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    A sealed, unlabeled box sat undisturbed for decades on a shelf in the Grateful Dead’s San Rafael tape vault on Front Street, its contents an enduring mystery, even to those few with access to the vault. All David Lemieux knew about that box when he became the Dead’s archivist was that it contained tapes belonging to Bear—Owsley Stanley, the Dead’s first soundman and architect of the Wall of Sound. Even in the Dead Heads’ Holy of Holies, the taped-up box was tantalizing. But this was Bear’s personal property, and so he didn’t touch the box out of an abiding respect for the elder luminary of sound. Bear’s archive of Sonic Journal recordings had been kept safe for him for years within the Grateful Dead’s vault—over 1,300 reels of tape stored in heavy-duty cartons like old banana boxes. At any time, David could have popped the tops and explored them to his archivist heart's content. But they were off-limits without the nod from Bear. - Starfinder Stanley, Hawk, and Pete Bell, Owsley Stanley Foundation

     

    With a wink and a nod from Bear, we've peeled back those banana boxes to find some of the oldest and rarest of all recordings of the Dead including the double dose of shows that make up DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 43. The two virtually complete performances from San Francisco 11/2/69, Live At Family Dog At The Great Highway, and from Dallas 12/26/69, McFarlin Auditorium, are complementary in their clarity and consistency thanks to Bear himself, and in their ability to foreshadow where the Dead were headed in the years to come. If the two killer 20-minute+ "Dark Stars" don't get ya, how about the Pigpen-centric sets featuring "Midnight Hour," "Next Time You See Me," "Big Boss Man," "Good Lovin'," and the once-lost-now-found complete rendition of "Dancing In The Streets," or the first full acoustic set ever performed? And we're certain you'll be fascinated to uncover the "Mystery Of Bear's Banana Boxes" as told by Starfinder Stanley, Hawk, and Pete Bell in the liners.

     

    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 43 was recorded by Owlsey "Bear" Stanley and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.

     

    *2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

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  • proudfoot
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    7 27 82

    A tasty little show

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    Billy the kidd

    He shoots he scores again

    68 nw tour...yeah..

  • That Mike
    Joined:
    Jack

    Jack - I wouldn’t put $ on the Sabres to win it, but I do believe they are an up and coming team. And I really like that black & red “Dominik Hasek” jersey. As for a Canadian team winning it all…
    Freezes over!
    ;)

  • billy the kiddd
    Joined:
    Releases I would like to see

    I would like to see the whole Garcia 1987 Lunt- Fontanne Theatre run, acoustic and electric released in one box set.. The whole October 1974 Winterland run both audio and video released as a box set. Release the 1968 Grateful Dead tour of the Great Northwest, ( those tapes may be in Owsley's banana boxes). All the acoustic and e!ectric sets from the Fillmore West in 1970,( I'll bet those tapes are in the banana boxes). Single releases, 2/17/79 Oakland, 9/11/81. 7/13/84 Greek. , 10/9/82, 10/10/82, 4/27/85, 4/28/85 Frost. Just a short list, many more I'd like to see released

  • Angry Jack Straw
    Joined:
    All good brother

    Mike seems to think the Sabres have a good young team this year. Vegas disagrees. The odds makers give them the same chance as the Kraken to win the Stanley Cup. Not that I won’t watch, but I think I’m siding with Vegas on this one. Sorry Mike.

    Colorado has a very strong chance of repeating. Since my Red Wings still suck, I’ll be backing Canadaland. Don’t let me down Mike. It’s been 30 years.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Non taken

    I know what you ment.
    I was teasing you ; )
    I ment I didn’t “hate” them as much as you lol.
    I didn’t hate them, but I wasn’t a big fan, just words, no ill intent

  • Angry Jack Straw
    Joined:
    Terminology

    Oro,

    I use “hate” the same way I say, “I want to kill that guy” when someone cuts me off in traffic. No offense intended in either situation.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Psychoacoustic enhancement/jerseys

    AJS: hate is a strong word but yeah those jerseys weren’t my favorite. I think I was in the minority but I did really like the return to the classic colors but with the “slug” logo in the aughts I believe? Nothing beats the classic ones though.

    COMPONENTS: are you happy with your sound? Unless your really unhappy with things, the urge to upgrade might just be upgradeitus. Though there have been technological advances, power Amps and speakers, if made well, do not necessarily have to be upgraded.
    Physics is physics, but the current trends often try to employ reimagining the wheel which sometimes fosters noticeable improvement (but usually requires mucho denaros), but more often not.
    A really well built set of speakers, still in good functional condition, especially if you like them, do not have to be upgraded, unless in the sense that you had say more budget consumer grade ones and could afford/wanted to get higher quality ones. I.e., those old cheap beat up entry level ones you got in collage but can now afford a new set of higher end ones. Even then, higher price is NOT a guarantee of higher quality/performance!
    And always consider the laws of diminishing returns, although that can work both ways.
    But as previously mentioned, maintain and keep an eye on speaker age issues (see back a few pages).

    Same with a really well built amplifier.
    Sources and pre amps and I’m guessing many of you use a multichannel “surround” set up for all your AV needs utilizing an AVR or Audio Video receiver, not so much.

    If you can afford it, my opinion is you buy a really good separate Amp and speakers, but perhaps don’t go hog wild with the rest, unless you have the ways and means, but don’t feel obligated.

    Why: physics and obsolescence. No matter how much folks today try to reinvent the wheel, physics is physics and the way most audio works is inherently related to it and thus changes little.
    Sure they’ve made great improvements in class D amplification etc, but my experience is for a high end critical listening system Class D just doesn’t sound as euphonic as well built traditional amp formats (A or A/B).
    Now these are generalizations, as of course there are exceptions in certain circumstances…
    The situation is the boss! And your situation may vary.

    But, it is usually true that your system is only as good as the weakest li n k

    Since sources: Blu-ray, DVD, CD players, streamers etc, and receivers that also switch/pass video, or basically most modern digital gear all become obsolete so fast nowadays, these you might not need/want to drop too much money on since you’ll need to upgrade it sooner than later.
    A common trick I’ve used for my surround system is to either do your HDMI switching via the TV or a dedicated HDMI switcher, not an AVR. Why, if you have good speakers and multichannel separate power amp, you can still use your perhaps outdated, but top quality pre pro or preamp for the audio. How you ask? Most Blu-ray players have 2 HDMI outputs just for this reason: one for video, one for audio. Most Cable and Sat boxes only decode Dolby Digital so you can use the coax digital output to your legacy pre amp (as long as it at least has digital inputs) and get the same signal.
    If your gear is even older, you can use the analog out, but the DAC sets in these boxes, (computers, and most inexpensive equipment) are very cheap and extremely low quality.
    This way you only have to occasionally upgrade the HDMI switcher (or TV) at usually a much lower cost than replacing a whole AVR with its pre amp/processing section, it’s power amp section, and all the other often useless crap they put in them. Most receivers only pass thru the video signal anyway, so to pay to replace the rest just to get the most updated video switching is inefficient and often unnecessary.
    So the idea is to not be stingy about your amp (s) and speakers (your back end) since a good set will usually always play well and sound good with most decent front ends, and will likely last much longer than lesser ones.
    I have some old McIntosh stuff that still kicks ass after decades, and I could sell for more than I payed!
    I almost suffered from upgradeitus recently.
    Since I can get things often at cost, I was interested in upgrading my approximately 30 year old C 40 preamp for a new one. But my ole gear head buddy, electrical engineer, and all around partner in crime BITD BOO469 talked me off the ledge mostly by asking me why. We both ended up realizing that for my 2 channel system, since I already have an expensive separate DAC: why would I pay simply for digital inputs I don’t really need. Would the analog section alone of the new pre be better or worth the cashish, than my old, probably built better purely analog preamp…probably not.
    Also, since my old pre is completely analog, I theoretically could be paying for digital circuitry etc at the expense of the analog circuitry.
    Everything has a build budget so the more stuff they put in a unit, is that much less money left for other things in the unit.
    That’s another reason to consider separates. Separates USUALLY (all gear is not equal!) have better quality components, specifically engineered for only one or few tasks, especially power supplies, which is one of the most important parts of ANY gear! So better quality parts, engineered to do one thing, (versus many things like in a modern AVR) with a beefy power supply, will usually provide better all around performance, enjoyment and longevity than normal consumer grade all in one components. With class D amps it’s all about the PS so shop carefully!

    So no matter what your into, or throw at it, a system with a good back end, sufficient for your type of use/requirements, that you would like to have/enjoy for many years, can be a sound (pun intended) investment. Spending large sums of money on gear that is probably obsolete before you get it home, and has components you don’t need because of redundancy of separates, is not recommended unless you can afford it and are that into having the latest and greatest.

    Pay up now for good back end and it will save you money in the long run. The other stuff is a necessary evil, but be wary of obsolescence! And you can upgrade if/when you need or can afford, and have more to spend if you have good back end that doesn’t need replacing!
    Also, follow the simple free tips we offered back a month or so on here about proper system placement and set up. Often this will give you as much noticeable positive changes, or more, than electronic upgrades.

    GARY: have you a/b tested the HDCD, is the improvement HDCD, or just the new player itself, curious?
    And 80 hertz is a starting point. Play around with your cross over frequency and the slope or roll offs as your specific room will effect bass as much or more than components.
    My 2 channel has no subs as I don’t usually like subs with just stereo although with stand or smaller speakers they can be an improvement if used properly (whole nother long discussion there as most people do not). And my theatre speakers easily go down to at least 30hz (rated conservatively) and sound great in the room their in. So to use a sub normally, I’d have to roll them off a bit which I don’t like. So I only use my diy (old bass playing cab) of 2 15” JBL E140s, crossed over with a Furman crossover, powered by a dedicated Crest amp (approximately 800 watts) for LFE, or low frequency effects only. The JBLs don’t extend as low as I wish, but by adjusting the crossover manually while using I can dial in just the right amount depending on the mix etc. I usually xover around 30-40 hertz as I’m only trying to enhance the lows, not overpower, and my cab gets too midrange and/or overdriven if I run frequency too high. But I’m getting away from the main topic.
    Same with those pile drivers. Your friend is right, different speakers may or may not affect the overall speaker impedance (their usually not exactly 4 or 8 ohms, and can actually vary with conditions), synergy, balance, timbre, and more. Trial and error is unfortunately usually the only way to find out!
    Ok, hopefully I haven’t confused anyone or completely bored.
    But obviously us geeks could go on all day lol.

    Remember, if it’s worth playing, it’s worth playing loud, but loud must be clean to be enjoyed! ; )

    EDIT: don’t skimp on conversion either!
    Digital is not the problem conversion is! So consider a good separate DAC which should also not need to be upgraded so much, or, make sure you buy a pre amp or receiver with a good DAC set!
    You can ridiculously upgrade the sound of your lap top for instance for like 50 bucks for a audio quest dragonfly usb DAC.

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    West coast hurricanes....

    ....I'm good over here.

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Key Largo

    (The classic 1948 movie) is as close as this landlubber has ever come to a hurrican, (drop the e) as my wife's G-ma used to pronounce it. She was one of those who never evacuated although they were well positioned inland in Jacksonville and never had more than some shingles fly off. I'm sure she was one of those a little rain, a little wind folks. Rokko, Edward G. Robinson's character, was a tough guy until he felt one then scared to death of the thing. I got uneasy even standing next to a choppy sea. It's just so big it scares me. True landlubber.
    I have heard that train roar though as a kid in St. Louis tornados. Fascinated me and my Mom would have to pull me away from the window because I just had to see what could make that much noise.
    Best of luck FLA. Cheers

    Edit: I stand corrected. My wife says G-ma was forced out by flooding from the nearby St. Johns River at least once.

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A sealed, unlabeled box sat undisturbed for decades on a shelf in the Grateful Dead’s San Rafael tape vault on Front Street, its contents an enduring mystery, even to those few with access to the vault. All David Lemieux knew about that box when he became the Dead’s archivist was that it contained tapes belonging to Bear—Owsley Stanley, the Dead’s first soundman and architect of the Wall of Sound. Even in the Dead Heads’ Holy of Holies, the taped-up box was tantalizing. But this was Bear’s personal property, and so he didn’t touch the box out of an abiding respect for the elder luminary of sound. Bear’s archive of Sonic Journal recordings had been kept safe for him for years within the Grateful Dead’s vault—over 1,300 reels of tape stored in heavy-duty cartons like old banana boxes. At any time, David could have popped the tops and explored them to his archivist heart's content. But they were off-limits without the nod from Bear. - Starfinder Stanley, Hawk, and Pete Bell, Owsley Stanley Foundation

 

With a wink and a nod from Bear, we've peeled back those banana boxes to find some of the oldest and rarest of all recordings of the Dead including the double dose of shows that make up DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 43. The two virtually complete performances from San Francisco 11/2/69, Live At Family Dog At The Great Highway, and from Dallas 12/26/69, McFarlin Auditorium, are complementary in their clarity and consistency thanks to Bear himself, and in their ability to foreshadow where the Dead were headed in the years to come. If the two killer 20-minute+ "Dark Stars" don't get ya, how about the Pigpen-centric sets featuring "Midnight Hour," "Next Time You See Me," "Big Boss Man," "Good Lovin'," and the once-lost-now-found complete rendition of "Dancing In The Streets," or the first full acoustic set ever performed? And we're certain you'll be fascinated to uncover the "Mystery Of Bear's Banana Boxes" as told by Starfinder Stanley, Hawk, and Pete Bell in the liners.

 

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 43 was recorded by Owlsey "Bear" Stanley and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.

 

*2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

....prez follows through on a campaign promise and the hate still flies with certain people. "What about my mortgage?!" "MIdterm excuse for votes!"
Fascinating indeed brother. The current conservative trends are alarming to say the least. Go out and vote like your lives depend on it! Because it does.
My political rant for the month.
Back to tunes. And it ain't Kid Rock or Nugent.

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Glad you had that memory come back so clearly. I recently had a similar experience that brought me back to college beer parties, and sneaking off to smoke with buddies and get a few tunes in. Memory is a funny thing.

What a first show, 6/16/74. I did not realize that one was a three set show. One of my favorite 1974 releases. A buddy sent me the remainder from 6/16 and 6/18, but I rarely listen. That's about to change - you've inspired me.
For whatever reason Jerry is extra up-front in the mix, which is especially cool with when he's hitting chords - it's a very crunchy Wolf.

Just to see them in those early days. Thanks for the detailed account. It reminded me of some of my best concert experiences. I have no doubt I would have had a difficult time not following them outside of a hundred mile radius. The way I think of it, I was willing to see bands like Yes, Rush, and The Who 3 or 4 times a tour at multiple venues, and they all played basically the same set list from night to night. If that grabbed me, then getting a different set list every night would have had drawn me outside of the Philly / Jersey / New York market. That sounds like real freedom to me.

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Has anyone checked out the home page Veneta application, where you can isolate tracks? Highly recommend isolating Keith on Playing in the Band. During the jam part he plays, I guess 10+ minutes of perfectly seamless improv piano that sounds like a concerto. As much as I knew what a talent he was, listening to his isolated piano there made me realize I didn't know the half of it. The app can be a little bit quirky, and I could not get Bertha to work, but be patient and use a PC if it doesn't work on your phone.

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13 years 4 months

In reply to by KeithFan2112

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I cobbled together a complete 6/18 using the Full-Norman for the road trips and the best sounding board from the Archive. You two have inspired me to do the same for 6/16.. in fact for all the '74 chop job shows. Thankfully they started releasing full shows for the most part. .. at least to me, I know some prefer or are ok with partial shows, which is ok, but I do prefer complete shows being remastered unless in those rare occurrences there really was a train wreck mid show complete with explosions, body parts flailing and mortally wounded lying by the wreckage. ..but I digress, thanks for inspiring me, a nice little project when I get the time.

As for the Sunshine Daydream / Veneta app.. I looked but all I could find was that there is a Sunshine Daydream week strain. I think I am going to have to seek that one out.

Edit: I went to the local store and sure enough.. they had some Sunshine Daydream buds. The stuff is outstanding.. super trippy, yields a strong, transcendent buzz.. but beware of the side effects. I snapped out of a 5-hour stupor completely naked straddling the top of a telephone pole. This stuff should come with a warning label. I've got some nasty splinters in places that, well....

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far freaking out man. Unfortunately for me, I live in the south where you can still get busted for smoking an herb. It's 2022 for Christ's sake. When is this madness ever gonna end? For over 50 years I have been smoking weed and it has never hurt me, well, unless you want to count that time, we smoked all that black afghani hash and woke up with our faces in our shoes, it took hours for those shoe prints to wear off.
Top five bands for me:
#1 The God Damn Grateful Dead
#2 Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Beatles, Vguy and I have similar likes, except fish, tried them, didn't take. Yes, number 5 is whatever I'm listening to right now.
Student loan forgiveness: Wow, thanks Prez Biden for that, and thanks to all you folks who think you got ripped off and didn't get anything ("what about...pay your bills...my, my me me mine) now we know who you are and remember that we vote in November again and that you will be remembered as the ones who complained about this. Stupid republicans shoot themselves in the foot again. Again, the words of Harry Truman ring true in my ears "if you want to live like a republican, you had better vote democrat." Political rant over, for now.

A large gap before we get to number two

2. Traffic
3. The Band
4. Pink Floyd

5. My most recent concert.

Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Beatles are all stepping stones to the other stuff.

Surprised nobody mentioned the Allmans.

Yea. Student loan forgiveness. How about grow up and pay your bills.

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I tend to like a few albums by a lot of bands/artists without any staying at the top or near the top of the pile. All those already mentioned plus Spirit, Dylan, Love, Talk Talk, The Fall, Van Morrison and on and on. For the last couple of years I've hardly played any GD. My interest will return I'm sure but I don't know when.

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I can't resist, I'm a list guy.

The Grateful Dead would be the only rock band that cracks my top 5, the rest being Jazz groups.

But for this, I'll stick to rock, and bands with more than just an album or two in their portfolio. Surely there are changes over time, but here's what I'd say currently based on the amount I listen to now and have listened to over the years:

1. Grateful Dead

2. Brian Setzer Orchestra

3. The Band

4. Little Feat

5. The Byrds/Flying Burrito Brothers/and associated solo projects

Impossible for me too.

Besides the GD and the Garcia Band(s).. Floyd, ABB, Hot Tuna, Steely Dan, The Band, Van Morrison, Beatles, Airplane, Burritos, Old and in the Way, Lots of bluegrass/folk/blues, goodness, we could be here all day. But to my ears and mind nothing tops the good old GD / Garcia Band.. I like many of Phil's line-ups, a lot. But hey.. I have it a go.

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9 years 1 month
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Man, glad you guys are all so cool with paying my kids' student loans, pretty cool windfall for the two that are done with college already. And don't thank Biden, he's not paying for it, we all are, so thanks to us would be more appropriate. The loans didn't really disappear, they just don't have to be paid back by the borrower.

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1) Grateful Dead and anything acoustic or electric that Jerry Garcia played. ,2) Muddy Waters blues band, with Little Water, Otis Spann, & Jimmy Rodgers. from the early 1950s, 3) Paul Butterfield Blues Band with Mike Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, San Lay & Jerome Arnold. Favorite musicians, B.B.King, T Bone Walker, Elmore James, Charlie Musslewhite, Albert Collins, James Cotton, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and on & on & on .

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10 years 2 months

In reply to by JimInMD

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Maybe not...the band I have listened to most apart from The Dead is sadly The Stones. The band I have seen the most, between 40-50 times over 46 years is Hawkwind. So top 5 from 1972 to now might be
1. The Stones
2. Hawkwind
3. The Cramps
4. Gong
5. David Bowie - but only up to 1980.

But in the last 12 months, I have listened to more King Crimson, who I saw for the first time about 2017, and an assortment of 1950s rockers than any of the above - Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Duane Eddy to name 5. Many more though.

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Garcia's playing made every song better. But I never really cared for Quinn the Eskimo, Samba in the Rain, Picasso Moon, Just a Little Light, Satisfaction, Victim or the Crime, there's a few others. It would have been so much cooler if they would have pulled out Pride of Coucamonga, Mtns of the Moon, Sitting on top of the World, Attics of My Life( they did it, but not very often) and many others.

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Almost my exact same list of least favs.
Can't do a top 5 bands either, just too many but if I look ay my collection...
GD by a huge number
Allman Bros.
Eric Clapton
If I limit it to performers I've seen live, same list but I'd add
Mahavishnu Orchestra
Albert "The Ice Pick" Collins
Return To Forever
Weather Report
Eagles (first line-up)
But I digress, cheers

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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>98% of my music listening is GD.
I collected tapes in the 90’s, then digitized the tapes, then downloaded all the SBD’s from archive before that was blocked (think that I got about 125 GB of shn), then got shn files on DVD-R from the snail mail vines, then starting doing torrents.
I probably have 3 TB of GD torrents that I haven’t even listened to yet.
And I buy the official releases.

Of the other ~2%, JG takes up about half, then Hendrix, Floyd, Who, ABB, Led Zep, Stones, Rush, Hard Working Americans, Ziggy Stardust (my preferred Bowie era) and others. Generally live recordings, very little studio albums, although I did listen to Quadrophenia earlier this week, and will listen to Hendrix and Floyd studio albums.

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17 years 4 months

In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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....don't remind me. Even Vince's songs were better. Childhoods End? Trash. If The Shoe Fits? Trash.

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In reply to by Vguy72

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VGUY72!!!!

Wave to the Wind still horrifies me to think about. Other Phil songs are acceptable.

Vince's songs were overplayed, but they are alright to me.

The others anything after 1985 gets little play from me. I do have the occasional visit to that stretch, but _occasional_.

....is my mailmans middle name!
Edit. Dave's 43 glass shipping notice received!
Double edit. Larkin Poe is playing here tonight as part of the Big Blues Bender four day festival. So is Little Feat and Buddy Guy. Unfortunately, they don't offer individual day tix. It's a $500 wristband or nothing. Hard pass. Bummer in the summer.
I'll see you eventually ladies!! Until then, keep doing what you're doing because you kick ass!

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for info on the latest DP-volume. I have registered the tracking info in my Swedish Postal Service app but nothing so far. The wait is absolutely worst when a record has music from the late 60's or up to about 1974, because that's my main focus when it comes to listening to the band.

The past 25 years there is only ONE release I have listened to muliple times, or ONE track since I don't have the vinyl LP. That's Playing in the Band from 5-21-74, which I have in the box set Pacific Northwest '73–'74: The Complete Recordings. Okey, maybe I have listened a couple of times to the Complete 1969 Fillmore West as well. ;-)

About lists, I love lists but nowadays I usually only make lists of ten favorite artists or bands. In my dead.net profile I list my favorite bands as follows:

1. GRATEFUL DEAD
2. YELLO
3. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
4. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE
5. FRANK MARINO & MAHOGANY RUSH
6. ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
7. JERRY GARCIA BAND(S)
8. REDBONE
9. LED ZEPPELIN
10. HAWKWIND

I listen to a lot more jazz though than any of the above bands, maybe excluding the Dead.

These are the different artists/bands I have most records (LP's, CD's, 45's, prerecorded tapes, etc), DVD's and (prerecorded) VHS's with:

Grateful Dead, 224 units +
Yello, 86 units
Jerry Wallace, 60 units (only 45's)
Bob Dylan, 58 units
David Bowie, 54 units
Hawkwind, 47 units
Miles Davis, 41 units
Allman Brothers Band, 40 units
Santana (not counting Carlos Santana solo stuff), 36 units
John Coltrane, 32 units +
(Jerry Garcia solo and bands, 32 units)
(Charles Mingus, 30 units)
(CCR, 27 units)
(Led Zeppelin, 26 units)
(Marshall Tucker Band, 26 units)

Best regards,
Micke Östlund,
Växjö, Sweden

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10 years 2 months

In reply to by frosted

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Frosted - of all the bands I haven't seen, the Brain Setzer Orchestra is the one I think I would most like to witness. Incredible live dvd of them playing live in Japan about 20 years ago. It was seeing The Stray Cats and The Cramps back in 1981 that first turned me on to rock n' roll. Jumping jehosophat!

Me too Dennis, probably my favorite Brentski tune.
Always liked Hey Pockey Way and Let the Good Times Roll, though I guess they all sang on that…

Perhaps the best thing about these “other” tunes was Garcia!
Picasso, Victim, Brent Tunes, Saint etc: try listening to just what JG is doing.
The guy is just so damn versatile. As good as he is “leading”, he’s perhaps even better accompanying or augmenting others!
The Maestro!

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12 years 1 month

In reply to by Oroborous

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For whatever reason I have always considered Dylan and Van Morrison to be solo artists rather than bands.

If I look at it that way, they displace most bands and are definitely in the top 6 (I need to make room). I would add Neil Young to that grouping as well.

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Nothing lasts. Including top 5 lists. On 8/26/22, at 8:15 am, my top 5 (not counting jazz) was:

GOGD
ABB
Zeppelin
Van Morrison
TTB

But then at 8:20, I realized, no way can I leave out the Beatles. They're the fucking Beatles! Oh yeah, and the Stones. So what if they haven't made a decent new record since the '70s, and I really can't bear to watch them on stage without Chollie, ya still gotta reckon with how impossibly awesome they were from '68-'72. And I spent the whole late '70s early '80s listening to punk, so there's got to be some of that in there somewhere. So at 8:10 am it changed to:

GOGD
Beatles
Stones
ABB
Clash

But then I was like, what about Dylan? Or Neil Young? I've definitely listened to them my whole damn life, a lot longer than I was into punk. Come to think of it, Los Lobos have been constant favorites since the punk rock days. And what about Hendrix, for fuck's sake?

So at 8:25 am, I just gave up.

Interesting, to me anyway, to consider why some artists fascinated me for a year or two or three, and others have stayed with me for decades. Some of it is just getting older. I'm not nearly as pissed off as I was as an 18 year old, so I don't listen to as much Black Flag or Fugazi. Some of it is just trends that come and go: I''ve had periods where I listened to prog a lot, others where all that stuff seemed horribly pretentious. I've had times when I couldn't listen to country, times when it was all I wanted to hear.

One constant has been the GOGD. They're like an ocean. There's a lot of it. It's always changing. You can float along the surface or dive deep down. There's always more to explore, and always something new to notice when I return to things I've heard over and over. I never get tired of 'em.

Love the Animal house like time stamps (like in the move when they all sync watches but all have different times; )

AND
That last paragraph has got to be one of the best descriptions of the GOGD I’ve ever read!
Sheer poetry, right up there with Ralph’s essay in the Christmas story! Teasing of course, but totally serious about your great description!

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In reply to by Oroborous

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....The Black Crowes! They're up there on my list too.
Which reminds me.....time to dust them off. BRB.
That's actually how I discovered TTB. Saw the Crowes live a year or so ago. Went home and started watching you toob Crowe videos. One was of Chris Robinson with TTB in a dressing room jamming. I had heard of the TTB, but never checked them out. That video blew my mind, and away I went down the rabbit hole. Thanks Mr. Robinson!

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Dennis - As an avid collector, please see Miles Davis website (store) for an offer on a new premium pressing of Kind Of Blue. You may have to tell the wife the charge was for “Miles Motors & Repair” for some nebulous “car repairs”, but I think this pressing will interest you greatly.

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VGuy - I’ve personally just been spending the week going down the Jayhawks rabbit hole, a band always on my periphery, but I never gave full attention to. I’ve been buying their back catalogue, including solo work. One cd I had delivered was a duo effort by the two principal songwriters, Mark Olson and Gary Louris, called “Ready For The Flood”.

The producer? Why none other than Black Crowe, Chris Robinson, hisself!

The knee bone is connected to the shin bone. The shin bone is connected…

Ah, the mails in Thing! (Creak). Why the brand new TTB album “I Am The Moon”!! Fire up the CD player, Lurch, and let’s play all 4 parts of this symphony in order, to get the overall story!

Not sure why, I’ve never really checked out her music, but perhaps like a as not yet “knowing” youngster might say, “ she gives me a funny feeling” lol
She’s what known as a Hot Mess!

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Yeah, the Brian Setzer Orchestra is great, especially if you like a little jazz and swing twist to your rocknroll. They play plenty of Stray Cats tunes too, so I'd really include both of those groups in my favorites. I've seen the Orchestra once, and it was a great show, with lots of horn players and really tight musicians. I have that live disc you mentioned, listen to it a lot, along with many others by them.

Setzer is vastly underappreciated IMO. An outstanding guitarist, and he knows his jazz chords and licks better than most rock guitarists. He sometimes gets pigeonholed with the rockabilly label. That's music I like, but some people treat it as an outdated fad. He has an excellent voice too. He sometimes rants and raves when doing rockabilly, but has a very good range, and a really nice voice on the old jazz standards and doo-wop type ballads.

I first saw the Stray Cats in the early 80s too. Hadn't heard much of them, and went in thinking I wouldn't like them much, because I didn't like the punk and new wave scene that I thought they were coming out of - seemed like too much anti-Dead to me. Boy was I wrong, it was the most fun show I ever saw. In a small gymnasium at my university, I was right near the stage. Setzer had blue streaks in his hair and his shirt off on a hot night - a skinny guy with too many tattoos, but what a musician and stage force he was. They rocked the whole time - had the energy of 5 bands, nonstop, just enjoying every minute and not at all nihilistic and cynical like the punks of that era.

To catch the Cats in their prime, I watch their live show on youtube at Montreaux from 1981 or so. They were really young and rebellious looking. The stand up drumming and double bass just look cool on stage while they're constantly on the move - and those 3 instruments put out a hell of a sound for a small combo. The song My One Desire in that show sort of epitomizes a great pure rock tune for me. When I want to get fired up with adrenaline, I'll occasionally go back to that show.

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this one is rubbing me right....

those mentioning Jayhawks, check out Golden Smog if you get a chance or haven't already.
I'm super familiar with their first two albums (some all timers on those).
I fell into them via Jayhawks/Wilco/Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt years ago as a peripheral rabbit hole and have been in wonderland ever since.

Be Well People!
Sixtus

Sixtus - I too am a huge fan of Wilco/Tweedy/Tupelo/Farrar/Son Volt, but aside from “Hollywood Town Hall”, I didn’t know the Jayhawks, but these guys are terrific. I’m just learning about this supergroup thing Golden Smog with Tweedy and Louris and others, gonna dig deeper, thanks for the heads up.

....shipped from Austin, TX weds. Arrives two days later. I'm looking 👀 at you rhino/dead.net. See? It's not that hard to get the people what they bought in a timely fashion.
Edit. Seems I should listen to these Jayhawks. I've never heard of them.
Edited again. CD carousel is loaded up with I Am The Moon. Slightly disappointed that they didn't come in a cardboard sleeve to hold all four volumes together, but first world problems. Time to pack a bowl.

Checked around,,, if it's the UHQR version it seems to be sold out EVERYWHERE!

Will keep eye out,,, thanks for the heads up.

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First: I had no idea ST played guitar
2nd: I had no idea ST and DT were married (my wife said they were)
3rd: first few numbers were good
Then Derek started playing with Susan off the stage.
Pretty good. Pretty, pretty good. (A curb your enthusiasm/Larry David reference)

Bottom line: thumbs up. Well worth attending. The entire band was supreme. Good vibes.

Los Lobos was good, too. My wife and I saw them 2x before: in Fall 85 in Tacoma (when we were merely dating) and in 96 at further festival at Gorge (when she was pregs with our twins)

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I worked that show (half the tour actually), wonder if we met lol
The Gorge is sweet!

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10 years

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Hey Dennis - I double checked the email I received yesterday. It CAME from the Miles Davis site, but to purchase the UHQR Vinyl of Kind of Blue, it directs you to the following linq:
store(dot)acousticsounds (dot) com

My apologies for directing you to the Miles store.
I hope this helps! Bonne chance!

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Frosted - I was inspired by your post to watch The Stray Cays live in Cologne 7/16/81 show on dvd earlier today. A wild show - what a great guitar sound and style he has. Jazz inspired rock n'roll, as you say. I saw them with my brother when I went to visit him in March 81. I had little idea what to expect, and no real expectations. But they blew me away.

At that time, in England, rock n' roll had quite a cute image - although it was followed by murderous Teddy Boys who were a bit older than yer average rock fan. They took umbrage with punks and used to stage battles with them like the mods and rockers supposedly did in the 60s. I was still in full freak mode at the time - but I enjoyed fast hard rock in the 70s, so punk quite appealed to me at first. The gigs in 1976 - 1977 were a blast, but then it became a bit cliched so I stopped going. But The Stray Cats blew every punk band I had seen out of the water. They hung out with The Clash, and had a lot more bite than any rock n'roll band I had ever come across up to that point. I should say that I hadn't heard any of the great recordings of the 1950s at this point - but like The Stones and The Dead, listening to The Stray Cats opened a door into the past without being locked into it.

I can remember reading an interview with Brian Setzer, in which he said it would be too expensive to bring the full orchestra over to England. A real shame.
I don't see any contradiction in liking The Stray Cats and The Dead at all, incidentally. The week after I saw them, I saw The Dead for the first time. No need to choose between them at all. To me, the whole thing of listening to The Dead is to be open minded, and explore different styles of music. If it rocks.....it rocks!

....saw Phish there in '97 and '98. Beautiful venue and cool camping.
If you've been there, you know where the best spot is. In between the floor and the lawn is a strip of flat grass that circles the floor. At the '98 shows, I went with my wife (then girlfriend) and a buddy of mine and his girlfriend. I wanted to get in line early to snag a spot there. Wife/girlfriend wondered what the big deal was and didn't want to get in line so early. I said, "trust me. Its worth it." Mike Gordon drove by the line in a golf cart and said hello to everyone, which was very cool. Gates opened. My buddy and I scooby-doo'ed down the hill to get there. Ran so fast I lost a Birkenstock. Girlfriends behind picked it up and eventually found us on that flat strip. After we were all there, I asked my girlfriend/wife, "worth the wait?" She rubbed her toes in the grass, saw the view, caved and said, "You were correct Vinnie." We all proceeded to pop some caps and stems and Phish obliged by playing one of the most highly rated shows of that year. (And '98 is widely considered a banner year).
Wife doesn't indulge anymore, but I'm an old dog who likes his old tricks.
Shit. That was 24 years ago??
I need to get back there someday.
Footnote. We then drove south to catch them at Shoreline and Ventura. Pulled into a rest stop in No. Cal to sleep in our cars. I woke up to my girlfriend/wife laughing her ass off. Apparently, some fans that were driving the same route slept on the rest stop lawn and picnic tables in their sleeping bags and the sprinklers went off.
"Vinnie! It's so funny! They all jumped up in their bags and hopped around like Mexican jumping beans!" We sat there and watched the show, then went looking for a breakfast spot.
Good times.
Stray Cats are legit.

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In reply to by Vguy72

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Can’t believe you anniversary types haven’t mentioned the big one today: 50 years for Veneta!
SSDD on the big screen tonight!

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How often do you play those classic records that you were sick to death of back in the day? Harvest, Led Zep IV, DSOM, Sticky Fingers etc. I've really been enjoying them lately. I've completely fallen in love again with early 70s Neil Young, I'm 15 again and very happy about it.

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