Grateful Dead

Mornin', rockers!!!

Last 5:

2/13/70 early show
2/14/70 early show
Two short, sharp, savory shots of early 1970 Dead. Recommended................

PF Wish You were Here
For long lost friends who've shuffled off this astral plane...........

Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen---Family Dog 1970, official OSF release. Ace recording, I've heard rockabilly is good for what ails ya!

Mingus Ah Um
Needs no explanation.............

Not a note of 71 going on two months now. Been jonesing, but Europe 72 helps ease the pain................

Rock on!!

Doc
Time and memory are true artists; they remould reality nearer to the heart's desire............

....if not, I nominate MSG 9.18.91.

Gets the worm!
Was gonna say 4/6/78, but vguys already on it with 9/18/91.
Rollin!

EDIT: solid show, nice pick! Good Healy/Pearson matrix, though I’m at work so not full immersion…

Alright, let's do it.

Managed to get in the 1st set last night. Really nice. Some interesting and cool midi work by Jerry in there. And during Wang Dang Doodle, Hornsby is quoting Thelonious Monk! That's was pretty out there. I think the Monk tune was Bolivar Blues. Years ago I remember reading about an interview where Monk was asked about writing a song for Simon Bolivar, the Latin American hero. And he replied, no man, that's about the Bolivar Hotel in NYC. At some point I need to listen to a lot more from the Hornsby era.

Again just want to mention that Colgate 11/4/77 show. Its got that Jones Band Set II Phil is weirdly hammered intro. Set starts out with a great Samson that just on a dime segues into a kicking Cold Rain and Snow. Great show.

On way back home last night had the bonus disc spinning from Road Trips 3 No. 3, 5/15/70 Fillmore East. It is a jewel. I love the acoustic material from that release. What a great Cumberland on the bonus. And a few songs later it was Attics of My Life as the sun was setting. so sweet.

Have a great day folks.

So no pick?
How’s aboutta 4/6/78? Betty board from that fine spring tour?

BC, funny, I’ve been thinking about 11/4 for no real reason? Ive scrolled past on my music server several times recently and for whatever reason I see it and go, “hmmmm, been awhile”…so perhaps this WE when I’m home I’ll spin er up!
Did the Chrotchfester show a month or so back. Crazy how much more intense these later 77scare compared to the smooth perfection of May?

Bruce quoting: yeah if you really pay attention he’s always throwing little quotes in there. The best is when he and Jerry throw stuff back and forth like that. Think JG really dug having someone to do more of that.
Good sheet Mon!

Still working my way through 9/18/91, which is excellent by the way. I mean, the whole MSG run, is outstanding. So many good shows and the Brandford show.

4/6/78, Tampa, alright in the que. Good idea OB.

Yes, Bluecrow, I am a huge fan of RT3. 3, such a great release. I think I paid a pretty penny for this a couple years ago new with the bonus disc and it was worth every penny.

Stay well out there all.
Hope they consider a MUATM this year. It is time.

A Bruce Box needs to happen.
Some good stuff there, as evidenced by the 91 shows in the Giants Box.

Listened to 6-22-91 a few days ago. That’s a good one.
So is 10-31-91.
And there are many more.

Dave,
Give us a Bruce Box.
The 2 Box-per-year release model allows you to make even more $ for Rhino and keep everyone happy. And for those of us who will buy both Boxes, we get even more official releases per year than with the current model.

I think for the most part, the Bruce era is well recorded too. At least give us a Dave's Pick with Ole Brucey.

My personal favorite show with Bruce is 9/22/91. It’s just got everything going for it……

That is all

Another tidbit. I am reinvigorated and will use up another one of the three guesses.

A lot of talk on the LTTR thread recently about late 72 shows.

Made me want to revisit Dave's 11 from Wichita, 11/17/72. Who is up for it?

I did 9/21/72 this morning. Why not continue..

Edit: Hit the spot. Did the bonus disc too. Added the second set of 5/2/72 for good measure. A DHB Hattrick?

I am currently working my way through the series. I started the excursion with Vol. 19. I might as well continue through and then start over maybe with some diversions along the way.

Since there's no pick today I am going to venture there.

Well, I still really love this release. Shorter show for 72, but high energy and great recording. Monster first set, nice Sugaree, Bird Song, Box of Rain. Great second set Cumberland, El Paso-He's Gone, the Truckin into The Other One is a good example of the greatness of their improvisation. Great show and the bonus tracks from 11/15/72 are really good as well. Probably one of my favorite liner notes. Great story.
Jim, the Colgate 77 show is always worth a listen as well, I think Bluecrow had this going recently as well. I really like the show but the early Iko Ikos are not fully developed yet.

Where we headed next?

I keep running across shows that look interesting in my quest to answer the latest Bolo contest, but unfortunately haven't cracked it yet.

Hey, rockers!!!

Pick of the day: Star Theater March 8 1970

What to do with uninvited, unexpected guests? It can get problematic, whether it’s your house or your concert…………..

Interesting little show and a nice example of the early 1970 electric/acoustic/electric format. Bob Weir’s attempted humor. Interesting China/Rider/High Time trifecta. Bouncy Dire Wolf. Greasy Hard To Handle. Hunky dory so far…………..

As with many early 1970 acoustic sets, this one has a casual, warm feeling. Tasty Monkey & The Engineer, Been All Around This World, Me & My Uncle and Black Peter. Things start to go a little sideways at the end of Katie Mae, as a local high school student---part rock and roll cheerleader, part blues screamer---joins in the festivities as they evolve/devolve into a spontaneous and quirky blues jam. Sounds odd now but sounds like at the time the audience was digging it………

Cap it all off with a hot NFA/Lovelight with more screaming and an unknown harmonica player sittin’ in…………

The available recordings, while a bit rough, are actually pretty listenable. However, given how sonically spoiled we’ve become, I’m not sure it can be brought up to official release standards. Not even sure it should be an official release, admittedly it would be way down on my wish list.

By no means a classic, but I’m glad I have it………………

Doc
This is the sense of the desert hills, that there is room enough and time enough……

A new one for me, I'm in.

Any intertest in 5/14/74 Missoula? It's been forever since I listened to it.

3/8/70 Santa Monica Civic Cntr was an interesting little show.. clocking in at just over 91 minutes it's approachable.
A varied little show, it has a little dose of everything except the big wide-open jam. I guess it was Elvin Bishop that sat in for the last few songs?? They must have been sharing a ticket (Paul Butterfield Blues Band??). Anyway, a nice little ear opener.. it should go well with 5/14 which has quite the big wide-open Jam on one of the scarier, more dissonant Dark Stars of '74.

Onward.

Yes, in for more 74. Good idea Jim. Dave's #9.,...... This site needs some new release news soon.

Only made it halfway through but it was quite good. Set two queued up for tomorrow.

Theater in the Round sounded really good, at least as far as I got. Must admit I bailed as things went sideways out of Katie Mae. Wasn't in the mood for that. Will probably revisit sometime. Show seems really short to me and think there would have been more if not for that ego display. Side note - has anybody seen a photo of Pig singing and playing the guitar during those 1970 Katie Maes?

In that early acoustic/electric show space. After 5/15/70 (and the 5/14 filler) dusted off DiP 8 (5/2 Harper) earlier this week. Been a real long long time since I listened to that legend show. Simply amazing. Of course love the acoustic material. The Cryptical > Other one > cryptical was mind blown (once again). Nonpareil. A testament to Dick working to get some big shows like this and the Fillmore 2/13 out early in that series.

Dug deep into a drawer with some lost releases (at least for me). #1 - Fallout from the Phil Zone. That Disc 1 was an awesome sequence, both then and now. some has been released in fuller context many year later, but not all of it. #2 Rockin' the Rhein. Really good to have those stand alone releases from Europe 72 tour, with a mix that is true to Keith's playing as being an integral part of the sound.

Yep - definitely up for going to Montana soon.

And Senator Oro - "pot calling the cattle back" is top shelf humor for me.

Well put. If I drank enough alcohol, I could sing like that too until the police arrived, put me in handcuffs and to the liking of all hauled me off to the county jail.

Well, set two awaits.

No contest winner. Try again in a couple months or so.

I'm off to Moscow to have "tea" with Vlad.

but I had some thoughts rattling around in my bluecrow brain : )

Now back to a rockin NFA> Going Down The Road > NFA on the Rhein

edit: waiting for a recaptcha that asks for tractors and one of the pics is a Ukraine farmer hauling a tank.

Made it through this release today. For me, good, enjoyable show. Good first set, the PITB is great. Good US Blues. Nice combo of WRS into Dark Star that goes off the rails for a bit.

I love the February 74 shows and I am looking forward to #42. I have always felt they picked up steam in June through August and of course the October mega shows. Still want that Winterland 74 complete run box. Give it to us Dave.

Looking at 3/31/91 from Greensboro NC for tomorrow. Who is in?

Came across this one as I was looking through the Bruce era trying to figure out Miami Greyhound squid. No luck yet.

That underwear draw must be bursting at the seams Bolo.

We tried.. your clues are friggin hard.. but we tried. I, for one, had not given up.

#FU Count Vlad

Finished Montana. A nice show and a good warmup for #42. The PITB came in focus for me. The DS still contains sharp shards of broken glass that pierces my ears. Sometimes when I listen to the Dead and it becomes too intense, I have to remind myself.. tension, release, repeat. There are some jazzy moments, but that DS has some unresolved demons.

yer moving much too slow.

Yeeesshhkk, interweb was out at house I’m working at so no streaming all week. Now it’s back up but the new equipment I’ve installed has no analog inputs. Meant to bring a A/D converter with me, but once again we’re a day late and a dollar short! Doooaaahhh!
So I’ll hopefully get 3/8/70, 3/31/91, and gulp, the scary moons 74 show in this WE.
LOVE that Dark Star, as I believe HST once said “it never got weird enough”
Thanks again Otis!
Speaking of the good Doctor, check out the new docudrama Fear and Loathing in Aspen!

EDIT: hey Bolo, I still got a headache lol. So how bout giving us the answer after we all hurt ourselves trying to figure it out?

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.

do you know who your dealing with here?
This ain’t MIT, I think as a senator from the great DH state of altered consciousness I can speak for the majority here and perhaps respectfully remind you who your dealing with here. It seems perhaps you’ve mixed up your on line routing/addresses and sent us senile, nearly brain dead acid casualties, some firmly in the horrible grasp of our golden years, a mind puzzle perhaps meant for your extra intelligent intelligence cohorts?
No harm no foul, but I will be billing you for the extra analgesics required to dull the on going throbbing headache that many of us have endured due to your unfortunate mix up.
Hopefully your IT specialists can rectify this idiosyncrasy in a timely fashion, thus ensuring that the next contest will be just exactly perfect and thus more appropriate for the smoking crater of what’s left of our minds? Thank you!
Or? I Dunno, maybe it was the ibogaine?

wow.

it's like i'm playing marbles, having already lost a few, and Bolo's out there way past tri-dimensional chess.

love it.

I have found that ether helps with the headaches..

Huh, can't believe I didn't get it. 🤔

more depraved than a man in the height of an ether binge!

Years ago I used to make sampler CDs of some of my favorite Dead tunes and leave them in random places around whatever town I happened to be in at the time. Included was an email address the recipient could respond to with comments about the music. Overwhelmingly, the most common feedback was something along the lines of, "Wow. I had no idea this is what the Grateful Dead sounded like."

So here's the challenge: compose your ultimate GD show for a target audience of non-deadheads. That means no scary Dark Stars that might fry a newbie's brain. Limit the time to what could fit on 3 CDs, so maximum of 4 hours, and roughly follow what the Dead might do regarding first and second sets, etc.

My first "CD" will start with the Intro/H/S/F from "One from The Vault" (8/13/75) and end with "The Music Never Stopped" from DP18 (2/3/78). I'll figure out the rest as inspiration moves me brightly.

Anyway, if you're game, share your "best in show" so we can have something else to contemplate besides our navels. When I finish mine, I'll put the tunes on thumb drives and scatter them around town in some mysterious fashion to mess with unsuspecting, uptight humans. Time to expand their horizons!

Have fun!

1st set: Easy Wind, High Time, Greatest Story Ever Told, King Bee, China Cat/ Sitting on top of the World, Promised Land, Next Time You See Me, Attics of My Life, The Music Never Stopped. 2nd set:: Cumberland Blues, Dire Wolf, Alligator> Truckin> Space> Death Don't Have No Mercy> Viola Lee Blues>Feedbck. encore. Casey Jones. & Broke down Palace

And I replied to the email.

You might remember me; I was the one that asked why it didn't include any scary, the world is ending Dark Stars.

Another really good spring 91 show. This one is worth checking out if you have never heard it. Great first set and the second set Eyes-Playing is special.

Tomorrow's Pick of the Day?

I'm not sure it's possible in the time allotted. I'm well over 4 hours already and I haven't even decided which version of "Jack-A-Roe" to include yet.

So, screw the time limit. I'm probably going to end up closer to 6 hours. If nothing else, this exercise has clearly demonstrated to me that there are just too many great versions of too many great songs.

What a band!

My one CD abbreviated version.

A Voice From On High - 5/15/70 Fillmore East
Cold Jordan - 5/15/70 Fillmore East
Cumberland Blues - 5/8/72 Empire Pool
Hard To Handle - 4/23/69
New Potatoe Caboose - Anthem of the Sun or 2/14/68
Eyes of the World - Bobby and Phil w/ Trey acoustic 3/3/18 Radio City Music Hall
Los Lobos Bertha (just because)
To Lay Me Down (studio)
Unbroken Chain (studio)
Help/Slip/Franklins from the Swing
Attics of my life, (tonight's version will do)

Tomorrow's choices will surely vary and contain a mind melting Dark Star

Edit: Oh hell.. toss in just about any 68 Viola Lee Blues as a litmus test. If they don't like it, we don't need em. :D
And I guess the Morning Dew from 2/27/77 to end the disc. You're right, six hours is not enough.

Hey rockers!!

SET I: Truckin'-Beat It on Down the Line-Loser-El Paso-The Rub-Bird Song-Playing in the Band-Cumberland Blues-Ripple-Me and Bobby McGee-I'm a King Bee-Bertha

SET II: Morning Dew-Me and My Uncle-Deal-Hard to Handle-Cryptical Envelopment>drums>The Other One>Wharf Rat>Sugar Magnolia-Dark Star>St. Stephen>Not Fade Away>Going Down the Road Feelin' Bad>Not Fade Away

By the way, that would be April 28, 1971. Everything any sane person could need or want to know about the Grateful Dead, all in one show. Rock and roll, originals, covers, country western Bakersfield, greasy Pigpen, big jams. It's all right there............

Not too mellow, not too crazy. Well, maybe, lol, Hard To Handle gets a little crazy. Listen and prepare to be amazed.......

Rock on, rollers!!!

Doc
A good mind should tell the difference between noise and music........

I did a tape for my brother, over 30 years ago, which had The Other One, Dancing In The Street and Viola Lee Blues from 5/2/70 on. He had heard me playing the official releases over the years and thought they were...okay. But that selection really impressed him. He had no idea they could play like that.

Sometimes it's the easier listening stuff that is harder for non Deadheads to get into than the heavier stuff. You've got to point Percy at the people.

5/14/74: always surprises me just how much I like this one! So much good sheet besides the awesome Dark Star! That whole disc three just kicks ass! When I think of DaPs, this one, Scooby House, and Skeletor Skater are the first ones that pop up in my minds eye.

3/8/70: liked the short show format. Agree with others: sound ok considering, ok show until the unfortunate take over. Especially during Katie Mae! Talk about rudes interuptus! Couidnt he let pig finish the song, yeesshhhkk!
Gotta love how JG always takes these situations and uses them as a way to support whatever was going on. Like when he plays on others songs, he’s as good or better supporting others as he is leading!
This is the kind nugget I’m looking for here on Pot Day, doesn’t have to be a great show, but the chances of just stumbling on this were low. So thanks to Doc for digging up this historical little nugget.

3/31/91: First set looks great on paper, but? Not a bad set, but seemed kinda average, comparatively.
The second set made up for it though. Like many of the Hornsby lineup tunes, the Samsons are like big fright trains that take a little time to get going outta the station, but when they do get up to speed, woo, woooo!
They mesh that into a nice eyes with a awesome dreamy sequence that eventually comes out the other side and back to earth with the Wheel, including a couple of obvious Dark Star teases, but alas that would have to wait for the following night at that excellent Greensboro show Conekid turned us into a while back.
Big Chuck B double scoop of R&R to bring her home, and sweet knockin to bring ‘em back to earth.
Perhaps a tad short, but an overall enjoyable show. Don’t think I’d call release worthy since there are so many other strong 91s, if only they give us a 91 box…

Ok, what next? I might hit 4/17/82 today!
Onward!

Bolo the taskmaster lol. Boys tough!
I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do a live version, there’s just too much: too many must have songs, from different must have eras etc.,
BUT, I’ve already done a “album” version back a few years. I was asked to make a disc of the most known, perhaps main songs for someone who had causally seen the band and had some interest BITD. I was asked to keep it simple, no 36 minute songs etc lol. So I started thinking the same way Bolo presented this to us and realized if I tried to pick live stuff I’d die before I finished lol, so thought I’d use album versions, like I was teaching a GD 101 course.
My criteria was to use the most well known, most easily accessible, sometimes the hits, but not always, and at least one song from every studio album, with at least one song from the main band members, in chronological order.
Well it became quickly apparent that I couldn’t do that on only one disc, but did not want to go more than two. So it was a tough but fun process but here’s what I came up with. Like all final cuts I’m sure there’s room for “discussion” LOL

NOTE: I use “album” loosely since there are several must have tunes that were never recorded on studio albums, so versions were taken from Skull Fuck and E72, which, are arguably hybrids. I Mean you HAVE to have a Bertha for example..Also, I used Must of Been Roses from Compliments, technically a JG album, but much of it in actuality of course is a band album similar to ACE. This song is slightly not chronological too, in order to keep the normal Jer/Bob sequencing. Days Between is from the So Many Roads box, which at the time was the closet thing to a studio cut I had.
The Cryptical Suite was edited because of time constraints of the Redbook CD format, so I cut the last couple minutes and faded out using the trusty ML 9600 right after JG sings the last “has to die” part.

Pedro’s GD Chronological Album Retrospective
DISC 1: GD 101.1
1- The Golden Road (to unlimited devotion)
2- That’s it For the Other One p/o
3- Saint Stephen
4- Uncle John’s Band
5- Box of Rain (Phil)
6- Friend of the Devil
7- Sugar Magnolia
8- Operator (Pig)
9- Truckin’
10- Bertha
11- Playing in the Band
12- Brown Eyed Women
13- Jack Straw
14- Ramble on Rose
15- One More Saturday Night
16- Eyes of the World
17- Stella Blue

DISC 2: 101.2
1- U.S. Blues
2- Scarlet Begonias
3- Ship of Fools
4- The Music Never Stopped
5- Samson and Delilah
6- Must of Been the Roses
7- Estimated Prophet
8- Shakedown Street
9- Alabama Getaway
10- Althea
11- Hell In A Bucket
12- Touch of Gray
13- Just A Little Light (Brent)
14- Foolish Heart
15- Days Between

Ok, your probably like “where’s Terrapin, where’s Feel Like a Stranger” etc. Again, I was asked not to use jammy, obscure or other less accessible stuff. I’m sure there are a few I might of used instead, but I was thinking about what was most well know and easily accessible to newbie, ya know, ya learn to walk before you can run…
My intention was to follow up with a second term GD 201 course version which would have hit the next level of songs: Terrapin, Stranger, H/S/F, China/Rider, etc. That could theoretically be followed up by GD 301 getting into the extended TOO, DS, Playins etc…
I think this is a decent attempt at presenting the unpresentable to the often accessibly challenged ; )
Oh, the gal I made this for loved it, said it was great except a couple of the first weird tunes lol, but she said she liked them and had her interest piqued!

That one would probably catch newbies off guard. ..and when their guard is down, slip em 220 mics and a 68 Viola Lee Blues. They will either love the GD or they will never be seen or heard from them again.

Edit: Or become the next dictator of Russia. #FU Count Vlad.

4/17/82, Hartford sounds good. I was actually looking at this show a couple of days ago.

I'll do 4/17, good pick and a new one to me. The next night has that Phil California Earthquake space. Phil was on a roll with good contributions to space that week.

The Miller sounds great, just a couple small patches.

....on it!