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    marye
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    New year, new update. Tell us of your musical adventures in real time!

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  • icecrmcnkd
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    12-18-73

    Dark Star just started.

    12-18,19-73, and the other chop jobs from that Fall tour (11-20, 11-30, 12-4, 12-6) should be Plangentized/Normanized, Boxed up, and released.

  • Dennis
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    Uncle Trip and 7/4/86

    I was there, I recognized the t-shirt Jerry is wearing :-)

    Second set opened with a great Cold Rain & Snow intro that stretch until the first raindrops started down, then, "I married me a wife.....", and the cold rain poured down!

    And poor Dennis in only a t-shirt!

  • uncle_tripel
    Joined:
    a day on the green...

    ...with some unbelievable dry sunny weather
    (82 degrees in these parts) in the mid-atlantic for late october,
    I'm putting on my boogin' shoes for
    oakland coliseum
    june 8th 1974

    can hardly wait to get started...

    PEACE for ALL!
    uncle_tripel

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    The sound

    Of thick air...

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    The sound

    Of thick air...

  • uncle_tripel
    Joined:
    always...

    ...avoided the NR on recording
    and found very early the highs just got too muted for my ear,

    returning to some more 1978 this week:
    june 4th 1978
    at Campus Stadium, UCSB in Santa Barbara, Ca

    some more friends of the devils? lol...
    ...= the "on stage" harley davidson acceleration into--->NFA

    make LOVE, not war!

    PEACE!
    uncle_tripel

    PS: new avatar = mickey & jerry on 7/4/86 @ Rich Stadium

  • JimInMD
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    Noise Reduction and...

    I used Dolby for a brief blink of an eye when I first started copying tapes. Being young and naive, I thought who wants tape noise to come through on the recording, duh.. no brainer, I flipped the Dolby switch on my Nak and hit record. I just want to hear the music, no hiss.

    Very quickly reality set in. Was it Dolby A or Dolby B? Was the source tape recording using Dolby, if so, if you hit Dolby wouldn't it further compress the recording and further alter the sound, you can't play back using Dolby Squared, right? And what do you do in the car, in the boom box (yes.. we were just a few years out of 8 tracks when I started getting tapes). And who really flips or unflips the Dolby switch anyway based on how you think the recording was made. After all, were all these tapes properly notated every step of the way.

    So I quickly gave up on noise reduction, I had a good enough tape deck that I shouldn't be so worried about tape noise. I quit Dolby and never looked back (and never worried about pressing the Dolby button again).

    Just spit balling here, but my prejudices sometimes come to the surface when I hear a Dicks or Daves or Road Trips that sounds a bit muffled and I wonder if the particular Reel or Cassette or Betamax or whatever might have had a Dolby snafu baked in. To be clear, I have no proof this has ever occurred, I just wonder sometimes.

    I should emphasize Jeffrey Norman / David Glasser, etc. have gotten better at their jobs. So if there is any compression or noise reduction used anywhere along the way, they better at making this music sound as good as it possibly can, regardless of the sordid history of the source tapes. Thank you GD, Mockingbird Studios, the good folks and Plangent Processing and all the others that get this music to my front porch. Oh, and thank you tapers too!

  • Oroborous
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    Ooops, forgot

    I can’t say for sure off hand about everyone who recorded Dead and NR, but Betty was known for not using it, and if things are done right, no need.
    Nothing comes for free, so every time you do something, it will effect other things, sometimes negatively…a cost benefit trade off…perhaps just like BITD with high gen cassettes? To Dolby or not to Dolby, that is the question lol
    I always have tried not to do any permanent adjustments/fixes, preferring to try and fix some other way, eq etc, but nothing permanent that you can’t fix yer fix!

    Imho NR etc becomes more of a band aid for when things weren’t able to be right, or to help mask issues beyond repair, i.e., the ravages of time.
    Don’t think I’ve ever used any on a master recording?

    Onto rest of GDM soundtrack this afternoon…

  • 1stshow70878
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    Thx Oro

    So 15 ips or 30 ips would have been impractical for shows I imagine. Expense, changing reels too often, and as these were for listening by the band not studio use, etc. But what about them using noise reduction? I'm guessing no Dolby.
    As an aside, I seldom have my Dolby on when listening to cassettes even though most were recorded with it. Even factory tapes with Dolby seem less muffled without it and I'm not listening at thunderous levels (most of the time) where hiss is an issue.
    Skylabs, a top notch mid-western audio repairer, no longer works on certain categories of equipment: Consoles, quad receivers, linear tracking turntables, automatic turntables, and reel to reels. Just not worth it from a cost perspective for what those machines sell for vs. repair costs. There are still plenty of specialists who will and R-to-Rs are available restored at very reasonable prices but good luck finding pre-recorded tapes (old or new). Nobody makes them anymore. I was never tempted but my cassette guy sells tons of R-to-Rs for like $200-$300 fully restored, but they are more run of the mill Sony and not high end. And they sell fast!
    Thanks again and cheers bro

  • Oroborous
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    First half of GDM soundtrack

    Ist show. The more surface area (wider the tape), and/or the faster the recording speed, the higher the resolution. And yes R2R can most certainly sound best. (Like anything though, if done well)
    The problem is a good one is very expensive, they’re as hard to keep maintained etc as a TT, and good linage quality tapes are rare and expensive, oh, and more a pain to “flip” than even a record…but they can sound amazing!

    Remember, many CDs AND most vinyl are sourced from (hopefully) master R2R tapes! A purist with the gear and ears might argue that direct to (vinyl) disc recording is the ultimate…but good luck lol
    One of the main reasons digital still gets such a bad rap is twofold
    1- the conversion used originally, and lack of attention to disparity’s between different DACs in the chain. Conversion has come a loonnggg way baby! AND…
    2- a significant number of the CDs first produced to meet the huge demand were not sourced from the master tapes, and lineage and source quality were often a joke! Caveat emptor: not all CDs are created alike!…or Blu-ray’s, or DVDs, or Vinyl etc Like drugs boys and girls, know your sources!

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New year, new update. Tell us of your musical adventures in real time!
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Aug. 4,5,6 1974 as per DRs recommendation, for that Playin' on 8-4, "The doors of perception have been blown off their hinges".
Also previously had to annotate the dates on 31.
Cheers

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Whole show is smoking, got that monster Hard to Handle, and I love the St. Stephen that starts Set II.

Just got back (a couple days early) from a week down south in the NM woods - did I miss any big news?

Feel like I've got a whole lot of listening to do with all the great '74 (and other years) suggestions I see below. Re: 7/25/74 - Cone Kid, not sure you saw my story post a couple of years ago but yours truly (bluecrow) was responsible for surfacing an audience (from the taper himself, only show he taped) that became the first circulating source for that show back ca. 1997. years later the sbd finally entered trading circles (not clear if it was in the vault all those years but it certainly is now.) I think the circulating sbd sounds sweet and Dave L. has featured parts of it repeatedly. i really dig the DS jam and just wish it went on another 20+ minutes. Hope to see an official release some day.

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Wow Bluecrow I for one missed that re: 7/25/74 (if you have a link to your post I'd love to read more...?) In fact, I have never heard a single note from that show. TBH for whatever reason most of July '74 is sort of a black hole for me. I've heard Selland many times, but I wasn't paying attention when the Dave's series started, so I missed the 7/31/74 release. I have since added that Dillon Stadium show to my collection, along with the prior show at the Cap Centre, but for BOTH shows they bear the curious distinction in which I've said many times that I "must make time to sit down and give it a proper listen" but then somehow I've never actually followed through.

BUT - I am making time for Dave's 9 today. 5/14/74. That Scarlet->Must Have Been the Roses never fails to make me smile. Just a perfect show (ok, with the encore possibly excepted...)

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In reply to by Obeah

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Plus omg, 9/11/74. Had not HEARD this one complete before, Doah!
Felt like it was the most consistent overall of the three nights? and has another sweet 74 PITB, but the P&N through Rat sequence…OMG, tiss the shite mate!
If you haven’t heard, and like big weirdness ala 72/73, you MUST check out at least from PITB onward…through the fog!

7/25/74. OBEAH, ole Bluecrow always be giving us the goodness!
And 5/14, one of my favs of the year, 74 DS, come on…scary moons 😳

BC, Betting you’ve heard about 51, so other than that, I’d say you missed nothing ; )
I too, waiting impatiently for 7/25….hear sound of foot tapping…

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In reply to by Oroborous

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141133.sbd.dalton.miller.sirmick
Sounds good.

The show could be cleaned up and included in next year’s 30TATS -The Sequel Box.

Yes Crow, I enjoyed 7-25-74.
And I just finished playing 5-14-74 in the car (took a few days). Definitely a step up from 5-12-74.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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7 19 90

I was listening to 7 18 90 earlier today and it just felt "meh".

7 19 90 already has a springy bouncy energy 2nd song in.

Very interesting

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In reply to by proudfoot

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Lyceum Theatre

Peace

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...a small bit of squawking or is it squonking...someone recently mentioned Ornette Coleman with the Boys in 1993...anyway PHILA 1973 SEPT 21 Set 2 should fill the jones with guests Martin Fiero & Joe Ellis

Peace for All!
uncle_tripel

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Disc 4 of "Unlabled 1968 GD"

Saint Stephen >
TIFTOO >
Lovelight

The SS is a very early version

Edit
Theres info about this on e t r e e

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1972 was some great concerts in some out-of-the way places

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Obeah - here's an edited/slightly reworked version of what I posted on another forum years ago. I'd go for the GEMS SBD remaster (152924). Not as jammed out as some '74 but there is some really and truly, very fine, music here (sound of Oro's foot tapping.) The Dark Star jam is unlike any out there and I really really dig it.

Ca. 1997/98 – I was living in a small desert town. First worked here summer of ’95 and it was here that I first learned of Jerry’s passing (and still here 25+ years later). Jim, a long time resident (moved away years ago) and fellow Deadhead (saw Vegas Ice Palace ’69 I think) mentioned that a friend had come through town and left a list of tapes he had to trade/share. The friend was a river runner out of Flagstaff, would be back through town in a week or so. Jim invited me to take a look at the list and see if there was anything I wanted. It was a short list – all that I remember at this point is that it had the International Amphitheatre show, 7/25/74, complete show, an audience rated at C-. The show was unknown to me and, as a favorite year and a Chicago boy at heart (born and raised north suburbs), I asked for that one.

One night a little while later the river runner friend came back through town. I remember standing outside in the summer dark talking to him for maybe 10-20 minutes, he only stopped to drop off tapes. It turned out that he had taped the show himself and it was the only show he ever taped. A cheap deck with the microphones hanging over the balcony railing (IIRC). He had talked to Phil outside the back door before the show and Phil had big time dosed him. Said that Phil sat on a stool for part of the show. He got all wide-eyed with nostalgic awe when he recalled the Ship of Fools encore – clearly the song had been a major religious experience. I think he handed me his masters to make a copy (or maybe he just dropped off a copy?), saying he would pick them up from our mutual friend on the way back through town. Don’t recall his name and never saw him again.

Listening to the tapes you felt like you were way in the back of a cavernous space. To me, C- was possibly a generous grade, but with a pair of cheap headphones (all my gear was cheap at the time) - listening in the dark in the middle of the high desert night - you could be there, and for a poor boy in the backwoods of tapes it was a cool listen. I dubbed a couple of copies and sent one to Jeff, a close friend, who was back in the Chicago area – at the time he was managing Dr. Wax (a chain of several used record/CD stores/Jeff also founded and ran a niche record label Quinnah Records) A little while later Jeff calls me, all excited. “Where did you get this?? This is the only known recording of this show currently in circulation!!!” Circulation was a relative term in this case. Turns out Jeff had reached out/was in contact with the gentlemen who were putting together the first Tapers Compendium and, connected as they were, they knew of no other recordings of this show. The Compendium folks wanted him to review the tapes/show for the Compendium, but in the end it was too late because the book had just gone into galley(?) and it was too much trouble to revise it. This is the only ’74 show not reviewed/completely missing from the first edition Tapers Compendium Vol I.

A bunch of high-end traders contacted Jeff requesting copies. When Jeff asked one what his opinion of the tapes were, the gentleman replied that it was pretty rough and that basically it was for completists only, but of course it had a heretofore uncirculated Dark Star with a Slipknot tease, which was everything you needed to know right there. This may have been at the time the only uncirculated Dark Star post-1970. Another commented that he thought he knew the person who might have the soundboard reels (or copies of them) but that they were holding them close. The SBD recording finally entered public circulation a few years later and Dave Lemieux (I raise a toast, or two or three, or more, in his honor) has featured portions of this show a time or three, I think, in the Jam of the Week and/or the Tapers Section/and 30 days of the Dead. So the masters are in the vault. The audience has never been uploaded to the archive.

It makes me smile that this show first resurfaced from the depths of time (relatively speaking) in this dusty, high desert, town.

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In reply to by bluecrow

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Oro on his ongoing trip through '74 had me revisit this overlooked show from Europe '74. (David Usborne matrix). Parts of the SBD are missing but don't be deterred, there's some great playing on this one!

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For the taper story.
Legendary indeed.
Cheers

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Wonder if there were other tapers who never released copies.

Release the SBD Dave.

Yes, I listened to the Dark Star>Slipknot theme twice.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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6-20-80 Gans-Miller.25469

Sounds pretty good, has potential to sound even better after being polished up.

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In reply to by Oroborous

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The goodness continues…

Edit: thanks BC! That’s an great tale and being aaaaa, “memory challenged” lol, it was nice to refresh. Yes indeed, wonder what else might be “lost” out there?

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I just realized that tomorrow is the 50th of International Amphitheater 7-25-74 Chicago, IL.

Proceed accordingly.

Edit: glad folks here appreciate the story - thank you friends. It was yet another (very) strange occurrence in the desert here and not even the only one that was GOGD related.

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...to BLUECROW for the history on July 25, 1974; I always wondered why it was missing from the Compendium.
I have a Charlie M DL which was burned to CD many years ago, and I eventually lost that DL to an external HD failure,
and now thru the power of tech (CD>iTunes>phone) resides on my phone.
So without further elaboration, I'm grabbing some coffee and headphones, and I'll be taking off for the 50th anniversary of Chicago's International Ampitheater.

Peace All!
uncle_tripel

btw: a galley is a proofread signed-off final copy of a manuscript that's approved to be reproduced to a printing plate which is then provided to a printing press in book manufacturing

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In reply to by uncle_tripel

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Hitting warp drive: P&N>PITB….oh my 😱

Maybe rehash 7/25 later…been kinda trying to save it for, ya know….

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Spinning now.

Yes, a galley proof is a test printing that is checked for errors and corrected before going into the final published version.
Much easier these days with computers compared to setting the letters for a printing press.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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on recent long drive to/from project area, the 2 shows that really stood out in road music were DiP 19 - 10/19/73 Oklahoma City Fairgrounds and 10/16/89 (Nightfall of Diamonds, Meadowlands). Disc 3 from 10/19 is one of my favorites of anything released to date. I love love love the Dark Star > Mind Left Body Jam!!

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4 years 3 months

In reply to by Oroborous

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Please post what your opinion is of the show's Morning Dew, Oro

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11 years 3 months

In reply to by proudfoot

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Winterland

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Morning rockers, happy Friday!!!

Right now? Princeton, April 17 1971. Why? C'mon!!! Pigpen. Greasy is as greasy does.

Man - life in general - seems irrelevant to the workings of the universe: a mere smudge of water, grease, and carbon on a pinpoint planet circling a star of no special consequence.....

Rock on!!

Doc
Embrace the grease, if any, and look fresh and human........
P.S. Still waiting on 51.............

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got up this morning with a hankerin' for some 1985, 3 seconds later, oh yeah...
September 15th @ Devore Field

west L.A. fade away,
here's one chance you say
she tries to live by the golden rule
said you TREAT other people RIGHT
people probably treat you COOL

enjoy your weekend if you can, and...
treat other people right!

Peace for All
uncle_tripel

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I really appreciate you taking the time to share that story esp since it's not the first time. You told it in a very evocative way, too. Personally I've never lived in a high desert town but I grew up in SoCal near enough to the Antelope Valley to have visited regularly, so at least I have a feel for the flavor. So that story really resonated. And as to questionable AUDs, well, I'm a sucker for 11-11-1970, as I've expressed elsewhere, so that just adds to the mystique. All the more so when there's no other way to take that ride (I'd like to have it one more time...)

I checked and don't have 7/25 in my collection so I will indeed go and find that GEMS version. Thanks for the tip.

I had to go look up the Chicago Int'l Amphitheater. Never realized it figured in some notable events of 1968 including the 'Pigasus' incident. I went and looked at some photos of the venue, checked out its histoyr, and it reminded me a bit of the Cow Palace in SF due to the showing of livestock. I wonder just how many ice rinks were venues for the Grateful Dead over the years...

Anyway thanks again. I meant to reply sooner but got busy late Wednesday night posting about that '70 Brooklyn Bowl show, and then despite yesterday being the 50th anniversary of the 7/25/74 show, I was unexpectedly too busy to get over here to post.

Obeah - glad you liked the story. Recounting it all these years later has me thinking I need to try and track down the mystery taper. I'll report back (it may be awhile.) Despite my Chicago area roots and a love of history, I must admit that the history associated with the International Amphitheatre is not something I was familiar with. I was in grade school at the time Pigasus the Immortal was nominated and have no memory of the '68 Convention nor had I ever heard of Pigasus until now. Looks like the Pigasus nomination took place at another locale in the city (Chicago Civic Center later known as Richard J Daley Center, which is how I knew it later). A close friend's older brother was a class of '68 valedictorian (I think) in HS along front range and won a trip to attend the '68 Dem Convention. Total straight arrow guy. Came back shocked and completely changed by what he saw and went full counterculture.

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It’s very unusual PF…perhaps the quietest Dew I’ve heard?
Thought it was real Lysergic at first with the unparalleled gentle dynamics, but then they just sorta end it, thereby not achieving the liftoff and the powerful other end of the dynamic spectrum you’d expect.
Meaning, if they’d added a more normal, big finale, loud and powerful ending, to such a delicate little prelude, we might be trash talking goat lol.
But it just doesn’t really take flight, like JG was too high and all of a sudden after 15 minutes, wanted it to be over. Very unusual and interesting…
Whole tour was different.
Big difference in the Piano audio from 5/12 until 9/21. Much better.
Pretty decent show and audio, except Bob is extremely low in the mix.
Plenty of Phil though lol
Ok, onward to 7/12/89!

Edit: Chula Rocks!

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That MD is the slowest ever to the point of almost unlistenability

9 18 74 was one of the first shows I got on cassette way back in the day

Gotta hear that one again soon

Also 9 21 74
On archive many people point out that Weir is either really low in the mix or not in the mix at all

Now you know

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9 years 1 month

In reply to by proudfoot

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Spinning now.

2 anniversaries today.

A toast to Brent.

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16 years 1 month
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...again

Scarlet wow nice! He's Gone Jam D/S Jam Truckin' Black Peter sweet...Blusey

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17 years 5 months

In reply to by fourwindsblow

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First is kinda meh, second show, Deer Creek is muy bien!
Except for the fun but big Ooops in Crazy Fingers (fun because you can tell their laughing, you can “hear” them smiling etc) but unfortunately it’s big enough that it might keep it from being chosen?
Otherwise, what a great show. Maybe not guile as good as the 17, but certainly better than the RFKs…

Oh, does it count as a DHB if one show is on video?
Lol, ended up hitting Downhill from Here to finish things off yesterday…
Man that show ROCKS,! Hadn’t checked it in awhile!
Maybe hit the other Alpines next…
Onward!

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11 years 3 months

In reply to by proudfoot

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Madison Square Garden

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Since it won't arrive until Monday (we CAs get screwed sometime) I'm spinning some early Dave's Picks. This time it's Volume 3 - Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL 10/22/71

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In reply to by The Wolfman

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11 11 70

Nice GD followed by an extensive set of hot jamming with Jorma Jack and Papa John Creach

A show that must've been a potent experience to attend

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9 years 2 months

In reply to by proudfoot

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Low Spark album - along with title track, love Hidden Treasure, Many a Mile to Freedom, and Rainmaker.

DaP 51 left Fontana early AM today and scheduled for Tuesday delivery as of now. Mail Innovations usually works well in our neck of the woods so here's hoping.

Have a grate weekend folks!

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In reply to by bluecrow

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Mornin amigos!

Keith Jarret Koln
Burton Duet
Bernstein Rhapsody
SW New Age music
Burton et el Reunion

Then we might be ready for more Alpine 89 lol

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You can tell by the date order that I'm on the archive. Just wanted to see what the windy wall show was about. Decent SBD and some good stuff in there despite the complaints, especially as we get past those 1st few songs. Not a blow you away (pun intended) but not bad either.
Oro, in the mid-to-late 70s I got to see Chick Corea and Gary Burton together in Boulder, CO (great sound and acoustics in their indoor concert hall, forget the name right now) for a life altering show likely the highest I've ever been on fungi. Or was that the one with the peyote milkshakes? Either way the musical notes were visible in the air at times but the moving walls seemed controllable, lol.
Keith Jarret's Koln is a favorite in my collection as well. I have most of his catalog that is on the ECM label which were all superb quality recordings and pressings BITD. As Dennis likely knows these bring good money on the resale market, but they will have to pry them out of my cold dead hands, etc.
Cheers

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11 years 3 months

In reply to by 1stshow70878

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Kiel Auditorium

Since 51 didn't make it today, I'm at the park listening to this show. What idiot thought it was a good idea to shoot a bottle rocket in an auditorium? No wonder the law was always following us. Lol

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5 years 8 months
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Me too!!! 10/30/73 is todays pick!

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In reply to by jonathan918@GD

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Happy anniversary.

“This whole thing is a fraud, we’re really clever androids”.

Plangentize, Normanize, and release, Dave.

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11 years 7 months

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Great concert last night in Rock Hall MD, intimate venue with John Jorgenson's bluegrass band, featuring legend Herb Pedersen, who just turned 80 and has played with so many including Chris Hillman, David Grisman, Old and In the Way, many others. Looking forward to JRAD Thursday in Burlington, Yonder Mountain soon after. Jorgenson is especially memorable for me, his Django Jazz was the last live music I saw before the pandemic shut everything down for years.

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Bertha Peggy-O Loser Tennessee Jed Good Time Blues Lost Sailor Saint Of Circumstance. China Cat Sunflower I Know You Rider Ship Of Fools Eyes Of The World Drums The Other One Stella Blue...