Grateful Dead

What are you guys smoking? 6/9&10/73? I have almost given up hope.. but with all this talk of the Brothers, that would be something.

Sorry to hear the ABB bashing or, at least, the ennui. But to each his or her own.

I heard them live in June '71 over the radio during the closing of the Fillmore East, then got the FE double album. By 1972, my triumvirate were the GD, ABB and The Band. I find it interesting that that's still the case, 47 years later. I should add that I consider Jimi in a category by himself. And I'm a huge fan of the Three Kings (Albert, BB and Freddie) and their cousin, Buddy Guy. I won't type a complete list, but I'm also a major Roy Buchanan fan. But among rock bands, I had only three top choices, and lived in a time when I saw a shitload of all of them in their heyday or nearly so.

I caught ABB with the GD several times 6/9, 7/27, 7/28/73 and at Madison Square Garden in May '73, then again with the Derek/Warren lineup, ~1999-2009 (all at Red Rocks, almost always first 3 rows, center). A truly magnificent band of improvisers; the GD had nothing on them. Just two different flavors. Yes, the GD took more chances. But if you listen to the Duane era (two Jan '71 sets forthcoming this year, woo-hoo!), he pushed that band until it at times sound like Cream. I'm thinking of the official bootlegs series shows from '70 and '71.

Consider how psyched me and my buddies were when we heard of the Watkins Glen lineup! I'd already seen the GD 9-19-72 and 6-9-73 and the ABB in May '73. Our three best bands on the same stage! And a chance, finally, to see The Band. Great two days of music. (Plus mud, mescaline and blotter. No food to speak of.)

Then, incredibly, two days later, we caught the GD and The Band two nights at Roosevelt Stadium. (I caught The Band again on its final tour in '76, when they rocked the New York Palladium so hard that the balcony was in physical flux. I wondered at that time whether it had been designed for so much stress, but I didn't move from my standing position at my seat.)

All before turning 16. I caught the GD again that September '73. As a freshly minted 16 yr old, I already considered myself a GD veteran.

I guess the ABB and The Band are nearly as burned into my DNA as the GD.

Anyhow, like someone said, Butch said some nasty things. But forgiveness and understanding wipe away any ill will for me. I too have lamented that Mickey moved from really sensitive synchro'd drumming and percussion in his heyday to the "sneakers in a dryer" approach post-hiatus, which clodded up the sound, though I still enjoyed every Red Rocks show they ever played, plus Folsom Field, Telluride, etc. etc.

So I'm just raising the ABB flag over my pointy little head. If they're not your thang, so be it. But I've never seen a band quite like them and never will again. RIP Duane, Berry, Gregg, Butch.

thank you Lemmy

I was jealous.

ABB in 91 at the Gorge was great
also the ABB opened for The Dead in 09 at the Gorge
and attended ABB in Woodinville WA in ??

anniversary of

5/29/71

really good show

Personally, I love the ABB - but the ABB Fox Box recorded in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre, 9/24-26/2004 has the audience singing along with every classic song....ugh. Did this go down at later GD shows? Might as well breakout a Kumbaya encore! Then again, maybe I'm just an old grouchy bastard

All these years later and Bill Graham is still right - the GD were the only ones that did what they did. I think the ABB was close as anyone got. Maybe I've missed some one. I think most bands saw themselves as putting on a show and did the same show every night....charge on stage to great applause, hit all the notes, you know. It can be a great show, but you don't need to see it more than once. That's my 2 cents for today

Nice post. I’m not sure how the thread took the downward turn it did? Those three bands were my favorites also, and probably still are...I just always felt like the ABB didn’t need? no that’s not it?...it just sometimes seemed like their drummers played the exact same thing a lot, where B&M not so much? Anyway, just thought Butchs dig was ironic imho.
Never heard much negative from the Dead about the ABB, but unfortunately over the years can’t say the same about the Brothers. But hey, we all say stupid shit, and as I’ve said before, I try to like my musicians, atheletes, politicians, hell anyone who’s supposed to be professional, I try to like them for what they do more than who they are. Only cause that’s they way I want people to treat me at work.
Did not mean to, hopefully didn’t, diss the band at all. Like everyone else some years/bands were better than others, GD included.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the ABB until the late seventies or early eighties. But it was the Warren/Woody years that first blew me away the most.(obviously not including the original line up albums ).
Man the Dead, The Brothers, and Santana were all having great resurgences during that late 80s, early 90s. Even saw the Brothers and Santana at Woodstock 94. The Band I first saw in the early 80s at the old Buffalo Train station, and yea no Robbie, but we didnt care. Saw them 84 in Rochester at the Summer party tent and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to!!
Actually was fortunate to do Merch with them for some of the 90s shows, and ended up going to Chicago 95 at the last minute because of our Band connections/lamies etc. That’s what got us in, backstage, and we got to hang on the stage during the bands set. Everyone from the Dead except Jerry was up onstage watching them. Bob was standing right behind us. But of course, as soon as the Band was done they shagged our asses right off! Worked a couple tours with them in 96. They were all awesome, but from the very first time I met Rick Danko, man what a nice soul. Would always come over and say hi, sometimes right out to the booth, he'd walk over and shake your hand and say how great it was that you were there, just so nice.
If all you had on a desert island was some stuff from those three bands, I think you’d be 👍

I can’t imagine seeing the Glen show! I mean I’m sure the nasty conditions were ruff, but back when I was young, if I could have seen those three at once like that, phew!

....maybe Butch was drunk. I know me, and drunk me says/texts some stupid shit that makes next day sober me do a good ole fashioned facepalm.
St. Louis has, HAS to beat Beantown tonight otherwise it's all uphill from here....
ABB isn't even in my top 20 bands. And I only have one beer under my belt, so it's legit. Only saw them once. Rusted Root opened. Thought they were better.....don't throw stuff at me.
The thread took a downward turn Oro, because Butch pretty much said Bill the Drummer and Mickey suck. And the heads responded. Oh well. Second beer cracked. I better stfu. Anyone got a grilled cheese sandwich? Two bucks.
....edit. I've read a few band biographies, and there's usually a douchebag that screws it all up. I've never read anything of a Grateful Dead member being one. (maybe Phil after the fact. Maybe). Put that in your pipe and smoke the fuck out of it.
"Screaming and yelling he was licking his chops."

First "rock" concert : Allman Bros. at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, sometime around June 1974. Anybody there?
Dad drove us 9th graders. no weed no nuthin'. A good time was had by all, dad copped himself a couple beers, and we all made it home safely by 4AM. Dead and Co. coming up: Anyone going to the Hollywood Bowl? I'll be the guy with the tie dye and the white gotee...you can't miss me!!!!

I bailed for quite a while because of the trivialness. In fairness, I contributed.

You are squabbling over a small handful of the greatest bands to ever walk the planet. The three in question are in my top five. I happen to include Traffic, but nobody ever cares. All are good in their own way. But, none of us would be here without the GD. I doubt the ABB or Band boards are this active.

For what it is worth, not right or wrong, I defer to folks who saw them live in the early years. In small venues. At their best.

But it still won't change my opinion.

Yeah, the Blues gotta pull this out. They let game 1 slip. To be honest, I am surprised they are tied.

For the info on The cost of the Europe 72 trunk

BTW Whoever brought up the suggestion for taking Dave's Pick 16 out for a spin....Thanks. A very nice China/Rider
and I love that version of TLEO.

A slashing penalty because yet another composite stick breaks during an attempted shot.

.

I think that's spot on, what you said about liking people for what they do rather than what they are. When I was a teenager, I very much saw rock musicians as role models and style indicators. As the years passed, and the amount of life experience and books I read increased, it gradually dawned on me that great musicians might not be quite so admirable in any other respect. Interesting, for sure-but not exactly the fount of wisdom I once mistook them for when I was younger.

Had lots of fun seeing them over the years.. (and listening to them to this day). No regrets and my second favorite act to see live. Never got to see them with Duane or Berry, but did see them a lot over a long period of time thereafter. Perhaps my favorite show was in the later years, the Trucks Haynes duo was incredibly powerful. Phil opened and the Brothers closed. The loudest concert I have ever seen too.. my ears are still ringing.

Anyway.. I think I inadvertently started this whole thing off talking about Alligator and 1969. I bet there is a lot more love between the ABB and the GD than meets the eye, both with the musicians and the fan base.

Man were they good.

Speaking of 1969, they played a good portion of the immortal 11/8/69 Fillmore Auditorium yesterday on SiriusXM. I wish they could crisp up that recording just a little because the performance is smoldering embryonic Grateful Dead.

Disclosure: I love, love, love the ABB. They were my "first love", if you will, although I listen to the Dead more these days.

Someone earlier referenced that famous Bill Graham quote, which is absolutely spot on. The Dead were the only ones that did what they did. Mixing folksy ballads, upbeat rockabilly, greasy blues, and spacey free jazz, sometimes all within one set? Fuhgeddaboutit.

The ABB reflect the converse of Bill's quote. They weren't the only ones that did what they did, but they were the best at what they did. They weren't trying to be as stylistically varied as the Dead; they just got up and shredded country-fried blues-rock like no one else before or since. They pretty much invented a genre of "Southern rock" and spawned many imitators.

I think its also important to note that rock history might be very different if Jerry and Phil were the ones who liked riding motorcycles.

I don't know shit about drumming, and don't have any insight as to which drumming tandem was more talented or accomplished. I heart them both.

In conclusion:
If one is going to pick a rock band to become obsessed with, and plan their life around what to listen to on what day, and anxiously await announcements of new releases on a message board . . . well obviously there is only one logical choice.

Captain and Tenille.

Maan..that guy could plaaay the pioano (said in my best Trinidadian accent). [inside joke, I won't bore with details]

Muskrat Love > Dark Star > Whipping Post > Muskrat Love

Thanks for that.... a coffee chortling funny start to the day..

Hey dead net people , are you attending either show ? I saw a great deal on flights to Oakland and then back to Columbus from LA ($180 round trip !!) but I passed cause lack of funds for the other necessities, lol tickets !! but I am trying to collect the pins , band sells at each show. I can't make it out west, so I'm looking for a little help. If anyone is planning to pick up merchandise at the shows

Will be appearing at Tommy’s Pizza in Browning.
I feel very fortunate to have seen the Allman Brothers twice, July 1995 in Arizona soon before that fateful day in August of that year. Dickey Betts and Allan Woody (as opposed to Woody Allen) were still in the band.
Just like I say to someone if they tell me they only saw the Grateful Dead once, very lucky.
The Captain and Tenille hook was an inside joke printed in the Glacier Reporter newspaper back in in 1980.

...aaaand for the record, I just wanted to say I wasn't dissing the ABB at all - I do enjoy them - in fact they were one of the first shows I saw up at UVM in 1991, good 'ole Patrick Gym. They ROCKED. Shortly thereafter, they put out that double live CD set 'An Evening with the Allman Brothers' which was, I believe, pulled from that same tour (could be mistaken). I always liked to think that Blue Sky that ended up on that CD was the one they played from UVM...whether it was or wasn't...I have no idea. It still makes for a more interesting listen though. But I loved that CD set, and I also had the Allman's CD box set way back in high school when it first came out - in fact this was my very first CD box (along with the Lex Zep box) and i LOVED it. I always also liked the release 'Wipe the Windows, Check the Gas' as well, it was a good live smattering with an outstanding Jessica on there. I always loved when Gregg went off on his pianer in there during that solo bit.

I also recall seeing them at the Beacon Theater in NYC, circa 1995 (?) over St. Patrick's Day. I EXPLICITLY recall during one song...and i forget which one - but they pulled off a ST. Stephen tease big time during one of the jams, and the place went nuts. So, there was a well-placed and respectful nod to the GD and everyone was happier for it.

Anyway - a lot of rambling here - but just wanted to get things straight on my love fore both bands, but still GD > ABB...and no hard feelings. I think in retrospect it just bums me out a little bit in consideration of the references to the bad feelings from band members toward other band members.

I mean, Can't we all just get along?

Sixtus

... I’m long time fan of the ‘ABB’ as well. The recent ‘Bear’ recordings from the Fillmore East released this past year was a grateful & welcomed release! I don’t listen to them that often any more, I usually get in the mood around late summertime or when around the band would begin their ‘Beacon Run’ ... I remember when the band released their Atlanta Pop Festival performance on CD, man I played that album for months, morning noon & night lol I was captured not only by the bands performance but the “Primo Audio Quality!” I played it proudly and loud...
...I was Dickey Betts guitar roadie for awhile in my younger days! This was around the time he ran in trouble with the law for punching/fighting with his ‘Ol lady’ / wife at the time. We had a gig planed for the next day in Tappan, NY at the long gone ‘Kelly’s’ Pub, now renamed and different owner. We didn’t know if we would make it because of an arrest warrant but in the end the show went on! The Marshall Tucker band Opened for Dickey Betts and they gave the crowd a primo performance! I was in charge of Dickey Betts 6 different guitars, on stage left , just a few feet away from Dickey so I could hand off his different arsenal of instruments and Cold Beer! Very Cold Beer lol if it wasn’t cold enough Dickey would just toss them into the crowd, sometimes unopened and others with a swig missing lol ha ha lol, by mid-set my left was so numb & cold by dig’n deep inside what was a garbage can turned into a giant cooler filled with Budweiser/Coor’s beer & ICE! Lol...Grateful memories from those days. Vassar Clements also came aboard for a ‘Special Treat’ with his infamous fiddle playing, what a concert. I have a soundboard Of this concert in my collection. Haven’t listened to it in ages, I think it’s time to pull it out of hiding and give it a listening after all this talk of ABB , thank you All for your ABB posts, got my nose to itch :) 🙏❤️😎

Super interesting history. Right on . Saw Marshall Tucker Band in Missoula back in mid 70s with original lineup . Caldwell brothers were formidable. Toy Caldwell played lead with-out a pick. Tommy Caldwell was a great bass player also. Both gone.
Awesome Allman Brothers story LMGirl!

I'll be kickin' it at the Bowl next Tuesday, Mbarilla. Though I don't typically saddle myself with merch (free mind, free hands), this will be my son's first Dead show, so I'm sure he'll want a shirt to sport afterward.

Hit me with a PM and let's chat about it. Maybe I can help you out.

Thanks again for the cover artwork. I failed in The Other One mission. I too only took mental notes, and I was harried by the Dave's Picks 30 release. I can however, say without reservation, that the Other Ones from Europe 72 sound nothing like the pair on the new Dave's Picks 30 - but you already knew that ;-)

I think the only one I heard from the month of May was the Paris show on the 3rd. Oh wait, I also listened to Luxembourg. That one was really hot. Probably not news, but the one from Hundred Year Hall was a work of art. I usually have an easier time getting into them when they split them up into multiple parts, but that April 26th performance felt more like a Dark Star when it came to the improv parts.

I remember the opening show had a great one, split into a 19 minute first segment and an 8 minute second segment; the 8 minutes of part 2 is a rock and roll Fest all the way (crank it up) that goes right into Wharf Rat.

I remember the Dead in Denmark on 4/16 was short but awesome. There are two 3 minute segments with Me and My Uncle in between. The first segment is positively unique in that it's little more than Jerry playing the main theme softly while Pigpen adds some cool atmosphere with the B3 and Phil plugs away at the bass. Keith can also be heard playing notes here and there - always a pleasure. Nice transition into Me and My Uncle and then they go full boar Other One for another 3 minutes, where Bobby lays down the verses. The only explanation I can think of for the short performance is that the Truckin' had a 16 minute Jam after it. I guess on stage it was all The Other One to them.

I remember the New Castle show from April 11th is a really good one. The first 15 minutes was a combo of Other One theme music, up-tempo rockin improv, and a nice 5 minute taste of Feeling Groovy. Then they get a little Spacey and atonal, but not for long. Before you know it they're doing "Space Jazz"; I don't know how to explain it other than it sounds like half of them are still in atonal Space mode while the other half pick up a Jazz jam. If I had my musical wits about me, I'd probably say Billy and Phil went Jazz while the remainder stayed lost in Space. But it worked. It was like this gradual emergence from the real outer Space into the atmosphere - pretty bumpy at first, but eventually things smoothed out. Then they finished it off with The Other One reprise and concluding verses. The whole thing rounded out at..... I want to say 25 minutes, and then right into a superb Comes A Time.

And that was one more great thing about this tour. When you listen to it as a whole, yes, there is some repetition, but it's broken up nicely by other elements, like the rarely played Comes a Time, Lovelight, UJB, Dire Wolf, You Win Again, Caution, Sitting on Top, Rockin Pneumonia Hey Bo Diddley, Brown-Eyed Women, etc. And then the longer pieces are full of their own unique moments, which serves to mix it all up and keep things fresh. Great stuff. If Jim ever gets the wayback machine repaired, I'm going to wildly urge them to get St. Stephen, The Eleven, and Bird Song incorporated into a few shows.

...grateful post! I always enjoy reading your posts/reviews, thank you for sharing my friend!

I dug the Allmans. The first show I saw of them was at Red Rocks with Dickey and Warren Haynes on guitar and Allen Woody on bass. Jaimoe and Butch, and of course, Gregg. The whole time I was pinching myself going, holy shit that's Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts up there.

To my ears Gregg was one of the finest blues singers ever and I'm not going to qualify it by saying "white." The man just oozed soul and I miss that gravelly delivery and world weariness. He was expertly cast as drug dealer Will Gaines in the movie Rush, as well, for those who haven't seen it.

The Derek Trucks/Warren Haynes era was killer, as well. Gregg gradually sobered up and put more energy into his performances. For anyone interested, Berry Oakley Jr., Devon Allman and Duane Betts are now fronting a band:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/allman-betts-band-new-…

Last, I'll just say it's meaningless to compare the Dead with the Allmans. Much overlap, and much difference. All good if you ask me.

\m/

Five to One baby, One in Five......

Oh by the way, I put out a trivia question last week when Five to One came up for discussion: What two guitar players used Robby Krieger's guitar solo on each of their own two original songs (hint - both guitar players came from groups who have sold millions of records). It was Ace Frehley of KISS and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. Ace used it on the song She; McCready used it on Alive. Little bit of trivia I picked up over the years. The funny thing is that Mike McCready and Ace became friends many years later. As the story goes, Mike finally got up the nerve to tell Ace he stole his solo, to which Ace blurted, "Aack! Don't sweat it Curly, I lifted that one from Five to One.""

Wait a minute....hold the phone......as I'm writing this completely interesting Paul-is-dead-type of rock trivia piece, I'm realizing there are some odd coincidences at work here:

* The KISS song She is featured on KISS' album "Alive"
* The song Alive contains the lyric "she" - five times......Ladies & Gentlemen - we've come full circle.

I couldn't agree more, L.D.

Just a snipped from Wikipedia on the topic.. I love the just sing your guts out comment by older brother Duane.

Duane felt strongly his brother should be the vocalist of the new group (which effectively eliminated Wynans's position, as Gregg also played keyboards).[19] Gregg left Los Angeles and entered rehearsal on March 26, 1969, when the group was rehearsing Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More"[20] Although Gregg was initially intimidated by the musicians, Duane pressured his brother into "singing [his] guts out."[21]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Allman_Brothers_Band

P.S. KF, who said the riding mower is broken? It's working fine, but it runs on mushroom dust and the mileage is not great.. it only gets a couple years per cap / stem. I think I broke out the original Avatar recently.. but I sort of prefer Peabody and Sherman. Perhaps I am dating myself.

Strider 88, starting to think you're from the last best place based on your geographic references.

....into drumz->space, you can hear the crowd and band react to a stunning summer storm that rolled into Vegas and turned the Silver Bowl into a frenzied beast of electric energy....
https://archive.org/details/gd92-05-30.schoeps.ladner.10063.sbeok.shnf/…
This recording features it pretty well. Top five live Dead experiences for me. Heads all empty and i don't care indeed.

sometimes you just have to.

BOOYAH!

sorry...

I caught the Allman Brothers at the Beacon Theater in NYC a short while after Jerry shuffled off to parts unknown (the only time I've ever seen them live, unfortunately).

Though I was in a solidly altered state, I remember the highlight being a stellar "Blue Sky" interwoven with "Franklin's Tower".

It's a moment that's stuck with me all these years.

...some my favourite playing by Duane Allman occurred when he was a session player, before the Allman Brothers formed. The first cd of that excellent Skydog box set, where he is backing various soul singers, is a revelation. The version of Hey Jude by Wilson Picket is easily my favourite version of this song, and Duane's guitar solo at the end of the song, short though it is, must rank as one of his most exciting .

Thinking of the Dead-Allman's link-it seems likely that this version of Hey Jude was the one that inspired Pigpen to have a go - 3/1/69, again, comes to mind.

Poor Dave L. Must have done the in the morning good ol fashion facepalm when he woke up the next day after seaside chat and read all over comments page"Morning dew ain't no filler". Whoops.

Thanks for some fine "Other One" scrutiny Sixtus and Keithfan!

Since the 60's, always figured I was "HEARING" the Grateful Dead just fine. Thanks to you and all the other veteran heads, musicians, & assorted aficionados around here, I'm getting better at "LISTENING" to the Dead. Probably not the only one! Guess it IS possible to teach an old visual artist new tricks! Onward.

AND maybe Sixtus can be encouraged out on a limb to nominate his "Best Elusive T.O.O. Jam from Europe '72". All in good time, of course. No rush. . .

KF (can I call you KF?), that is so cool, I never knew the She solo came from 5 to 1, or Alive for that matter. Check out my new Ace pic. Let me know if you need it.

I also got caught up in other one broken up into multiple songs which is great but it's much more critical (if that's the word) to hear it as a single like Lux. And have a more concentrated critique. Good going KF.

Well the title is a little bit misleading. I am probably least familiar with The Other One in all eras. I know few of them well enough to pick out of a crowd. When it comes to the holiday sleight of hand games that I play with my relatives and friends, I utilize cheap tricks - like honing in on sound quality to determine I'm listening to a two-track; that narrows down the field. But by and large, I have not mastered all there is to know about The Other One. Except for Dick's Picks 18 and The Closing Of Winterland - those I know note for note. There was a pretty good discussion on all of the great TOOs a few weeks ago.

Was there a best elusive Dark Star? Would love to hear that critique. I'm not sure what the criteria is, but I think it's just as it sounds, right? One that's been out there all along, dusty on top, so that it's widely overlooked, but shining with greatness underneath? I guess my vote would be Rockin' the Rhein, Part 2. My first Dark Star. There's a short spontaneous melody from Garcia in there that encapsulates The Grateful Dead for me in one or two short minutes.

Carlo, I think you're probably right about those one piece TOOs. I have a feeling the best magic is in those. Other One / E72 - The Final Frontier.

Mind Left Body - my friends call me KeithFan - you can call me John.

I was going to say that your Ace picture's too small, but it looks like you already changed it. I can tell you they were both Destroyer era :D

I wouldn't touch the magnum opus with a ten foot pole. I don't think I am qualified to judge something so complex. I think Stephen hawking would be able to delve into The best Dark star like general relatively.

https://archive.org/details/gd1971-05-30.sbd.miller.94119.flac16/gd71-0…
....It appears that this is all of this show available, but it sounds FANTASTIC!!

Introduction: FM radio, then cassettes/CD’s.

Live
8-25-90
$17.50, George Thorogood opened!

11-29-91
$12.50 and a can of food for the local food pantry. Little Feat opened!

8-25-96 (6 years to the date of my first ABB show).
$25.00, general admission at the Reno Hilton Amphitheater (stage, chain link fence, bleachers in the back, in the casino parking lot).

9-8-07 4:00 pm
$53.80, general admission in Piedmont Park (ABB opened for DMB, I went for ABB).

Had a great time at all of them, but didn’t compare to GOGD.

Also bought Bear’s Sonic Journals, CD and hi-def download.

Nice reference from our good friend Keith Moon meeting Mr Smothers.....
A wonderful scene indeed!!

We all should tread carefully when tossing around Magnum Opus. However, in many contexts of the correct sort it's entirely appropriate.

There are certain things described as Magnum Opus. The Dark Tower, clearly one of them. Dark Star obviously falls into a slot Worthy. And as aforementioned, to drill down to a One And Only would be like trying to step into a black hole predicting where you'll end up on the other side. It's as Amorphis and Elusive yet melodically intrusive which ties you to whatever the best Dark Star is, and may be, at any given moment in time. Because it will change, it does change, yet it Remains The Same.

As our fellow friend JimmyInMD says, it's always the last one you heard that's the best one.

Sixtus

P.S. cheers to everyone here. This is fun stuff. And KeithFan, I think you're getting close to being everyone else's Uncle Gary. Exquisite contributions. And we're all among fellow Scholars.

....so, we have a peach tree on our backyard that is finally producing savory fruit after three years. Problem is....finches. Those little bastards hang out on the fence looking for opportunities. My wife wants to "Eat A Peach". So we put netting over it. That created another problem. One of our dogs wants to catch and eat said finches, proceeds to get his paws stuck in the netting, therefore creating gaps in it. Ugh. Reminded me of the recent ABB discussion.
Enjoying homegrown peaches shouldn't be this hard....
Regarding Dark Stars. The one they unleashed on Springfield, MA 3.28.73 (aka Scooby-Doo house Dave's 16), got quite Dark. So much so, that even though the lights were on in my living room, I still felt like I was In The Dark. Boo-Yah!!

Magnum Opus..

Quantum mechanics suggests that the mere act of studying a Dark Star.. listening to it and forming an opinion changes it's composition. Called the Dark Star Uncertainty Principle. So yes.. the last one listened to is always the best one ever performed. Simple physics.

In other words, I want what Sixtus is smoking (and I wholeheartedly agree).

....works for me! Wassup Dsup? Dirty Harry had a Magnum. And it was opus!

~ 2.19.82 ~

Golden Hall ~ San Diego, California

Little Red Rooster is smokin !!!

I think the way to go about this release is to rearrange the songs in the correct order and listen to May 24th first and May 23rd second. May 24th is longer and has some very interesting moments (China>Eleven for example) and has the great Alligator>Drums>St Stephen>FeedBack>We Bid You Goodnight section but May 23rd is probably a tighter show and you get a great Dark Star. Also, if you listen to May 24th show first, you don't have to listen to two very long Lovelight's back to back...which almost reaches an hour of Lovelight. I love Pigpen but that's a lot of 'light!

Mustin (and whomever) - when I file my songs digitally on my phone and computer, I always put the songs in the correct running order and put them in individual folders for each show. This presents a slight cosmetic issue when I view my playlist, as you end up with multiple albums with identical album artwork. That's no fun and it gets confusing when you're thumbing through your digital file system. I have created similar artwork, using very simple computer tools, to make different covers four different shows Within a set. For example Dick's Picks 33. For for example this Dave's Picks release, I just put all the January 3rd songs in the folder with the artwork from the bonus disc. What I'm getting at, is if anyone is interested in alternate artwork 4 multi-show sets let me know and I put them up on the link this weekend. This also may sound a little crazy, but I did not care for the May 1977 album cover art for either box set, so I just grabbed cool random artwork from the internet to use as album covers. Weird colored triangles and other computer-generated looking artwork reminds me of that hipgnosis company from the 70s that used to make a lot of record covers. They lost me sometime after Dark Side of the Moon. PM me if interested.

P.S. - I've re-engaged on the Europe 72 listening project on 5/24 at the Lyceum. Pigpen's last Lovelight. and IMHO, the best. The Allman influence is heavy during the instrumental jamming (which is a completely different beast in 1972), and at the 10-minute mark we here some of pigpen's most soulful improvisational lyrics, backed by the doot doot doo riff. This was one of the hooks that turns me into a Dead Head. It's only a minute long, but oh, what a minute it is.

P.P.S. - there's also one of the best me and my uncles you're ever going to hear on this May 24th show. Somebody put Jerry out, he's on fire.

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