Grateful Dead

Those NY 1970 shows.. gotta get the wayback working and just spend the whole year there. Thank god for Marty Weinberg and too bad Bear got taken out of taping January in New Orleans. So a blessing and a tragedy.

I've been reading Jessie Jarnow's "Heads" while stuck at high school basketball games lately. He spends a good bit of time highlighting and contrasting Marty's involvement with taping and his relationship with Latvala. Interesting stuff. I wonder if the other parents have any idea what I am reading about, surely they would never trust me carpooling their kids again if they knew. :D

Anyway, yes it's an audience tape but a decent one for the era and a real piece of American history. It seems you get adjusted to it after a while.. I can't get over how good Jerry's voice was in the early years. A lesson to all you kids out there, don't start smoking (well cigarettes anyway)

Picky opinions.. ha.. I enjoy the critique, sometimes I find myself liking most things GD. Highlights and low spark feedback helps keep me grounded. It certainly shows you are listening.

With apologies, a calendar suggestion - 7/10/70 Fillmore East - only circulating source is an audience and they clap. No matter. A bit of fire-breathing dragon. Yowza wowza. Billy's drum solos seem crazy loud even back in the balcony. Given the audience source maybe not for the faint of heart.

Jim - no better place than the river when its hot!

July '78 box is pure gold (as you all know). My favorite 1st Set ever may be 7/7/78. The Cold Rain and Snow to open Set II is my all-timer. And a little earlier the Eyes from 6/8/77 is a jewel, with that beautiful extended intro, on and on and on.

BTK, are you familiar with Wolfgang’s vault? I’ve not done more than peak in, but my understanding is there’s quite the stash that would probably be very pleasurable to your tastes. Daverock too!

And speaking of, don’t let my picky “opinions” put you off DR. Their great shows, just feel, comparatively, that there might be other, perhaps slightly under the radar (but some on Dicks) shows that are top notch. But that does not mean these are not very enjoyable!

Great Minds, Ha! Had 7/5/78 on while I finished Reading One Way Out by Alan Paul.

Water Heals Amigo! Sounds like you’ve shock the cobwebs (and winter beer fat ; ) and are getting yer river on!
Glad to hear it! Exactly what the doctor orders!
Hey-O, onward!

There is a great video of the Allman Brothers doing Whipping Post from 9/23/70 . Why is this important? Because the Dead played there 9/17,18, 19, & 20/70, maybe they video taped the Dead and these tapes exist. That would be the ultimate if that was the case. This video was probably shot by the Fillmore East staff, and the same was done for the Dead.

Another sparkling show - maybe the best band performance of the first three shows in this collection. Keith seems more present at this one. I like the sound of these shows as well as the playing - very strong and clear. I get the impression they were quite loud if you were there.
As the 73 box is due tomorrow, I think I will save the Red Rocks shows for a bit. Maybe next weekend.
Looking at the posts on the 73 board it's fingers crossed for tomorrow! Reading Oro's post below, I would think these shows are just too long to be top drawer all the way through. I'm really looking forward to hearing them all - but these long 73 shows all had some slow moments from what I have heard.

That's the spirit.. I am sure they have looked at everything they have and are spreading things out to last.

Speaking of 1980, like many I really liked Dave's Picks 8. Great sound, spirited show.. worthy.

Well.. I've been in my kayak everyday for about a week.. I'm comletely spent and recharging my batteries today listening to a little fine 1978 GD.

Thanks for lifting my spirits Oro and BTK. I guess there are plenty of good shows to come. I hope they still have a trick or three up their sleeves too. Things we might not know exist or do not expect. It's kind of cruel to drop a '69 banana box on us and never hear another mention, don't you think?

Winter land Oct 1978 Great shows, & Winter land March 1977 great shows, two future boxes.

Street legal? I didn’t think public consumption was legal anywhere, technically of course, now in reality…

Carful about splinters on that flag pole, bet there’s a nice breeze up there though!

78 box. I didn’t get cause I turned my nose up “ohhh, I don’t need that…” IDIOT!
Prolly pissed that it wasn’t something i “wanted”? Whatevs…idiot!
That and I knew I could get copies off my cousin…, but still, IDIOT!
I do have copies so I’ve heard it, and at first was like meh. But after “discovering” spring 78 and how much I liked it, I’ve come to a different realization of the year and box, but…but, I should spend some more time, just when…?

Made it through 73 box once so far. Haven’t been getting the best listens in (these shows are so long) and it’s just not a good time of year to completely clear mind and listen hard for 4 or 5 hours.

I think the sound is mostly great, the art was nice, and the shows are good, (the packaging was not practical) but I respectfully disagree that their all top shelf. They all have moments, but I didn’t feel like they were at that level for the whole show, which is why I wouldn’t call em all top shelf…so, a solid enjoyable box from one of my favorite years, but I think there’s still better…

So, I respectfully disagree that we’re running out of high caliber shows, definitely diminished but, consider just some of these: first and foremost I’d say the first six shows of 73 are as good or better than these. 2/9 is good, but way overhyped due to years of taper bias. I think it’s as good as most of the shows in the box, but not as good as the other five, but would be a good center point of a very strong box!
I still think there’s good primal, though why they won’t break out I can’t fathom…
There’s still some killer shows from late 71 after KG joined…certainly some hot spring shows too, but not sure they’d sell as well?
There’s still some killer fall 72, though you’d think they’d wait on that a bit!
A plethora of 73! Winter, spring, summer, fall…(ok, prolly will never see a horn tour box) but some representation would be nice. I still say Providence, or Syracuse would make a nice WOTF 50th bonus since their killer shows and have the most songs off the album (6 I think?).
Unless they did a Winterland 74 redo (which I don’t see), 74 prolly doesn’t have a box left.
76 could do another summer box
77 I hope not as it’s over represented, comparatively, but I’m sure there’s some small holes still
78: Spring still has some great shows, some Betty’s, and possibly fall, but I’m not as up on those yet?
79…? not sure about a box? If they made it a 79 box of the whole year, than absolutely!
80, same thing. Of course that’s predicated on Fall tapes not being available…otherwise!
I could name lots of 80s, especially early, but of course that means cassettes, which to some immediately discounts or outright disqualifies…to each there own. I think their getting pretty damn good at fixing them up, but whatevs…
Still hope someday, unfortunately I don’t see it soon, but someday we’ll get a summer 85.
86 through 88, prolly not, though when we’re gone or not as involved, maybe they’ll market something 87 for all the touchers? Of course if they did more venue boxes, i.e., Greek, Frost etc, many of these could come into play

But!!, but, there is still a fine trove of untapped Multies from 89, especially the fall tour (wtf Dave?) and lots of good DATs from the nineties which did have some consistently good tours: summer 90, fall 91, summer 91, some call out spring 91, but I’ve not spent enough time there yet to opinion?
I could argue others, but I don’t see it from a marketing standpoint?
I’m sure heads are spinning and many would argue otherwise. But I’ve put the time in, and if you strip the preconceived pretentious BS and just listen, you’d be surprised.
And though there may NOT be enough good/consistent left for a lot of boxes, there’s tons of individual and small runs, that are very good GD. Hell, they could always do another 30 trips, say for the 60th in gulp, 2 years!
I mean, I get what yer saying, but the more I dig through the years, all the years, I’m still finding juicy nugs of goodness, even some hiding up there where mama hides the cookies!
Be well, stay cool all!
In fact, stay inside where it’s cool, and PLAY DEAD!

What a surprise that box was.. love that box. The June '76 recordings seemed to be on the same level (excellent) but the energy was not quite there.

So we have two May '77 Betty Boxes (both excellent) and a June '76 and July '78 box (again, both excellent with a big nudge going to 1978). With Spring '73 and October '72 boxes released, I hate to say it but I am not sure I see a long stream of shows at this high caliber. Let's hope Dave has some more surprises up his sleeve.

It's been so damned hot here in the East the last week.. and with my air conditioner on the fritz, the only way I could find to break the heat was to take off all my clothes and perch myself on the top of the telephone pole in the town park. Looking at temperatures across the county (and globe), I expect many of you were in the same predicament.

I'm going to hit some of the July box this afternoon.. might start with the second set of 7/5 and work my way backwards to 7/1. 7/7 and 7/8 deserve special treatment and a large span of uninterrupted time.

oh.. Maryland went legal on 7/1. It did not take long for at least the streets in the mountainous parts to smell like a Grateful Dead Concert.. was that haze in the sky residual smoke from the Great Canadian fires of 2023 or celebratory smoke signals from the newest state to go street legal? I never expected this to happen in my lifetime.. little by little they are decriminalizing the freak flag.

Happy summer all.. thanks for keeping up the good vibes and keeping the picks on-point.

Always dug that and considered it the sleeper. All Over Now, check that out. As Jim would say, Wowow stuff. Also, the meat of set II is where it's at. Of course, the Weirdness>Wharf Rat but that whole set II jam sequence is powerhouse stuff. Plus, don't they encore with Promised Land? May be sui generis, only time that happened. Anyway, great stuff with the Oroboros sculpture in the back watchin' over things... :-)