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    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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  • Forensicdoceleven
    Joined:
    You can't blame gravity for falling in love…..

    Mornin’, rockers!!!

    Pick Of The Day: Dream Bowl February 22, 1969

    Relatively speaking, the yang to the yin of February 21, 1969. True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist…..

    I have the space, you have the time, let’s revisit. Officially released in October 2015 as part of Thirty Trips Around The Sun, one almost never hears about this show, possibly because it gets overshadowed by the blazing white hot glare of the Fillmore West Shows of February 27th to March 2nd. This is very much “of a kind” with those shows, featuring the typically sweet Mountains Of The Moon (always loved that song!), a long exploratory Dark Star, a fierce, crunchy Other One, a deathly Death Don’t, a fine Eleven, and a greasy Lovelight that clocks in at a mere 21+ minutes.

    Great music, great sound quality, I suggest you find the time…..

    The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once…..

    Rock on,

    Doc
    There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there…..

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Heads in Mississippi

    That's good to read - they opened with Mississippi Half Step - Franklins Tower the first time I saw them 3/24/81. A great start to the show for sure.

  • PT Barnum
    Joined:
    5-19-74

    In my experience, any show that starts off with Mississippi half-step uptown toodleloo is usually a great one and 5-19-74 is no exception. That pacific northwest box grows on ya, for sure.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    5/19/74

    I haven't played it this year yet, but it has become one of my most played shows from this year - mainly because I bought it on vinyl. But it is really good, too. To me, it's better than its song list suggests - the songs leading up to the Truckin' jam are well played and forward moving, and that final jam is superb. It has been castigated in some quarters for the vocal drop outs. A price worth paying, in my opinion. All three 1974 shows in the box it was culled from are top notch.

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Dave's 13 and 42

    Hey Bluecrow, #13 is definitely in my top five. Love this show. Listen to it quite a bit. #42 hasn't resonated with me as much as #13, don't know why. How do you all feel?

    I will throw out Dave's Picks #7, 4/24/78, for our old buddy That's Otis. I believe you are fan of this era. Hope all is well out there for you and the rest of the crew!

  • rockthing
    Joined:
    5/19/74

    I've got a beta-max transfer of 2/24/74... which stayed in heavy rotation for a long time when it first hit my library, but low and behold Portland 74 has collecting proverbial dust in the old hard disk, too. Time for something brand new (to me).

    A Pat Lee master cassette passed down the generations.

    It's a little hissy, and I'm not getting much Phil at the start, but Jerry and Bob's gutiars are crystal clear. Jerry's voice coming in a close second in the mix with some occasional Keith flourishes wafting to the fore. Billy's cymbals sound crisp, if somewhat thin. Getting a nice Jamaican dub sound when he switches to the highhat. Kick is in there, clear, but with with a soft tone, and none of the hyper-compressed abrasive contemporary festival sound. Donna's harmonies are on, and blended well with Jerry and Bob for the Across the Rio Grande-oh finale of Halfstep. Jerry plays an aggressive outro solo.

    Mexicali: The mix and tape quality remain consistent. It's mostly a guitar oriented sound, but Bobby's voice is clear, if slightly too far back. Even in '74 they could do this one in their sleep. Have you ever heard a real train wreck during Mexicali? I can't recall one. A fan let's out a hoarse, "Whao!" apparently feeling the southwest polka vibes.

    Big Railroad Blues. Love me some BRB. There are short pauses in the tape where Pat Lee is clearly well aware of the need to conserve footage. Could do with A LOT more Phil in the mix. Might fiddle with the EQ in a bit.

    Black Throated Wind: Awkward song that I sometimes really like, and other times can do without.

    Scarlet: Crowd gives Donna a big cheer as the song reaches it's finale. Of course they egged Bobby on with some of his crazy antics, too, but it's nice to hear that early 70s audiences appreciated her contributions.

    Beat It On Down The Line: Always love this one. Nice double vocal from Bobby and Donna. Some unfortunate microphone feedback during Jerry's solo. Phil's backing vocals are there. The bass frequencies either never made it onto the cassette, or have evaporated through the generations of open reels and cassettes.

    Tennessee Jed: Nice bounce to this laid-back rendition. Another one of my favorite tunes, as I've mentioned before. Another nice, appreciative response from the audience who are almost completely unnoticeable for the majority of the time.

    Bobby McGee. I picture the audience mostly having a lie-down on the lawn during this first set. Just a nice day in the park with some live music in the background.

    Ok, well, that's as far as I'll get in this sitting, but really looking forward to that big Truckin' jam at the end of the show. Now spoilers! 😉 Just kidding.

  • rockthing
    Joined:
    Woodstock

    >DAVEROCK>

    "It's about 37 minutes long, but it seems more like an hour when you watch it."

    HAHAHA

    I'll be on the lookout for that CCR set. John Fogerty strikes me a somewhat difficult man. Brilliant songwriter and producer, though. Never get tired of Cosmo's Factory, in particular. Gotta get reacquainted with the first album. I recall it being more psychedelic.

    Got a trove of stuff to listen to after yesterday's catch up. Thanks!
    Not sure where I'll start, but probably with something that already has ID tags. lol.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Woodstock

    There was a good cd of CCR's set that came out a couple of years ago. Apart from Hendrix, possibly my favourite set of the whole festival. "Lovelight" was included on a dvd as an extra, on one of the celebratory reissues of the festival. I don't think I'm being controversial when I say that it wasn't there finest hour. It's about 37 minutes long, but it seems more like an hour when you watch it.
    The Dark Star, I've just remembered, was included in the 6 cd 40th anniversary release of Woodstock, too. That's okay. But it's not a show I would suggest as a contender for an official release.

  • rockthing
    Joined:
    Back from the... er... Dead: James "Blood" Ulmer info?

    Hey folks.
    Whew! Wall to wall autumn (deliberately avoiding the overly-insistent rhyme) and have taken the new year winter decompression to track a lot of the transfers of old vinyl I'd made back in August. Thanks to that, The Dead have taken something of a backseat in my listening during the new year as I've now got all of these other things in a convenient format.

    While tidying up an old hard disk, I came across a James "Blood" Ulmer show I must've torrented over ten years ago, but for whatever reason never unpacked. No info file, and so far various Googling can't even prove that the concert even happened. The directory is only listed as ulmer2_27_86. Anybody have a suggestion where I might look to find some more info on this? I checked out the taper forum, and the "Looking for..." forum, but there hasn't been a lot of activity over there.

    One new Dead show in my library, however:
    6/8/74 FOB which I've only had on once, but wasn't giving my full attention. I think I found it also unpacked on a hard disk while "house cleaning". My (slowly) ongoing exploration of Wall Of Sound audience tapes. Any takers?

    There is also a trove of late 60s shows that were binge torrented and then never unpacked. Can't wait to get to those.

    Well, I'd wanted to recap, but I'm not even out of August, so I'll spare you the flashbacks.

    >Oroborous>
    Thank you for the acknowledgement so many months ago.

    ● Just put the 2/24/71 Port Chester show on. This one I'd transferred from an old cassette. Haven't heard it in a really long time, and don't have as many specific memories of it, like the 2/18 tape.

    Oooh. This Bertha. Bump! Bump!

    Either my cassette was running slow or this is the most mellow Hard to Handle I've ever heard. Dig it.

    I love these really slow early Losers, too. It seemed like it might be vying for a spot in the Dew rotation in those days, but they eventually picked up the tempo to a slow trot as the years went by. This being transferred from a tape, it may just be a media issue. I sometimes cover this on acoustic, and always do it real slow and always only ask for 1 gold dollar, not ten. To me, these are the archetypal Losers.

    Epic Good Lovin' drum solo!

    Thanks for that ranking of that Feb '71 run. Found AUDs on the Archive for the 19th and 21st. Back in the day, I ended up with only 2/18, 2/23, and 2/24 somehow. I was trying to explore as many different eras as possible, I guess, so didn't go for a completist approach... I guess... who knows what I was thinking back then?! lol. I'd take whatever I could get. Those tapes accompanied me on many a road trip cause that period is just fantastic driving music....

    ● A good buddy lent me the 3/9/81 discs. I don't think he got the MSG box, just the single show on offer. Those were on in the car for quite a while last fall.

    My buddy was, like, "Dude. Check this China Cat," and he was not wrong. For me, because I'm less familiar with this era, I felt like there was some really unusual interplay between Phil and Jerry in there. Brent's synth work is pretty novel, too. Sounds like he'd been listening to some Steve Winwood. I could stand for a bit more of it, if I'm honest.

    Bird Song was the first tune in this show to really grab me, though.

    An electric Deep Elem? I'll take that.

    Uncle Johns is kind of a mixed bag. There are some really cool things happening, but it seems a little ragged at times too. That's just how it goes, but that's how I hear this one. No disrespect for hanging it out in front of a huge crowd.

    The Drums > Space > Other One is also fantastic. Sounds like someone (I'll guess Mickey) is playing with some microphone feedback, incorporating it into the jam.

    That Stella Blue seems to start out a little unsure of its footing, but by the end is soaring. That's a real highlight... I mean, I love Stella Blue pretty much any time you'll give it to me, but after a few listens this one really grew on me.

    I think I'm still a little partial to 3/7/81 at U. of Maryland, though.

    >bluecrow>
    Cal Expo rang a bell, but I've only got 5/26, 27 from 1993.

    5/26 is a 3rd gen cassette 1st set and a 4th gen 2nd set AUD. Not sure how that happened. Couldn't tell you anything about it off the top of my head other than that there is a heart mark next to Playin' > Drums > Space > and I tracked that all as just Playin' because that's how I roll.

    ● 5/27/93 is a partial board, but 7th gen cassette... only the 2nd set. I was doin' postage and blanks, so ended up pretty far out on a limb a lot. I'm not using headphones, but there's not a thing wrong with the sound quality. Might have just lost the first set, or maybe never had it.

    Pretty worthy Scarlet/Fire.

    Might skip Wave to the Wind so I can get an ear on the Cassidy > Uncle Johns > Cassidy Reprise > Drums segment. Nah. Wave to the Wind is 7 minutes long. There must be some sort of jam in there. Better be. Certainly are a lot of changes. Jer's on top of 'em. That's about all I can say.

    Cassidy is mellow and starting to jam out, but...ah, well, nice try. The seque into UJB comes across pretty forced. A bit more patience, and cooperation might have helped that jam. Good idea.

    The UJB jam, however is goin' off! Love how it is deconstructing toward drums. The band is showing a lot more patience here... oh, and the brief reprise of Cassidy is smooth as silk. You can hear Jerry hinting at it for a while. It would have been magic if they'd pulled that off on the way out of Cassidy.

    Drums could always be counted on to deliver in the 90s. I'll expect no less here. Nice beam drones. More like space.

    Oddly, Space just seems to stop and Jerry's there playing TOO on his own for a bit. Cool super distortion Bobby cutting is the perfect ground for Jerry's crystal clear lines. Don't appear to be any Martian vocal effects on Bobby's voice, which is a shame. I always liked that. Jer digs in to some overdriven runs after the first chorus which are now weaving nicely with Bobby's stabs and dives. Good mix. The drums are touch lost behind the guitars, maybe. Vince is real low in the mix. Say what you want about '93, dudes are goin' for it. Some heavy echo on Bobby's voice for the second verse, which immediately diffuses into Wharf Rat. Coulda dealt with a bit more TOO, but that was as smooth a transition as you can ask for. The thing about this era is that they have the in-ear monitors, and intercoms, so they didn't have to hint at anything musically. All anyone needed to do was call a tune into the ears of the others. Makes the transitions a lot more succinct, which can be both smoother, but also sometimes a little less thrilling.

    Wharf Rat is a tune that suited Jerry any day, any year. This tune is gonna be solid no matter what... at least as far as I know. Tape starting to sound a little muddy at this point for some reason. It was fine earlier. Love that Bobby is well-represented in the mix to add his coloring throughout. Is this after they fired Dan Healy? Well, I spoke too soon. The Life I Should found the limit of Jerry's voice on this particular night.

    Sounds like Jer's starting GDTRFB, but maybe it's just because this Sugar Mag slides out of Wharf Rat as easy as can be before Bobby takes the lead. Even Bobby's sounding a bit froggy at this point. Musta been something in the air. (Can't imagine what!) Nothing to write home about, but nothing to complain about, either.... Jerry's lettin' some overdrive licks fly throughout the Sunshine Daydream section. It's interesting because it's like you can still hear his clean tone at the core of his distorted effect. Pretty aggressive, if short. No encore on my tape, unfortunately.

    ● My only May 91 show is Shoreline on the 12th and it's FOB probably available on the Archive. Couldn't tell ya anything about it off the top of my head.

    >Forensicdoceleven>
    >JimInMD>
    >PT Barnum>
    RE Woodstock

    Perfect back yard recreation. Hahahaha. :)

    Just listened to my old, old vinyl copy of the Woodstock Soundtrack a couple weeks ago, and even that excerpt of Hendrix is totally face melting. If I recall correctly this wasn't The Experience.

    I'm not sure I've ever heard the Dead's entire Woodstock set. Last year I was surprised to learn that CCR, Mountain, and Johnny Winter had also played Woodstock. I'm pretty sure I'd never known that. They were also not part of the soundtrack or film. Jerry, at least, makes a memorable cameo in the film.

    PT Barnum> RE Fall '91
    Near miss. I've got 8/16, and 9/17 in the library. Couldn't tell you anything about them off the top of my head. If there's one thing this group always does, it's fill in the gaps. Cheers.

    JeffSmith> RE HDTracks

    DUDE! Thank you! I've been looking for a site where I can get minimum 16b44.1 quality downloads. Being on the other side of the world, shipping even CDs is murder. One of my favorite things about nugs net is that you can buy, not hi-res, but at least CD quality downloads. I think downloads sound better than CDs, tbh. Something happens during the CD manufacturing process, or at least it has begun to seem that way to me.

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    2/23/74

    I forgot about this one.. haven't given it a listen since release time. I'll have to change that.

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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.

....end second set Morning Dew followed by a Sugar Mags? Hmmm. Punchy.
They tried to top that Mind Left Body, and actually did it!!
Three song encore. Because why the fuck not?
Stay safe my friends. Wash hands.

. this is a Primo Setlist for my liking, it’s mind blowing to say the least how the Dead played from the start of the performance and then bring everything together starting during the second set and the entire Third Disk!!! “H0LY Toledo” !my brothers & sister’s! This Is the “good Old Grateful Dead” at one of their best musical eras in the bands entire career, IMO at least.
Interesting’Dark Star’ for sure, I dig it!
Love the Morning Dew absolutely Bella!
Rock on everyone, have a grateful day! 🙏❤️💀🌹

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It's been fun to visit Oklahoma City '73 again.

Got Distracted during Set 2 yesterday (damn real world stuff!) so I had to revisit the Dark Star this AM.

Mind Leaving Body right now

It's a great way to start the day.

Oh, the places we can go.. next up Cape Cod '79

Have a Grate day everyone!

Jerry quoting a little bit of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring at 9:18 in Morning Dew.

Huge Morning Dew after Major Dark Star.. that’s some good Sunday Morning Music.

And then as mentioned here… Triple Encore of Eyes > Stella, Johnny B. Goode.

Yeah that’s some majorly good Dead.

Great Pick.

Alright, time to time travel some more.

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I also went with the Oklahoma Dark Star onwards for this Sunday Morning. Yes, this is perfect morning music. Great catch on the Bach! I would never have noticed that. I'm beginning to understand why this show is so revered. I just needed some good focused listening...

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I wish I could take the credit and that my ear was that sharp to pick that out on the fly.

But the credit goes to Tom Ferraro and his review in the Taper's Compendium Volume 1 (which is great by the way).

He mentions it and then I had fun listening for it and lo.. Jesu was there.

Great way to start the day for sure.

Nice pick today GOLLUM!

Set 1 was a nice follow up to my Sunday Morning voyage through October '73 and I've made it to Franklin's Tower which is a massive 17 minutes long... I'm excited to hear where it goes.

So far so good.

PS - You should check out the next night SBD if you find yourself with time to spare... The Set 2 China > Rider & PITB are EPIC. I plan on listening to Set 1 of that show later and might just listen to the aforementioned songs again. That Franklin is over 21 minutes long for a total of over 35 minutes of Franklin's Tower in 24 hours.. who can pass that up?
(Another nod to the Taper's Compendium, this time Volume 2 for pointing out that tidbit as well).

Have Fun & Good Listening!

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Thanks for the tip on the Cape Cod 10/28 show GOGD. I listened to the tunes you mentioned and loved them. That show certainly seems at least as good as the 10/27 show. But anyways 10/27 seems mighty fine! I liked the Stagger Lee, Sailor-Saint, and OtherOne-NFA the most. I need to listen to the Dancing- Franklin's jam a few more times. That Dancing jam is queer bird, and I'm not sure what to make of it. So, Brent's getting some weird sounds from his keys the first 9 minutes, and then there's like a loud velcro rip sound, and his keys are back to normal?! I need to listen to it a few more times- it's a queer bird and I need some more time to digest it.

I'm into a 1979 rediscovery phase, ever since the 12/26/79 discussion here a few weeks ago. I always loved the "Friend" and UJB from that show but never got beyond that. Now, I'm finally seeing the greatness of the whole show. It's my favorite Brent show now, by a long shot. (thanks to this forum!) Now I'm giving the 2 fall/winter 79 Road trips some much needed and overdue love.

Have a great Memorial Day, all.

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In reply to by The Good Ole G…

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I was gone all day.. did I miss a Gollum pick?

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Yep, you missed the great Cape Cod Clambake. I figured you was probably out white-water rafting though the Blue Ridge mountains again....

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That's a great Minglewood! I don't know of a better "Stagger Lee" I forgot how much I liked that song...

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....then they are smack in the middle of a Shakedown Street. Swear to God. They are playing it. Masterful stuff.
At 11:12 they resume the Dancin' theme. That's a Shakedown Jam. At least that's how I heard it, and I trust my ears.

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Yeah, that's a beauty. Love the thundering Lesh-heavy Other One

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Great set- exhausting, especially when loud and through headphones. Phil really laying it on thick-mmm...bedtime

GOLLUM: So much good stuff in Fall / Winter ’79 for sure!
It has it’s own unique sound like so many periods of the Dead.
Definitely enjoyed the Clam Bake… CAUTION JAM > THE OTHER ONE! I listened to that like 3 times yesterday, that’s some killer jams.

Speaking of 12/26/79 - I didn’t realize there was a soundcheck of Black Throated Wind in circulation, just stumbled on to that this morning. Gonna listen to BTW from '79 right now. Far out!

Might need to revisit 12/3/79 DaP V31?

BOB T: You’re thinking 6/14/76 today? There is a nice PITB on there…

What’ll it be today.. ’76, ’79, ’88.. so many choices!

...1979 is one of my favorite dead Era’s ! Love Cape Cod 79’ and December 79’ is primo dead for my likings! Brent brought backsome ‘gusto’ to the dead’s music and performances, it’s almost like the dead had come back half circle in their approach to playing their old & new selection of songs and it worked wonders as we can hear in the 1979 releases & recordings, the latest being ‘Dave’s Picks #31 as mentioned earlier! A primo release in the series that I can enjoy over & over again. I swear it will “still your face right off your head!” Is it better than ,Dicks Picks #5,?! I think not but it’s grande in its own way! More 1979 please !
Have a grateful day everyone! 🙏❤️💀🌹

LMG has '79 fever too!

While we're waiting for a consensus in regards to today's pick

'79 talk has me taking a look at the ole collection and I like the looks of the following:

11/6/79 - Philly Spectrum - Road Trips Download - (Started listening to this.. it's good:)
12/3/79 - DaP V31 - I need to relisten as I recall only listening once and moved on.

Also mentioned by BOB T -
6/14/76 - Box Set

And - Thanks for the Dylan tip VGUY. Listened to Postcards of the Hanging last night, never really paid attention to it.. Baby Blue from 12/3/81 is killer!

Probably should listen to some honest Bob.. but I got Dead fever.

What you all listening to today?

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6/14/76 would work perfect for me. I just listened to 6/10 and 6/11 last week, so it's due up for me anyways. It would be a nice mellow way to end the Memorial Day weekend.

Dave's 31 (12/3/79). GOGD, I also listened to this just once and moved on. I was frustrated by the mix. Bobby's guitar is just too low for me, especially on Scarlet-Fire. That's a big pet peeve of mine. Maybe I should give it another chance -perhaps the ears adjust(?). Maybe I just need to lighten up a bit and go with the flow?! But, aren't we lucky we have the 12/26 and 12/28/79 shows as excellent Betty boards! The Healy Road 79 Road trips also sound great!

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Perhaps my favorite 79...another of my actually good sounding go to tapes back in the day. Used to like to play Bass along w it’s it for practice.

RECAP:
- Vault 1 8/13/75 ✔️ Haven’t heard this gem in forever. Forgot just how awesome and tight this show is. Choreographed sure, but so what, it flows so nicely, and hey, no me & my uncle, lol. There’s a reason this was chosen for the first Vault pick!
- 7/1/78: NOT
- 5/21/74: ✔️ Still haven’t caught up on this box either, yeeshk....
- 5/23/72:✔️ Finally got a copy of most of this. Cool DS of course, but overall they seem a tad off this night, compared to the rest of the tour. Need to hear again as I was ripping stuff while listening...
- 10/19/73; ✔️ I’ve gone on and on about this one so I’ll just say one word today....MAJESTIC....the whole dam show just builds slowly, majestically, to a powerful whole. Majestic jams, majestic DS. Prolly my favorite Dicks
- 10/27/79:✔️ yet another of the 30 trips shows that I’m not yet really familiar with. Still have so much of that beast I either haven’t heard yet, or have only listened in the background. So it was nice to sit a bit with this one from that great funky ass 79 fall tour. Nice relaxed but tight first set. Good second that’s already been covered well here...still think 11/6 is my fav from this tour? I dig 11/9 too, but I’m extremely biased on that one...
So maybe I’ll try to sneak both 11/6/79 and 76 in today? Hup, hup, better get going!

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I never feel like skipping any songs on these June 76 shows. Each one is a smooth seamless trip. Nice soothing Playin' jam. Heading into the 13 min slipknot.

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Spring 90....shoot chip, you don’t even need to ask!

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Throughly enjoyed this one again today. Such a laid back Eyes and Dark Star. Brandford really kills it on Lovelight. Knocking on Heavens Door is sweet. I think I saw them close with this one twice........Man, do I want to see some live music.

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another one I've neglected. it's going down smooth.

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I concure! ...Another ‘primo’ performance from the entire band! ;)

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Back in I think 1987. It was my 3rd tape with Help>Slipknot on it but my first one with no Franklin's Tower.... I was very confused... Before I had Deadbase... bob t

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A quality pick!

This whole "pick of the day" thing is making me realize I have big problems with my collection. So, I looked for the Cow 76 release this morning. I found the case and booklet on the shelf in pristine quality but all 3 CD's are missing - ooftah! I then checked the most likely locations: 3 CD travel cases crammed with Dead CD's. No luck! So the discs must be misplaced among my extensive piles of CD's. A major project to locate them now. At least I have disc 1 downloaded with the great PITB jam.

Another example: I wanted to suggest 6/14/91(View from Vault2) last week as a pick of the day. This might be my favorite show from 91 but I think it is overlooked since it was chosen as a video. I have the last 2 discs downloaded but am missing the first one. I can't find the case or disc 1 CD. So I couldn't suggest it as a pick. Also, it is no longer available as a download. (the Philly 79 show picked last week is also not available as a download)

I think I just assumed the big standalone releases would always be available, either as downloads or in the used CD bin. Not so, I'm afraid! None of these 3 shows are available through nugs, iTunes, or deadnet. Used CD stores are a thing of the past.

Mind you, I am not groveling for copies. There is a fair chance I can still locate my missing shows. I guess there will never be a better time to reorganize than during this lockdown. Till then, there is the archive.

But I digress, on to 12/31/76!

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like so many of the “big” shows perhaps their legendary status can sometimes out weigh their overall performance?
Don’t get me wrong, I love any Spring 90 show, and 3/29/90 is a real Bobbie Dazzler, but after many years I’m wondering if it’s the best ALL AROUND show of the tour? Personally, I think I like 3/24 better, but I’m extremely biased. There was a reason though why they released the 24 and 3/15 as early single show releases...
So 29 has a great 1-2 punch with Jack/Bertha, but 24 has LTGTR, Help>Slip>Franks that are first rate.
I’ll take Loser and Desolation from the 24, but the 29 does have that Bird Song. For a first set closer I’ll take a ONSN over Promised land.
The second set is a little trickier; yes it’s all great, but I think the overall cohesion and playing is better on the 24. Eyes somedays, listening seems to kinda drone on with everyone sorta just playing along with one guy noodling at a time. I’ve often felt this way when they’ve had special guests...nothing against the guests etc, just I think it was harder for civilians to play with the Dead than many realize, so the uniqueness and hype are greater then the performances. Like Estimated even has a rare hiccup for this tour. Of course I’ve never met a DS I didn’t like, and being the only one of the tour it is a big deal, but part 2 is perhaps quick and out, along with the wheel, into yet another Throwing Stones though it is a beast, and a Lovelight instead of yet another NFA.. Nice Knocking to bring it back down after all that energy and send em home peaceful.
Again, great show, but I argue the overall flow of 24 is smoother, tighter, deeper, especially pre drums, with a better Wheel, scorching Watchtower, awesome Stella, and yes, yet another NFA, but a good one that works for this show. A Dew would of been the topper, but you knew that was going to get saved...Finally, I’ll take a Bid You Good Night over almost anything cept perhaps Attics, (never had the pleasure of a Ripple)....
Sorry, just bored and rambling while 12/31/76 Eyes is blazing in the background. Which is yet another of those long lost Chestnuts from my early days that I don’t listen to as much as I should, the ole “aw yeah, I’m gonna save that one for X (fill in the blank), but that day never comes, lol. So much Dead...but yeah, another of the true great all time classics. And a top New Yeats show comparatively! Great vibe too, not quite 76 but not full on 77, that whole transitional thing Daverock et el are always pointing out.
Makes me laugh thinking about how many dumb ass reporters trying to phone it in with usual misinformed dribble: “nostalgic 60s leftovers that basically haven’t changed but continue to hang on the the past, yaddy, yaddy, yadda”
Aaaaaa, how bout you get the shit outta your ears and actually listen? The change might of been subtle and over time, but it was always there! Man, I never believed in dosing anyone but sometimes it crosses your mind...bloody punters!

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8 years 11 months

In reply to by Oroborous

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I think I'm feelin' you on this OROBOROUS.

The revisit the other day of Dozin' had me super jazzed on Spring '90, but yesterday I found myself drifting in an out.. and my attention was wandering. I thought maybe I was just over doing it, crushing Dead all day after day.. but after reading your comments I think you might be on to something. IMO 3/24 is the stronger show and 3/29 is good and all but might get a lot of attention based on the novelty of the guest appearance & Dark Star being played vs the performance. Not saying overrated.. but I think I like 3/24 better overall, it's probably the song selection but also the energy in the playing on 3/24/90, made it really stand up and shout for me the other day. Ask me next time and I might pull a Latvala and say 10/26/89 is the best Dark Star of all time!

The 9/10/91 Branford... that show rocks!

Admittedly I'm just spoiled at this point with so much good quality Dead that I can be all Judgy McJudgerson, but yeah that's what we be doing during this here quarantine.

As for 12/31/76.. Love love love this Playing In The Band, and am excited to pop this puppy on and get all critical and shit!

GOLLUM: You're stressing me out.. get that stuff organized ;) Just Kidding!.. kinda

Be Well All and Enjoy those Jams!

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8 years 1 month

In reply to by The Good Ole G…

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You crack me up Oroborous! And I know your affinity for Throwing Stones NFA. Yes, the closing sets in those days, well shit, sure glad they were there. And the 3/29/90 Lovelight was really good with Brandford.

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17 years 5 months

In reply to by DeadVikes

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...I was just trying to defrost this place. Conversation versus consensus etc 😉

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8 years 11 months

In reply to by Oroborous

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Haha OB

Good move.

How’d the Dead manage to make such perfect music for outside listening from big giant halls?

This Cow Palace show seems made for nice weather outside, currently 70 and sunny here (sorry VGUY). And it’s a perfect fit.

I was tripping on this in April on a similar day listening to 2/9/73 Roscoe Maples Pavilion, growing up I always thought that show was Outdoors cause that music is made to hear in nature’s splendor.

You all ever flashed on that?