Pick of the Day, with Discussion

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April 6, 2020 - 9:47am

8,064 replies

marye

Joined:
May 26, 2007

Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

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October 21, 2020 - 5:34pm

#5501

bluecrow

Joined:
September 21, 2015

Park City!!

gonna toot the horn again on this one. finally heard Set I and on my 3rd spin or so through Set II in past several days - what a fun listen and fun show!! pretty sure my cassette was the Ultramatrix. who knew? it kicks ass. everything I remembered. though I didn't see this show, it really captures that great '87 summer vibe. FOB I listened to earlier was also excellent.
only '81 show I saw was 12/6 at Rosemont. Some solid moments including sweet Jack a Roe, China > Rider Set I closer, and a Set II To Lay Me Down. Just a few weeks earlier saw the Jerry Band at the final show at the Uptown - move to Rosemont sadly was end of an era. there were rumors that Dead were thinking of booking a final Uptown run but no. Oro mentioned 1st set from previous night in Indy. I haven't checked sources but the Set II from that night was smoking from what I heard at time - opens with a fat Shakedown and its freaking got a pre-drumz Big Railroad!!
October 21, 2020 - 10:23am

#5502

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

81 and Healy vs Betty

81, yaaasssss another fine overlooked year! Love 5/6, definitely better than Dave’s 20. Can also vouch for 3/13, 5/17, and 9/26 as I was there and Dave and XM have played these often over the years. Always thought 5/17 was a top show and better than 5/16 from boxilla. Remember having first sets from Indianapolis 12/5?, and St Louis, and a hot 2nd set from KC. Had more back in the day but don’t recall. Probably not great recordings etc so didn’t get the same love as the others?
IMO I don’t think Healy should of gotten fired, or at least not until he did. Perhaps sent off to rehab....
He didn’t get canned because he couldn’t mix, but because of his personal problems, differences of opinion and being insubordinate. I think the collaboration between he and the Ultra-Sound crew/equipment provided the greatest live reinforcement ever!
Also, some mixers are good at live versus studio etc. I’m sure Betty had good enough ears to mix live, but that doesn’t mean she could have as there’s more to it than that. And conversely, if Healy only did recordings using the same rig as Beatty, I’m sure he’d do fine.
I’ve never felt the GD or any of the after groups has ever sounded as good. I love Cutlers studio stuff but wasn’t a fan live. Too clean and not loud enough for my taste. By clean I mean in the sterile digital sense versus that nice tube or tape saturation. For example, listen to E72 when they were still mostly using only Fender power on the instruments. You can clearly hear the tube overdrive on occasion. To some folks it sounds more like R&R than the ultra clean sound that evolved. It’s one of those fine artistic lines, not unlike a great chef.
October 21, 2020 - 10:02am

#5503

bluecrow

Joined:
September 21, 2015

Park City '87

so funny thing is I only had Set II so this is first time for Set I. Didn't even know the set list. Nice to see the Big Boss Man opener - they broke that out 3rd night at Red Rocks.
not going to dig through the avalanche right now. listening to the Ultramatrix and that may have been my original source. it sounds real good to my ears, much better than others I've heard from earlier in the year. I had no clue back then that Healy was experimenting with those so I would have thought my source was a sweet FOB pull. I'll figure it out some day.
enjoy this show and the day folks!!
edit - deep state coming for you senator! careful!
October 21, 2020 - 9:59am

#5504

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

Test

Hmmmm

Fuggggggg, just spent time posting and site said I’m not authorized? What kind of BS is that?
I’m senator OB from the great dead.net state of altered consciousness for #@&* sake!
What do ya mean I’m not authorized!
October 21, 2020 - 7:03am

#5505

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

8.20.87 starts with Addams Family Tuning....

....tis the time of the season.
October 21, 2020 - 6:36am

#5506

The Good Ole G…

Joined:
December 29, 2015

Park City '87 here we come

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Start digging out that Vault Avalanche BlueCrow or grab your favorite relisten app.

We're heading to Utah 8/20/87 to party with you!
October 21, 2020 - 6:28am

#5507

DeadVikes

Joined:
October 26, 2016

81 and Today's Pick

Thanks for the recommendations guys, I will add them to my ever growing list. Yes, the recordings! What could have been, but it looks like Miller has done some good work.

8/20/87 looks like a winner to me. I definitely want to check this one out.
October 21, 2020 - 6:09am

#5508

The Good Ole G…

Joined:
December 29, 2015

1981 & Today's Pick

1981 is totally worth checking out.

February Uptown shows are fun.
I might need to revisit March.
May is killer, the band is hot and the shows are hot. 5/6/81 is a good example of what you can find there.
Starting with the 4/25/81 acoustic Benefit sans Phil, every show rolling through 5/22/81 acoustic Benefit is in my opinion worth hearing / owning.
Then the July shows are real good too, especially 7/4.
Greek shows in September also deserve a nod.
2nd European tour of the year is hit or miss and the recordings def have issues like Jim was saying, but 10/16 is an all time Wowser.
And then December has some good stuff. In particular 12/3 and the NYE run with 12/26, 12/27 & 12/31 as stand outs.

I dig '81. And really had fun collecting that year as I wasn't that familiar with it prior to that.
There are a lot of those killer hidden gems of the 1980s in there.
So yeah, if you liked yesterday's pick, which I was digging, then dig in!
Lotsa good stuff.

Speaking of... on the GD Hour today we've got.. wait for it..
3/13/81
Big slinky Shakedown to start it off. Nice

Alright, you all making me want to stay in '81 all day.

Or is it time to head to Utah and groove to 8/20/87?
October 21, 2020 - 4:06am

#5509

icecrmcnkd

Joined:
October 20, 2015

Deadvikes, 81

Lots of good 81 out there.
Try 3-9-81, that is a good sounding recording, and I love the Deep Elem.

Also, I assume that you are aware that there is video of 3-28-81, if not check it out on YouTube.

Feb 81 Chicago
Rainbow Theater (or is it Theatre?), London

There is plenty from 81 available for release.

Edit:
Jim makes a good point about audio quality, and I haven’t listened to those shows in a while so they may sound better in my memory than they do in your reality.

Just imagine where we would be today if the band had dumped Healy and kept Betty.......
October 20, 2020 - 10:15pm

#5510

JimInMD

Joined:
June 27, 2011

13 v 20

Much better than Dave's 20. Completely agree. 81 is a weird year, the recordings are so spotty. DiP 13 is a diamond in the rough that year and it's no wonder it was culled to be one of the early Dicks Picks. The European tours in particular just don't convey to great sounding concert recordings which is a shame because on a whole the two tours were hot.

Clearly Dave's #20 was picked more because it was a reel and not a cassette master, at least if you compare to all the other factors. There were hotter shows that year. It seems to be viewed by many as one of the weakest of the Dave's Picks series. DiP 13 on the other hand is hot.

81 was midway through the downward slide of the cassette mastered recordings. I know there are a lot of fans of the Ultra Mixes Dan was doing. It's great if you like them, I wish I was so patient.. but I miss the crisp sounding, high fidelity boards. We lost them for whatever reasons with Healy at the wheel. The 80's would be a different beast altogether if they were better recorded. My opinion, not to be confused with fact.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Currently Listening To...

Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

68 and Loud

I completely agree.

On occasion and if I'm not careful volume gets the best of me. One day I might live to regret this. Thankfully, that day was not today.

A new one for me. Some sound weirdness especially in and around banter, but what the hey.

I don't know what it is, but I have soft spot for The Eleven, Born Cross-Eyed and especially New Potatoe Caboose. Good show with some vintage grease to end the night with me feeling a little dirtier than I did when I woke up.

If there's no pick for tomorrow, I suggest the next in line. It's a partial, starts with a rare Clementine. 1/20/68 Euraka Municipal Auditorium. I think we should set up a go fund me to find all the missing reels, there's a couple missing from this show. It would be something for them to be found.

4/30/88 at the Frost

Hey Jim, I know you have had a lot on you plate this year. Thanks for checking this one out. Yes, the recording is decent, not great. Like a lot of 88 recordings out there. Still think they have some good ones in the Vault.

I liked the show, anytime I see a Hey Pocky Way, I am in. Nice Shakedown to open the second set. Love the triple Encore with China Rider OMSN.

It is good to get out of the comfort zone once in a while Doc.

Carousel Ballroom 68, okay Jim, Ok will have to que it up this morning.

Enjoy the weekend out there.

Edit. Oh and after the carousel ballroom I will be moving on the 12/9/79, Dave's Picks #47. Love this one and I need some 79. If I had the keys, I would be putting out a big 79 Box.

Lewiston, for your consideration

44 years ago today, there when Roy Buchanan along with Levon and His All Stars opened for the Dead. My last in person show, on the bus since their first album, however things had changed so much.... Doc was there, a wild late summer scene, part of my farewell to Maine.

All is worthwhile if the soul is not small.....

Hey rockers!!

Yes, we were there and had a blast. Beautiful day and tremendous music. A very fine show by the Dead, one of my all-timefavorite in-person Dead experiences.

Would make a solide offical release. It is worthy......

Doc
Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile, I caught hell for.....

All is worthwhile if the soul is not small.....

Hey rockers!!

Yes, we were there and had a blast. Beautiful day and tremendous music. A very fine show by the Dead, one of my all-time favorite in-person Dead experiences.

Would make a solid official release. It is worthy......

Doc
Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile, I caught hell for.....

9/6/80

Hey DMCVT,

Love this show and will get it going again this weekend.

And yes, it would make a great releasen.

Pretty sweet you and Doc were there.

9/6/80 Lewiston

I'm in - hopefully sometime this weekend I can transport my mind and spirit into late summer beautiful day/evening Maine. Sounds like a dream show and setting. Very cool that a couple of you guys got to be there. Didn't realize this was the last show before the Warfield run. Long and heartfelt write up on grateful seconds (he was there). Comment at the end from a guy who was 8 at the time and lived a "bike trail" away from the fairgrounds. Listened to part of the show from his clubhouse. Rode his bike over and snuck in. Totally dug the Drums. Made major bank (for a kid) collecting cans and bottles for deposit afterwards (which is exactly what 8 yr old me would have done.) Think I might travel John Deere with the Jim Wise FOB.

Been Gone

But back this week. I can do Lewiston again.

As I recall there is not a good soundboard that circulates, right? And the one that does is first set only and it sure does sound like an audience (or ultramatrix on steroids at least).

High energy though.. like Gainesville, there must have been something in the water.

You have to wonder if this was recorded and if so where the hell are the master tapes? I think someone (Parrish??) tossed out the language that some of the master reels were left on the seat and when the truck pulled away they must have flown out the window or something.

I'd love to see more reels (and cassettes) returned.

Anyway, Lewiston Me for me tomorrow.

Edit: Started tonight - why not? Gave up on the "soundboard" and settled on the Jim Wise same as Bluecrow. Good news, Bluecrow.. The John Deere Broke down and was sitting in the yard for the last half of the week. I got it working today. Had to replace the solenoid. Damned electronics are always interfering with time travel. Just imagine if this broke back in time before Jebediah Solenoid created the first working model for riding mowers.. we would have been screwed.. I mean, nothing wrong with being stuck in 1980 but why not go back another 10 to 15 years...

High energy is right. Pretty good audience.

Follow-Up

While I was in the neighborhood, I took a quickie with 11/28/80 Lakeland Civic Center - Lakeland, FL (30 Trips).

I figured why not.. most enjoyable, especially To Lay Me Down. Not sure why I like that song so much, but I do.

More 1980

Ah, yes, more 1980. You don't have to twist my arm. A shorter show for the time period, but still really good. Will get it going after I finish up Dicks #36, which was mentioned on some other threads. Such a great show, but apparently didn't sell well at the time. No idea why.

My Favorite Non-Multi-Track 1980 Release

Random Musing - 1980

My favorite non-multi-track 1980 release has got to be Dave's # 8, 11/30/80 Fox Theater. Love how that Matrix worked out. If anyone remembers the seaside chat, he was spot on.

Crowd noise was not as big an issue in 1980 as they could play in some pretty intimate venues. Also, as the age of the cassette master replaced the lovely Ms. Cantor Jackson, a lot of those early soundboards are a bit sterile sounding without the crystalline highs and the booming lows. Blending those early 80's soundboards with one of those near perfect audience masters works. When they aged out of the smaller, cooler venues (thinking after Jerry's coma and In The Dark) audience tapes had to compete with hundreds of the guy next to you screaming "JERRY!!" at 95 decibels, this was no longer possible.

That SBD/Dr. Bob matrix is almost exactly perfect (or as good we are going to get for the time).

On the opposite side of the same coin, I think some of the Ultra Matrix's have a bit too much of the guy yelling JERRY! then I sometimes want to hear. Thinking a lot of 87 suffers from this, and by then the audience tapes were no better.

Anyway, if Mr. Norman can pull of similar wizardry I wish they would do more like DaP#8.