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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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  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Picks

    Just returned from a family trip in Northern Minnesota. Beautiful area.
    Sorry to hear about all the issues with the HCS Box. I have listened to the first disc of the Iowa show so far. Definitely prefer the digi packs they used in the Spring 90 box sets and the PNW box set. Not sure why each box presentation has to be so different.
    I hear we might have a 79 show coming for #47? Interesting this leaked. Has this ever happened before on a Dave's Picks?
    So many good shows in October through December 79, looking forward to this one. Will a 79 pick sell out this year?
    Will continue to work through the HCS box but I am up for picks if there are any?

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    7/10/70

    Not so bad for an old aud!
    Yeah, you can definitely get past it if you just listen to the music play!
    Really enjoyed the Easy Wind, Sweet Attics, spirited CR&S, but the highlight from me was the cool paring/transition of Cryptical and Cosmic Charlie!
    Nice job BC!

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    7/10/70

    Those NY 1970 shows.. gotta get the wayback working and just spend the whole year there. Thank god for Marty Weinberg and too bad Bear got taken out of taping January in New Orleans. So a blessing and a tragedy.

    I've been reading Jessie Jarnow's "Heads" while stuck at high school basketball games lately. He spends a good bit of time highlighting and contrasting Marty's involvement with taping and his relationship with Latvala. Interesting stuff. I wonder if the other parents have any idea what I am reading about, surely they would never trust me carpooling their kids again if they knew. :D

    Anyway, yes it's an audience tape but a decent one for the era and a real piece of American history. It seems you get adjusted to it after a while.. I can't get over how good Jerry's voice was in the early years. A lesson to all you kids out there, don't start smoking (well cigarettes anyway)

    Picky opinions.. ha.. I enjoy the critique, sometimes I find myself liking most things GD. Highlights and low spark feedback helps keep me grounded. It certainly shows you are listening.

  • bluecrow
    Joined:
    7/10/70 Fillmore East

    With apologies, a calendar suggestion - 7/10/70 Fillmore East - only circulating source is an audience and they clap. No matter. A bit of fire-breathing dragon. Yowza wowza. Billy's drum solos seem crazy loud even back in the balcony. Given the audience source maybe not for the faint of heart.

    Jim - no better place than the river when its hot!

    July '78 box is pure gold (as you all know). My favorite 1st Set ever may be 7/7/78. The Cold Rain and Snow to open Set II is my all-timer. And a little earlier the Eyes from 6/8/77 is a jewel, with that beautiful extended intro, on and on and on.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    We b groovin’ here

    BTK, are you familiar with Wolfgang’s vault? I’ve not done more than peak in, but my understanding is there’s quite the stash that would probably be very pleasurable to your tastes. Daverock too!

    And speaking of, don’t let my picky “opinions” put you off DR. Their great shows, just feel, comparatively, that there might be other, perhaps slightly under the radar (but some on Dicks) shows that are top notch. But that does not mean these are not very enjoyable!

    Great Minds, Ha! Had 7/5/78 on while I finished Reading One Way Out by Alan Paul.

    Water Heals Amigo! Sounds like you’ve shock the cobwebs (and winter beer fat ; ) and are getting yer river on!
    Glad to hear it! Exactly what the doctor orders!
    Hey-O, onward!

  • billy the kiddd
    Joined:
    9/23/70 Allman Brothers

    There is a great video of the Allman Brothers doing Whipping Post from 9/23/70 . Why is this important? Because the Dead played there 9/17,18, 19, & 20/70, maybe they video taped the Dead and these tapes exist. That would be the ultimate if that was the case. This video was probably shot by the Fillmore East staff, and the same was done for the Dead.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    7/5/78

    Another sparkling show - maybe the best band performance of the first three shows in this collection. Keith seems more present at this one. I like the sound of these shows as well as the playing - very strong and clear. I get the impression they were quite loud if you were there.
    As the 73 box is due tomorrow, I think I will save the Red Rocks shows for a bit. Maybe next weekend.
    Looking at the posts on the 73 board it's fingers crossed for tomorrow! Reading Oro's post below, I would think these shows are just too long to be top drawer all the way through. I'm really looking forward to hearing them all - but these long 73 shows all had some slow moments from what I have heard.

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Spirit

    That's the spirit.. I am sure they have looked at everything they have and are spreading things out to last.

    Speaking of 1980, like many I really liked Dave's Picks 8. Great sound, spirited show.. worthy.

    Well.. I've been in my kayak everyday for about a week.. I'm comletely spent and recharging my batteries today listening to a little fine 1978 GD.

    Thanks for lifting my spirits Oro and BTK. I guess there are plenty of good shows to come. I hope they still have a trick or three up their sleeves too. Things we might not know exist or do not expect. It's kind of cruel to drop a '69 banana box on us and never hear another mention, don't you think?

  • billy the kiddd
    Joined:
    Future boxes

    Winter land Oct 1978 Great shows, & Winter land March 1977 great shows, two future boxes.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Jim’s back with a big blast

    Street legal? I didn’t think public consumption was legal anywhere, technically of course, now in reality…

    Carful about splinters on that flag pole, bet there’s a nice breeze up there though!

    78 box. I didn’t get cause I turned my nose up “ohhh, I don’t need that…” IDIOT!
    Prolly pissed that it wasn’t something i “wanted”? Whatevs…idiot!
    That and I knew I could get copies off my cousin…, but still, IDIOT!
    I do have copies so I’ve heard it, and at first was like meh. But after “discovering” spring 78 and how much I liked it, I’ve come to a different realization of the year and box, but…but, I should spend some more time, just when…?

    Made it through 73 box once so far. Haven’t been getting the best listens in (these shows are so long) and it’s just not a good time of year to completely clear mind and listen hard for 4 or 5 hours.

    I think the sound is mostly great, the art was nice, and the shows are good, (the packaging was not practical) but I respectfully disagree that their all top shelf. They all have moments, but I didn’t feel like they were at that level for the whole show, which is why I wouldn’t call em all top shelf…so, a solid enjoyable box from one of my favorite years, but I think there’s still better…

    So, I respectfully disagree that we’re running out of high caliber shows, definitely diminished but, consider just some of these: first and foremost I’d say the first six shows of 73 are as good or better than these. 2/9 is good, but way overhyped due to years of taper bias. I think it’s as good as most of the shows in the box, but not as good as the other five, but would be a good center point of a very strong box!
    I still think there’s good primal, though why they won’t break out I can’t fathom…
    There’s still some killer shows from late 71 after KG joined…certainly some hot spring shows too, but not sure they’d sell as well?
    There’s still some killer fall 72, though you’d think they’d wait on that a bit!
    A plethora of 73! Winter, spring, summer, fall…(ok, prolly will never see a horn tour box) but some representation would be nice. I still say Providence, or Syracuse would make a nice WOTF 50th bonus since their killer shows and have the most songs off the album (6 I think?).
    Unless they did a Winterland 74 redo (which I don’t see), 74 prolly doesn’t have a box left.
    76 could do another summer box
    77 I hope not as it’s over represented, comparatively, but I’m sure there’s some small holes still
    78: Spring still has some great shows, some Betty’s, and possibly fall, but I’m not as up on those yet?
    79…? not sure about a box? If they made it a 79 box of the whole year, than absolutely!
    80, same thing. Of course that’s predicated on Fall tapes not being available…otherwise!
    I could name lots of 80s, especially early, but of course that means cassettes, which to some immediately discounts or outright disqualifies…to each there own. I think their getting pretty damn good at fixing them up, but whatevs…
    Still hope someday, unfortunately I don’t see it soon, but someday we’ll get a summer 85.
    86 through 88, prolly not, though when we’re gone or not as involved, maybe they’ll market something 87 for all the touchers? Of course if they did more venue boxes, i.e., Greek, Frost etc, many of these could come into play

    But!!, but, there is still a fine trove of untapped Multies from 89, especially the fall tour (wtf Dave?) and lots of good DATs from the nineties which did have some consistently good tours: summer 90, fall 91, summer 91, some call out spring 91, but I’ve not spent enough time there yet to opinion?
    I could argue others, but I don’t see it from a marketing standpoint?
    I’m sure heads are spinning and many would argue otherwise. But I’ve put the time in, and if you strip the preconceived pretentious BS and just listen, you’d be surprised.
    And though there may NOT be enough good/consistent left for a lot of boxes, there’s tons of individual and small runs, that are very good GD. Hell, they could always do another 30 trips, say for the 60th in gulp, 2 years!
    I mean, I get what yer saying, but the more I dig through the years, all the years, I’m still finding juicy nugs of goodness, even some hiding up there where mama hides the cookies!
    Be well, stay cool all!
    In fact, stay inside where it’s cool, and PLAY DEAD!

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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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In reply to by JimInMD

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Richfield Ohio, 9/4/91. Alright I am in on this one. And it is a Pearson Healy.

Thanks for the picks over the weekend. Haven't listened to 68 in a while.

I had tix to 9-4-91 but had to sell them at last minute because the person who was supposed to go with me flaked out. Sold the tix to someone who needed tix just for that night and drove 3 hours the opposite direction from Richfield to pick up my girlfriend at the time. We then drove to Richfield and caught 9-5,6 which were a good time.

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Yes, I had mail order tix for a hat trick and was denied.
Never made plans to go to a show with that person again.

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That is a bummer Conekid. I will have to check out the next night at some point. I was not able to see the band in 91, which was too bad because they had a lot of good shows in 91.
The sound quality on this one is a solid A in my book. Fun show, nice FOTD, the BTW is good. The Scarlet Fire is a little clunky but still good. Bob really liked to yell during these Estimated Prophets.

For today, I was thinking 12/4/1981 from the Dane County Coliseum. I am pretty sure I saw a few other bands at this venue at some point I just can't remember who it was...
Maybe Bluecrow was at this show in 81?

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I listened to all of 8/23/71 last night. Today I listened to 8/24/71 or what I could locate of it from Dicks Picks 35.
I realize I’m a dropout from Pick of the Day much of the time. It’s good to see it still rolling.
August 26, 1971 is a significant date in Grateful Dead history in that it was the last time the original five members played as a quintet.(pre Keith) I was visiting Oregon for my first time so I missed Gaelic Park but quite a few of my friends were in attendance.
On another note, Charlie Watts passing is major. I was lucky to see The Rolling Stones my only times live, two nights in Mexico City January 1995 , a month before my final Grateful Dead concerts that I made it up to in Salt Lake City , birthplace of Neal Cassady.
Love So Real / Not Fade Away

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In reply to by Strider 808808

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DV - that looks like fun and will check it out. did not attend, was at the Rosemont on 12/6. Feb. 78 was only Dane Co show for me. Sure wish I caught more in Madtown because they sure seemed to bring it every time.

Last few days the Dead I've been spinning has been Dave's 17 Selland and Dave's 32 Spectrum. Into the He's Gone vibe and all the other places that come with it.

Take care everyone. Onward.

The Rosemont in IL. Would be interested to hear more about that show Bluecrow. Kind of an interesting tour in late 81 and I think well played. Need to as always explore more of it.
Dane County in 78, wow! That must have been a great a great show to be at.

Love those Dave's Picks Bluecrow. Makes me want to check out Dave's Picks #34.

Stay well out there.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Pole guy

For those inclined to celebrate the anniversary.

The 50th anniversary next year falls on a One More Saturday Night. Maybe they’ll hold a MUATM.

Wow. It's been so long, I had to go back 9 pages just to see what I'd been rambling about last time.

I see the thread has covered a LOT of ground since then. It's all stuff I'm pretty sure I would not be able to comment on immediately.

> icecrmcnkd

The Vanetta video is just astounding. I haven't watched it in, probably, a few years, but my memory is of nothing but good. Sublime performance under extreme circumstances. Really, THIS is the Dead's Woodstock. They are not a festival band. They ARE a festival. The film crew, though, they are heroes. As soon as it starts getting dark this evening. That will be going on the home projector screen. I've been seeing posts about it on various social media for the past couple days, it seems, so I'm primed.

>

In general I like those really laid back, and as many have commented, somewhat tentative '76 shows. I've had the 6/19 Passaic FM tape in my ipod most of the month, but have not listened to it all the way through. Vocals really, really dominate the mix early on, but then I catch a song from later in the show and it sounds a little better balanced. I think this show has a Sampson and Delilah with an unusually jammy ending.

The other stuff in the ipod lately is Live Dead, American Beauty, Skull and Roses, Paris '72, 7/26/72 Portland, Eaton Cornell SBD, Willie Nelson's July 4th pic-nic 7/1/78, Shakedown Street, and the Autumn Records Warlocks demo. Man, I don't know what it is about that Autumn Records demo, but I cannot get enough of it. I love that thing. I can listen to it all day long.

I've spent a lot of time in my day with a few February~April '71 shows and they are a LOT of fun. I'm not sure I've heard any of that August run. Definitely making a mental note. Computing situation is a bit sketchy atm. Been listening to nothing but bird song (no caps) all day.

> 1stshow70878

Thank you for the vinyl advice. I have not used a magnifying glass, but the naked eye does not reveal any scratches at all. I have had success going slo-mo on other records and finding a piece of white crud lodged, as you say. A gentle prod with a finger nail usually releases it. In this case the object may not be white. Thank you.

One thing I noticed about the JICO generic replacement stylus was that it seemed to pick up a lot of "dust". Perhaps that was actually just PVC being scraped off the surface.... IDK. I may have damaged the stylus trying to remove the debris with the stylus brush. I may have damaged the record in handling. It's impossible to place the blame definitively.

I use an Audio Technica brush, and usually use the solution, but occasionally do a dry dust. I also have a Swing No. 25 Dusper that I use to lightly dry off the surface if I get too much solution.

>

So much for that OG green label Europe '72 I ordred. The Discogs seller just took my hundred dollar bill and vanished in the air. That's the second time in a year I've been ripped off buying Dead merch online. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. There were definitely lots of shady vendors in the lot in the later years. For the record, PayPal's claim system is pretty much a joke, in case anyone was wondering.

> Strider 808808

Yeah, an excerpt of Brown's The Sacred Pipe just happened to be in a book on Native American religion and philosophy edited by Dennis and Barbara Tedlock that I picked up when I was, I dunno, 18 or 19, I guess. Brown's piece about Black Elk's vision quest really struck a chord with me. I think it was something about the pacing to the four corners, always returning to the center. Black Elk looks for messages from various auspicious birds that appear, and just as it seems there is nothing to be found, he is spoken to. I didn't actually get 'round to following up on it until fairly recently. My interests moved more toward east Asian philosophy, and western esoteric tradition, but that vision quest account by J.E. Brown has always stuck with me. I think I can relate the experience of receiving epiphanies just at the point of touching bottom. There must be something of those Campbellian universal truths in it.

> JimInMD

Hey, man. Not everyone has free time to write little mini-essays on discussion boards. :) I was mainly trying to justify why I always take up a whole page with my own discussion.... but also kind of trying to say, that , hey, it's ok to be a little critical where criticism is due. It is subjective opinion, though, and I'm not out to hurt anyone's feelings by slamming someone's favorite show.

>

I see people making some Kermit comments RE an '85 pick. There are some nights in this period where Jer has more voice than others, but I agree, he does seem to be trying to pick up the slack with his guitar playing, and often the rest of the band is on a charge, so these were probably super fun shows to attend. A bit before my time, unfortunately. Jerry would sing in a gravelly voice through the end of his career, but there is sometimes a different quality to his vocals from this period that seem more croak than gravel. That said, without opening my music library, I'm pretty sure I have not heard 4-7-85. A week and change later he sounds pretty good. I really enjoy the 4/16 and 4/20 shows that I got turned onto here.

As others have been saying, though, one of the wonderful things about this thread is that it leads me to shows I might not have normally gone to, and some really hot shows from '85 that came up in the POTD really changed my mind, so I definitely want to thank all of you for that. Just in the last year I also discovered some real gems from '81, '82 that are super duper mellow, unlike the high energy of '85, but have also inspired me to happily fill in some gaps in my listening.

And, in reply to this quote, "Did you ever just know you're not going to remember the chords?", absolutely. lol ^^;

> DeadVikes, icecrmcnkd

Living on the other side of the world, I'm always in favor of download options. As much as a vinyl junkie as I am, if it's a choice of a CD or a download, I can often get two download albums for the price of buying a CD and paying international shipping. Iirc the Dave's Picks are only on CD. I love the archive, and I love AUD tapes, but even /my/ bootleg ears have their limits sometimes.

Lovin' the Althea recommendations. One of my favorite tunes. I'll be looking for that Go to Nassau show, now.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Anyone have a pick for today?

I am thinking about some post 78 Egypt shows.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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DV - highly highly recommend 11/18/78 - night 3 at the Uptown in Chicago. The mythic Rambler Room show took place during this run. full boards don't circulate for the first 2 nights. Hopin they're ABCDs.

That Dane Co. 12/3/1981 is a killer show. Thanks for that!!

Sounds like a plan Bluecrow. I will check it out. Love this time period.

Glad you liked Dane County Coliseum.

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Satisfying from what I've heard. Enjoy folks. Play dead! :-)

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In reply to by JimInMD

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> JimInMD No, no, no. Absolutely not, dude. That "Hey man" shoulda been accompanied by " :) ". "Hey man" is pretty ambiguous when left only in text. I was reacting to a comment you made about how maybe you should be more descriptive... that comment was like weeks ago, though. I was tryin' to let ya off the hook, so to speak. :)

I'm gonna hafta catch up on these recent picks. Goin' out the door for a little overnight at the beach and there's no time to DL and update the ipod. My smartphone has no service, so streaming on the beach is out of the question. My only life line is a flip phone. lol. Definitely gonna be jammin' some Shakedown Street while tossin' a Grateful Mahalo frisbee in the sun, though. The pod is also loaded with Bob Marley, Alpha Blondy, Burning Spear, and Lee Perry. Lost another legend yesterday. Was fortunate enough to see Scratch on a tour with Adrian Sherwood. A bit too electronic for me, but still, it was Lee Perry right in front of me telling me to "put your gadget away" because I was holding my little digital camera on my shoulder tryin' to shoot some fragmented video. The camera was crap, though, so the few seconds I got just sound like noise. Anyhoo... no offense taken. No offense meant.

I first listened to this about time PITD was on the 11/24 video. Well played show, really nice sounding board even though its a couple generations down. There are a couple of poorly timed gaps (Fire, Olin Arageed come to mind.) What really perked my ears and brain up was the second set. Tasty Scarlet > Fire, and then that strange set placement of an early Miracle following that and wow Miracle has a blazing extended outro jam (where was that most of the time?) into a sweet He's Gone, followed by a pre-drumz Other One that has some crazy good space as it leads into drums. I really dig this show, this era, and it doesn't hurt that this was in the Uptown Theatre (hometown, though I was elsewhere at the time). Really hope the other two nights surface in similar sound quality and that the masters of this show don't have those gaps. Gotta run. Take care everyone.

Good to hear. I've been a bit busy lately and I thought I might have been careless with something I wrote.. so all is good with the universe.. a great way to start the week.

Missed the 78 yesterday, by late this afternoon I should be on track and have some free time. Not complaining though, I needed the and today will mark the 8th day in a row I've had river time. My listening has been heavily tilted to what was already loaded on my waterproof devices with a sprinkle of what they are pumping in the SiriusXM Grateful Dead channel. 1970 (Harpur and FE), 1972 - 1974, 84 and 85. Listened to a bit of 5/10/91 today in the truck.. I think we hit that one a year or so here. Definitely releasable, good quality audio and a good show. Perhaps we could hit another show from that run which includes Hornsby. The previous run, Cal Expo, was good also but alas.. it was sans Brucey.

In any case.. keep on keeping on the good vibes and good picks. Looks like we are off to a great start to the new week.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Nice call on this show Bluecrow. Really good sound quality and great show. Late 78 is so different than the rest of the year. Love these early Stagger Lees and I Need a Miracle. Nice Scarlet Fire. Great second set .Probably will be a while before we get any late 78 shows released, but I am ready.

Jim, yes, let's hit up some 91. Send us a pick.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Had a chance to stream the Miller sbd last night when I got home, but exhaustion prevented me from hearing it to the end. Early on the recording is so vocal heavy that I can barely make out what the band is doing without riding the volume control.

Me and My Uncle is in full disco mode. When was it that Bobby introduced it as a Polka? Was that before or after this? I'm confused. At any rate, it sure ain't a Polka here. I like these Rhinestone Cowboy versions, perhaps knowing that they aren't forever.

There were several comments about song placement, and that El Passo following Sugaree, and there having already been an Uncle > River seems a bit odd, but they had not yet settled into the one cowboy couplet per set routine yet, had they?

It's All Over Now in the first set, though. That feels odd.

From the Heart of Me is so beautifully done. I recall Jerry doing lots of really fast runs between vocal lines, but was not taking notes. This is a real gem.

By the time Music Never Stopped rolled around, I realized that the mix seemed to have been brought to balance between the vocals and other instruments. From the Heart of Me had also benefited from an improvement in this area. Music Never Stopped, though. Wow. This is where the show really gets started. I think someone else already mentioned that. The whole first set is superbly played, but as became the norm the first set closer serves as a precursor to the second set with some nice group improv. Definitely wanna go back to check this out again.

The Scarlet/Fire second set opener picks up right where TMNS left off. This is another track I want to return to. There seemed to be a somewhat different quality to this one, but at the moment I can't put my finger on it. Another highlight, but it's rare that this pairing is not a highlight.

The early second set Miracle is definitely another interesting set choice, as pretty much everyone already said. I kept an ear out for the ending jam that was mentioned, and yes, why was there never more of that? I suppose once it settled into its post-space rave-up role, there wasn't much left on the table to fool around with.

From this point on, I was drawn into the darkness of sleep. I think I'll restart this at It's All Over Now tomorrow and listen to the end again. The recording balance seemed to have improved by the end of the first set, and I missed the whole finale.

Thanks for another interesting recommendation!

> JimInMD

"5/12/91 for Tomorrow?" Sounds good.

Just a few last impressions from 11/18/78

The instrument/voice balance is definitely much better by It's All Over Now.

I think the thing that seems unusual about the Scarlet/Fire, other than the clean cut which may be a result of the Archive's streaming system. There's always a short loading gap between songs.

I was thinking that the jam at the end of Scarlet Begonias seems especially sparse, and then I started wondering where Phil was? There isn't a whole lot of deep bass in this recording, so that may be it. Not sure. I like Donna's off mic reaction to some strange noise that Bobby (presumably) made by accident. ...Ah, I got to the Fire patch. That's the cut that was mentioned. It sometimes feels a touch lackadaisical, but that sort of thing suits the transition into Fire.

Miracle is ON, right out of the gate. No teething problems with this one. Just struck me that it sounds like Jerry's already using some kind of distortion/fuzz effect on his guitar here. I'm a bit of a gear nut. I'm gonna hafta look into that.

Dayum. This Other One is waaay out there. Love it! The drummers totally running with it, complimenting the gooey, stretched out psychedelicized sense of time created by the guitarists with a frenzied lysergic background buzz. Still pre-Beast if I recall correctly, but plenty to keep the Rhythm Devils busy... and busy they are. Did someone say, "Go man."? "I knew you were about to come on."? This really is the beauty of the board tapes. Occasionally you get a glimpse into the verbal communication that goes on between band members. They're always talking to one another a lot more than I used to imagine. It wasn't till I started watching how much conducting Phil used to do that this aspect of their playing became evident. Things changed a lot when Phil started taking a less active role in the spontaneous orchestration during shows, I suppose.

Ollin Arageed, what a nice treat. A little hold over from the Egyptian Vacation. 12/19 is the only post Egypt '78 show I've got in my library, and sadly I couldn't tell you anything about it right now. From there it's to the Godchaux's farewell show, and then Brent's debut or somewhere thereabouts. Again, thank you for filling in this rather sparse zone in my listening experience.

The word I keep coming back to while listening to this show is "beautiful". I was about to use it again to describe the Wharf Rat. Keith is doing some really nice fill-in stuff between the vocals here. Certainly a sight better than his contribution at Giza (yikes!). .... oops... everybody completely missed Billy's cue to start the ending there. LOL. Oh, well. Carry on lads. :P

Love how the transition to Sugar Mag thoroughly cross fades. That's brilliant how they kept a bit of Wharf Rat alive while slowly letting Sugar Magnolia develop. A lot of times Jer'll drop the intro of the next song and the others just stop what they're doing immediately for a couple bars instead of letting the songs blend. Sometimes it feels forced when Jerry does it that way, but this one is just about perfect, for my ears.

One More Saturday Night was one of the more predictable Dead tunes, and I reckon if you were on tour it probably got kind of repetitive, but from a song-writing point of view, IMO this is one of Bob's best songs. It's the kind of built-to-be-a-show-stopper that I wish I could write someday.

Ok, fast-forward a decade or so to 1991!

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Ah, Shoreline. This sits right at the end of a big gap for me between September of ’90 and June of ’91. Another round of “Thank You”s.

Nice variety of sources to keep me busy for a bit. Quick peek at the set list, and Black Throated Wind! Lookin’ forward to that! Post Space seems pretty routine, but who knows?

To start off, I’m A/B/C/Ding the four audience sources on the Archive using Deal as the bar. They never waste any time digging into this number so it makes a good tune to evaluate the sound.

The Gesine Lohr Audio Technica 815A source reminds me of the old tapes. A lot of mid-range frequencies. Phil is there, but you don’t really feel the bottom end. The sound is kind of nostalgic, though. Everything is perfectly clear, just not quite hi-fi. Coming back to this, I kind of appreciate the more well-defined bass guitar work with this tape. More of the various drums come through clearly as well. With more mid-range comes more piano, so Jerry’s guitar solo is somewhat falling into a wall of sound with Bobby and the keys (not Bobby Keys, though).

The Schoeps MK4 source sacrifices a bit of sparkle from Jerry’s voice to emphasize the low end of Phil’s bass, which is something that I kind of expected from an MK4 recording. The guitar solo pops up above the band nicely, though, and on a second pass, the bass is less over-powering, and more well-defined than the other MK4 source. The position is listed as section 102. Having never been to Shoreline, well, that doesn’t help me much, but I’m guessing that is not the Official Taper’s Section, nor is it in Front of the sound Board, but maybe someone can help me out on that. I’m starting to take a liking to this source, even though I had initially switched away from it more quickly than any of the others.

The Daweez Neumann KMF4 pull may be a little brighter than the Schoeps tape, but still has that Phil bass that you feel as much as you hear. On second (actually third or fourth) listening, The Neumann source sounds like it has the mid range frequencies scooped out. There are lots of bright highs, and Phil booms in here and there, but the drums and keys are kind of lost… which, may suit some, but there is a kind of metallic quality to the highs that feels somewhat aggressive to this ear.

The Front of Board Schoeps MK4 take, though, I think this has the best frequency balance of the AUDs. Goes to show, you don’t ever know. Must be something about the seats, or perhaps the signal chain. The first MK4 source might have used heavier wind screens. Hard to say. Same mics, completely different sound. lol. Whoa, Phil is shaken’ the room. Deep bass in this one, but Jer’s guitar is shining, and Bobby is right there in the mix. If anything, the drums may be getting a little lost. The keys are coming in and out of the mix, as usual, really. This has both Bruce and Vince, right? The last three recordings have a lot more bass than the first, but it is much less well defined. It kind of booms. Even though the bass is kind of a puddy of low-end, it somehow does not interfere with the other instruments.

The more I A/B the two Schoeps sources, the less I can tell them apart. lol (T_T) The second source has less info and a CDR generation in the lineage, but somehow feels more… I don’t know, “alive,” as if I can get a better audio picture of the space. I hear more of the venue, but in a good way. It feels more like I’m there, rather than listening to a recording. The similarities in these recordings are many, but the differences are almost hallucinatorily fleeting. I’m going with ID 9402 Schoeps source attributed to O’Connor. I must say, this Deal has kept me entertained throughout this comparison process. Eleven minutes of smoking’ Deal? Don’t mind if I do!

The only disadvantage of picking up the older submission is that it isn’t Y2K-proofed, and also comes ask SHN, rather than FLAC. No audio quality difference, just a little more trouble to convert for me, and that’s all on me.

I’ve not yet listened to the latest and greatest Miller SBD transfer.

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You should check out the latest Miller Rockthing. This is a Healy Pearson and it is spectacular. A+++ for sound quality. Just half through the first set. So good.

Check it out people.

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> DeadVikes

Will do. Part of the fun for me is analyzing the various audience sources. I'm old fashioned. I still wanna download one for the home collection's virtual tape wall. ;-)

The show is hot, hot, hot. I wrote a bunch a stuff last night, but I'm holding off to let someone else get a word in edgewise.

I'd forgotten how much I liked this period. It's a real shame Hornsby couldn't have stuck around. He and Vince made a good team, but Bruce left a deep impression to climb out from. The "solo career" story line feels kinda odd when he could have contributed some great material to The Dead, and an even larger audience. They never did any of his tunes, did they? Can you imagine the jam they could have gotten into on Mandolin Wind?

This show is as good as the previous two nights at Shoreline. Man, to live in CA back than.
Althea, CC Rider into It takes a lot to Laugh, fun great music. Black throated wind.... Nice HelpSlip Franklins. Terrapin!

I always thought the band reached another gear in 91! Songs were definitely shorter but the music was good and they sounded great. I really didn't feel that way in fall 1990. These shows to my ears do not match what they did in 1991. I think they had to feel their way back after Brent died and had been with the band for 11 years.

Looking at a 77 pick for tomorrow.
I don't think we have ever hit up 4/23/77, Springfield. Let's do it.

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Sounds good.. Enjoyed this one also. The Jam out of Terrapin was a treat. Jerry played his heart out in Deal too. The Althea and GDTRFB had their moments. The transition into Slipknot! was unique.. I think of the three the levels were highest in this one, perhaps a bit saturated especially for the Picasso Moon. Bob was real high in the mix too, so we got to hear his angular take on rhythm. Bruce really filled in the empty spaces nicely.. thinking a few parts in Franklins and throughout.. Looking forward to Rockthings more detailed listen, I was out and about but did fit in the whole show. Only half way through yesterdays.....

Onward to '77 (or do we mean backwards?).

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Really enjoyed this pick! Some flubs from Jerry lyrically in Terrapin, but more than makes up for it with the jam that follows. Overall good second set (GDTRFB), but I really enjoyed the first set. I love CC Rider>Train to Cry, and the Deal was HOT STUFF! Nice stuff!

I am hoping to have a chance to listen to 4/23/77, but it is not looking likely today :( Perhaps tomorrow.

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Picasso Moon seemed to sort of disappear from the repertoire. It would have sounded great to hear an evolution of this tune with Brent laying into the B3 instead of the synth sound similar to the studio version. CC Rider is never one of my favorite tunes, but that transition from CC Rider to It Takes a Train to Cry is sublime perfection. Totally did not see that coming. Top marks to both songs for that.

High Time and Black Throated Wind back to back? What was going on here? This is like a dream come true.

Again, Deal. What can I say. This tune is money. Somebody point me to one that /isn’t/ good. This one held my attention yet again.

Help/Slip/Franklins: Help is very cool. The Slipknot! goes into some unusual, very un-Slipknot-like territory during the jam. If I were to pick up midway through I don’t think I’d guess I was listening to Slipknot!. I’m always one for a big jam, but this is one time that Franklins Tower sort of overstays its welcome. I was actually glad to hear Looks Like Rain for once. Those glissando licks that Jerry’s playing are brilliant. I guess they’re the water falling from the sky. I think I like this song better around 90, 91. The Without A Net version that I haven’t heard in ages comes to mind, but this one is a real standout. The ending builds up nicely without becoming melodramatic.

Bobby’s doin’ all his little whammy bar harmonics tricks during Terrapin, and all through the show. These little accents are right on. It’s a great use of texture and controlled overdrive. He’s weaving in all sorts of little licks and fills, almost more of a Stones approach without actually playing things they would play. What’s with that little electronic hand clap around 12 min?! lol. That must’ve been Mickey. Here comes the MIDI… and more “hand claps” as this one totally spaces out before Drums. Definitely like that. Jury’s out on the hand claps, but I think Jerry must have been giving Micky a sly look over his glasses, and Mickey was probably grinnin’ like the Cheshire cat that ate the canary. Then there’s a little samba groove that pops up out of nowhere. So adventurous, and playful. Despite Brent being gone less than a year, Bruce Hornsby brought in such a positive vibe… and also refuses to let that samba idea go away even as the drummers switch to hand percussion… or perhaps because of it. It sounds like Jerry may have left, or started to leave the stage, but then came back. I think that melody is a quotation from an actual composition, but the title isn’t coming to me. So much things to say. So much things to say right now.

I was lying down sort of half dozing off by the time I got to Space last night, but I was impressed by how involved everyone was in it. It wasn’t just a couple minutes of aimless noodling before the climactic rave ups. They were really working out the improv and investing some ear time to this Space. I wish I’d been as invested in taking notes about it. Some more eloquent thoughts wafted through my inner monolog that have been lost this morning as I relisten to the Healy SBD.

Not much to say about the rest of the second set. Solid, I suppose is the best way to describe it. The crowd seemed relieved to hear the GDTRFB riff emerge from a pretty long space, which I personally had thoroughly enjoyed. We’re definitely in Beam solo territory here with Drums, though, so Space probably felt more like 20 minutes than 10, which might seem like an eternity when you’re standing on the floor rather than sitting in a comfy chair at home. Nice organ solo from Vince followed by a piano solo from Bruce, then Jer, I mean, everybody’s getting’ some. It’s great. Throwing Stones was obviously very dear to the band as a well-written manifesto of, at the very least, John Barlow and Bob Weir. It really is a great song, and a very groovy jam develops around Jerry’s guitar solo here, but not being confined to one day a week it suffers somewhat from over saturation. Personally I’ve always liked the vocal effects Dan Healy added to Bob’s vocals, but I guess Bobby wasn’t too fond of it. I liked that you could hear the murmuring of the crowd in the MK4.DAT.CDR AUD as The Weight was beginning, either recognizing it, or wondering what it was gonna be.

Bruce Hornsby must have seen or sensed the disfunction in the organization even in ’91 or so, or maybe just really felt the need to be THE leader of his musical direction, rather than an ensemble player. He fits in so seamlessly, yet brings so much to the table not only in terms of musicianship, but just adding a little light to the atmosphere. This really was a golden renaissance for the band. I love the sparseness and swing of the ’71 bar band period, but the grand expansiveness of this seven piece instrumentalist line up must be the pinnacle of the band’s evolution.

4/23/77? I'm not familiar with that one either. I see 4/22 at The Spectrum in the library, so my interest is piqued. Got some stuff to do the next couple days, though. Might add a few late comments if I get enough done.

:) :) :)

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I know I saw one. 12-9-90 they closed the first set with Valley Road. Excellent and at the time exciting to hear something new. Agree with Rockthing that Mandolin Wind would have fit nicely in the era.
Cheers all!
Oh, and wasn't Jerry on some of Bruce's albums? Can't think of the name of it but on the Muzac at work I would hear one of Bruce's that starts something like "35(?) weeks ago today" and I would just stop under a speaker to hear the guitar solo that, if it wasn't Jerry, it sounded just like him raining triplets.
Edit: Looked it up, it's called Across The River. Watching the video I didn't see Jerry but that sound! Yep the credits say Jerry! Bruce said it was probably only the second time Jerry hit the top 10 charts, Touch of Grey being the other. What about Truckin' Bruce?

Unbelievable.. not trying to embed anything, these guys just suck. I had a two page writeup of 4 25 77 Springfield that will never see the light of day.

Getting horizontal now, great show.

This forum really sucks ass now that we cannot post without getting denied. Over and out.

My first listen of this show and I think it is a solid show. Sound quality is good, not mind blowing, but good. A couple of patches but nothing substantial. You can definitely tell they are not in May form yet, but getting closer. Not sure this show will ever be released.

What are we looking at next?

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I have recovered from losing my Springfield post. Good show, it had a dreamy, mellowness to it.. less cocaine more opium influenced in my humble opinion. Love 1977 Sugarees.. How Come You Lay Awake ALL night long.. but you can see why it landed in the second spot and not a show opener. They need to warm up a little first before you can settle into those nuances...

Well.. better quit now or the post nazis will deny me.

What next?? Not sure. Want to jump around some more or settle into 76 through 78 vibe?

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Unfortunately haven’t been able to play with you nice boys and girls!
Been lurking and have enjoyed commentary etc, but work situations have not been conducive to E-lectric hippie shake. So I REALLY need some GOGD! and Mrs OB as at work...so,
Going to hit that 91 first and hopefully the 78 or as much as I can, since y’all showed em such love.
Then I’m going to do the 91 Richfield shows over the weekend to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the humping with whales shows. Might try to hit that RT 2.2 some more too as I’ve just recently purchased it and had only a initial introduction. Time for a second date!
Still want to hit that 66 stuff too.
So I’ll prolly be elsewhere listening, but I’ll be checking in to see where all y’all are adventuring to?

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I have my eye on relistens to the following two shows:

10/27/73- State Fair Coliseum - Indianapolis, IN
This one's a bit weird and flies under the radar. The soundboard seems to end towards the end of Wharf Rat. There's a new Charlie Miller that has an upgrade of the better part of the second set and what exists of the first set is decent with some flaws. I am going to splice together the best show I can and give it a try.

Then.. to reward the patience of cobbling together a decent show from two remasters.. I plan on hitting the night before which is a true classic.

10/25/73- Dane County Coliseum - Madison, WI

So more a less a weekend of '73.

So pick or choose what we like between what is listed above? I am sort of psyched for a unique PITB sandwich. Looks out there.

You evil temptress!
Like I don’t have enough on my plate, lol.
Definitely going to HAVE to slip those in too!
Have not heard either of those, which surprises me about Dane? And Indy if nothing else, which I doubt will be the case, will be another notch in the overall, and especially the ole fall 73, preverbal bedpost! One of those tours that MUST be completed!
Actually, not sure I’ve heard either Dane...prolly thought they would have been released by now and like the teenage girl I am, but without the purity ring, wanted to save myself.
GREAT DANE: Still say that would make a GREAT box: 2/15/73, 10/25/73, 2/4/79, 12/3/81, and 6/24/83.
Not sure I’ve heard the 79 or 83, but think I heard 83s decent. Good enough for filler considering the magnitude of the 73s, and as we heard here on POTDWD, 81s a real burner!

So I guess I’m binging out this we lol. Hup, hup, nothing too it, but to do it!
Digging this 91 so far. Currently descending into H-S-F...

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If the four winds blow we could have potential for the increasingly rare DHB Hat Trick folks!

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I like it.

Finished 10/27/73. Nice little underrated show. Highlights include great China>Rider, the Playing sequence is unique and the Truckin' Nobody's Fault is typical, meaning typically good for the era. Boy, if I could go back in time.

Not sure if I am getting to Madison tonight or not.. we will see.

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Sounds like a good plan Jim. They are on tap for this weekend.

Enjoy the weekend. Can't believe we are at labor day weekend already.

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...I love fall 73!, but all these shows were good!
5/12/91✔️
11/18/78✔️
10/27/73✔️
9/4/91✔️
Sometimes the 91s sound a little? fuzzy, the vocals, or the miked sources, the direct fed instruments always sounded good. Not bad, just sometimes...anywho. Good shows, especially enjoyed the first set list from 5/12. In fact, I think that’s a highlight of 91, first sets are usually solid and not just the warm up set...
The 78 was pretty typical, and that’s in a good way, really dug the whole jam/drumzzz segment, and yasss that was a smoking TMNS!
10/27/73: damn what a nice surprise...THIS, is why I love this place: finding chestnuts that might not of been fond, soon, or otherwise! Unfortunately the sound wasn’t the best, but listenable. The mix actually is really good, and I think maybe at some point there was (is?) a good sounding master? My guess is combination of years, gens, and perhaps not unlike some cheap street blow, a tad too much electronically stomped on?
But that gives hope that maybe there’s a good master still?
Uncle Jimmy summed this one up good, and in fact I’ve really enjoyed everyone’s discussions!

Oh, lol, did not officially complete the DHBHat Trick as I was dozing off during the first set of 10/27 and wanted to actually hear the second set so had to finish this morning. The ring was in the grasp, but I just let it slip away...
Two tactical errors: had to redo much of the second set of 11/18 due to distraction and felt it would be a violation of the DHB code to thus count it, so used time I could of started on 10/27, thereby facilitating the completion of said show. Also, I missed my 5 o’clock caffeine dose, and I’ve learned doing it later is like pissing in the wind: it dosent kick in in time, and then, after you go to bed, you bolt awake and crackle all night! No bueno!
Hey, this DHB stuff is serious business, and after almost no dead all week, had some catching up to do, like Pintos date in Animal House...
Ok, what’s next? Maybe later I’ll hit Dane, but I’m tempted to honor my purity ring on this one?
Mañana I’ll hit 9/5/91, but not sure what other directions I’ll roam...free range Dead!

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I think the 91 was hot, mildly oversaturated.. especially the Picasso Moon. It rounded out ok by the end but still seemed a bit hot. Still, the instruments were all well represented, there was great clarity and separation and no audience mic, which to me is a breath of fresh air. I like the Pearson/Healy's. My system does not display levels so I am going by feel, but methinks the levels were high. I have to wonder if this occurred during the initial transfer from the DATs? You are correct about the first 73 show too.. I knew that going in but took the plunge nonetheless. I also bet a better recording exists out there, but this is what we have for now. If memory serves, Madison sounds better which is why I saved it for later. Unfortunately I will not get to this until tomorrow.

Still, like OroB I enjoy the road less travelled.. Both Madison's in 73 are worth the trip. Some enjoyable shows that do not get the love they deserve.

Hope you all are enjoying your Labor Day weekend.. big flood waters here, which are just now beginning to dissipate. Good fun, but a bit dangerous perhaps...

Enjoy the last true summer weekend all.. play dead, loud and proud.

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Cause this boy gotta DHB Hat Trick yesterday! Woo-who! Of course Mrs OB wasn’t quite as enthused lol.

10/27/73 second set ✔️ (mentioned below)
9/4/91 ✔️ (mentioned below)
7/3/66 ✔️ Forgot what a fun show this is. It’s interesting how “formed’ they are already. The dead, but not quite the dead. So many different songs too, good palate cleanser.
9/5/91 ✔️ Stayed up and watched this one on YouTube.
Another decent show, Halfstep, nice China-Rider, Trucking-Smokestack, BP etc.
nothing mind blowing just another solid outing. From what I remember I believe tomorrow, the 6th is the best, or perhaps on paper?
Might read and decompress today, hit 9/6/91 on YT tonight, and mañana...?
Still on the fence about my Dane (s) virginal status...I guess we’ll see what tomorrow brings?

Nice hockey organ reference.

Still haven't gotten to Madison, perhaps tomorrow.. After that, I will reside myself to the passengers seat for a while and enjoy the arrangements from another's muse. That 66 looks bomb.. perhaps that next?

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✔️
Watched this one on YT. Looked good on paper and thought my recollection was that this was the standout?
Upon further review: Perhaps a few highlights but overall not as consistent as the previous two?

Jerry has a look on his face early on and though he plays fine, he doesn’t seem to smile or really lean into it until terrapin etc, but he definitely does then! Perhaps my favorite second set of the run? Always was fun to see/hear a live Dark Star, or in this case sort of...Victims a bit ragged, but I generally like Victim.
It was a year after we saw the first shows there with Vincent, and though it wasn’t going to be the same again, it was going to be alright! You could see the progression continuing from the year before. The band was back on track and there was a collective feeling that things were going to be ok.
Saw six shows that year and not a clunker in the bunch! Next year things started to feel different?
Glad I finally got to these shows as I was not familiar.
Now back to the road less traveled!

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Went through the two October 73 shows Jim. Thanks for the picks. Good shows, as noted some of the recordings need work.

Made me want to listen to Dave's #38, from 9/8/73. Need to give this one another go.

We are under 30 days until that next box hopefully arrives.

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And what a box it should be.

I'm running behind on one of my own picks.. but I will have at least 7 hours in the car today to play catch up. Heading to Blossom and back. Hoping for good luck.

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Man, we need some excitement here. How about 4/7/87 at the Meadowlands?