shows from LMA, and I have a number of them DL'd that sound good.

Now, I think I hear Cornell calling...

Happy Friday, DeadLand

Peace

Being that it’s Friday

I’m going to save my listen of 5-8-77 until late afternoon/evening, when the beer starts flowing.

Oh yeah, Shakedown Stream. Don’t think I’ve ever seen the 7-2-89 video, so need to fit that into the schedule too.

But for now it’s coffee, and what to listen to....?

6-24-85 30 Trips it is.
One of only two official 85 releases.....
More 85 please Dave.
So many good ones from the summer, can’t pick just one, might need a Box.

@ IceCreamKid RE: 6/24/85

I think I'll join you! I started Set I of Cornell, but only made it to "El Paso" before work interfered. I think I will put a pause on 5/8/77 and hop on that 30 Trips 85 show with you! Looks like a killer 2nd set, and there is a nice looking Miller SBD on Archive.

Of course, things at Cornell will resume once I can sit down for a nice focused (read drink in hand) listen :)

Shadowboxing the apocalypse...

Peace

Great Vibes Here..

and the occasional story. Nice.

I will try to fit in 5/8 today.. I wanted to take advantage of downtime coinciding with Morel Mushroom season this year too. Perhaps I will load up a device and head out / try to undo my so/so luck at finding these tasty critters.

Big fan of Summer (and fall) '85. Yes.. the tapes can sound just a tad thin, but at least for the most part Healy was not pumping a bunch of audience noise into the boards. I am biased.. but I could really did a twofer 6/30 and 7/1/85. And that marked the end of the GD at Merriweather Post Pavilion. There were tents tucked away in just about every semi-secluded spot in town. What a scene (cool for the most part) but a scene that was sure to clash with suburban life and the city council.

Glad you could join Otis

I only just started because I first went out to retrieve the trash can and recycle bin, which then meant I also had to let my dog walk around the street sniffing stuff and peeing on other people’s mailboxes.

Yes, I want to be in the right frame of mind for Cornell.

Good luck shroom hunting Jim. Wonder if I could train my dog to sniff out morels? He would probably just eat them.

Jumping ship....

....only at Deal at Cornell, so i to, will pause and resume tonight. '85 it is. At work, so relisten it is. Found a nice matrix
https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1985/06/24/alabama-getaway?source=95…

Take A Step Back..

Listened to Cornell Set 1, didn’t have that back in the day, it’s good, nothing mind blowing (in my current state of mind) but good.

I’ll save set 2 for later and hop on the 6/24/85 Riverbend train.

Definitely a favorite tape growing up. Love me some Cryptical, was just getting into the Dead in ’85 and was stoked to get Cryptical ’85 on tape. Would play this show and the next night 6/25 from Blossom with Day Tripper all the time! Heavy Rotation, takes me back…

Went to Riverbend the next year but alas, no Cryptical.

Hot Dog, gonna jam some epic Dead followed by Shakedown Stream with Pre-Show Bobby Weir & Playing In The Band show opener.

Happy Friday!

Be well

That hit the spot

Now palate cleansing with CCR 7-4-71, Closing of Fillmore West, KSAN FM, apparently pre-FM.

Then I’m hitting Cornell Set 1, then going outside to cover my plants from freezing tonight, then Cornell Set 2, then Shakedown Stream.
I like it when good plans come together.

Cornell anniversary

6 to 10 inches of snow that night back on 5/8/77 and it is suppose to snow there tonight!!! Thanks for remembering and celebrating with us nature!!!

If you get confused just....

Vault 3, enjoyed more than I thought. Listening in the background whilst working, so might check back in the tonight with fresh beer to be delivered today, on the big boy system. and what’s that you say?....Summer 85....don’t have to twist this arm! That’ll be this afternoons working fluid...nice mix, some killer spring 90, then some killer 71, then some killer 85! Yeah baby!
I’ll prolly have to skip the Cornell which I don’t mind because I want to try and check out 7/2/89. Haven’t seen that one yet and would be some Good Friday prime time enjoyment!
I can just access that via YouTube no? Anyone know what time that starts without looking it up? Thanks

RE: OROBOROUS

Pre-Show / Party begins 8pm EST / 5pm PST

Streamshake?

Thanks!
Did this start yet? There was a clock countdown to 6:30 est but nothings happening...guessing this is just open time, kind of like FTW? ....or am I just geezing out here?
I’ve never checked this out yet, does the pre-game start at 8 or the actual show?

ShakeStream

Yep.. they just gave out the secret code.

Edit: Geeze.. I suspect you missed the new secret handshake too.

________________________________________

I'm actually looking forward to this. It's one of the few from this era I am not super familiar with.. plus, it's got a PITB Opener and Serendipitously.. a reportedly good To Lay Me Down.

Shakedown Stream

It on the GD YouTube channel.

Pre-show is live, with Bob as special guest.
Show at 8:30e/5:30p

Shake-N-Stream

It's 8:30 right now, The Grateful Goddamned DeadDammit.

1989 Dead

Bob likes summer ‘89 Dead too!

I donated $20....

....seemed like the right thing to do.
Nothing wrong with a Playin' opener! Ever!!
Just learned that Spotify teamed up with the GOGD and Dead & Co and will match every Covid donation $ for $, up to a million $'s. That's cool.

Kind Soul

You have a kind soul, VGuy. The world is in need.

5/8/77

Hi!

I won't go through this show, it needs no commentary.

I will add this, my older sister who left for college in 1985, left behind two tapes in our Mom's blue Civic hatchback, Shakedown Street and 12/31/83. I grabbed those cassettes and never looked back. Back in the 1980s I had no idea that the live recorded shows could ever sound this good. In May of 2017 all those years of bad cassette recordings seemed to maybe make sense.

I never had those second or third generation tapes.

Be well folks.

Best shows, way too many!

On to Dave's 34, just arrived today.

Ted Dape

I love those old stories of analog

7/2/89

Holy Quacamole Batman! How did I never hear/see this one before?
It’s a virtual Jerry fest and interesting set list in general. Only quibble I can think of was after He’s Gone, why the Hell did Bob bail on what first sounded like Smokestack, then Jerry mosdef was playing Spoonful? You could see the whole band waiting on Bob and then things seem to fizzle, so Jerry breaks out Eyes, but you could tell something was up? Maybe Bobs Barrett’s were too tight, lol. Yeah, what was up with that? Can’t believe the band, no, the crew let him get away with that weirdness? Started watching 7/4 right after and that shit was gone...
Speaking of 7/4, as good as 7/2 was, you could tell immediately that 7/4 was gonna give it a run for its money if not top it, and imho 7/4 does best it. Funny I don’t recall much from this show. Member it was definetly a great show, but didn’t think I’d be going on about it 31 years later. Hearing shows many years later, especially ones for the first time, and comparing with my memories, increasingly blows my mind. Some I thought were meh turn out to be good, and some I thought were fantastic, turn out to be ok etc...so much fun!
Sorry, a little off topic but really enjoyed this show last night. Oh, and why the hell isnt this released? Hopefully just saving it? It’s already been produced enough to distribute to theaters for MUATM, so why not put it out?
Also, why is Dave so hot on summer, but not fall 89? Summer was awesome, but fall was even better, and of course spring 90 was the peak.

July '89

7/2/89 = Fun Shakedown Stream!

When it became the pick for Meet-Up At The Movies in 2016 this show began to peak my interest, but I missed it in the theaters. Prior to that the show was off my radar, as no SBD circulated. But with the PITB > Crazy Fingers Set 1 & FOTD Set 2 openers, I put it on my list of too get, and eventually Miller hooked it up in May 2017.

I agree an official release seems doable... maybe a freebie download of the video mix for all us obsessed and oh so loyal fans?!?

After listening to Bob & Dave talk about July '89 again last night, it got me curious. I can see with Bobby requesting July '89 specifically, that alone would totally place those shows on Dave's radar.. and we've reaped some of the benefits:
7/02/89 - MUATM 2016 & Shakedown Stream Last Night
7/04/89 - Truckin' Up To Buffalo 2005
7/07/89 - Crimson White & Indigo 2010
7/09/89 - Giants Stadium Box 2019
7/10/89 - Giants Stadium Box 2019
7/12/89 - RFK Stadium Box 2017
7/13/89 - RFK Stadium Box 2017
7/15/89 - Truckin' released on The Music Never Stopped Movie Soundtrack 2011
7/17/89 - Downhill from Here 1997 (majority)
7/18/89 - MUATM 2012
7/19/89 - MUATM 2015 & Downhill from Here 1997 (3 songs)

I decided today I'd listen to 7/15/89 and check it out a bit more.. It's pretty fun, not sure it'll get the release nod anytime soon.. but maybe we'll get a video of it. Nice Bird Song, and Truckin' is worth the ride.

Well how's the snow you east coasters? We're supposed to hit 85 today in Portland.. seems a bit early for that.

Be Well Friends!

Re:GOGD

Berry interesting...didn’t know (more likely forgot) about 7/18&19 being MUATM/released? Again, if they already incurred the production costs to make these some what releasable, why not release em? I know they haven’t done well on the video stuff which I believe is why they mostly stopped, but if you already have usable product, why not just do a pre-order where you know just how many units to run?

RE: OROBOROUS

Based on your response, I say let's go for it. Cool Dave Lemieux?

Like most things, I imagine money is the issue. Quantity = Price breaks on production costs / if Quantity doesn't sell.. yada yada. These kind folk here at Dead.net been testing those waters for some time now, the formula seems pretty set lately. DVD is dead, heads tend to want to have physical copies so they can play, rip, look at, whatever... not sure what the next model is in that regard.

But for the record, I can make DVDs, CDs and artwork, so if you all over here at Dead.net need any help, just lmk and I'd be happy to assist.

That all being said, I've moved over to 7/18/89 Alpine night two, and this Set 1 is well worth a revisit for any and all needing a musical suggestion.

Alpine '89 might make a good box release DVD & CD, all 3 nights in their entirety. Might be too well known due to Downhill from Here & MUATM..

But maybe we'll get 7/18 & 7/19 Shakedown Streams.. I'm calling it, we'll either get one or both.

Bets?

If it happens I want a burrito...

Is there a pick of the day today??....

....if not, may i recommend 2.11.89 Great Western Forum in the City Of Angels?
https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1989/02/11?source=102940
If nothing else, check out the second set. I attended this one, and the second set was one of the best I can recall (which is saying a lot if you get my meaning). Airto Moreira, Flora Purim and Diana Moreira sat in during drumz and Eyes (out of Space mind you). I nice I will Take You home into drumz as well. I was pretty pie-eyed on acid and ecstasy at this one and drumz took me out of the roof of the arena and back again. Messed me up so much i sat for the rest of the show, getting all introspective and such. Felt tinges of a bad trip coming on. Thought the band sounded bad, etc. Only stood up for Black Peter, then proceeded to sit for the rest. Yelled that Box Of Rain was a shitty encore. My buddies sensed things were amiss, and proceeded to try and cheer me up at the hotel room afterwards. I was a mess. I definitely had too much too fast. No hallucinogens for me the next night, or for awhile after to be honest.
When I listened to a tape of it later, I realized they sounded great and it was all in my head. Don't mix drugs kids.

Alpine 89

GOGD, good point, saturation etc, but you have to think SOMEDAY? Alpine 89 will get the full treatment as it seems like that run gets as much lip service here as any of the top “not if, but when” runs that folks continually mention here.
Or maybe I’m just biased?....

RE: Today's Pick & More '89

VGUY: I don't think there was a pick today, peeps were still trying to catch up on Cornell, Riverbend '85 & Shakedown Stream .. so much Dead so little time.

I jumped on the July '89 train after Shakedown Stream got me thinking. On Set 2 of 7/18/89 if you wanna give a listen. Decent show for sure, Set 1 seemed nice and strong, mid set 2 as we speack. Me and OROBOROUS were talking about the likely hood of Alpine '89 getting released someday...

OROBOROUS You are correct sir, those shows sure have a lot of love supporting them and July '89 seems to be on both Dave & Bob's radars... so I guess we'll see. For the quick fix, I think our best bet is the upcoming Shakedown Streams, I'm thinking we might see 7/18 or 7/19 possibly both. FWIW this 7/18 Miller SBD is dope.

I'd love to know more about what sells and what hasn't worked. For instance this year, I had good copies of the Giants Box set shows, but since it was multi-track & a DVD plus cool liner notes, they got me and I was in. Same with June '76. And Jai-Lai '74, again I've had good boards of those forever it seems, but getting the official release, I was in... not to mention already had the sub. So.. yeah, from what I can tell... if they build it, we will come.

VGUY - Tripping too hard.. been there. I'll make note of 2/11/89 and try and see what you was missing...

Time for some delayed 4:20 as Eyes heads into drums. 7/18/89 is nice especially as I can picture wonderful ole Alpine Valley and all those happy people boogieing down.

7/18/89

China Doll out of Space after 4:20, Do it!

Nice Mr. Fantasy too so far.. wide open Alpine feel, or maybe It’s cause the sun is shining & the breeze is blowing at same time.. or maybe it’s both..

Worth a re-listen for sure

It’s been awhile but 7/18/89 has some good jams!

The Set 2 Eyes> D> S> China Doll> Fantasy> Jude> Throwing> SSDD, Quinn just now sounded sublime.

Almost identical song order as 7/2/89 but different pace, tempo, feel makes it completely different. And sounded esp good right now.

Dug it, now I really hope they stream this show!

Have a good one everybody it’s OMSN!

Happy Mother's Day to the Mamas out there!

I hope all are well on this Sunday, and I hope every mom is happy, wherever she may be :)

Here is a little listening for us on this great day - Kid tested, mother approved!

Set II of 5/10/80 - maybe one of the greatest pre-drums second sets of all time...

https://archive.org/details/gd1980-05-10.set2.sbd.miller.91938.sbeok.fl…

Set II - 5/10/80 Hartford

China Cat>
Rider
Stranger>
Comes a Time>
Estimated >
He's Gone >
UJB >
Drums >
Space >
NFA >
Sugar

E: Alabama >
OMSN

Peace

Otis

That is quite a list!

@ Oroborus

Yeah, it is great! The band is hot, and I love the whole thing, but check out the jam from He's Gone to UJB... super cool.

I hope you and yours are well!

Peace

Today's Pick

Looks like we need a pick for today and I saw Bob T mention 5/11/77 at the St. Paul Civic Center. Sounds like a winner to me.

Week 9 in quarantine for us here in MN.

Be well folks.

5/11/77

May of 77... no brainer.

I have to say, I'm a bit surprised that we haven't done more 77... may I suggest 12/29/77, aka Dick's Pick #10 for Tuesday?

Peace

12/29/77

I am in on that for tomorrow, thanks Otis.

Yes, 5/11/77 is a stellar Spring 77 show. The Jack Straw and Peggy O kind of melt your face. Love that Sugaree to end the first set. Scarlet Fire, and what a finish! Throw in a Brokedown Palace encore. I love this show.

Fry, Bueller?

12.29.77 sounds just fine....

....if I recall, that's the show where Jerry forgot an entire verse of China Doll. Could be wrong. The down side of so many awesome releases is that it gets hard to recall correctly at times. I think I'm right though.
Busy day at work. Had time to check out 5.11.86 though. Miracle -> US Blues to open the second set caught my ear. Cool banter by the Boyz that gig. Passed 5.11.77 by today. Catch it later.

12-29 China Cat Breakout

Weir was dropping China Cat teases after the hiatus all over until the breakout including 10-3-76 and Winterland 6-8-77 during NFA (just rediscovered that one the other day). You could tell he really wanted to bring that one back.

12/29/77

Yep, sounds good! Dang, I've had this ever since it first came out (98) but I've barely even listened to it. I guess back then I was obsessed with pre-hiatus and this one fell through the cracks. Better late than never!
I just listened to the Bonus material from 12/30- wow! The Estimated jam really catches fire, then fine Jerry vocals on Eyes, then a sweet quiet jam into St. Stephen. The crowd goes wild at the first St. Stephen notes. Powerfully jammed Stephen and Sugar Mag to close- whew- a great sequence. Latvala never let us down!

12.29.77

Had the meat of the second set on tape courtesy of David Gans and the Grateful Dead Hour since circa 1990?? then in something like 91 or 92 I hit dreaded record on my portable player and handn't removed the tabs on the cassette. So I had this two second break in the tape where you could audibly hear the word (think slow motion) F uh uh chk chk chk, then back to the music. It wasn't until the Dicks Picks came out that I had it complete again. Whew,..

Always a personal favorite. The transition in China Rider is both sublime and unique. Super smooth and fluid.

Anyway.. my little personal story about that release. How many people out there used to record The Grateful Dead Hour back in the day because.. well because it was almost always better than the tapes I had of those shows at the time. It was almost like an early version of the Internet Archive for lots of us. David Gans for Pres? ha..

12/29/77

I wrote a story about being at that show that is in the comments section on 12/29/77. I’m lucky to listen to every other suggested show in this forum. Will definitely listen today even if a day late. It’s on my IPod so I can listen at home. Shows not on my IPod I tune in by iPhone off of a cell tower 35 miles away that I have to get up to a ridge top a couple miles from home. The 50th anniversary of my second Dead show is Friday . Was at the early show. If no one has picked for Friday , 5/15/70 would be great. NRPS was there the same night.

Re: 5.15.70

Good idea Strider.

For what it's worth, I took the time to compile the best available audio from the New Riders sets and combined it with the Fully Normanized version, arranging the songs in the correct order, etc. I forget if there was (were) missing song(s) on the released version, I think yes.. if so they are included. It's as good a quality, full show experience as you are going to get 50 years into the future. It's monster long, meaning big.. and of course full of big fun.

I think Ziffle who posts here sporadically was there also and spoke quite highly of the whole experience. These are the type of shows I am most envious of and if I could set the dials to the wayback machine, one by one I would hit them all.

Anyway regarding the full show experience, you know where to reach me.. 7 CDs worth of music in one night.. I believe the sun was already up when the noise inside finally subsided and the people began pouring out into the sidewalks of New York having the difficult task of making sense of what in the hell just happened and what became of their minds (sounds of jaws scraping up sidewalk debris as they walked to the subway to go home).

Travis Bean / Wolf Guitar / Gibson SG 1970 1977

Wolf makes a reappearance at the New Years run. Jerry played a Travis Bean earlier in the year. (77) Only saw him play the Bean once , one time in Eugene, Oregon March 1976 with his own band.
May 15, 1970 was far different from my first GD show in the dead of winter. Springtime in NYC is a rush of a different feeling . NRPS plus acoustic Dead, throw in Workingmans Dead release and one small detail , I was fucking 16 years old! Main difference at my first Dead show, I pretty much stayed in my seat, second Dead show besides acoustic set I was up dancing at my seat during NRPS set and the electric set as much as possible.
A shame more of the acoustic sets of the 70 odd mas o menos from 1970 , 1980 were not taped or were lost.
When I think of the Fillmore East and later Winterland I hold golden memories in my heart.

5/15/70, top 5

5/15/70/ is on my top 5 list of Dead shows that I would attend if I could go back in time. Along with, 5/2/70, 2/27/69, , 3/1/69, and 6/11/69.

Welcome to Thursday Night at Winterland

Gonna try and get everything just exactly perfect here...

Haven’t heard this one in awhile.. and so far so good, Jack Straw is def a stand out in this here first set. Nice Pick!

JIMINMD - The Good Ole GD Hour.. was definitely my first reliable source for good quality tapes. I still have a bunch of the tapes I made in the garage… memories. David Gans is yet another colorful and beloved character in the rogues gallery of GD collecting. A true pioneer that one..

STRIDER 88 - Wow.. What a time to be 23!! Great story, I can kinda picture it, it must’ve been great to be in the balcony at Winterland and just be able to scope out the scene and see friends. Fillmore East & Winterland the two most Hallowed of halls… keep the stories coming!

OTIS - Enjoyed 5/10/80 Set 2, smoking China > Rider!

BILLY THE KID - 6/11/69 what if it’s no good and you time traveled back to catch a bunk show? Unless of course you know something we don’t.. like where the tapes are?

Looking forward to Friday’s trip back to 5/15/70! That’s gonna be good, it’s been awhile.

You all ever think this is all a dream we dreamed?