Grateful Dead

Miller 95660, it’s an SB, but it has flaws and several patches. I didn’t mess with the others…
11/21/78: went with Carpenter SB, recording overall better than 11/20, still has some patches.
11/21 is a hot show! Only hiccup I recall is Black Pete…hell did they ever play bad in Ra cha cha?
78 nuts will want to hear 11/21 and at least the Playin Sandwich from 11/20!

December 73. What a month!
Not sure about 1985 1st show. With no net, Deadbase etc, all we were focused on was trying to get to as many shows as practical, and hopefully later getting tapes of those shows. Never dreamed of the riches that have been mined since!
Years later when I did start to consider these things, besides shows we were at it was all about those magic last ten shows of 73, featuring just the guys.

3/24/71: I like 1971, but sorry, just did like 96% of 71 last year so not ready for rehash yet. I will say I really enjoyed this show though.
That JBG off of Skullfuck was the lightning bolt that changed me from interested, to whoa, I have got to see these guys!
It was April 78 and I was at my buddies. We listened to Skullfuck a lot sans not much else live Dead to listen to. Live Dead was still probably too weird for us to fully engage. Steal Your Money was cool, but it was all about S&R.
Being a Hendrix freak in HS, I was really into JBG, and I’d heard this version many times, but for whatever reason something happened that day and JBG just blew me away. I made him replay it over and over and from then on the scaled tipped and I started becoming more into the Dead then the other stuff.
The final straw was finally getting to see them in January. The rest as they say is history.

I wasn't able to find a good source for this show. What source did you listen to guys?

December 73. Another fine month Jim.

3/18/71 is a good show - least the first cd moves nicely through it's changes, and the song list and jams to come look promising.

Hey hey hey rockers!!

Pick Of The Day: Winterland March 24 1971 (Benefit for the Sufi Choir Of San Francisco)

Code Seminole, check 3 check 3 check 1, Red Dog over……………

The yang to the yin of March 3. The band may have started the month off low, but they ended high. Yes they may have forgotten an organ, but this fine and underrated show is much crunchier and more expansive than what came three weeks previously.

The Skull Album Johnny B Goode, so early in the first set. Top notch grease, especially the crispy Hard To Handle. A big jam sequence in the first set highlighted by an excellent Other One. How and why did they end the set with such a hard rockin’ Beat It On Down The line? Solid NFA suite to close set two, followed by a nice Uncle John’s Band encore.

I know not everybody digs 1971 shows, but this one is worth a listen, and would make a nice official release some day……..

Is it weird in here, or is it just me?

Rock on!

Doc
Where's your will to be weird?

Perhaps the hardest part was convincing Phil some of this stuff is too good to fret over sound imperfections.

I have to imagine giving Latvala reign of the vault was akin to giving a kid the key to the candy store. We have Dick to thank for most of what's out there that was not officially released (more important 30 years ago than today), but sometimes I wonder what things would be like if he wasn't as generous a head as he was. We would be enslaved, waiting for the next release. ...but imagine the elation of the great surprises that await....

Anyway.. super busy which puts me in lurking mode, I check in when I can. Sorry for that. My extra credit has been a bit of Dec 73. Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there.

Big rain event here now.. a hard rain's gonna fall.

To 1985 - Dick Latvala starts work as the GD archivist.
It must have been an overwhelming task.
The new music format called compact disc is here.
He has his list started, likely from memory and his own tape collection.
What would we tell him is THE most important, or best, way to start the releases?
Assume it's all there in the vault and good enough to release, just to make it easier.
I'm ready back then as my wife just bought us our first CD player. Quite expensive and so are the CDs. $17.99 for a single when LPs are still under $10.00. I'm still a GD novitiate and have no clue having only attended seven shows ('78-'80).
Cheers
Oh, and is there a list (Dave L.?) of Dick's potentials that have not been released? Or is that now part of the Dave's list that Oro cites from time to time?
(Oro - I vote for the live GO since it's the one I know)

Edit: Only three of those If I Had The World To Give. First is the Aug. 30-31,1978 that I keep asking for. I'll check that out Oro. Was the Standing On The Moon of it's era.

Sorry 1st show, forgot twice, ha! Thank you, Yes very nice DP 20 review and I concur: all is very good, but perhaps the first shows playing trumps the second shows sexy set list? And is that not one of the best (for last) Charlie’s?
Great song, but being difficult sometimes it could be a bit Sloopy, but this one shines.
So awesome we have all these gems to contemplate, hopefully, for years to come!
Onward

Hey OB, I don't think we ever hit this one. I will check it out tomorrow. Thanks.

Nice review on Dicks 20 Firstshow. I liked both shows quit a bit, but yes, that second set of Capital Centre is hot!

Not sure if we did this one, if so, I forgot to mark it down. (and please excuse).
Perhaps I tried/started at work but wasn’t able?
Anywho, looks interesting and I think I might have heard locals at the time who went speak highly off it?
Unfortunately I was still too young, at least according to those who supplied food and shelter ahem—to be going “all the way” to Cleveland lol.

EDIT: POTD MUST LISTEN!
If nothing else, you MUST hear this IIHTWTG!
Really, the whole second set as it’s very unusual, but the Playing sandwich is like a whole separate show, and the meat (Shakedown>World to Give) is simply delicious and should be enjoyed!
World to Give, another of those weird awesome but much too brief Jer tunes, and this one is phuching awesome!

Overall, the show is sorta all over the place. Especially the recording.
1/2 Step>Franks opener is always nice, but this is average and suffers from weird technical anomalies. Next few perhaps underwhelming? It’s all good, just doesn’t seem to have the usual 78 spark. PEGGY O is always welcome but prefer Goldilocks version: not too slow, or not too fast. This one perhaps a tad too slow? Decent Lightning/Supplication to round out the first. NOTE: Bob is present throughout and seems fine thus far.
Why dat? Weeeeeeeelllll, depending on who you ask this was either the worst show or one of the best lol.
Also much todo about Bob being sick, with some accounts claiming: he missed the set opening jams (he did); to he missed jam, came out to begin playing and left again until end of show…
Well, inspector Clue so says you can hear him throughout the whole show on tape, except the aforementioned Jam>Drums>Jam.
The jam sounds more like waiting around then the spectacular inprov mind melt that some describe? Though I bet it was interesting there in real time. Bob is back for the era typical slow Jack a Roe, but then things seem to really step up.
PITB seems more energetic and though not a pre hiatus beast, nice just the same, then…., then they slide into an awesome Shakedown to take it higher, but then! Jer bear breaks out the gold, it’s gold i tell ya! and JG wants to give it to you! The last of three World to Gives is just plain sweeeeetttt!
By the time they segway back into the PITB reprise you can feel the relief? definitely positive vibes, like phew, we made it!
The band, the crowd, even the sometimes inconsistent recording is on when it matters. Though the recording does slip into an extended section of aud, it almost helps this vibe! Plus, sometimes it’s nice to feel that in the midst happy communal energy often missing in boards. So big A&A to end it and the crowd loves it. No encore guessing due to time?
So I wouldn’t call it top shelf, but cool, unique interesting show, which don’t know bout you, but that’s why I come here to explore. Definitely not the worst show, in fact, as often the case, the adversity helps step things up and makes the show. When the going gets weird…indeed.

Ha, told myself only one show today but I’m already into the next night in good ole Crotchfester. 11/21/78
Sounds like typical crazy Rochester scene, kinda like the Spectrum lol. But they sure sound more like usual fall 78 so far (Big River…) recording too, not a Beatty, but so far so good.
If only I’d been just a wee bit older, this might of been my first?
That’s ok, I’ll take the first I did get lol.

Ok, onward, must be fired up after sleeping with the Elk! Literally, several slept within feet of us just outside our bedroom window last night! Cool sheet Mon!

Had lots of time yesterday afternoon and this morning with steady drizzle coming down here. Gloomy the last month or more and no big accumulations but over our average moisture already for this time of year. San Juan basin snow pack at 150% of normal. Best in the state?
The Cap. Center, Landover beats War Mem. Syracuse hands down in my book. Expected more out of 9-28-76 with that set list and continuous 2nd set. Just didn't have the energy that 9-25-76 has. I noticed that in 2001 only two years into Dave L. taking over from Dick there were no liner notes yet from Dave. But that letter from a Deadhead from 1976 was prescient. The idea came from Relix where he read the Dead were "toying with the idea" of the eventual Dick's/Dave's series' which didn't come about until 1993(?). Man, can you imagine how many more we would have had? (edit: wouldn't have worked until CDs came out around 1984, wouldn't have put them on tapes and vinyl would have been economically unviable?) Anywho the start of 9-25 is so up-tempo with Keith well up in the mix and twinkling marvelously. The Travis Bean has such a vocal quality to it on this Cassidy. Not so great on Loser where it didn't have that chippy sound that song is known for. Keith and Jerry so pretty on Peggy-O. Nice long set lists still then. Nice stretched versions of Let It Grow and Sugaree for a solid set closer. 2nd set is just exactly perfect and whoever coined the disco dead slur just isn't reading it right. It's more like Dancin' Dead with Jerry dancing up and down the frets on Dancin' like a wild man. I mean they're a dance band, right? I know I would have been boogying to that! Audience has minds blown when Cosmic Charlie appears and there is so much newly reworked material in this era. Stand alone Scarlet is TIGHT! The drummers seem to be driving the bus by then coming on strong. And where Fire would usually come in it could have gone anywhere. That's the game isn't it? Guessing where they're going in real time? Do they even know? The St. Stephen samwich has Jerry saying "Yes it does" to one man gathers what another man spills. Smooth vocal harmonies and a Phil moment stomping with the drummers coming back into the St. Steve reprise. And a tight Sugar Mag finish. This has the '77 deliberateness but great energy too. So imagine my surprise when I found 9-28-76 a little slower and predictably mellow. Not that there's anything wrong with a great show with those characteristics but I was ready for a mind blower after reading the set list. The true tango was a real surprise though and overall a fantastic two show release. A fair number of repeats only three days apart but it didn't influence my opinion like the tempo comparison did. Glad we are still getting those two show releases every once in a while. Thanks Dave L.! And thanks to the POTD posse for suggesting these. Onward and upward. Got the jones for JGB - Don't Let Go from 5-21-76 now.
Cheers
It's not on us, Dennis will buy anything. Bless his heart!