• 8,084 replies
    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:
    12/5/1971

    12/5/71 Felt Forum, I will check it out Jim.
    Thanks.

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Keep em Comin'

    I agree this is a pick of the day forum, not today in GD history..

    So lets try and mix things up a bit today.. picked at random, how about 12/5/71, one of my first tapes. When I wrote the song list on the XLII S label, I used a red pen. I liked the the tape so much, I thought.. hey, for the really good shows I will use red ink. This lasted for about five good shows and then I got another batch and had no red pen. The stupid things we do for really no reason at all that seem to make sense at the time. 12/5/71 Felt Forum, lady in red.

    So my toast, to things that seem to make sense at the time. I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream.....

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Keep them Coming

    Holy crap Oroborous, you are smoking today, keep them coming.

    Yes, the Blu Ray is special with the audio blue ray mix. Love to see them give us a video release with this mix again. Had a ball seeing this show at the 2019 MUATM.
    New Speedway Boogie!
    Remember those days?
    We need to get back to that.

    Stay well and everybody hang loose.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Salt Palace

    Lol, ok, nother story coming...
    Yeah this show started out a bit “speedy” lol, but as Jim says bout the time the full SB kicks in so they seem to slid into the zone. Really digging 81 a lot lately.....Dave?

    Ok, story. Doing merch on Ziggy tour winter 96...we’re in Salt Lake of all places. Staying in same Holiday in on the main strip with the band. Had them in their own separate wing if memory serves. So we happen to walk down that hall for some reason and shit you not, as soon as we opened the door and entered the hall the ganja smell was so intense I swear I caught a contact buzz by the time we reached the other end of the hall LOL! My cousin too and he quit years before that....Salt Lake of all the places, too funny. I loved working with those guys they were so cool and nice, and perhaps the hardest working group I’ve ever seen, but man did those dudes like to burn, prodigious is an understatement! Dam, sorry, memory jog, next show, same tour, first time in Vail.
    My cousin wanted to head back home that night even though we had one more in Denver next night. So small venue etc, since not carrying through all those draconian states, asked their helper guy Bali if I could get turned on...so he takes me backstage where a bunch of road crew etc (some going way back to the wailers etc) are sitting in this tiny room, about ten folks, and they break out this giant spleef. So I take a hit and go to pass when Bali informs me the custom is to sort of bathe in it, spend time with it, take several hits, almost what we would call bogarting, so who am I to break custom etc. well after this goes round a few times I’m now completely otta my mind lol. So I make a polite excuse to extricate myself since I am supposed to work. Well I was too loose to truck and had to stand in a back hall have a smoke and chill,out for a while since our “booth” is the penalty box of the tiny rink only facing out towards the main entrance, which Is about 15’ in front of us and where ALL the cops, EMTs etc are hanging...so I finally meander back and as I turn and stare at these authority types staring at us, I immediately get the fear, which my cousin sees and understands, of course laughing hard and giving me shit to this day! Fortunately, being such a small venue, he says go have fun but be ready to help for the busy time as people leave the show! Thanks bro, phew, of course it snows like three feet that night but we’ve given up our room, and it’s February in Vail so no rooms anyway, Oh, and there wasn’t a gas station we could find. So as Im literally the last car through the I 70 closure gate as their closing it, guy waving for us to stop but my cousin telling me to go for it....so as there closing the dreaded Vail pass and my first time on the white ribbon of death, still stoned to the gills, with like next to no gas, in a rental car we got in Cali with no snow tires! oy!
    Luckily we found gas up in Frisco and made the trek but man that was a tuff drive! I’d recently moved to Colorado, but had never been up their yet. Glad I grew up in the North east!
    Aaaa the adventures of youth!
    Another not so funny Salt Lake tale was of old roommate/bandmate who got popped driving right after sparking up leaving Salt Lake on LOS tour early century....long story short he wrote a great song called Calivada highway where (a bridge is built from Colorado over Utah with hilarious lyrics, including the chorus about building the plumbing so it flows right through so we can say Utah piss on you! (No offense to all the good folks we’ve met from/in Utah, just a funny song about a sore subject)
    The look on folks face when we used to play it, priceless! Hard to believe they have medical etc now, there and Nevada with full legalization. Remember the days with the intimidating road signs showing a cop and proclaiming something like “1 seed equals a hundred years” or some such scary shit. Glad those days are starting to end!

  • The Good Ole G…
    Joined:
    Playboy After Dark

    Some full episodes of that turned up on Archive recently, might start there as I hadn't see the full show before.

    It's a trip!

    Learning lots. Prior to this year, I was completely focused on collecting the "tapes". But at the end of last year I finished up '94 and was done (you're never done, but you know what I mean?), and that dove tailed into this year being supremely strange and psychedelic and getting the opportunity to be able to listen to all this wonderful stuff and hang out with you all, so it's been really cool to explore different facets of this jewel and do some deep dives on the "facts" behind all these great shows. I'm loving it!

    This year I've definitely turned a corner in my GD habits, for good or ill... we will see :)

    BTW you all are great, keep up the good work!

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Just the facts?

    Hhhhmmmmm I do remember watching as a lad, but I guess I always thought he said that?
    Of course we’ve established the condition of my memory or yuck yuck, lack there of many moons ago!
    “Berry interesting, but stooopid” speaking of 60s TV, remember that blast from the same past? Hee-hee!
    Oh @#$& speaking of old TV shows, after seeing BTKs cool post on another thread showing the Mnts of the Moon from Playboy after dark I’ve gotta watch that whole episode some time! If it’s on YouTube I’ll have to remember to try and find, perhaps pre game for the “big shoooo” lol another 60s TV reference 😉

    EDIT: yeah Jim I heard a bout uuussseee 2 yooots ??

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    GOGD

    I love all your “ramblings” and I mean that in a good way! I look forward to your enlightening us! It’s like old school reading the paper or having morning coffee with my friends!
    I’ve kinda never been this immersed in the Dead until the last few years here. Gear and sound geek, always, went to as many shows as I reasonably could, have read everything I could and have a decent library, but I’ve never been quite at the level of devotion and subsequent deep dives as some of you. never really been a “computer” person either, so way behind on that tack that you guys bring such an interesting wealth of great information, especially the silly and out there stuff! So please, keep it coming.
    Between all y’all’s information, and great old timers like Strider, BTK, Bolo (where art though?) etc making us drool with stories from golden years, where else can you get such friendly, informative and interesting kicks! THANKS
    My little, very little mind you, critique is only that perhaps we’ve just gotten a little predictable with our picks? I mean most people know many of these “big” shows inside out, so to me at least the Beauty of this forum for instance, is when Slow Dog turns us onto that hot Glassberg 81, or we hit that 12/1 73 for good or ill, or DHB or DV calls out a official release like this 91 that we may not usual think of......most of all, to be surprised, and turned on to new and often off the beaten path stuff; Billy getting in to fights, weird hippie girls putting sweaters on Jerry...let’s face it, after alll these years, isn’t it most fun to get turned on to new and interesting things?
    Hey the go to stuff is always just a click away, but to me the thing that makes this special is getting turned on to the unknown!
    I guess you could argue that can work both ways as evident by y’all’s recent fall 72 trip as it came about partly because of the calendar...of course I think HF has us all thinking more and more about some kind of “fall 72 box” and being that could cover several months, which probably isn’t practical (sorry HF lol) so of course a fuller understanding of this time period helps enlighten such discussions, like what most likely that box would look like etc?
    Sorry, too much coffee and nervous energy, I wish this gal would call already...

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Re: Oro

    I've got a recent watch of my cousin vinny under my belt. I can defend you.

    There, that should free you up to get some plaster rattling time in before Mrs. Oroborous gets home.

    There are a couple more cuts on the Salt Palace I had forgotten about.. a good portion of Estimated is patched, and it's a ripping version too.. plus the first couple minutes of Eyes. The Morning Dew is exceptional. Really USDA Grade A stuff.

  • The Good Ole G…
    Joined:
    Now You're Getting Deep

    OB: Man if we knew that... well shit!

    Ken Babbs says the following and I quote:
    The most important thing is to be happy and do the things that make you happy.

    So, here we are my friend.

    The Salt Pally... '81 is a ripping year.

    So much Dead!!
    I'm starting to sweat. I gotta get out of here.

    UNKLE - You are correct sir!

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Hmmmm

    If I could just get this damn lawyer to call I could probably sneak both 81s in before the better half gets home and still bliss out on that 91 tonight! LoL, what the hell is wrong with us! 😁

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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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In reply to by JimInMD

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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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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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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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In reply to by Thats_Otis

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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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In reply to by DeadVikes

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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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In reply to by Oroborous

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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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In reply to by Oroborous

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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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In reply to by Oroborous

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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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In reply to by Oroborous

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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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In reply to by DeadVikes

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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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In reply to by Oroborous

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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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In reply to by JimInMD

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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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In reply to by JimInMD

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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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In reply to by JimInMD

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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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In reply to by DeadVikes

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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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In reply to by JimInMD

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