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    Who's ready to boogie with a little Brent-era Grateful Dead from the Gateway to the West? DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 47 features the complete unreleased show from Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO, 12/9/79 and you're going to need stamina because this one is high energy from start to finish.


    By the time December 1979 rolled around, Brent Mydland had fully cemented his place in the Grateful Dead canon with his twinkling keys, harmonic tenor, and songwriting skills. No more is that evident than at this show boasting 25 songs including soon-to-be classics from GO TO HEAVEN like "Alabama Getaway," "Don't Ease Me In," "Lost Sailor," and the Brent-penned "Easy To Love You." It's also packed with whirling takes on fan-favorites like "Brown-Eyed Women," "Shakedown Street," and "Terrapin Station." And you've never heard a 2nd set quite like this with eight songs before "Drums" including an improvised "Jam" launching from the end of "Saint Of Circumstance." It doesn't stop there though, with a blazing finale of "Bertha>Good Lovin'" and perhaps one of the best versions of "Don't Ease Me In" the band ever did play. We've rounded out Disc Three with an extra nugget from '79.


    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, this release was recorded by Dan Healy and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.

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  • Gary Farseer
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    Jimi/Thangs

    Wish they could grab Phil and Friends along with Warren Haynes.

    Been playing around with The Dead a touch. Fired up an old computer and rediscovered a file from 2008/09 with a lot of shows in it. Forgot about that. They had some very good shows with Warren Haynes.

    And the continuation of the drums thread, they had some awesome drum/space during this 2008/09 period.

    Wrote on here years ago about how I felt drums/space was a kind of replacement for Dark Star. As an aside, I think it matches up with "Where's the dog star?" Or, Where is your night time Compass? Many used D/S as a rest room break. In the shows which I saw, I never took a bathroom break at any shows, ever, except one which I plan to write about next year. If I, and we, make it.

    It is interesting that Sirius, aka, Alpha Canis Major, or A CMa, is a binary star having Sirius A & B (to keep things easy). I have spent years reading on this type of stuff and believe with many, that our solar system maybe be binary, or bipolar. Is there a planet x out there, some of the math says so. I believe it could be true.

    So any way, I think the fellas played around a lot with the next psychedelic jam. Where can that dog star be in our shows. Most of the time, in later years, it was that one hour nugget in almost every show centered around drums/space. Now sometimes that was off and the started the show blazing psychedelia from the get go, for me 1982-09-21, MSG, with Playing>Crazy opener. My point, even when you are way over-dosed, and questioning decisions made, the fellas had a guide star. After all, Sirius A is a fixed star, a Compass. They always lead you out of the psychedelia so that you can go back into the real world, and do your best to function/not get caught.

    All of this, points to the true meaning of Grateful Dead, much like the Phoenix rising. Each show day they set-up and take down the System (life/death). They move on down the road and set-up again. Each show, they almost always recreated the Tests, by initiating new partakers to play in the swirling chaos of a show, the chaos of life and death for all of us. Many would come and the experience would overwhelm them, scare the shit out of them. That is, they always maintained the joy and fear of life as we know it. for me, let's say a show with 10,000 has a 5% or 500 new participants, I always believed only 10% of those continued on. Many were just trying to get a bucket list item checked off. Again, the mysteries dark and vast, have never been captured even closely by any other band or other forms of art.

    Have a great friend see his one and only GD show on October 8th, 1989. He had a great time, but he was like "look at the dude in a skirt!" Great friend, but never attached or understood. This same friend I saw a Yes show in Nashville April 1984, one of his closest friends went to Hampton GD, that same weekend.

    She dont lie, she dont lie, she dont lie...Cocaine. If memory is correct, I think it was on Long Strange Trip, Wiz says he left in 1976 due to the increasing amounts of Cocaine. That it was changing the band and the music. I dont think GD could be GD without psychedelics, cocaine, and heroin. All three stages provide me with differing styles and points of entry.

    Have more thoughts on all of this but need to post before computer fouls up and lose it.

    G

  • rasta5ziggy
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    CHUCK

    In the nice little Rolling Stone/Special Collectors Edition magazine, the introduction, by Bobby, includes this quote....."For me, the shows we did in the late Eighties were our peak, our best era." Interesting how the musicians have different interpretations of shows/eras than the fans. I like them all, but since I missed the beginning through late 1973, I only have 1973-1995 as my reference point for the live experience. Would have loved to seem live in the late '60's, but soooo thankful for all the archival music.

  • daverock
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    They were still good, though

    I don't think anyone is suggesting that they didn't play any great shows after 1975, or that they are not worth listening to after that date. Chuck couldn't have put in any clearer - and that from first hand experience.
    I got Dicks Picks 33 on vinyl earlier this year - 10/9 and 10/10/76. They are both great - 10/9 is really good !

  • JimInMD
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    9/3

    An excellent show, I remember when that first came out.. I was in heaven. It's got one of the better examples of the faster tempo Eyes of the World. That outro jam from He's Gone is special too, and who doesn't like the 77 Terrapins.

    Good points all around. I'm partial to 68 through 74 also, but I have to admit I like a good show or even good moments from any era or configuration. Listening to the Jam out of He's Gone from Englishtown as I write this. A great piece of improvisation.

  • Dennis
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    Heads Up Stuff

    Two things -

    On the archive there is a user/member - "Top Hat Crew". Guy has great recordings.

    From the guy I've gotten all of his "Terrapin Flyer" stuff. These guys are pretty damn good,,, seem to be out of Utah. Worth checking out in my book.

    PS - Like Jim in MD, I say the 80's hold a lot of gold. I only saw during the 80's. The sound may have changed after 75, but wasn't worst. They seem to turn on a dime in my book. As Jim once pointed out,,, if you stop at 75 you miss a lot of great tunes.

  • Chuck
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    the psychedelic dimension

    Daverock You Nailed it From 1976 onward they lost something. They were still GREAT!! But the shows from 1968 to 1974 were the Best (In My Opinion ) I remember Phil saying something like.......When we came back from the year off (1975) we never got the Magic back that we had before. I saw them 40+ times before 1975 and 60+ after They changed as everything does and they were always Great, but to me pre 1975 was Magical like Daverock says the psychedelic dimension

  • proudfoot
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    9 3 77

    Coke show

    Especially 2nd set

    Deadbase sez they left the stage for a short bit after Samson and then did the monster rest of the show.

    Hmm.

  • daverock
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    Samson

    Yes, that song did benefit from having two drummers. I don't know, but I would have thought heroin, and to a lesser extent alcohol, also led to a simplification in style. Not that I'm saying there weren't still great shows, but they seemed to lose the psychedelic dimension from 1976 onwards. It's not easy to say what that dimension is exactly - it wasn't a formula - but you can recognise it when it's there. And when it's not.

  • billy the kiddd
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    Anniversary show 9/11/81. Greek Theatre

    42 years ago tonight I was at the Greek Theatre for an absolute knockout show with the Good old Grateful Dead. This was my favorite Dead show at the Greek, and also my favorite year that the Dead played there. Joan Baez brought a birthday cake out for Mickey Hart and the crowd sang him happy birthday. Where is that Complete Greek box set. Killer Morning Dew, Cumberland, and Other One.

  • JimInMD
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    Sampson and Delilah

    Sampson benefited from two drummers.. if they ever performed the whole Terrapin Station Suite, I'm sure that would have rocked with two drummers. They had less of a turn on a dime, jazzy, all for one - one for all feel post haitus.

    No one ever mentions this.. but I suspect cocaine really piled on after their hiatus (pun intended) and this had more an effect than people realize. Not that it was a stranger prior to 1976, but I suspect this substance is more a distraction to the kind of focus it takes to get the full value of having two percussionists, whereas lysergic might have been a better mixer for that kind of sound.

    It's all history at this point, but we got Scarlet Fires, Help/Slip!/Franklins, Estimated>Eyes and a louder more forceful GD post hiatus. Sometimes you take what you are given for good or ill.

    Looks like a damned good lineup in Mexico this winter. Alumni of the GD, ABB, TTB and Goose playing under the billing of Dead Ahead. If I was lighting up hundred dollar bills to pass the time I'd be on that train, especially after the recent Wolf Bros reviews and the high energy of the last D&C tour. I kinda lost interest when the ticket prices went up and the energy and speed declined. Now I feel like I am missing something, which is a good thing.

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Who's ready to boogie with a little Brent-era Grateful Dead from the Gateway to the West? DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 47 features the complete unreleased show from Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO, 12/9/79 and you're going to need stamina because this one is high energy from start to finish.


By the time December 1979 rolled around, Brent Mydland had fully cemented his place in the Grateful Dead canon with his twinkling keys, harmonic tenor, and songwriting skills. No more is that evident than at this show boasting 25 songs including soon-to-be classics from GO TO HEAVEN like "Alabama Getaway," "Don't Ease Me In," "Lost Sailor," and the Brent-penned "Easy To Love You." It's also packed with whirling takes on fan-favorites like "Brown-Eyed Women," "Shakedown Street," and "Terrapin Station." And you've never heard a 2nd set quite like this with eight songs before "Drums" including an improvised "Jam" launching from the end of "Saint Of Circumstance." It doesn't stop there though, with a blazing finale of "Bertha>Good Lovin'" and perhaps one of the best versions of "Don't Ease Me In" the band ever did play. We've rounded out Disc Three with an extra nugget from '79.


Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, this release was recorded by Dan Healy and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.

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RowJimmy7,

Thank you for the kind encouragement. I've spent $300 this year on Dead.net music (with every order I have had to send an email asking where my ordered music is).

The kicker, I live close enough to pick up the music from where they ship.

It is as if they are pushing me away from buying the music legally.

Odd...

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....been a minute. I have like last twenty's, but I'll keep it concise.
The Beatles - Hard Days Night
Phish - Rift vinyl
Clutch - Book Of Bad Decisions
King Gizzard - Fishing For Fishies
GarciaLive 20 - Cape Cod. Great show.

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40 years ago today, I was down in Ventura for a wild weekend with the Good old Grateful Dead. The Dead kicked the the whole thing off with China Cat Sunflower, what a show, what a weekend! BIG. FUN!

Has been rather Phish heavy, guess acclimatizing myself to Vermont, and preparing for Saturday night at SPAC on 8/26 (I lucked out and got pavilion behind sbd):
Phish 7/15/22 Great Woods, my last show
Phish 6/18/94 great show that features a few Mind Left Body Jams as well as a take on Peaches en Regalia
Phish 11/28/94 Bozeman, MT, the 44 min Tweezer was runner up for A Live One, but a 2:15 snippet (from around 16 min) became the track Montana on A Live One
Phish 7/22/97 Walnut Creek, a top shelf show that featured a lightning jam during Taste
Phish A Live One, still love disc one, still cannot stand the Tweezer they did pick, but the Harry Hood and Squirming Coil are great

Still unpacking, and getting an idea where things will go in my music room. Finally have an actual dedicated room for it. To paraphrase Will Ferrell in Step Brothers, "So much more space for activities!"

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Celebrities always go out in threes, or at least oftentimes it seems so and it's a harmless macabre game to play with no real disrespect to anyone... hell, I'd be happy to be mentioned in the same breath as Pee Wee Herman and Pauly Shore if we all drop in the same week.

Meisner went with Tony Bennett (class) and S. O'Connor. I always hated her music and attitude but have come around to having a little bit more sympathy for her as time has passed, and to be sure, tearing up that pic of the pope on SNL was very punk rock.

In the middle of a Dead binge... we just got home from North Dakota and Maine and have been to about 10 states for the last month. Boy am I glad to be home in hot as hell Colorado (they say more rain is coming) and I'm trying to get through that last box from 1973. Other than E72 I don't think the Dead were ever better than 1973 it's just butter. So far, a skip on disc 4 during China Doll is the only manufacturing error. If that's it, I may not even bother Rhino. Other than the spooky beginning I can't stand China Doll, and there's always Stella Blue which is sublime and good all the way through.

Dave's 47 #13002 in the house. Will try to get there soon. At least no atonal shrieking from Donna!

Last five: (excepting the whole new box set binge of 1973)

Alice Cooper - Alice Cooper Goes to Hell
Shooter Jennings - Shooter
The Power Station - The Power Station
Foghat - Fool for the City
The Meters - Kickback

\m/

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Yes to KGLW. Been picking up several KGLW albums over the last couple of years, lots of good stuff to check out. Got Fishing for Fishies on my list of things to acquire as well as In Your Mind Fuzz, they just haven't hit the top of the list yet. Dig the experiments in microtonal tuning albums they put out, Flying Microtonal Banana, K.G., and L.W., all three have some cool stuff. Dig albums Quarters, Float Along Fill Your Lungs, Butterfly 3000 as well their collaboration with Mild High Club on Sketches of East Brunswick, but Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava really hits the spot.

I have strongly resisted purchasing any new vinyl since the early '90s, but Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava forced my hand since KGLW seems to be releasing their new stuff only on vinyl. Glad my fortysomething year old turntable works 'cause it's a fantastic album from start to finish, probably my favorite KGLW so far, really didn't have any choice but to pick it up. Probably no choice but to pick up Changes as well based on the songs I've heard so far from that one.

Sad Days and Lonely Nights - Junior Kimbrough
Thickfreakness - Black Keys
Burnside On Burnside - R.L. Burnside
Shake 'Em On Down - Mississippi Fred McDowell
Legends of the Country Blues Cd1 - 1930 recordings of Son House

Plus 1973 Dead of course. 6/10 again yesterday and the I st set of 6/24 this morning.

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We were at alot of the same west coast shows, BTK ... always loved the fairgrounds location, right at the water, a short couple of hours from LA. On one of the days, got very close to the stage in front of Uncle Jerry and snapped a few good shots that I still have ... include Bill Graham backstage. Good times had by all (as usual!)..........tcc

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In reply to by topchinacat

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China White: Danger Zone
David Bowie: Diamond Dogs
David Bowie: Heroes
Joy Division: Closer
China White: Addiction 2

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Mr. Hanso, Tweezer is my absolute FAVORITE song to hear played live, and I've been lucky enough to hear 15 or 20. But you are SPOT ON with your comment on the Tweezer from A Live One. I can't stand it. It's boring and goes NOWHERE!! It's most assuredly my least favorite Tweezer that I've ever heard. I missed a Phish touring year in 2023 for the first time since 1996. Next year for sure.

Last Five:

Peter Gabriel- Before Us: A Brief History
The Beatles-Live At The Hollywood Bowl
The Beatles-Live from the Apple Rooftop (It's a bootleg)
Grateful Dead-KEZAR!!!!!!
Dixie Chicks-Gaslighter

Music......STILL the Best!!

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I’ll do a last five in the next day or so.
I’ve been streaming a ‘Psychedelic Rock Channel’ on Amazon Music. The tracks are as you’d expect although in 1.5 hours there was no GD. Two tracks were marked as EXPLICIT one was ‘God Only Knows’ by The Beach Boys. I suppose you could see an oblique reference to suicide but otherwise WTF. The second was ‘Samba Pa Ti’ by Santana. I think this is the first explicit instrumental I’ve heard. Oddly ‘Venus in Furs’ by The Velvet Underground is not explicit at all!

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Watched D.A. Pennebaker's doc. on Monterey Pop last night.
The final performance featured blew everyone else completely out of the water.
Ravi Shankar! He and his accompanists were completely in tune with each other and I cannot remember when I've seen a performer work harder at his craft. Everyone else's performances cited there were lame in comparison, including Jimi (blasphemy!). OK, Janis was also a force of nature doing Ball and Chain, as evidenced by Mama Cass's slack-jawed awe, but so many were just out of tune and weak efforts. I'm sure if I saw their whole performances I would have a different opinion, but just WOW. I'll be seeking that LP or CD of Ravi's set now for sure. I have a whole new appreciation of him and the ability of his sitar playing to make so many interesting and interwoven sounds. He was wicked fast on that difficult instrument. And that tabla player! Ustad Allah Rakha was simply awesome and I don't use that word much since it became too common to describe everything.
Cheers

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Ledded,

Read your comment, along with other recent postings.

Just read about Pee-Wee Herman.

Stay positive and healthy.

....how did you hear about Paul Reubens a day before he died. Or was that a crazy coincidence?

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in the house.

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40 years ago today it was day 2 down in Ventura, It was kind of a recovery day from day 1. I don't remember much about the show, I believe the crowd sang Garcia happy birthday a day early.

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50 Years ago tonight Happy Birthday Jerry The Grateful Dead The Band Jersey City

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weed is legal for the first time! There MUST be a Deadhead on the government team who picked Jerry's Birthday as the day MN makes marijuana legal, no?! One party here has tried for years to legalize weed, but was always blocked by another party (the other party actually ran candidates on the ballot under the small legalization party just to draw votes away from the large pro-legalization party!). Last fall both chambers of the MN legislature ended up in the hands of one party in a surprise (they were each controlled by a different party for a long time), so then it was full steam ahead for legalization, given that the governor was always on board. We won't have retail here for quite a while, as there hasn't been enough time yet to get the system up and running, but as of today weed is legal for adult possession, cultivation, and consumption. Marijuana was fairly decriminalized in most of MN years ago, but this is a new era, obviously. The law includes the potential release of some folks who have been rotting in prison for weed, and also the expungement of weed-related crimes, plus the attempt to have some non-white-males involved in the weed businesses, so it's really quite progressive.

LAST year the one party got through a bill that made THC edibles legal, but only if the THC was derived from hemp, and only if it was the Delta-9 variety. So we've actually had THC seltzer and gummies available all over here for about a year. But the seltzers just don't taste that good to me, and I struggle sometimes to get a gummy to kick in at the right level at the proper time, so better times are ahead for us here . . . :)

Be kind, rewind . . .

p.s. Mr. Ones, I LOVE "Gaslighter" by the Chicks--that song gets my head bobbing every time!

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This posting is only for anal-retentive OCD types (Like Me!!). I couldn't figure out why when I added the times of the Disc 3 tracks, it came up over 80 minutes. Space from Chicago is listed as 7:42. On the disc, it's 3:48. Which begs the question...Did Dave or Jeff Norman actually have to shave 3:54 seconds of the ACTUAL Space in order to fit it on one disc?? Only idiots like me want to know.
After 1 listen, this music is up front, in-your-face LOUD, and I like it. Still not my favorite era (even though this is about when I saw my first show). If anyone can explain to me IN DETAIL, how Easy To Love You is anything other than formula yacht rock, with banal lyrics and a melody only an AM radio could love, I'm all ears. Love Brent, but he's NOT a songwriter (IMHO). Let's discuss!!

EDIT: I think I figured it out. The Space from St. Louis is 7:42. Someone was not paying attention and just repeated the time from the St. Louis Space. Where's an editor when you need one?? I'll do it!!

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Barely catching my breath after the Here Comes Sunshine box and Garcialive 20 and this show from St Louis 12/9/79 sounds amazing. It's got all the bells and whistles of 12/26/79, but more punchy. Norman knocked this one out of the ballpark.

Alabama Getaway, Promised Land, Brown-Eyed Women and Cassidy right out of the gate is already top tier performance quality. First time hearing this show. What a great. Thanks Dave!

Nice term

I always liked easy to love you

Opinions opinions opinions

Respect to Brent but I never liked I will take you home

Aaaaanyway...

Hopefully my new Dave's is going to be in my mailbox this afternoon

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Too damn hot especially driving from SF in a Bug that we couldn’t turn the heat off 🤣

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I drove through Savannah, GA when it was 103F in a car that had the heat on full blast for the entire drive to Florida. Good times!

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Very nice, my era though :-)

Agree with Mr Ones,,, Loud, crisp in your face recording. Vocals maybe a hair hot, but the instruments are spot on.

If this came from cassette..... should lay to rest about cassette masters.

So,,, how much of the uptown 12/4 has now been put out. Quick check made it look like the chunk b4 this chunk.

I'm gonna like this one.

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So far, so good. 12/9/79 has not disappointed me. I am about halfway through the 1st set (Disc 1). it is a typical setlist for the era but played well. No doubt Brent is the catalyst for that, but I do agree that some of his original tunes don't do it for me. I am looking forward to 2nd set and the bouns material from 12/4/79.

* I took a break from this show to listen to the free stream of the Phish opener for tonight, which is Ghost. It is still going as I am typing this.

A spin on my last 5- shows I have seen:

Dead & Co 6/5/23 - show was good, the traffic getting in was not
Ziggy Marley 7/19/23 -*was awesome . opened for TTB
Tedeschi Trucks Band 7/19/23 - great show, great band
Phish 7/21/23 - good show, nice, not thrilling, but nice
Phish 7/22/23 - pretty good show as well. Everything is Right achieved liftoff as the 2nd set opener

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....in the mail today.
That being said, I went with Dave's 44 Autzen Stadium '90 for my Garcia birthday listening tonight.
That's in my wheelhouse.
I arrived at the top of the 7th inning, but at least I made it to the game!
The seventh inning stretch was just exactly perfect.
Edit....yay! A Cumberland.
I only glanced at the setlist and saw Feel Like A Stranger, then turned my head.
Phish fans are funny in that they always seem there is a theme regarding MSG runs.
Today it was "Garcia/The Dead".
First song was Ghost. Second song was Reba. That's GR. Two into Grateful.
"Are they going to spell Grateful Dead"?
No A song after. Hopes were dashed lol.
Including mine. Was crossing fingers for Alaska.
But they did play Timber (Jerry The Mule) later.
It's a cult man. Sign my ass up.
King Gizzard is just all over the place.
Pigeon hole those guys. I dare you.
All Over The Place - The Bangles.
Hey. I smoked a lil herb so go easy, because these just come to me.
Legal in MN now btw. Where's Deadheadbrewer?
The music never stops.
Double high five edit to GratefulHan.
You had a blast and you know it.

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Still truckin, just a little bit slower and a bit more tattered. Been thinking about Jer alot lately, miss him and those days. Check out those jams put up in his honor, some real good ones. Love ya Jerry, no one will ever shine the light like you. Peace, Love, Jerry.

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I've only listened to the first set so far but I'm already sure this show will be placed into rotation. The energy bobs along even and consistent, as you expect from early Brent era. Sound mix is quite balanced and Phil in particular sounds fabulous. Just listen to him throw down his input toward the end of Alabama Getaway. After that, I couldn't not listen to him the rest of the way through. Only minor critique is that Jerry's Row Jimmy guitar line regresses back to early 70s mode. And it doesn't fit. But that's not actually a critique. Not even a quib. More a noticing point of how the band was no longer the band it used to be. Always further and onward! The only way to go. Maybe Jerry noticed himself...... that fretwork during Candyman.... pure Tiger.

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So far, so good. I am through Shakedown Street and approve of this release. I like DaP 31 too, so not surprised I like this. Mr. Norman has done a fabulous job as it sounds fantastic for a cassette master show. I wish he could have done the Alpine 82 Dicks Pick, clean that one up. Great to get another Shakedown Street and like this one, but I feel Shakedown really took off as a slunky, funked out jam in 1987-- July 1987 Pittsburgh has my favorite version and the Anaheim 87 version smolders.

Ah, Brent tune debate. I admit that for many years, I really didn't listen deeply to the lyrics of most music, including the GOGD. I saw my first show in 88 and caught Brent's last shows at the World. I really liked him and what he added musically to the group. I think musically the band never fully recovered from his death as it was lacking that extra gritty oomph from fall 1990 onward. I liked some of his tunes, too-- especially Just a Little Light and Blow Away.
What got me listening to the lyrics more was an outing where I was playing Blow Away from Dozin' at the Knick and a friend pointed out how the song's lyrics are written from the perspective of an abuser-- he is asking to be commended for 'I never held you against your will.' Ugh....

That said, I like the jams in Blow Away (JFK 7/7/89 anyone) and still enjoy Just a Little Light. I think his tunes were too personal compared to the Jerry and Bob songs, and they were usually about some trouble with his lady, told in a much darker way than traditional blues songs. When I heard a 'Don't Need Love' on a recent listen, all I could think was 'We all need love, Brent is wrong.'

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while walking out to the mailbox this morning, and I said, "Wouldn't it be great if Dave's Picks #47 just showed up today completely unannounced?" And here it is, #5173.

I've been listening to a JGB double cd called "Don't Let Go" today in commemoration. It features the 5/21/76 show at The Orpheum. Some beautiful playing. Very laid back. In fact I fell asleep in the bath this morning listening to the 1st cd. Lucky I didn't drown myself.

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June 76...a lot has been released, but nothing from the Chicago dates (So Many Roads has some, some I say, of 6/29.)

I wonder if any Chicago dates will be released. Hmm.

Yes Daverock, that 5 21 76 release is good. I listened to it pretty regularly back in the day. As I recall, the Knocking on Heavens Door is the slowest thing I have heard from JG

Glad you didn't pull a Jim Morrison this morning (respect to ol' Mr. Mojo Risin')

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a STELLAR year for Grateful Dead

STELLAR

It's been a while since I heard Brent era GD

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> I think his tunes were too personal compared to the Jerry and Bob songs
Brent himself said as much. "The stuff I write, I feel, isn't necessarily lyrically Grateful Dead. The stuff I write is a little tight to the vest, as opposed to painting images in your mind, which is what most Grateful Dead songs are real good at. My songs don't really go in that direction." (Not sure the original source - I came across it in Gans/Jackson.)

Daverock - glad you didn't drown. Don't Let Go (5/21/76) is indeed an excellent show. I really do enjoy the JGB with Keith and Donna. And Ron Tutt (RIP) was so good with that lineup. Back in the day I had the 29 July '77 show on tape. I always knew it was good... but I didn't know it was so good that it would become the first 'Pure Jerry' release!

Well, anyone who listened to me ramble this past Spring knows that it took the better part of three months before I finally received my subscriber's copy of Dave's Picks 46. So imagine my surprise when I got home from work and DaP 47 was leaning against my door!

His songs have grown on me for sure over time.
My favorite is 'Just a Little Light';
That one really shined in Spring Tour '90 and hit its peAk around then, IMHO.
I could've envisioned them jamming out on that one over time; there were hints of this in the aforementioned tour as well as into that last Summer.

That description of his songs versus the rest of the bands' seems spot-on to me; and perhaps that may be part of why his songs may be off-putting to some? That and just the general approach to the music itself was different;
But they still are robust, volatile, emotional, and most importantly, inspirational.

Just my two cents; which ain't worth much these daze.

Be Well Peeps!
Sixtus

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I got to listen to the rest of the show and it is really good. Shakedown Street is fun as I expected it would be. The rest of the 2nd set is solid and I found that jam that follows Saint of Circumstance to be interesting. The post drum tunes are a high energy and well played.

Revisiting the Brent discussion briefly, I don't normally consider Easy to Love You as 2nd set song as it is in this show. However I always liked this tune so it works for me.

On a related note, the Taper's Section for this week has most of the bonus material for the Wake of the Flood 50th Anniversary CD. I think I will have to check that out.

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Has made it to the Carolinas. I’m so glad UPS didn’t strike. Caught a break there.
I love Fall ‘79, including Dap 31. Release the whole tour Dave! It’s right in my wheelhouse

Credit: Mydland/Barlow.

Don’t necessarily blame Brent for the lyrics.
Also, ‘79 is an early version, the lyrics changed later.

Best version?
Possibly 3-15-90.
Or maybe that’s just the best sounding commercially released version so far.

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Impeccable sound quality has become the “Norm” with each new release. Thank you for that.

Try as I may, I can’t get past the heavy synth sound. The tempo is a bit fast for my liking too. Still, I will take it over Dead & Co. all day long.

Glad to see Brent getting a bit of love. Always enjoyed his contribution.

Easy to Love You is my favorite song of his. Nice to have another version and probably the highlight of this release for me.

For other Brent songs, really like I Will Take You Home, even though it was vastly overplayed. Was lucky enough the catch the only Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues. My problem with a lot of his songs are the lyrics. They seem “forced”to me.

Biggest disappointment on this release is the Shakedown. I was really looking forward to it, but it’s somewhat of a letdown. Gonna spin 4/6/82 now.

How everyone enjoys their listens.

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1. Rats
2. Gigolo aunt
3. Effervescing Elephant
4.Baby Lemonade
5. Maisie

PF and Obeah - cheers. Yes, that was the track that encouraged me to slip away. Quite seductive in a way. I've always liked the space between waking and sleeping - but once there, it's not easy to hold on to it without drifting over. "Such a long long time to be gone and a short time to be there".

Anyway - I should listen to a lot more JGB. I've just ordered a double cd called "Pacific High" from February 1972, which looks as though it was a radio broadcast. Features Bill the drummer apparently.

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In reply to by Sixtus_

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Totally agree on Just a Little Light. This is a song I'm so sorry was never fleshed out. It had such potential. In my minds eye it has a downward spiral, that could've led into something incredible.

Don't forget Blow Away,,,, I always liked that one.

Daverock, thanks for pointing out Pacific High. Turned out I have a copy of it in stock, thanks to our time travellin' tractor driver,,,, nice recording at least on Expressway to Your Heart.

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My DaP47 hasn't arrived yet, but am looking forward to it, especially the Shakedown (Mrs. Cat's fave). But I agree Angry Jack, the 4/6/82 version has always been one of my favorites.

For Days Between, I pulled up Don't Let Go from JGB Live .... I am amazed every time I listen ... this its PURE JERRY on guitar: after the lyrics he jumps into a rambling, blazing and compelling journey, complete with blistering strumming with a seamless, effortless landing to close it out. To me, it showcases his guitar genius, being a master of timing, technique and musical leadership.

I am so lucky to have seen Jer and the boys 50+ times in the early/mid 80's ... and be in the presence of that magical talent. I am eternally grateful to them all for giving so much of themselves for so long...what a gift!! ....................tcc

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