What's Inside:
7 Previously Unreleased Complete Shows On 20 Discs
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/09/71
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/10/71
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/17/72
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/18/72
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/19/72
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO 10/29/73
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO 10/30/73
Sourced from tapes recorded by Rex Jackson, Owsley "Bear" Stanley, and Kidd Candelario
Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
Restoration and Speed Correction by Plangent Processes
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 13,000
Steamboats and BBQ, ice cream cones and Mardi Gras - are you ready to laissez les bons temps rouler with the "gateway" to the Grateful Dead? Meet us, won't you, in St. Louis for seven complete and previously unreleased Dead concerts that capture the heart of the band's affinity for the River City.
LISTEN TO THE RIVER: ST. LOUIS ’71 ’72 ’73 is a 20CD set featuring five shows from the Fox Theatre - December 9 and 10, 1971; October 17-19, 1972; and two from the Kiel Auditorium - October 29 and 30, 1973.
The seven shows in the collection span slightly less than two years, but they represent some of the best shows the Grateful Dead played during some of its peak tours. The music tells the story of a band evolving, changing from one sound to another seamlessly, precipitated – in large part – by significant personnel changes in the Dead’s lineup.
The two 1971 shows feature the original Grateful Dead lineup plus newcomer Keith Godchaux on piano. This version of the band would hold together for the next six months as the Dead embarked upon its Europe ’72 tour. By the time the Dead returned to the Fox Theatre less than a year later, they were without Pigpen, who’d played his final show with the Dead at the Hollywood Bowl on June 17, 1972. A year after the exceptional Fox 1972 shows, the Dead came back to St. Louis, but played the much larger Kiel Auditorium, touring behind the release of WAKE OF THE FLOOD, which came out just two weeks before.
All told, the band played 60 different songs during these shows highlighted by blazing romps through “Beat It On Down The Line” and “One More Saturday Night” and wistful takes on “Row Jimmy” and “Brokedown Palace” (whose lyrics give the collection its name). Meanwhile, the copious jamming ebbed and flowed like the mighty Mississippi River on multiple voyages through “The Other One” and “Dark Star.” Naturally, the band paid tribute to one of its favorite rock and rollers and one of St. Louis’ biggest stars by playing Chuck Berry songs at every show in the collection, including Pigpen galloping through “Run Rudolph Run.”
Each show has been restored and speed corrected using Plangent Processes with mastering by Jeffrey Norman. The collection comes in a slipcase with artwork by Liane Plant and features an 84-page hardbound book as well as other Dead surprises. To set the stage for the music, the liner notes provide several essays about the shows, including one by Sam Cutler, the band’s tour manager during that era, and another by Grateful Dead scholar Nicholas G. Meriwether, among others.
Due October 1st, LISTEN TO THE RIVER: ST. LOUIS ’71 ’72 ’73, is limited to 13,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively from Dead.net.
Thanks Doc
Thanks for the shoutout doc.. received this message just as I was enjoying the second disc of 12/9/71 at the Fox. 10/19/71 = the first Comes a Time. Worth it just for that.
Hope you are enjoying this as much as I am... and thanks for delivering our daily dose of '71 with commentary.
Real Gone CD Sale
Real Gone Music is having its annual CD sale with several Dick's Picks and Road Trips discounted.
Sixtus
I love that billerica estimated/eyes. I've been busy all week trying to get my identity retrieved from some POS that hacked into my bank account and stole a couple grand and my SS#, if you can believe that. If I could have just 5 minutes with that guy, it would be worth it.
Talk about 'sick'...
Dropping that "Sittin' On Top of the World" in the middle of The Other One so perfectly and so perfectly launching back into TOO is truly quintessential Grateful Dead.
That sort of segue happened to us once early on, '72 or '73, and we looked at each other in true astonishment, our wordless expressions conveying "What just happened?" and/or "Did that actually happen?"
When you and your concert bro both react simultaneously, our theory was that SOMETHING actually happened, even if it was too late to rewind our minds and consider anything retroactively, as the train still hurtled down the track without pause. No time to rewind! Onward!
I love the energy and every single bit of music on the two '71 shows. Will cleanse the palate with a week or two of other artists before taking the plunge on the fall '72 shows.
Thanks to everyone involved in this terrific release. Boy, everything I could want in a GD box.
speaking of which
How about that transition back into The Other One from He's Gone on 10-19-72? I enjoyed that one today and it made me notice. As did Phil's E72 inflected harmony vocals.
50 years of Jack Straw
Thanks to Doc for the shoutout and for the reminder that one of the Dead's greatest additions to the American song canon turns 50 today! It's always sounded to me like an old folk song from the turn of the 19th Century. It fits right in with Peggy-O and Jack a Roe, which actually were of that ancient vintage and even older.
This was also the 16th anniversary of a String Cheese show I saw in Charlotte, with Hot Buttered Rum opening. In the opening set, HRB invited Billy Nershi up to play on a fantastic Cumberland Blues. Then to close the first set, we got a fairly rare How Sweet It Is, which JGB used to play, of course. And to open set 2, HBR was invited out to join in a clusterpluck for Friend of the Devil and Blackberry Blossom (Old and in the Way used to do that one, and the riff is very similar to FotD), and the encore featured Catfish John. The Jerry theme didn't end there, though as late night was provided by New Monsoon across town and Mike Kang showed up to sit in on a blistering 20 min After Midnight around 1am. They also did (Just Like) Tom Thumb's Blues in the first set, but they do that quite a bit, and nothing like the Dead arrangement. But I did notice they also played These Waves, one of the songs Kang co-wrote with Barlow. They never made any specific reference, but it was a cool, unexpected tribute. Thinking back on that extremely long night (and subsequent long drive to Birmingham, AL for the next night) exhausts me, but also reminds me how much I miss great live music, especially doing a run of shows...
Still finishing up 10/17 from the box, looking forward to full listen to 10/18 after spinning Light Into Ashes 1.5 times. Also looking forward to my first listen to 10/19.
Kreutzmann is out at the Red Rocks D&C show....
....non-covid related illness. Jay Lane sitting in.
Get well Billy.
Firing up 10.19.72.....now. I missed the anniversary of 10.18 yesterday, so I'll have to get back to that one another day.
Edit. You go get that asshole Carlo. I'll hold him down for you. I'll even bring my alligator. Painted yeller, of course. He wears Crocs though.
String of Live Shows
Couldn't make it to the Capitol Theatre this week.. but decided to stream last nights Phil show. It wasn't that much more to get the whole run so I took the plunge. So I'm seeing a string of live shows from my couch this week (and next).
I always thought what Phil did in NY around Halloween was pretty cool. I certainly hope things return somewhat to normal somewhat soon.. it's still a little weir'd out there.
CD Cover Scans?
If anyone has or knows where I can find scans of the individual CD covers for the box set shows, I would be grateful for the assistance.
Doc, another great write up yesterday. I listened to that show front to back last year from a decent soundboard. I threw some generic Dead artwork on it and gave it the apt title, "Enter Mr. Godchaux". It really was strange fortune that brought Keith to the band. He fit like a glove from the first. It's interesting - in October he plays Hammond on a song or two.
Repost re: Listen To The River Box: Cover Art Update
Hey Y'all, While I was in Dallas for Dead & Co my box arrived. I am back now, but will be leaving Thursday for D&Co's Fiddler's Green shows in Colorado (got shut out for Red Rocks) – not sure if I'll have time to scan and work on the cover art from this box before I leave, but I might. If you're not already receiving cover art scans from me and would like to, send me your email address and I'll add you to my list: jgs@archstglassinc.com
Sorry for the delay.
The music in this killer box is what we all come here for! Onward.
Lovin' this box
Seven great shows that are taking me back to my teenage years. I'm now wishing I was just a few years older at the time so I could have attended these shows AND be living in the greater St. Louis metro area at the time of these shows. The one thing I would change about this box is the colors used - I would use more vibrant colors on the outer slipcase, the inner storage box, and the CD sleeves. The essays and book are great and the extras in the envelope are cool too.
The best one is the bumper sticker.
By the way, I recently turned 15 years old in October by the time 12/09-10/1971 rolled around, with eyes wide open and taking it all in. Now I'm a jaded, somewhat cynical older guy.
P. S.: I cannot pass the CAPTCHA test. I am NOT a human visitor nor an automated electronic (or mechanical) spammer, nor a robot.
St Louis Box
I'll give this box a 5 rating on sound quality and a 10 on performance. I did not think the Dead could blow me away anymore than they already have but Holy peepers, the music in this box, sans the first show, basically its a why bother performance , is tremendous. All the big time jams deliver, and are all over the top. Screw the Deads Heads taping Compendium that has "sleepy" reviews for the `73 shows, this music is a 10 people. Phil's bass solo on 10.18.72 is fantastic, love this so much. Too bad the sound quality is really disappointing overall. In the car the sound is fine, but on an audiophile home stereo system clearly the ravishes of time show up big time. Audience tape source splices are short and infrequent but man they are brutal beyond belief. Overall I'll say it's worth the money. The package is over blown and unnecessarily large but that's the way it goes these days. The art work on the cover is pretty decent, cool looking, better than the cartoon characters on Dave's Picks which have grown old years ago.
sonics
A couple of comments on other comments, as it were. Sonic qualities of this box set are interesting-- so variable by year. It makes sense and I suspect that if I went through the Dave's Picks releases in the same fashion (throw in a late 71 show, followed by a fall 72 and then a fall 73), I might notice the same sonic variances. There are some anomalies that I have picked up in some of my listening-- the 10/18/72 has a minor buzz through half of the show and the 10/30/73 show has a different undertone as well. No complaints, just something that exists in 50 year old recordings.
The 71 shows are LOUD and in your face. Nothing wrong with that-- I mean, Pigpen era goddamn Grateful Dead. BTW, I too loved that Other One seamless transition into Sitting on Top of the World (seamless transition by the band, but clearly a patch done). The 72 shows have Bobby high in the mix, but I like that, and to me they sound perfectly mixed. I got through half of 10/30/73 and noticed right away in Hear Comes Sunshine that it all sounds quieter. The mix seems to even out as the show progresses, though. Still, very different from the 1972 mix with Bobby more in the background.
Other thing-- thanks to Doc for all the reminders of 71 shows. That really was a stellar year. That Northrop show takes me back to my dorm room in 1988 listening to set 2 in the proper frame of mind. It was one of my first tapes and that Cryptical-Other One-Cryptical and the Wharf Rat-- sure did freak some of us out. So good.
Sound quality
Blah, blah blah, blah, blah blah blah ( thank you Dave and everyone for a fantastic job from show picks to great presentation of package and totally enjoyable Dead shows)
cover art BTW
There was another individual or 2 (besides JeffSmith) that takes a stab at scanning and perhaps gussying up the cover art, then shares. Their handles escape me at the moment, but I'd suggest to simply keep your eyes peeled and pay attention to these boards. :-)
going on memory here
I think he's been a victim of catalytic converter theft twice!
..In my best Jerry Seinfeld "Newman" Voice
Bolo!
Kidding of course. Holy crap what a bummer. Those things are necessary and expensive, but they do work and make a difference on the quality of air we breathe.
I think I recall hearing about this now. I hate theft.. it just fucks up your mind and frankly the world.
me and my catalytic converters
my car: CC stolen once. replaced. Put a shield under the car, no theft since. $800 out of pocket. ouch.
wife's car: no theft of CC. Put a shield under the car, no theft since. $300 out of pocket. ouch.
son's car: CC stolen once; replaced; attempted CC theft; no shield put under car (I have no excuse). then CC stolen again last week. replacement to be done, shield to be placed. $1300 total out of pocket when all is said and done. OUCH plus an extra balls tap with a ball-peen hammer.
all three cars are.......white Priuses.
If you have a Prius, GET THE SHIELD PUT UNDER THE CAR.
and to all the CC thieves in the world: may you drown in raw sewage. after a good caning.
Prius woes...
It seems that the catalytic converters fitted to the Prius are popular everywhere. The only Prius in my street had it's CC stolen. Mercedes airbags are also popular here in the Netherlands. Even more annoying, torching random cars in the night has become a national pastime.
and all we Deadheads need is...
music (sweet music), some time to listen, and a little refreshment.
no theft required.
Blues Knight
VGuy, as I tuned in the Saint Paul, Minnesota soccer match, I noticed that the Blues are at your Knights tonight. Which show from the Saint Louis box will you have cranked while watching the hockey game? I've found that I enjoy sports much more with the sound off and the music cranked . . .
Sports sound off. Tunes on....
....yup. That's the way I roll as well brewer. We're already banged up, so we'll see. I'll probably finish the last '72 show. Only made it through the first set yesterday.
Monsters are the patron saints of imperfection…..
50 years ago today…..
October 21, 1971
Auditorium Theater, Chicago, Illinois
Set 1: Truckin'-Loser-Beat It On Down The Line-Tennessee Jed-Playing In The Band-Big Railroad Blues-Jack Straw-Cumberland Blues-Comes A Time-Mexicali Blues-“The Frozen Logger”-Cold Rain And Snow-One More Saturday Night
Set 2: Casey Jones-Me And My Uncle-Dark Star>Sitting On Top Of The World>Dark Star>Me And Bobby McGee-Brown-Eyed Women-Ramble On Rose-Sugar Magnolia-Not Fade Away>Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad>Not Fade Away
Encore: St. Stephen-Johnny B. Goode
Deadicated to kcollins1974, musicnow, estimating prof, The Good Ole Grateful Dead, proudfoot, outpost, hbob1995, gfink, brianhahne, and Oroborous, just because…….
The constant chatter and tuning up lends this show a fragmentary feeling. However, that being said, the opening Truckin’ sizzles, the new material sounds good, and there’s a Dark Star AND a Saint Stephen. What’s not to like about that? And who else but a logger stirs his coffee with his thumb?
The meat of the show was released as part of Dave’s Picks 3 in 2012, if you want to hear the potatoes as well, check out the very nice complete Miller remaster. Hard to believe it’s been nine years since the release. Frankly, when it first came out I didn’t give it much attention, but over the years both of the Chicago shows have, in my humble estimation, appreciated nicely………
Underrated, underappreciated, and recommended….
Rock on!!!
Doc
It is my meditation all the day, and more than my meat and drink, to know how I shall make the Saints of God comprehend the visions that roll like an overflowing surge before my mind…..
50 Years
Just to add to Doc's historical commentary - the Dark Star from DaP 3 was Keith's first. Sounds like he's played it 100 times. Now that Dave's Picks had some great bonus tracks. I don't think I've heard the potatoes from that show so I think I'll check it out today.
Here's what I paid for DaP 3 on eBay back in 2014:
8/20/14~Grateful Dead - Dave's Picks volume 3 - BRAND NEW - STILL SEALED 3 CD Set~$105.25
Is it me or does the opening Bertha on DaP 3 get cut off a few milliseconds?
Mine sounds like the tape cuts off the starting chord ever so slightly.
Some GOAT GOGD
Oh. My. Freeking. God. I'm sorry, but 10/18/72 really belongs on the short list of GOAT shows. Well, my list, anyway.
Been working my way through the StL box, and finally had a chance to sit (the fuck) down and (finally) really LISTEN to the 10/18 show. I figured it would be a good one, given that they had broken out the PITB>drums>DS>Dew>PITB sequence for release on vinyl. It does not disappoint. The first set is excellent, a nice Bird Song, a very rockin’ Railroad Blues. The closing numbers rock hard, too. But it’s really that middle sequence that puts it over the top for me.
Different people come to the Dead looking for different things. Some just want to rock, or just want a great set list full of favorite songs. Me, I’m more into space travel. I'm always looking for one of those great Dark Stars (or TOO or whatever) where the Dead do what only the Dead did.
With all due respect to ABB, or electric Miles, NOBODY else plays together the way the Dead do when they’re really ON, and man oh man are they ON during this 10/18/72 sequence. Really creative contributions from the whole band, several distinct ideas explored, different landscapes visited, the time/space continuum gets unraveled, and it's all wrapped up in a PITB sandwich. Yeah, they kinda flub the transition back to Playin, and the guitars are out of tune by the time they finish. They didn’t stick the landing. So fucking what. In my mind, this one is up there with Veneta and 5/26/72 in terms of the best shows of that amazing year, which means it’s up there with the best of anything.
If ya can’t dig me ya can’t dig nothin, do ya want the real thing or are you just bluffin?
crow told me
are _you_ a garbage man?
Probably not...'cause you know the GD
another GOAT show from this month is 10/28/72
when I heard that earlier this year...wooooooow
want the real thing?
The hottest thing from the North to come out of the South
When the Sun Goes Down and the Moon Comes Up
I turn into a teenage goo goo muck.
You go, Crow!
Hey, it's always good to hear one of us literally raving about the GD. Crow reminds me of that cat in the GD movie out in the lobby who is positively raving about the band and what makes it special.
I might remark that, on any given night, a select few bands could be the best in the world -- as Jimi once said, the greatest guitarist in the world is the person playing right now -- but if I said that, I'd be in fear of .....
WHAT THE CROW MIGHT TELL ME!!!!
I sure appreciate the verbal introduction to the box's '72 shows, Crow. Truly. Glad you got zapped by fall '72.
BTW, what the hell does GOAT stand for? I missed that.
GOAT Etc Etc
GOAT is one of those shorthand internet expressions the kids use these days, like LMFAO and AFAIK etc. It just stands for "greatest of all time."
Glad you enjoyed the rave review. I had fun writing it, but more fun listening to that show, especially that sequence on disc 2. Seriously, there are just moments in that Dark Star that are so ... beautiful, and so unique, I can't imagine any other band delivering anything like them. And the Dew that's at the center of it all is a really really good one. Can't wait to explore more of this box.
New ones comin as the old ones go, everything movin but much too slow.
Crow's Post
Just read it Crow. This afternoon I had time to listen to 10-17-72. All I could say was holy shit! A show with only PITB with a long jam sounded boring but it knocked me out! Now you got me droolin' for 10-18. Maybe tomorrow.....
10 19 1972
Jazzier, groovier, at moments quieter and more subtle than the night before. Siding more with '73 than '71. Standouts for me inclue Phil's lines during Jack Straw, Keith's mournful levity in Birdsong, the communal input of BIODTL, Billy getting a bit snazzy at the end of Rider, but it was the old-school landing for The Other One that was the eye popper. You'd think they were seriously about to head back into Cryptical (more accurately, coda for That's It For the Other One). Absolutely perfect. I know that's how they generally closed TOO back then but I don't recall it ever sounding quite like *that* before. And I suppose the big guy still needs to be mentioned. Lots of blues laden fret work throughout but his solo in Comes a Time is a standout amongst standouts. Not even that! A track that can hold its own. When it was his turn. A heartfelt nod to the City of Blues. What Bobby does in verse Jerry gets done through the twentieth century tradition of the six string.
(((10 18 1972? Yup! That second disc is the epicenter of the box!)))
FoxBox
Just finished 1971 and I read these stand out reviews of 1972. Both 71 shows were excellent, to me.. 12/10 gets the nod especially the second set. Love the "Did that actually just happen" comment on the segues. Yep.. that's it. Exactly. Wow.
10/17/72 is up next. Onward.
Don't eat stuff off the sidewalk - no matter how good it looks
The sound quality of the 71 shows does indeed knock the yellow box into a cocked hat, as someone pointed out last week. Amazing range of dynamics over the whole box - they definitley had more gears on their bike than most bands know exist.
Heaven finds an ear when sinners find a tongue…..
50 years ago today…..
October 22, 1971
Auditorium Theater, Chicago, Illinois
Set 1: Bertha-Me and My Uncle-Tennessee Jed-Jack Straw-Loser-Playing in the Band-Sugaree-Beat It On Down the Line-Black Peter-Mexicali Blues-Cold Rain and Snow-Me and Bobby McGee-Comes a Time-One More Saturday Night
Set 2: Ramble On Rose-Cumberland Blues-That's It for the Other One>Deal-Sugar Magnolia-Casey Jones-Johnny B. Goode
Deadicated to Gainesville, leedesj, drpryan, andoverdeadhead, estimated-eyes, fourwindsblow, Thin, JeffSmith, DeadVikes, and Mr. Ones, because why not?
As writers and readers, as sinners and citizens, our realism and our aesthetic sense make us wary of crediting the positive note……
No wariness here. This is a relatively unknown but very positive show. A show of apparent contrasts---a solid, fourteen song first set, followed by a seemingly short second set…..
However, with that being said, if you’d like to hear a really fine late 71 Other One, here you go!!
LOL, one of my October 71 guilty pleasures. The other, we’ll discuss on the 29th……….
Rock on!!!
Doc
Many of the insights of the saint stem from their experience as sinners…..
50 years ago, 1971
On October 22, 1971, I was 14 years old just about to turn 15 on the 27th. I was in 9th grade in junior high school in Bethlehem, PA. I heard Truckin' (album version) on WNEW-FM from New York City via an early FM cable hook-up my parents had at the time. Truckin was all I knew of the band, Grateful Dead.
Television entertainment that Friday night was The Brady Bunch (it didn't hold my interest too much) at 8:00 PM followed by The Partridge Family at 8:30 (which really held my interest at the time, because a musical performance was sometimes included) followed by Room 222 at 9:00 all on the ABC Television Network.
An alternative reality would put me in Chicago, Illinois, somewhere in the vicinity of the Auditorium Theatre and the Grateful Dead's show that night would have started of wth Truckin' before Bertha.
I have yet to listen to this how, but I will.
Thanks, Doc!
TV in 1971
I remember that lineup.. really puts you in a time and place.. back when the channels available equaled about the number of fingers you have on one hand.
Prime time TV in 1971, how on earth did you remember that and thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Early '70s TV....
....as a young un, I used to really enjoy the Sid & Marty Krofft shows on Saturday mornings. Lidsville, Sigmund and The Sea Monsters, H.R. Pufinstuf, The Bugaloos etc.
Looking back, those were some pretty trippy shows.
The Cramps - Side Trips
Proudfoot - not everyone's cup of tea, thank the Lord. I first saw The Cramps by chance in 1981, shortly after seeing The Dead for the first time. Unlike with The Dead, I knew absolutley nothing about them before I saw them-I couldn't believe my luck. The came to England about once every two years after that, and I soaked it all up. They were singing my song alright -which might not say much for me, of course. To me they were easily the best band of the 1980s and 90s. Not to be really thought about, though, you either get it or you don't.
They also opened the door to real rock n' roll for me in all the interviews they gave. In England at that time rock n'roll was either a bit of a joke, what with Teddy Boys and all, or had been appropriated by "rock" bands. Through The Cramps I discovered the real deal from the 1950s. A never ending journey.
I still liked The Dead, though.
S&MK dosed a lot, I bet
HR "Puffinstuff"
look up Mr Show's take on Druggachusettes
more Cramps
Garbageman rocks real good
"one half hillbilly and one half punk"
they have some other good stuff
but they still give me the creeps
Slowly listening to the box set
10 17 72
Playin"
Wait for it....
"Oh yeaaaah!!!"
Detroit turned out to be heaven…..
50 years ago today…..
October 23, 1971
Eastown Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Set 1: Bertha-Playing In The Band-Loser-Mexicali Blues-Sugaree-Jack Straw-Big Railroad Blues-El Paso-Ramble On Rose-Me And Bobby McGee-Cumberland Blues-Brokedown Palace-One More Saturday Night
Set 2: Casey Jones-Me And My Uncle-Tennessee Jed-Sugar Magnolia-Comes A Time-Truckin'-Brown-Eyed Women-Not Fade Away>Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad>Not Fade Away
This is deadicated to Jay Carstens…..
“The word tonight is easy going, you know how it is………….”
And easy going it was. While there’s no “big jam”, it’s still a fine and enjoyable show. The new material is nicely on display, a very Bakersfield kind of show, relatively unknown and underappreciated, definitely worthy of a listen, and with no hint of what would be unleashed the following evening……
Rock on!!
Doc
…..but it also turned out to be hell……