Grateful Dead

..anyone know why Jerry was a little down on the Doors?

BTW, I need 7 new shows in May like I need a hole in my head. Like it's not bad enough that I stare at the 200 shows I have for 50% of the free time I have to listen to music, trying to figure out which one is going to scratch the itch. I'm an obsessive DeadHead with attention deficit disorder....I want some Pigpen...no I want some Keith....no I'm not up for Donna right now, damn - wait - I'll go with DaP 14, I can get Keith and Pigpen without Donna. Two songs in, and now I'm thinking if I'm going to listen to '72 with Pigpen, I should probably put on one of the Europe '72 shows, since the multi-track sounds much much better, plus I'd kind of like to get a Dark Star in the mix....let's go with 4/8 or maybe 5/4...shit do I go with something that has a Wharf Rat or Uncle John's Band? Yes, lets' go 5/25, Dark Star, Wharf Rat, and Uncle John's Band, all on the same disc! Ah, that's nice, but I better start from Disc 1 or the proper build up isn't going to be in place. Ok disc one, Promised Land...love this one, especially in '72, but 5/23 actually had a better Promised Land...yeah, let's go with 5/23, it has the better Promised Land, a better Dark Star, and a great Uncle John's Band....hmmm, no Wharf Rat....no mind, I'll get my Wharf Rat fix FIRST, then put on 5/23...but which Wharf Rat? Definitely '72, let's go either Rockin' The Rhein or 5/10....definitely 5/10, love the sharp crisp chords and reverb...except I'm two songs into 5/25 now, and hooked on the Brown-Eyed Women groove...let's just leave this one on...actually Brown-Eyed Women peaked in '77, let's go to 5/25/77, same date 5 years later, that's somehow meaningful, and it's Dave's Picks 1, which has that great first set....there we go, I'll just listen to Dave's Picks 1 - starts off with that awesome Mississippi Half-Step...this is it, yes, this is IT. Love how they quietly roll into the Rio Grandio coda on this version, so quiet and serene, with just enough nuance to make it unique...ah that was a good one, and Jack Straw is playing now, also fantastic - one of the few early songs that I still enjoy by '77, but really the version on Dave's Picks 15 is the one....maybe I'll just make a mix. Hmmm, do I do a '71 / '72 mix or a '76 - '78 mix? And when did I last take my meds?

After the Dead I would say: ABB, Springsteen, Steely Dan, Pearl Jam, Doors & Eagles. I also like CCR, Aerosmith & Mellencamp but I think they are a cut below. Rock on

I feel the same way,, nice enough band,,, some nice hits,,,, have most of their albums,, but.... I seldom pull out their albums most of the songs I would play you will hear on the radio almost every day! But I know a guy who says "greatest band" also. To each their own. I see you also like Steely Dan, also knew a guy who swore "greatest band EVER!" And I always thought their ok, liked Aja and Can't Buy a Thrill back in the day. Then recent talk about them touring on this board made me buy tickets. They seemed cheap and I thought what the hell. After getting them I realized Steve Winwood is opening, so as long as he does Low Spark, I'm a happy camper. Then I loaded up all their albums and played them in the car, while me and wife were going places, we sang and knew the words (funny thing was we listened to them for years on a home made cassette, knew the words but didn't know the song titles, so we were shocked by titles and even some words) we even recognized songs from other albums just from airplay. But we listened to about 4 albums and I was thinking about it. Pulled in to driveway and wife said just what I was thinking,,,, all the songs sound the same! I think the show will be very nice and I think the sound will be very clean, but, I'm glad Winwood is opening!

I don't know. They're nice easy listening, but I've always thought incredibly overrated. They upped their appeal in my book when Joe Walsh stepped in, but if you think about it, they only had a handful of albums and tours. There's nothing unappealing about their music to me, and I own all of their records, I just don't know how they get in a conversation for Best American Band, when they're simply one of many popular American bands. I think their record sales and concert attendance has more to do with their style of music's appeal to a wide array of audiences (they get some rock fans, they get some women fans, they get some easy listening fans), but number ones and total sales make not a great band (look at KISS - don't get me wrong, I love them, but I won't say they're a great band). They're not in the Dead's league by any stretch of the imagination. Or the Allman's or Santana or Steely Dan. I'd also put the Doors above them, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, Creedence, Petty, Springsteen. If you're 10th on the list, you're not one of the best. I think I might feel differently about them if they had either more great albums, a concert experience that was significantly better than a live replay of their LPs, or if they'd demonstrated an appreciable growth in their compositions over time. Like if they'd written the first rock opera....

Must have just been the NY market, but the cartoon showed in the morning when I was 9-11 (+/-). I was shocked when I looked it up how old it was, but a lot of the popeye's were probably old too. And old Bugs was better that 60's bugs!

That one predates me by a little (ran from 1913 to 1944). I had to look it up. Pretty cool history though. Now I am beginning to feel old.. ..and Wulf, yes.. Rainier probably will blow one day and hopefully not cause too much destruction. Wasn't the dead in the middle of Fire On The Mountain for one of Mt. St. Helens temper tantrums? I was at St. Helens shortly after it blew, talk about destruction.. I spent a year working in Seattle and have a friend there. I was talking to him about seeing this every day on my commute and what an awesome sight it is.. his comment, I bet that sight causes a car death per year, people get caught in its glare.. coming from someone that lives there.. I bet he's close to being right. Yellowstone is a long term threat too, but hopefully we will all be partying with Pigpen by then. As for Reconstruction and Jerry Band Stuff.. my mind wandered there also. I would guess they would have to strike up their own deal for those, but theres likely tapes from shows that were all but forgotten to history. Exiting times lady's and gents.. What a year.

I love the comment about the possibility of some Reconstruction releases! I second that emotion! In terms of the number of releases per year, here are the numbers to the best of my ability, including the number of releases, number of discs, and number of complete shows. I've included the live albums in the count (excluding Anthem) and also some of the semi-legal releases (Vintage & Historic). 1966: 5/6/1. Vintage, Historic. Birth of the Dead, Rare Cuts. 30 Trips. 1967: 1/2/1. 30 Trips. 1968: 4/9/3. Two Vault Exp. Dick's 22. 30 Trips. RT 2#2. 1969: 8.5/29.5/9. Live/Dead. Dick's 16, 26. Live FillE, FW '69 Complete, 30 Trips. RT 4#1. -------- Dave's 6 (half) + BD, 10. 1970: 6.5/15.5/3. Bear's Choice. Dick's 4, 8. FDatGH '70, 30 Trips. RT 3#3. Dave's 6 (half), 1971: 10/26/4. Skull & Roses. Three Vault. Dick's 2, 35. Ladies & Gents, Winterland '71(V). ------RT 1#3, 3#2. Dave's 3, 1972: 14/113/28*. Europe '72. Dick's 11, 23, 30, 36. 100 Hall, Steppin' Out, Rhein, Europe ------'72Complete (* w/ Beat Club as a show), SSDD, Hofheinz, 30 Trips. Dave's 11, 14. 1973: 9/36/7. Dick's 1, 14, 19, 28. Wint '73 Complete, 30 Trips. RT 4#3. Dave's 5, 16. 1974: 13/40/5*. Steal Your Face. Dick's 7, 12, 24, 31. GD Soundtrack, 30 Trips. GD Movie. ------RT 2#3. Dave's 2 ( minus Seastones), 9, 13, 17. 1975: 2.5*/4.5*/2. One from Vault. 30 Trips. Half of BD Bonus disc (all of 3/23 save Encore). 1976: 7/25/7. Dick's 20, 33. Cow Palace, 30 Trips. RT 4#5. Dave's 4, 18. 1977: 12/55/15. Dick's 3, 10, 15, 29, 34. Hartford '77, Wint '77 Complete, May '77, 30 Trips. ------RT 1#2. Dave's 1, 12. 1978: 9/38/9. Dick's 18, 25. Closing Wint, Cradle, 30 Trips. RT 1#4. Dave's 7, 15. July '78. 1979: 5*/14*/3*. Dick's 5, 13* (2 songs). Live at Hampton, 30 Trips. RT 1#1, 3#1. 1980: 7*/15*/1. Reckoning, Dead Set. Bonus on Dick's 21. Go To Nassau, 30 Trips. Dead -------Ahead. RT 3#4. Dave's 8. 1981: 2/6/2. Dick's 13. 30 Trips. 1982: 3/8/3. Dick's 32. 30 Trips. RT 4#4. 1983: 2/6/2. Dick's 6. 30 Trips. 1984: 1/3/1. 30 Trips. 1985: 3/7/2. Dick's 21. 30 Trips. So Far (mostly). 1986: 1/2/1. 30 Trips. 1987: 3*/6*/2. View III (bonus), IV. 30 Trips. Ticket to New Year's. 1988: 2/6/2. 30 Trips. RT 4#2. 1989: 6.5*/17.5*/6*. *2 songs on W/out Net. Infrared Roses. Nightfall of D, Truckin Buffalo, ------CW&I, Warlocks, 30 Trips. Downhill. 1990: 10.5*/54.5*/20* Without a Net. Infrared Roses. Dick's 9. View I, II (bonus), III. ------Dozin', Terrapin Ltd, Spring '90 (counting 3/24 as whole), Spring '90 TOO, 30 Trips. ------RT 2#1. 1991: 3/9/3. Dick's 17. View II. 30 Trips. 1992: 2/6/2. Dick's 27. 30 Trips. 1993: 2/6/2. 30 Trips. RT 2#4. 1994: 1/3/1. 30 Trips. 1995: 1/3/1. 30 Trips. ------------------------------------- I didn't count download series. Included DP 18 and the forthcoming '78 release. 1970 seems underrepresented from the prime years ('69-'78). Beyond that, '90 has more complete shows out than any year save '72, and more discs than any save '72 and '77. '89, '79., and '80 are also well represented, and justly so. In terms of underrepresented, beyond '70, I'd have to go '85, '87, '88, and '91. '67 cries out for more, but tapes may be harder to come by. Ditto '68. No complaints on the upcoming '78 release, only joy.

Wasn't he the mouse in Krazy Kat cartoons? :-) I know you're old enough to know the cartoon, right?

when it does go again, I hope the wind is blowing toward the east, not northerly. until then, it looks like a big scoop of cosmic ice cream. under the right conditions, you can see that ice cream melt. wink wink, nudge nudge.