Grateful Dead

Hey, rockers!!!

Pick of the day: Honolulu, Hawaii, January 23, 1970

Officially released as a Dave’s Pick in August 2016, here we have an interesting look at the band just prior to the classic Fillmore West/East shows of February 1970, when they were still in the process of transitioning from the large jam format to a more song oriented approach.

Which isn’t to say there aren’t big jams here, because there are. An Other One AND a Dark Star. Plus some new Workingman’s Dead material, cowboy songs, and greasy Pigpen material. Can’t go wrong with all that………..

It seems that sometimes official releases get shelved, neglected, oft time forgotten. This one is worth revisiting, as is the “bonus material” from the following night (which includes another Black Peter, more Pigpen, and the rare Mason’s Children).

Farewell, TC……

As far as official releases go, we can’t always get what we want, but we get what we need……

Enjoy!!!

Doc
Every man regards his own life as the New Year's Eve of time…..

Hey, rockers!!!

It seems I just can’t stay away. Perhaps I have too much free time on my hands. Maybe I’m just addicted to deadnet…………

What unfolds now is a series of intermittent, occasional, never predictable but always reverent excursions into the underrated, underappreciated shows of the 1968-1972 era. Follow along as we explore the curvilinear sonic history of the early Grateful Dead. Officially released, as well as not so. No Classics, and no 71s. Gems and duds. The bitter with the sweet……

Dust off the shelves---and the hard drives---as we revisit so many gems lost in the glare of official releases and Miller remasters…………

This won’t be an every day thing, maybe three or four times a month, lol until I find something better to do!

Let’s play!!

Doc
Making a comeback is one of the most difficult things to do with dignity……

Good way to pop the cherry OB, and you get a Dark Star to boot. Must have been a good experience and the end of another era of the Dead. Aud recording is decent, maybe someday a SB will pop up

Enjoying 12/30/86 in Oakland Otis. Nice sounding Miller transfer from 2017. Nice Althea, Cumberland, Esau, TMNS to end the first set. China Rider to start the second set. Good call on this one Otis. The return of Jerry and the boys. It only gets better from here.

No electronic devices were involved, hey I was just barely 16 and hadn’t even been smoking weed very long lol.
I didn’t go electric until my tenth show, which I think was a good way to go/grow?
Hell, I was naturally high! just being there, but plenty more weed than my teeny bopper head had ever seen before lol.
After going to concerts for a year, and seeing a cross section of radio favorites etc, the Dead blew my perceptions of everything R&R out the window! I’d been getting more and more prepped and ready to see them for over a year and FINALLY got the chance. One of the greatest days of my life!

Now, it’s kinda a weird show, I mean you can feel the weird energy, which is understandable all things considered. The energy sort of ebbs and flows but often peaks nicely. Kieth is all over the place: sometimes engaged and his usual self, other times you’d swear he wasn’t even there…obviously end of the line, though I didn’t know any all of that back then.
But overall it has some great peaks, and I love the Other one through drums and that cool little jam with a Serengeti feel, then quick tag of TOO before sliding into DS. Not the greatest show ever,but historically and enjoyably a nice way to get yer cherry popped! Good aud tape too! I d been listening to my shitty digitized cassette version for years and finally heard a much better recording this time around!

I agree on the Miracle> Bertha> Good Lovin’ theme. It was cool and had nice flow when they first started doing it, but by this point it was starting to feel stale. (not that I knew that then) I was talking to my buddy BOO469 who was in the balcony and he reminded me that the balcony was shaking so hard during Bertha, that the venue was worried and had to have it checked out before allowing another Rock show lol.

Thanks to y’all for the Xmass suggestions. We’ll check it out.
BC, I don’t, or didn’t know much about Bill Evans except the Kinda Blue connection. When I had the Ref 3 in to its maker last year, he loaded a couple of Hi Res albums on there and sorta like with the dead: I’d listened, but not really heard, then, lightning struck and we’ve been “diggin’ Bill Evans” big time ever since. Santa brought the Everyone Digs BE, AND the Everybody Still Digs box set, plus the complete Village Vanguard recordings.
Obviously, I’ve not scratched the surface of that plus a whole stack of other stuff too! Ho, Ho, Ho indeed!
But like most things, the down side has been less dead, but a full cleanse was needed after the big year last trip round the sun: all the 71s except about a dozen early in the year, a few dozen 81s, a bunch of hot 91s, along with most of the cool picks here, and of course some free range freaking too!
Looking forward to concentrating on 82, 92, obviously some 72, with a little 67, 77, and 87. But I’m not there yet, have to finish phase one of my music project first, but that’s starting to get really teadious, so I’m going to have to start getting in some shows next week, need more balance, and time lol, now if only I didn’t need to sleep lol.
ONWARD

One hell of a second set. Holy cow.

Plus.. it's got a Pretty Peggy-O and a Jack Straw first set opener before we even get to the good stuff.

Predisclosure.. I tire of I need Bertha's Good Lovin'. Sorry.. personal reasons and often a waste of a good Bertha, but this one if spirited and moves along just fine so forgive me.

But they sure did find their groove upon their return to stage. Sweet second set from start to finish. Really nice show, what a baptism.

I gotta ask.. were psychedelics involved?

That Tacoma Christmas with John Fahey Vol.ll (TAK-7045) has been our favorite non-traditional X-mas album since the mid 80's. Didn't break that out this year though. Found too many traditional various artist hardware/tire store gems the last couple of years at Triple Play Records (G.J.,CO) and the salvation army for a pittance. Love the second side where he gets a little weird with the bent chords on his Christmas Fantasy pts.1 & 2. Never found him until then and only through his assoc. with Leo Kottke. Two amazing guitarists!
Cheers

Alright!

Good to hear from you all.

Looks like we have some picks. So 1/20/79 from OB and 12/30/86 from Otis.
I will work them in in the next couple of days.

Okay sounds like a plan.

By the way I believe the 1/18/70 show from Doc was a fooler and a test. As mentioned this show was released as Download Series #2.

Happy New Year!!

Hi all! Checking in from Baltimore! This is my first post of the new year, but I have been lurking and keeping up with the shenanigans around these parts.

If I may throw out a pick for tomorrow or the next day (if tomorrow has been decided,) then may I humbly suggest 12/30/86? I have been listening to it all week, and I can't seem to get enough. Great SBD recording (esp. for a mid-80s,) great setlist, GREAT ENERGY! The Neville's guest in the 2nd set on an Iko>Man Smart, which is just one of MANY highlights from the show!

Also, as a Baltimore guy, I really love the artwork for 41, Hon!

Peace

Oro - recently came across a really interesting Bill-Evans-centric article by Steve Silberman: Broken Time - “Nardis” and the Curious History of a Jazz Obsession. Ran in Believer Magazine 2018. Nardis is a Miles Davis composition (you probably knew that.). Have yet to go down the Nardis rabbit hole but plan on it soon.

My go to Christmas album last couple years was by John Fahey - The New Possibility: john Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album, on CD paired with Christmas with John Fahey Vol. II. Forgot to pull out the Mermens christmas album this year - just might have to do that.

Buffalo 1/79 you say? First show you say? Maybe see you there!!