Grateful Dead

(screechin' ahead)

"SONGS THAT MADE THE HIT PARADE!!!"

PF: That is all I could think about when Glen Miller is mentioned.

OB - Thanks for the kind words. Hope to write some more on stereo stuff this week. I am trying to watch all 9 Star Wars in the next few weeks. Watched "The Phantom Menace" and man does that sound fantastic. Just real depth across all frequencies. I did buy a db meter last year and as many commented, I am usually around 95db on most stuff. Someone posted last year that you "can play it loud as long as it is clean." there have been some supper clean Dead stuff that I creep into the 105-110db range, and one that peaked around 115 db. Know I have to be careful about that though.

G

As we just passed the 35th anniversary I wanted to post a couple of things.

Mason Williams played a nice set between set 1 and 2, if memory serves. They had a small stage set-up on the side where he, and I think a cellist, played. His guitar was a little out of tune, but was nice and mello between sets. But also, there was a 15 minute rendition of "Beautiful River" or later called "Shall We Gather at the River" by Robert Lowry. This was performed by Ken Kesey on the main stage and it was wild. Then not on the dvd I think, as the countdown to New Years happened, the Dead had a quadrphonic sound blast of swirling music. At one point it went to Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" - "I saw a Dead Head sticker on a Cadillac, and the voice inside my head said 'God damn well I declare, have you seen the like.'" And another opening by the Neville Brothers and also the Looters.

Man wish they would put all of that out, especially Kesey and the 5 minute intro to New Years. And also the other songs performed by the boys and the Neville's together. "Do ya wanna dance", and "Day-O" etc. Was a fun night, although when they released the doves at the start of Uncle John's Band, it flipped me out when a dove came and landed right beside me, and my head was so big I freaked out a little. haha

Lmmfao

"Championship 'game'"

Wow.

.... example #1 below. Even current NFL frustrates me. I miss the '80's in more way than one.

I tip my hat to you, Sir, in your endeavor to consume all 9 of the Star Wars movies in a row. I'm curious if this means you're revisiting them from the past, or if this will be your cherry popping experience?

This catches my eye as I once wrote a mock protocol/study in grad school that outlined the different potential ways to watch the movies (i.e. what order in which to view them) in an effort to try to determine the most robust viewing experience. This was prior to the newest trilogy and prior to Rouge One, but it was a fun exercise nonetheless as different viewing orders can either enhance or give away major plot spoilers. Regardless of your exposure, it's still a feat in dedication rooted in deep lore that is always an enjoyable ride for me at least.

May The Force Be With You
Sixtus

Still have my "May The Force Be With You" pin that they were handing out at the theater in Paramus, NJ on opening weekend. Opening weekend, no lines, a week later there were lines around the building when we went to see it again. Now if I could just track down the original trilogy on disc, the versions before they made all of the subsequent changes to subsequent versions released on VHS and disc. I think the originals were included as bonus content on a DVD release of the first trilogy, but I haven't tracked them down. Han shot first!

Gary, lol, imagining being electric and a dove landing next to me…of course with my luck it would have pooped on me, which in that state of being really would of strangled up my mind ; )

Seems to be a recurring topic, given the time of year.

Man that 12/31/81 was quite a show. Check out Garcia’s guitar work during the opening Shakedown on the youtube.

....since the early 90's. Phish's Sigma Oasis. Sounds pretty damn good.
Went with a Vinyl Buddy cleaning kit. $24.99. Used to have a kit like that back then.
Used it to clean Jethro Tull's Benefit which was in pretty bad shape. No skips.
Spring tour announced today btw. Three shows at the Hollywood Bowl in April. Temping. Very tempting. I'm one away from fifty Phish shows. Catching up to the Deads sixty. My 50th Dead show was the first Eugene '93 show.
Star Wars? I also went the first week in '77 Charlie3. No lines. My childhood friend who I still keep in contact with, said, "Vince. You need to see the awesome villain in this movie "Darth Vader." Went back for more a couple of weeks later and lines also around the theater. Worth it though. I was 10. Perfect age to be totally absorbed. I had never seen anything like it.
Ps. The new Puss In Boots movie is awesome. As is m3gan.
We have an old school theater right down the street from us called The Cinedome. No casino to walk through. $5.50 matinees. $8.50 late night. Good deal and the best popcorn.
I love the cinema. Always will.

With few officially released shows from January, I have been dipping back into December to listen to shows I missed last year. Like Dicks 10 - 12/29/77. Hot guitar, and much else besides. Must be one of the best shows from it's timespan-ie. 3-4 months either side of it. It's pre-Bob on slide and loooong drums, and has enough power to source a city.

We all scream for ... HEROIN!!!!!!

Well, you know what they say: if you can’t remember the grunge era, that just means you were really THERE.

John Lennon would probably top my list of all time great r’n’r screamers. Unless it’s Yoko, who could outshriek Edith Bunker any day of the week.

Glen Miller was the ‘40s equivalent of, I dunno, the Guess Who, maybe? Not bad, but not the Real Stuff either. Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Bennie Goodman, even, if you want to get your Swing Era rocks off.

Speaking of real stuff, and heroin, I’ve been rediscovering Tom Petty’s Wildflowers via a fortuitous Xmas gift. The 4 CD deluxe version of that record is a revelation. I liked the original album, but I didn’t realize what a high point it was for Petty as a writer: the original album was already long, but the deluxe version includes another album’s worth of equally good material that was shelved at the time. Plus demos and live versions and whatnot. Weird, isn’t it, how drugged out depression can sometimes produce an artist’s best work? I think this was Petty’s Layla.

If it keeps on rainin, the levy is goooooing to break. Actually, it already did, in several places. NorCal’s been battered, friends. Major highways closed, streets flooded, trees down, power out. It’s looking like the drought might be busted (or at least we put a dent in it) but sheesh, what a mess.

We knew this could be bad, but it turns out to be way worse. Hope all California Heads are safe and secure. Only positive I see is the potential snow pack levels. Been watching radar for days, look like rain but also a bunch of snow has fallen in the mountains. As someone posted, that is the best cure for the drought.

Part of me wishes I could come west to the final shows, but too expensive. I am also satisfied, excessively, with my final show. Meant to write about it on 30th anniversary, now plan to do it on the 35th anniversary. Have to make it there first.

G

AJS, havent listened to 12/31/81 in decades, didnt know it was on youtube. Will definitely be looking it up.

Someone posted about Dick's 10's, need to go back for some homework. Sorry short term memory is so so, but think it was Dave rock. Thanks for the reminder!

OB, yeah the dove freaked me out, don't know why. For a split second I thought "What do they want me to do, should I stomp on it?" Then, peace overcame me, and the dove sat there for the rest of the show. That had to be close to 3 hours. Wonder how he enjoyed it? Was it to loud for his tiny ears? Did the sound hurt him?... Many years later I thought to myself, maybe he landed next to me because he could sense I am a kind person. Yeah, I know, that is stupid. Oh well.

Sixtus, Happy New Year my man. Every time we start another TRIP around the sun, I think of you and yours. I am guessing your first must be in 1st grade by now? Man, time really does fly. Yeah, like others, I saw the original and all of the Star Wars when they hit the theater. Worked at a theater during The Empire Strikes Back. So saw it quite a few times. A few years back I researched and found articles on "How to Watch Star Wars." Had different ways to watch the whole series. Now I wonder, "was I reading some your prose?" As I posted, re-watching Phantom Menace was awesome. Now I have Clones set up for this weekend. I am trying to watch them all before we get to equinox. Want the sun to be set long enough so that it is easy to crack one open, roll another one, and watch while it is dark. I light watching those type films with no sunlight because they look so much better. I do plan maybe next year to watch them in others ways from other peoples ideas on watching. Maybe you can send me that paper? Smile. As you said, there is so much detail in the stories and the filming, that something can be gleaned and understood in a new light.

Man sure do hope our west coast heads are safe. We went a week without power 11 years ago and it was not fun...it was manged CHAOS.

Another guitar great leaves us.

....it's bad. Real bad.
RIP Jeff Beck. Almost saw him in November, but tix were $300.

I live there! Bad the las few days. Been pumping water...

man...terrible news

A real shock to read on here that Jeff Beck has died. Such a great guitarist.

Funny someone here mentioned doing the Star Wars trilogy. I discovered a box set of the first three SW at a garage sale, and this became our viewing over a period of months all the nine star wars from the beginning, episode 1. Very enjoyable, and you can see the 9 episode story arc pretty well.

This December, we visited Santa Barbara on our return from San Diego visiting Mom over Christmas. We foresaw the Southwest Air meltdown, and holding air tickets to SB, we cancelled our tickets and reserved a car. When we picked up the car, the agent said it was good we had done this several days in advance, because now he didn't have enough cars for the demand, and the cost had gone way up. After a pleasant three day stay in Santa Barbara, we then took a train back to Portland over NYE. The rains in California caused our train to wait at the Sacramento train station, then they waited some more because they needed an engineer qualified to take the train on a different route through California. We ended up sitting in the Sacramento station for 27 hours! Finally got home safe and sound. Now Santa Barbara is flooded right in the neighborhood we stayed. So we dodged several bullets on our NYE California Odyssey.

What a virtuoso and then some! Sounds like bacterial meningitis came out out of nowhere. Dammit. . . I bought Truth when it was released during the summer before 10th grade. What an album: Shapes, You Shook Me, Ain't Superstitious, . . . sheesh the whole album . . . even has Morning Dew. Once I got wheels, I remember blowing away friends on the 8-track I’d cobbled into my ’62 Chevy Bel Air while we cruised the cotton fields in Arkansas. Yeow! What amazing music we grew up with back then. Thank you Jeff Beck! Bravissimo!

And it goes without saying, but hope all of you in California are somehow managing to cope with the deluge. A few days ago Marye mentioned the flooding around her, and it hasn't let up since. The images on teevee are unbelievable and sickening. Hang in there and best of luck y'all. Onward.

Oh, and while I'm at it, "FUCK PUTIN!"

Last fall I saw a news article about a climate scientist who ran calculations and said that an atmospheric river would come this winter to CA. He predicted that it would be like the last bad one to hit CA in the late 1800’s, may have been 1865, and there was a black and white photo of downtown Sacramento with people walking in waist-deep water.

It’s like a slap in the face to get the water you need during a drought, only to have it wreck everything as it quickly goes to the ocean.
Snowpack is needed, not flash floods.

Favorite Jeff Beck solo release.
Peace

....I pay very close attention to the snow that the western slopes of the Rockies get, because that's what feeds the Colorado River, which in turn fills Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Saw on the news the other day that the water level in Lake Mead actually went up a foot last month.

Me and the Mrs. gonna do a tribute on the big stereo tonight. My collection is quite good. So many great memories.

Only got to see him once, but it was in my favorite era of his, late '70s or so shortly after Blow by Blow and Wired had come out. So most of what he played that day was from those releases.

Years later I'd listen to these discs and still marvel at his inventiveness in throwing notes where you didn't think they'd be, or quite imagine them that way until you heard him do it.

My most ironic experience with his music was driving on a two lane highway in Utah a few years back coming out of the mountains in the winter. Freeway Jam came on the radio, one of the few times I ever heard a tune from Blow by Blow on the radio in recent decades. I was passing a double long semi going somewhat uphill, pumped up by the tune, and didn't see the passing lane ending sign because the truck was blocking it.

All of a sudden the truck is pulling into my lane as I'm only half way past it, and another car is coming at me from the other direction and not moving over at all to let me finish my pass. I had a split second to decide, and gunned the car to pass back in front of the truck just in time to avoid the oncoming car by a few feet. I'm normally a pretty even keeled customer, but that one shook me up for a few hours. Glad that I didn't become Freeway jam myself.

Lately, I listen to Beck's Rock 'n Roll Party album pretty often. Another great road trip disc where he hits on his rockabilly roots.

RIP to one of the best.

First, my thoughts and prayers go out to all those in California, including family out there. In shock to hear about Jeff Beck's passing, how can it be, expected him to hammer on for years. Like the very first time I heard Jimi, I recall exactly where I was when first heard the "Shapes of Things" version from Truth. I knew the Yardbirds well enough in the 60s, what Beck had done there, Truth was his launch pad to greater things. Only time I saw him, October 1968 when his group opened for Big Brother at the Alexandria VA Roller Rink. A virtuoso, like Jimi, like Roy, like Jerry and a very few others, his guitar could talk, communicate unspeakable emotions, reach right into your heart and tickle your mind.

Just yesterday, my 12 year old asked me "who are the top 5 rock guitarists of all time?" I said, "there's only three on that top tier, Jimi Hendrix, EVH and Jeff Beck."

Ironic that Beck passed today. I've been on a Beck binge for about the last week, completely unknowing about his illness... I was going through my library and got on eBay and found copies of the last four missing albums I did not have.

Truth arrived today... listening to it now. Fantastic. My favorites are actually Blow by Blow and Wired.

Jeff Beck is the finest musician I ever saw in my life - twice. The last time, he did his instrumental version of "A Day In The Life," and it was all I could do to keep from crying... it was so emotive, so enchanting, he actually distilled the Beatles and the 60s and the entire sad death of the dream down to one song and it nearly broke me. So beautiful.

God bless you Jeff, you truly had God in your hands whenever you picked up a Stratocaster.

\m/

....but Beck and Depp put out a release last July. Playing it now while I do the dishes.

I am soooo glad I attended your show back in '17

Vguy mentioned finding some old Glenn Miller records. This brings back many lovely memories. My father, who was in the RAF during the war loved Glenn Miller and the big jazz bands and passed that on to me. Two days before he died, I spent a lovely weekend with my dad doing household chores, chewing the cud and listening to a set of cds by Glenn Miller from his wartime broadcasts. That was a very special weekend for us both, made even more poignant by my father’s passing just a few days later.
Just recently many TV programmes have picked up on another star of the era - Benny Goodman, and in particular the number Sing, Sing, Sing. It’s a long piece notable for one of the best, most prominent examples of jazz drumming I’ve heard by the late, great, Gene Krupa. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

I was lucky enough to see Jeff Beck live 5 or 6 times from the mid 1990's to 2018. Incredible concerts - I never wanted them to end. Many great albums and live concerts out their to explore, too though. Some of my favourites include -

Everything from 1965-1966 he cut with The Yardbirds. That includes the album known as "Roger The Engineer" all the A sides and B sides of the singles he cut with them and the Live at The BBC recordings. Whatever the style of song, whenever he took a solo he took it into the stratosphere. Great tone-well, great everything.

Rock N' Roll Party honouring Les Paul - this is a live dvd from 2010, I think, and features Imelda May among other guests. One of the best rock n'roll gigs I have got on film.

Emotion and Commotion, a studio album also from around 2010. Amazing that he could play such contrasting music to the above, in the same timespan, with so much fire and virtuosity. This also features Imelda May, singing "Lilac Wine", which goes into "Nessun Dorma." I highly recommend this if you haven't heard it - breathtaking.

Frank - I don't know if it's the version you are referring to, but there is an amazing take of "Sing Sing Sing" on the Benny Goodman double cd "The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert." 12 minutes long, with Gene Krupa tearing it up on drums.
I vaguely remember a film about Glenn Miller that was on telly when I was a child-starring James Stewart.

Thanks Daverock, I’ll check the Goodman out. The film with James Stewart is The Glenn Miller Story (originally enough!) and is pretty darn good. There’s a good part of the film when the band, in England, keep playing even when the flying bomb’s (V1) engine cuts out which means it’s going to land somewhere pretty close!

I was shocked and saddened by the news of Jeff Beck passing, of bacterial meningitis. Not the easiest thing to catch and it can kill in a few hours if left untreated. I only caught Jeff once, December 3, 1976 at the Jai-Alai Fronton. Tommy Bolin opened the show, his last show before he died of an overdose of cocaine and morphine. We drove down to Miami and got to the show ok, lots of traffic for early December and we wondered what was going on, never did figure out why there was so much traffic. As we got to the fronton, we consumed the shrooms and walked in. The stage was set against the back wall and we were all in front, just like a Jai-Alai game. The place was small, only holding about 6000 people and it was packed. Tommy had just released Private Eyes and was touring to promote that lp. The show started and Tommy and his band came on stage. The place went crazy as they tore into the title cut of his first lp, Teaser, the place was jumpin'. Then into People People, a slow tune and then a killer drum solo and Tommy came back out and showed us all how to play a guitar. His solo was loud, raunchy and delicious. So good. Then they broke into Wild Dogs and finished with Post Toastee which had an extended jam and a fantastic climax. And it was over, they left the stage to thunderous applause and never came back. Tommy Bolin would overdose that night after the show.
Jeff Beck was on that night, I have no setlist for his show, but I remember that Wired has just came out and I was a big fan of that lp, also Beck, Bogart and Appice had been released previously and I loved that lp. I do remember that he did some oldies (Ain't superstious) comes to mind and most of Blow by Blow. He also did a great solo, man, could he play that thing. I had gravitated away from Jeff Beck by the 80's and don't play him much anymore, but today I will break out Truth, B,B and A and Blow by Blow as a tribute to one of the greats.
To all you hippies in California, man, I feel for you all and I hope that you all get out of this deluge well and with little to no damage. This should fill Lake Mead up again, sad it had to all come in a week.

Behind on this thread, but noticed the depressing news and Jeff Beck left us.

I've been listening to him since I was young and saw him twice.. One of the most gifted musicians I have ever had the opportunity to see live. One of the two times I saw him was with Clapton a bunch of years ago. I remember thinking to myself at the end of the night, Eric Who??? Great tone, skilled playing and so incredibly imaginative and creative balanced with the ability to bring it all home, tie things in a bow and leave you with a complete song/set/show that had unity and clarity throughout.

Holy cow, sad news.

So sorry for CA and hoping for the best in the days to come. Hang in there baby....

I have been listening to 11/19/72
I love that show
A good candidate for release, Dave.

Seattle Times.com has a headline indicating "a slew of weather hazards" heading to Western Washington

I went immediately to Slewfoot 6/27/69.
A nice release candidate, Dave.

6/14/69 also would make a good release, Dave.

Dave? Dave?

DAVE?

He never listens to me.

Four Winds Blow JB…

Floods: get out the way don’t just stand there dreaming….stay dry folks and hope this deluge lets up SOON!
Good vibes being sent your way!
Yeah, snowpack is the key…like money in the bank!

Up here on the western slope so far so good. Not too much shoveling as it’s mostly been piling up up the street where it belongs lol.

Howdy DMCVT: did you see the boys at Dartmouth in 78?
If so, do you recall if Bob was playing a blonde Ibanez Musician series instead of his custom model he usually played?

Great news for Demar!

No wonder I like Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow and Wired so much.
Max was in so many groups and sessions.
Hummingbird and Mick Taylor's band for two examples.
And add Jan Hammer and Narada Michael Walden to Wired and wow!
The fusion era. Great stuff.
Cheers
Wait, what? Liner notes on Blow By Blow: George Martin produced and did the orchestral arrangements. He produced Wired too which was mixed at Caribou Studios Nederland, Colorado. I have friends who lived near there BITD. Beautiful place!

Playing as I type. Not my favourite Jeff Beck album by a long way - but - sheesh the sound of that guitar!

Hey Oro, I was not at the May 5, 1978 show at Dartmouth, still living in central Maine at that time. Can't add to info on instruments but will bird dog more about that show. A friend was a student there at the time and told me about it long ago, will ask him if he knows of any photos. That show and surrounding events are well covered in an article published in the Dartmouth Alumni magazine, March/April 2022, titled The Dead Zone which can be easily found by searching on line, worth checking out. Zach Nugent is from this area, based in Burlington now, his name might be familiar, has toured with JGB and Melvin Seals, has played many of Jerry's guitars over the years. This May, Zach will re create that May 5th 1978 show at the Lebanon Opera House, my friend tells me that a few of his classmates from back in the day will be coming from as far as 500 miles away for that show.

....wild-card underdogs in the history of the NFL.
Challenge accepted!!
Charlie Dont Surf, but if I did, San Diego is the place to be. Righteous waves bro 🤙

Today marks my 69th trip around the sun! I feel fortunate to have my friends, my health, my girlfriend/partner, a warm home to live in, and this wonderful forum for conversation and sharing our obsessions. Here's to a great year for all of us!

Not sure if I mentioned, this past NYE was the 50th anniversary of my first Dead show, held at Winterland.

Join the 69ers! Have a great one!

....it's 20% off at Garcia Provisions.
RIP Lisa Marie Presley.

First show 12 31 72?

Wowzer.

I gotta listen to that one again. Its been a while.

1/12/79, Spectrum Philadelphia, PA., a nice snowy Friday in Philly what a memory.

.... awesome.
Happy anniversaries everyone! And happy birthday to Nitecat. Cheers!
I'm still rediscovering my records. Anyone here remember the band Trouble? A cross between Black Sabbath and Cirith Ungol if that makes sense.
My first show was in Irvine '86. Pretty uneventful it seems but I'll take it.
I also found Stand! By Sly and the Family Stone in my collection. Hokey smokes!
There is a track called "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey."
You tell em! Outstanding!
There is a disclaimer in the gatefold. Ahem.
"Epic stereo records can be played on today's mono record players with excellent results. They will last as long as mono records played on the same equipment. Yet, will reveal full stereo sound when played on stereo record players."
Yeah. It's kinda like that.
Side two. Oh my. Everyday People.
And then it's time for takeoff with Sex Machine. Incredible record.

The L.P.s I bought in the early 1970's often had a message printed on the back of the sleeve that explained that if you had come out with one of these new fangled stereo records, it could also be played on "mono reproducers provided either a compatible or stereo cartridge wired for mono is fitted. " A bit more blurb, then this bit of priceless advice - "If in doubt consult your dealer." Like he would know.

And there was a show a week before, on 1/5. My memory is not the best anymore but I believe it snowed on that Friday also. Not as much as 1/12. My 3rd and 4th shows. One of these shows was a rescheduled show from the previous year.