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"When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band's live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead's live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history." - David Lemieux
We are more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN. Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions.
The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.
The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.
The USB drive version* will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Digital version of the book also included on USB.
Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This release is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing a mighty fine selection of music, art, and much, much more right here.
(Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)
ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.
*Helpful hints for using your USB:
Running the 30 Trips Player / Reader program:
On Windows – Navigate to the USB drive and double click the PCStart.exe file to run.
On MacOS – Open the GD 30 Trips drive, and double click the MacStart to run.
Viewing the digital book:
You can either view it within the program that comes on the drive, or by opening the PDF directly.
To view the PDF, open the PDF folder on the drive and the USB_bk_spreads_08-31 file within. Selecting the option within your PDF reading application to view as a “single page” might be preferable to viewing as a continuous document.
Importing music into iTunes and other library programs:
When you import the songs from the USB into your library, the information used to identify the track will likely leave them sorted incorrectly. Please use the song list found here to re-number the songs for each show so that they playback in the correct order.
PDF
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Charlie Watts
He doesn't have the flash, but he makes up for it in swagger!
documentaries
I was thinking about my favorite documentaries over the weekend and thought about asking the board what folks enjoyed. To my surprise, I get to the office and the discussion was already ongoing. Man the group mind is true.
I watched Song of the South this weekend, about Duane and the Allman Brothers. It was great. I highly recommend and it is a nice companion to Muscle Shoals.
If you watch Muscle Shoals, Sound City, and Finding the Funk you will hear a common thread running through all three. Will have to watch Wrecking Crew, looks awesome.
@Gary Farseer
Check out "Music is the Weapon" about Fela Kuti, excellent documentary.
Besides music, I recently watched "Let the Fire Burn", a nice documentary re: the MOVE group in Philly. It stays pretty objective, I think.
Off topic...this weekend in SF
Reminder: this weekend is Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, featuring electric Hot Tuna Saturday at 1:25 on the Banjo stage.
Documentary suggestion:
What Happened, Miss Simone?
about Nina Simone.........watch it.
Matchewy
I said "best I've seen" because Russo is. Im sure a lot of us on here are musicians as well as yourself. What else do we have but our own opinion? I can post videos too of all the cats I like, but chat rooms are nice for simple one line remarks as well, sometimes the simplest comments dont need explanations.
Wow.. Lots of good stuff going on here.
Thanks all.
matchewey.. looks like you provided some evening entertainment. I don't think I have seen a single one of your links. Might have to check them out with my new headphones.
Dr. Shakedown - my apologies, I send this same to post to you as a private post, but meant for it to be for all.. I was replying to your thread and hit the wrong button.. sorry.
another drummer
Greg Hutchinson
saw this guy with the John Scofield Organic Trio and he smoked
Then there's this guy...
He starts feelin' it about a minute in...
@Bolo
That video is so great!
That reminds me, Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is actually quite overlooked and underrated (pre heroin and drum machines). If you listen to ZZ Top's first three albums, you can hear some very uniquely placed ghost beats and really intricate shuffles. A friend brought this to my attention years ago. I was skeptical, but when I listened, I was blown away.
30 Trips Early Access
Okay.. I have finally given in and started streaming as well. I started at the beginning with '66. I am actually listening to it now. I'm pretty much never a dancer.. while sober, but this has me moving my hips while making lunch. It's absolutely great fun. This show alone confirms that I've made a wise purchase. Priceless...
Contest Time !!!
Similiar to Bolo24 contest, decipher the words and 1st submission to correctly guess show date and venue, will receive a prize of GD Related goodness !!
Good luck to all participants and entries, send whatever you have in your hearts, could be sense or by coincidence, Tell me what's your reason if you got a good one.
Game time starts September 29 at 21:00 Eastern Time Zone.. Sorry International Gamers. Prize can only be sent to USA address, so tell an uncle, a friend, or Mama, if you win. I send there.
PM my inbox, One guess per profile, per day (profile made before yesterday will only count). This contest has No Affiliation with dead.net. And any complaints should not be directed to their CS.. No purchase necessary.. Hopefully its not too hard to handle
Drummers
Joe Morello was one of the finest drummers to ever play drums. Check him out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncL4sOPgv_o
If you liked it, try listening to the extended version on "The Dave Brubeck Quartet At Carnegie Hall." You'll be amazed.
Charlie Watts
Charlie was done a grave injustice over the years, as his best live playing was not released until a few years ago. I couldn't believe I was listening / watching the same guy when I first laid eyes on Ladies & Gentlemen The Rolling Stones (video from the Exile on Main St. tour). Anyone marginal about Charlie or the Stones in general should check this show out at high volume. The entire band is peaking here in 1972, and the synergy is staggering. Mick Taylor is well integrated into the band by this time, so he wasn't only making the old standards sound better, but he was an active participant in the current writing and arranging (and for fuck's sake don't ever underestimate what this guy did for the Stones). Keith Richards is at his best, not only on rhythm guitar, but he also played some timely lead and provided solid backing vocals that were integral to the Stones' sound. Mick Jagger actually sings like he does in the studio (i.e. on time, with energy, and melodically), and Charlie is everywhere he needs to be and more. Bill Wyman is barely shown, but he's not much to look at anyway - but he plays well, which is all that matters. So many great moments, but Happy and Midnight Rambler will blow the roof off your house; and there is an unparalleled rendition of Jumpin' Jack Flash, in which the main riff somehow rings this ethereal tone in the ears, as several people playing it at once somehow make it sound like a hundred piece orchestra.
I like the guys
cuz mentions, among others, because they influenced our man Billy so much. I surely can hear Billy supporting Miles on Kind of Blue a lot sooner than I can hear him supporting Jimmy Page on Zep II. Just think what happened when Keith joined and those jazz spaces just began blossoming. Heart of Gold band.
Lets not forget
..right, lets not forget billy and mickey too for that matter. They both have their place.
@Keithfan
I totally agree. I always thought Watts could really play, but I've heard supposedly better educated musicians talk him down. Maybe they don't actually have the credentials to do so, because I think he's superb. "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?"... exhibit A. Also, you are totally preaching to the choir where Mick Taylor is concerned. I think he was the best guitarist the Stones ever had. His era is without question their best music.
And yes, Bill of the Dead was really good too. I've even had trained musician friends who are completely unfamiliar with Grateful Dead tell me "That drummer is really good" when I played some live material around them.
ISO: 11/10/67 boot CD - Black Panther Records
Probably in the late 80's, early 90's, I acquired several bootleg CDs of the Dead and one of them was from November 8-9-10-11, 1967 in Los Angeles. It only had 4 or 5 tracks on it and a 34 minute Alligator, if I recall correctly and this single CD was on "Black Panther Records" made in Italy at the time. I thought the sound was terrible, a rather muddy sound, and I just couldn't listen to it all that much, so I sold it. I can't find it listed on discogs.com or rateyourmusic.com and it's not currently for sale on ebay.com as far as I know.
Do you have it?
PM me if you do.
...and on THAT note...
I also listened to the '67 show from 30 trips. Fucking great. Only, what.. 9 songs? Primo primal dead. I already couldn't wait to get this box. Anticipation is up by a few notches now.
11/10/67 boot Black Panther Records CD
Just the inlay cards, especially the front card.
11/11/67
Its pretty obscure. All I can find is that it did exist.
This is what I can find.
LIVE IN LOS ANGELES VOL. 1 11/00/67 BLACK PANTHER BPCD 008 1CD B+ As Shrine Auditorium (Koine K 880804
LIVE IN LOS ANGELES VOL. 2 11/00/67 BLACK PANTHER BPCD 009 1CD B+ As Shrine Auditorium (Koine K 881103)
I have it from a reliable source that even bad copies of this are going for thousands of dollars on EBay. What did you get for your copy? (kidding)
Reflections in a Double Bourbon..
Getting caught up again, lost a whole post (again) so not exactly pleased at this point. But there are worse things in life...I suppose. Haha.
1) Love the drummers conversation, enlightening. I am pretty undereducated, my favorite is Levon followed by Moon though I love and respect others too...Jimmy Cobb, Gene Krupa, Ronnie Tutt, DJ Fontana, that guy Bolo mentioned.
My question: Matchewy - As a drummer, what do you think of the Dead's two headed monster? (Pre and post hiatus)
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbJSfDtolRw
3) On the new Dylan release....oh my. Regarding the subject matter, I can see where some may be less than enamored. Having heard alot of outtakes from this period and others in his ouevre, I will say they are generally very interesting. He tries a lot of different tempos and keys (on what is currently available) so it is interesting to see the evolution. It's not just aborted takes of the song as you hear it on the album. Now we'll see if these follow suit..and even if they do, it's not like hearing new material, so it is definitely the most niche of the Dylan archival releases by far.
That said, that's where I fit in...I'm firmly on the bus so I had to go with the 18 disc set and I am already salivating. Even though I'm apparently just another sucker on the vine, I very much question the price point.. it certainly puts 30 Trips in perspective, eh?
4) Fourwindsblow was kind enough to turn me on to 10/12/68...sweet Moses Malone (RIP). The Eleven > Death Don't Have No Mercy, plus The Other One suite...this might be the most insane primal spit on your neck witches cauldron razor blade fireworks I've heard so far. Sorry, I've lost all diction and punctuation after this one.
5) Somehow got on a little Woodstock kick, reading some pieces and listening to Ten Years After, so I checked out the Taking Woodstock film from a few years ago. Not bad, though sensualized / over-Hollywood in many places. Anyone ever see it?
6) After stumbling across a bit about Gram Parsons (whom I know nothing about), I picked up a copy of "Are You Ready For The Country: Elvis, Dylan, Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock" by Peter Doggett. Haven't got to it yet, but looking forward to checking it out. I can't imagine Workingman's Dead and other GOGD offerings are excluded.
@muleskinner
Dude... you know nothing about Parsons? Must get The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo(with bonus tracks) and everything Flying Burrito Brothers. His two solo albums? I could live with or without.
Lowspark
Thanks Lowspark...that's exactly what my shopping list looks like, in fact. I knew Sweetheart of the Rodeo was hailed as one of the 'forefathers' of country rock, and that they covered a lot of Dylan (there, before and after) but haven't listened yet.
And I have always heard of the Flying Burrito Brothers but have yet to delve into them.
Somewhat related to the Byrds..maybe, I picked up a Danelectro 12-string F-hole the other day when we were at the guitar shop. Nothing fancy, but I love it.
country rock
Muleskinner,
"Are You Ready For the Country" is a worthy read. Gram P. is rightly celebrated, but not deified, which is refreshing. Honestly, I don't recall many words spent on our own GD (maybe I'm wrong)...but Mike Nesmith & the First National Band get their due, which is nice.
Wow, drummers. So many. My shortest list would comprise Elvin Jones, Keith Moon, Billy Kreutzmann, Ringo Starr (the Beatle years--every fill is imprinted on my heart) & Neil Peart (who compares the percussive demands of a Rush performance to running a marathon while doing physics problems).
But then there's Roy Haynes, Barriemore Barlow, Tony Williams, Morello, Bruford, Bonham, Baker, Mitch Mitchell, Clive Bunker (love that guy), any of FZ's drummers (Dunbar, Thompson, Bozzio), Dave Mattacks in Fairport, Tiki Fulwood in P-Funk...so many. Nick Mason will never appear on a list of all-time greats, but I love his tribal drumming through about '73 -- by the Wall, he'd been utterly banished to the pocket and genericness (though at least he got to stay in the band, unlike Wright).
I'll second a nod for Russo, also--his workout on Terrapin Flyer with Further was really exciting.
For me, outside of the Ramones, I want fills!! They sadly went out of fashion in the 80's and have largely not returned. Ride cymbals, likewise.
*sorry, Big Band drummers (Rich, Krupa, Webb)...you guys are a given. But I've journeyed less with you.
Best drummers I've seen - small venue (Regattabar in Cambridge)
Drummers I've seen at Regattabar in Harvard Square (250 Seats).
Dennis Chambers (Mike Stern Band)
Dave Weckl (Mike Stern Band) - video not Regattabar
Keith Carlock (Oz Noy Band)
Lenny White
Drummers
First-whoever this fella is,he smokes....https://youtu.be/m6ZgytCOBw8
And how could we forget....https://youtu.be/eooJYess3nc
:)
Ooops...Sorry,thought they would be direct links.
P.S.-Also if you're into the heavy stuff(pssst...c'mere kid),The Melvins double drummer attack is big and loud tribal style.
@jrf - awesome drummer - Lopez band has trippy radiohead sound
thanks for the clip - sound reminds me of Radiohead. Like the double drummer config of last radiohead album, King of Limbs with Philip Selway and Clive Deamer (former Portishead drummer)...
30 Trips & Cambridge Drummers
boblopes, have you seen Erik Kerr or Dean Johnson at the Lizard Lounge? They play with Mike Rivard's Club D'Elf.
As for the box, I've been stuck in the sixties so far. Just got through the '69 Dream Bowl show. Highlights include everything. I got almost all of the way back through the '66 show after that. Boy is that fun to listen too. Interesting to hear how aggressive Pig is on the keys, compared to say '72 where he all but disappears for long stretches. For this show he is loud (maybe its just the mix, but that sound seems to cut through the din) and playing with a lot of confidence.
The '67 show is what everyone claims, and maybe more. Wow. So far may favorite show in the box, again having only listened to '66 - '69. '68 is great; i just wish there was more of it. '69 has a great start with Mountains and Dupree's, a great transition into Dark Star, which just hums along for 10 minutes or so, and a blistering Eleven.
I'm budgeting another week or two digesting these four shows before dipping an eager toe into the 70s.
any more boxes
I'm looking to buy a box as a surprise for my brother (a longer term dead0head than me) - does anyone know if there will be any more stock i.e. cancellations etc coming in the pipeline.
PS Who's also bought the 18cd dylan box - i have - gotta love that leopard skin spindle!!
Club D'Elf ... Billy & the Kids
Right on, Slow Dog. I'll second that praise for Club D'Elf and its drummers. Any 'heads in the Boston area who haven't caught this act out and about (regular performances at the Lizard Lounge) should make it a point to do so. Wish I'd seen them when Mark Sandman was still around and sometimes dropping in. And there is a GD connection, too: Aron Magner, from Billy & the Kids, has sat in with them before.
re: Gary, documentaries
Not sure if you meant music docs specifically or documentaries in general but if it's the latter, Hoop Dreams really impressed me.
3-18-71 and recent listening
Listening now to St. Louie show and Daaaaaaaaaaamn is it smokin' hot! Maybe I need to start listening to more pre-Keith '71 because this is just terrific.
I originally said I'd wait for the physical discs to arrive but started by listening on my phone to the '95 show. Then (with my son's headphones) sampled '93 and '92, and then the '82 show. Yes, the sound quality of the '82 show isn't the best but it's a great show. In an effort to avoid listening to too much of the box I picked up Dylan's Under the Red Sky and Love and Theft. Red Sky was hated by the critics and fans when it came out but sounds pretty good to me now. Muleskinner, thoughts on that album? The title song and Born in Time are worth it on their own.
But Saturday night I broke down and listened to one of my most anticipated shows, Cobo Hall '76. Fantastic--I loved that tape many years ago but haven't heard it in a decade or two. The MNS sounds like some of those rehearsals from Ace's studio in '75 and still has that hint of MLBJ in it.
Having said all that I think this '71 show is the best I've listened to from the box yet and that surprises me.
Full disclosure: I'm originally from the St. Louis area and for some odd reason take pleasure in the fact that so many GD shows from that city have made onto official releases even though they didn't play there from '83-'93.
Not sure where to start with the streaming, or if you should start? Try a little taste of the '71 show. I'm glad I did.
@ saintstephen1971
Good luck, because I doubt there well be anymore cancellations between now and shipping dates.That's only my opinion. You can try ebay, but you'll pay way too much
Good luck!
@ saintstephen1971
I'd check here on the 9th of October and maybe a few more copies might suddenly become available.
GD beer names
Going way back to an old topic, I was just reminded of one I forgot about: Boulevard's Long Strange Tripel (a very good one to try if you enjoy something Belgian) when this weekend I picked up something else called Saint Stephen from Brix City Brewing, a brand new thing out of NJ. Label leaves no doubt where their inspiration is derived. "One man gathers what another man spills." Haven't tried that one yet because my store annoyingly always inverts the bottles to scan them and I wanted to let it settle. Stock guy wondered if I was "into the band or just the beer." After a pause, I said I hadn't tried the beer yet.
re: 3/18/71 Fox Theatre
rdevil.. you're make it hard to save some for box set listening..
I am looking forward to this, especially the second set and its climax, GDTRFB>Caution. ..but I will wait on this one for all the box set glory.
Great venue.. love the sound of the Fox.
Rdevil
Not a bad way to pass the time, both the Dylan and the '71 show from the sound of it.
Like you said, Under The Red Sky is pretty well panned, but I am a fan as well, at least some of it. The production isn't great at times, but I love the title track, Born In Time, God Knows and Cat's In The Well. Some of the others are rather poor songs, and Wiggle Wiggle might be the strangest thing he's done. Which is saying a lot.
there are some great live versions of all of those, I got into the title track when I first started picking up bootlegs, shows ~2005-2006 where Donnie Herron does the main hook on pedal steel. My second Dylan show, in 2007, I was third row and the first time I saw him play guitar, he opened with Cat's In The Well. The album version's not bad, but there are some smoking live ones. Same for God Knows.
Love And Theft is a great snag too. A lot of people rank it as his best 'modern' album, and I can see it though might not completely agree. Mississippi is my favorite song of his released in the last 30 years, I'll stick by that. Love Summer Days, Honest With Me & especially High Water (For Charley Patton) as well.
If you like both of those albums and don't have it yet, I'd definitely recommend the Bootleg Series, Vol 8, Tell Tale Signs. It covers outtakes and live stuff from Oh Mercy to Modern Times (1989 to 2006).
Drummers
I've been enjoying the drummer discussion and thought I'd chime in with a little love for Stanton Moore. If you've ever seen Galactic you know how much fun that guy is to watch. He's just always on the money.
Anyone from the MD/DC/VA area will know the guy who plays the buckets outside of The Verizon Center Metro station. He brings the heat. I always have some cash for that guy.
Gram Parsons
@Muleskinner I 2nd Low Spark, "Sweethearts of the Rodeo", the first 2 Flying Burrito Brothers albums, and The International Submarine Band are all great Parsons albums, and they are are essential for anyone who likes country rock. I would definitely grab Parsons' 2 solo albums, as well. They feature an all-star line-up with James Burton on lead, and he smokes.
There are multiple versions of these albums out right now. I prefer vinyl, but the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs audiophile CD releases sound superb, as well. Also, that is Ms. Emmylou on backing vocals. She also did a fine version of "Las Vegas":
as well as this heartbreaking tribute to Parsons after his untimely death:
I also highly recommend Emmylou's first hadnful of Reprise albums for those wishing to expand their country rock collection, all really good with the same backing band as the GP albums.
Beyond that, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen are great,Little Feat's Output with Lowell George, especially their first 3 albums, and New Riders of the Purple Sage (with Jerry and Mickey on the first album) are all good.
Dang
Wow, great stuff - I've been so busy haven't even checked this forum for a few days. Lots to catch up on.
Just have to say a big thanks for all the great videos and drummer suggestions. Especially to Matchewy though, for the Soundgarden video. I loved them at the time, and this video confirms my youthful love of that band. Smoking.
Bolo, that drummer, OMG. I couldn't stop watching (well, I did stop finally). That is one of the most oddly compelling things I've seen in a while, thanks for that.
Country Rock
My all time favorite is the Everly Brothers' 1968 Roots LP. Did not sell a lot, but influenced a lot of people. Includes great versions of Mama Tried, Sing Me back Home, T For Texas along with some Everly originals. A must!!
Melvins
Melvins added Jared and Cody from Big Business into their line up in late 2006, so they were a four piece, guitar, bass, 2 drummers, all on vocals. This line up has released Senile Animal, Nude With Boots, Bride Screamed Murder, and Bulls & Bees plus other assorted singles.
They also have a few other concurrent line-ups going:
Melvins Lite was originally Buzz and Dale as a duo, but then added Trevor Dunn of Mr Bungle on stand up bass. This line up released Freak Puke.
Melvins 1983 has Dale on bass and their original drummer Mike Dillard. This line up released Tres Cabrones plus other various tracks
Melvins can also feature Jeff Pinkus of Butthole Surfers and Honky on bass when the Big Business guys are otherwise occupied. This line up released Hold It In.
Thanks @rev. mike
Wow, a lot of changes since I closely followed Melvins' output. I haven't paid attention too closely since around 2000 or so.
Regarding country rock, thanks @cousins of... for the suggestion. I haven't heard that album and will definitely check it out.
I was listening to Willie Nelson's "Songbird" album at work, this morning, with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals backing Willie. It fits very appropriately with the country rock discussion as Willie covers not only "Stella Blue", but also Ryan Adams, and Gram Parsons on a killer version of "$1000 Wedding". He also does a nice version of "Hallelujah", by Leonard Cohen. And, since the Cardinals are backing Willie, Neal Casal handles lead.
Drummers
Tony Williams.Rock?
Seems like have a longer memory than some on here, but one name: Ed Cassidy of Spirit, check out the Family that plays together, and in particular the track Its all the same. I still get goose bumps remembering his reentry riff after a GREAT drumsolo. One of the tedious constants of seeing bands in the early 70s were the interminable drum solos, tho it did give time to go to the john or get a beer, but not so when Cass Strange Drums was on stage, no sir!
product sku
081227955892