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    With Yoda, You Can Listen

    Join Yoda as he travels from Mill Valley to Novato, California, listening to a selection from Dave's Picks Volume 3. (And stay tuned for an announcement coming soon!)

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    danc
    12 years 5 months ago
    Your/our last fair deal...
    ..as a consumer of great archival rock CDs is to be a Deadhead. Really, you can bitch all you want on Zappa.com but try getting your opinion about what to release into the heads of the TPTB. You are a freakin' blessed Deadhead, with a whole organization and label (!) in your corner. Really. In your corner, wanting to make you happy with great music. TPTB have solicited our thoughts and wishes and opinions very recently on the best late era ideas, THEY ACTUALLY DID THAT, so let's assume those ideas will be spun into the plans, those releases are likely coming up ahead. No conspiracy here, pretty sure on that, just a fair deal. And great music. I listened to the 7/29/74 disc last night, headphones start to finish (OMG that supple Wharf Rat). It is unbelievably fantastic.
  • SPACEBROTHER
    12 years 5 months ago
    Syracuse78
    Though you're connotation of my points, as being described in your words as being "worked up about the '70s conspiracy", is a rather negative and non-constructive deduction, I'll play along as Devil's Advocate... Dave's Picks is limited to 12,000 units. It doesn't matter if 100,000 people would be interested in any particular show/era/year, let alone 12,001 people.12,000 units of an '85 show will sell out, period. This isn't an issue of the volume of sales in reagrds to this series. Though the one or two us that are bringing up oversaturation of a particular era, is an issue is miniscule to the backlash from the following scenario... ...If TPTB were only interested in releasing only what has sold higher volumes, then theoretically, everything released would be from 1987. Touch of Grey and In The Dark have far outsold the rest of the Deads catalog, combined, many times over...but imagine the backlash towards TPTB if they decided to truly sell out like that. Sometimes I feel like a lot of fans are taking this all for granted, hence my "tape snob" analogy. Would you be outraged if they only released '87 shows? I wouldn't, but I'd be disappointed if they completely ignored that year.
  • Syracuse78
    12 years 5 months ago
    As Spacebrother gets worked up about the...
    Great '70s Conspiracy, I think it is safe to assume that someone, somewhere in the organization, has analyzed how live releases from different eras sell. While one or two vocal posters here will make it look like the '60s is everyone's first choice, or the '70s, '80s or '90s, there have been a hell of a lot of live releases. Based on my iTunes library (including studio releases), there are almost 20 days worth of music the GD has released. That's 480 hours. Probably 450 hours of it is live. I'd be willing to bet that an analysis has been performed on how different eras have sold (this is a business after all). And I would guess that those few releases from the '90s did not exactly knock it out of the park, despite being so underrepresented. My guess is that Dave and others give a serious listen to a bunch of good stuff, but that prior selling history also plays a role in what is chosen for release, along with sound quality, and many other factors. If a few loud and frequent posters here have an impact in what is chosen, I would guess it's pretty darn small.
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15 years 7 months

Join Yoda as he travels from Mill Valley to Novato, California, listening to a selection from Dave's Picks Volume 3. (And stay tuned for an announcement coming soon!)

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Join Yoda as he travels from Mill Valley to Novato, California, listening to a selection from Dave's Picks Volume 3. (And stay tuned for an announcement coming soon!)

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13 years 4 months
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Late 71 or 72, right?!!!!
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17 years 5 months
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A great great That's it For The Other One suite - amazing how well keith fit, right away... Awesome! super psyched for this one. Thanks Dave! (((((10/22/71))))
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16 years 9 months
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this sounds great
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17 years 2 months
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Thanks archivists, Dave especially, for passing high over the mind-blowing hurdle. This is the good stash.
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17 years 5 months
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...is displaying an amazing zen-like calm considering how hot that "Other One" is...
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17 years 2 months
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Great call by Cloverman, I agree upon giving it a VERY quick comparison. If it is 10/22/71, it would be an amazing release considering that the 1st set does NOT circulate.
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17 years 5 months
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...yet, another '70's show? in regards to audio releases since 2010, there have been... 30 from the '70s, 4 from the '80s, 1 from the '60s and absolutely nothing from the '90s. Yet, since the archival releases started coming out in 1991, there have been absolutely no shows released from '65-'67, '84, '86, '94 and '95. More than a quarter of the Deads touring existence is being ignored to appease a narrow, but very vocal demographic. I'm beginning to feel that, if they aren't going to release much, or even anything from certain years, they should allow us to download soundboard/matrix mixes from that particular time from Archive.org. I'd rather give money to the Grateful Deads business, but if the era's I enjoy aren't going to be a part of it, my pockets will become significantly shallower in regards to future subscriptions and what not. I'm sure there won't be a shortage of customers to fill my void, and perhaps it's time for me to step back from the bus for a minute anyways. The first two Daves Picks, I've listened all of the way through once, and bits & pieces a couple of times. In contrast, I listen to the Formerly Warlocks box every couple of weeks since it's release. My Deadhead demographic is being neglected. I'm sure someone will come on here and whine, Brents keyboards are too tinny, Vince couldn't sing, ect ect... Well, with all of the releases from '70-'77, you'd think the Dead didn't exist beyond that bubble. You guys are killing me... :( Now if you guys are about to drop an '84 box set pre-order set upon us, this summer, then please disregard my "I'm bored of the '70s" rant.
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17 years 5 months
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this one circulates in pristine Charlie Miller quality...
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14 years 8 months
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While I don't have knowledge of future releases, Dave did comment the reason for two 80's Road Trips last year was largely because of the Europe 72 Box, and a desire to change things up from the 70's. So with three early picks so far this year, who knows what will happen. Perhaps an 80's Box Set is on the horizon. Regardless, I'm looking forward to this next pick, as I always do. It should be a great one- Thank You!
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oops, 10/22/71 does indeed circulate in its entirety. I was not thorough in my deadlist/archive search. '71 is not a yr I know off the top of my head. Ask me about '77 and I can tell you that a couple of those April shows need upgrades, a show or 2 from NY, NY, 5/12, even 11/4 is not as pure a sound as I would like Regarding releases, I am most interested in shows that either don't circulate, at least not in their entirety, or shows where the sound quality of the circulating recording(s) is not stellar. Of course, I want them to at least be Very Good shows and hope they are Great ones. I'm only speaking for myself, and I only saw the band in the 90's, but I have very little interest in releases from the 80's and 90's. I might even be willing to bet that releases from those years sell poorly. I certainly think that an occasional bone should be thrown to those who desire those years, though, and I can sit that one out. Heck, I've sat out both Dave's Picks so far because those shows already circulate in stellar quality (and c'mon, that '77 show certainly isn't close to being one of the best of the year, probably not even top 10 for the month of May!) and I had forked over beaucoup $$$ for the Europe '72 box only a few months before. Just my 2 cents.
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14 years 10 months
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funny that I find this new message as I am listening to Metallica's Ride the Lightning.
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17 years 5 months
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At first I was thinking "oh no, more of the same" then at about the 8:57 mark there was a nice lane change that i really liked. With at times 5 lanes to choose from, I felt that there was too much time spent in the middle lane. Beautiful pass of the tanker truck though. The exit to the stop light was magnificent, though I felt the left turn lane should have been utilized to give us more of an "oncoming traffic" feel. Unbelievable ending with the car coming to a stop without being pulled over by the cops. Takes me back to my first few dead shows. Never really liked the later shows with the drug checkpoints on the highway.
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16 years 8 months
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Thank you Dave for a break from the whole "seaside chat" thing! I was hoping you would drive around and show us more of California because it is such a beautiful state!! Maybe next time a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge? I recently started listening to gdradio.net and sirus and they have been playing some great stuff. I am becoming more appreciative of the "grandpa" Jerry. I really enjoyed the '91 show that was played with David "Dawg" a couple of days ago. Last nights 5/21/74 from Seattle was great. I am impressed that so many of you know the date of this show. Y'all have some great ears!! If this in fact a '71 show then we are in for a treat. I have been listening to RT '71 a lot to get me in the mood. It seems like Dave and Friends know how to get me to support the dead. I just got my stone mug w/ Skull and Roses (Father's Day gift)-WOW. I am really impressed with this American Made product! I hope they do one with Uncle Sam on a Stein or something. I wonder if this subscription is '70's stuff and next years will be '80's?
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13 years
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This is a great choice. Every recording I have from this venue is smokin' hot! I can't wait!!!!!!
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14 years 8 months
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Skywalker to Yoda, 10/22/71, confirm please? Where's the walking stick Yoda!!! Escape the lily fields- shine the dashboard light Yoda!!!
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15 years 8 months
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I'm not saying anyone is wrong or chastising anyone for expressing their opinion, however, it helps to bear in mind when clamoring for 80s releases, especially the 80-85 time frame, that Dave has said on numerous occasions that the reason there has been a dearth of releases from that era is that the source tapes are not up to snuff. There are factors beyond our, or TPTB's, control for a lot of those shows, or at least that is how it seems. What would be helpful is a running list of shows that are NOT good enough for release or missing from the vault. Something that could be updated as these determinations are made. I'm sure someone has a list somewhere. Why not put it online. That might help. The Other One in this clip is so amazing that I can't wait for it to be released. Of course, I like it all so whatever they release doesn't matter to me. Thanks for all the hard work Dave & Co, and thanks for the continually interesting discussion around here. (Thanks for the chuckle, too, cumberlandcase!)
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14 years 9 months
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Is there any chance this might be a Two-night, four disc release? I think Dave said the releases would varry in size. Considering 10/21/71 has a lovely Dark Star, and that the two shows together are a Fall '71 microcosm, it would make perfect sense.
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16 years 9 months
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77, 74, 71. Though not my first choice from 1971, I'm on board for this one and presumably the next which I will assume will be from '68. Excellent.
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14 years 8 months
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Excellent spot Weve- Back to back Chicago Slam Jam- Fan-freakin-tastic!
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17 years 5 months
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If this is 10/22/71 then it is Keith's third show.The dead.net show list does not list a set list, however a fan posted the list as gdradio.net played the show, from a "soundboard mix" on New Years' Day 2012. gdradio.net ~ so much dead your ears will still be dancin' ten days later. Cool video Dave, love the steady rollin' groovin' vibe. Miss those days tho, as long as gas is more than $1 a gallon, I'm ridin' the BUS, the Magic Bus, "Thrupence and sixpence everyday, Just to ride to my ba baby" Just cruzin' in the bus with the head phones on. So keep the dirty side down and the shiny side up We be 10-10 on the side with the patience of the budda while we idle for a while and await the arrival of DaP3 May the Force Be With YOU
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I'm sure that there are at least 10 perfectly releasable shows from '84 alone, and considering that Dave's Picks are limited to 12,000 units, they would obviously have no problem selling out of them, but thats not the issue I'm having. It feels to me as though a contingency of old school tape-snobs are dictating that us later era fans just don't matter, and aren't worthy enough of the same listening pleasure that they are so obviously taking for granted. At least it seems that way. There's so much more to the Grateful Dead's 30 year touring career than what happened between '71 and '79. This is actually the only time I've ever complained about a release, so please bear with me. 27 of the last 27 releases (soon to be 28 out of 28) are all from the same general period of time from the Deads touring career. Thats awesome, if that is the only era you are interested in, but not so exciting for folks like me, who buy subscriptions hoping for a quarterly release featuring each decade for a more rounded summary os study about what the Deads whole musical trip really was about. Perhaps TPTB are just playing it safe by sticking with '70's shows for the Daves Picks series in regards to quick easy sales, and perhaps I'm in the minority, at least here, when it comes to preferred era's being anytime, but, the early to mid late seventies. If this is truly the case, then I now finally understand the fatal flaw with the subscription concept and not knowing whats coming. I'm sure most people here are drooling over the prospect of '71 show, especially one that is partially uncirculated, but in all honesty, this next prepaid subscription installment is leaving me feeling a little miffed, not because of the show itself, or even because it's from '71 in particular, but because of the close show proximaty to all of the rest of the soon-to-be 28th of the last 28 audio releases. ...and here, I was getting all excited with all of the recent blog chatter about Brent, Vince and Bruuuuce. Talk about a tease.
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I feel for you Spacebrother and also feel very lucky that Dave has picked another show from my favourite era. I had assumed that the subscription deal would be used to release some less obviously popular shows to please the range of people who bought into it and I agree with DStache..it would only be fair to offer shows from a wider spectrum of eras.I was totally expecting something from the Brent years; although I rarely listen to shows from that era I am very happy to try out a recommended show.. But I am not sure about this 'contingency of old school tape-snobs' . Who are they exactly? I think the frequent discussions that take place about eras are normally quite balanced, people like Blair Jackson (especially recently) and Marye here have long championed the Brent and post Brent years and DL's Tapers Section and Jam of the Week often feature 80's and 90's cuts. We have no real idea how the final choices are made, but these issues must be discussed and reasoned out somehow. I hope very much you Brent/Vince/Bruce heads get your big boxed set next, it will make you all happy and I can spend more time enjoying the mountaiin of recent releases and save some money too.
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Back in the day, while the Dead were still touring, and during the time I was discovering the whole tape trading scene, I used to encounter tape collectors/traders who would refuse to make copies of the best recordings they had, unless I either, a: had an equally coveted recording to trade, which I didn't, b: expect financial/or other items of value to gain and/or basically more than just blanks and postage. Before the internet, it felt like you had to jump through serious hoops to get certain recordings, all of which they got for free. Now I feel like the modern equivalent of those people with a similar agenda are affecting what gets commercially released. 42 of the last 48 audio releases are from '71 - '79? Thats only a tiny part of a larger picture. I read so many complaints here about anything after 1982 from many who post here, that I shouldn't be surprised by the lack of commercial output from anytime after that point. I'm not saying that anyone who is closely connected to the Dead has any bias against one era over another, as those connected to the organization seem to rave about many of the same shows I like. I just think that they may feel compelled to oblige one group of fans over another, because of the proverbrial squeeky wheels. Incidently, I was just trying to listen to Daves Picks 2 from Dillon Stadium, and only got as far as Donna's vocal part before the jam on the first track, which is Scarlet. Do I need every single version that she did that on? It's redundant to me, and I'm starting to get bored. I don't understand how people think that sounds cool, or great or awesome, but then complain about how much they hate Brents virtuoso keyboard playing, Bruce's accordian ect. It sure was a blessing and an awesome surprise when they released the '88 April Fools Road Trips. I can listen to that recording everyday and never tire of it. Like I've said, I like all era's of the Grateful Dead, which is why I feel a little jipped that we only seem to be getting one era, 42 out of last 48 releases. I'm sure 10/22/71 will be a great release, but... Now if you are open to my personal recomendations for later shows to check out, try 4/2/90 Omni, 6/30/88 Silver Stadium and 7/29/88 Laguna Seca for starters. All top shelf shows.
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...Hmmmm old goat Deadhead here and well that is really disproportionate.Here's why I dug DL2's original Taper's Section. It spanned the years and well, it was free . Mix it up DL2. But then, you may have that subscriber base to cater to. Oh well.
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The tape snobs: Yes, well -- you certainly put your finger on an aspect I haven't thought about in quite some time. I never gave in to these types of people. Never really believed in the concept of getting something with the proviso "not for circulation". Then again, I wasn't that serious of a trader. I never bought ridiculously priced blanks or used the most expensive equipment. If I ever had my collection ripped off, i would not lose any sleep. In short, I wasn't attached to any of it. My motto was, and still is, there is nothing you can hold for very long. Then the archive came along and just made all of these people look silly. The strange thing was that I knew a few very serious traders who always had to have the latest upgrade and whom I went to shows with all the time. When I didn't bug them for tapes (pre-archive) for years and years they started offering me price gems from their collection. The less energy you gave these people, the more they started acting like decent human beings. I'll leave it there... About what the Rhinos release. I don't think it has to do with favoring any period or whatever. I think the Dave's Picks has to do with releasing shows that did not circulate. Stuff they had to patch together from various sources to make a complete package. The theory there being if you have something no one has, a lot of people will buy it. In the end, that is really the only thing they are concerned with: what has commercial viability. I didn't blame them for that. Actually, I thank them for directing my attention to what I should want to be hearing, though not necessarily buying. I'm pissed that they pull things from the archive when they release them and I spend my money accordingly. For blanks.
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Why not rag on Dan Healy for making poor sounding tapes in the 1980's. He was the one who decided to pull all the mixes from PA reinforcement feeds rather than pulling from a separate mix like Betty did so you end up with shows with no Jerry, Bob and/or Phil in the mix. I really don't think that it's Dave's, Jeff's or Rhino's fault that these tapes from the '80's are poorly recorded and/or mixed. Better yet, be thankful for what we have. Nearly anytime I buy an archive release by another bands, it makes me so thankful for what we have. The sound quality on some releases by other bands out there are just awful.
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15 years 8 months
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I completely understand your argument and I think you have some valid concerns. I am hoping that somewhere along the line they can release the entire Spring 90 tour, and I've emailed Dave about it and he REALLY likes that tour, so I'm sure he wouldn't be against that idea. And perhaps that's why they HAVEN'T released a spring 90 show in a while. Also, I think there might be a caveat in your 42 of 48 number - I assume you're counting each of the E72 boxset shows as one. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just saying it skews your argument a bit if that's the case. E72 seems to me as a special case and I would count it as a single release, but YMMV. Here's to a Spring 90 boxset in the future!
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13 years 10 months
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Thank you Dave and company for three great Dave's Picks. Yes they are all Pre 1980 but so why not. All the dead studio albums and live albums including new songs were all written by 1979 the first 14 years of the dead. The last 16 years there were two albums written and produced with nearly half the songs being Brent's songs. Can any fan honestly compare the latter songs with the pre 1980 songs from the band. Most other rock bands I listen to exist to produce new music. They play the new songs and get new energy from the new songs. When they stop producing new music they move on to do something else. I do not think the Dead were any different. They got juiced in playing new songs. Shows like Stanford 73 and Portchester ny 71 bear this out. This coupled with the fact the band was young and energetic and at their peak I think in 73. The Beach Boys toured for years after they had anything left to give and were a joke int the 70's hitting all the fairs after they had nothing to offer. When one of my dogs has died I want to remeber the vibrant young dog I Ioved not the old dog who i watched die at the very end. It is almost a crime that the summer shows from 73 and more spring shows have not been released.
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Oh yes it does! Shnid 112821. A Charlie M remaster from a Gans DAT Grateful Dead - October 22, 1971 Auditorium Theatre - Chicago, IL Recording Info: SBD -> Master Reel -> Dat Transfer Info: Dat -> Samplitude Professional v11.2 -> FLAC (2 Discs Audio / 2 Discs FLAC) All Transfers and Mastering By Charlie Miller charliemiller87@earthlink.net April 11, 2011 Notes: -- Disc change is seamless -- Thanks to David Gans for the Dat Set 1: d1t01 - Bertha d1t02 - Me And My Uncle d1t03 - Tennessee Jed d1t04 - Jack Straw d1t05 - Loser d1t06 - Playing In The Band d1t07 - Sugaree d1t08 - Beat It On Down The Line d1t09 - Black Peter d1t10 - Mexicali Blues d1t11 - Cold Rain And Snow d1t12 - Me And Bobby McGee d2t01 - Comes A Time xxxxx - One More Saturday Night (MISSING) Set 2: d2t02 - Ramble On Rose d2t03 - Cumberland Blues d2t04 - That's It For The Other One -> d2t05 - Deal d2t06 - Sugar Magnolia d2t07 - Casey Jones -> d2t08 - Johnny B. Goode
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If this is 10/22/71, this Other One is great. Watching the Yoda figure is tougue-in-cheek humor. Watching this video, Cal-Trans ought to get it's act together and resurface this road, or the owner of this car should have the suspension inspected.I'll be looking for this release in the mail in a few weeks. Thank you very much!
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True, I do include the individual E72 releases. If we take those out of the equation and just count it as one, because yes, I did get the big box, then that breaks down to of 25 releases, 20 of them are from the same time frame. I listen to the 5 non '71-'79 releases disproportionately more ofetn than all of the the other 20 releases. I just wish I had as many choices commercially available to enjoy as outside of that bubble. On another point brought up, there are plenty of great sounding recordings post '79. Certainly by the time they upgraded to the digital beta format in the early '80s, or even the famously leaked video feed recordings all sounded immaculate to my ears. Certainly better fidelity than the Dillon Stadium Hartford '74 release. It just feels to me that as a fan of post '79, myself, or anybody in my particular demograph are being mostly ignored in favor of those who couldn't get over Brent being brought into the band. Back when the E72 box was announced, blairj had entertained the idea that Spring '90 would make a great box, and I fully agree, but if they were to do that, there would be a ridiculous amount of flak from those who wanted a Fall '77 box, or a Fall '72 box or whatever. I am beginning to think that the prospect for a Spring '90 box release is slim to nil. Thanks to Archive.org, the tape snobs have no control over whats traded, or what I want to stream. Now it feels like their negative energies are directed towards influencing TPTB to only release one small 7 year slice from a 30 year pie. At this point, I would have preferred a '95 release over yet another one from '71-'79, even with me joining the consensus that it very well is the worst year for the Dead, just to have something different. Imagine the complaints if and when TPTB do decide to ignore the tape snobs and actually release something outside of the bubble and release something from a year like '86 or '95. In regards to the time frame of studio album output vs concert recordings, true, they did only release two albums of new music over the last 14 years. But they also released 3 great studio albums before the '70-'79 bubble. If it's a matter of fishing for rarities and uncirulated items, it seems that '65-'69 is a potential treasure trove, which is almost equally and disproportionately under represented as '80-'88, and those Owsley boards are every bit as good if not better than the Betty boards, or whomever else handled recording duties during the '70s. I was really hoping that the DaP series would be more representive of the Dead's history on a whole, but it appears not to be the case, at least so far. If the 4th and final installment of this years subscription falls after '69 and before '80, I very well may opt out in 2013, unless there's mention that those 4 sets, including any bonus disc, will be concentrated on any decade, except the '70s, then I won't hesitate to renew. I don't doubt that the real top shelf cream of the crop shows surface has barely been scratched. Most of these '71-'79 releases just feel like a whole lot of filler to me. bambini asks - "The last 16 years there were two albums written and produced with nearly half the songs being Brent's songs. Can any fan honestly compare the latter songs with the pre 1980 songs from the band(?)." I'll say yes, the post '80 studio albums are fantastic, especially Brents contributions and in my less than humble opinion, Go To Heaven, In The Dark and Built To Last are equally as great as everything else they recorded. I actually prefer In The Dark to Shakedown Street. Brents writing had way more depth and emotion than Donna's contributions. Heck, almost everything Brent contributed was oozing with real raw emotion. He seemed like an emotional guy. I like all era's. My wishes are for more variety. The shows from '71 and '73 that bambini mentions are all great, but we already have plenty of releases from those years/eras. There are other years with equally as great, and with maybe even better shows, that are completely unrepresented/ignored. Thats why I'm considering opting out for a while. The lack of variety is becoming unappealing to me.
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With a 77-74-71 arc, I don't think Volume Four will be an early release. It's tempting to toss the Zenith show from 10/27/90 into the mix, or perhaps the Berkeley show from 11/2/84. Maybe 9/18/87 from MSG. I think any of these three are more likely than an early release for Volume Four. The exception though is if there's a recent Box Set announced. Like Spring of 90 for example, or an early 80's Box. Then all bets are off, and it would seem more likely Volume Four is a release from 68-69.
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It was not Dan Healy's decision to stop sending Betty on tour with the band to make a separate recording mix. Just trying to be fair here.
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Great '70s Conspiracy, I think it is safe to assume that someone, somewhere in the organization, has analyzed how live releases from different eras sell. While one or two vocal posters here will make it look like the '60s is everyone's first choice, or the '70s, '80s or '90s, there have been a hell of a lot of live releases. Based on my iTunes library (including studio releases), there are almost 20 days worth of music the GD has released. That's 480 hours. Probably 450 hours of it is live. I'd be willing to bet that an analysis has been performed on how different eras have sold (this is a business after all). And I would guess that those few releases from the '90s did not exactly knock it out of the park, despite being so underrepresented. My guess is that Dave and others give a serious listen to a bunch of good stuff, but that prior selling history also plays a role in what is chosen for release, along with sound quality, and many other factors. If a few loud and frequent posters here have an impact in what is chosen, I would guess it's pretty darn small.
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Though you're connotation of my points, as being described in your words as being "worked up about the '70s conspiracy", is a rather negative and non-constructive deduction, I'll play along as Devil's Advocate... Dave's Picks is limited to 12,000 units. It doesn't matter if 100,000 people would be interested in any particular show/era/year, let alone 12,001 people.12,000 units of an '85 show will sell out, period. This isn't an issue of the volume of sales in reagrds to this series. Though the one or two us that are bringing up oversaturation of a particular era, is an issue is miniscule to the backlash from the following scenario... ...If TPTB were only interested in releasing only what has sold higher volumes, then theoretically, everything released would be from 1987. Touch of Grey and In The Dark have far outsold the rest of the Deads catalog, combined, many times over...but imagine the backlash towards TPTB if they decided to truly sell out like that. Sometimes I feel like a lot of fans are taking this all for granted, hence my "tape snob" analogy. Would you be outraged if they only released '87 shows? I wouldn't, but I'd be disappointed if they completely ignored that year.
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17 years 2 months
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..as a consumer of great archival rock CDs is to be a Deadhead. Really, you can bitch all you want on Zappa.com but try getting your opinion about what to release into the heads of the TPTB. You are a freakin' blessed Deadhead, with a whole organization and label (!) in your corner. Really. In your corner, wanting to make you happy with great music. TPTB have solicited our thoughts and wishes and opinions very recently on the best late era ideas, THEY ACTUALLY DID THAT, so let's assume those ideas will be spun into the plans, those releases are likely coming up ahead. No conspiracy here, pretty sure on that, just a fair deal. And great music. I listened to the 7/29/74 disc last night, headphones start to finish (OMG that supple Wharf Rat). It is unbelievably fantastic.
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14 years 11 months
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It really DOESN'T matter what era/show they pick, from a business perspective. They will sell out. So then it just becomes a matter of what is available further reduced to the personal peccadilloes of the few people who have the final say. Sooo, why wouldn't they just release from the 4 main eras in turn?? After doing the listening party for this latest release I'm wondering why. Really. It is hard to figure out when the goal isn't to sell as many units as possible...
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12 years 11 months
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I personally enjoy the pigpen era very much. Think Phil's bass lines during the Keith years are awesome. But I cut my teeth starting with 1984 and have also put a pitch in to Dave for 10/12 1984 Augusta Maine which holds a candle to any show during the Brent era which is what I personally enjoy the most Thank God we have a band with such diverse musical history that there are so many magical moments for us to hear for the first time. I listen to the Grateful Dead Channel every day and continue to hear things that have blown me away and may I say Thank You to some one that took the time to listen to who knows how many hours of archive tape and got it mastered to album quality so I could hear it for the first time ever. I will listen to the archive of this show and determine if I want to spend my money on it in continued hopes that the 80's gets put out some day. And by the way. I have had the archive video release in my cart for a while which has some very good Brent era shows on it, waiting till I can afford due to I spend most of my extra cash on current Furthur tour and musical equipment for my studio
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It's hard to talk about, because how do you argue against the Grateful Dead in the early 1970s? You don't. But then, you want to argue in favor of the Grateful Dead during certain periods of the 1980s and (yes, even) the 1990s. I am in no way complaining about the abundance of releases from the 70s (especially now, on my second trip through this Other One along with Yoda. It is amazing. And [this from a Brent fanboy] Keith is awesome). Nor am I complaining about this release--sounds awesome. Nor am I complaining about Dave's/TPTB's selections in general: I trust their selections wholeheartedly. I love the two drummer era from 1976 onward most of all, partly because I love the two drummer configuration, partly because the band's setlists only got better as they gathered more terrific songs (and this band only played great songs--if a song wasn't that good, they dropped it right quick). Their playing may have lost some of its psychedelic-manic energy after the mid-70s, but they were always capable of hitting transcendental heights on any given night, even up to the end, however rare those nights might have been. For me, a good 80s show (say, Augusta '84) is as good a show as a band can play. My first show (Eugene 8/22/93) is as good a rock n' roll show as most bands play in a lifetime. We'd love to hear those kinds of shows in pristine quality, too.
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17 years
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Another great pick, really looking forward to this. While I would have prefered something from '73 or '74, listening to the Yoda video has me psyched for this release.Not sure why the complaints about variety with Daves Picks; '71, '74' '77 are all very different from each other. I'm guessing DaP4 will be early to mid 80s, and that would be fine, but I'd prefer the more spectacular Portland '74.
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17 years 5 months
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The force is strong with this one!
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13 years 9 months
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I really understand all sides of this arguement. I really do not like much from 81 through 86. There are some great moments but let me tell you a little story. A couple months ago I was talking to a coworker who enjoys the dead. I asked him his opinion on this thought I had: I can identify the year of a dead show by listening to one song and knowing what song came before and after. He agreed. Ran into him at the post office a few days later. He calls me over to his car and asks one question: what year? I don't remember what song it was but I figured it out like this. It first appeared in 73 and I could easily tell it was Keith on piano. So that brought me through the end of the 70's. Jerry sounded strong but young (his voice). I make my guess: 74. He has to pull the disc out to look. I nailed it. It was a 74 show. I cross paths with him leaving work. A bobby song is on. Sounds great. I guess post Jerry. Then might as well comes on. Guitar and voice sound horrible. Change my guess to 84. Nailed it. Cringed because it was so bad. I too purchased the big 72 box. That is a work of art. If they are going to do a box set post 79, I hope it is from between 89-91. I don't think multiple shows from any other time could produce numerous consecutive shows with the same magic. I would like to see more stuff from 87-93 (maybe 94) released, but be selective. Anything from 80-86 is just not of interest to me. Great Brett stuff happened through all the 80's, but Jerry was off his game until 87. Exceptions are rare for me. Hartford 82 and 83 are good shows. I would even be interested in the last show being released. I am not sure there is anything that would match Europe 72.
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Mike, There were plenty of killer shows from the era you dimiss. Whether or not a proper recording exists within the vault to work with remains another question. Not any mutliple night runs worth release? Please. Back to back 1980 = Philly 08/30/80 & Landover 08/31/80. Gainesville 11/29/80 & Atlanta's Fabulous Fox Theater 11/30/80. 1981 = the first 7 shows of the year were at Theaters. All 7 stand the solid test of time (particularly the last two at the Stanley Theater). 1982 the show at The Starlight Amphitheater 08/02/82 was gold standard of any day. In October they played two back to back at the Frost Amphitheater that were sterling. We still await their release. 1983 - Santa Fe back to back 1984 - Hampton back to back. This is just off the top of my head and sure there were some disappointing shows during this run (Jerry's 40th, Boreal Ridge etc.) I too would love Box Sets from 1989 -> 1991, I just don't want to see a lot of fine nights take a bad rap ... Don't kid yourself there was still a lot of great music that went down during this time, and we need it in releasible form - the sooner the better!
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14 years 11 months
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Reading all the comments from the three threads concerned with this release gives the distinct impression that people were not very enthused with this pick. There was even a comment, in a non-related thread, about already looking forward to the next release! Don't get me wrong. As always, people are happy to have more remastered 71 in their collection. However, there is a distinct call for something other than 71-77. As the mission is to release everything worthy I think it is inevitable. You just have to live long enough.
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13 years 4 months
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Really? I've read all the posts and my impression is the response to DaP3 is overwhelmingly positive, - and it's virtually unanimous. Only a few grumbles, and one from a well-known gadfly in these parts ( a lovable gadfly, though). The remaining grumblers- well, if you read their posts carefully, even they are kind of looking forward to this one in the end. I trust the PTB realize that the great, great majority of Deadheads around the world are terrifically excited about this choice! Of course, the comments section wouldn't be as fun without a few contrary opinions.I'm also already thinking of the next release. I still say preferably pre-hiatus, but if it has to be later, I'd take any 80-84 show over any later Brent era show. Any Hornsby/Vince shows would be fine with me, too.
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17 years 3 months
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Either way is fine with me. I just want to know who had the chore of driving Yoda around Marin for this video. Very silly fun! And who came up with the idea? If you ever want Yoda to take a ride through Oakland, I will be happy to oblige for future videos.