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    Anyone who has ever seen the Dead can testify that one of its shows will add quite a bit of color to the environment here at Stanford. Anyone who has not seen one of these spectacles should have the opportunity to do so. The Grateful Dead are an important part of the Bay Area's cultural history. Those of us who saw them last week can testify that the Dead are alive and well. The Concert Network would be hard-pressed to find an act which would bring Frost Amphitheatre to life as the Dead would. - The Stanford Daily

    As you know by now, we'd certainly have voted aye on this motion, so much so, that we've loaded up DAVE'S PICKS 49 with not one, but two complete Grateful Dead shows from the Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 4/27/85 and 4/28/85. The first shows from '85 in the series, these back-to-back hometown performances couldn't be more different while delivering the same level of passion and precision, five hours of it, in fact.

    In 1985, the band were celebrating "20 Years So Far," a feat that found them on these particular nights confident with invention in terms of both setlists and playing. There are old songs renewed, rare covers revived, undeniably nuanced Jerry moments, and a few surprises from Brent Mydland too. While it's impossible to select highlights, we can say with certainty that the overall clarity of these shows is unparalleled, courtesy of Dan Healy's recordings.

    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 49: FROST AMPHITHEATRE, STANFORD U, PALO ALTO, CA 4/27/85 & 4/28/85 has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering.

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  • dissident1980
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    I was skeptical ...

    I was skeptical about a 1985 release to lead off Dave's Picks this year, BUT, these are two very hot and very fun shows! Nice picks Dave :-) [Now, onward to September 1970! ... hee hee hee]

  • hendrixfreak
    Joined:
    I suffer from premature congratulations

    Just finished the first show on #49 and have to add that Bobby finished off the show with Around & Around into One More Sat Nite and man, the band is ferocious! Those songs, except on E72, sometimes leave me cold, on this one my freakin' pants caught fire and... I ain't lyin!

    Props to Billy, Phil and Brent and Mickey is playing with a remark-worthy precision that lays the sneakers-in-the-dryer effect to rest.

    Dave L., you have chosen wisely. Hats off! And flaming pants off too!

  • That Mike
    Joined:
    Angry Jack Kerouac

    A great road story, Jack, well told! They sure were different times.
    “Roads were made for journeys, not destinations”
    Confucius

  • hendrixfreak
    Joined:
    Strangely, I may be on topic here...

    Enjoying the first #49 show. Yes, early first set sounds driven by the pre-show blast of marching powder but they settle down and my comment is:

    Jerry may be in rugged shape, off-stage, but he sure seems to be the one driving the segues from song to song, where segues occur. He leads into GDTRFB, Truckin', Other One into Peter. I find Jer in exemplary form for most of the first show and on all "his" songs, in fact, like days of yore, the band is running after him at full tilt.

    Ya know, I don't mind an "energetic" '85 show with the serendipity of setlist and the robust even raw treatment of the music. This is Rock and Roll, after all. I keep comin' back to Jer and his performance here.

    So, a wide variety of shows sometimes leans on so-so performances, but in this case, the selection provides a reconsideration of long-held biases.

    In other words, this sucker rocks with the fat man in the lead. God bless and RIP Jer.

  • estimated-eyes
    Joined:
    So Far

    Reaffirming here how much I love this release now that I have fully digested it a couple of times. Listening to it on the home stereo over the weekend took me back to my dorm room in 1989 watching the video So Far. I have heard plenty of 1985 shows, but the way this one is mixed and remastered, the sound/feel of the band is exactly like they sounded when they recorded that video. Not surprising as they recorded So Far shortly after, but man... this is a time machine release. Brent's keys during Bird Song took me to that place, in particular. Thank you, Dave!

  • Dennis
    Joined:
    Kingfish - Big Iron

    Nice call, I have a Kingfish show from 76 NYC. Very nice recording.

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Big Iron

    Said this one before.
    Kingfish did killer versions.
    Can't go wrong with Marty Robbins.
    Cheers

  • Dennis
    Joined:
    off topic, of course

    I’m sure we all have thoughts about songs the Dead could have played. I’m not talking about big hit covers, like knocking out a Stairway to Heaven. No, odd songs you really never saw coming.
    I mentioned several times about how they should have done Ghost Riders in the Sky as a Bob song.
    And Jerry really blew it when he didn’t do On Broadway, while he was on Broadway. Just to hear Jerry belt out –

    But they're dead wrong, I know they are
    'Cause I can play this here guitar
    And I won't quit til I'm a star on Broadway
    The house would have went nuts!

    Well I’m laying in bed last night waiting for edibles to take me to sleep-world and this one crossed my mind. This may actually be an early version of Fire on the Mountain. I always thought Fire on the Mountain was about being in the band. Some of the phases remind me of Hunter.

    The song – Six Man Band by the Association.

    Well, I'm a day at a time
    I'm a day at a time
    Well, I'm a seeker and knower
    In a six man mind
    'Cause I'm a travelin' man
    Yes, I'm a travelin' man
    Well, I'm a comer and a goer
    In a six man band
    Well, I'm a California man, my instrument in hand
    I'm electrified
    On a fast flyin' trip, dirty laundry in my grip
    Mostly drip-dry
    We got the seventeen jewels that dictate the rules
    And the time to fly, as we're passing by
    We just got the time to say hello, and then a fast good-bye
    I'm a travelin' man
    Yes, I'm a travelin' man
    Well, I'm a comer and a goer
    In a six man band

    Use of the word “grip” in the second verse, an old term, reminds me of the 20’s. Would a kid today know what a grip is? Does the youth have a sense of jewels in a watch?
    But then throw in a huge jam after “fast goodbye”, coming out with Jerry growling out “I’m a Travlin’ Man”

    Just a thought, ok maybe drug induced, but….

    Anyone else have a song the Dead should have done?

  • dmcvt
    Joined:
    Angry Jack Straw in Vermont?

    Your story, great stuff. Minor point, even adjusting for 1985, everyone outside of Burlington being farmers?? Hmmm... guess you did not get around outside Burl much. If you had said mid 60s, maybe, that's about when the back to the land movement, hippies, communes etc started the meaningful shift that turned Vermont from republican farmers to crafty democrats. The interstate highway system that made this happen began construction the early 60s. I get it about the difficulty is driving east west, drove out to Watkins Glen in 1973 from Maine. When I moved here in 1980 after visiting friends for years, lived on a farm in the mountains near Killington, old timers told stories about rural electrification still, which came in after WWII. Just sayin.... (and wowee zowee, first post in more than a month with no hay now or crapcha)

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    C'mon Louis!

    Ten days of it will be here today. You're killing me Smalls!
    Nothing innovative about lousy service Mr. Dejoy.
    Cheers
    Must be something with W. Colorado as my buddy in Crested Butte doesn't have his yet either.

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Anyone who has ever seen the Dead can testify that one of its shows will add quite a bit of color to the environment here at Stanford. Anyone who has not seen one of these spectacles should have the opportunity to do so. The Grateful Dead are an important part of the Bay Area's cultural history. Those of us who saw them last week can testify that the Dead are alive and well. The Concert Network would be hard-pressed to find an act which would bring Frost Amphitheatre to life as the Dead would. - The Stanford Daily

As you know by now, we'd certainly have voted aye on this motion, so much so, that we've loaded up DAVE'S PICKS 49 with not one, but two complete Grateful Dead shows from the Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 4/27/85 and 4/28/85. The first shows from '85 in the series, these back-to-back hometown performances couldn't be more different while delivering the same level of passion and precision, five hours of it, in fact.

In 1985, the band were celebrating "20 Years So Far," a feat that found them on these particular nights confident with invention in terms of both setlists and playing. There are old songs renewed, rare covers revived, undeniably nuanced Jerry moments, and a few surprises from Brent Mydland too. While it's impossible to select highlights, we can say with certainty that the overall clarity of these shows is unparalleled, courtesy of Dan Healy's recordings.

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 49: FROST AMPHITHEATRE, STANFORD U, PALO ALTO, CA 4/27/85 & 4/28/85 has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering.

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In reply to by billy the kiddd

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Jerry's voice is paper thin

Great performance nonetheless

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12 years 11 months
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79
Donna was absent.

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In reply to by wissinomingdeadhead

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Backstage drama most likely

Being in a band must be great, as well as hellish

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Since someone mentioned downloads vs cds/vinyl, I got thinkin'.
I still enjoy the cd releases, and the nice packaging, though I convert them to digital like many of us. People seem to want both. So how about a Hybrid release model? A CD release could have a different added online download release, any show, or timeframe, partial reel, etc. . The cost of remastered downloads may even be built into the overall price of the physical media/subscription. I'd pay a bit more to get a bit more.

Vinyl is nice too, but the digital formats make probably make more sense in the future, even if I'd prefer otherwise. Maybe it's all inevitable. But either way, whatever format, I will keep enjoying those new releases. I just hope a solar flare doesn't wipe out my digital music collection. That would be quite tragic.

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Western New Yorkers must wonder what they did to anger the Sporting gods!
Cut off a bus load of nuns? Chase leprechauns off their lawn?
Any good doctor would recommend “Truckin’ Up To Buffalo July 4, 1989” to cool that pain.
If symptoms persist, they recommend the DVD.

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In reply to by That Mike

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Beat themselves Bills did it again, ugh
I’m telling ya it’s the water lol

I was ready to post something clever about how Josh Allen is like the 85 Dead
Often surprising, always exciting, dangerous, usually all out going for it, for good or for Ill, with often spectacular results, but sometimes wrecks
Unfortunately it didn’t shake out that way

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17 years 5 months

In reply to by Oroborous

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u
t

w
I
t
h

t
h
e

d
e
a
d

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17 years 5 months

In reply to by Oroborous

Permalink

o
u

a
l
w
a
y
s

w
I
n

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17 years 5 months

In reply to by Oroborous

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Okay, no fixey, no posts, harumph

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17 years 4 months

In reply to by Oroborous

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....I'm sure Scott Norwood was watching and his PTSD kicked in.
Get it? Kicked.

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17 years 5 months

In reply to by Vguy72

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Too soon lol

But hey, just like Scott, never should have come down to that…

But what the hey, Go AVs lol

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Clever posting Oro! Amazed it let you post because this is so hit and miss.
Poor guys like Scott Norwood or Bill Buckner could never live down their moment of infamy.
Maybe you’re right - something stronger for the folks in Buffalo and WNY. Suggestions?

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In reply to by Oroborous

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I wonder if they'll release much from this year later on, it being an anniversary an all. It would be good if they did. Buggers can't be choosers, though. I mean beggars.

By limiting the issues to cd, they're limiting their audience. When the series started, 12 or so years ago, everyone had cd players. Now, a lot of us don't. Not in my laptop, not in my car. And without a cd drive, I can't even upload the cds. So, I'd like to see digital release of the series. You'd think Lemieux and Rhino would be more forward looking. The series has already been lagging in sales, and those that do sell out, take weeks, not the minutes that it used to.

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7 years 10 months

In reply to by marye

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Reading marye's remembrance of high times at the Greek reminded me -- it was great to come across your name in Jesse Jarnow's "Heads". Just a great reminder of how this community got on board the electric bus with the Well (I tried to post what W E L L stands for, but I got hey now'd. Unbelievable.)

I got my first internet account in the Fall of 1989 and promptly found myself spending an increasing amount of time over at rec.music.gdead, but The W ell seemed like this mythical place just over the horizon. Now that this is all going back decades, it sure is fun reading folks remembrances. Keep 'em coming, y'all...

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In reply to by L. Mo.

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Dave's Picks was announced as a subscription model cd release. It has been more successful than the Download Series and the Road Trips Series. The last year's lack of sell outs is an aberration. I think part of the lack of sell out on 46 is they have it priced 10 bucks higher for some reason. It's priced like the 4cd releases, but it's just 3cds. Who knows what the sales numbers are on the box set downloads, but I don't think they themselves know what the sweet spot number is. HCS was the fastest box set sellout since Giants Stadium, and Get Shown the Light before that. Get Shown the Light has run through its "unlimited" All Music Edition as well. I'd be shocked if the download sales of that box come anywhere close to the immediate sell out of the original box, then an All Music Edition that apparently kept selling for 6 years. And that the Giants Stadium boxes sold out in weeks, and Listen to the River is still on sale goes to show you can't ever tell. If they want to start a download series, more power to them, keep Dave's a physical product.

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11 years 7 months

In reply to by alvarhanso

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For a nod to the Lions, listened to part of Oct 24, 1971, from the Easttown Theater, Detroit a few minutes ago. Great energy, early Keith show, Phil crunches it, a 71 DarkStar. Maybe since we can access and download anything on the archive, they would have to really clean up stuff to market it as download to us, since Charlie Miller, Sir Nick and others have done such nice work so far. Yet another reason I'll bang the drum for more primal stuff, from the vault, that has not been posted to archive.

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New Dead Head TV now up on dreamswedreamed dot com:

Close to the Edge with Spencer Dryden - 1989

Spencer Dryden was drummer for the San Francisco rock band, Jefferson Airplane. In February 1971 Dryden replaced Mickey Hart in the country rock band The New Riders of the Purple Sage. In 1982, he formed supergroup the Dinosaurs with fellow Bay Area musicians Peter Albin of Big Brother, John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead, and Barry Melton of Country Joe and the Fish. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 with his Airplane band mates, inducted by Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart.

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16 years 1 month
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I like the CDs (See deez nuts! Haha!). My laptop doesn’t have an optical drive, so I bought an external one. I rip them to digital, and listen that way. Probably sounds dumb to some. Oh well…

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If you’re into CDs and DVDs, think about getting another player now. Based on my recent experiences, though I scored an economical player at a local hardware store of all places, in the future if you can get one at all it might only be at “pro audio” prices.

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In reply to by ronmarley1

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Can’t post a simple comment about sports yesterday.

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It wouldn’t have mattered if he made the kick. Kansas City would’ve had almost 2 minutes to drive down the field and score again. Anyone who really watched the game would know this to be most likely………

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9 years 1 month

In reply to by adedhed68

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Apparently mentioning the
R
E
D

W
I
N
G
S

is not allowed here

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9 years 1 month

In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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If it’s any consolation, Tampa Bay lost twice in Detroit yesterday.
Lions beat Bucs
R e d W i n g s beat Lightning

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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Rhino isn’t competent enough to run a download service.
Box sets have a download option, go read the comments on those boards.
The files are defective, the shows are incomplete, the lynx don’t work.

....then yes. KC would have had to respond. Point is. They didn't have to.
For the record, I don't like either team, so I had no skin in the game.
Go Lions.

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In reply to by ronmarley1

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rmarley1 - I do the same. External CD/DVD drives are inexpensive, and plug n play (no setup). I convert all my Dead CD's to digital so I can play them in the car. My car doesn't have a CD player. Streaming services (at least the one I use) do not have Dave's Picks or the box sets.

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Always wondered about that album title. Like, as opposed to what? Metaphysical Graffiti? Duuuuude.

Anyway. Here's a thought about physical format vs digital files: why not release ALL limited edition archival releases, all DaPs and box sets, as digital files AFTER the physical copies sell out?

I can understand the idea that Rhino might need to sell out the physical copies of the limited editions (or come close to that) in order to keep the series going. I can understand thinking that selling digital files might undercut sales of the physical copies. But why not make 'em available as downloads after the physical copies sell out?

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In reply to by Crow Told Me

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Like some Blu-ray’s: you get the Blu-ray, a dvd AND a digital DL…

But as Conekind mentions, they can’t get anything to reliably work, not even this site…

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I'll put in a vote with Oro for a Spring 1978 box. The April 19 Columbus snippet on this week's Tapers has the swagger.
Cheers

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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And their all prime Beatty’s!
What’s not too like ; )

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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I was at this show. I took some great 8 X 10 black and white photos of the show as I was involved in my college newspaper. Still have them. Inaugural Werewolves.

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10 years 10 months

In reply to by rasta5ziggy

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Think the box was well mined already in the Dave's Series, and Dave has alluded to that, saying William and Mary 4-15 DaP 37 with 4-18 filler, Nashville 4-22 DaP 15, and Normal 4-24 DaP 7 were all candidates for April '78 box, or even mini-box of Nashville, Lexington, and Normal. If they release any more if this tour, I hope it's 4-12, even if it is at the Devil's Den. I think Dave also hinted more of Pittsburgh 4-18 could come out as filler, I think.

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In reply to by alvarhanso

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Sounds good to me, however, how about some post Egypt 78? Not much released from that time period yet with a few exceptions.

Hey Now chopped off the rest of my post.

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Good Morning! Your Grateful Dead Store Order has Shipped, Dave's Picks Vol. 49. would make for a FUN weekend listening session, fingers-crossed!

Have a great day:)

uncle_tripel

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They probably should get better at digital. I expect them to eventually open it all up to digital downloads, it would probably be easy money after they get it set up. For me, I like the CDs and Vinyl. I'm a real dinosaur, not only do I have numerous devices to play CDs, I even have several devices that support HDCD. Why they still do HDCD is beyond me. I've never been able to tell the difference.

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received, first time I have ever received a shipping notification, hope that doesn't mean anything like "missing" in transit or delivered to the void. Looking forward to this for the cherry listen to 4-27

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In reply to by PT Barnum

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I haven’t heard the 8, 19, or 21 yet, so guessing something in there, but if the 11, 10, 16, and at least the 12 aren’t box worthy, I don’t know what is? The 14 perhaps too. 6 and 7 good but perhaps not quite on par with these…

Stop reading bs on the internet and listen to the music play!

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In reply to by Oroborous

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I bet they do an 89 box

People get total wood over the Alpine shows...I bet that's the new box.

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Sad to hear Melanie passed away yesterday.

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In reply to by Cousins Of The…

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I just so happened to be listening to Melanie's performance at Woodstock, on 08/15/1969 on the big "Woodstock - Back To The Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive" box set early in the morning before I heard the news.

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In reply to by Born Cross Eye…

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Test

Getting Hey Now’d in the PM zone.

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081227817442
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