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    marye
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    Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

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  • Forensicdoceleven
    Joined:
    Music is the best means we have of digesting time......

    ROCKTHING.............

    Check your PMs...........

    Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend........

    Rock on,

    Doc
    I frequently hear music in the very heart of noise.......

  • Forensicdoceleven
    Joined:
    I have just got a new theory of eternity…...

    Hey rockers!!!

    Pick Of The Day: Austin, Texas February 23, 1970

    I reluctantly discussed this at the end of last year. Here I am again. It appears that I’m stuck in a time warp. The galactic rock and roll union. I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious…..

    It appears that the currently circulated recording of this show is the only surviving audio document from the Dead’s four show excursion through Texas in February 1970. It’s tough coming right after the wonderful, brilliant Fillmore West/Fillmore East shows earlier that month, and perhaps it’s not unexpected that the intensity level might come down a bit. That being said, this is still interesting, enjoyable, and worthy…..

    The band is in 1970 electric/acoustic/electric mode. The circulating recording appears to be missing part of the first electric set, coming in during Know You Rider. For fans of acoustic Dead, this set is nice---Monkey And The Engineer-Little Sadie-Me And My Uncle-Black Peter-Seasons Of My Heart-Uncle John's Band. The festivities are completed with a jammy NFA and Mason’s Children.

    The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity……

    Did Bear travel to Texas, and did he record? Banana boxes, reveal thy mysteries…..

    Rock on,

    Doc
    Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods……

  • rockthing
    Joined:
    5/19/74 > 2/22/69

    >daverock>

    The vocal dropouts are not evident in the audience tape, so that must have happened on the way to the board tape.

    That said, the recording is slightly overpowered by Jerry and Bob's guitars from the taper's vantage point, but a little time with a simple Equalizer was enough to bring more Phil and better presence to the vocals. I do recall a few lyric flubs with the new material, but in the overall mix it didn't really jump out at me. Probably much more obvious in the official release/soundboard recording.

    2/22/69>
    Oh, my. I can see this is gonna send me on a primal quest. I have all these fall '69 and fall '68 shows that I've never listened to, but I don't have much from the spring of those years. I love this gentle psychedelia. It's really these delicate type of sounds that really trigger the senses. I'm only up to Dark Star at this point, but what a beautiful way to start a show.... oops, "The transitive diamonds?" Haha. I'd probably have trouble remembering my name if I were there, so whatever.

    It's such a shame that we're restricted to streaming this show. Imho, if the official release isn't so significantly better sounding than one of these circulating boards that it isn't a no-brainer to buy it, then what's with the classism, eh? I know the boys need a retirement plan... but... --mini rant off--

  • daverock
    Joined:
    5/19/74

    Rockthing - good notes on this show - cheers! I'm going through it very slowly, but it's the L.P. I am listening to. Although it has the famous vocal drop outs, the sound and balance of the instruments sounds fine throughout to me. I have just played the side with Loose Lucy and Money Money on. A short side. The lyrics are a bit naff on both of them - but I like the music, and they were both played so rarely that when they do crop up, it's a welcome surprise to me.
    I presume the version you have listened to has the earlier vocal dropouts too.

  • rockthing
    Joined:
    5/19/74 (Part II)

    Wrote these notes on Monday morning while drinking my coffee and getting ready to do some work from home. After a while I was mostly distracted by the show.

    I'll get to that Feb. 22 '69 show if I can, but I don't have that one handy. Hafta stream it.

    The ETree identifier of this source is 115876, btw. I don't have the box set, so these are my first impressions.

    It Must Have Been The Roses: Ok. /Now/ I'm awake. Possible tape change? There is suddenly a big improvement in sound quality for this hauntingly sensitive rendition. Jerry's voice is now clear above the guitars. Everything, save Phil, is suddenly much clearer and the sound field feels wider. Up to this point the tape had sounded like the tape the biker is listening to at the beginning of the Dead Movie. Nice harmony work during the refrain, blended well in the house mix.

    Loose Lucy: Gettin' in the funk. Jerry's just perfectly behind the beat to make it nice and nasty. If the syncopation isn't just right, this tune can completely lose all form really quickly. Loose Lucy must be a pretty new song at this point. I have no idea when this tune debuted. They didn't do this in concert much, as far as I know. I was lucky enough to see'em do it once, but the performance I saw was almost unrecognizable. Something was wrong with the timing, so it sounded all backwards. I was embarrassed to not even recognize it until Jerry started singing. This is a nice treat.

    I Know You Rider? Something seems to be wrong here. The info text says Money Money should be next followed by China/Rider, but we're just dropped into IKYR. Looks like some minor surgery might be needed on the meta data.

    Money Money: Ok. Someone's just mislabelled these files. Man, this has always been one of my least favourite songs in the Dead's catalogue. I rarely skip songs on albums, but being the album closer on Mars Hotel makes it easy. I don't think I've ever heard a live version of it, so this is kind of a treat, in its own sort of way. Having not heard it in such a long time, I guess it's not such a bad song. The negativity of the lyric just sems to strike such a contrast to most of the other stuff in the repertoire. John Lennon, for example, has a lot of negativity in his lyrics, but when I listen to him, I expect that.

    China Rider: Yeah. They're keepin' that funky groove going that was working so well during Loose Lucy. The transition jam seems to go almost immediately to an I Know You Rider feel. The guitar tone is very unusual here. It almost sounds like Bobby's Gibson 335 tone. He's playing lots of double-stops, where he plays two notes at a time even while soloing… wait… maybe that /was/ Bobby!? Some very cool interplay between Bobby and Phil before a guitar sound that is unmistakably Jerry joins in just ahead of the trademark unison bit before I Know You Rider. What is now clearly Jerry's tone keeps it going after the unison part, and now there's a Feelin' Groovy jam. I can almost see the smiling faces and twirling homemade sun dresses with flowers in the hair right now. Big, big ovation from the crowd as they settle into the Rider vamp before going into the first verse. They know what they've just heard. That was sweet, breezy, and smooth as can be. I'm guessing Jerry had some sort of equipment or other issue causing him to stop playing for a bit at the beginning of the transition. Oh, yeah, Jer, dig into that "On a north bound train" line. This and the out-of-place IKYR are going to get merged into one track when I get a chance.

    Set II:
    Promised Land: Yeah. Everybody's definitely up off their blankets now.

    Bertha: Got a little "Yee Haw" from someone nearby for "All night pouring, but not a drop on me." It's quite amazing how inobtrusive the audience is, considering this was recorded with a handheld mic by someone just hanging out in crowd.

    Greatest Story: Nice wah wah Jerry licks. Jerry's wah is so bubbly and has a rich swell, like the sound of a wave on the ocean. Using the rocking motion of the foot pedal definitely puts the player physically off balance, so I can understand why he seemed to abandon it later in favor of the Mutron "auto-wah" tone filter. Sounds so good here, though. Jerry's volume sounds cranked, though, totally drowning everything out. I ain't complaining. Oh, yeah. A little jam in GSET? They seem to have gone into something altogether different. I'm not sure if this is a set piece, but it feels unfamiliar to me. I know that I've heard occasional jams in Greatest Story, but they seem rare. This is definitely no longer the Greatest Story chord progression, but I don't know what it is, and then Wamp, Wamp-Wamp, right back into it. Now I'm gonna hafta start checking out Spring 1974 Greatest Stories. That was hot and adventurous, like maybe something went wrong and they fought through it… but maybe there was just a jam in this song back then.

    Ship of Fools: Giving the manic dancers their first break of the second set. The taper is stopping the tape between songs, though, so who knows how long they spent tuning in between. Very nice harmony work from Bobby and Donna.

    Weather Report: Seems a bit tentative in the earlier segments, but the Let It Grow jam is developing interestingly. The whole band just seems sort of in a gentle mood this night. Everything is soft and malleable, and most of all, creative, when they go off into improvised sections. The straight tunes are tight and, well, straightforward, but I'm hearing all sorts of novel ideas coming through during the instrumental segments. There seems to be a completely different confidence at work during this jazzy work out. You can hear Billy getting back to his swing roots and playing off Keith. This is fantastic. Such subtle interplay. Normally when I hear the full suite performed I wonder why they didn't continue to use the first parts, but in this case I didn't feel that way.

    Peggy-O: Jerry's picking is quite aggressive, and his tone is very chimey, even behind his vocal. Relaxed tempo, even by Peggy-O standards. In this recording it sounds almost like Billy and Jerry doing a duet, but Keith adds some accents here and there.

    ??: What is this? A playful little jam and some quiet noodling where the audience's shouts and requests become more prominent. Bobby announces technical difficulties.

    Truckin': Nice buildup, but not the major bomb drop I'm used to, and from there things start to get really weird. It's not spacy weird, just, "Whoa, what the heck is this?" weird. Some of the early 70s Truckin's could get totally abstract, so this is just the way they rolled back then. Great stuff. Gettin' that funky groove goin' from the first set again, even as the changes take on some jazzy influences. Bobby is very clear in the mix, and my oh, my it's gettin' Weir'ed. Jerry busts in with a burst of guitar feedback which seems to shock everyone for a moment, but they're still groovin'. This is the gold I look for in any show. It's funny because Mind Left Body actually sounds a lot like Loose Lucy. Billy and Phil getting' into a little funky-drummer exchange. Finally Phil breaks through in the mix with some space for him to hit that Bootsy one. In the info text "Jam" and "Mind Left Body Jam" had been listed separately, but they're actually all included in the Truckin' track, which is my preference. Cousinit made a real mess of this file set, but I can fix it. Rarely are there such glaring mistakes on the Archive, but this one has definitely been put together somewhat carelessly.

    NFA: This interesting because I've been listening to a lot of Alligator era NFA's or Bean era NFA's, and that gives a nice context to compare to this Wolf tone… of course, there is a LOT of recording tech affecting the sound here, but even though there's a nice honk, everything seems so nice and round and gently muted. Hey. What's this breakdown in NFA. Pretty sure I've never heard that before… and GTRFB. THAT, was an interesting transition.

    GTRFB: Nothing to worry about here. The old standby. Billy's hi-hat figure during the breakdown is, again, getting really funky with a swinging 16th note feel, or something. Very cool.

    US Blues: Mars Hotel weighted setlist. What month did that come out? Good, tight version.

    Johnny B. Goode: Full colosseum clap along for a high energy reading that does justice to the Check Berry original. Sometimes this can get a bit too languid. This one is rockin' hard.

    On repeated listen, I've messed with the EQ some. First of all I bumped up the EQ preamp level, I dunno, about 10db, I guess. I then added a further 12db of 64Hz, and 125Hz on the 10 band EQ to bring Phil nicely into the mix, but also lowered almost everything else about 6db on frequencies that had been flat to make the bass frequency differential greater. The bass still isn't terribly defined, but it at least brings Phil into play. He was completely inaudible without EQ. Got just a touch more vocal by giving the 1KHz and 2KHz about 1db. The tape has a sort of nostalgic cheap car speaker sound, so I actually wanna preserve a bit of that… not that I could really get rid of it. There's quite a nice venue ambiance, especially when there is more space in the arrangements, like during the Mind Left Body Jam.

    The vocal drop-outs others have mentioned were not audible to the audience.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    2/22/69

    That is a great show. According to the cd notes it was recorded, along with shows in late January and the Feb-March shows, for possible inclusion on Live Dead. It probably won't happen - the song lists are obviously very similar, but it would make a great box set to release all the shows recorded.
    The shows from 1967-1971 inclusive are the main ones for me in 30 Trips.

  • Forensicdoceleven
    Joined:
    You can't blame gravity for falling in love…..

    Mornin’, rockers!!!

    Pick Of The Day: Dream Bowl February 22, 1969

    Relatively speaking, the yang to the yin of February 21, 1969. True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist…..

    I have the space, you have the time, let’s revisit. Officially released in October 2015 as part of Thirty Trips Around The Sun, one almost never hears about this show, possibly because it gets overshadowed by the blazing white hot glare of the Fillmore West Shows of February 27th to March 2nd. This is very much “of a kind” with those shows, featuring the typically sweet Mountains Of The Moon (always loved that song!), a long exploratory Dark Star, a fierce, crunchy Other One, a deathly Death Don’t, a fine Eleven, and a greasy Lovelight that clocks in at a mere 21+ minutes.

    Great music, great sound quality, I suggest you find the time…..

    The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once…..

    Rock on,

    Doc
    There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there…..

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Heads in Mississippi

    That's good to read - they opened with Mississippi Half Step - Franklins Tower the first time I saw them 3/24/81. A great start to the show for sure.

  • PT Barnum
    Joined:
    5-19-74

    In my experience, any show that starts off with Mississippi half-step uptown toodleloo is usually a great one and 5-19-74 is no exception. That pacific northwest box grows on ya, for sure.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    5/19/74

    I haven't played it this year yet, but it has become one of my most played shows from this year - mainly because I bought it on vinyl. But it is really good, too. To me, it's better than its song list suggests - the songs leading up to the Truckin' jam are well played and forward moving, and that final jam is superb. It has been castigated in some quarters for the vocal drop outs. A price worth paying, in my opinion. All three 1974 shows in the box it was culled from are top notch.

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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.

They have terrible anti lenque logic (lenque, a word that cannot be written.. nor use of the dreaded back slash and a host of other seemingly innocuous characters). Once a post gets marked, no matter how you change it.. they don't seem to let it through.

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5-24-70
it's got a Cryptical>TOO>Cryptical sandwich and a Dark Star>St. Stephen from across the pond.

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And so it is.. 5/24/70 works for me. I am fitting in my second listen to Dave's Picks 43 too. Perhaps the brightest release in the third position of the subscription so far... I think they need a follow-up 1980 matrix to round off the year in the 4th position. #8 was real and it was spectacular.

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i use Id3-Tagit, works great.

I also use a program called "file renamer". This allows mass file renaming (files, not folders). Sometimes I get stuff in that will have for a file name ..... 01 - mary had a little lamb (this can be a long descriptor that goes on and on). And this extra will be on every file. File Renamer allows me to replace that whole string with nothing. You can also insert "stuff" or change occurrences of things. Very useful.

Sorry sports fans, been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest, and been spending much of my limited precious listening time getting down with my new Jazz gems! No at work listening for probably another week too : (

That and I have one spin of 43 in. Going to hit Planet Drums new on In The Groove next.
But I’ll mark em down and get em in when the situation allows.

I tried pasting in yesterday's post that I'd saved, but no go.

Anyway, I got into 8/6/82 based on a Jesse Jarnow tweet and am listening to that a second time. Also had a run through of the 11/30/80 Fox Theater show, but I hesitate to type anything of substance for fear of another error. My comments are saved in a text file, but the forum won't take'em. Think I'll circle back on that 5/24/70 tape while I dig into these two shows that were new to me... as the 5/24 show will also be.

Also, thanks for the ID3-Tagit (Bag it?) tip. I impatiently spent money and got something called EZ Meta Tag Editor, which is brilliant.

Now let's see if THIS will post.

Once their logic fails your post, it's hard to get that post through. I've had back slashes trip up a post, but they are often included in dates, i.e. 9/8/82. Perhaps slashes next to letters?? I know this issue has been passed on to their crack IT department, emphasis on crack as in they are probably smoking it as I write this..

alas, it is what it is. Good luck man..

5/24/70 was sweet. A nice little show that I somehow had not listened to before. Perhaps a snippet or two, but no the whole show. In addition to the big jams.. there's a nice Hard to Handle and the final Jam in Rider is strong. The recording I listened to became pretty saturated by the time Lovelight came around.

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we had to put Spirit to sleep. the most profoundly hard and sad choice i've ever made. 14-1/2 years old. Pyrenees mix. drop-off from the Rez who wandered into our garden at 8 months of age. left hind leg had been broken and healed straight by that time. despite that, with love and care, the strongest runner for a big dog I've ever known. thrived on being outdoors. at first an exuberant young dog who "landed with his butt in butter" as a friend put it (to our very best luck) and in later years an old soul, all that while bringing so much joy into our lives. in last year that old straight leg (his dog leg that had no dogleg) started going south in an irreversible way but he still kept moving if he could, slow and steady, with the occasional short burst hearkening back to the those earlier days. A second leg suddenly failed him and that was too much, despite his heart and core still being so very strong and his mind very much present. such a beautiful sweet being. looking closely you will see that's him on that same rainbow day that was my original avatar.

Sunday, 8/7/22, was the 40th anniversary of what i consider the most emotionally and spiritually "important" show I saw of a total of 50 - 8/7/82 (DiP 32). A strange and powerful synchronicity. Now Spirit is out there running free again in the High Desert.

and here we are now, 8/9, the anniversary of Jerry's passing, a day I remember very clearly in terms of its own synchronicity, when I first was living and working here. a tape gifted to a coworker in a parking lot of the K&C, by a stranger, Cornell 5/8/77, Set II. Last day of a 10 day session and so my own car not company vehicle. Blasting that Scarlet>Fire loud as the new rising sun lit the clouds as we headed to the site. so beautiful and no idea that Jerry had passed.

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Condolences on your loss.
Going through a similar choice with a 17 yr. friend.
Someone said and I agree,
I'm not interested in heaven if all my pets aren't there.
Peace

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Yes I want so much to be with Spirit again.

Sorry to hear that you're in that same place. Hard and terrible place to be.

Just listened to 5/8/77 Set II. Now DS>SS>Eleven>Death Dont Have No Mercy from 11/2/69 (DaP 43). I'll get to 8/7/82 later.

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Bluecrow, sorry about you losing your pet, losing a pet really sucks. Hopefully the passage of time will make things better.

May the four winds blow him safely home!
I swear damn pets are harder than people.
Still gets me all chocked up if I start thinking about my ole buddy : (
I suggest David Bromberg’s cover of Mr Bojangles off of Best of Album.
After 25 years I still grieve, which is to say we feel your pain brother.
Sounds like he hit the lottery finding you, so at least you can celebrate a good life well lived!
And, the good ones never really go away, their with you when you need em…that joy they brought will always live on in your heart!

Sorry to hear about your dog Bluecrow. Hang in there and 8/7/82 is a great way to put the mind in the right direction.

Sorry to hear about your issue as well 1st show. Be well.

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Spirit was such a sweet strong beautiful doggle woggle.

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Phoebe the 17 y.o. cat has made a comeback as she has done many times.
Just when I think she's used all of her 9 lives she does the energizer bunny.
The vet says her lameness is a growth of keratin and not anything worse.
As long as she is not in pain and loving a hobbled walk in the sunshine we will keep on truckin'.
We've had a series of one dog and six female cats with as many as three at a time.
And when she goes the wife wants two male kittens next time.
That should be fun! We can never wait more than a month between loss and adoption. There are so many out there who need us.
Cheers all!

Wow.

Tell Phoebe to stay away from the Special K. Catnip and a little cannabis are fine but stay away from Keratin and all the other hard stuff. Some cats never learn....

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One of the joys of old age.
Stuff (or hair) growing out of places it shouldn't.
Or where it hadn't before at least.
Cheers

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Looking at the 8/1/82 show from Oklahoma City for today. The hot summer 82 run.

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A nice little show. I explored this one a little before this thread started, probably late 2019. It makes a good companion to the night before in Austin. Apparently hot that day and Jerry was up most of the night celebrating his birthday. Hot jams in China > Rider.

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Out there in the internet world

A quote from John Mayer on Jerry's playing from a guitar players perspective ...
Part of the genius of Jerry Garcia, was all guitar players have little segments we work with, little riffs, and licks. We work in these building blocks: at the bottom are scales, then working up to riffs, then licks, then inverted licks if you are the best around.
Jerry's building blocks were molecules of playing. Not licks. The smallest pieces that could be put together. Everything you are hearing is original, off the top of his head, and represents his spiritual place he was in on that day. John Mayer on Jerry Garcia
This is the forward John wrote for Jay Blakesberg's book "Secret Space of Dreams"
"I’m a good enough guitar player to know a great guitarist when I hear one, but I had to become an even better one to begin to understand the depth and complexity of Jerry Garcia’s playing.
I’ve always said that musicians play like they are, and in the case of Garcia, his performances serve as a detailed map of a man, his intentions, his desires, and his impressions of the world around him. And going by that map, Garcia was a lovely, mighty soul. I never met him, and will never understand the loss of those who did, but the vast archive of his music amounts to the makings of a starry night sky that turns listeners into explorers.
Several years ago I set out not just to learn Garcia’s approach to the guitar and the songs he played, but to learn what about it has allowed millions of people who don’t play the guitar to key into it for hours on end. Soloing has been known since its inception as a kind of self-indulgent expression. Why, then, could so many listeners, myself included, listen to him do it endlessly without fatigue?
To best understand what makes Garcia’s guitar playing so unique, it helps to start with what it sidesteps: though it drew from blues and R&B, his guitar approach left a few traditional elements out of the equation, he didn’t play from that well-worn feral, sexual place that traditional blues music traded in, nor did he really touch the sinister aspects that were born into the idiom. Garcia didn’t sing about wanting to rock a young woman all night long, and any of his deals with the devil existed metaphorically as mere setbacks. (What’s 20 bucks, anyway?) These changes affect the fundamental color palette of the storytelling. I’m not sure the sun ever rises in Chicago blues music, but in the musical storytelling of Garcia and the Grateful Dead, it shines so bright it hurts.
On a more technical note, he played most often in a major blues scale, which added to this mix of innocence, and even joy. Minor blues notes lend themselves to the exquisiteness of pain, while major blues scales kind of explore the relief from it. Garcia played to relieve people of pain. That melodic innocence must have something to do with bringing so many people to their “happy place.” He wasn’t pulling notes from an anguished place within, he was catching them with a butterfly net as they went flitting by overhead. On a tactile level, he held the guitar with grace. It wasn’t a weapon, it was a vehicle. He took it easy. He may have played fast, but he was thinking slow. And that makes us listen with a smile.
I put Jerry Garcia on the same level as Miles Davis and Bill Evans because of the intention in his performing; once you’ve learned all the notes, and the chords, and the bends and the runs, you come to the final frontier of playing which is the why of it all, and that’s where the power was and still is in his playing. He played from a real place, a place that faced out to the world, not for his own reception or gratification. He played for the joy of interacting with the band and with the music he loved. If you listen close enough to a musician, you can tell what they’re looking to get out of each and every note they make. Garcia, to me, was looking to bring music to life out of the tacit, sacred duty to use his gift. Even after learning these things, they offer very little help in sounding anything like the man. That’s because he didn’t play anything stock or repetitive. There are no “signature Jerry Garcia solo riffs” as exist with so many revered guitarists. To “sound like Jerry,” you have to make people feel like he did, and well—good luck with that.
The real magic—the kind that will make the Grateful Dead music live forever—that’s in the way we carry it on in our hearts and minds. I don’t listen to Garcia and the band play—I watch it. I believe we all do, and that what we see is a blend of the music, the year in which it was played, the season and location of the show so as to understand the state of mind the band was in that night, that week, that presidency. We see it differently from one another the way we do our own dreams, but we all agree that our dreams contain these songs, and this band, those places and names. And that’s how the Grateful Dead managed to freeze time. We discuss our favorite years in present tense; we say we just heard the best version of something last night as if that was the moment it first took place. Your favorite year of their music "wasn’t", it "is." And in that way, inside that beautiful dreamscape the band created, the Grateful Dead is still up there, still playing. And Jerry is right there in front of them, and time is held in place by those who refuse to let it fade, and even as we sleep, as long as one of us is listening, the band is still playing.
We lose the ones we love, we pine for those who have left, and we lament the changes of modern times. But the makers of this music dug a tunnel, and it runs beneath time and space, and we, the ones who love it like family, crawl through to visit 1974, and 1969, and 1987 and 1990. If we were alive at the time the show took place, we see ourselves as the people we were in the lives we had, and if we weren’t born yet, we get to wistfully dream what it must have been like.
We only get a few minutes on earth, and Jerry Garcia gave all his minutes so that we could forever visit his life and times through his playing, and let it unravel into a new kind of now." --- John Mayer on Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead

Thanks for sharing that piece from Mayer. Really good.

Going with 2/21/71 from Workingman's 50th. Love the Rick Turner Peanut sound.

1st Show - glad to hear the Kitty Kat is still trucking on

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I think Big Brownie had talked about this one a while back.
I'm finding so much early 80's I didn't know I liked.
It's all about the energy not so much the era.
Cheers
Thanks BC!
And Dennis thanks as well. JM is well spoken.

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on Jerry's style.
A cerebral description.
Whatever he's doing I'm OK
as long as I focus on all those notes.
I won't get lost.

Cheers

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Yes, thanks Dennis.

ah.. Blue Crow, I'm with you. I love that 2/21 show, it has really grown on me and man does it sound good. I think I will split my time between that and a revisit of Dave's 43. Nothing wrong with hitting the released stuff from time to time here, right?

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I see no mention of it,,,, Owsley Stanley Foundation is releasing a new "Journal".

The Chieftians in San Fran..... 1973 and 1976

A vinyl and a cd.

Stans site was a little cheaper than amazon.

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Yes, absolutely. Always welcome.

Can't say enough good things about that hot summer 82 Tour. The Zoo in Oklahoma was another good one. Love these China Riders from this summer. Agree, they are smoking Jim. Nice Playing, Iko Iko, Lost Sailor, SOC. The wheel out of space is always good. Great US Blues encore.

The 71 Port Chester shows are some of my favorites. Listen to them often. 2/18, is probably my favorite right now, but my favorites fluctuate.

So for #44, I am thinking we will see a 91 release. Any predictions?
Enjoy the weekend out there.

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5/10/91 if for no other reason than I like the recording. Maybe a bit saturated at times, but it's pretty clear and balanced. Besides Phil was on a tear during this period and it must have been hard to keep his bass in check when he amped things up.

I think tossed this show out on this forum in the beginning. I like the Cal Expo shows too, but no Bruce for those three shows.

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Was wondering what Spirit looked like.
Here's to him.
Cheers

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Spirit from about 2 years ago. Shaded up out in the High Desert.

sorta having trouble with linear time and thought yesterday was today (8/12) and thought then it would be good to go back 35 years to Red Rocks 8/12/87. Didn't get there yesterday and woke up today and saw it was 8/12 today and so it all worked out. Was thinking about the opening notes of Terrapin. A personal favorite. Damn those drummers, Phil too, everybody, loved to play with the sound off those rock walls. Solid '87. Magic and fun night. Moon rising from the great plain during Quinn. Jim, I know you were there.

Sort of surprised there are no recent upgrades to the circulating SBDs for these shows, say a Pearson-Healy Ulramatrix.

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Jim, that would be a great Dave's. I would love to see it happen.

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Pet's are the best. My family have a long history of rescues, and also dogs that just wandered in and stayed. I wouldn't want to subject a pet to my current, highly urban, limited indoor space, where I'm away from home for the most part of the day - lifestyle. It wouldn't be a life. Tennessee Jed always reminds me of my late grandfather, a great lover of hound dogs and horses. He always talked to them as if they understood every word, and when he talked to them, I think not only did they understand every word, but he understood their replies. Tennesee Jed is just the kind of self-depricating story he would tell, too. People in town would ask him why he always rode around with his dog in the front seat and he would say, "Well, SOMEbody's gotta know where we're goin'." Dogs just know.

Cornell set II was the first tape anyone ever dubbed for me, too. It took several years to finally hear the first set. There are a lot of anti-Cornell people out there who will bring it up even when no one else is talking about it, but I never get tired of it. Grabbing the Eaton SBD when you could still grab SBDs was one of the best decisions I ever made. Managed to hold onto that first tape all these years, though. Had it in my luggage when I was travelling in northeastern Thailand in August of '95. That and some Mekong whisky were on the menu "that" night. Next day a dude in a tie-dye Dead T wandered by the cafe where I was just staring out at the bright blue Thai summer sky with a cuppa. I didn't have any iconography on me at all, but somehow he just knew and he came over and sat down at my table.

Port Chester 2/18/71 is also an old stand-by. All those debuts, Mickey leaving, and an ESP experiment to boot. Lots of tape his between songs, too. lol. :) That one is like a warm blanket. Rough and ready, but just exactly perfect at the same time.

8/12/87 Red Rocks show sounds interesting... though I have yet to get back to the 1970 tape from a few days ago.

I may, instead explore some of that August '82 run, however, since I've found myself going back to 8/6. Summer tour in August. That's just nuts. I recall visiting India in late July, early August and hoping to see some classical music concerts, but being told by a sitar craftsman, whose shop I just happened by, that no one schedules concerts in the middle of summer. It's too hot!

The John Mayer quotes were also interesting. Thank you. "Good luck with that-," indeed!
Reading that, having listened to mostly John Coltrane, while reading about him, the past couple days has got me inspired to do some woodshedding. There is always a kind of tight-rope act of playing more intelligently and with greater facility, while avoiding becoming too locked into orthodoxy.

Good to see Rockthing back round!

5/21/82 Greek. Great run of shows. I think they got a little better each night?

6/28/92: I hit that recently. Mos def worth checking out. Yeah, 92 is sneaky good at times, just gotta poke around.

5/24/70: have only seen the few songs included on the Long Strange Trip Bluray. On the list to do!

8/3/69 also on my list to do…

DAVES 8: WORD! One of my top DaP! What about Gainsville?
9/2/80: great show, I was there front row! Interesting set list and my first Dew which was proper!

8/6/82: Bueno!

8/1/82: this has been on my to do list so I should do it ; ) Perhaps 8/4 also?
Hopefully I’ll be able to start knocking some shows off this week, which would be nice because “I got a lot of catching up to do”

2/21/71: I think I like this one better than 2/18!
#1- 2/19/71(funny cus I wasn’t a big fan of this when it first came out, then one day, Shazam!)
2- 2/21/71
3- 2/18/71
4- 2/24/71
5- 2/20/71
6- 2/23/71
All are muy bueno!

5/10/91: need to hear this one? Loved the Shakedown Stream of 5/11, and 5/12 which we covered here on POTD!

8/12/87: yeah, why aren’t there updated tapes?? I hit these back a couple months when I was on a tear.
Recall I thought they were good if not great? I perhaps liked 8/11 best? But the whole run was solid.

Well, I guess I better shut up and start listening!!
Glad things have continued….
ONWARD!

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Jer bear sounded strong outta the gate with a spirited Jack Straw. But then he seemed to step back into the mix for awhile? Solid first set but it seemed a bit rushed to me. Rushed compared to fast if that makes sense?
But solid versions especially Bob with a nice Desolation.
The second set things settle in nicely and the pre drumz half is especially good! I’ve really increasingly appreciating these 91 and especially 92 CrazyFingers! No matter what era or what was going on it seems like JG always had at least one song that he consistently owned!
The back side is fine too, perhaps just a tad more formulaic? Though nice touch ending with the Baby Blue!
Sweet energetic jam outta Pete too.
Audio was good throughout, perhaps the highs were a tad dull? The mix was decent once he got it dialed in etc.
overall another good outing from 91, and part of another Solid WE at the Heap!

Onto 8/1/82: good start but audio (keys too hot in TLEO?) it’s early…

EDIT: 8/1/82 fully dug!
Fun at the zoo with Bob ready to let all the animals loose!
Another solid 82 outing! Sound got dialed in nicely, mix was decent cept took awhile to get Brent’s keyboard dialed up (too hot), organ didn’t seem to suffer same? Good start and status quo continual morphing as she goes!
Personal highlight perhaps the Black Pete? Was watering plants etc so, did I miss a happy biffday for Jer, don’t recall hearing anything?
Good show, yes MR DV 82 is surely growing on me while fostering lament: wish I had caught a few more shows back then, but being a roadie was not able : ( Yin/yang.
Not sure how I compare this? Decent, to say 5/23, 8/6, 8/7&8, but not not like biggest thrill/surprise so far: the second Veneta, 8/28/82. Must listen 82 if your exploring 82!
Don’t forget the Florida shows PT turned us onto, and 9/24/82 merits consideration, looking forward to tge MSG box shows I’m not familiar with, but perhaps the “king of the hill, top of the heap”, Frost not NY ; ), 10/9& 10/82!! Have waited to hear 10/9 for years, but have had a awesome tape from 10/10 since BITD! Best LL Rain? ; )
Yeah, “don’t let the glasses fool ya” 82 baby! Boo-yah! Ha, and that’s not even considering the shows from earlier in the year!

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It looks like the blew away a bunch of our posts..

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a wide net they cast. following is what was inadvertently caught up and "lost" and now restored (bluecrow the archivist).

1) JiminMD - Bad Timing
I find it in poor taste and bad timing that we get this incredible offer for cheap loans AFTER the box set announcement. Where were you when Boxzilla came out? On the other hand.. this might come in handy for those that could not afford The Grateful Dead in NYC Box, so now's your chance. Might as well get a little extra so you can get that ivory back scratcher you always wanted.
I realize as soon as go through the Crapatcha and hit send they will remove the cheap loans spam post and I will look like a bigger raging lunatic than I actually am.
Out and about today.. Today's show is a drummer choice... grabbing a waterproof shuffle and we will see where it brings me. Venturing into another state, a grand adventure in wild and wonderful West Virginia. I loaded up my devices with killer music in the spring as I do each year. What I grab is pure chance, they are unlabeled. Have a good weekend rest of the weekend all. Play Dead.

2) bluecrow - hey - he loaned me 20 bills
can't be all bad
Jim - I always thought of you as a thoughtful and deliberate lunatic. If you're down on the Gauley please say hello to the spirit of John Dragan for me.
I saw the May '91 Cal Expo shows the week before those Shoreline shows. Jerry was in fine form. Had a lot of fun. No Bruce, and given these were the only shows I saw in the Bruce/Vince era never did get to see him full on with Jerry. Funny thing was I saw Bruce as a guest with the Dead twice - 1st Buckeye Lake 6/88 and second GW Forum 12/89. Could have hung out for a week and hit Shoreline but headed back up the coast. Oh well, couldn't believe I missed It takes a lot to laugh (plus 3 sweet shows). Remember really good post-space ballads nights 1 and 2. When Blair Jackson reviewed the shows he evidently felt same as me and dubbed the first night Stella Blue "Stella Dew" and 2nd night Standing on the Moon "Standing on the Dew". 2nd night was really buzzy - found myself with a bunch of coyote howling crazies out in front of the stacks to right. Weir looked our way at some point Set II maybe during Space and seemed to say What's up with you wacky folks?" 3rd show was afternoon I think and had a fine Trucking > short Spanish Jam > Terrapin leading into Drumz. Ganz broadcast it on DeadHour and you can find it paired with material from 1st night Seattle '95 (Want To Tell). It's on relisten/archive.
The only 1/2 way focused listening I did yesterday was Set I and Scarlet > Fire from 12/3/79 DaP 31(I'll say it again, an awesome release.)
Take care everybody. Onward is the only way right now.

3) Oroborous -8/4/82
Keeping with our group enjoyment of August 82 etc, I figured I back up 8/1 with this one.
Another status quo 8/82 show (in a good way, this tour is solid!).
Decent Stranger Friend O openers, nice upbeat Row Jimmy. Never Trust/Good Times unusual second set opener, nice Terrapin and what is it with these 82 Black Pete’s! Perhaps not a tour topper but a fine show non the less!

4) JiminMD - 8/4/82 & Assorted Snacks
Classic fall '82 Oro. Nice recording, a little thin at times, but fuller than most from this period, plus very clean.
Good performance too. What the heck happened to Healy after '82? I guess I was not a fan of the ultramix.
Thanks BlueCrow. We did the mighty Cheat today with decent water. It's only 20 miles or so away so a local run, but it's a decent sized canyon so between the river and shuttle it's an all-day affair. The dam on the river I live on is broken.., they cannot release enough water for a run meaning we are completely dependent on rainfall this year (well for another three weeks). The Yough is dry, but the Cheat (the next river West) is flowing strong. It must have rained a lot somewhere the last couple days.
Sweet Brown Eyed Women from 8/4 just kicked in. Love that song.. a Hunter/Garcia classic. It reeks Americana, the song is rich in symbolism and covers such a broad tapestry it almost feels like it was written about people I know (or their parents, but they made their kids cut hickory just to fire the still). There's plenty of moonshine to be had in the mountains out here and people still fire their stills. Delilah Jones went to meet her God, and the old man's never been the same again. Goodness.. goosebumps.
Looks like this old man's gettin' on. I've got about one beer to go before I am in horizontal happiness. Man.. Cutting hickory for firewood. That's an arduous affair, Hickory is no fun to cut and split.

5) DeadVikes - 8/4/82
Will get this rolling today, Kiel Auditorium. This is a great tour.

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bounty of whitewater riches out there Jim. another beautiful deep river valley.

for whatever reason, I always seem to forget about the St Louis show (8/4) in the summer '82 tour. The Stagger Lee was one of 2 songs of filler on my audience of Set I - 8/8., and partially for that reason, and also since its hot, its a favorite Stagger Lee. Can't help but think that Set II predrumz is "missing" a song or 2. I forgot that there was a Set II Brent opener this show just like Set II 8/8.

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I always thought the outside of Cali part of summer '82 tour started with the 3 shows in "Rain Rocks". Damn - there's a show in the low desert of AZ. Set list looks fat. No SBD circulating but a very recent Miller upgrade to a Jim Vita audience, a Jim Wise source also, plus others.

8/4 is fun. Yeah DV, it was a great tour.

Yeah, that was weird?

But luckily McBluCrow to the rescue!

5/24/70: aw-ight?? Sounded a tad thin. H2H, Attics!, Cryptical, sweet Dark Star!
Lol, like how you can hear someone say “watch where your going motherfucker” in DS just before the shimmering cymbals.
Not so familiar with 70 to rank, but compared to the official releases on Good, Better, Best scale I’d call it a good.
But maybe I forgot some things after the next one!

8/3/69: I sure hope this one’s in that Banana Box!!
The precision, tuning etc might not be as top shelf as the legends, but holy crap Batman this could be my favorite show from 69? Sax and violin and jazzy jams etc: Dark Star, are you kidding me! Who was that playing sax, dude either to prep a little, or he got it. Like when to play versus not etc. High Time, sloppy but funHi Heeled Sneakers, H2H, BIODTL, and no Me & My Uncle! Yep, this one needs more exploration!
Once again the good doctor has taken us where we might not have gone otherwise , which is why I’m here!

7/25/82: I hit that not too long ago BC. Seem to recall started a little slow, eventually built up. Outta Good, Better, Best I’d call it a good? Hope to find the right time to hit the Rain Rocks shows, but might need to wait a bit…

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...but what I really wanted was that number for cheap loans. I planned to visit VGuy and double my money and then pay it off.

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Charles Lloyd is playing the saxophone, and David Laflamme( Its a Beautiful Day), is playing the Violin.

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Phishers beware.

Enjoyed 8/4/82, these recordings are good. Really good FOD, yes, that Stagger Lee is great BC. I think rare at the time. Good extended LLR. Never Trust a Women, nice Terrapin. You can hear Jerry's voice not being what it once was, but, the song still moves me. Solid finish, NFA, BP, Around and Around, Good Lovin and close it out with US Blues. Great show.

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Mornin’, rockers!

Pick Of The Day: Woodstock, August 16, 1969

Is this the elephant in the room? LOL I think there may have been many elephants in the many rooms of the Grateful Dead…………….

It may be more insightful to ask, what were the expectations? By this time, the Dead had released only three albums. Yes, they had played the Boston-New York-Philly corridor, and yes they already had a “reputation”, but how many in attendance had actually seen or heard the band? And truth be told, sometimes what is astounding before 3,000 people at the Fillmore West has less impact upon 300,000 people in a field in New York.

Chaos reigns. Late night, muddy field, misbehaving electricity, equipment issues, long delays, “tripped out jabber”, bad acid, hordes of people. Truncated St Stephen, decent Star, raucous Lovelight. Judging by the reaction at the close of their set, it sounds like those who were awake and paying attention enjoyed it. Did anybody there expect anything different?

It is true that the Dead didn’t always “play up” to historic occasions. For the Dead, the Summer of 1969 was an uneven time, so this fits right in, and in its own uneven way it is “historic”. Certainly not classic, but not the piece of elephant poo it was rumored to be back in the day. Decide for yourself, there are excellent recordings out there……………..

If you've never seen an elephant ski, you've never been on acid.

Rock on,

Doc
Nature's great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.

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I created a massive traffic backup out front, stripped off all my clothes and dropped two hits of brown acid to commemorate the event. Might as well let the hose lose on the back yard and spray a little on the circuit breaker for good measure. There.. got it..

What could possibly go wrong?

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late at nite, tripping hard, raining, wet, sound difficulties and electrical shocks enough to "blow Bobby's lips off". What a night.
Perhaps the band not wanting their performance to be included in the movie might be why some thought the elephant had dropped a load this night, or perhaps the band did not want all that publicity and capitalism surrounding their music. After all, they were kind of a well-kept secret back in those days.
Several years ago, TPTB released the director's cut of Woodstock that has the Dead's reading of Lovelight that night. Not bad but it was dark, can't see much but the sound is good and there are some good sources for this show. I agree that there are some low points, but the Dark Star is good and the entire set as a whole is typical 69 Dead. If you like 43, you will like 8-16-69.
Would be nice to get an updated remastered copy of this show, it should have been released on the 50th anniversary of that momentous 3 days. The Hendrix set was released a while back and it was always one I wanted to hear in its entirety. Wish they would do that with the Dead's set.

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Afternoon, rockers!!

Actually, recordings of the entire festival (including the Dead's entire set) were released as a box set about 3 years ago. 38 discs, limited edition of 1969 copies. Not all of it was great, but indeed it was historic.

Anybody who needs/wants, you know where to find me.............

Rock on,

Doc
When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have......

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how about some Bruce with that morning coffee? The second set is where it's at. A very nice Dew.