Grateful Dead

yes...the live shows and events were the closest to the flame we could getbut when i got the hook-set they went and took a hiatus. i didn't even know what that meant.who knew what was going to happen. a reunion did not seem likely to me anyway with things rumored to be LOM or no one seemed to really know if they would ever be back. the studio and "live" releases like "skull fuck", "live/dead" and "europe" were the only way to get there and we were fairly adept at making them as real as possible even with the old basement victrola's. at that time i lived on "wake", "mars" and "blues"..."terrapin" and "shakedown" rounded out that sort of present era as it rolled out. i loved those "records" and other dead recordings from First to American Beauty. i think they were very underated in the studio...strong sidenotes are Jerry's first and second releases and Bob's Ace. i love the fact that they dropped a blackjack with the 10 of diamonds and the ace of spades. cool! very very fortunately...they as you know returned to the road and the bus came back and many got on and the many shows are in perpetual motion for many more to enjoy and per chance to visit. "sound of the thunder with the rain pouring down"

I just finished reading 'Grateful Dead Gear' by Blair Jackson, which made me go back and revisit the old studio albums as I read about the sessions. From day one, live albums have always been my preference, 'Dead Set' being my first GD album purchase. 'Aoxomoxoa', 'Workingmans', 'Beauty', 'Wake', 'Mars', 'Allah' are all great studio albums, then the start of the Arista period got real cheesy and some weak production took over until 'In the Dark' and 'Built to Last' which are both great sounding studio works. I am all for remastering, who really wants to listen hiss or low signal poorly mixed recordings on your digital ipod or cd player? I still own a turntable and have all the studio albums both on CD and LP formats should I get really nostalgic and desire to spin a record. My only gripe with remastering is that it seems to me that on some of the early albums(I am guessing that for historical reasons) the tape speed/pitch was not correct or corrected so voices and song keys are much higher than they should be. The first album is especially bad in this respect to me(I've been a musician and audiophile for 30 years so no I'm not insane), those opening notes on The Golden Road just don't exist on regular organ!

I've posted this elsewhere, but I really prefer the original mix of AOXOMOXOA to the 71 remix, which is the only one that's been available for years. I would LOVE to see this remastered and officially released, it could probably be put together with the remix of ANTHEM OF THE SUN, which is the opposite scenario, where the original mix is the one widely available. I'm just going to keep bringing this up until I can get a really great sounding copy of this...

I would like for some one to release pig pens bring me my shot gun. You can do searches on the internet and even listen to it but you cant buy it. If any one has a copy and want to send it my way let me know. I would like to see the following released in surround sound Grateful Dead, Aoxomoxa, Anthem of the Sun, Dark Star studio single. A lot of music from the 60's and 70's was mixed for quadraphonics the real first surround sound.

So far only Workingman's and American Beauty have been released in the DVD audio format (re-mixed by Mickey.) I would love to hear Wake of the Flood and Mars Hotel done in 5.1 also. They would sound amazing! Does any one else have these? I mean it sounds like you're in the studio with the band. The first time I played Beauty, I had tears in my eyes! It seems like this format did not catch on, but what a great job Mickey did on these two. I also have pet Sounds. Incredible. Michael

Anthem of the Sun would especially be nice in surround...the jam at the end would make my head explode! Really, since I first got into the Dead back in the 80's I knew they were a better live band than studio, but Anthem and Blues for Allah were the two that really did it for me, and Anthem was part live sets as well. Even when One From the Vault came out, I stopped listening to Blues since it was live, and sounded better to my ears performance wise.

gd 1294 said "If any one has a copy and want to send it my way let me know". But Eric, you do not accept PM's. On that basis the offer below is open to all, to be vined if more than one wants a copy. I have an audio disc - Pigpen's Apartment Solo acoustic demos 1966 - it's from 4 track master>?>CD>.wav via EAC>.shn via MKW. Forget where it came from and when I got it but converted back to .wav via MKW. Tracks: Two Woman, Michael, Katie May, New Orleans > That train, Instrumental, Bring me my shotgun, CC Rider, Katie Mae, Hitchhiking Woman, Two Women, When I was a Boy, Bring me my Shotgun. It also has: I Believe, She's Mine and No Time, listed as Pigpen's final recordings dated 3-9-1973 but this must be wrong as Pig died 3-8-73. It finishes with a '64 recording of Sweet Georgia Brown>Betty and Dupree with Jorma. As it's now a vine on offer, please send PM with email and snail address before 19th January 2008 and I'll be happy to work up a vine - it'll be off list and I'll let all know the order, emails and the discs will be accompanied with the snail addresses. Happy New Year from Scotland, All the best Greg.

Greg, I would like to hear that and would be willing to start a vine over here with it.Hal If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake

...is one of the greatest "studio" albums of all time. Too bad those guys were where they were, in terms of technology, at the time they were there. Now in our digital age, that album is like taking a drug without going to jail. I'm convinced that the making of that album propelled, not only music, but all technology forward because even God was impressed. I might just come back and do life all over again, just to experience that album again, for the first time, maybe... "If the forms of this world die, which is more real, the me that dies or the me that's infinite? Can I trust my habitual mind, or do I need to learn to look beneath those things?"

Earlier post moving on to become a formal vine. Check 'New Vines' section.Thanks Mary for keeping me right (and thanks for indirect help re Road Trips). Greg.

GRTUD - Right there with you on Anthem, though much of it was live. I was back in the midwest on New Year's Day visiting family. I took a long walk in the 2 degree weather with biting winds and had Anthem playing in the earbuds. Just exactly perfect. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake

Howdy y'all. This is my first post over here, and I'm hoping to find out something about the original French issue of Shakedown Street. When I initially bought my used copy, it was supposed to be a different mix than issues from other countries. I've done a little bit of searching online, to no avail. I also don't own another version of the album to compare it to. If anybody has any info about this, or can confirm any differences, tell me all that you know.Glad to have joined this community - a whole different Dead lot from 1990, but at least we still get to hang in the lot! In spirit, anyways. Cheers! Craig

wouldn't it be nice to hear the Terrapin Station suite studio version without all those orchestras and choirs and stuff. It seems Jerry wanted it that way at the time, but maybe he wouldn't mind if we heard it without all that stuff; for me at least its powerful enough to stand on its own without the embellishments. What do you think?

Just 14 posts in this forum in more than a year. Is that a fair reflection of the studio legacy of our favourite band?

Heard about an album called Vintage Dead Volume 1 released around 1970/71. Anyone heard of it or have it? Is there studio versions of the classics like He's Gone, Brown Eyed Women, Ramble On Rose...etc. ? I assume they might be on this album. I first got into the Dead around 1987/88. Nope, I am NOT a "touchhead." In fact, I saw the Touch of Grey video back in 87 and hated it. I made the comment to a buddy that the Dead were "a bunch of old men." This was back in the metal 80s when I was listening to Zeppelin and Queen and the hard rock 70s bands. But that same buddy let me listen to some "old" dead stuff, and I got hooked. The very first dead song that I heard and got hooked after seeing the TOG video was "Mr. Charlie" from Europe 72'. This song had a pingy- twangy guitar with no or little distortion, piano, and this honky tonk singer. It was so far-out compared to what I was listening to at the time that I had to hear more. Anyway the rest is history and He's Gone is my #1 favorite.

Its a live album from 1966. Hard to get hold of now. Not sure if it ever appeared on CD. deaddisc dot com/disc/Vintage_Dead dot htm Many have wished that the tracks you mention (and others) had appeared on a follow up to American Beauty but as far as I know they only exist in live form.

When I think of the fun I used to have with those studio discs ... a tape from a show was a tape from a show and that's how it went down - end of stoooory. But I used to make the perfect concerts w/ the studio albums - by the way, I would, indeed like to hear Terrapin bare-bones - and give them to ... friends and family. Those perfect studio versions of songs like "Box" and "Playin'" would all be on them - I used to wear that vinyl out! What would be the perfect studio compilation? hmmmm ... "Where does the time go?"

Yes, Vintage dead is a great lp. It's on sunflower label. I bought it for my brother for his birthday around the time Workingmans Dead came out at the local drug store back in the day. Great cover with the Ripple bottle on it! Just bought a pristine copy for him again last summer at Ameoba Records in Berkley. It is priceless and it was cheap. pk

Yes the Dead on dvd audio is amazing I agree. Mickey did a masterful job. These are beyond description you have to hear them. Please keep going. Jerry's pedal steel is like you always dreamed it should be. Thank you Mickey!!!!!! pk

just listened to it on fathers day..inside of old skool koss proa headphones, it 's fantastic, sound is raw dead..... at their bestest

did it for me before that I probably knew 3 songs Truckin/Casey Jones/Friend of the Devil well maybe a couple others that were being played on the radio. Samson and Delilah and US Blues probably I picked up What a long strange trip shortly after that Playing in the Band was quickly a fave. then a few years ago a bud convinced me that their live music was where it was at. and so the collector that I am... I can't keep my CDs organized when they keep getting bumped by more and more Dead - so that collection now has its own box.

Speaking of Studio Albums, I wonder why there hasn't been a release of 'The Last One' ? I know that Disk 5 of So Many Roads Boxed set (one of my favs!!) represents alot of that... but it would be nice to see the boys take it to the studio, lay down some fresh tracks... They could pull live cuts to do Jer's parts and vocals. ... Interestingly enough, i did see a bootleg on the net, called 'EarthQuake Country' that live songs that would have been the last album... (wasn't Earthquake Country the orginal title for Aoxomoxoa ? ) But i also think - maybe thats just the way things are meant to be...

SMR-d5 is as close as we will get to a studio last LP/CD. The producers (Gans, Dick & Co) hunted the vault and this is the best they could find. Earthquake County CD came out in 96-7 and is live cuts from 92-94, most are not that good. Save your money, it's not worth the $25.00 ++ it's going for on eBay. Hope this helps.

They were amazing, still perfer Dick's Picks and Anthem of the Sun. The only album I hate is the Go to Heaven Album. They were so geared for MTV it was horrible, I still hate Shades of Gray. I feel in that album they sold out.

I was pleased to hear that the new heavy vinyl release of AoxomoxoA Is the original mix from 1969. The remix from 1971 is pretty much all that's been available for many years (except for the vinyl box). Great now to have access to both... While there was clearly some dissatisfaction that led to the remix, the original mix has some cool sounds and nuances that disappeared from the remix, and which are very evocative of 1969, notably on Mountains of the Moon, Doin' that Rag, WBOTB, etc...

Is there any way to find out where the tracks came from for Vintage Dead and Historic Dead? Apparently they were recorded in the fall of '66 (but released in '70 and '71), probably at the Avalon, but I'd love to know when.

Probably Sept 16(and 17?) 1966 see http://www.archive.org/details/gd66-09-16.sbd.vernon.9127.sbeok.shnf

Sweet! Thanks, CosmicBadger. And I think that Lindy and Stealin' appear from the same show on both Vintage and Historic. 9/16/66 has nine songs, but the LPs appear to have combined for 11, and these two songs look like replicates of each other.

The tracks on VINTAGE DEAD are:SIDE ONE 1.I Know You Rider 2.It Hurts Me Too 3.It's All Over Now Baby Blue 4.Dancing In The Street SIDE TWO 5.In The Midnight Hour The tracks on HISTORIC DEAD are: SIDE ONE 1.Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 2.Lindy SIDE TWO 3.Stealin' 4.The Same Thing The "Vintage Dead" and "Historic Dead" LPs are probably from a show recorded September 16, 1966 at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, except for the tracks: Stealin' & The Same Thing. They were probably recorded at The Matrix, San Francisco on November 29, 1966.

I sure wish there were more shows from these years available for DL or purchase. Seems so many weren't taped.

I received a USB turntable a few Christmas's ago from my wonderful wife. One of the first projects was to burn these two LPs on to a CD-R. We spread this out to some old friends, and everyone enjoyed hearing these classics again.

looks like i need to get ahold of vintage dead and historic dead. call me the wierd one, but i enjoy the first album alot. for me its the first 3 albums followed by american beauty, workingman's dead, and in the dark.

I view the studio albums in groups. I will use terms like favorite and least favorite, as apposed to best and worst or love and hate. Those words tend to make people think that your opinion is be all, end all. I'm certainly not looking to have to defend my opinions because they offended someone. Group 1 The first 3 albums Anthem is my favorite here followed closely by Aoxomoxoa. I was born in 1966, so these albums are probably more meaningful to the older Heads who experienced them first hand. Not that I don't enjoy them. Just making an observation. Group 2 Workingman's/Beauty This is like a double album to me, and stands on it's own as such. Like some others have alluded to earlier, I also wished there had been studio versions of the original songs from Europe '72. Those are some of my favorite Dead songs. Group 3 The GDR period. These 3 albums really do it for me. The only downfall is that my least favorite Dead song of all time Money Money is on Mars. Blues was my introduction to the Dead, but Wake is my favorite out of this lot. Group 4 The disco era? I just use that term, because everyone else does. This is my least favorite studio era, but not because of the slick production values. If you dose and put these albums on the headphones, there's some crazy shit going on. Hard to pick a favorite here, but if you forced me too, it would probably be Terrapin. Group 5 Dark/Built I'm probably in the minority to preferring Built over Dark?. But, I really like Built To Last. It was released right after the Warlocks shows in Hampton, which I attended. I was surrounded by Dead Head friends at this period in my life, so it has special memories. If, you know what I mean? You're probably wondering if my rambling is leading to a point? Yes, it is. If you dropped me on a deserted island and told me I could only take one Dead studio album, it would be Wake Of The Flood. But in my opinion, that would be cruel punishment.

i'm not sure where to post this, so i'll start here. does anyone know (no guesses, please) who did the mick jagger impression on the version of Not Fade Away on Rare Cuts and Oddities? thanks!

Hi Mischi,I don't know if it counts as guessing, but there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that we're hearing a very youthful Bob Weir! Any objections?

Has anyone heard anything about this yet? I haven't seen any talk about it. My brother just passed along this link to me this morning. https://www.fye.com/s/product/3911735/#.VVY1fPlViko

mars hotel for me, even with money, money (i agree with you that).

Sorry. Test.

I don't think it's Bob Weir. Pigpen.

Question. The Grateful Dead label releases in the Beyond Description are described as expanded and remastered. My question is regarding the versions contained in the Grateful Dead Records Collection Digital Box: are these the same remasters as Beyond Description, or have they been given a new treatment? (I know that Steal Your Face is unique).

Thanks!

Are there any plans for 5.1 mixes to be included in future Anniversary releases. I'm hoping for 'Blues for Allah' 5.1 at the very least.

[15 months later without reply] I don't know why i bothered asking?

just listened to it on fathers day..inside of old skool koss proa headphones, it 's fantastic, sound is raw dead..... at their bestest https://fireboyandwatergirl5.us/

Looking for info for a cut from Aoxomoxoa. I read somewhere, a long time ago, that one of the songs was put together by using the entire GD sound as the vocal line. Or something like that. Ring a bell with anyone?

It was Garcia, talking about What's Become of the Baby. I don't remember the exact details of what he said, but he said if you really want that song to work get some nitrous. I'm sure if you look around on the internet, you can find exactly what he said.

Thanks, Billy

I just typed in What's Become of the Baby/Garcia and it talks about how the Dead wanted the band coming out of one voice, but they didn't have the technology at the time to really pull it off. It's a real cool tune, with great lyrics. It sounds much better on the original mix of Aoxomoxoa then on the remixed version. The Dead only played it live one time in 1969, as part of an encore.

High-Ho! Still looking for other compulsive vinyl completists to share notes and "myths" of existing rarities. Discography section, ("Coming Soon"...), has been barren for ever. Anyone have any info to share on:
- Bob Weir - "Cassidy"/"One More Saturday Night" WB US STOCK Copy?
- Diga Rhythm Band - "Happiness is Drumming"/ "Razooli" - 7" single?
- "Anthem of the Sun" WB 7" Radio Spots?
A 40-Year collection, and a few "ugly rumors" of unknowns still exist. Info & photos welcome! - Way Out West