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

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  • rockthing
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    JimInMD>
    Hey, man. Thanks…

    JimInMD>

    Hey, man. Thanks for indulging me. I won't say I don't have preferences for material, and so forth, and occasionally find myself in hyper-critical moods, but that's what discussion is for, I reckon. Ten people all sayin' "killer" isn't very enlightening, but it certainly makes for quicker browsing! ^^; There's good stuff happenin' right through their career, and it's fantastic to be able to watch (listen to) the evolutionary process, even when it sometimes feels like the spark is not what it once was. The goddess still shines upon them.

    Just did one full run through the 5/14/78 Providence show. Day-yum. I had ta start takin' notes.

    This Let It Grow is cookin' and what the hell is this crazy hyper jam? Whoa-- That Jerry tremolo picking is out of control, no, totally IN control. Perfect. I think I'm starting to understand something I read about the band's veer toward gluttonous virtuosity in '78. This is some killer playing (see, I said it). The dancers must already be picking their asses up from the floor. They're gonna need oxygen by the time this tune is over. I've tried to find merit in the Giza shows, but I think they really can only be described as nothing short of disastrous. I have not heard the compilation that was finally officially released. Keith is goin' nuts here. Really on it. It's impossible to think that just a year from now the lineup will be totally revamped. Holy Shxt! That's not even the ending jam! This is off the hook.

    Sampson & Delilah continues the absolutely rockin' high energy trip.

    Ship of Fools is a nice surprise. Jerry's diction seems kind of odd. He still has that silvery tone, but maybe the old pipes are already startin' to show some wear and tear. When was the laryngitis show? That was '78 wasn't it?

    Estimated is nice. Really searching, possibly a touch on the aimless side, but I'm not really gonna complain about Jerry jammin' a minute or two longer. Might relisten to this.

    Eyes is off to the races, but Phil is just shredding the arpeggios. I think that's Phil playing in the upper register just goin' over and over... hard to tell, but that's usually where Phil's bass solo goes.

    Dude, the NFA jam is 15 minutes long and that doesn't even include a St. Stephen, or GDTRFB (yet).

    Ahh, Bobby takin' a little time out for a little on-the-job slide training. lol. :)

    Man, they brought the HEAT to Providence. I can see how this'd be good music to do housework to. Done. Lickety split.

    Ok. I really did have other stuff to do today. So you're rid of me for a while.

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Hey Rockthing

    Good to hear from you. You are right, a couple of months did make a difference with the sound and performance from year to year. Shoot, I was always thought from one night to the next, you could hear a big difference sometimes.

  • JimInMD
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    Re: At the Risk of Double....

    There's no rules here, feel free to ramble on and off topic, on and off the pick of the day. Great posts.. sorry about the record skip.

    I am better suited to hang here than some of the other threads, no era or keyboardist is out of bounds and a very positive vibe. It all flows like a very well tuned show... Just my two cents.

  • rockthing
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    At the risk of double…

    At the risk of double-posting...

    Strider 808808>

    Wow. A Joseph Epes Brown reference! Thank you! Black Elk Crying For A Vision from a mid-70s omnibus made a huge impact on me in my late teens, but I've only recently got round to picking up The Sacred Pipe in its entirety. You actually studied with him!? m(_ _)m

    The Ken Babs book sounds interesting. I know what a Water Buffalo is, but not the expression about shooting one.

    So many Dead-related books. I've got a ton wishlisted, but there's only so much time in the day. I've been interested in the Owsley book for a while, but have yet to pull the trigger.

    I wanted to hit that 7/31 show last weekend but just couldn't get it going for one reason or another. Couldn't remember if I already had a copy, or if I only knew it from legend.

    DeadVikes>

    3/24/73. That's always a good idea! :D

    Oroborous>
    Oooh, 2/14 at the Carousel. That's cookin', ...or cleanin' I guess in your case. ;)

    Not sure I'm familiar with 5/14/78. Had 9/2 on repeat play last week, or so. We often talk about years regarding the Dead sound, but a few months can make a big difference with these cats. :) Thanks for the tip... as if I need any encouragement..... up to Brown Eyed Women now, listening to the matrix and downloading the mono AKG source. Lovin' it! Never had any problems with '78, myself, other than the stunning disappointment of the GIza shows :0 IDK, I usually associate 78 with the great groove they've got goin' on here in the 5/14 show. Wow. BEW is hot, and that was just the first guitar solo. Damn. Cheers, folks. Whatever I was supposed to be doing this morning has just gone out the window. lol. :D

  • rockthing
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    Hey Now. I guess this thread…

    Hey Now. I guess this thread /is/ called "Pick of the Day", not simply "Now Playing with Discussion", but I'm just gonna bore you with stuff I've been listening to lately.... and then you probably won't see me again for a month, so, hey, decent trade-off, I'd say.

    First off, right now I've got 3/24/93 Chapel HIll rollin'. (I'll explain later) It's weird how in the second set the band totally sees-off Jerry's attempt to start Crazy Fingers out of the Playin' Jam. Phil basically sounds like he's just thrown his hands up, and completely stops playing. In fact, basically every just stops, er... dead. Only Vince seems game to find something to do. When Jer finally gives up, they launch into Box of Rain. After they finish BoR Jerry immediately starts Crazy Fingers again and they actually do it, and do they ever.

    Whadda ya figure's goin' on there? Did Jer "forget" the pre-written set list? was it like a super-tease, or did Jerry just get vetoed on his audible? The Playin' jam was sounding cool and a spaced out transition into Crazy Fingers would've been killer. However, Box of Rain into drums would have been, let's just say, unusual. It seems Billy's got some bidness to take care of, 'cause it pretty much immediately turns into a Mickey Beam solo.... as did the 3/25 drums, but Space takes off into a Spanish Jam that seems to go on and on, thankfully. When they launched into GDTRFB I was thinking, wait, what song were they just playing, did I space out?... well, I guess in a way I got spaced out. ... Now that I think of it, there may have been a "We Want Phil" chant starting in the Phil Zone, but it's not audible in the SBD, and I can't remember if that was actually before Box of Rain, or not.

    The Crazy Fingers is actually really cool, btw. SPOILER ALERT there's this momentary, and initially slightly awkward, little Playin' reprise before someone gets on the intercom (you can hear the ambient noise disappear for a second... yes I'm listening to a board for once) and seems to call it off. All of these questions seem to typify the sort-of cool, detached, risk-averse nature of this period. Haven't found an AUD source from the Dean Dome that has much life to it. Might be some new ones. It's a basketball arena designed to amplify cheering voices, not music, I'd imagine.

    Anyway, just wanted to take a peak at Jer the last time I saw him, in Vegas back in '94, and the same YouTube uploader also had the second night from Chapel Hill, which is notable for its nice Terrapin, and perhaps more so for the stellar Morning Dew. Jerry keeps trading sly grins with someone, and getting an outright laugh out of watching Bobby do his thing. I actually read the comments on YouTube videos 'cause, wow. there are some opinions out there. One dude mentioned this Crazy Fingers from the 24th and how the first night had "always" overshadowed the second. In my mind it had been the other way 'round, which sent me to the Archive this monsoon-drenched morning. Yeah, nobody goes back to listen to 90s Dead, I know. Even the band seems bored sometimes, but there are diamonds in the rough. More often, however, there are outright wth? mysteries like the one above.

    The other one... on heavy rotation has been the 50th Anniversary Skull & Roses 180g vinyl. Missed the propeller variant waiting for the credit card roll-over date. Anyway, wow, the bass is boomin'. I mean, it's not overpowering booming, but there is a LOT of Phil. I A/B'ed it with the single disc CD, and even though there's a lot of Phil on that too, he's allotted a lot more low frequencies on this version... which is odd, because people will tell you that you can't put too much bass on vinyl or it'll cause the needle to skip. No fade in, but Bertha also starts a few seconds earlier than on the CD version. There's some little warming up noise before they hit it. Pretty superfluous, but, hey, 2 more seconds! I have not heard the OG Skull and Roses vinyl, but I actually debated on picking one up from Discogs instead of getting the anniversary edition, which ended up being released three weeks late. The price is comparable. Maybe next month.

    Speaking of records skipping, I've had the 5/4/72 Olympia Theater vinyl for, what, less than two months and Bertha is already skipping. I think I screwed it up with the generic replacement stylus that I installed back in April. Apparently the Sure stylus/cartridge division has gone belly up. I've kept the old needles lying around, and found one that had been swapped out really early for some reason, so I went back to that. Otherwise, I can't figure out what the problem could be. I play my records, but consider myself more careful than most when handling them. Hard to say. I might have damaged the record, or stylus myself, but it looks like I'm in the market for a new cartridge. The vinyl had no problems at first, but I have records I bought 30 years ago that still play fine, while this one is skipping after 5~10 spins.

    The difference between Phil's bass frequencies on the Olympia Theatre record versus Skull and Roses, is beyond description. Phil is fully present in the Olympia Theatre release, but he couldn't deliver a bass bomb if he tried with the frequency range he's assigned here. Wanna compare with the Europe 72 album, but actually don't have a copy of Europe '72 in any format. Just ordered a green label '72 pressing. It was a mint for one in decent condition, but so will any 50th anniversary that might come out next year be. These are supposed to sound amazing. They've already done a bunch of Europe 72 reissues recently, so it might get the Live/Dead treatment.

    Two non-audio notes about the Olympia Theatre box are regarding the photos used for the inner sleeves. At first they seemed really dark, and not particularly interesting. The photo of out-of-her-mind-on-Owsley Donna was of interest for how calmly she appeared to be peering out into the spotlight, but a closer look reveals a rather wild set to her jaw, or perhaps I'm just projecting. The other photo that finally grabbed my attention was the Side 1 photo of the band, completely washed out in red lighting taken from stage left, almost behind them. Bobby is standing out front in the spotlight singing and Jerry and Phil appear to be standing behind(!) Billy with Pig at the organ stage right harmonizing with Bobby. So, Jer and Phill would totally just retreat into the shadows when they didn't have any singing parts in those days? Fascinating. Might depend on the stage. You don't see that in the Veneta footage, but there really weren't any shadows that day, were there.

    Anyway, my answer to a question nobody asked.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    5/14/78

    Good Housekeeping tunes!
    Kept the mother rolling with first disc of 2/14/68 etc. shizzle fo sho!

    Next chance I get we will get down to tge funky sounds of 3/24/73!

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    5/14/78 - 30 Trips

    Great show... It's been a long time since I listened to it.

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    5/14/78-OB

    The 30 Trips show, yes, this one smokes. On it!
    Thanks Oroborous.

    I was going to offer up another Spectrum show, Dave's Picks #32, 3/24/73. Maybe tomorrow.

    My #39 still has not shipped, 😩.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    How’s bouta pick?

    Maybe 5/14/78?
    Got my server back, up and running and need to HEAR, some good sheet mon.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Thanks Strider!

    For the reference, I’ll definitely have to check that one out. Love Babs, what a character!
    I’ll bet his memoir will be very interesting after all he’s lived.

    And thanks for the rest of your sage words of wisdom.
    You should write a book!

    Been really digging 71. Was sorta a flyby year for me until nice folks like you and Doc helped show us the light.
    His job was to shed light, not to master...

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Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.
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The reverent tones for 2-14-68 got me to go primal today.
And while not a primal guy (blasphemy again!) I finally got into it around Viola Lee Blues (disc 1 bonus material). The 2nd set does look killer. And you sure get your share of Dark Stars in this Road Trip. While most of the first disc was playing I was also reading about the history of S.F. back then and particularly the Carousel Ballroom (El Patio) and it's history before Bill Graham changed it to Fillmore West. Kinda helped flesh out the scene a lot more for me. 1968 must have been a tough time to be a hippy as a lot of stuff was going down. I think I had it easy by comparison in the mid-'70s.
Following this up with Ledded's desert island, and if I could only have one GD album, pick of Ladies and Gentlemen, The Grateful Dead from April 1971, going trans-continental to NYC. Onward!
Cheers

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To be honest, the only one I can think off of the top is Richfield 3-21-94. I'll have to listen back to some others to see how they're holding up, but 10-5 is another I liked. 10-1 was an official pick.

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In reply to by wilfredtjones

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A lil bit of something better than all of nothing…

I know 7/31 is decent, and 8/1 is good, cus I was there ; )

Anyone else? Bueller…?

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Because you asked Oro:
Only listened to this once since seeing it (my final show).
Starts off good with a Help>Slip>Frank but has it's share of mediocre moments too. To my ear Jerry just wasn't at top form that night. After H>S>F an interesting combo of Spoonful>Jack A Roe, Masterpiece, B. E. Women, and a rousing Let it Grow to finish set one. Set two pre-jam had sound issues as I recall with only Easy Answers, Lazy River Road then the jam of Playin'>Eyes>Drums> Wheel>Last Time>Attics>Good Lovin' brought it home in good style and the Liberty encore was new to me. The whole thing seemed short and a little tired but the 2nd set jam was worth the price of admission for sure with that interesting combo. Last Time> Attics really was a surprise in there.
So there ya go amigo. Cheers
Going to Aspen Sunday for the free Los lobos concert? Can't beat the price!

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It’s on my recon list!
Hey, it’s 94, so expectations are low, hopefully then I get surprised like 93.
But my quest is to hit as many as I can from all the years combined…

If it keeps on raining, the levees going to break!
But hey, better than fire!

Outta be fun boogieing in the rain to the Lobos!
Even if I could make it, not sure I could make it…canyon closed last I heard…

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In reply to by wilfredtjones

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Seattle - 6/13 & 6/14
Eugene - 6-17 (and 6/18 & 6/19)

Honestly feel that the late years (93 - 95) Northwest Coast shows were not like most other shows of their era. At the 94 and 95 Seattle shows and all the Autzen shows from 90 to 94 but one. .6/13 and 6/14 (Seattle 94) very different in their song selection and both excellent in their way. Dew that closes 6/13 Set II was way awesome and excellent jammed out second set.. Jerry was into the cool temps of Memorial Stadium in Seattle and played 6/13 in a leather bomber jacket (photos out there.). 6/14 they dropped into That Would Be Something which I loved though didn't recognize and my thought was "Hunter wrote a lyric so simple that Jerry couldn't forget it!" Later discovering it was Paul and "Bowl of Cherries" (McCartney). What a treat! 6/17 Eugene (first of three show run at Autzen that year) was the only show I missed during my years in the NW, and missing it was much to my regret. Rained hard that night and the other 2 shows were daytime with lots of sun. Close friend from CA who made it got a "drop" maybe 2 in the eye - it had been awhile but he was well versed in navigating that space and once he settled in loved that show. No SBD for 6/17, unfortunately. Set II Rain opener in the pouring Oregon night rain, Eyes, and Wheel > Attics out of Space. 6/19 with the fat 2nd set because they knew they would never play Autzen again because scene in camping and town etc. was rife with clueless rude slobs. huge shift in that regard from '93. Had to play Portland Meadows, a racetrack, in '95.

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In reply to by bluecrow

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Anyone else, keep ‘em coming…
After checking my Deadbase, looks like I hit Richfield and a couple that ole BC mentioned.
Hopefully I’ll get a winter hiatus and do more recon next year!

Hit the 88 shows from the Crap center this week, solid, mostly good, the 3rd and 5th I think I liked best.

EDIT: wasn’t feeling up for full on GD yesterday, so hit the psychedelic goodness from 6/27/15.
It’s a shame they didn’t rehearse more, especially this cool early stuff, but it’s still surprisingly good sans a few transitions etc.

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Pre-Dead & Co., still the GD?
Cannot believe it has been that long since Fare Thee Well.
All the songs played were from 1970 or before! Almost fossilized.
I can see why they were a bit rusty.
Dust off those rusty strings just one more time.
Cheers

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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Yeah 1stshow, my understanding from my insider source was they didn’t practice as much as they were supposed to (imagine that lol) and especially all that old stuff, since those shows got added sorta last minute. Phil, and Bob somewhat in Furthur, were playing much of that, but not sure how up to speed the rest of the crew was?
But my goodness, what a set list!
I’d take this set list, rust and all over the stuff they did in Chicago!
One of the very few times What’s Become of they Baby was performed perhaps topping the list.
Wish they would have released a video of this one, though guessing it’s out there somewhere?

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Finally finished this one up today OB. Another fine 79. I thought the sound quality was good for what it is .
PT Barnum and the Shah of Iran!
Nice energy through out the first and second set. Enjoyed the Shakedown, High Time, Estimated. I thought the Eyes was a little off, seemed disjointed and too fast and not up to that spectacular version from 11/5. Good finish with BP, JBG and US Blues.
Would definitely listen again.
Love this period.

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11-29-79 in this week's Taper's.
From Black Peter to U.S. Blues.
Oh, duh. The other 2nd set chunk was on last week's Jam-o-week.
Yeah, I keep forgetting how that works.
That Eyes was weirdly fast (but lengthy), like where's the next gig fast. And you'd think with all those verses of don't tell me this town don't have no heart they could have worked in some Huey Lewis, the heart of rock & roll is still beating, in
Cleveland, you known, rap like Pig man. Oh wait, Huey comes later. Never mind.
Cheers

Maybe at top of my list of GD songs I never heard live. I think I knew Phil did it at least once. Didn't realize the FareTheeWell group performed it. I'll check 6/27 - sweet set list indeed.

I think I saw Further do this. I have to look.. it might have been at Radio City Music Hall the week after Bear died?? I might have seen Phil do Rosemary too with P&F, likely also in NY. Of all the spin off bands, I have always liked what Phil is doing the best. He had an interesting approach and brought in top shelf talent. Plus, I always had a good time and made plenty of phriends.

If I had an opportunity to see him tomorrow, I'd take it.

I don't recall either of these being exceptionally good, but they were exceptionally weird.. which counts for something, right? There was an Alice D. Millionaire mixed into one of these shows and a few other oddities. You gotta give Phil credit for embracing the weird and embracing those old primal songs. Bobby brought a few back also.

DV, yeah it’s not the Rectum (personally I dig 11/6) but how would you compare to 31 and 47?

6/27/15: yeah, that’s a set list! What’s become isn’t mind blowing performance wise, but talk about weird and a WTF, moment! I remember watching at my cousins and hearing it before they started it and thinking, na, no way, then Holy Crap! Lol
I remember being ecstatic at the P&Ph Denver Philmore in 99 I think, because of 2 things: one, the music was in good hands and going to live on, and two, those of us who unfortunately missed the early years were finally getting the goods! They were breaking out all the old chestnuts, not JUST Dark Star, SS etc, but New Potato, Born Cross Eyed, all the sweet early weird shit, frickin Daverock would have been outta his mind hearing all these old gems live! Lol
So yeah, the 6/27 show was perhaps a bit tepid and unpolished at times, but it was fun as hell and shows the potential of what might have been again, and was by far my favorite from the five shows. It also set the bar for D&C as now it was not only a possibility that they play these nuggets, it was now expected again! So thanks again Phil!
The weirder the better I always say…

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In reply to by Oroborous

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OB-Would have to give the nod to the Kiel show, #47.
Of course 11/29/79 isn't a polished up version either. But I don't think this one will ever be released.

Looking for a good 1980 show for today. Hard to find good recordings for 1980.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Have we listened to 8/26/80 Cleveland Public Hall here yet? They played the next night (Pine Knob) on Today in GD History a few days ago, but this one might be just a touch better. They both are nice mid to late 80's shows. (full disclosure, I'm a sucker for a good Comes a Time)

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In reply to by JimInMD

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I don't think we ever listened to this one Jim. Cleveland.

Will get it going today.

Thanks!

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Hmmmm?
Can’t recall and not home to check so…guess we’ll give it a whirl.

11/29/79: hmmmm again, you don’t think it passes muster?
Guess I’ll have to check it out again? Think I recall there were some “spots” but they all have em, and overall my recollection was that it was crackling with energy?

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In reply to by Oroborous

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11/29/79: awright, just listened again and I’m not changing my mind lol
I can’t find anything wrong with it?
Bama is Hot, Promised land is good cept Bob has slight vocal miss early. Candyman is sweet, Mama/Mexi is good, TLEO is nice, Minglewood’s good, Bobs not too bad on slide, Easy To Love is nice, god Brent sounds higher range AND better than DG (it’s a shame how much his voice deteriorated, though it gained a new goodness, like JG imo), Hot Brown Eyed, Looks like was ok, but not great, Jers first solo is oook, and not much outro? Did like Brent’s attempt at storm sounds on the synth at beginning. Decent Dough Knees closer.
Second opening Shakedown starts oook, but builds up nicely, though not a rager. Hot Samson, followed by High Time. Ok but not great, nice Brent harmonies, but JG doesn’t solo much? Good Estimated into a good Eyes. Yeah it’s faster than those awesome 73s we’ve become a custom to recently, but I’ve heard way faster, so I didn’t find it too fast: it didn’t seem to mess up his vocal phrasing etc. Cool jam out into drums with a sorta pre drums space like they wanted to keep going…so then immediately into a decent Black Pete, ok A&A, and then a hot JBG closer. Good US Blues calling out the Shah lol. Yeah, I still like 11/6 tops, but this is at leases as good as 47 if not better, again, imho, no offense intended!
Since we could be running outta releases, I’m not sure I’d go with this for a single shot, but part of a good box with Pittsburg x2, Indianapolis, KC, something from those good Nassau shows, and a ? (not at home so no notes)…
Ok, 80 next…
8/26/80: a solid, well played show, nothing flashy, no big moments, only one lil muff in UJB.
Just stays quo 1980…
The set list is fun though, including the first Rooster since 64, 65? (I think?) and in the second set!
(Actually, second rerooster, first on 8/19 according to DB 10)
Comes a Time and Casey J we’re nice, if not highlight real worthy. That kinda sums this one up, good show, few flaws, good sets, hard to criticize anything, but…..? Perhaps lacking a little fire? Hmmmmm? Whatevs, good sheet!
ONWARD!

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Love your passion for the Cleveland show OB. It is good. The Eyes just didn't do it for me. Rest of the show is good. Might be nit-picking a bit, just my opinion.
If they gave me the keys to 1979, the second night at Cape Cod, the three nights at Nassau, Providence and the two nights at the Spectrum. 7 nights in late 79. How does that sound.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Fine show Jim. Really good audience recording. Brings me back to me roots with these recordings. I love the energy of this show. Nice Sugaree opener into El Paso. Dig the Althea. Shorter first set. Yes OB, interesting second set Rooster. Good UJB and Playing. Love that Comes a Time, Lost Sailor SOC, great Casey Jones and close it out with a rocking JBG.
Might have to continue on with some 1980, was also thinking about dipping into some E72 shows.
Edit-8/27/80 Pine Knob seems like a good possibility.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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I'm not expecting anyone to follow suit necessarily, but I happen to be half way through the first Wembley show, 4/7/72, at the moment. It's overshadowed by the following night...in fact it's overshadowed by virtually all the other shows on the tour. But it's well worth a listen if you fancy going for one of the less celebrated shows from this tour.

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I'll be headed down that EU72 tour rabbit hole starting in a couple of days.
Interested in what you hear on the the first one.
Cheers

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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1stshow - thanks -I don't know whether it's because this is the first 72 show I have played for a month or so, but it sounds spectacular. The first date on the tour, and they maybe felt they couldn't afford to take things too easy. Every song hits the spot. This period is usually marked by the great jams, and the tracks that stand out here are Playing, China-Cat and The Truckin'- Other One jam - but it's not just the improvisations that shine. The whole band rocks much more convincingly with Keith in the ranks - checkout Beat It On Down The Line. Sugar Magnolia really comes into it's own here too, moving on from it's country feel of 12 months ago to pure rock n' roll. I was going to miss out the last few songs on this set - it all looks very, very familiar on paper. Don't be tempted - it's a great celebration after the intense jamming on The Other One. The crowd are asked to move back to their seat towards the end - so the joint was obviously rocking all right.
And to think this is one of the also rans of the tour-incredible!

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OK, here I go into the EU72 22 show breech.
Thanks again to a friend.
Excited to get started after DR's review.
Going in sequence seems to make the most sense.
May have to do some non-Dead palate cleansers in there too.
Cheers

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Yeah 1stshow, I don’t care what anyone says that guys awright! ; )
Yep, I’d say do em in order and no other dead in between. I find that’s the best and most satisfying way to do a tour.
It’s cool to see the little nuisances and changes that happen along the way that might get missed with Just a cursory spin. Though sometimes ya might feel ya need a Dead change, I find that mucks up the above.
Don’t think I’ve done a tour this big, yet, but it’s a satisfying accomplishment upon completion!
So you go, we’re with ya and look forward to posts from the road ; )

8/29/80: after 8/27 yesterday, I figured I’d hit the next one as it fit into what I’m doing, and it fills in a hole that completes the 8/24 through 9/6 sequence…
Another, similar to the 2 proceeding: mostly good solid, few misses, though no real fireworks, just grinding it out on the road Dead. The next night (8/30) is on Dave’s list, and I found that one to be perhaps a slight step up, though it’s been awhile…9/2 is very good, though I’m biased, and then the next 2 from DL 7 (haven’t heard those in forever), capped off by the glorious 9/6 Lewiston show!
Onward!

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Another synchronicity there, Oro. Was just over in Maine with old friends, one of whom I had not seen in many years, he was on stage security that night at the racetrack fairgrounds and helped us get down front for the zenith of my too small handful of Dead shows. He reminded me that Roy B was feeling no pain but still played Nancy like no one else ever could, Levon and the Cate Bros, what a show. End of summer, end of tour, just could not have been better. Many recordings but apparently no clear SBD, otherwise mandatory for release. That friend had been searching for the lyrics for Jaime Brockett's Legend of the Titanic, pleased to locate for him.

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I would have thought that was essential if your going through a box the size of E72. You don't want to put yourself off it. Obviously very different following a tour at home than it would have been in the flesh. But even if you had been following this tour in real time, as it happened, you would have heard other music in between shows. Unless you're a monk.

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has passed. Used to see him regularly in Florida, every year for many years. A great excuse to get out there and have a little fun and get a great buzz. Been a while since I saw him, he got real busy there after a while and wasn't around the local bars that he used to frequent back in the day. Many a time down in the keys he would be there and he would discuss those "square groupers" that had been seen floating around back then. After one peeled off the outer layer that most were wrapped in what was inside was usually "gold". I remember a great show back in 1980, Jimmy opened for the Eagles and he had a broken leg. Of course he did "Margaritaville" and had changed some of the lyrics to include his mishap. Blew out my flip-flop, stepped on a pop top, broke my leg had to crawl on back home, man I'm in real pain, wish I had some cocaine, but that's been gone since early this morn. a gifted wordsmith for sure. RIP Jimmy, may those Jamaican winds blow you safely home.

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I won't try to do reviews on every one but maybe in groups of a few at a time.
DR was spot on. 4-7-72 gave me a new perspective of that year. It was:
- Polished, energetic, and played with stamina.
- Darn near perfect, as if trying to impress.
- Had a religious experience moment for me in GDTRFB where I kept saying Jerry is a monster by '72, and how does he do that. Just keeps coming up with a new riff every few seconds. Unbelievable. Rivals anything I can think of from any era.
Cheers

RIP Jimmy, always liked him even if he didn't get played at my house as the wife didn't care for him.

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…just not Dead. But hey, that’s just my methodology.
If I start listening to other Dead, I lose my hyper focus of the tour and all the little things, the nuances. I need to marinate in the shit lol
It’s like sometimes you switch to a different kind of beer midstream, one you know you really like, but because of the style of the one you were drinking is so different, the new one doesn't taste right. It’s your taster is off…
Best example is in 2021 when I did all of 1971 in order, listening to Phil figuring out his line in PITB. Every one was a bit different until he had what he wanted. If I was listening to other dead I might have missed that…
It’s hard to go a whole tour and not switch it up, but I think it’s the best way to do it!
Now a little Jazz or something else now and again,sure, but no other Dead!
But again, that’s just me…
I did hit the 4/7 stuff from Steeping out. The energy is like a fright train. You can tell they were itching to play!
But I think their holding the stick a little too tight because of that. I can hear JG saying something like “we have the whole Europe scene watching us so we can’t Fuck up…no pressure or anything lol”
So to me sometimes it’s a bit off the rails. But I like em when their going beyound the comfort zone, that’s why I like 85 so much. Sure occasionally there is an accident, but that’s ok when yer riding the edge!
The amazing part is, as good as this one is, it’s kinda just a warm up and indicator of what’s ahead!
Just amazing they could play that consistently at that level for 2 months straight AND get into all the shenanigans!

And yaassss, ole Jimmy Bufet, may the Caribbean winds blow him safely home to the big Cheese Burger in Paradise!
A son of a son of a son of a son of a son of a son of a sailor! Now you and Hunter behave now ; )
I

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There's clearly no right or wrong way in how we listen to all these shows. For me, with E72, I have started to think of them in terms of the few shows in one country, and listen to them before moving on towards something else. For example, the first three shows in England stand as a whole for me. So I listen to them one after the other - then take a break. Then go on to Denmark and do the same thing. The first three shows are so good I defy anyone to just listen to just one of them without listening to the next. But I don't want to over do it, so a break comes in handy - then the next one sounds fresh and will blow my socks off like the first one does.

Oro - I think you listen more deeply than I do!

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More than one way to skin a rabbit lol
My way is hard, but I find it worth it, though perhaps why I haven’t done this whole tour, YET.
In fact, I’m not sure I’ve even heard every show yet? All the Dark Stars to be sure, but not all The Other Ones.
Yuck, yuck, see what I did there ; )
I have this book staring at me I’ve not read yet as I’m probably saving it and the remaining shows for when/if I do take the Pepsi challenge…it’s called Europe 72 Revisited by Howard F Weiner. (Think I have one by him on Cornell too?)
But after just randomly glancing it mentions the first England shows we’re supposed to be 4 at the Rainbow, but the place went outta business right before the tour so ole Cutler had to punt and go with 2 biggins at Wembley. He then starts to mention how good 4/7 is and how he, like many, perhaps overlooked it due to the greatness of 4/8 etc…
Hmmmm, sounds familiar lol
ONWARD! You go 1stshow, man if I knew I had the time I’d be tempted…

I just hit 11/20/73: never heard more than the RT taste. Another looonnngggg but fine 73!
Think I’m down to just a handful of 73s I’ve not heard!
Hmmmm, what now?? The Other One is working this WE so I should probably pick something official top shelf and warm up the ole transistors : )

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So now I have to get another book before I delve into E72. Just great...

If you google Blogspot Europe 72, the first listing is a reprint of the old Europe 72 Notebook that has been floating around on archive dot org for a dozen years or so, except it is in the correct order and mildly edited. Most importantly, it looks like they added many pictures of each venue. It really gives you a better feel for what it must have been like to be there. ...and man, there are some historic venues on that tour. For me, it would be worth it the next time I am in Europe to visit one, three or all of the venues (assuming they all still exist), just for kicks and giggles.

The GD did all kinds of things wrong in their tenure, but this tour was not one of them.

mmm.... The Other One is working this WE, hitting something epic and it sounds like officially released? oh the pressure.. If you're going to warm up the tube amps.. goodness.. the DS>MD from DP19 (hey, it's 73), DP16, DP4, 2/14/68, Feb and March 69, 4x/5x 72 or go for one of the other multi-tracks, any of the From the Vault, the WD or AB 50th's. The picking is the easy part, keeping the plaster on the ceiling, not so much.

I'm also a big fan of 85 for the same reasons mentioned. Also, taking the risk of introducing all those new songs. It was like they were climbing out of a rut and freshening up the place with vibrant and loud electricity.

For the second time this year, JimInMD isn't working. I have no idea why... Why do you mock me so oh dead net website?

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Maybe Dennis will let you borrow his wife’s CC lol
Or hey, since yer working too damn much, you should have some extra bread left over, even after the cost of your expanding empire ; ) Pretty soon they’ll be calling it Jimsville! Which is nice….

I went with the 12/26 goodness from DaP 43, and then the Stepping out segment from 4/8/72.
Chefs kiss fo sho!

Bob being his usual youthful self, ready to yell out in front of a crowd of young Christian types about last I saw Phil he was going to the dressing room with some chick lol. You can see why eventually they needed McNally…

Now time to hang it up, and see what tomorrow, oh, wait, that’s today? ,,,oh oh, where does the time go!
Gonna need another RJ caliber shooo…
ONWARD,

EDIT: wonder where 1stshow is, he should of left England by now…hopefully no situations at the border?

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With news from the front lines.
Blaspheme warning: This may contain heresy.
OK, I get why the consensus is that 4-8 is better than 4-7 but....
I like 4-7-72 better. The 4-8 from Dark Star on is amazing and unique but it is more primal. And while I dig Phil's insistent bass groove in the Caution, I mean he's leading the band at that point, but the DS gets a little disjointed at times. And there are better versions of Pig's songs coming later in the tour as well even if that Mojo is darn good. Now Jerry on pedal steel is more my cup-o-tea and even Phil singing a duet with Bob on that LLRain can't spoil that (truth be told he does a good job of it). And of course the MLB jam is great and they had a few notes leaning that way in 4-7 but never got there. But.... I was floored by the 4-7 second set altogether. It just builds and builds and, as I previously said, the Sugar Mag>NFA>GDTRFB>NFA closing just hit me right. Jerry en fuego! And every first set song was done to perfection so it's close but 4-7 edges out 4-8 for me.
So onward to Newcastle! Storm the battlement! And thanks for the support. Cleansing with classical this AM.
Cheers

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I also enjoyed listening to 4/7 more than 4/8 this time around. It seemed higher energy all round - a more exciting show. Not that there's anything wrong with 4/8 - very serene Dark Star, I thought. And again, I liked the rocking ending. Caution seemed like a nod back to the 60's to me - back to the acid tests, with a few tasty flourish's on organ, as John Peel might have said. Both Dark Star and The Other One sound very, very different at this stage from the 60's styles- but Caution seems to catch that old groove.

I've only played the first cd of the Newcastle show - but that opening "Greatest Story" must be one of the best versions ever.

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Morning, rockers!!!

After I bought the E72 trunk I listened to nothing but Europe 72 for about six months. Total immersion therapy. May have warped me a bit, but did make the Europe 72 tour part of my "Grateful Dead DNA".............

4/7 is a super fine show, as is 4/8. I always had a fondness for Newcastle and Aarhus, lesser known but solid and with some sublime moments. Best show of the tour, May 3, just one man's opinion. Favorite show of the tour, May 26, historic, massive, bittersweet, the end of an era. December 71 great, AOM run greater, Europe 72 greatest.

The anniversary of a certain outdoor Maine show is coming up in a couple of days. Yes we were there and had a blast, one of the "most fun shows" we attended. Would make a fine official release some day.............

Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.......

Rock on,

Doc
Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end...............

5/26/72 is my favourite show from the tour. Has to be one of the best 5 shows ever played.

I play most shows from E72 every year, and have already played most of them this year earlier on. This time around, I was going through my records, having finally got a new stylus fitted - hence a revisit for 4/7 and 4/8. Listening to them logically leads on to the Newcastle show, which would make a great release for a RSD on vinyl in the near future.
I then have the Dark Star from Paris 5/3 and the great 4/5 show that followed. Then the final run at The Lyceum.

I really like listening to these shows on records ( why are records referred to as"vinyl", I wonder? We don't call cds "plastic"?) But you do have to do things like turn the record over half way through Dark Star - which might put some people off.

edit - whoops - it was the other way round - Dark Star being played 5/4, not the day before, with 3/5 being the one put out on vinyl in it's entirety.

Go get them 1st Show. That is quite the project. 5/26, 5/4 and 4/26 have been personal favorites of mine, but that is always subject to change.

Love the 1980 download shows OB. Will have to check out 8/30. Would love to see them release them all on CD.
Yes, Lewiston, that would be a release. 1 1980 show released in 11 years of Dave's Picks. Not much love for this year. Not sure why.

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Vinyl Me Please is releasing a Hound Dog Taylor album "Natural Boogie". As part of the advertising they've put up (or someone has) a 73 video of him playing.

On the tube search for

Hound Dog Taylor - 15 minute LIVE Ann Arbor 1973 Video

Thought some would like this.

Thanks for the tip, Dennis. That's a great album - I got a copy on cd second hand, in a cracked case about 20 years ago.
An inspirational figure, Hound Dog Taylor. Proof positive that you don't need a 1954 Gibson once played by Peter Green ( or some such) or a theoretical understanding of music to play the blues. Just a cheap Japanese guitar tuned to an open chord, a small valve amp, a brass slide and a don't stop for anybody kind of attitude. If I had a son or daughter, this is what I would tell them.

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Mornin', rockers!!!

It's National Lewiston Day!!! Celebrate!!!

Yes, I do remember..................

Great music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and leaves the memory with difficulty.

Rock on!!

Doc
Music really is our daily medicine.......

Well, we knew this was coming. It's been so long since I listened to this show, it's all but forgotten.

I had this one digitally, but before I documented the source, so it's old... Time to refresh. Alaska 1980 is also undocumented in my files, which means this was some of the first stuff I pulled down when I first discovered the Archive and other sources.

I wish I was at this one. Hey.. it's another 1980 too. I pulled down the Charlie Miller SBD/Aud with the audience portion recorded by Jim Wise. I think this is the best source, is anyone else using a different source? Only a few songs from the soundboard seem to exist.

Would love to see this show as a Dave's, though not sure about that sbd? My last Dead show, was in process of leaving Maine for Vermont where everything changed for a long time. Lewiston and central Maine area was home for ten years from 1970. So many concerts there, between Portland and Bangor: Dylan, BB King, Muddy, Clapton, Mountain, Zappa, Gary Burton, Canned Heat, Nils Lofgren, Mose Allison, Jesse Colin Young, The Eagles, on and on. However this show 43 years ago today, was peak in so many ways.

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In reply to by Dennis

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I blame management!

Ok, no time to chat, just quick mention that I may or may not be doing the Pepsi challenge…
I only hit partials of 4/7 & 4/8, but everything else through 4/21. Hoping I can get 4/24 in tonight.
Maybe try to remember what all I’ve experienced so far lol ok, gotta go,
Onward!

Hmmm, is that really Jim, or is that his bizzaro Jerry other via MDJim ???

Lewiston: no time now lol, but I did really dig it when we did it here before! That whole fall stretch is good.

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Yes it was me.. MDJim is my evil twin. JimInMD was in deadnet timeout for some reason and would not work. Initially I thought it was because let a curse word fly.. but I think my password got nuked for some reason and it took me a while to figure out what was going on.

Now that I have this new E72 book (thanks Oro), I will be following along after taking a few steps back. Hitting Lewiston today, what a Sugaree, and I still have half of 6/9 and all of 6/10/73 to squeeze in.

I tell ya, I really got engaged after looking at what all the venues looked like. I've always been a venue snob and have a soft spot for ornate, intimate theatres.. add in the Greek Theatre and Red Rocks for good measure.. come to think of it, Telluride was nice also.

Well.. back to cleaning my house of all things.. and finishing the first set from 9/6/80.

...and Ventura, Riverbend was nice, blossom except for the bottleneck getting into the shows.. Venues are fun (except the Crapitol Centre and those nazi cops on horseback that came with it. Was happy to see that one get imploded).