Grateful Dead

And it doesn’t look like $70 worth of postage IMHO. Jeez I’m becoming an old whinging pensioner.

I guess many of us are mere mortals who don't have unlimited shelf space for unusual objects which we don't really need or know what to do with. Bring back the delightful simplicity of the Winterland boxes or May 77. I still haven't decided what to do with last years In And Out "super" long box which fits nowhere. I guess I should venture under the stairs again and pack it with my E'72 suitcase, my 30 trips box, the PNW box and.. I know i am lucky but.....

I don't think the message has quite got through that a lot of people would prefer smaller boxes with less novelties included. Still, if they gave awards out for the silliest items included in box sets, this would definitely be in with a chance.

I was forced to Google it. Apparently it’s a thin Japanese hand towel! How did they know we needed one?

Maybe the postage is higher to pay for the custom-dyed Tenugui. Whatever that is. A gold statue, going off the price.

Sorry if postage costs have been covered earlier in the exchage but..

I had decided it was time to press buy for the 17CD's set, but then saw postage was $70, so I then looked at the 8LP box set and postage is a very reasonable, dare I say cheap, at $24.99. Is the 17CD set coming in a stupendously, odd shaped box, that is big and heavy, that helps to explain the disparity in overseas postage? Needless to say I have held off pressing buy on the 17 cd set.

Just an observation sparked by the recent conversations. When I looked at the set lists for this 1973 box set, I thought it was unusually repetitive for 1973, and it has me thinking the length of time between shows may have something to do with it. If you compare the RFK shows by themselves, there's a big variety. But the first 3 shows are all a week apart and seem to have the most number of repeats. In addition to playing the newer songs repeatedly, which I would expect, they don't mix it up a whole lot. Maybe these songs represent where their collectuve comfort zone was and they could play them well without a lot if rehearsal? I see a similar trend on the June 76 box set, which marked the start of playing after time off. The trend didn't last the whole year of course, but those opening shows for sure.

Is it unusual for 73 that they they stayed away from Dark Star for 4 shows, before breaking it out on the 6/10 show? Or was it beginning to wind down by that time? They certainly didn't play it much in 74. I wonder if Dark Star was difficult to play from a rehearsal standpoint. On the one hand it is largely improv, so you can't rehearse that. On the other hand, was improv easier for them when they were playing every day? I would guess the latter. When I listen to the brilliance of those old Dark Stars, I am bewildered that they would ever retire it as they did. I was reading a post recently where it was suggested that the 74 Dark Stars were not as good as preceding years. I never had that impression. The ones I know best are all really good DaP 13, DP 7, and the Grateful Dead Movie soundtrack.

For me, I'll take any Dead show that's mixed well and sounds great from an audio tape standpoint. For example DaP 16 and 21 from 3/28/73 and 4/2/73 have pretty much no audio issues, Cumberland Blues solo aside. If it's sounding THAT good, I'll be happy with a 75% repeat rate. On the other hand the three 1973 shows from the PNW box set are all over the place with the audio. They're a bit of a tougher listen. I am hoping these 5 new shows sound more like the two Dave's Picks I mentioned (and the two shows from Dick's Picks 28 in February 73).

The new box can't land until I'm back from paddling 35 miles down the Little Yampa Canyon in my one-man packraft, with frosty Peroni beer and the usual produce steaming out 'o my vaporizer. (Yes, I take a USB battery to recharge the old vapo, a jar of fresh flower and a few psylo caps...) The good news is that "the trip" starts tomorrow with a five-hour drive, runs Tues-Thurs, with a two-man party on the river Wednesday night in celebration of the Summer Solstice, which pagans prefer to the much-ballyhooed religious holidaze.

Definitely looking forward to the new box. May eat a cap and spend the day cycling, guitaring, etc., then settle in as the hallucinations die down and blast the s*** out of the first show, saving the critical 6/9 and 6/10 for last. I don't care if it takes all summer; I love stretching out my box listening and having a few cannonballs in the barrel ready to fire. Leavened by the next Jerry vault release. Add the new book on the ABB's Bros & Sisters LP and the ABB's set from RFK '73 and we've got a killer year coming. (Not to mention an excess of as-yet-unlistened to discs by Bob Wills, David Lindley, Miles, Coltrane, Sinatra, and a zillion other discs just waiting for attention.) Blessed now and forever.

Summer's here and the time is right, for dancing in the streets!

But early would be even better. Like, how cool would it be if they started mailing the box out NOW (is the time) so we had them and could enjoy them over the holidaze….siiigghhhh, oh well

Cowboy/Country/Bluegrass/Folk/Appalachian Murder Ballad

All an integral part of how I view and listen to the Dead nowadays. Wasn't always so of course in some respects and for some songs. But early on - Skull and Roses w/ Mama Tried & Me and Bobby McGee were immediately brilliant, loved'em from the get go. El Paso is really pretty dressed up as country goes, but over the years, time and again, Jerry's fills and harmonies show complete care and respect for the story. Part of what informed all that for me was an early introduction, pre-dead, into Will The Circle Be Unbroken collaboration (legend) between the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and various giants of Country and Bluegrass. And even earlier to that was DXing the AM stations at night, that 1000 mile atmospheric reflection, and listening to The Opry and 50000 watts out of Dallas - did a lot of radio driving with that at times.

Guessing Hendrix Freak referenced the EL Paso smoothly dropped in to the middle of the '73 Roosevelt Dark Star and how revelatory/crazy that was. I mean - who does that??!! There were a couple+ tapes I listened to early with that sort of madness: 1) 12/5/71 Felt Forum - DS jam > Me and My Uncle > DS jam; 2) 8/6/71 Hollywood Palladium - Trucking > Other One > Me and My Uncle > Other One; and 3) 9/28/72 Stanley Theater - He's Gone > Other One > Me and Bobby McGee > Other One.

I revisited that 9/28/72 just now (and funny thing a heartfelt El Paso proceeds He's Gone). That He's Gone > Other One > Bobby McGee > Other One, Wharf Rat is maybe, still my favorite jam of that era. It is so good.

Sixtus - thank you for sharing the piece about Bob and his cowboy songs. New to me.

Good friend was at those McNichols 12/90 shows and loved em. I got tapes in my vault. Split Dark Star over 3 nights, out of space night 3, , Night 2 with an Other One > Morning Dew (which was an ideal combo for him), with Hornsby playing only Nights 1 and 2, I think.

And how could I forget - Handsome Cabin Boy intrumental out of Space Landover 3/ 93.