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    You can listen to Grateful Dead records over and over again and never understand the attraction they have for certain people until you attend one of their concerts. Sometime during the Dead's usual five-hour set, it will all click: Jerry Garcia's Indian bead string of notes on the guitar, the ozone ooze of the vocal harmonies, the shifting, shuffling rhythm of bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and the distant echo of the oldest of American folk music. - Columbia Flier

    "Certain people" will know that we're coming in hot with one that's got all these things and more, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 41: BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 5/26/77. Yes, there's still plenty of spectacular May '77 to go around. Nearly chosen for Dave's Picks Vol. 1, 5/26/77 delivers three-fold. There's one count for the energy - all the precision of the Spring tour conjuring up the raw power of the Fall tour that was to come. There's another for the setlist which featured beloved songs from WORKINGMAN'S DEAD and soon-to-be favorites from the freshly recorded TERRAPIN STATION. And a third for its element of surprise (or shall we say surprises) from an astonishingly peak 15-minute "Sugaree" to new delights ("Sunrise," "Passenger," "Jack-A-Roe') to a rare first-set finale of "Bertha" to the second set's "Terrapin>Estimated>Eyes," traveling leaps and bounds towards the improvisational journey that is a nearly 17-minute "Not Fade Away." 

    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 41: BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 5/26/77 was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.

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  • Mr. Ones
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    Just what nobody wants(my 2 cents)

    I love the discussion of live shows vis a vis, shows we attended vs. shows we love to listen to. I will always enjoy having a cd of a show that I attended, regardless of which band we’re talking about. It’s just the ultimate souvenir.
    But when it comes to the Dead, my first show was 8/31/80, and while I would flip my lid if it was ever released, what I really want more than anything else, are shows from 1967-1974, with 67-70 being the real hot spot for me.
    I realize that there are most likely not too many shows of that era in a releasable form. Do I like shows from all years. Yes. To a point. If it is a superbly played show, I’ll give it many listens. If it’s not, it’s probably a 2 and done for me.
    While I’m perfectly ok with that, it’s human nature to want what I want(and right NOW).
    ANY show is desirable for me between 67-70, regardless of how sloppy or how much repeat of set lists, because they were absolutely PRIMAL at this time!!
    Of course, that just one idiots opinion. I gladly take whatever Dave gives me. I don’t feel the need to ‘threaten’ him by saying I’ll stop buying stuff. If I were to stop, there are certainly many punters ready to take my place. My music addiction does not seem about to subside anytime soon.
    As far as box sets go, I don’t see me buying anything from after ‘74. Again, that’s just me, I know I’m in the minority.
    I think I’ll let Dave worry about choices and sales figures, and I’ll just keep subscribing, and pick and choose which boxes to buy.

    Anyway you look at it, my opinion only applies to me, and I welcome opinions from any and all who contribute to this site.

    And keep the Last 5’s and other recommendations coming, because I sure as hell want to be on the receiving end of your much anticipated suggestions/favorites!!

  • hendrixfreak
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    Daverock, thinking, thinking....

    So I saw the band 1972 to 1992, with a ton of shows in '73. I have found that magical '73 sound to be my favorite in many ways, probably because I tripped out back then as a very young man and the sounds made an indelible impression. Yet I'm a stone Pigpen fan and love the early band's energy. I bemoan the lost of ... "spirit" let's say in the later years that to me reflected Jer's decline due to H. That said, something some folks call "attendance bias" or something like that suggests that people do enjoy hearing the shows they attended. Therefore, if they released the two '92 shows I went to, I'd dig it. But I'd go apeshit for a release of my first show in Sept '72 because that would overlap with the band's best year(s).

    I'm babbling but I guess it must be difficult to intuit what the GD fans will purchase. Some suggested that younger fans (those under, say, age 55!) might have snapped up the Giants Stadium box (I skipped it, always looking for opportunities to stop spending on GD music, though not really succeeding). Are older heads (I'm 65) really a monolithic force jonesing for '60s shows? I do not pretend to know.

    I suppose they can always analyze the sales for any given release, but who's to say what the demographics behind the sales #s really are? We're currently fixated on chronology and specific years for the band, which seems natural, but does that really influence sales? It has to, but how much of a factor is it? Versus, say, longtime buzz about a certain show and its circulation on tape, etc. (Example: Barton Hall '78, said to be "the greatest of all time" show doesn't really impress me... As in, I have NO IDEA what the hype is all about. It's a fun show, that's all -- for me.)

    The whole thing is a mystery to me. And for Dave, and Rhino, how much of their release decisions are based on data and how much on intuition and wishful thinking?

    I'm going to solve this conundrum by immediately retreating to my music room with a whiskey and spleef and play around on slide in standard tuning on my 1964 Gretsch as the day's last light slants across the room... Hey, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to kick stuff around and goof off on this forum. Thanks gang!

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Age related

    HF - your comment that older heads might prefer 67-69 shows and younger heads 80's and 90's shows got me thinking. I only saw The Dead in 1981 and 1990, but my taste in listening to live recordings has always been 1967-1974. With different years within that timespan being my favourite at different times. It was 67-69 that originally got me interested in them.
    Curiously perhaps, I don't really relate listening to their live recordings to my experience of actually seeing them. It doesn't feel nostalgic when I listen to them - a forever now band.

  • That Mike
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    Bobby (Bobby?) Weir & Wolf Bros

    “Live In Colorado” just arrived!
    New persona, Bob!? Asking for a friend.

  • Jason Wilder
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    Prognosticating: Box + Last 2 Dave's

    Well, we know that #42 is 2/23/74. Making this another year where Dave has selected at least 1 show from both the late Keith & Donna era (with Mickey post-hiatus) and the early K&D era (post Pig pre-hiatus). The only exception was 2018 with no early K&D. 2 late K&Ds + Brent + Pig/TC. Also got PNW Box that year, so plenty of early K&D.

    On the chat Dave said a good year for variety. Pig, Brent, & Vince/Bruce are the other eras. Hope the Box + 2 DPs touch them all. Have not had a Pig Dave's since 2019. Have had 2 Brent's the last 2 years, the only times Dave has done that.

    Last 5 boxes: STL 71/72/73, June 76, Giants 87/89/91, PNW 73/74, May 77 GSTL. I think we are gonna get early (Carousel '68?) or late (Brent 80s or MSG fall 90).

  • Atron
    Joined:
    .

    .

  • hendrixfreak
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    OMG! I just had ANOTHER thought........

    Perhaps this is too obvious, but the Listen to the River box is just so good in concept, execution and content, that
    WHAT IF ... ole' Dave decided to couple up shows from
    - fall '67
    - spring '68
    - fall '68
    - spring '69

    To show the early band's evolution. Fall '67 to spring '69 is quite the arc in their ability to deliver, from surging beast to well-oiled psychedelic band. That approach could be done in 5-6 discs. I think the barrier to my own "ideas" relates to Dave's story on how "Listen" came together. He went to Rhino, if I recall correctly, with the "Listen" concept but only a 10 or 12-disc product and they responded, "could you do a 20-CD box?" I guess we'd have to review the history -- shorter boxes have been issued -- to see what the pattern is. Or maybe 20-disc boxes are Rhino-favored going forward? For my money, it'll be tough to surpass the "Listen" box because '71-'72-'73 is prime material for me. Okay, maybe older heads want primal 67-69, younger heads might favor 80s-90s? My thrashing about here confirms that I don't belong in merchandising. Just purchasing...........

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Primal box

    Said it before, I’ll say it again: only have fragments of primal, no problemo, center the box around some primo 69, say April 69 Avalon/Ark, and tack a few discs of 67-68 on it, voilà!
    Say frags of 67 on one or two discs depending on quantity/quality, three or four short 68 shows, and the majority of the Avalon and Ark shows…

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Norman et el

    I don’t really compare or pay that close attention, but it does seem overall like they’ve gotten better with time/experience. I try to judge each show singularly, on their own merits.
    Later, I might compare to other shows within that tour, but any other than that it seems futile to me.
    The only recent one I’ve thought was audibly subpar was the 73 from last year, and I think that was more to do with the recording. Most folks couldn’t even tell though, I think you need certain ears/equipment?

    Think sonics the last couple years have been great except the above mentioned, and perhaps a smidge too much ambient mic on the 87? (But I really prefer a good matrix! SBs don’t sound natural to me)
    Still blown away how well the 78 (37?) sounds. 41 too.
    Really, all formats have marked improvement, If you compare apples to apples: meaning i.e., say 40 to other summer 90 DATs, and say, 41 to other May 77 Beatty reels etc, and Philly 83 to other cassettes, there seems to be an audible improvement over early releases of similar formats.
    My only complaint Is that sometimes Dave picks a good city and street, but goes to the wrong house…

  • Slow Dog Noodle
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    Last 5

    Phish 12-5-91 (phew - almost through all the 1991 shows!)
    Phish 12-4-91
    Phish 11-30-91

    Dub Apocalypse 5-6-18
    Grateful Dead - Dave's Picks 41

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You can listen to Grateful Dead records over and over again and never understand the attraction they have for certain people until you attend one of their concerts. Sometime during the Dead's usual five-hour set, it will all click: Jerry Garcia's Indian bead string of notes on the guitar, the ozone ooze of the vocal harmonies, the shifting, shuffling rhythm of bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and the distant echo of the oldest of American folk music. - Columbia Flier

"Certain people" will know that we're coming in hot with one that's got all these things and more, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 41: BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 5/26/77. Yes, there's still plenty of spectacular May '77 to go around. Nearly chosen for Dave's Picks Vol. 1, 5/26/77 delivers three-fold. There's one count for the energy - all the precision of the Spring tour conjuring up the raw power of the Fall tour that was to come. There's another for the setlist which featured beloved songs from WORKINGMAN'S DEAD and soon-to-be favorites from the freshly recorded TERRAPIN STATION. And a third for its element of surprise (or shall we say surprises) from an astonishingly peak 15-minute "Sugaree" to new delights ("Sunrise," "Passenger," "Jack-A-Roe') to a rare first-set finale of "Bertha" to the second set's "Terrapin>Estimated>Eyes," traveling leaps and bounds towards the improvisational journey that is a nearly 17-minute "Not Fade Away." 

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 41: BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 5/26/77 was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.

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"About 120 shows were played in 1967 and only about a dozen tapes are in the vault". Hopefully more will show up, were lucky to have the tape from the Shrine Auditorium.

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In reply to by nappyrags

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Nappy, as soon as he figures out your passwords you're done. With your PC and Amazon two day shipping they have little use for us.

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Hey Pedro, I ordered the re-released DP 19 CD directly from Real Gone.

They are producing the correct Disc 3 and mailing out to everyone who got the duplicate disc through them.

Mine is theoretically scheduled to arrive today, after an epic USPS routing journey from California to Denver to Harrisburg PA to Lancaster PA to Chicago and finally back to Denver.

Chicago, New York, Detroit, it's all the same street...

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So, after Jimmy Buffett dies and enters the pearly gates, God takes him on a tour. He shows Jimmy a little two bedroom house with a faded parrot banner hanging from the front porch.
This is your house, Jimmy. Most people don’t get their own houses up here, God Says.
Jimmy looks at the house, then turns around and looks at the one sitting on top of the hill.
It’s a huge two-story mansion with white marble columns and little patios under all the windows. Tie-dyed flags line both sides of the sidewalk and a huge Grateful Dead banner hangs between the columns.
Thanks for the house, God, But let me ask you a question.
I get this little two bedroom house with a faded banner and Jerry Garcia gets a mansion with brand new Grateful Dead Banners and flags flying all over the place. Why is that?
God looks at him seriously for a moment, then with a smile God Says,
That’s not Jerry’s house, it’s mine.

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Hey rockers!!!

Is it just me, but did every DaP just disappear from the Dead store. In the past, they always left even the sold out one up there for a while..........

Rock on, with a tip of the hat to H G Wells and Claude Rains,

Doc
I'm not sure that I ever could, but I certainly had the ability to pass unnoticed.

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I was wondering the same. Dave's picks have disappeared completely.

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I think it's because they're all going to be replaced by Doc's Picks..............

Ah, one can dream.......................

Doc
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.......

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In reply to by proudfoot

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Lene Lovich!!! Mas cool...saw her at the Whisky in West Hollywood way back when...Her and Les rocked the joint!

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Lots of fun people and not crowded. The band came out smokin' with a new killer drummer (so sorry, Bugs, you were major fun) and Conrad's son played electric bass throughout (no guitarron, unfortunately), as Conrad is recovering from a non-threatening health thing-y. With a new rhythm section, these guys simply rocked out, though they also did some multi-instrumental Mexican folk songs for which they're deservedly famous.

Naturally, especially for Boulder, they did NFA and Bertha in a medley that turned into an insane, long jam. Caught up with some of my peeps after a too-long hiatus and we had a blast, with a little whiskey and a little Indica to sweeten the already amped mood.

Let me tell you, folks, going to a show, hanging with a fun crowd, catching up with friends and partying to the hardest-working American band of 50 years standing (I've caught them maybe 15-20 times over the past 30 years) was, in a word, humanizing.

Got up today, went about my business with a smile, renewed, eager for more. This period right now is likely to be a lull in the pandemic and I'm going to take advantage of it by hitting my local open mic sessions and catching a few local bands. Once spring arrives, it'll be easier to be safe outdoors.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. As you were....

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Just listening to the first set pitb. My daughter was visiting, and she said "good jam dad." The dead right? ...........yup.

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In reply to by carlo13

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....they played my favorite Samson that evening 👍.
I've caught The Wolves four times. Never left disappointed.
Jim. Just Do It.
Thumbs up to the "good jam Dad" Carlo. My son did that during a Hell In A Bucket I played the other day.
And no, I'm not a Nike spokesperson. I'm an Adidas, Sketcher and Birkenstock kind of guy....yup.

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Yup. That Sampson on 76' can be tricky for novice deadheads since it starts quite different , and can be passed by if not looking at set list. aka. Browsing.

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Rodney dangerfield and joe pesci said in easy money, "we're just browsing". "Well , you dont look like browsers". "Mabey I'm just half browser, on my fathers side". I guess you had to see the movie.

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By the time that CD came out, I was looking for new Dead releases every time I went you the record store. I was only really into the two-tracks in those days, but I did try out a few Dick's Picks (16, 18, & 20). I understood two-tracks to be anything that was not a Dick's Picks (but they did sneak To Terrapin: Hartford '77 right under my nose; that thing was mixed perfectly at the board and they knew it). Anyway, I remember listening to Disc 2 first, because seeking out a Sugar Magnolia to supplant Rockin' The Rhein was an undercurrent in my Dead upbringing (I still love Rhein the best).

When that Samson pre-jam came on, I had lost track of where I was in the disc but remember being enthralled by it and thinking, yeah, this is why I love the Dead. And then the Jam merged into Samson, and all was good in the world.

Stoltz, that might be my all time favorite Floyd moment. The Echoes "guitar part" is right up there.

Only two more months until Winterland Feb '74 + Bonus.

....from New Year's 76 also sticks out way far in my mind. The totally seamless switching they do during the Good Lovin into that Samson is something to behold. I still remember where I was the first time I actually *heard* that sequence, driving from DC to Baltimore to go hang with my brother. When this segment came on I recall jaw dropping, staring blankly at my car CD player saying *WHOA*. The light had turned green, I was none the wiser.
That show has been a top tier '76er for a looong time.

Be Well People.

Seventy-Sixtus

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In reply to by Sixtus_

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A much happier story, "the light had turned green, but I was none the wiser"

then

"The light had turned red, but I was none the wiser"

Sampson and Terrapin Station (the studio version at least) are two songs that really benefited from two drummers.

Back to your regularly scheduled Dark Star > Discord & Mayhem. May the peak be with you.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Apparently a mummified body was found in a wall at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
Did someone get stuck while trying to sneak into a Dead show?

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In reply to by Sixtus_

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a DJ in LA early to mid 60's...his name was Gene Weed and he went by the promo name of "The Weedy One"...he worked at KFWB and also hosted the TV show "Shivaree" which was a syndicated answer to "Shindig"...the weedy one indeed...by '67 he was weedy no more...I say a strain should be named after him....

Both tragic and hilarious. One of those things you just can't reconcile.

To all you kids watching at home.. being stoned does not give you walk through solid objects superpowers.

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In the early 90's there was a gig at the LA Memorial Coliseum ...Headlining was Guns 'n Roses, 2nd bill was Metallica and opening was Motorhead...A buddy of mine took his 14 year old nephew and copped a couple of backstage passes from a friend of his...his nephew was a big Metallica fan and wanted to get their autographs on an LP he brought...a band flunky was standing by the door to their motorhome/dressing room and rather rudely told them they couldn't go in...Lemmy watched this go down, told my buddy "we'll be right back" and steered the kid towards the door, gave the flunky an "I dare you look" and they both went in...a bit later they came out and Jace was loaded down with swag and his autographed LP...my buddy thanked Lemmy and then Lemmy asked Jace "do you want G'nR's autographs too?" and Jace told him "Nah, they suck"...Lemmy looked at my buddy and said "That's a smart kid..."

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That's a wild story. I saw some great shows in that building. The last time I saw the Grateful Dead there was Feb 1989.

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I've been digging on this one lately! I agree with Dave on his thoughts of this show sounding a little more raw/gnarly compared to other spring 77. Dave has spoken of this show often since arriving on scene. Another great pick!........ such a great time to be a Deadhead, right?........ have a grateful day, Gang!!

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In reply to by jonathan918@GD

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The Mummy was a DH who got so high that at the exact moment he was peaking somehow his molecular structure vibrated at the right frequency to move through the first wall, but because of the composition of the second wall his progress was impeded at just the moment when his peak and the peak of the song subsided, thereby significantly reducing the molecular frequency such that he was now unfortunately trapped inside the wall. To make matters worse, his attempts to pound on the walls and yell were dampened by the unfortunate fact that Drumz was now in full progress and by the time the sound was quiet enough for him to be heard, he was unconscious due to lack of oxygen, thereby sealing his macabre eternal fate, until now.
Brings new insight into “you’d be better off dead” !
Goes to show, ya don’t ever know! Perhaps he shouldn’t have dropped that last tab? You all know the story “ well I dropped a couple hours ago but I’m not feeling it, maybe I should eat another one”

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In reply to by Oroborous

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from the Napster! Keep ‘em coming.
Too funny, nobody likes Axel, even other heavy metlers lol.

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From my post on 2/19 -

here's the clue for Today: Miami greyhound squid

You may notice that the "T" in Today was unnecessarily capitalized. Hence, show date is 2/19.

The Dead played seven times on 2/19. But where and which year?

"Miami greyhound" was the nickname for Hall-of-Fame basketball player Rick Barry of the Golden State Warriors. The team played their games at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. But not on 2/19/91, because the Grateful Dead played there that night.

For extra credit, I was going to ask if anyone knew the historical significance of that show. That's where "squid" comes in. If you Google "Grateful Dead squid," a video pops up of a band called Squid playing "New Speedway Boogie." Rick Barry's jersey number was 24, and 2/19/91 was the 24th time the GD played that tune. It was also the first time they played it since 9/20/1970 - on hiatus for over 20 years!

Over and out.

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What a weird find! Gives new meaning to the phrase “If these walls could talk”. The press is speculating it may have been someone “accidentally” (on purpose al a Jimmy Hoffa) got caught in the wall during construction.
It begs the question - didn’t any of the other workers notice when the young carpenter’s apprentice disappeared after lunch? Stopped reporting for work? Never came for his pay?

I’d say there is skullduggery afoot in Oakland all those years ago…a mystery for the ages.

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In reply to by That Mike

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I just listened to Ry Cooders fine Paradise and Lunch album containing the awesome song “ain’t ya glad” that walls can’t talk etc
Spooky, must be that 5/14/74 DS we been messing with on POTD, like a psychedelic weegee board!

Sorry about that Chief (er uhm Bolo)

So Bolo, who is that mummified twirler hiding in the walls of the Kaiser? If anyone knows it's you.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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But if he told you he’d have to kill ya!

EDIT: notice the way back machine has been reprogrammed.
Do you know somethingbyer not telling us?

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