Grateful Dead

...but I do have an Irish Setter.

Wow, never expected to see Waldo Jeffers referenced here. What a great song/story, though more than a little twisted, especially as delivered by John Cale. Might have to give it a listen tonight. Thanks Stoltzfus! Back to regular programming now.

Gah!!! Wish I had all of those shows. I'd love to follow along on the anniversary dates. I do, at least, have today's and 5/11/72. The rest may have to be supplied by Spotify. I will also be playing the upcoming spring '77 shows as the dates go by.

Per KeithFan's request (and my delight), I'm reposting one of my very first posts to these here boards; this is in honor of the 44th anniversary of the Europe '72 kickoff; and, specifically, the 44th anniversary of the first Dark Star played on the tour. I decided to look a little deeper into the Dark Stars from the Europe 72 trunk and do my best to qualify them to find, at least in my estimation, what is the best jamming the boys pull off - and most specifically - those Dark Stars in which they bust out the Feelin' Groovy Jam, a harbinger of intensity, melody, and mind-melding. Below is a short synopsis for each of the eleven Dark Stars from the trunk, followed at the conclusion by my recommendation for the most intense and enjoyable foray that can keep your toes tapping. While off topic of Boxzilla, I thought since I put the time and effort into this search, others may find it interesting or of value. I had looked for something similar previously anywhere on the interwebs, but to no avail. Here goes.... 4/8/1972 - Wembly Empire Pool, London - 32 mins; intense/fast paced first leg up til about 10 mins then returns to DS theme for 1st verse; spacey post-verse til ~17 min, then pace picks up for a few minutes, followed by a brief meltdown; additional spaciness around 24 mins followed by another full meltdown; interesting groove established around 28 min that has hints of Sugar Mag (into which it segues, flawlessly). No second verse. 4/14/1972 - Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, DK - 29 mins; loose first 10 mins not overly spacey; gets spacey around 11 mins; interesting groove establishes around 16 min to head into first verse w/interesting beat; heads off into intense nearly 7-minute jam inclusive of a very tight and fast Feelin Groovy jam; final 3 minutes are a meltdown. No second verse. 4/17/1972 - Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, DK - 31 mins; spacey opening to about 7:30 when first DS theme emerges leading to 1st verse at 9:45. Spacey post-2nd verse tries to take off but melts further around 19 min; returns to a partial groove around 24:30 and closes out with spaceyness in the last 2 mins. No second verse. 4/24/1972 - Rheinhalle, Dusseldorf, Germany - Split by Me & My Uncle; 26 mins 1st half, 14:30 second half. Spacey opening until about 8:45 where it coalesces and falls into first DS theme around 10:15 followed shortly by 1st verse with slow, sparse notes. Spacey feedback following verse until 15:45 and then picks up into an intense, fast paced jam for just under 2 minutes before it becomes dissonant again leading to major meltdown which eventually heads into Me & My Uncle with ease. Second half: spacey reintroduction persists until about 7 mins, where Keith leads-in with some piano phrasing and then the band follows into a tight fast paced jam where Jerry plays some lines back and forth as if in conversation with himself and then maintains an intense level effortlessly segueing into Wharf Rat. No second verse. 4/29/1972 - Musikhalle, Hamburg, Denmark - 30 mins; spacey opening for ~5 mins, then enters a groove and Phil hints at the Feeling Groovy jam until it finally is joined by Jerry a minute later until about 8:00, then the floor drops out into space. DS theme appears at 14 min which leads to first verse. Spacey post-verse noodling leads to major meltdown, settling in at 22 mins with a fat, fast-paced Keith-led groove. Final 4 mins are spacey & lead to major melt #2, dropping into Sugar Mag as DS finally melts away. No second verse. 5/4/1972 - Olympia Theatre, Paris - Split by drums; 19 mins 1st half; 17:34 2nd half. Spacey opening til about 6 mins when fast paced jam kicks in until 11:20, slowing down then resurrecting the DS theme into the first verse. 4 mins of space leads into drums. Second half post-drums is very spacey until 7 mins, then kicks into overdrive with a very high energy jam leading to a phenominal Feelin Groovy Jam for several minutes before settling into the second verse. DS dissipates into the Sugar Mag from E'72. 5/7/1972 - Bickershaw Festival, Wigan, UK - 19:49 mins; decent, coherent jamming for the first several minutes that congeals nicely around 8 minutes. Bottom falls out around 10 mins and leads to some light noodling, cymbal fills and space. DS theme emerges at 14:23 and heads into 1st verse. Space fills the air through the remainder of the song until it totally breaks down into drums. No second verse. 5/11/1972 - Rotterdam Civic Hall, Netherlands - Split by drums; 13:45 mins 1st half; 30:34 mins 2nd half; Opens with a light, airy jam that persists to congeal into a decent groove as it treads in and out of spacey phrasing. This settles into a mysterious sounding jam that grows with intensity without a return to the DS theme before dissolving into drums. Emerging from drums, Phil and Billy duel for 2 minutes before Jerry joins back in with some complimentary thoughts; the DS theme appears around 5 min followed by 1st verse. A few moments of spacey feedback give way to spacey noodling that devolves into a full blow chaotic meltdown, only to emerge around 19:30 into a very nice, fast paced groove that hints at Caution and PITB jams. This eventually dissolves and a light, sparse outro ends the song as it heads off into Sugar Mag. No second verse. 5/18/1972 - Kongressaal, Muenchen, Denmark - 28:20 mins; almost 2 mins of noodling before opening notes from Phil; a loose jam ensues around the DS theme for the next several minutes and then decays. At ~9 min an interesting jam emerges, which eventually settles back into the DS theme and 1st verse around 14:30. The remainder of this DS is borderline chaos as it treads in and out of varying degrees of a meltdown until it settles into Morning Dew. No second verse. 5/23/1972 - The Strand Lyceum, London - 30 mins; Spacey opening minutes lead to tight fast paced jam commencing around 3:30 for two minutes and then it settles into another spacey jam digressing to almost…nothing. Billy and Phil then have a small duel until ~13:30 when the rest of the band fills back into a delicate groove which grows to into a jam reminiscent of the post-Truckin' foray from E'72 until about 17 mins, when they drop into the DS theme and 1st verse. Ensuing is additional delicate spaciness that transgresses into a frenzied meltdown madness, and eventually settles into Morning Dew. No second verse. 5/25/1972 - The Strand Lyceum, London - 34 mins, out of Wharf Rat. Strong opening with a groove almost from the beginning, no noodling around here in the first 7 minutes. Then turns very spacey until 15 mins when DS theme appears, and heads off into 1st verse. Post-verse finds a Billy, Phil, and Keith duel for several minutes. At 21 mins, Phil institutes a mellow Feeling Groovy jam, soon joined by the rest of the band until ~25 mins. Final minutes are dominated by space and then a monumental meltdown before heading off into Sugar Mag. No second verse. Final Verdict(s): It is a very close tie between 4/14 and the second half from 5/4. I put these on the pedestal due to the crazy, intense jams surrounding the Feelin Groovy sequences. They are just interstellar. Part of me also wanted to simply catalogue which Dark Stars included a Feelin Groovy jam from the '72 trunk, so I feel my work is done and I can rest easy. I'd be delighted to hear if any others had similar, or more excitingly, differing thoughts. Sixtus

Whoo Hoo. Thanks KF and Sixtus. (almost) agree w/ your best DS list. 4/14 and 5/4 are among my favorites. There has to be a special ranking to the one I just listened to, its almost always my favorite and that award goes to 4/8. I'm one of the ones that likes 5/11 too. Then there's the honorable mentions. Both Lyceums are outstanding and the sleeper award might have to go to 5/18. ahhh.. its that spring 72 time of the year again when I revisit some of my favorite shows and get trashed in the cold mountain streams as I dust off my kayak and realize how out of shape I have become over the long winter. ______________ Listening to 12/3/81 Madison WI on Satellite Radio. Great show, great sound. I think the Its All Over Now, Baby Blue from Postcards from the Hanging is from this show.

I wonder if they'll restock.... Thanks for re-posting that Sixtus, it will make a nice point of reference as I get into each show for the 44th. I never thought to rank them. 4/8 and 4/24 are maybe my two favorites, but then again, I'm always picking up new things in the music, and my preferences shift over time. Also doing some prep work for the July '78 box. I have 4/10/78 queued up and ready to go... What will be nice is if DaP 18 takes us all by storm next month -there's nothing I'd like more than a blockbuster from '76 to help me overcome the blind spot I have for that year (as a good friend once described it). P.S. - just read your 4/8 review Sixtus. It's funny you mentioned the hints of Sugar Magnolia, because I heard it myself the other day (it was the bass line), and I thought hmmm, is that Phil letting folks know he's ready to move on...

Single shows from E'72 are still 25% off. I saw the All Music Edition for 25% off yesterday, but by the time I decided it was worth it even considering I already had 8 of the individual shows, it was sold out. Picked up a few of the individual shows that I didn't have and they are still 25% off today. Is this because it is the anniversary of the E'72 tour, or is there another reason?

ok i've had this tattered list of Eu 72 shows that i knew i'd buy someday, and i at least checked off three of them (on sale Yay!). 4/14 Tivoli, 4/21 Beat Club (I remember digging the meet up at the movies) and 5/7 which happens to be on the Rolling stones list of great dead shows...hmmmm. Anyway looks like i missed out on two of my hopefuls, 5/4 Olympia and 5/11 Rotterdam...damn! must be sold out. I just want to also put a Rush plug in for the Kiel auditorium 1980-show, not official but shouldn't be too hard to find, it's a boot that is a hoot. Full 2112 and fantastic Natural Science. This show is it for me, raw and ripping. peace

Like you, I lost interest in the synth years. I discovered Rush at 2112. Loved them up through Moving Pictures. After that, not so much. Their last cd, however, Clockwork Angels is a masterpiece. Very heavy, great playing from all. I would highly recommend.

Awesome cassette tape!Lots of hours spent listening to that. One of the go-to tapes (before I built a collection of Dead recordings) for driving home after a concert.

TOMORROW is the day I help pull a fire truck! Sadly, we aren't near our fund raising goal. Please consider donating. Proceeds benefit the Cancer & Blood Disorders Clinic at Palmetto Richland Children's Hospital right here in our community in South Carolina. Cancer rates for children are rising. Cancer is the second leading cause of death for children (behind accidents).I will be wearing a Super K t-shirt (cape and mask too) for Kellen, who is the child of a friend of ours, fighting leukemia. I will also have on my Jerry Garcia hand-hat, for Chuck Harris who is fighting leukemia as well, Chuck got a shout out from Dave Lemieux on the latest seaside chat, and I told his story on the Golden Road with David Gans back in January. Please consider helping out. If you can't, please send prayers our way as we pull this 55,000 pound truck... and for Kellen, and Chuck and others fighting for their lives. https://secure3.4agoodcause.com/curing-kids-cancer/fundraisers/personal…

Maybe I'm crazy.. but I sense they are cleaning out their inventory. I wonder if they are doing it to create a sort of scarcity and create some pent up demand. But there's several things that used to be here and are no longer available. - Road Trips 1.2 - E72 shows (although just today on SiriusXM Lemieux said they could still be purchased at dead.net) - Spring 90 TOO - Quite a few other Road Trips used to exist, now they just have 1.1 Fall 79. Weird.. I thought those Europe shows would be there until the end of time. We can only hope they are making room for the Betty's. Oh, great posts today. Love the comments and talk about the music.

....ok. Rush is interesting because they would change up their style every three records. I prefer the Hemispheres - Permanent Waves - Moving Pictures phase. Signals is a favorite too. Saw them a few years back when they played Moving Pictures in full. Never thought I would ever see YYZ live, but I did. And yes, Peart is a beast!....still, Rush can be an acquired taste....you either like Geddy's vox or you don't. There is no in between....

....jumped in last night to get the complete set. Day late, dollar short. Jumped in the (Wembly) pool just now and grabbed eight of them....need to feed the addiction you know. When the trunk set came out many years ago, my family was strapped hard for cash, so I passed. God has blessed us recently, so I jumped on what I could get. $18 to $20 a show is ridiculous. A got as many Dark Stars that were left....

I had the Aerosmith belt buckle in junior high too. Got a big smile out of those who mentioned it as it had been long forgotten. Thought I was real cool with the buckle and the large black comb with the big handle that stuck out of the back pocket of my big bell Levis. Seems funny now but I much prefer that to the mid to late 80s look. http://worn75.blogspot.com/2010/07/dirt-rock.html As for Rush, I like albums 2,3 and 4. Saw them in '83 or '84. They were okay but didn't play enough old stuff--even then.

Damn, I sure hope these aren't about to be discontinued. I have several but have been slowly acquiring more in the hope of getting them all eventually. Just checked and the shows I most want are listed as "sold out." Having just ordered the Red Rocks box (after buying the 30 Trips box last year) I can't really just jump in and start buying stuff at the moment. Just emailed my fantasy football commish who owes me $300. We'll see how that goes... Truthfully, though, I think I can live with it if these are no longer available. I want them but there is so much to absorb lately that I can't get too uptight about it.

....the three and four disc sets are the same price....mind blown/melted!!.... ....edit. Also grabbed as many Cumberlands as I could. You can never have enough of those....

It's on YouTube.For those who like the old stuff.

https://plus.google.com/100777210624696599602/posts/A9U4wrTePYY ....night and day, rare and well done, ying and yang, sour and sweet, hot and cold....call it what you will. A link to the last versions of songs performed by the boyz. Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare....

Strange thing about the Butch Trucks statements is that I have his double CD "Great Caesar’s Ghost Live with Butch Trucks" and Scarlet Begonias and Bertha are both played. Go figure. Very good release for those interested.Also picked up the Allman Brother latest live release last night (Live From A&R Studios) at the local CD store and it is great. Sound for a 1971 recording is excellent.

Great Caesar's Ghost with Butch Trucks also released an album "Live at the Stephen Talkhouse" which included renditions of Mr. Charlie, Franklin's Tower & St. Stephen. Whatever Butch had to say about the Dead, he doesn't seem to have a problem with playing in a band that features lotsa Dead tunes.

cool link...never really thought about last versions (except for iconic songs like st. stephen, etc). I was at the 6/30 pittsburgh show and turns out I saw the final bird song and candyman (among others). Sorta depressing when you think about it but that's life - On the other hand it got me thinking about that show this morning- It was my final show, and i'm thankful i got to see a pretty special one. We got drenched that night...sky opened up on us just as the second set started...4 straight rain songs - Rain, Box of Rain, LL Rain, Samba (i might be mixing the order up)....believe we also got a Terrapin, a pretty nice SOTM and a rare Gloria encore. just an incredibly cool experience. The look on everyone's face as we walked out said it all - even after all those years (and despite the hell that was that final tour) on any given night, magic could still exist at a dead show.

First, thanks Keithfan for the excellent commentary on Wembley 4/8 and thank you Sixtus for re-posting your Europe '72 Dark Stars overview (I saved your original post). I am still replaying that DS>Sugar Mag>Caution. You can tell from the cheers and applause after the supposed “end” of Sugar Magnolia that many in the crowd were scrambling onto the bus for the first time that night. Man! did they have another thing coming when Sunshine Daydream kicked in and finished red shifting their faces right off of their heads! That’s the first of 5 Cautions from the Europe ’72 incursion. Is there a better hour on the tour? We’ll find out. . . NEXT STOP: Newcastle 4/11/72. In the meantime, if you want to know what’s actually in the trunk, check this out (don't recall who posted this link a couple of years ago, but THANKS!): "EUROPE '72 OVERDUBS" From “Grateful Dead Guide” on Dead Essays 1/31/14: http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-europe-72-overdubs-guest-pos… One thing that caught my eye in the article was the handful of AWOL tracks: “There are just a few cases where tracks are circulating that are missing from the box set: “Casey Jones” at the end of the 4/7 first set, the 4/21 soundcheck of “Loser” and “Black Throated Wind,” and the 5/11 encore of “One More Saturday Night.” (On the other hand, the box set turned up a previously unknown soundcheck on 5/16 of a rare “Big River” and “Sugar Magnolia.”)” You can hear &/or download the errant tracks at: CASEY JONES from 4/7: https://archive.org/details/gd72-04-07.aud.sirmick.31329.sbeok.flacf (downloadable on the Archive) SOUNDCHECK from 4/21: https://archive.org/details/gd1972-04-21.116404.sbd.berger.sndchk.flac16 (stream only on the Archive) or https://archive.org/details/gd72-04-21.fm.vernon.9380.sbeok.shnf (downloadable on the Archive) ENCORE from 5/11: https://archive.org/details/gd72-05-11.sbd.samaritano.9357.sbeok.shnf (stream only on the Archive)

Funny you mention that...i always felt the same way about 76 as well. In fact the only shows in my collection from 76 are 6/9, 6/14, 6/21, 7/18, 10/9 & 10/10. That said...each one of those are absolutely tremendous! Every time i play one of them i always wonder why i don't do it more often, yet 76 is probably the year i'm "least" excited about. Definitely a transitional year but chock full of wonderful performances. The mind is a strange thing indeed... looking forward to the new release -

...melts in your mind, not in your hand...

As some of you may have noted, I can get pretty pissed off about somewhat "small" things.Thanks JeffSmith for posting about this article and linking it. I have said in the past that E72Box was the last GDM release that I didn't have a problem with. Well, now i have problems with that too! As several commenters on the linked article noted, GDM avoids disclosing all the disfiguring of the source documents that they do when preparing a release (the secret insertion of the 6/8/77 GDTRFB in the 5/77 box gets a mention). This article summarizes enough fuckerey that I am feeling that I maybe should throw the damn box out! Of course I won't, but I can no longer think of it as a document of GD's historical high point; it's relationship to the performances on that tour is similar to that between Pam Anderson's natural body and her movie star body! I did sell off my HYH, SOWTGD, and RTR- I shouldn't have as they contain vocal parts and mixing choices that document those shows differently. With two books in the steamer trunk, one should have included all the info in the article JeffSmith linked. I had heard some of the info in the article before, but reading it all in one sitting is quite upsetting (for me). TRUTH is more important than beauty (imo), so I really appreciate your bringing this to our attention JeffSmith. If only Dave & Jeffrey & GDM could get on the truth train.... Still excited about my 7/78 box and DaP18 in May, but I am pretty sure I won't be getting rid of my SIRA release of 7/8/78...I trust commercial bootleggers more than I do GDM. A free concert D/L site I follow has commenced posting all the GD81 shows. Made a 2CDr set of 3/5/81 S2 (-final 3) & 3/6/81 Set 2 (-first 2). 3/5 stuff was awesome last night. Gonna hide in the 3/6 disc today and try to cleanse my soul of this GDM muck. Out with DL2, in with Charlie Miller! P.S. all you 80's haters who say the Dead were unworthy 82-88: I don't quite agree with you, but I see why you have that opinion. These '81s are much more powerful than most 82-88 shows.

Funny, that essay is a great, informative read. And the attempt to strengthen aspects of the live shows slated for release doesn't bother me a bit. Sure, woulda been nice to see DL provide full disclosure, but the actual outcomes were excellent and is/was the band's prerogative. There are so many unaltered tapes and warts out there, that I commend the band for up-tweaking a few things. Jer, apparently, was the most prolific dubber and I say, hat's off to him. And I like the fact that the distinctly Euro 72 songs that Robert Hunter always lamented shoulda, woulda, coulda been properly recorded in a studio were given some loving touches. Purity is an idealist's dream and, as noted, the GD weren't purists. I invite one and all to get up on the soapbox and scream 'rip-off,' 'impure,' 'fraud,' 'unworthy,' whatever! I call it craftsmanship and DL's decision to not reveal all details is part of the magic show. In fact, I recall thinking over the past year that all the post-band ('95) releases had no chance of being overdubbed, but I'm pretty sure ole Jer woulda loved to correct a few of his mistakes. But with the pace of releases, much of that stuff would have never seen the light of day if Jer had been around to object or spend precious time over-dubbing. This information isn't revelatory, nor does it diminish in any way my love for that '72 box. Loved it for the 2 1/2 yrs we spent absorbing each show in turn, love it now, will love it as I turn to another listen in coming years. In fact, it piques my interest further. Just knew you all were wondering about my opinion!

I read the article about overdubs re Europe 72...and it didn't make me mad (like Seth certainly has a perfect right to be). The way I see it, the Grateful Dead were artists and they were making art. Every artist has the right to "work on" their stuff...like an author doing countless revisions, or a painter dabbing away at an ever-evolving image. Monet, for instance, once said that he "never" considered a painting to be finished. If you see a concert live, then you hear the live show as it is; that's special & unique. But when artists transfer their live work to albums, I feel they have the right, as artists, to evolve...to literally sculpt their work. Either way, I was pleased to see (unless I missed something) that no Dark Stars or jams were overdubbed! I usually put 6 CDs in my CD holder and program for Dark Stars & jams exclusively...so no overdubs here! But even if there were, I'd understand it as the original artists polishing/evolving their own work. Seems to me, the evolving process is equally creative as the original concert effort; therefore the two can morally (and often miraculously) merge. Where I would NOT support overdubs would be things like Hendrix's "Crash Landing," where musicians (not at all connected with the original work) add music decades later. That I don't like.

I have never complained about the persistent warts that are prevalent in GD recordings.. they weren't perfectionists and took great risks. The payoff was worth it when it clicked, I'll take the warts and be happy someone recorded some of this stuff. But I really enjoy the E72 box. I'm not going to complain about decisions made, its a unique box set. I think Ill spin a new show from that box now. Been hankering for Lille. Here's to you, Senor Bolo...

Once upon a time, ie over 40 years ago, I had a very early bootleg recorded at one of the German shows, where somebody (Wier?) Related in German the results of an International Soccer match between England and Germany, which naturslly the Germans won, when the box arrived I waited to hear it again, but till now, anyway, I havnt heard... I am not the most attentive of listeners, and I am only now on my second rum through of the box so maybe its there....just saying.

To (perhaps) clarify my bitching:I have no complaint with the overdubs on the original album. It's the issues about THE BOX in the article that bother me. The original album was the band's new album for '72. As such, they have every right to make the recordings what they want them to be. I thought the box is THE historical document of the tour. As such, I want it to be faithful to the events. I wish TPTB shared my priorities for the GD legacy, but oh well...

A bit disappointed.But, if we couldn't hear the vocals on some of the songs in the box there would be complaining about that.

My recollection of the article is that the only overdubs in the E72 Complete Recordings box set are the ones that were done during the original 1972 mixing of the original E72 record, and that the only reason the overdubs are present on the box set is because someone in their infinite wisdom decided to overdub right onto the master, thus marring it forever. Did I miss something? I know one man who can offer some petspective... Personally, I hate the overdubbed vocal tracks and I don't listen to them (or the original E72 for that matter, or Skull & Roses). I get why they did it. There was almost no such thing as a live 70s record that didn't have some degree of vocal and / or instrumental repair done in production, KISS Alive! being the most notorious (accounts vary, but some say the drums are the only authentic piece of live concert footage that remains). I think even Live Dead had studio vocals done on St. Stephen and The Eleven.

How a recording that has never been officially released, ended up on The National Recording Registry of The Library of Congress.... Any guesses???? YES BARTON HALL 5/8/77 CORNELL ITHACA NEW YORK.... I don't understand how that could be...... I find it very interesting how bout you???

Old news: http://www.dead.net/features/blair-jackson/blair-s-golden-road-blog-cor…

I just went to dead.net and looked up Spring 1990 (TOO) and it is still available. I put it in my cart, and it showed up there at checkout. (Ididn't get it because I already have it.) I have been seeing a lot of posts saying it is sold out, but that does not appear to be the case. I did get a few shows from Europe 72. They are all discounted and are at a very nice price. But they appear to be going fast.

I very much look forward to the shipping of this release, but most of all I look forward to what comes next. How about you?

While brewing a batch of beer today it occurred to me that the soundtrack should be from E72, and why not today's actual date? Well, the closest I could come was 4/8, right? So I "settled" for that, and what a great show it is. So much energy! I hope all of that goodness gets spun into the ale as it awakens into fermentation. Yes, I wrote the guest post on E72 overdubs linked below. With help from the blog host light-into-ashes, we pieced together as best we could the clues. Keithfan, most of the overdubs were on the original E72 album, but some were also on songs considered for the album that did not make the cut. Sing Me Back Home comes to mind (RIP Merle - I saw you on 2 consecutive nights and you did not repeat a single song, much like the GD). And yes, unfortunately, some of the original tracks were apparently wiped in favor of the overdubs. 16 tracks is not all that many when you are trying to make a hi-fi recording of a 7 piece band, 5 of whom are vocalists. It makes sense that the production team made the decisions they made at the time. Here's to E72 in all of its glory and compromises. It is - and forever will be - the holy grail of GD music to me.

A little weary to write this post, been up for 19 hours, so with that in mind...I'm not upset about the Europe overdubs. And while transparency and disclosure should be the standard, it's difficult to not just enjoy how great of a release this box set actually is. On a tangent, suppose a concert was seen with poor seats and the sound was less than optimal- In Chicago this is referred to as Rosemont Horizon- Is this an accurate record of the concert? What kind of upsets me, and Jeffrey Norman has confirmed this, is he had to rush the Europe mixes to meet a deadline, and couldn't give each song and show the careful attention he wished to give. To me this is a tough pill to swallow, because there's only one chance to get it right. Then there's the multi-track veto of the first Spring '90 Box. So in a perfect world, Europe '72 should have been delayed to try and get the mixes as close to perfect as can be. And we all know, if Norman is given the time and resources, how brilliant his work can be. All that said, and probably way too much at that, both Europe '72 and the first Spring '90 box sound really great and I smile whenever they're played. It's that what if road I try to avoid traveling down...Can't change the past. Anyways, been up way too long, fueled by caffeine, as this long winded ramble is clear evidence of.

Yes the spring 90 1st box would have been incredible with the multi tracks. 4/8/72 is amazing. This 25 off sale got me to pull the trigger on Newcastle, Bickershaw, Paris & lastly Jim in MD's 5/18 recommendation. And to really switch gears, how great is the Worcester 83 trip? Amazing 1st set, excited to hear set 2. Great energy, I hope we get a similar era show released down the line. What a pleasant surprise this 83 trip is.

Yes, I listened to 4-8-72 tonight, too. It's been awhile but, man, it's an all time favorite. Top 10 Dark Star for sure, almost certainly a top five. But it's more than that, a great show from start to finish. The energy from this era is just incredible and, while I'm not opposed to 80s shows, it's obvious why there are so many releases from 72. More fall 72 would be just fine with me, but more fall '73 (post-horns, obviously) is way overdue for the box set treatment.

Thought I would comment, but will have to watch what I say, sometimes it's easy to say what really went down, but wouldn't want the safety Nazis to get offended and turn me in...lol. I totally agree, E72 is the best release that the ptb and Rhino have released to this date, the dark stars and the other ones from this tour are the best of the best. My favorite dark star is of course 5-4, Paris, what a fantastic piece of orchestration, done on the fly, by the best bunch of improve artist ever. Don't get me wrong, they are all great, the best, but this one is special. This dark star will take you there and back again like no other, simply gorgeous and fantastic and trippy, all at once. The overdub thing is kind of a silly argument, it's what it is, can't change it, wish it wasn't so but there you have it, they wanted perfection "just exactly perfect" comes to mind, so they dubbed, so what, it's all still the greatest show on earth. Butch Trucks and the ABB, what can you say, these guys were so jealous of the Dead it is almost pathetic, they wish there following was as loyal and dedicated as we were to the boys, they are also so pissed off that they did not record all their shows, so add the green with envy color to them for not having the forethought to do it, even after they knew the dead were doing it, too bad, I would have loved to have some of those shows with Duane to listen to now, but they were not recorded. As far as Trucks' opinion, he definitely did not listen to the dead or understand the beauty or "get it" in anyway, just a drummers opinion which, according to Billy's book, didn't hold a lot of weight. Rush was, I repeat, was a great band, their 2112 lp was the best thing they ever did, Ticket to Bangkok was an anthem to all us heads back in the day. Saw them several times, for a three man band, they were the best thing going in the early seventies, for a three man band. Dire Straits, loved Mark Knoffler, saw them several times in the seventies, loved his style, loved the band, even though they had a hard time keeping up with him. I have a story that is true, please, the names have been changed to protect us all... A close friend knew Mark and was in communication with him in 78 when they were coming over to the US for a show, they had never been here before and they were a bit weary of the US audience and how they would be received, my friend said "we will make you feel right at home, don't worry, you guys are great" so over they came, played a great tour and at the end, at a show in Florida, my friend and I were invited to attend with full backstage admittance. It was fabulous, we were treated like one of the band and all due to my friend who had turned the guys onto a real treat...I can't mention it here but they were all familiar with the European version of it but not the US version, they loved it, simply loved it and played such a frenzied and laid back show that night, all due to the party favors supplied by my friend. That's how the seventies were, real comrades, real good times, will never be another decade like it.

The recording of Cornell '77 in the library of Congress was deemed so important that the govt used an audience and/other soundboard sourced tape for the federal archive, I can go look up the actual lineage if anyone is really cares. I saw this a few years ago in an article about the Betty tapes, I believe. So it is not a master copy from the reels but a higher quality tape than most that circulate. I have a copy of what I believe was used for the LOC if anyone would like a copy, I pulled it from Archive.org before they shut down the downloads and backdoors. The tape is thick sounding, mixed we'll and quality throughout with no hiss, even the audience is audible but not overbearing like some audience tapes. Whenever I play it for people most are baffled as to why this recording of the show is heads above what they have heard from Cornell before. The first song, as is typical, starts out sounding a little more hollow and may be a patch from an earlier less quality tape. Cheers! Edit: oops I guess I should scroll down more before tackling a question Minas already provided the link to Blairs explanation, cheers again!

Still a great band. True, the albums through Signals were their best, but they still continued to make decent albums with a few great songs on them, and every few albums would have mostly great songs on them, especially their last few. And despite not selling multi-millions of records post-Signals, their albums all sold gold, and some platinum. They also continued to sell out arenas every album and tour they did, and there many since Signals (13 I believe). Compared to other bands who survived the 70s, I think this is an almost unparalleled accomplishment. Other bands have had the touring success, but not the volume and success of the studio LPs. They also experienced a resurgence in mainstream popularity the last 10 years, which culminated in their selection for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

E72 is great but the learning curve involved for Dead.net was steep and hence E72 was under-delivered. Still it is great but the underestimation of the required time did indeed result it less than the perfect amount of time and devotion given to the mixes. The cd sleeves needed a more solid and costlier prototype and some of the 'trinkets' were not there. Bottom Line: E72 is still great and the cost per disc was still a bargain. I do prefer the smaller boxes like the forthcoming July 78 over the 30 Trips. My 2 cents. Come on Spring Time already!! Cold morning up here in the North East of The Americas.

Cant understand the love for Dire S, saw them often at the Hope and Anchor, Islington back in the day, an Ok pub rock band, but thats about it. Been following all the fave band contributions, but what about now? Well heres a suggestion, HAZMAT MODINE!!!Any love? And if not, why not? Check them out. Public Service Announcement.

Lots of folks love the JGB gospel cover: "I'll Be With Thee." The woman who sang it originally is (for me) a recent & radiant discovery...the amazing Dorothy Love Coates. While her "best of" CD is packed with so-called "hits," it's another CD, of alternate takes & previously unreleased tracks, entitled "Get On Board," that's the true treasure. My God, this woman's raw vocal approach is so authentically stirring; and I'm not even Christian...it doesn't matter! I hate to use the overused cliche "jaw dropping," but her songs are overflowing with jaw-dropping, eye-bulging moments of raw uplifting power. No doubt Jerry knew of this, since the JGB covered "I'll Be With Thee."

Funny, when you don't get on this discussion page daily, a lot of cool things are discussed, but like 3 days ago. I want to comment! So, a few things.... Someone talked about guitar players, and Townsend on stage with Jerry. The whole thing with 'blowing someone off the stage' is the competition mindset that I don't think Jerry had much of. Jerry knew how good he was, (and his band) he didn't need to scream it at the top of his lungs. I don't think Jerry ever would try to embarrass another musician on stage with him. Pete is the only person I ever read that Jerry used the term 'genius' for. I can't see Pete trying to show up Jerry and more than I can see Jerry trying to show up Pete, or any other musician for that matter. As for the ABB, as someone else said, they are so frickin' jealous of the Dead's success! 1st, their brand new cd, which is awesome!, looks JUST LIKE the first Dick's Picks. Weird. 2nd, in their liner notes, the guy writing them, who must work for them and edits a magazine or newsletter named 'Hittin' the Note(?)" says so much stuff that just sounds like he's comparing the ABB to the Dead. So without using the name 'Grateful Dead' he says the ABB are the most improvisational band in the land, how, though they had settled on a set setlist, never played the same song the same way twice, recognized as the 'best live act in the country', the ABB was 'unique in its sound and approach to music', a bassist who 'played like a 3rd lead guitarist', they were greater than the sum of its parts, redefined the term "improvisational", you get the point. Look, I love the ABB as much as anyone, and Duane was uniquely special, but come on guys...give it a rest!!!! Why they feel the need to knock the Dead all the time is beyond me. Jeez, I saw a Beacon show one year (with Betts still in the band) and during the show they showed images of Hendrix, Jerry!, and the of course Duane. As for Rush, they were one of my brothers favs, so I saw them on the 2112 tour and Farewell to Kings tour. My brother loved Yes, so I saw them, too. Never got that into Rush, though I did like those albums. My favorite song, though, is I Think I'm Going Bald! (2nd album?) There was a recent doc about Rush, and when they 1st toured the states they were the opening band for Kiss! The Kiss guys watched out for them. Kiss would like tuck the Rush boys in bed after the show and then the Kiss guys partied!!! But Rush said what they learned touring with Kiss was that you HAD to bring your A-game every night. So, other American bands I listen to? NRBQ, who are still out there with Terry, but I hear are playing just awesome shows. How can any deadhead not love the Radiators???? And I think if you haven't listened to the 3 Big Star records, you are missing out on something truly special and unique....

....it's easy mp51, just check in every day for 15 minutes. Lots of cool discussions come and go....fun to chime in. Sometimes more is less.... (are you looking at me?)....seriously, this the only blog/thread/online bantering that I indulge in....otherwise, I'm pretty much under the Internet radar....