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July 1978: The Complete Recordings
What's Inside:
• Five Complete Shows on 12 discs
• 7/1/78 Arrowhead Stadium: Kansas City, MO
• 7/3/78 St. Paul Civic Center Arena: St. Paul, MN
• 7/5/78 Omaha Civic Auditorium: Omaha, NE
• 7/7/78 Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO
• 7/8/78 Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO
Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
Artwork by esteemed cartoonist Paul Pope
Intro and show-by-show liner notes by Nicholas Meriwether
Producer's Note by David Lemieux
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 15,000
Release Date: May 13, 2016
Announcing July 1978: The Complete Recordings
We’re pleased to announce JULY 1978: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS, five incredible unreleased shows and the first official release from the long-lost tapes, recently returned to the Grateful Dead’s vault. Follow the Dead on a sonic journey through a superb selection of settings, an often epic adventure that finds them winning over Willie and Waylon fans in Kansas City, conjuring charisma in Omaha, and elevating the Red Rocks beyond their already spiritual planes. With five distinct performances painting the masterpiece of 1978, Betty Cantor-Jackson's always-pristine soundboard recordings, and the "hall-of-fame pedigree" of the Dead's first-ever shows at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, this is one release that far exceeds excellence in music, sound quality, and rarity.
Limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies, JULY 1978: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS includes Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO (7/1/78), St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN (7/3/78), Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, NE (7/5/78), and Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison CO (7/7/78 and 7/8/78) - all of the performances in this collection are drawn from the band’s master soundboard recordings, each newly mastered by Jeffrey Norman. The set also features original artwork by esteemed cartoonist Paul Pope (D.C. and Marvel comics) and in-depth liner notes written by Nick Meriwether (Grateful Dead Archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz), as well as a producer’s note from producer David Lemieux.
Due May 13th, we anticipate that this extraordinary box will sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here.
Looking for something a little more byte-sized? The collection will also be available for HD digital download in FLAC and ALAC, exclusively at dead.net, on release day.
Private Messages
I noticed last night that had been sent two Private Messages. I am not sure what the function of these messages are-or why anyone would send me one. I deleted them both without reading them, as it seemed a bit creepy. Hope I haven't missed anything important-if I have maybe the people who sent them could put them out publicly.Cheers
Fenway/Takimoto
Hey There Takimoto - indeed, I will be heading to Fenway for Dead & Co. both nights in July. Would enjoy a meet up before or after - lots of time between now and then to get some details down. Feel free to PM me.
Hope your snips are feeling better!!
Sixtus
Daverock wrote: "I noticed
Daverock wrote: "I noticed last night that had been sent two Private Messages. I am not sure what the function of these messages are-or why anyone would send me one. I deleted them both without reading them, as it seemed a bit creepy. Hope I haven't missed anything important-if I have maybe the people who sent them could put them out publicly.Cheers"
Dave, I was just trying to apologize. Last weekend, when you went to your high school reunion, I happened to meet your wife at a bar. We really hit it off, and her penchant for Patron tequila was infectious. Anyway, one thing led to another and I just wanted to offer a very sincere, very private apology to you on behalf of both of us. Hope you can move past this.
Sincerely, Syra78
Song/Lyric Diversity
One thing I noticed (in years past) at some Dylan concerts & bootleg CDs...what's fascinating about Bob was not so much the song diversity, but the lyric diversity! Love the way he altered lyrics (spontaneously, it seemed) to otherwise familiar & beloved tunes.
Syra78
Syracuse.. so that was you. That was my wife, not DaveRocks.. a case of mistaken identity I guess.
Its ok.. don't sweat it, we have been having problems for some time. I just hate airing my dirty laundry for all to see, might have spared what little dignity I have left.
Listening to the Orpheum Comes a Time from Dave's Picks 17. So appropriate, considering...
I've been listening to Goin'
I've been listening to Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad and Cold Rain & Snow since it happened. :-)
Pigpen
I always took Pig with those rants as being tongue and cheek. They fired up the band and pushed themselves to play harder. Listen to 4-17-71 Pigpen inspires Jerry to no end. If someone is offended by Pig there are a lot of band out there to listen to who are more politically correct.. Every time I hear someone who knew Pig talk about him they say he was gentle and wouldn't hurt a fly. Release the all time rant of 4-17-71. Jerry is the one who instigated him and enabled to go on those rants so hold him accountable. thank you very much
Within 24 Hours of Jimi Hendrix's Death
Fillmore East:Pigpen: Don't worry 'bout nothin'! Just turn to the lady next to you & say, Let's 'f!'
Weir: Pigpen, did you just say 'f?'
Pigpen: (alarmingly loud shout) I SAID 'F!'
[apostrophes on me].
More Soul
I don't have the Staples Sister disc you reference, but Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King is a masterpiece. Another good soul box set that I acquired a number of years ago was Soul Spectacular, a great collection with stuff from a number of different labels, not just Stax-Volt. Don't know if it is still available, but it is a worthwhile mix. Also, the video game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas had a great selection of soul songs on their in game Master Sounds radio station, some obscure but amazing stuff included, and as an added bonus, another in game radio station, Playback, includes rap songs based on several of the soul hits on Master Sounds, e.g. original song I Know You Got Soul by Bobby Byrd, and the remake by Eric B. and Rakim, and original song Express Yourself by Charles Wright and the remake by NWA. Not a big rap fan or anything, but there are gems to be found in any genre. In fact, I have discovered a bunch of cool songs and artists listening to the in game radio stations in various Grand Theft Auto games. Thinking of rap gems, maybe The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five would be a good start to the day...Broken glass everywhere...
daverock, you still there?
Bro, I was just teasing over the "poet" issue. But I can clarify that I didn't send you a PM with a link to Pigpen's most insensitive raps. That musta been the Pigpen Enforcement Squad...
To be more "sober" (whatever that is), I should say: poetry is everywhere, if you know to look for it. From the lyrical grace of a tree limb reaching towards the sun, to a blade of grass underfoot, from the long-revered texts of language and narrative masters of the past to the rappers of today, to the heavenly curves of a woman's body (ooops!), poetry is everywhere. And, thus, poets, too.
Apparently, we drove you to defend Wm Shakespeare and Mr. Blake. No need! We just want to open your eyes to the American street poets who include Pigpen, Hunter and others, even if their mode of delivery blows your mind.
Like the man below said, Pigpen in real life was a gentle, kind soul who took the raunchy road in performance to open hearts and minds and encourage people to get their groove on. Plus, get laid.
Do not fear PMs (or BMs for that matter) and don't take our playful ranting too seriously. Maybe you'll be the guy to mount Shakespeare's poetry atop a grinding rhythm and blues groove. Then, with your thesis exploding, you might see Pigpen in a new light.
Just a thought! Don't go away! We need dissidents on this board as we're always in total agreement on everything! Dissing Pigpen's poetry cred is welcome. In fact, inexplicably, it has led to my actually penning a nice, friendly post. A first!
Syra78s coming out
At least you had the courage to speak up, I suppose. Still a bit creepy, though.
"I always took Pig with those rants as being tongue and cheek."
they are _about_ tongue, cheek (both sets), and anything else you got.
Still here..
Thanks for the olive branch. I must admit, I was starting to wonder a bit about Deadheads. Maybe some of the meaning of the posts has been missed by me, and I have taken things literally that were intended humorously.
I do like a lot of American poets, too. Authors more than poets perhaps-I have been reading books by William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey for literally decades. I would say I like them a bit less, as time has gone on-I am quite an old guy, after all! My favourite American author over the years has probably been William Faulkner-and various other so called Southern Gothic writers.
I do take the point that Pigpen was probably a nice guy-and he was a hell of good singer. I suppose our life, as lived, changes the way we see things. My last job-I worked with street addicts for over 20 years. Obviously I met many girls who relied on prostitution to pay for their habits. They used to get beaten up and abused regularly, but they were powerless because of their situation. They were controlled by violent pimps and abused by violent customers.
Those experiences changed the way I saw things. That Pigpen rap from 17/4/71-I know the music is great, I know he was only a young guy-quite probably drunk...I just cant get any pleasure from it anymore.
Good job there is so much in The Dead to appeal to so many of us. I enjoy most of their music MORE now than I used to when I was young.
And ..hey...I'm glad no one stuck a microphone in my face to record what I was saying when I was 25!
All the best
PC-police / PigPen
Yes Pig was a little on the edge in terms of the way he portrayed women sometimes. It was usually pretty tame (unlike Brent's hate-spewing rants to that "f-ing Bitch" he sang about when HE improvised) - but there were some crude rants too.
But 1) I like to think some of that was tongue in cheek, 2) he's a rock star so let's not get too sanctimonious here people..., and 3) you cannot measure "PC" from a different era.
This 3rd point is important. PC-ness is a time capsule - you can't judge what he said in 1969 through a 2016 lens. If we did that all our founding fathers would be shameful, racist, slave owning scum worthy of being completely reviled. I'm NOT saying it was 100% PC in 1969, but i think it was a bit less shocking back then than it is now, when everyone is ultra-sensitive - eg: when today's college students refuse to allow certain comedians on campus because of their intolerant, indignant sensibilities.
Lyrics and Poetry
Afraid I am with daverocks here--to me, there is a notable distance from poetry to lyrics.
The lyricists, from Tin Pan Alley through Brill Building to Dylan/Nyro/Mitchell/Hunter/Simon, et al., were better or worse as lyricists. They were not trying to write poetry, and except in a line or two did not approach Shakespeare, Blake, Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Dickinson, Eliot, Stevens, Auden, and again et al.
It's two different endeavors--one with a devotion to the internal machinery of language achieved by our best poets at a level never approached in lyrics, the other working to match words to music and pull out emotions.
The best lyrics contain epigrams we all remember---the best poetry is all epigram.
And its insulting to Hunter and Barlow and Peterson to compare their lyrics to Pigpen's 'raps'--which barely escape juvenile at their best. I enjoy his singing, love what the band does on many of his songs, but the 'rapping' is extraneous. It often sounds, especially in the later years, that the band is ignoring and even contravening the 'raps'---the sillier they get, the weirder the band plays.
Pigpen
I will have a talk with Pig the next time I see him about his potty mouth. Bet it never happens again.
but.. without Pigpen, there very well might never have been the Grateful Dead. In my mind.. all is forgiven.
Besides, who knows.. might have been Tourette's or too much Beavis and Butthead growing up.
enter to win our Grateful Dead Red Rocks Giveaway
FYI, at the Rhino web site:
And his Grateful Dead Red Rocks t-shirt was too. All you have to do to be as cool is enter to win our Grateful Dead Red Rocks Giveaway complete with a copy RED ROCKS 7/8/78 (featuring a super groovy "Werewolves of London"), a RED ROCKS t-shirts, RED ROCKS wristbands, and...you guessed it... a RED ROCKS water bottle
Did Someone Say Kerouac?
Best book: The Dharma Bums.Regarding On The Road: never read the version butchered by the original publisher. Only read "the original scroll" wherein the entire novel, uncensored, with actual names (Ginsberg, not Marx, for example) is a single unbroken paragraph!
Is his first published novel, The Town and The City, worth reading? Hell yes!
Most outrageous book: Visions of Cody, a wild ride indeed, his most "Henry Miller-like" book, I believe.
Best book of poetry: Mexico City Blues...at least half the poems are enlightening, to readers interested in that perspective.
Next best book of poetry: Book of Blues...also enlightening here & there.
Book where he has an authentic nervous breakdown: Big Sur.
Best book he wrote while severely depressed: The Subterraneans.
Book wherein 50% is fantastic and 50% not so much? Desolation Angels.
Title he gave to Wm. Burroughs? Naked Lunch.
Collected Letters...worth reading? Oh my goodness, yes!
What about his "Some of the Dharma" collection of writings? To skim through...it's LOADED with extremely enlightening material, but if you have genuine Buddhist/Zen texts (especially Tibetan wisdom literature) you're probably better served by those.
Tragedy: How he drank himself to death.
Is he the best American writer of all time? Naturally this is subjective, but in my opinion...YES.
odds 'n sods
daverock,I must agree that Pigpen's raunchier rants make me wince, though the Good Lovin' & Lovelight jams of that era are so hot it becomes a necessary caveat. Brent's expletive rants were wince-worthy, too, and in fact darker than Pig's, because they were real angst and clearly aimed at a particular person; for that same reason, though, I think Pig's casual objectifying of women is more sexist. Though I guess one could argue that his "get yoh hands outta yoh pockets" and grab the woman next to you rap--um, does she get a say in the matter?--reflects the same culture as the Dancin' line "every guy grab a girl," which was merrily sung by a female group. Definitely a different time. Pig's "turn on over" motif invites an unwelcome visual, at the very least. And I do love Pigpen.
MD Jim, that after-hours Pete-Jerry-Bob acid trip story sounds like the one in Rock's book; only it's he, Jerry, 'n Pete, not Bob.
The late-era Who tour to catch--which I missed--was 2001, when they busted out a bunch of Lifehouse-era gems (Getting In Tune, Let's See Action, I Don't Even Know Myself, Pure and Easy). So bummed I missed that one.
Finally listened to the '72 30 Trips (disc 3), a rare backyard blare-out while I weeded--ivy, not purple kush. Dark Star is reminiscent of the 8/27 jazzy explorations, but the real wonder for me is the lovely, dreamily slow China Cat that comes out of it. It alone makes this disc a must-have.
By the time I actually review this box, no one will be discussing it anymore....
I'll offer this--they sure took their tight pills for 7/7 1st set. Candyman is like night and day to Omaha's, a beautiful inhabiting of the song. Tennessee Jed's finale ~ ROCKIN'. And Music Never Stopped is even hotter than St. Paul's, and that's saying something. Only did a Cold Rain>BIODTL taster of the 2nd set, but Cold Rain's quite the unique version of that song, as well--starts off really mellow and is cranking by the end; I like how Jerry doesn't quite play the classic solo, but dances over it in the same vicinity. Wouldn't want that every time (I love that classic solo), but it sure works nicely here.
Kerouac
What would you say was his best biography? The only one I have read was written by Anne Charters, which I actually read before any of his books. It was so good I went straight to the source. I have read many of them several times..but never once have I read Town and The City. I always assumed it was written before he found his style. Maybe I should give it a go.
Long response
I had an intelligent thoughtful response but it just got deleted by dead.net sooooooo....
Never is a limiting word and should never be used in an argument....oops.
Isn't a description of what makes poetry valid that only includes typically academic and focused on Western ideals of poetry, grammar and structure shortsighted? I mean what's with all the weird poetry I've read in my life, is only poetry that follows established western academia considered valid?
Re: antonjo
Thanks for the correction, antonjo.. that seems to me to be about right.
Soul Spectacular
Thanks for the tip off-I will definitely keep look out for the above box. The whole genre is quite new to me-for some reason, in Britain people who liked "rock" and people who liked soul were in two different camps. I heard the blues guys-the guitarists anyway-but Southern Soul? I didn't even know what it was. I am wising up.Last year I saw Booker T. Jones in London-fantastic. After the show he was sitting there signing cds, so I got to meet him. I asked for a cd that wasn't there-typical me-and he took time out to see if he could find a copy somewhere. He couldn't, but what a gentleman! It was quite something-he probably played on more great records in the 60s than anyone else. He's here again in July, too!
Booker T
Booker T played the blues fest here in Portland a few years ago, and delivered a truly feel-good set to the assembled groovers on the lawn. Till some of his song introductions, I'd never known all the classics he'd co-written (Soul Man, for example). "Time is Tight" was a moment. My dad had that 45, so synapses from toddlerhood were fired when he played that ~ especially the big bridge :)
Kerouac
I have a soft spot for Maggie Cassidy..
“She brooded and bit her rich lips.. my soul began its first sink into her, deep, heady, lost; like drowning in a witches' brew, Keltic, sorcerous, starlike.”
Like drowning in a witches' brew. She leaned on one leg with the laze of a Spanish cat, a Spanish Carmen.
Dave: Yes - I loved the Ann Charters biography, still my favorite. On Town and the City, you're exactly right. It's very different than his later stuff, so worth keeping in mind but also worth reading.
Speak of the Devil, Two Souls in Communion just came up on random, 5/11/72. No smut peddling here.
She laughed in his face, he slammed the door shut, put out lights, drove her home, drove the car back skittering crazily in the slush, sick, cursing..
transition styles
This 7/8/78 show has me pondering one of my favorite aspects of GD music - The Transitions. There are moments in 1972 (for instance) where it's hard to tell where/when one song ends and the next one begins. The listener is caught in this liminal space that is truly transitory. I'm specifically thinking of DaP11 coming out of Truckin' and into TOO. Marvelous stuff. Then there are those other styles of transition, like on 7/8/78 where Wharf Rat goes into Franklins Tower. Transitions like this remind me of when you hit that switch on the ceiling fan when it is going in one direction, but then is slows down and reaches a point where it then starts rotating in the other direction. It's not super smooth but it is technically seamless. Just not the same as the true melding of sounds that at their best they were so good at. This isn't a year thing either, because the 1979 Dancin'>Franklins from Road Trips 1.1 is more like the 1972 style than this 7/8/78 example.
Any favorite transitions out there either pre-78 or post-78?
Re: Pigpen
Worth a read if you're interested in how he was perceived by the band and extended Dead family:
http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Like-Ron-Pigpen-Mckernan/30936…
One Man-biker cred
I was just wondering why the Dead needed biker cred. Also, if by bikers you mean, mainly Hells Angels. Regarding The Dead and the Angels, I suppose they became connected through their associations at The Acid Tests. But when you see that film, Altamont, there doesn't seem to be any relationship between band and bikers at all. If there had been, maybe the band could have cooled things out a bit, instead of legging it!
One of the Dicks Picks is a Hells Angels benefit show in New York March 1972-and they are also around in The Dead Movie. Its always seemed a bit of an odd combination, to me. Did The Dead feel that since the Angels entered their orbit, via The Acid Tests, that they needed to accommodate them, so they wouldn't get picked on?
Its a strange atmosphere,when you come across people-or just one person- who is potentially violent. I saw it at school, in bars, in the work place, on the street-sadly its a factor of life. Theres all sorts of different ways of responding. Some people ignore the potentially violent, some try and suck up to them, pretending to be there friends-hoping they don't get bullied-some people even provoke them, thinking maybe that they will prove themselves if they beat them. Some brave souls might challenge them, in a none threatening way, about their behaviour.
Maggie Cassidy-muleskinner
What a great quote. That would have sounded beautiful being read out in the middle of Lovelight.
Hells Angels
Interesting thoughts about the Dead - Angels interactions. Check out the book Hells Angels by Hunter Thompson, it is a great book and examines the Hells Angels in the same time frame covered by Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe, another great book, and the time period of the start of the Dead. I know when people think of Hunter Thompson they just think gonzo behavior, but he was a damn fine journalist (also evidenced by Fear And Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, a timely read). Hunter looked at the surface rep of the Angels and then went deeper. For example, he examined reports of debauchery and destruction carried by the mainstream press about a couple of Angel events, and then he went back after the fact and obtained the court records, including disposition of the various offenses charged, and noted the vast difference between the initial allegations and what actually resulted in any kind of convictions. There was definitely the potential for sudden violence, but there was also just a desire to do their own thing and catch a good buzz. Both books note the Angels fondness for LSD at that time, a fondness seemingly shared by many in the Dead's orbit. I guess if everything that the mainstream press wrote about Deadheads were to believed some might have found us an unsavory lot as well. Oh, well, just rambling on now.
Poetry Response
dire---I assume you are responding to me.
1. All sorts of great poetry in languages other than English---I do not read any enough to appreciate it the way I can poems in English. The very greatest often come through in translation--Homer, Cavafy, Rilke--but I am appreciating the translations in many respects.
2. My lists were not meant to downplay the possibility great poets, with a function and devotion to language separate from lyrics, could not be experimental/avant garde, whatever term you wish. Just an easy listing of poets most people would know and that produced reams of stuff of the type I was describing. Same for the lyricists. Many others could be added. And for that matter, who would be more genre-defying and 'out there' than Emily?
3. I never said (and never marks as well as limits) anything about validity--I said two different functions and purposes. I can call anything poetry, it does not mean it is.
4. I understand the arguments about high and low culture, and the assignment of value by academics based on class, race, gender privileges--they just do not sway me. We can all be empathetic and we can all see through the coincidences of circumstance. If we try. To me, it is in fact the power of 'great' poetry to accomplish just that, just like all other 'great' artistic creations.
hbob and stuff
Well just getting back in the saddle (wink) after another 8 days down on the coast. Absolutely incredible weather last week. Warm with low morning dew points, so very dry. Nice! Catching up on a lot of reading. It is weird, do not take any devices. Do not seem to miss them. Read, watch the hypnotic motion of the ocean, party, eat incredible fish.
Hbob-search out "Song of the South." It is the un-authorized documentary of Duane Allman and the Brothers. It is really good and has most of the same characters as Muscle Shoals but with the focus on Duane. Goes deep into the "Hour Glass" the first iteration that opened for Grateful Dead in 1968 (?). I have not seen in a few months so my memory is a touch foggy but I will watch again soon.
I have said before if you watch "Muscle Shoals", "Sound City", and "Finding the Funk" in close proximity you can hear the same theme being discussed. Very interesting.
Deadhead Poets Society
How could you guys leave Robert Frost, and my personal favorite, W. B. Yeats off your lists?
Re Hell's Angels, they still have their NYC headquarters on E. 3rd St on lower East side Manhattan (my wife works nearby), and couple weeks ago they strung a huge American flag across 3rd St...a FDNY fire truck coming up the street stopped, the firefighters all got out in the middle of the street and saluted the flag. Only in NY...
So, say what you want about the Hell's Angels, and I certainly don't condone their illegal activities or their penchant for violence, but at least they appreciate this great country we live in, which is more than can be said for a lot of other folks I've had the misfortune of dealing with over the years.
Morning Sun via Dantian
Well said, indeed.
Bolo,
thanks for the link. Sad story from Bob Seidemann. I have to think the others were insensitively self-absorbed, rather than consciously rejecting a request for a final photo with their comrade. Well, I don't have to think that; but it's what makes the most sense to me. Hard to imagine that none of them sensed his impending departure in that moment (with all the time and experience they'd logged in with this brother of theirs); but even harder that everyone is simply lying about their belief that he'd recover.
Rosebud,
9/27/72 (Dick's 11) certainly features a candidate for my favorite transition: Dark Star > Cumberland. It's so telepathically suggested and executed, it's literally absurd, makes me laugh every time I hear it.
9/12/87's Cumberland > Samson is fun, too. No musical passage in between for the whole band to navigate, it's simply about timing, and Billy & Mickey are right on it. The last note of Cumberland is the first beat of Samson.
[While you're strolling this lane, don't fail to take in Ship of Fools/Women Are Smarter (Brent's solo smokes), and especially DON'T miss the Dew.]
Favorite transitions....
....That, my friend, is a very good question. The first one that pops into my mind is the Good Lovin'->Samson from Cow Palace New Year's '76. Makes me shake my head in wonder every damn time I hear it. Again. Great question. I will have to get back to that one over the next few days.....
...edit. antonjo. I did not realize that Cumberland->Samson was a second set opener. Hot Damn!!!....
daverock/muleskinner
Charter's bio is probably the best...but in my opinion, Kerouac's own writings are the best bios! I wouldn't be too concerned that Town and the City was written "before he found his style." For that very reason, I, like you, avoided reading it for years. But when I did read it, I discovered that that "before he found his style" thing is grossly overstated. Town & City is a wonderful book! And it's fascinating to see how that "style" really starts to rev up in the last quarter of the book; though I found the entire novel to be outstanding. I'd rather read T & C than, say, Dr. Sax, which is fun (the whole book written "on pot," said J.K.) but not among my favorites. Maggie Cassidy is good, no doubt about it, but I enjoy Tristessa, the short Mexican novel, a bit more. Speaking of Ann Charters, it was she who edited both books of Jack's "Selected Letters," which I highly recommend. One more thing about Town & City...while writing it, Kerouac also kept a writer's journal, now published as "Windblown World." I didn't think I'd enjoy it, but guess what? It's great!
Fenway shows - I'll be at both
Sixtus and Takimoto - I'll be at both shows at Fenway. Not sure what the even brings, but would be cool to meet up. Staying in town for the festivities.
Beats and Neighborhoods
Always loved Kerouac. Born in raised in Lowell, MA where Jack K grew up and went to High School. Reading those novels were always a trip as he frequently wrote about memories of specific places from his old home town. Always loved Maggie Cassidy, The Town and the City, Dr. Sax and his many other books set there. On another random neighborhood note, I used to live on East 3rd Street, and the Hells Angels were always polite neighbors. No nonsense on that block ever. Later moved over a few blocks to Avenue B. Love Hunter S. Thompson and miss him still. Favorite poet--can I go with Dylan? Yeah, that's my pick.
Going through a listen to 30 trips again, this time in order. Up to 1986. A few shaky shows in the early 80's, but all in all a solid box-set that keeps on giving.
We Are Wide
By "biker cred" I meant that Pig broadened the Dead's audience to include more than just hippies. Folks on the grittier, blue-collar side of life could get into them too, thanks to his blues growling and hard luck songs. And they still can! This site alone is representative of a broad spectrum of people who love this band. (Albeit almost all men.) We don't always agree but we each find something vital.
Wave-that-flag
So cool to hear from others with shared memories of the old days in that area.
So true, no nonsense on that block, the Hell's Angels simply didn't tolerate it.
Of course, I contributed to supporting the nonsense a couple blocks east of there, but you know, misspent youth and all ;)
Also, Wave-that-flag, those references Jack Kerouac makes about Lowell, MA, be they overt or covert, are specifically meant for you and others like you who know what he's talking about from personal experience...sorry, but the rest of us simply can't understand it the same way as you, that's just the way it is. Just saying.
One Man, well stated, we are quite a diverse group but our love and deep connection to the GD is stronger than our differences.
Rock on, my friends!
Lions and Tigers and Bikers, Oh My!
I wrote what I thought was a decent post about this a bunch of hours ago, went off and came back to see it is gone and was never went. Oh well..
As others have stated or inferred.. the biker/dead connection is more complicated than meets the eye. Its not as simple as some sort of connection through their associations at the Acid Tests.
They bought tickets to shows like everyone else.. several roadies had ties, Bear had ties, Pig had ties and they were a colorful part of the SF landscape during the dawn of the dead. It wasn't all bad. Different chapters had different vibes, characters and talents. What are you going to do, tell them they cant come in? (bet Bill Graham wished he could have gotten away with that). Plus, we are perhaps playing a little Monday morning quarterback, back when ties were made Altamont had not yet been conceived and the like. Didn't we all have a friend growing up that turned out to be a less than savory character decades later? What were we thinking??
Its one of those things that is what it is. Warts and all.. so why wish green was blue 40 years later? There's plenty good to focus on.. like transitions between songs..
So to your question, Rosebud.. One of my favorite transitions is the Lovelight>GDTRFB from 4/26/72. But before I leave Europe, I am also smitten with the china>rider transition from 5/24/72 at the Lyceum. Realizing I am in the minority, its a sleeper show.. I just like it. Smooth as silk. There's a pause there when you can almost hear everyone in the band take a deep breath at the same time and relax for a nanosecond. A group sigh of relief.. then the instant is gone, Jerry eases into the lead and the lysergic adrenaline kicks back in.. craziness oozes back into the jam and everything is back to abnormal.
1% ers pigpen daintyness and cluelessness
Damn some wierd posts lately. Pigpen oh he's so naughty. Get over it grow up . Suck it up. You think pig was a little unpc what you never heard FZ live. Ha now that was nonpc. And the GD & red and whites well outlaws attract outlaws I mean we're talking 60's & 70's for the most part. As for some peoples ideas of interacting with them I think you need to rethink your 8deas. @daverock challenge them in a non confrontational way. What planet are you from ain't no such thing in their world. Their rules are different. As for Altamonte the GD didn't leg it they just knew better. If all the bands did the same it would've been a much different day especially for Merideth. Speaking of non confrontational Marty ( ?) found out about non confrontational and Hell's Angels. It was Mick and the Stones who thought it would be fun to have a real outlaw club be at Altamonte. Unfortunately it wasn't Hyde Park and the British version were not even wannabes. Oh yeah Thompson's F&L on the campaign trail '72 Frank Mankiewicz said it best... the best book about the campaign but fiction
cough cough Altamont no e cough cough
Pigpen's raps could get tiresome. not complaining. just saying.
a part of the GD? no doubt.
Revelation
I'm back.. You're right, Dantian. She's no fan of Pig rants either. I had to call it quits and come back downstairs before she called the cops and issued a restraining order.
Any fresh ideas?
damn I'm dainty
Clueless, even, apparently. Sure wish I were man enough to have seen FZ live.... Oh, wait, I DID see FZ live. And I said I loved Pigpen, too. Guess if I don't love his sexual rants, though -- those ones about not playing pocket pool and turning 17-year-old girls over, that are the same again and again, Good Lovin' after Good Lovin', Lovelight after Lovelight -- I'm not grown up?
Um, okay. That reasoning sure sounds grown-up.
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