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    Dave's Picks Vol. 51: Scranton Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, PA (4/13/71)

    Look out Big Boss Man, Pigpen's on the loose! We're shedding our lovelight on the not-to-be-overlooked Spring 1971 tour with DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 51, featuring the complete unreleased show from the SCRANTON CATHOLIC YOUTH CENTER, SCRANTON, PA 4/13/71 AND the 2nd set from the previous night at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, PA on 4/12/71.

    These gems find the original Grateful Dead quintet delivering some of their most inspired, energetic, and tightest performances. There's a dab of WORKINGMAN'S DEAD, a splash of AMERICAN BEAUTY, a great foreshadow into what would soon appear on SKULL & ROSES. And you'll need nearly all those fingers (or those toes) because - count 'em - there's eight classic covers ("Mama Tried," "Hard To Handle," and a rare "I Second That Emotion," to name a few) done as only the Dead could do them with Mr. McKernan and his magical harmonica.

    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 51: SCRANTON CATHOLIC YOUTH CENTER, SCRANTON, PA 4/13/71 has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering.

    P.S. We had a little extra room on Disc 2, so please enjoy the final five DP48 bonus tracks to complete 10/24/70, St. Louis, MO.

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  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Get Smart

    Buck Henry, born (Buck) Henry Zuckerman, won an Emmy for outstanding writing for that comedy series. Way ahead of the pack in that era of TV indeed Jim. I'd forgotten his co-creator was none other than Mel Brooks! Buck's movie writing credits are also top tier and include an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay for The Graduate. And another shared Oscar nomination for best director with Warren Beatty for Heaven Can Wait. He was way more than the guy doing hilariously creepy weird character skits and recurring characters on SNL (10 appearances) including the straight man to Belushi's samurai where John once cut him on the forehead with the blade. His wiki is an interesting read to say the least.
    Cheers

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Groovy Guru

    Yes to Buck Henry, one of the better Saturday Night Live hosts a half decade later.

    I guess I had this image that Dennis' music room should be some clandestine secret and it reminded me of the cold war spoof that once was. Clearly Chaos want's his box set and at least a small piece of his vinyl collection.

    How does this relate to the Grateful Dead?

    The opening lines of that episode show two agents exchanging secret code language to ensure they are who they say they are and have not been infiltrated by traitors. When I first heard this there was no rewind, but it aired years later and I had to do a double take and rewind. It first aired in January 1968.
    ___________________________________________________
    Wanda : [sign] The Grateful Dead are alive and living in Beverly Hills.

    Maxwell Smart : [countersign] Simon and Garfunkel fell off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Agent 86.

    Wanda : I'm hip. Courier 12.

    Maxwell Smart : Did you get the information on the Groovy Guru?

    Wanda : Enough here for the fuzz to peel and freeze.

    Maxwell Smart : Huh?

    Wanda : Square city. You know, enough to put him away for life.

    ___________________________________

    At the time the Grateful Dead were alive and well but living in Olompali, not Beverly Hills. Still.. for January 68 I'd say they hit the mark for a rinky dink sit com. This was two weeks before what is perhaps my favorite show, February 14th, 1968. Pretty cool for a B+ sitcom of the day. Beats the crap out of Rosanne or Dancing with the Stars.

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    Dennis’ shelf photo

    Is that the one when he’s wearing his awesome tie-dye suit?

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    The Sacred Cows

    Had to look that up Jim as I was not a huge fan of Get Smart and I'm sure I never saw that episode. Great set with mood lighting including neon signs spelling things like Kaos, Obey, and Kill. Uncredited musicians are Ben Benay, Jerry Scheff, and John Greek. Larry Storch as The Groovy Guru trying to take over the world as all of Maxwell and 99's opponents do. Wasn't Buck Henry one of the writers? The song was... interesting?
    Oddly there is a current local band somewhere with that moniker. I saw clips of them on face book. They claim to be a bunch of dads trying to be rock stars. But how can they top that 60s hit song Kill, Kill, Kill?
    Cheers
    Hmm... Max and 99 save the day by taking some sort of pill. Was that still legal then?

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Thank You

    Thanks to all for the very kind words. Such heart warming thoughts from a very special bunch of freaks.

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Picture

    I might have seen the same photo.. I cannot recall the specifics.

    I do have it on good authority that the security system and series of doors one must pass to get into the secret lair with the vinyl and box sets was modeled after the secret system used to gain access to Control headquarters as seen in the opening credits of Get Smart.

    Coincidentally, Dennis was last seen driving a red 1965 sunbeam tiger mark 1 convertible and his wife answers to 99.

    But does he have any records from the Sacred Cows?

    (sorry to the 95% that probably don't get these references.. but for those that do, the Sacred Cows rock. I swear it's Jorma on guitar)

  • Dennis
    Joined:
    Oro 2,,,, the sequel

    yes the stereo works.

    Preamp needed all new capacitors, and it got new tubes.

    Got a new cd player, old one had "issues".

    New one (Yamaha CD-S303 Single CD Player) was 400, nice thing it plays from usb memory sticks.

    Downside to usb mem stick playing is the unit doesn't really have a good navigation system.

    Upside I can line up a playlist and just let it play.

    I'm doing a decent size puzzle in the room right now so "optimal" listening is hard with an 8x5 with a puzzle on it in the middle of your sound stage, but still sounds great.

    This further allowed me to compare mp3 recording to cd recording, 320 level mp3 and store bought cd.

    I'll be honest at this point,, you'd be hard pressed to hear the difference. Certainly you can't hear any while hanging with people doing the puzzle.

    Turntable is next thing to get going,,, need to get puzzle done so I can get the room!

  • Dennis
    Joined:
    Oro and credit rating...

    ... a bum like me doesn't meet a dame with dough.

    You have to meet THEM when their young and poor and recognize potential!

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    I’ve seen his vault

    With that fancy smancy shelving he still has lots of room too!
    But only a picture mind you, and I’ve just blown my Non disclosure he made me sign, Ooopps, I better mind erase asap as the enemy will thus arrive soon and want to “persuade” me to give them intel I don’t have, good god, the horror!

    But…?
    Does the stereo work yet?

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    I'd like to see Dennis' music room

    I have to wonder if his wife has the key? My guess, she does not or more likely it was clandestinely constructed by digging a cavernous acoustically perfect arena shaped hobit cave in the hillside behind the house. All construction being done at night using the same low decibel construction methods Andy Dufresne used in the Shawshank Redemption. One either enters the room through an elaborate series of hidden doors or perhaps a small door is hidden behind the Raquel Welch poster in the center of the room. Either way I can only imagine what it looks like and if kept intact.. in 50 years or so it could be turned into a museum.

    Happy Anniversary Doc.. new guitar, happy day.

    Speaking of Dennis' music room, mine needs some serious attention. My collection has become scattered as I have outgrown my space allotment about the time Boxzilla arrived. First world problems to be sure.

    Been listening to a whole bunch of GD recently. Imagine that.

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Dave's Picks Vol. 51: Scranton Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, PA (4/13/71)

Look out Big Boss Man, Pigpen's on the loose! We're shedding our lovelight on the not-to-be-overlooked Spring 1971 tour with DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 51, featuring the complete unreleased show from the SCRANTON CATHOLIC YOUTH CENTER, SCRANTON, PA 4/13/71 AND the 2nd set from the previous night at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, PA on 4/12/71.

These gems find the original Grateful Dead quintet delivering some of their most inspired, energetic, and tightest performances. There's a dab of WORKINGMAN'S DEAD, a splash of AMERICAN BEAUTY, a great foreshadow into what would soon appear on SKULL & ROSES. And you'll need nearly all those fingers (or those toes) because - count 'em - there's eight classic covers ("Mama Tried," "Hard To Handle," and a rare "I Second That Emotion," to name a few) done as only the Dead could do them with Mr. McKernan and his magical harmonica.

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 51: SCRANTON CATHOLIC YOUTH CENTER, SCRANTON, PA 4/13/71 has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering.

P.S. We had a little extra room on Disc 2, so please enjoy the final five DP48 bonus tracks to complete 10/24/70, St. Louis, MO.

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A delayed first listen because I was holding off for yesterdays car ride down to Deer Creek for this weekend's Phish shows. With the first set, the drive was straight toward a massive thunderhead that just sat there on the horizon getting bigger and bigger. And when I got into the second set Drums, somewhere near a place called Angola, things started to get really dark..... caught some ripping lightning bolts tear down from the sky. Was an absolute thrilling match to the garage-rock style energy of the show.

Is there a Big Railroad Blues that rocks harder than that? And how about Phil?!? He's absolutely on fire here. Effortlessly playing both the pocket and the leads.

I'll have to go back an listen to the Pittsburgh material as it was sort of a let down following up after Scranton.

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In reply to by FiveBranch

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1STShow - I went to nearly all the March and October shows at the Rainbow. It was an elaborate old cinema which played host to loads of great bands, including a great run of shows from Dire Straits. I lived in Highbury at the time, just a short walk away. Next time I saw Grateful Dead was in Paris 1990 when a group of people loosely associated with the fanzine Spiral Light hired a coach over. And then the final ever UK shows at Wembley. Fun times.

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In reply to by frankparry

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Time for a Bruce release.

Yeah, my DaP51 still has that new plastic smell.

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Just got to the liner notes. Pretty cool story about the Kiel Opera House show and the recording.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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Too funny.

Thanks for the smile.

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Let the guessing games begin.
Maybe somewhere in the 88-91 era?
But it could be anywhere. Dave has tricks up his sleeve and cards he isn't showing, lol. It's all welcome if he thinks it is worthy.
Cheers

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Check email and IM.

All requested items put up.

Let me Know if gotten.

Dennis

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Let me say this: The King was a pretty big influence on Weir's vocal style, if ya ask me. Cue up just about any version of Around and Around and you'll see what I mean.

Last five!

McCoy Tyner: Sahara
TTB: Let Me Get By
Dap #51
Lee Morgan: Cornbread
Dylan: 11/19/75 (from the Rolling thunder box)

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I don't recognize any Elvis influence in "Not fade awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"

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One more: think of the way Elvis would sing Looks Like Rain. And then think of how Weir does sing it. And maybe imagine Bobby handing out scarves to women in the front rows.

Too bad Elvis didn't do a Dead tribute album. Maybe if he'd lived longer. He could've crushed Big River, Love Light, Fire on the Mountain. Would've been fun to hear him try The Other One.

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was a song that I thought Bobby would like to cover.

"Chance favors the prepared mind." - Phil Lesh

They shared a few covers - Johnny B. Goode, Promised Land and See See Rider come to mind. Also Hey Jude. Hard to decide which of them did the worse version of that one!

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Dont forget; Garcia did "Thats all right, mama" and "Mystery train" - with his solo-bands - the "King" and the Dead also shared Madison Square Garden - Elvis did a live album there in 1972 - one of (if not the..) the first full, uncut shows to make it to vinyl - back in the day..

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A drummer! Still blows my mind that Ronnie Tutt was the drummer for 2 guys in the mid-70s, Elvis and Jerry. He was a tasteful, masterful drummer. Jerry treated him pretty shabbily on his firing, not letting him know, which was compounded by Elvis's death months before, but they made pretty awesome music together.

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sang with Elvis and the Dead. Elvis and the Dead both played at the Cow Palace(probably a lo of other places too).

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yeah man, got em, thanks a bunch, just so...awesome.

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Future Dave's Picks...? If they have the reels?
03/17/67- Winterland Arena - San Francisco, CA
03/18/67- Winterland Arena - San Francisco, CA
03/19/67- Fillmore Auditorium - San Francisco, CA
Would make a grooovy cover too!?

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This sampler cd from the Archives Vol III ( and a pin) arrived in the UK less than 8 days from the first mention that it was on the way. Well done Greedy Hands and DHL.
Even more unusually, both the NYA and Rhino sites said that these items would only be sent out in advance to customers in the US, overseas customers would get them with the box. I hope that dead.net continues to use DHL for their deliveries.

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9/26/81

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In reply to by daverock

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Got to remember he didnt like hippies or "drugs." He got some DEA token/badge from Nixon. He didnt have problems with the Dr prescribing his drugs but hated that others didnt take the same path.

I love him and his music, but the person, uuhmmm.

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He could sing.

End of story.

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In reply to by PT Barnum

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Great documentary with Donna Jean in it.

Great stories.

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Got 51 today - fine slice of the "5-man-bar-room-Dead-band" 1971 - keep 71 comming.. Elvis recorded "Big Boss Man" in September 67, and did it (a lot..) live in 1974 and a little in 75/76/77.. BW from Copenhagen

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Didn't see any good versions of Steve Vance’s cover art for Dave's 51 online. I was about to scan mine that had just arrived, when Copperdomebodhi came to the rescue. He made three versions: 1) Scranton, PA 4/13/71 (art from the CD cover & booklet); 2) Pittsburg, PA 4/12/71 (set 2); 3) St. Louis, MO 10/24/70 (the 5 final tracks that complete Dave’s 48). Plus I snagged the gif from one of the deadnet newsletters. You'll have to scroll down:

"3 w dot"
dropbox "dot" com/sh/qx5j9ydoc7bzm8z/AAD8yK_vCv_kQ-oLkLJQVCEla?dl=0

Enjoy, pass ‘em around, and let the music play (LOUD!)

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Is this true? I would love more 1981 releases. Great energy.

I just ordered the MSG box. Arriving this week. Looking forward to some good early '80's...

THIN

I would assume everything is speculation or hope right now...

Thank you Jeff I got the email from D box, I did make my own cover art this time though with a photo I took for the first time, it came out pretty good.

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Thin.. you dont think it is 9/26/91..

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Who put this out there and even showed a script type picture shot of this being the 2024 Box Set?!? IT was on the picture of the script actually showing it as an store.dead.net blah blah....obviously someone found this behind the IT wall or something???
WHY the f is this not the box set this year??? I mean I get it that those April 1978 shows are popular, even gimmicky(Jerry at Duke), and OF COURSE Betty Boards....but lets be honest: the setlist are VERY repetitive, Jerry sounds out of tune in most of the shows, and a bit...ummm, tired, Keith sounds like he is simply plunking notes on a 1978 Sears electric piano(he sure doesn't sound like late-1971 when he joined, and Donna is simply high-pitched screaming on a lot of tunes.
BOTTOM LINE - How was the above title showing up as a dead.net exclusive on that javascript pic shot, and now it's not the 2024 BOX SET- maybe later this year?!?!?!

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In reply to by Thin

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MSG box is way better than most that do not have it realize. Sure the sound is different from a Betty Board as it is on cassette. But, it does have a great stereo image. That image, in my own opinion, does have the line arrays embedded in it. To date, I havent even run the MSG box thru the equalizer, but I am going to. Just thought of that now.

My home town arena is 50% the size of MSG. And I mean 50%, as the local arena was built with MSG's blue prints; only, dimensions are 50% smaller. When listening to great sounding groups, say like Yes, we always sat in the upper deck directly in the middle (straight on shot of the stage.) This allowed us to have great stereo sound out of an old concrete arena.

The playing within the box is superb.

G

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It's easy to make a script, put it up on a monitor and make a screenshot of it. That doesn't make it genuine. Various punters searched for the script but none found it. The conclusion was that it was a fake, but some people obviously believed it.

Conclusion: Never trust a Prankster.

Archiving 7 18 89
First set nice
Will do 2nd later

"Ain't noways tired" Jerry ain't tired during US Blues 4 12 78
Jumpin' Jer Flash

I know it's 2024. But hearing 7 18 89 makes me yearn ("I yearn, George") for being AT a GD show. 35 years gone.

Whoever did the shorelines beckon prank needs to be...

Remember, it's shoreLIGHTS, not shorelines. The prankster let loose a tell.

A few hours of work and then back to Alpine

One more: the cover art for the sleeve of the 5/4/77 is totally off the mark for the glorious GD on the disc. I really dislike the tagger image (taggers deserve to have their fingers broken). Opportunity to create my own cover art, I say.

Oh boy, “that would be something”
Fine show from another great under represented year!
Yep, need to hit that MSG box again soon…

Baked Alaska: as much as I’d enjoy that fantasy box, I’d much rather have this April 78. The Alaska shows are good, but I think I recall only one being exceptional? And I’m unfamiliar with the 70 shows, but even IF they were on primo recordings, would that be enough to justify using up a coveted “once a year only” box slot?
But hey, sorry your not happy this go round. Maybe it will be a late addition, perhaps just in time for the holidaze? Remember when they used to market for the holidaze? And maybe sometime you’ll get shown the light and find a new found affinity for April 78? Whatevs…it’s all good!

The Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion.)

I Second that Emotion.

Not Fade Away.

The Call of two songs and the response of one.

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In reply to by Gary Farseer

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....play a Dicks tonight.
I picked out #30. Bo Diddly y'all!

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In reply to by Vguy72

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had to be towed to mechanic. (Of course towed is an out dated word)

After car was loaded, the drive said "Thank You Big Boss Man."

Nice.

It is amazing how 99% of the people react when meeting them, you treat them with kindness.

Of course, you have to learn how to watch and scope manipulators.

He was genuinely kind also.

That is all.

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In reply to by Vguy72

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Did Dick's 30 a couple of weekends back. Just love the Bo Diddly.

Cant remember which song he has a minor discussion about you got to "Eat it, eat all of it." If memory is correct.

Has to be a reference to we ate the acid, especially at that Hell's Angel benefit. Haha benefit, right.

This is a very good Pick, one of my favorites. Very raw era, with just guitars and drums and vocals. Sometimes the recording goes into the red (surprised it doesn't happen more often, honestly), but a wonderful delight for Phil plans, of which I am a huge one. You get to clearly hear some of his unorthodox choices, Me & Bobby McGee is especially revelatory; with no keys, Phil has to be more of a rhythmic anchor, and he adapts to it well. I get why Doc loves this era so much. Very potent. Not a huge fan of Sugar Magnolia, but was digging the ones on here quite a bit.

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I've listened to this release 3 times. Each time when it gets to Big Boss Man I think "Is that Jim Morrison singing?" Anyone else get that sense?

I think the fake out has to do with Pig sounding a little extra soulful / sexy on this tune. Plus the vocals are pushed forward, yet a good warm vocal mix.

All said, really digging this release. good energy, good vibes!

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LATVALA

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Too early to talk about 53?

2/21, 22/73 Assembly Hall perfect four disc Dave's Pick.

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