Dave's Picks Vol. 49: Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA (4/27/85 & 4/28/85)

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January 19, 2024 - 8:00am

1,210 replies

Dead Admin

Joined:
April 28, 2021

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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February 3, 2024 - 4:28pm

#881

basementdweller

Joined:
June 13, 2007

Everybody’s talking about 50…

Everybody’s talking about 50 but 49 is gold. Perfect choice for a GOLDRUSH Show.
February 3, 2024 - 3:42pm

#882

billy the kiddd

Joined:
November 8, 2021

1982 Frost.....

was my favorite year at the Frost. I wish that they would have released 1982 & 1985 together as a small box 1982 & 1985 were definitely the two best years at the Frost.
February 3, 2024 - 2:54pm

#883

FiveBranch

Joined:
October 2, 2014

April 28

Good call on releasing this one in its entirety as well. Personal highlights for me include Phil's bass line at the beginning of Minglewood, how the Bird Song gave me a pretty slick flashback and the China Doll. Jerry's first solo sears it with something mournful but Bobby is the one to take the creative lead for the second after the last verse. And Jerry follows in kind. Which is what I'm finding works so well with these two shows. The band is really listening to one another and the ideas keep pouring out aplenty.
February 3, 2024 - 2:52pm

#884

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

Wissingoming....

....more dates were added yes.
No one is forcing anyone to go.
I would like to fire up the John Deere/DeLorean to go back to the good ole days, however, that's not happening.
February 3, 2024 - 1:46pm

#885

sheik yerbones

Joined:
February 5, 2008

congrats Oro

a lot of post!!!!!!!!
February 3, 2024 - 1:37pm

#886

alvarhanso

Joined:
January 16, 2014

The day the music died

65 years ago today. JP Big Bopper Richardson, Richie Valens, and Buddy Holly, RIP. Not Fade Away. Close shave for Waylon Jennings who lost a coin toss to Valens.
February 3, 2024 - 12:54pm

#887

wissinomingdeadhead

Joined:
December 17, 2011

Added...

More dates! My first show was 1/5/79 a reschedule from November 78, my last show was 6/15/95 I never saw the Dead or any of its spin-offs. After the debut of Unbroken Chain that pretty much did it for me I was 29 years old and decided that it was time to get off an ever changing bus and grow up. After the wild scene at Highgate that was it for me. The Dead played woefully bad and the crowd changed from a bunch of laid back Deadheads into a rowdy bunch of kids looking to crash the scene by making themselves the scene. To me the real day the music died is the day Jerry died. Today is it really about the music or the money?
February 3, 2024 - 11:50am

#888

hendrixfreak

Joined:
February 26, 2014

An HF walks into a dispensary....

because it's dumping wet snow outside and I thought a treat to go with DaP 49 made a LOT of sense.

Still recall how excited we were in 8th grade ('70- '71?) when we got MC5's Kick Out the Jams LP, especially because I had the collectible, uncensored version and if there's anything a budding adolescent loves, it's hearing someone scream Motherf*****! on an LP...

Daverock, the Wake outtakes really are good. What I've done for the Working Man's, American Beauty and Wake outtakes is to select the most complete and well done versions of each song and put them in the LP running order to create an alternate version that kinda gets my mind out of the established recorded traditional LP versions of songs and good outtakes definitely give me a feel for how a song evolved prior to dubbing leads, etc. So, for instance, that beautiful piercing Jer guitar line that starts "Eyes" on the album is missing from the outtakes, which pretty much provide the band live in the studio playing the rhythm section. But YMMV.

Thanks to all for your welcome back sentiments.

As for Dead & Co. my only comment is that I dropped out of the GD live scene in '87 after a three nighter at Red Rocks and a two-dayer in Telluride because poor Jer had his '80s struggles and, at the wizened age of 30 I'd spent 15 years (maybe ~75 shows, including key '72 and '73 shows) with the band's live scene and just needed to move on. Went back for a double-header in Albany in '92 cuz I was cultivating nearby in Vermont. Had fun but the band seemed subdued. After that, I really enjoyed the Phil Lesh Quintet and a few Ratdog shows. But at 66, after 53 years in the rock 'n roll trenches, I've become a bit crowd intolerant (talking, phones, jostling, $$) and the slower pace of the songs isn't grabbing me. Though I wholeheartedly support the players and one and all who are still grooving.

After work and a workout, I'll crank up 49 and dig into the goodies. Have fun everyone!
February 3, 2024 - 11:36am

#889

ronmarley1

Joined:
October 24, 2008

Partners in Procrastination

I’m with you 1STSHOW70878. The same thing has happened to me, one week of Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow. I’ve seen others with shipping woes, but this is a first for me. Must be my turn.
February 3, 2024 - 10:23am

#890

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

Costless Revenue

But currently that’s the word

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Dead Store Products

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.

081227817442

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https://store.dead.net/en/grateful-dead/special-collections/daves-picks/daves-picks-vol.-49-frost-amphitheatre-stanford-university-palo-alto-ca-42785-and-42885/081227817442.html