• 1,665 replies
    clayv
    Default Avatar
    Joined:

    Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! Gentle mistresses and most distinguished gentlemen, we have come upon the release of the DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 37, from the Fifteenth of April in the year Nineteen Seventy-Eight, at ye olde College Of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Cast your waistcoats and your bonnets aside, the Grateful Dead are on steady gallop from the opening high-kick of "Mississippi Half-Step" into a where are we going? where have we been? "Passenger," followed by full-on versions of "Friend Of The Devil," "El Paso," "Brown-Eyed Women," and a double-barreled "Let It Grow>Deal." Catch your breath and straighten out your tricorne because the 2nd set shows no bounds with delightful takes ("Bertha>Good Lovin'," "One More Saturday Night") and introspection ("Candyman," "Playing In The Band"). Then - great fifes and drums - it's 15 minutes of "Rhythm Devils," with band and crew gathered round to amplify the merriment before delivering a rare incantation of "Not Fade Away>Morning Dew" that sets the soul alight. Pure jollification!

    The town crier's addendum:

    Three bags full! Lest you feel 4/15/78 beginneth and endeth too quickly, we've selected highlights from Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, 4/18/78 to satisfy your fancy.

    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 37: WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA 4/15/78 was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman. It is guaranteed to sell out - often within hours.

    *2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    What blew my mind at my first show

    Was that it was way better than Pink Floyd (saw the trio in 87), and without the massive visual show.

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    What blew my 17 year old mind....

    ....was the fact that they didn't go onstage with a set list in mind. They flew by the seat of their pants. 🤯

  • nitecat
    Joined:
    No showbiz

    I have to chime in here on a current conversation. One of the things that struck me when I was first seeing the Dead was they were so low key, tuning up between songs, cracking jokes with the audience. No showbiz here, and it was very appealing to this 17 year old at the time.

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    random comment

    GD82 is good.

    it's just that
    so often
    There is almost NO BASS.

    Where'd ya go, Phil?

    Phil?

  • johnk
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Regarding the posts on…

    Regarding the posts on shipping issues for Dave's Picks, I was told my order shipped in January and here we are in March, stll no delivery. Informed overseas orders take longer, however I live in New York state, which last time I checked was still in the United States.
    My advice, next time just order from Amazon (yes they sell Dave's Picks) you will have your merchandise in two days.

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    ‘Shipped’

    It just means that your name and address were entered into the computer program that prints shipping labels. It doesn’t mean that a label was actually printed, or that a printed label as actually attached to a package for shipping. It certainly doesn’t mean that your package actually shipped.

    Get the UPS and USPS apps on your phone and enter the tracking number. It will probably say ‘waiting for package’, but at least when UPS gets a hold of the package you will know.
    Then a few weeks later USPS might get a hold of the package, and eventually the package might arrive at your house.

    Not a well-oiled machine by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, more like a broke down rusted out piece of junk.
    But does Rhino/GD care?
    Not at all, because they already have your money and have no motivation to send you what you have already paid for.
    It’s pretty much a huge scam.
    Look at how many people never received a DaP36.

  • Quelagh
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Thanks, Dennis

    Thank you. I know this is oft discussed, I just never experienced it before. I will refrain from suggesting how things ought to work. Managing expectations would seem to be the minimum requirement for good customer service. Best, Mark

  • Dennis
    Joined:
    Quelagh and orders

    This has been a subject flogged to death, but my take.

    I think you get a notice saying "shipped", when dead.net processes your order. But, the items still needs to be sent to "ups mail innovations", once the item is there UPS makes a shipping label, then UPS will ship item via some secret routing method that is know only to those who understand logistics. Eventually it will be given to the USPS, who will get it to you the next day. I also think ALL movement thru UPS stops completely on weekends.

    So your stuff will get there someday, just not when one thinks a reasonable time has past.

    My latest 45 was "shipped" on 2/23,,,,, tracking number is useless. USPS is still waiting for package from UPS.

    Finding the same problem with "Merch Mountain". "Shipped" doesn't mean it's been "Shipped",,,,,, just the process has started!

  • itsburnsy
    Joined:
    Total Experience Gospel Choir

    This is an entertaining documentary:
    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=seattle+choir+movie&docid=60800865…
    It's about a Central District choir from Seattle, in one interview the manager says "Really, of all the musical talent in the Seattle Central District, this guy (referring to Jimi) is the one who made it. THIS GUY, he was a bum."

  • Quelagh
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Advice requested from…

    Advice requested from seasoned CD orderers. I ordered this CD in late January and a few days later got an email saying congratulations, that my order had shipped, with an order number and a tracking number for UPS. But the tracking number they gave me never corresponded to anything in the UPS system. I emailed CS and they said sorry about that we will re-ship it and send a new tracking number. Then nothing. I tried following up, but nothing. I tried the priority email, and got a canned email saying they were too busy to give me a personalized response.

    I'm just worried that if on their end their computer is saying that the order shipped and there is a tracking number to prove it, and there is nothing they can do about it. Covid, baby. And I'm looking at the tracking number that doesn't correspond to anything in the UPS system that this is a Mexican stand-off (can I say that?) that may never get resolved.

    Is there any way to get a human that cares about this? any other ideas. If someone were to tell me I wouldn't get it for several months, but I would get it, that would be fine. Thank you for reading.

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

6 years 6 months

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! Gentle mistresses and most distinguished gentlemen, we have come upon the release of the DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 37, from the Fifteenth of April in the year Nineteen Seventy-Eight, at ye olde College Of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Cast your waistcoats and your bonnets aside, the Grateful Dead are on steady gallop from the opening high-kick of "Mississippi Half-Step" into a where are we going? where have we been? "Passenger," followed by full-on versions of "Friend Of The Devil," "El Paso," "Brown-Eyed Women," and a double-barreled "Let It Grow>Deal." Catch your breath and straighten out your tricorne because the 2nd set shows no bounds with delightful takes ("Bertha>Good Lovin'," "One More Saturday Night") and introspection ("Candyman," "Playing In The Band"). Then - great fifes and drums - it's 15 minutes of "Rhythm Devils," with band and crew gathered round to amplify the merriment before delivering a rare incantation of "Not Fade Away>Morning Dew" that sets the soul alight. Pure jollification!

The town crier's addendum:

Three bags full! Lest you feel 4/15/78 beginneth and endeth too quickly, we've selected highlights from Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, 4/18/78 to satisfy your fancy.

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 37: WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA 4/15/78 was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman. It is guaranteed to sell out - often within hours.

*2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

user picture

Member for

13 years 2 months

In reply to by Colin Gould

Permalink

Just three unreleased Morning Dew's from the glorious period recorded by the great Ms. Cantor Jackson. The rest have been mined.

These are the ones from 76 through 78.

09/23/76- Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke University) - Durham, NC Unreleased (there's something weird w/ the circulating soundboard, the beginning and end seem off, the MDew sounds like it's an audience splice)

09/30/76- St. John's Arena (Ohio State University) - Columbus, OH Unreleased (not sure of the entire soundboard exists, what circulates seems to be partial)

12/31/76- Cow Palace - Daly City, CA Officially Released
02/27/77- Robertson Gym UCSB - Goleta, CA Officially Released

04/27/77- Capitol Theater - Passaic, NJ Unreleased (there's black and white video of this)

05/08/77- Barton Hall (Cornell University) - Ithaca, NY Officially Released
05/22/77- The Sportatorium - Pembroke Pines, FL Officially Released
06/07/77- Winterland Arena - San Francisco, CA Officially Released
04/15/78- William and Mary College - Williamsburg, VA Officially Released

USPS shows Fontana on 1/26

UPS says it crossed the Mississippi (Half-Step) yesterday and is now in a neighboring state.

Hopefully Monday delivery.....

In the meantime, 6-24-73 playing now.

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years 2 months

In reply to by bf312

Permalink

I'm sorry to hear about your loss bf312! I got chills when I read your post.
I will crank up my copy of 4/15/78 in Phil's honor. I don't know him, but I feel I do ... as do the rest of us.
We all know a "Phil" or have met, or even seen someone like him at a show. And [i think] we all know what it's like
to lose someone so close. These bonds and memories are special and they last forever.
I think you touched everyone who read your post, and made them think of your friend (or someone like him).
I think you just made 4/15/78 "Phil's show" and he will be there with us during the listening party.
Peace brother!
Peace Phil!

user picture

Member for

13 years 2 months

In reply to by friscokid77

Permalink

So sorry for your loss. A raise of the glass to Phil.

user picture

Member for

3 years 10 months
Permalink

My first pint(wish it could be in that awesome daves 37 glass I scored yesterday) while listening to Daves picks 37 definitely goes out to your buddy Phil 🍻!

user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months

In reply to by JimInMD

Permalink

Sorry about Phil, May the four winds blow him safely home! Thanks for sharing, very touching.
As your senator from the great deadnet state of altered consciousness, I hear by declare on this day in history 1/30/21, that this show now and forever shall be known to all as the “BFF Phil Show” .
It’s a shame he won’t get to hear the glorious majesty of this gift from the Beatty God.......then again, maybe he will...
Maybe he’s rolling a fatty with JG...

user picture

Member for

3 years 10 months
Permalink

The 4/18 filler with the complete 4/15 show makes this release just exactly perfect! At least for me anyway...set to hopefully get my copy Thursday 🤞

user picture

Member for

10 years
Permalink

Haven't heard much spring '78 since I have always been a summer '78 head. Looked all through my tapes (250 or so) and had me none. Such a difference between the stately early '77 and the Popeye forearms (with Jerry growling the lyrics) swagger of '78. You can really hear it starting in fall '77. Just a bit wilder with every show culminating in the final spring/summer tour dates at Red Rocks where all heaven breaks out. Can't wait until Wed. for my copy. Will smoke a bowl for Phil when it gets here. Yesterday's shipping link said not found; today link went to the UPS track and said Wed. and by then will have switched to the USPS tracker.
In the it's a small Dead world category: Did anybody notice the the longest serving senator and Deadhead Patrick Leahy is now running things? "Stuff's gettin' better", as the Postman said!
Best wishes to all and cheers!

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years
Permalink

This show (4/15) made feel like Dave might be scraping the bottom of the barrel. There is nothing extraordinary about this show to warrant an official release. It features a very bad performance of Brown-Eyed Women with the drummers out of sync with the band, a relatively boring set list, and an average or below level of playing in general for the era. If you're digging this show that's great. I'll probably never play it again. I was on the fence with subscribing again this year. I still haven't received Dave's 36 and have no idea if I ever will. I've been a subscriber since the beginning but this will probably be the last year for me. Hopefully the remaining releases are better than this.

user picture

Member for

4 years 1 month

In reply to by FMR

Permalink

Not out of synch

I hear it on other spring 78 shows

Too bad some of yall find this show a yawner

Morning Dew is a gem, a true gem

user picture

Member for

10 years

In reply to by FMR

Permalink

Now you tell us. So what's the next one like?

user picture

Member for

4 years 2 months
Permalink

While I'm not at home yet, my copy of DaP 37 has arrived! After waiting more than a month for an unnumbered copy of DaP 36, this truly is a pleasant surprise. Fortunate and grateful to be a subscriber. Also, I also want to extend my condolences about Phil. May his memory be a blessing. ❤️

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

6 years 9 months
Permalink

RIP to your buddy Phil. Thanks for sharing such a great story. When I get the pint glass, I’ll raise it once for him.
I’m pretty excited to hear this one as it has some significance for me as well. This is my wife’s birthday show and the filler happens to be my birthday show too. Thanks for lining that one up, Dave!! LOL

user picture

Member for

7 years 7 months
Permalink

Pig's Boogie, Garcia Live Vol. 5, 12/31/75, Keystone, Berkeley CA now pumping through my speakers.

Boy, that Pig sure could boogie! ;-p

I'm looking forward to this release just like every other one. Happy to see it's from the seventies, my favorite decade of Dead even though I'm more of a '73/'74 aficionado. But you'll get no complaints from me.

I usually blow off Dave's chats. I also only watch football, never the "analysis" before or after by the ex-jock talking heads. I'm really just about what "it" is, the football game itself or in this case, the music, without all the other bullshit.

I was barreling back down I-70 from skiing today and Dave was rambling on as usual on the Sirius Dead channel. Again, while Dave knows his stuff and seems a great guy, I'd prefer to listen to the music.

My two cents. Peace.

\m/

user picture

Member for

9 years 1 month

In reply to by LedDed

Permalink

a belated Happy New Year to all!!!

Again, will also host one for the passing of Phil, so sorry for your loss my man! Thanks for sharing, this one will always be for Phil!

I sometimes come on hear and mention my freaky friend. We saw 24 shows together. I have not seen or heard from him in almost 19 years. Sure hope he is well. My mother bumped into his father back almost a decade ago. He was in Mexico working on the final dissertation for a PhD. in archeology. He was camping and working alone in either the Mayan or Aztec ruins down there. I hope to see him soon, he said 19 years ago he would be here to take care of his father in his aging years. What a Grateful Dead and Zappa freak he is. Hope to see you soon my friend.

Got my shipping notice last week, still hasnt entered the system yet. DaP36 was here 5 days before release. Jim are you still looking for 36? Dang

Any way I had a few more thought on 36, guess I will post those over at that page.

And again, cant wait to crank this one to find out for myself where it stands in my own hierarchy of shows. Hope to have by end of week. Hope all understand how close to completely crippling this past holiday season has been on shippers/logistics people. I know our regional sort center went down with Covid for several weeks with limited staff. Hope all get their backlogs soon!

G

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

10 years 3 months
Permalink

My 22 Birthday! Drove down from Albany NY with 2 car loads for friends. 8th row center. High light of show was Morning Dew Thought I died and went to heaven. Was waiting for this show to pop up thank you!

user picture

Member for

3 years 11 months
Permalink

And only one day after the release date! Kudos to Dead.net for getting it together make this happen.

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 2 months
Permalink

Gorgeous, just gorgeous!

user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

It looks to me that, to the right of the calendar on the wall, there's a Post-It note.....except I don't think those were marketed until 1979.

Just sayin'.......

¯`°²¤Flash¤²°´¯

user picture

Member for

13 years 2 months

In reply to by flashy714

Permalink

Good catch.

Proof that deadheads can travel through time (and space?). I am a believer.

So mostly positive yet non-committal reviews. I'd take that as a good sign.

user picture

Member for

11 years 10 months

In reply to by flashy714

Permalink

the web says 77, but what does it know! :-)

footnote in life,,,,, check your credit cards, wife found last night Amazon has been charging us twice a month for 7 months! I'd think I might not be the only one. Amazon is checking.

....be forewarned. I've been in a new wave kind of mood.
Talking Heads - Little Creatures
The Cars - Shake It Up
Saxon - Crusader
Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle
Oingo Boingo - Good For Your Soul
https://youtu.be/j49evDiRqVA
Seems like Boingos Cry Of The Vatos has a backwards message. 1983. The Tipper Gore era. Satanic backwards messaging anyone?
I've listened to Oingo Boingo faithfully since 1985. Never knew this.

Danny Elfman is a genius.

user picture

Member for

10 years 1 month
Permalink

So I'm listening to this June 22nd 1973 Playing in the Band from the PNW box set, and right around the 5:30 mark, it sounds like something from one of the Charlie Brown holiday specials. Maybe the Easter Beagle. It goes on for a bit. Vince Guaraldi Dead.

I was also too intrigued by the Post-it note remark not to Google it. Evidently a guy named Alan Amron claimed to have invented it in the early 70s, "disclosed" the idea to the Post-it note company ("3M"), won the lawsuit, and received a settlement check. Wikipedia says 3M launched the product as "Press 'n Peel" bookmarks in stores in four cities in 1977, but results were disappointing in 4 cities, as people did not know what to do with them. ??? They rebranded the product a year later as Post-it Notes and distributed free samples to companies in Boise Idaho. They surveyed the people they gave out the free samples to and a high percentage said they would buy them, so they were officially marketed in 1980. Couldn't find anything about which four cities the Press 'n Peels went to, so I can only assume one of the guys on the cover art was either from Boise or one of the four cities the press and peels were originally sold in. No mention of William and Mary or Virginia. As an interesting side note, Alan Amron also tried to reunite The Beatles by having people donate a dollar to a Beatles reunion fund.

user picture

Member for

3 years 11 months
Permalink

So I got my DaP 37 yesterday, one day after the official release date, and rejoiced, thinking that Dead.net had finally gotten its proverbial shite into one space. Then I put disc one into my player, and waited ... and waited ... and waited ... until finally I got the dreaded "No disc" error.

So I hooked up another player and tried again. And it played! For a minute. Then it skipped. Then it played for another few minutes. And then it skipped. And so on.

The other discs seem to be fine. But disc one, she is defective.

Dammit, Dead.net. You were thisclose to getting it right. Ah well. I'll contact customer service, and perhaps someday, a few months from now, I'll be able to hear the full show.

user picture

Member for

4 years 9 months
Permalink

Vince Guaraldi is on the back cover of Aoxomoxoa, he is the guy standing next to the horse in the background. He was hanging out with the Dead back then.

user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

I find it interesting how far and wide GD heads will go with "other" listening. Sure, there are lots of jam-band preferences, some jazz, and bluegrass. Some listen with broader tastes. My listening Sunday consisted of Dexter Romweber, Sex Mob, Mary Afi Usuah, Eric Akaeze and His Royal Ericos, Richard Lloyd, The B-52s, R.E.M., and now a live Traffic-centric album called Welcome to the Canteen. Digging all of it. May cap the day with some GOGD after all. I'm still catching up on Dave's 36. Volume 37 has not landed in Atlanta as yet.

user picture

Member for

4 years 1 month

In reply to by One Man

Permalink

The Seeds
Melvins
Motorhead
A bunch of stuff my adult son has played for me such as Thundercat et al
Jefferson Airplane

I really hope 4 15 78 arrives tomorrow

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

7 years 10 months
Permalink

Yawn.....c'mon - April 78 again? 78 is beaten down by releases. I cut out bc of this. I'm being a drag, but just throw us a bone! I'm still waiting on DP 36 which never came. So be it. Carry on

They made some great records. The album I had was called "Web of Sound", which I think was their second.

Reminds me of the compilation album "Nuggets", which was put together by Lenny Kaye in about 1973, and features many great so called garage bands. It was expanded to a 4 disc cd box set a while back. There are many, many similar compilations out there now-but "Nuggets" was the first of its ilk-and the best - that I have heard.

user picture

Member for

10 years 1 month
Permalink

I've rarely put on anything but the Dead since 2014. There's just still so much catching up to do, and it really doesn't get old. Every once in a while I'll take a short interest in something different. I put on the Cars for a night after Ocasek died; I listened to Rush for a few weeks after Neil Peart's passing (but continued with the Dead as well). The only time I had no interest in the Dead was a few weeks ago, at which time the first 5 and a half Pearl Jam albums sucked me in. There was a malaise on me that drew me to the dark & morose, reflective & introspective lyrics and vocal cynicism of Eddie Vedder and the Pearl Jams. I grew up a full generation behind my peers in rock music, listening to KISS before my peers discovered rock (how many 5 year olds ask for rock albums for Christmas?). Then the Who caught me as a 10 yr old in '82, and they never left my side, though my peers were sucking up the pop-metal hair bands. The only band I was really up to speed with the times on was AC/DC when Back In Black and For Those About to Rock came out; but of course my peers weren't listening to it, just the older hoods in the neighborhood, so I was always running with an older crowd. But yeah, Pearl Jam broke out during my Freshman year of college, and they weren't just a great band, but a return to the classic rock sound that went limp in the 80s. I never expected the pendulum to swing back that way, so I welcomed Pearl Jam with open ears. I think their first five and a half records are excellent, but unfortunately they haven't made a great record since Yield. The follow-up Binaural had a lot of good songs, but also a lot of filler. The next two records had a couple of good songs, but the last 3 have been a complete bore to me. And they never played loud enough. When I'm at the Spectrum I don't want hear the people around me talking; I want the guitars and music right up in my face, and I sure as hell don't want to listen to someone preaching politics at the concecrt I'm at to escape from politics at.
Nevertheless, I spent a week or two in late December revisiting those old records, and the Dead was irrelevant for a short time. But I rebounded quickly and am back on the Dead full time. All because I had a post it note on the fridge that said "DaP 37 Feb 1st".

user picture

Member for

4 years 9 months
Permalink

February, certainly has some powerhouse shows to have it mentioned in that category. 2/14/68 is a killer show, 2/13 &14/70 are all world, one of the greatest Dark Stars ever played here, 2/27/& 28/69 are shows that I can listen over and over agian, they are both knockouts. I know there are other great shows in Feb that I have left off, you have to get a guy like GOGD, who knows more about the Dead then any man alive, a real Dead savant, to fill in some of the blanks. I've seen some cool Dead shows in Feb,, 2/17/79 , 2/16 & 17/83 . So Feb is certainly in the conversation as greatest Grateful Dead month of all time.

user picture

Member for

16 years 3 months
Permalink

Yo! Rockers!!!

There's also great Dead shows in Februarys of 1971, 1973 and 1974...............

Off to the morgue, there's cases to be done.............

Rock on,

Doc

user picture

Member for

16 years 9 months
Permalink

Was super geeked when I got my shipping notice last Wednesday, but here I am on Monday and the UPS tracking doesn't even show that that they have received it...the dreaded "UPS could not locate the shipment details for this tracking number." Anyone else experiencing this?

BTK - I like where this conversation is going.

And not just because of your nice complement ;)

71 Capitol Theatre Run
73 February shows are wonderful IMO 2/9, 2/15, 2/19, 2/26, 2/28 in particular
74 Winterland shows are hot
77 Swing Auditorium
78 Dane County
79 Keith & Donna’s Final Show is a ripper
81 Uptown (I might need to listen to these again…)
82 Pauley shows I think I dig those.

And then you get a lot of shows at the HJK & Oakland Coliseum after that (Not consistently great playing, but great times!)
And it’s worth noting 2/21/95 is the only official release from ’95.
Did I leave any out?

But really the shows you mentioned in 68, 69 & 70, for me are in the Pantheon of the most epic moments in GD Music History.

Funny.. cause Playing In The Band is my fave and if I’m not mistaken, the first example of it’s origins, The Main Ten is from 2/19/69 Celestial Synapse… So that does it.

February is magic.

Edit: I see Doc was pointing some of these out too, and I didn’t go and read where this conversation started either so I’m just butting in here.
Shit, I’m not ever sure where I am.
Where am I?

user picture

Member for

4 years 1 month

In reply to by The Good Ole G…

Permalink

I have two CDs of the Seeds

Travel With Your Mind (compilation), purchased years back. "Chocolate River", "Travel With Your Mind", "The Flower Lady and Her Assistant", etc.
First Album, linked via the courtesy of Carlo below

early psychedelia

2/9/73
2/15/73

plus a whole lot more, as written by GOGD below

Just because...I am listening to 1/13/80 at the moment. Not a Feb show, and one I am not very familiar with (had on cassette way back..had some oddball bias against it.) I think it was a benefit show, not a full blown GD show.

user picture

Member for

8 years 11 months

In reply to by deadtony

Permalink

Either 25,000 is the right amount, or a lot of people don’t like April ‘78, which has been affirmed by some posts below.

Maybe DaP 38 will go faster.

UPS claims to have handed mine off to USPS, but it must be sitting on the loading dock because USPS hasn’t scanned it in yet.

user picture

Member for

3 years 11 months
Permalink

You could probably make a valid argument that the Seeds invented punk rock. Check out 'Pushin Too Hard": two chords, lyrics so dumb they would make Dee Dee Ramone blush, a drummer who sounds like he hasn't yet discovered that he has cymbals. It's great! And it came out in November1965, months before the first Velvet Underground album and waaaay before the Stooges first album, which is often credited as the first punk record.

I think I remember hearing the song on the radio as a little kid, but I definitely remember getting the Nuggets compilation in the '70s, Lenny Kaye (then a Rolling Stone writer, later guitarist for the Patti Smith Group) selected all the cuts, and he kind of sold everybody on an idea that no one had really considered up to that point: that a lot of the countless one-hit-wonder garage bands in the '60s had certain similarities--simplicity, an emphasis on raw emotion over polished musicianship, anti-authoritarian attitude, etc--and that eventually fueled the wave of punk bands that came out in the late '70s, I think.

Anyway, Nuggets prompted me to check out a few albums by the some of the bands that had singles on the compilation. Alas, most of them didn't have the versatility to be interesting for more than a song or two. But the Seeds "Web of Sound" album is actually pretty good, in a twisted psych punk kind of way. And the first album by the Remains is actually great: excellent songs, good playing, good recording. Not sure why they weren't hugely popular. And Heads will know all about the 13th Floor Elevators, whose albums are also pretty pretty good.

The Dead are almost never mentioned in the same breath as the Nuggets bands, which seems a little odd given that they come from the same period, and given that the Dead's earliest music would've fit right in on Nuggets. "Can't Come Down," "Alice D. Millionaire," "Cream Puff War," any of those songs would've fit right in. I suppose Lenny couldn't include the Dead (who he liked, wrote a positive review of Live Dead, in fact) because they weren't one-hit wonders, and by the time Nuggets came out they had already long since outgrown their psych punk roots. But those roots are there.

There are several songs on the Deads first album that would have sounded great on Nuggets. Any of those hyper breakdowns played at ( and on) great speed - plus Pigpens organ sound. Pure garage psych.

One of those bands I really liked of that ilk were The Chocolate Watchband. The one to get is probably the compilation " Melts in Your Brain.. Not On Your Wrist". It includes their ultra trippy Inner Mystique album. Half the tracks on that weren't even played by the band, but were instrumentals played by studio musicians. It sounds like it would be crap- but its waaaay out there.

A February Dead show I dug out this morning was 2/26/77, better known as Dave's Picks 29. It may not be quite up there with 68,69,70 or 74 Feb shows, but it's still a great listen. I love the way it opens with Terrapin Station - a perfect way to open a show. I'm surprised they didn't open with this more often-it seems much more appropriate there than in the second set, where it usually appeared.

user picture

Member for

3 years 7 months
Permalink

I got the email Wednesday that my copy had shipped but UPS and USPS haven’t updated anything yet. What happens if I never receive it? Will dead.net ship me another? I always get the yearly sub but never had any trouble before.

user picture

Member for

4 years 2 months
Permalink

Finally had a chance to listen to the full DaP 37 and it's an interesting pick for sure. I found my favorite parts to be in songs I don't listen to much (i.e. Sunrise *third to last ever played*, Passenger, Candyman, and a rocking A&A). This is not to say the tried classics like Half-Step, Bertha>Good Lovin', PITB, NFA>Dew are bad by any stretch, just maybe not as intense as I like them to be. The picks from 4/18/78 are the real hidden gem of this release with the set 1 filler (Sugaree, Jed, LL>S) providing some sweet jams and featuring the only Scarlet>Dancing ever performed which is executed brilliantly. Sweet Terrapin>A&A to close it off for this one and I have to say if you're looking for a show that showcases the spirit of the Dead in spring of '78 this is it!

user picture

Member for

9 years 10 months
Permalink

man...I hadn't ever really thought hard about it, but people are noting the abundance of amazing GD music to come out of the second month of each year, fairly consistently and epically. Speaking of this, I dove into the Feb 1991 run from Oakland Coliseum the other day and it was fresh and well played, with some definitely cool moments. Of course the otherworldly February runs already mentioned of other eras become the foundation for This Truth.

Of #37, I've spun through the entirety once; the additional second set from the 18th twice; I find the sequence of the Scarlet > Dancin' > Samson Terrapin to be the best material on the release in terms of my personal sweet spot. But admittedly I do need to go back and give that 15 minute Playin' another spin to probe it's inner depths, among others. Like that Let It Grow, it's good.

The entirety of three discs are played impeccably well, if not fairly standard fare.
The energy is palpable. But I'm still not yet finding the one thing that makes this one stand out - usually there is a moment or two, or a unique sequence or just a killer jam segment; further sonic inquires may reveal this or they may not. Time will tell.

At the end of the day, it sounds great and I will always revere new GD hitting my collection. Also love the artwork and speculation/rabbit hole that are Post-Its.

Be Well People.
Sixtus

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

12 years 2 months

In reply to by ZonaPunk

Permalink

I have the same thing as other folks. UPS doesn't recognize my tracking number. Wanted to post in case it's an issue that can be resolved on the dead.net side.

Although, I'm actually having that issue with a product I ordered through Costco, too. So maybe it's a UPS problem.

user picture

Member for

14 years 9 months
Permalink

I'm a grandpa! Traveling this week to see our beautiful new granddaughter. And a grandson is due in April. Feeling particularly blessed today.

Speaking of happy, happy, joy, joy, I always liked seeing Jerry enjoying himself onstage. So, here's a link to one such occasion that many of you have probably seen before. An enjoyable hour, but if you just want to see the Jerry parts, he's in the intro, makes an appearance with Carlos Santana around the 13:25 mark, and with Ruben Blades around 48:24. The DVD had a bonus feature with Jerry and Carlos rehearsing - great stuff if you can find that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wh8E5SDG3I

And tomorrow is Groundhogs Day - life keeps getting better!

product sku
081227891695
Product Magento URL
https://store.dead.net/music/dave-s-picks/dave-s-picks-vol-37.html