Grateful Dead

I’ve been struggling with words for this one.
EDIT: mostly I’ve just been burned out and too busy lol.
I’ve only very superficially made it through twice: generally I likey, yass there’s imperfections, yaasss Bobs low on the 81s, etc, yaddy, yaddy, yadda, but all things considered, there are those GD moments fleeting and other that always have, and always will, make the cost benefit ratio of proper GOGD a bargain in my existential book!
Oh, lol, I think (so far) I like the 83s best. That first set from the last night is ripping!
And it’s got a Cumberland 😀

This has exceeded my expectations. Sound wise, I was familiar with all but two of the shows and generally I would go for the audience or matrix recordings on account of the all too common imbalance between the vocal and the instrumentation in 80's recordings. But these cleaned up beautifully. The '82 shows could use a little more high end, but when summoned with some upward volume, the sound comes through warm and with surprisingly good stage separation.

For the playing, if 60's GD is considered Primal Dead, I would say this period is Raw Dead. And I mean that every way positive. Like when they first started, it's loose, kinetic, spontaneous and, most importantly, just dang fun. They regained the primitive immediacy that seemed to have gotten lost in the various changes and phases the band explored in the 70s.

And there's quite a bit in the playing that's an improvement on 70's GD-- vocals harmonize better, the rhythm is tighter and bouncier, Jerry's tone is scarier, his solos are back to being downright spasmodic at times, the sets have a more arcing continuity rather than a hodgepodge of disconnected moods and styles. But most importantly, if you remove the comparison, its another facet of the band that can be enjoyed when the mood strikes. 'American reggae' or something along those lines Bobby called it. All there in a syncopated rhythm smoothed into a singular groovy flow of sonic shapes and textures.

Last five:
-Julian Lage, View with a Room
-Nels Cline, Lovers
-Elvis Costello, King of America
-Hendrix, Valleys of Neptune
-Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation

I can hear him really clearly on the 10-12-83 show. He's doing some very cool stuff at the end of Truckin, especially.

On another thread Ice Cream and DMCVT suggested trying UV on the MSG box: It does indeed go crazy(ier) under blacklight!

you can find the box no on the booklet paper as well

So I finally figured out that you have to make a new separate account for the store. That's what I did anyway, because my Dead.net info and email were not recognized.

I just sat and gave a serious listen to Disc 2 while thoroughly enjoying the artwork in front of me. So far, so good, even if things almost derail here and there. Jerry tried all kinds of new and unique licks in the early 80s, to my ears, licks that he never played with again.

And yes, as mentioned, Healy and Bobby had some kind of tiff going on in the 80s, so Healy reportedly would drop Bobby's guitar levels to almost nothing on the board mixes. I'm assuming that Bobby could be heard in the P.A. in person?

Is anyone going to USE the postcards? I can imagine the joy in some friends' hearts if they received one, but the perfectionist in me is horrified to even consider punching those out of the book! :) I'm very tempted to color the "coloring book" page . . .

I listened to 9-21-82 last night and I could hear Weir on my stereo system, turned up sort of loud, but he was faint.

I’ve listened to the whole Box but can’t actually tell you how Weir sounds on each show.

I believe that you can attribute Weir being low in the mix to Healy.

Anyone else having trouble with the store?
I was going to look at my old orders but the login for the store now has to be an email address whereas my login wasn’t. Using my email address means that the password is wrong. I’ve tried to use the non-logged in route that needs order number, email and zipcode. Previously I’ve used my post code since we don’t use zip codes over here but at least one of these three items is said to be incorrect. I am still connected to deaddotnet as I can post this but I cannot check my previous orders. So much for an improved website experience. I have tried to reset my password but clicking the ‘forgotten password’ option does nothing. I don’t get an email to allow me to reset the password.

Not much action on this string, considering its a new box.

I started with 3/10/81 because it had rave reviews, and almost finished with the second set. Loved the Miss 1/2step > Franklin's opener, LLR, and Saint of circumstance.

I can't hear Weir's guitar. I really like his distinctive guitar playing- adds a lot to the sound. For those of you who have made their way through all six shows, is this the case with all six?