Grateful Dead

Thank you so much for your PM. I responded back to you.....

That cassette decks were installed in 2005..... shows ya what I know. And after three Subaru Outbacks, which I abused the hell out of, both on-road and in the slickrock jungles of Utah -- the "best" one (i.e., longest lived) had over 300,000 miles on it -- I finally got a real vehicle: a Toyota Tacoma. Two-seater cab with suicide doors to trundle seats, 6-foot bed, with camper shell. High clearance, low 4. So I can go virtually anywhere there's a two-track. I spend a couple months each year (8-9 days at a time) in the backcountry of NE Utah, NW Colorado and if I sleep diagonally, I can get my 6' 1" frame comfortable when the weather hits the fan. It's got a CD deck and I make copies of my collection of the rocking-est music for the long highway hauls. Toss in a relatively inexpensive Martin guitar and a few stashes and I'm good to go.

Though I shed most of my cassettes, I still have a handful of GD tapes and there's a dual cassette deck in my living room stereo setup.

Last time I had a cassette deck in one of the Subarus, it was parked in my driveway one winter night and some thieves actually crowbarred the deck out of the dashboard -- for what? A $5 rock or something? Problem was, I took the insurance check and spent it on my mortgage. Then got an el-cheapo repair job that left a conspicuous crater in the center of the dash. You shoulda heard me doing the two-step as I attempted to explain away this anomaly to women I was pursuing. "Oh it's nothing darling, just a gaping hole in the dashboard -- doesn't your vehicle have one? Hey, look at the squirrel....." Today (or, er, pre-covid) it's a different story. I show up to pick up my date in a pickup truck with a camper shell with tinted windows.... but at least I get the old beer cans out and vaccuum it before playing my version of a poor man's Casanova.

(Apropos of nothing) Isn't rock 'n roll effin' great??

Thin, thanks for confirming the strange beat on BEW. It is jarring and not exactly pleasant to listen to. Thought it was just me. A small complaint in an otherwise great first set. Haven't got to the 2nd and 3rd discs yet, but so far so good.

Remembering him at his best. RTF at Ebbett's Field (small bar venue) in downtown Denver early 1976 I think. Fusion was the new thing. Four of the hottest musicians of their day. Talk about speed; Lenny White, Al Di Meola, Stanley Clark all daring to keep up with Chick's amazing improvisation. I went out after that and bought everything I could find from all of them at The Finest Records store in Ft. Collins. Cheap cutouts direct from L.A. and new inventory every week. Got my collection up to 400 LPs at one point. The roommate had 700+ as he had a better paying job! Two turntables always spinning at our house parties. Still have about 15 LPs with RTF or solo projects. R.I.P. Chick.
Nitecat and other F/Mac posters: Danny nails that ethereal sound on Woman of 1000 Years, Dust, and many others. His writing is multi- faceted and really what holds together all those early albums. I feel smarter after listening to his poetic lyrics. Just got an LP copy of Future Games broken out of the multi-LP release from a few years ago, as mine was getting worn out, which started the retro review recently. Great 140g vinyl with flawless sound. Cheers!

my main ride is a 2005 prius...still going strong. has a functioning CD player and cassette player. Jealous? :)))

Also, we have a something-something Toyota Tacoma (wife bought it in auction...why? dunno. but I drive it occasionally). it has a CD player and cassette player, too, but apparently the CD player doesn't work. Never bothered to find out. but the cassette player works fine.

if anyone has an extra million $$$ to donate to my GoFundMe account for a new car, please let me know.

Wow, Proudfoot, you are driving a museum piece. When I began the cassette era, I was SO careful with every tape, but that was way before I had a vehicle. Didn't have wheels until I was 29. By the end of the cassette era, they were getting tossed around like potato chips.

I don't go in for the "camps" of the band followers, though Butch Trucks had made some stupid remarks about the GD's drummers -- that's easy to do in interviews, but the two bands themselves were pretty amiable amongst themselves (til Jer's remark that Gregg was a "narc") so it goes both ways.

Back to the music... My three favorite rock bands of all time are The Band, The ABB and The GD, not in any order. And, unlike so many other great bands that I revere, I got to see/hear a shit ton of these three bands at their peak, though not, sadly, Duane-era ABB.

Rock on!

Hey, for those of you that have missed these in the past, Dick's #8 and #23 are now being offered again by real gone music. These are both top tier shows.

And ADEDHED68, check your PM.

I hear ya, I've still not received my tracking number, emailed customer service 2/4 got a lame reply once its shipped you will get a tracking number, replied back on 2/6 asking why delay, and shipping date, got nothing back. called 800-546-3670 left v/m and now emailing the address on the recording deadpriorityservice@wmgcustomerservice.com (odd address, what ever) if someone don't reply or call me by EOB today, i'll contest the 100.00 yearly subscription cost and be done with dead.net. i've ordered many items from different site in last year nothing compares to this piss poor service ! When you can go on EBAY and see over 20 copies of DP37 listed for sale, something is wrong somewhere ! PISSED OFF CUSTOMER !

Happy belated Birthday, Doc, and my condolences to you and your wife.

Love to hear about Fleetwood Mac; as I mentioned about ten pages back, now that I subscribe to two streaming services, I've been going through every FM album from the beginning. Just finished Bare Trees as I caught up on this chat; if I ever knew that they did "Sentimental Lady," well . . . I forgot, so that was a fun re-surprise! I've had the Boston Box and Rumours forever, but know nothing of the 1970-1975 era.

Now We Sob, indeed. R.I.P. Chick. You are one cool cat.

Donation to Rob Eaton's Go Fund Me made. He's certainly given us a hand in many ways over the years; now it's our turn.

Love the literature conversation and jokes! I'm writing down many of each. The best book I've read lately is The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

I think the drummers got off the beat on BEW on this release, and were unable to find their way back; I thought my CD player was skipping! A number of the songs from 4/15 get a little bit off-kilter to my ears.

Be Kind. Rewind.

used to be a big fan back in the 70s (ABB focus, then the Clash in the early 80s, then the GD starting in 82)

lost interest when the Clash became my primary interest (except for an ABB show at the Gorge in 91)

especially when I read about dissing from various ABB members toward the GD...that made me lose interest even more

reGARDless...

I started re-listening to 2/11/70 yesterday in the car (on cassette, mind you). I haven't gotten to the part with the ABB members, but I know it's hot. Long ago...in an apartment not so far, far away...I was lysergic, and listened to that. Lotsa fun.

Oh, and don't forget 6/10/73, 7/28/73, and 7/16/72. ABB seasoning in parts of those shows which I love.