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    clayv
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    Who's up for a revolutionary evolutionary ride? DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 30: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 1/2/70 captures the Grateful Dead as they make their first foray from the experimental 60s into their early 70s acoustic Americana period. Yes, this one is a little bit country and a little bit (psychedelic) rock and roll.

    When the "Magnificent Seven" - Pigpen on percussion, T.C. on keys - first took the stage on 1/2/70, evidence was clear that the trip was about to take a turn. From their western wears to the twang in Jerry’s “broken-string blues,” it appeared they'd brought the Bakersfield sound to the Big Apple. They worked through much of what would become Workingman's Dead, stunning the crowd with laid-back numbers like "Uncle John's Band," "Casey Jones," and "Black Peter." Just the same, they satisfied 60s stalwarts with magical versions of "Dark Star," "St. Stephen," and "That's It For The Other One." Sonic alchemy, indeed!

    DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 30: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK, ​New York 1/2/70 has been rounded out with a bit of 1/3/70 (the subscribers-only bonus disc features the bulk of 1/3/70). It was recorded by the great Owsley "Bear" Stanley and has been lovingly mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.

    DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 30 is limited to 20,000 individually-numbered copies*.

    *Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

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  • #2241
    KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    Sure get stoned at night!

    The 30 trips Alligator from The Shrine in 67 is one of my favorite 30 trips moments, yet somehow I never fully engaged on the Caution. Probably my favorite Gator, not counting the one under the seats between rows Double EE & FF at the Academy of Music. I probably play the ladies and gentlemen version the most. I think it's time I hunted down that whole Fillmore East run in good quality. I have some of it, like the 26th with its Dark Star.

    And with regard to the Dead Hand in Hamburg anniversary today, I don't know where I was getting off not mentioning Big Boss Man. Probably my favorite short Pigpen Song from the tour. Hindsight is 50/50, but I think it would have been cool if pigpen have played a few less good Lovins, and mixed in some smokestack lightning and good morning little school girls. Not to mention an alligator or two.

    Jimbo, love the reference to The Blues Brothers. I just watched they're warm up set for the closing of winterland on YouTube. Lightning in a bottle. Also came across a picture of Donna sitting with Belushi. Good Times. Let's get that Wayback machine and get directly involved.

    Anybody get a shipping notice for Dave's Picks 30 yet?

  • #2242
    JimInMD
    Joined:
    Re: Caution / Alvarhanso

    My absolute favorite moment from 30 trips.. and as I have written here several times, I blew out the speakers in my car on that one. For me, it was an epiphany moment.. I was left wordless and slack jawed.

    Nitecat.. except for the last song, your last five was entirely GD. Glad I am not the only one.

    Let the good times roll.. great topics on all things music.. We play both kinds.. Country and Western (aka Grateful Dead and everything else).

    Man. that caution. Wowwow stuff.

    Edit: Or perhaps it was The Other One where I blew my speakers.. no bother, that entire show was pure mayhem and simply wonderful (especially played very loud). Plus.. I blew out the rear speakers and dialed it back just so it was as loud as it could be without blowing out he fronts. What a great night and that show set the mood for the road trip. I think I was driving to visit my dad in the hospital if memory serves, six hours each way = 4 shows total. Blown speaker worthy? yes. It certainly eased the pain.

  • #2243
    stoltzfus
    Joined:
    Forced to take a pallette cleanser

    Godflesh Merciless

    10/6/80 just wasnt happening :(

  • #2244
    KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    Jimbo & Oroborous - great…

    Jimbo & Oroborous - great 1983 / mid-80s commentary. You guys had me flipping through 30 Trips '83 and DP 6 today on the way to the food store. The live Touch Of Grey led me to the great studio version, which I hadn't put on in quite some time. Nice memories.

    Alvarhanso - thanks for the Cautions, I'll check those out this week. Also glad I'm not the only one to notice how similar the BTW and JS intros are.

    Bobby T - great call on the TC Dark Star from the Fillmore East. I love 1971 Dark Stars, and TC brings his trademark organ part to this one. It's followed by my all time favorite St. Stephen (Bobby is exceptional on the outro jam). I like putting The Eleven from Two From the Vault after that Dark Star / St. Stephen combo. The drums go together almost seamlessly on the transition. I can't wait for that whole Fillmore run to be released. I really enjoy Ladies & Gentlemen, but I don't have great soundboards of the entire run.

    Nitecat - "I repeated the best stuff twice" - great quote, and the reason it's taking me so long to get through the E72 steamer trunk.

  • #2245
    alvarhanso
    Joined:
    Caution!

    My favorite is the one from the Shrine 11/10/67. When I got the 30 Trips Box that was my immediate favorite show and has remained so with subsequent listening. The opening clang of Viola Lee sold me, but that Alligator> Caution cemented it. The Greek show from the next year has a great one, too, if brief (funny that we can describe an 11 minute song as brief), and goes into what is probably my favorite Feedback. Maybe it's just the stage announcer's blown mind that gets me on that. The one from Thelma DaP 10 12/10/69 is a good one. For some reason, as fantastically as they play through the Fillmore West shows, the 2 they played that run never blew me away. The bonus disc one is pretty damn fantastic, but you already mentioned that one KF.

    Funny you mention the BTW/JStraw intros; they used to get me every damn time, and still do occasionally. Odd how they had two intros so close together, especially given that Bob would sometimes apologize for playing another song in the the same key as the previous one "at the risk of being repetitive". Ironically, few people would likely have even noticed, though I'm sure playing BTW and JStraw back to back would have been confusing.

    Three more days, though I may be counting chickens early, no shipping notice as yet...

  • #2246
    nitecat
    Joined:
    Last five

    DP 5 12/26/79: Great show, I was at this run of five nights at the Oakland Auditorium.
    Spring 1990 4/2/90: I'm almost done listening to these two boxes for the third time. What a tour!
    E72 4/26/72: T>Drums>TOO>Comes a Time> SM !! I've been listening show by show to the trunk for a few months now, so I didn't jump on the anniversary train and go back. The box that keeps on giving.
    DP 31 8/4,5,6/74: This collection took several evenings, I repeated the best stuff twice. Wow that 8/6 'filler' Eyes, Playin>Scarlet>Playin, UJB is a keeper.
    The Rascals Complete Singles collection: These guys dominated the airwaves in the late 60's-awesome songs and playing. People got to be free!

  • #2247
    bob t
    Joined:
    4/28/71 Fillmore East Anniversary

    Tom Constanten joining in on Dark Star>St Stphen>NFA>GDTRFB>NFA...... Good Hard to Handle, Cryptical>Drums>Other One>Wharf Rat... Overshadowed by the next night, and the prior night you had the Beach Boys. (I am a big fan of Pet Sounds)

    Speaking of special guests, hard to top the Bangles 10/18/88 New Orleans joining on the encore of Aiko and Heaven's Door!!! Another rainy day in Rhode Island.... Bob t

  • #2248
    daverock
    Joined:
    Mid 80s-Oroborous

    Nice review of what it was like seeing The Dead in the mid 80's. There was so little coverage of the band in those years, in England, that I thought they'd split up ! Then in 1987 I saw a bootleg tape for sale in a music paper of a show from that year, and started digging around. And here I am.

  • #2249
    Oroborous
    Joined:
    Ahh mid eighties...

    L.M.G.; be well brother, may the four winds be with you!

    Jim, astute analysis as usual. 83 was such a transitional year in many ways, some I don’t think many folks realize.
    Yes JG was starting to really show signs of “health” issues. Musically, it seamed like they were starting to get a little looser, perhaps a little weirder? So because of both variables there was inconsistency. But we liked that go for broke vibe, and occasionally stumble and falling added to the excitement. That’s what I don’t like about 77, it’s too dam tidy, it’s too professional, too clean, I know that sounds nuts, but too me that’s not what the dead were about....don’t get me wrong, I totally get why many consider this the Dead at their best.
    So Brent had meshed for four years at this point, so compared to say 80 or 81 where songs are more short and tight, it seamed to me like they were melting around the edges more.
    They also were going through huge technical changes that I think factor in way more than most would think about.
    Phil was using the new Modulus 6 string and new gear, Weir had new stuff, most importantly they now were using the mighty Ultra Sound Meyers PA and monitors full time.This was awesome but it was definetly a process getting a handle on all this. I think this is why 83 sometimes sounds so funky...they hadn’t used it all enough to 1) collect enough acoustical data from the different venues and 2) totally learned/adjusted technique for this ridiculous, amazing new system/technology. Add to that the whole cassette master thing, and well, yea, sometimes it’s not so hot. On the flip side there are also some awesome matrix tapes from this year....but as Jim says it’s all over the place in 83.
    They also were starting to use the new vari lights full time this year too, and they had switched sides on stage only a year earlier...so much was going on that year, like many of the transitional years, and it showed, for good or for ill.
    Hell, one could argue the whole long trip was a constant transition, with of course certain times being more pronounced I.e., personnel changes, but a whole new P.A. system and monitors cannot be overlooked!
    Like you state, this process seamed to continue, both the good changes and the ahem, bad, through 84 and into 85.
    I recall also feeling like the whole scene was changing too. Like it was all getting bigger and better, but crazy and almost out of control, like that train jumping the tracks....to me 85 was when it sorta peaked. All that process that started in full back in 83 seemed to come to fruition. They were breaking out more psychedelic stuff, and getting weirder. Anyone who was on that 85 summer tour hopefully can relate?
    We went from super laid back scene at10k hockey rinks and half empty sheds to the madness of 2 around the clock days at Toga, then Hershey and Merriweather. Too much of everything was just enough! By 86 they started playing more stadiums, and it all just kept growing. The band, us, the scene, it was nuts, but like all things of hubris and excess it went too far. Throw in a hit record and crowds of uninitiated and by 87 it was over. Not the whole deal but that little wave ala HST in fear in loathing., that to me peaked in 85.
    Yes they could be sloppy and sometimes Jer sounds pretty ruff, but didn’t they always when they were going for it, trying to find the edge? More HST; “you don’t really know the edge unless you go over”....
    And yes we all got too big, and perhaps sometimes outta hand, but wasn’t that part of it? “Too much of everything...”, I don’t know what I’m going for, but I’m gonna go for it for sure”....
    All I’m saying is it was a great time to be in your twenties, on the road, and high with the Dead!
    Until it wasn’t, but luckily they played through it and came out the other side even stronger and better as we all know how great 89 through 90, 91? perhaps into 92? was.
    Sorry to ramble, just in a mood this AM and Jim’s post brought out the old member berries and nostalgia of perhaps the greatest time in my life, sniff, sniff 😢 ok enough, Onward!

  • #2250
    KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    Hamburg

    Mr Heartbreak, I'm pleased you picked up on that reference. Indeed, he deserves better than his ex bandmates have given him in the Press. I was sure Mind-Ledt-Body would get it!

    I'm on to 4/29/72.

    The opening Playing in the Band only has a four minute jam section. I know it took them some time to build up the jam on this one, but I guess I didn't realize how short the actual jam sections are. Well, the last few on the tour stretch out a bit longer. Then of course by '74, they went on for a half hour regularly, and Kreutzmann couldn't remember which huge jam song he was in the middle of (Long Strange Trip quote).

    I've decided I like they 1972 Sugarees best, even if 5/28/77 is my favorite (19 minute, huge solo); but generally speaking, '72 is the year for me on this one. Short and sweet. I think that's the theme on most early Grateful Dead songs for me. In 71 & 72, everybody was still playing guitars that I liked, and all the right backup vocalists we're involved at the right times.

    First UJB of the tour on this show. That's balls. Nine shows in before they play UJB. Then they only played it four more times in Europe. In hindsight I guess they always played this tune sparingly.

    First He's Gone to feature the middle 8 / winds don't blow so strange verse. I think I'll always enjoy Rockin the Rhein's performance the best, even without the middle 8. My dog has no nose... in any event, I think it took them until summer to really get that part well oiled. Right around Berkeley.

    Starting with the Dusseldorf show on 4/24, they changed up the intro to Black-Throated Wind, from a little drum roll thingy to a guitar strum thingy that sounds almost identical to Jack Straw. When I first got into the Dead, I couldn't tell the difference until Jerry either went into the BTW riff or the Jack Straw improv fill. And I used to think, man, how do they keep from getting mixed up when they're playing it live? The answer is they didn't. This is the one they mixed up. Jerry plays the Jack Straw fill and Bobby sings the BTW verse. Jerry doesn't play the BTW riff until the second verse. I always get a kick out of this, thinking they probably figured nobody would ever notice. Little did they know their legend would overtake their anonymity.

    And of course it's Dark Star night. Lots of cacophony on this one - Probably not one of my favorites. They hit the Feeling Groovey riff early, but leave it behind pretty quickly. They hit the main Dark Star theme at the halfway mark. Jerry throws in a little Caution riffing somewhere around 23 minutes. Keith is audible at times. How I would love to interview every last one of them while listening to these ancient Dark Stars.

    Caution does eventually appear for one of only five appearances, if my memory serves me. I'm trying to think if these are the only ones to feature Keith, before Pigpen died. In any case, I like the piano and organ duo, despite Keith's being mixed low or not at all. I lean towards the Europe 72 Cautions, but I admit I don't know the early ones nearly as well. Except for the 30 minute romp from the FW bonus disc. Any great Cautions you guys want to throw them away, I'll be sure to listen to them soon. Thank you. Bomp>Bomp>BOMMMB!

    China Rider - always welcome in a set list. They didn't play it quite as long on the Europe 72 tour, but it was about as tight as can be, and the Rider vocals we're stunning every time.

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Dead Store Products

Who's up for a revolutionary evolutionary ride? DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 30: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 1/2/70 captures the Grateful Dead as they make their first foray from the experimental 60s into their early 70s acoustic Americana period. Yes, this one is a little bit country and a little bit (psychedelic) rock and roll.

When the "Magnificent Seven" - Pigpen on percussion, T.C. on keys - first took the stage on 1/2/70, evidence was clear that the trip was about to take a turn. From their western wears to the twang in Jerry’s “broken-string blues,” it appeared they'd brought the Bakersfield sound to the Big Apple. They worked through much of what would become Workingman's Dead, stunning the crowd with laid-back numbers like "Uncle John's Band," "Casey Jones," and "Black Peter." Just the same, they satisfied 60s stalwarts with magical versions of "Dark Star," "St. Stephen," and "That's It For The Other One." Sonic alchemy, indeed!

DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 30: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK, ​New York 1/2/70 has been rounded out with a bit of 1/3/70 (the subscribers-only bonus disc features the bulk of 1/3/70). It was recorded by the great Owsley "Bear" Stanley and has been lovingly mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.

DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 30 is limited to 20,000 individually-numbered copies*.

*Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

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Submitted by Thats_Otis on Sat, 05/04/2019 - 15:32

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Those scans look great!

#18946/20000 made it here yesterday... Whew! Looks like I just made the cut!

Peace

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7 years 11 months

Submitted by head13 on Sat, 05/04/2019 - 15:57

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DP 30 #3877 landed in D-Ville Georgia late this afternoon, had been watching the mailbox from my window for hours. Got my yard work done and am now enjoying a cold beverage and That’s It For The Other One is sounding stellar. Every year I think I won’t subscribe and then the bonus disc shows up in all its glory and I know I will belly up and do it again. Enjoy this one everybody!

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Submitted by head13 on Sat, 05/04/2019 - 16:04

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DP30 #3877 landed in D-Ville, Georgia late this afternoon, I’d been eyeing my mailbox for what seemed like days. Got all my lawn work done and am now enjoying a cold beveridge and That’s It For The Other One is sounding stellar. Every year I think I won’t subscribe and then the bonus disc shows up on all its glory and I know I will. The cover is wicked cool. Enjoy this one everyone.

....no bills. Yay! No Fillmore. Boo! Evens out. I have Monday and Tuesday off because I needed a break from work. All good things in all good time.

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14 years 11 months

Submitted by stoltzfus on Sat, 05/04/2019 - 17:47

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Theres a package in there
The exact same size as a daves pick
same weight
Unusual address, but hey they are changing warehouses

Its not daves picks
Some bs electronic clock as advertising ploy

Duhphuq bro

Waiting at great clips for freakin haircut

"Whoop there it is" plays for about 12 minues

Aaaaagh

Other lame-o pop

Why cant they ever play Motorhead?

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17 years 6 months

Submitted by iGrateful on Sat, 05/04/2019 - 18:23

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Thank you VGUY72 ... the Archives I saw didn't have the same details. Greatly appreciated

...my man, I love the ‘Three Blind Boys From Alabama’ , what an amazing group of gentlemen in this band of the years gone by. I have quit a few LPs and CDs made available to get your hands on. I had the privilege to attend a few of the bands past performances. This was around the same time Paul Simons release his ‘Graceland’ LP which is a primo record! Big fan of Paul’s work over the years but I fell in love with his Graceland album. I even saw the group performe minus Paul in Newark nj over 12-14 years ago if I’m remembering correctly. Beautiful music and song from this pecticular group of performers. 🙏❤️😎

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Submitted by CaseyJanes on Sat, 05/04/2019 - 23:46

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Hey now Blue Crow,

Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your recent Dead Concert story. I never got to see Jerry...too young or more Likely naive at his end .....and had no idea what was going on at that time. Wish I would have had the chance...anyways peace dude and rock On....more stories if you have them please?!?’ Same to the rest of you who have stories...bring em on!!!

I finally got my copy of Daves plus bonus disc earlier today. I haven’t listened to all of it, but I can already say that this one ranks as one of the best in the series so far. The recording sounds slightly upgraded and more crisp and as others have said the banter is warm and present which makes it feel that the boys are in your living room revving up Jim’s lawn contraption for interstellar galactic travel...or possibly a carpet ride!

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10 years 4 months

Submitted by daverock on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 05:05

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No Dave's Picks yet, although it looks as though there have been a few sightings in Britain over the last day or so.

Not really the time or place, but I did see Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets last Friday. Amazing set list, covering the albums from Piper at the Gates of Dawn to Meddle, with a generous helping of music from the Syd Barret era. Set The Controls for The Heart of The Sun was one of many highlights-and it occurred to me that that track may be the bands equivalent of Dark Star. Its starts out with a simple riff, features lyrics that point star wards, followed by a free space in the middle and then back home again. Sadly it was dropped by the Floyd when they went big time-but its all there in those 1967-1972 versions, and now in this Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets version. But every song and instrumental they played was stellar.

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13 years 6 months

Submitted by TLEO 77 on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 07:14

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Woah! What a beautiful journey I took via headphones and excellent sound into the mind expanding music of the Dead at Fillmore East 1.2.70!! There are so many highlights. I will not bore you with my geeked opinion of this show and how it sounds. I really just write this morning to express my awe and gratititude for the music of the Dead and the team behind making these shows available to us in the 21st century. I am grateful. Thank you Jerry and the boys for providing a truly incredible soundtrack to my journey... peace and love brothers and sisters! Enjoy the day and let there be songs to fill the air.

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12 years 2 months

Submitted by Dennis on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 09:23

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FYI - This is the order I went with for the bonus material (1/3/70),,,, opinions or objections.

Vol 30 - Bonus Disc - 1970-01-03 - Fillmore East - NYC, NY

01 - Morning Dew
02 - Cold Rain and Snow
03 - Alligator ->
04 - Drums ->
05 - Alligator ->
06 - Feedback
07 - Casey Jones
08 - Big Boss Man
09 - Mason's Children
10 - That's It for the Other One
11 - Cosmic Charlie
12 - Uncle John's Band
13 - Dancing in the Street
14 - St. Stephen ->
15 - In the Midnight Hour

edit - is UJB early or late show? I got it down as late

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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 09:47

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Thanks Dave and crew for getting it to us.

Made it once through the CDs yesterday, then reordered the 1/3 tracks and put copies on my music player.
Just started my second pass through 1/3.
I reordered 1/3 based on what is in Dead Base 50 (note that Dead Base IX has 1/2 early and late shows reversed).
UJB goes after Feedback as it is the encore for the early show. It does not go into another song, unlike the UJB>Black Peter in the late show (unless it was modified to sound like it doesn’t go into Black Peter)

1/3 Early
Morning Dew
Cold Rain
Alligator>Drums>Alligator>
Feedback
UJB

1/3 late
Casey
Big Boss
Masons
That’s It>
Cosmic
Dancin
St Stephen>
Midnight

There’s a lot of riffs of other songs buried in Alligator.

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11 years 11 months

Submitted by nappyrags on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 09:51

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well I slipped away from the salt mine to grab a bit of breakfast and put in the bonus disc for the drive...me oh my, Alligator alone is worth the price of admission folks...when they come back to it for the post drum jam and then tease the China Cat intro and then work their way into the GDTRFB Coda I just about had a stroke from yelling out...what a great great bit...and I guess I'll have to take the long way home so i can finish it...it's only a 13 minute drive to home...

Thanks. Upon closer inspection I believe you are correct and have modified my order.

Upon quick inspection found my copy of 1/2 to be damn near as good as "official", but 1/3 stuff sound much nicer than what I have in stock.

....last night's set list.
Set One: Big Railroad Blues, I Ain’t Superstitious, The Same Thing, Tennessee Jed, New Speedway Boogie, People Get Ready, Way Down In The Hole, Nobody’s Fault but Mine, Pray For Peace, Sugaree

Set Two: I’m A King Bee, Deep Elem Blues, You Don’t Love Me, Mystery Train, Little Red Rooster, Amazing Grace, Higher Ground, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Wang Dang Doodle, Deal, Friend of the Devil, Down by The Riverside

Encore: Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
.... definitely worth fifty bucks ✌️. High lights? Wang Dang. King Bee. Way Down In The Hole.
Low lights? Beers were $15. Shame....
https://www.jambase.com/article/phil-lesh-friends-blind-boys-of-alabama…

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Submitted by JimInMD on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 13:53

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Jealous, thanks for the trip report. Always a big Phil fan and appreciate Jackie Greene's take on all things Grateful Dead.

Keep up the good work, Senator.

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17 years 7 months

Submitted by simonrob on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 14:10

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I hope the glasses were huge.

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17 years 6 months

Submitted by Vguy72 on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 14:22

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....but still. Goose Island IPA. Some peeps paid that much for Coors Light. Do your homework. Beer math.

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13 years 6 months

Submitted by JimInMD on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 14:35

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At the time of my first show, it was $2 a hit.

Oh, and happy Cinco de Mayo everyone. In the spirit of Europe 72, I recommend 72 Par Elegance Extra Anejo. Yummy. :D

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7 years 10 months

Submitted by LedDed on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 17:46

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Loser... one of my absolute Dead faves and quite possibly the best song on gambling ever. Kenny Rogers, eat your heart out.

I walked out of the Golden Nugget with an easy $500 and a grand, courtesy the Excalibur, off Wheel Of Fortune slots. Fortunate, indeed. As far as table games I have found the Fremont to be most favorable. I taught my wife to throw craps there and she threw 20 times in a row, exactly, before busting. That paid for the weekend and then some.

But, as Kenny says, you got to know when to hold them and when to fold them. Take the easy money and run, and as soon as it goes cold, stop immediately. Difficult for some.

\m/

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Submitted by frosted on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 18:16

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DaP 30 landed in my mailbox Saturday, and I've listened to the first three discs once each so far, with the bonus yet to come.

My reaction is somewhat mixed. I had pretty high expectations given Dicks Picks 4 and 8 and road trips 5-15-70, all of which are excellent. I had somewhat of a hesitation because this one is closer in timeframe to DaP 19, which is more of a mixed bag of good and average. Warranted, as it turns out, at least on first listen.

Disc 3 is excellent, as others have said. I think the DS>SS>Eleven>LL is the greatest string of tunes in rock music, in my opinion. It's different every time, and they'd had several years to perfect it by 1970. Can you imagine anyone else even attempting such a thing, other than some of the jam bands that followed (though I don't put them in the same league)? Maybe the Allman Bros. or Yes could pull off such a long jam string, but I doubt they'd make it so different every time.

Now on to disc one and two. Ok, many of the tunes were new, and were still being worked out. Still, there is a sloppiness to several of them. Phil's harmony vocals are too high in the mix on some, and that nearly makes my ears bleed at times. Not just out of tune, but something about his voice just wasn't meant to sing except very subtly in the background. TC is great on the Dark Star psychedelic sequences, but I can see how he didn't fit into the short tune based direction that they were heading with Workingman's and American Beauty. Finally, throwing in a few of my least favorite early tunes like Mason's Children and High Times (where Bobby seems to stretch beyond his capabilities on the harmony vocals) brought it in at a bit less than I'd hoped as well.

Other than the Dead, I mostly listen to jazz, classical, and bluegrass/folk/americana. So most of that other stuff is usually tight, on-key, played by virtuosos, and in tune. I look past the Dead's sloppiness and off-key moments because so much of the rest can be transcendent like nothing else. But sometimes, you just have to take the average with the extraordinary on a Dave's Pick.

Usually I hear more nuances and change my opinions on subsequent listenings, so I think disc 1 and 2 may grow on me more in time. Overall I'm happy with it, and time will tell on my longer range opinion.

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7 years 8 months

Submitted by carlo13 on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 18:29

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For some reason I just love how the first disk starts at the very beginning of the master reel, it just shows every inch counts in these Dap's...... and in other things as well.

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17 years 6 months

Submitted by Vguy72 on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 18:49

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....best odds in the house. Bar none. But you gotta bet smart. Six and eight all night long. Hard ways is how they keep the lights on.
When a player gets on a roll, it's amazing. Gotta strike when the irons hot. You can make some cheddar if you pay attention.
Passed some tables last night, but I didn't feel it.

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Submitted by Vguy72 on Sun, 05/05/2019 - 19:25

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....I would cut and paste it, but why should it do all work? Get some. Still in bluuuuses mode here.
....I'm I bit jealous that I wasn't able to cut a rug at a juke joint. It's all about sliding your feet. Move on from there. It comes naturally....

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Submitted by Roguedeadguy on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 04:13

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I must've got a very special edition of the bonus disc. When I popped it into Media Player, track 9 came up as "Cosmic Keithfan." According to Deadbase this was the only time they ever played Cosmic Keithfan. :)

Do we know if the UJB is from the early or late show? This matters for those of us who like to splice these tracks together with the rest of the show.

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Submitted by daverock on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 04:43

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I am still waiting for Dave's Picks-at that familiar stage of reading reviews without having heard the music. I must say, though, that Frosted's review chimes with my own experience of listening to live shows from mid 1969 and throughout 1970. Stellar jams on Dark Star-St Stephen-The Eleven-also on The Other One, Dancing in the Street, Viola Lee Blues-maybe others. But somewhat awkward renditions of shorter songs. This is what I am expecting to be the case with this here release, too. Which is okay by me. I have just been listening to the first set of 5/9/77-which may be the same situation as described above, regrading short songs and jams, but in reverse.

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Submitted by JimInMD on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 05:41

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With the exception of 1972 and 1977, I think there was always an aspect of hit or miss when listening to or seeing the GD. I enjoyed reading someone's post here recently (I forget who it was) where they said something to the effect that the 1977 charm had worn off.. they were too perfect that year and there weren't enough surprises. A funny comment there is some truth in it.

It's a dual edged sword really.. you never knew what you were going to get. 1970 is certainly one of my favorite years, but there was this big learning curve as they brought on not only a lot of new material, but an entirely different approach to songwriting than we saw in Aoxomoxoa and Anthem. ..and yes, Phil's harmonies sometimes sound more like an Amber Alert for abducted ducks then singing, especially in the early and later years. ..but I forgive him.

1973 was the same way as they brought on all this new material. Wave That Flag must certainly have been about the white flag of surrender. ..but as they began to fold all this new material into the mix it usually got better and better.. so songs that didn't congeal were set aside and the ones that fit grew and strengthened.

I guess I have a lot of patience in these periods because usually.. if you had a little faith, the stuff that didn't work began to click a few months later and the songs that never really worked faded into history.

Except for the first three or four shows I saw where it was so new to me and I didn't really get it.. at the beginning of each show I had an unsettling feeling in my stomach. It was the feeling of what are they going to play, are they going to be good, are they going to blow it.. are they going to play St. Stephen, Morning Dew, No.. not Day Job! It was the feeling of GD anxiety, I bet they felt it too.

I guess that's one of the hidden charms.. you just never knew exactly what you were going to get. I get the feeling they didn't know either. When they delivered, you left with feeling fortunate, perhaps lucky. 1970? Yes please.. I wish they would have recorded more shows that year.

I should get mine today.. can't wait.

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Submitted by stoltzfus on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 05:51

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while I wait for DaP30...

listened to 3/5/72 (most of what exists) yesterday. my sense is that a reel is missing.

first disc is like a rehearsal. straight up songs.

disc 2 starts with a liquidy, in-the-zone Good Lovin'.

NFA > GDTRFB...exited car.

The rest today.

Good Lovin' is worth a listen.

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Submitted by KeithFan2112 on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 07:03

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How on Earth did that happen...

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Submitted by 80sfan on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 07:16

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The new Dave's should be waiting for me when I get home.

In the meantime I've been listening to Pure Jerry 1 (July 77 I think) all morning as a way to ease my way into the work week. A 30 min Don't Let Go to start the day puts me in exactly the mood I want to be in today....

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Submitted by DeadAreMyDealers on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 08:23

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The liner notes for this DaP30 says it is one of Bear's Sonic Journals. I thought all of Bear's known tapes were in the Grateful Dead vault and owned by the Dead. Is this correct? Or is there a whole cache of unknown GD recordings owned by Bear's family (Owsley Foundation) that GD have to negotiate in order to get released (ie: DaP30)?

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Submitted by Lovemygirl on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 08:24

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...a grateful Monday to all! Daverock no joke, I was playing 5/9/77 from the Grateful Dead boxset Release ! Wow, when you wrote that my hair raised with cosmic activity & connect, hot damn that was so cool! Deffently put a smile on this deadheads face. Thank you brother for all your imput, I dig it! 🙏❤️😎 rock on my brothers & sisters! ✌️🤠
PS. 1/2/70 - ‘Monkey and the Engineer’ performance was a grateful highlight delight from Weir. I wish Tom C. would have performed/played along with Bill & Mickey on this song, it would of been extra primo! 😉

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Submitted by daverock on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 09:46

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I liked your summary of the band live. It made me think of the fact that they were growing and changing on stage, for all to see and hear. This wasn't a presentation of performance that was tried and tested and guaranteed to work every time. Late 1969-1970 was very transitional as they moved from the acid jams to the songs, while retaining large elements of the former. But it stands to reason that the newer approach, the songs, would be more hit and miss than the acid jams, which had been played for a year or two already. Certainly by 1971 they had the short songs approach down pat. And then they changed again.

I seem to like 1977 this year-but I also feel that sometimes its all just too smooth and...perfect. Coincidence that you also played 5/9/77 this morning Lovemygirl! Its a small world.

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Submitted by muleskinner_blues on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 11:13

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I see I'm not the only one to get that on the id3 tags. Represent, Keith.

Only just received and ripped, haven't listened yet. Anything with a Monkey & The Engineer is OK with me. Did 90 miles an hour down the mainline run.

Anyone pre-order the Rolling Thunder box?

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Submitted by PatagonianFox on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 11:54

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no email. no tracking number.

customer service is useless.

-----

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Submitted by Dennis on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 12:21

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thanks for the heads up, just preordered my copy. I thought good deal, 14 disc for 75 bucks.

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Submitted by bob t on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 14:22

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Hello everyone... any recommendations for awesome Smokestack Lightnings sung by Pigpen... I know 2/13/70 seems to be the consensus as one of the best. I like the one from the Felt Forum from 12/7/71 and 2/19/71 at the Capitol Theatre.... Thanks for any advice... Bob t

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Submitted by jefedepescado on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 14:49

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Anybody else hear melody run a lot like Sugar Magnolia around 22:30 in the Bonus Disc Dark Star jam? First Sm is 6 months later.

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