• 1,665 replies
    clayv
    Default Avatar
    Joined:

    Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! Gentle mistresses and most distinguished gentlemen, we have come upon the release of the DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 37, from the Fifteenth of April in the year Nineteen Seventy-Eight, at ye olde College Of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Cast your waistcoats and your bonnets aside, the Grateful Dead are on steady gallop from the opening high-kick of "Mississippi Half-Step" into a where are we going? where have we been? "Passenger," followed by full-on versions of "Friend Of The Devil," "El Paso," "Brown-Eyed Women," and a double-barreled "Let It Grow>Deal." Catch your breath and straighten out your tricorne because the 2nd set shows no bounds with delightful takes ("Bertha>Good Lovin'," "One More Saturday Night") and introspection ("Candyman," "Playing In The Band"). Then - great fifes and drums - it's 15 minutes of "Rhythm Devils," with band and crew gathered round to amplify the merriment before delivering a rare incantation of "Not Fade Away>Morning Dew" that sets the soul alight. Pure jollification!

    The town crier's addendum:

    Three bags full! Lest you feel 4/15/78 beginneth and endeth too quickly, we've selected highlights from Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, 4/18/78 to satisfy your fancy.

    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 37: WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA 4/15/78 was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman. It is guaranteed to sell out - often within hours.

    *2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    squabble BK and KG

    weeelllll...

    I skimmed Bill's book a while back, and he hints at..."paying attention to"...Donna. At least that's what I deduced.

    That might have something to do with it.

    Wow. 43 years later, we are discussing some behind the scenes drama.

  • billy the kid
    Joined:
    Anniversary show 3/9/85. Berkeley Commmunity Theatre

    36 years ago today I was at the Berkeley Community Theatre to see the Dead. They opened the 2nd set with China Cat and played it into Cumberland Blues. Merle Saunders sat in durring the 2nd set, fun times.

  • Crow Told Me
    Joined:
    Give the Drummers Some

    I don't have BK's book but in Long Strange Trip McNally mentions that Bill and Keith got into a "squabble" that so upset Bill that he flew home. Upon further review, the fracas took place after a show on Bill's birthday (May 7), and was bad enough that it resulted in the cancellation of the final show of that tour.

    Does Bill's book say what the fight was about? McNally doesn't, just talks about how that tour was kind of a bummer, lots of seemingly unrelated things going wrong.

    I would be surprised if Keith was complaining about Bill's playing, given how incredibly well BK played the entire time Mickey was out of the picture. I would go so far as to say that, for me, being able to better hear and appreciate BK is one of the reasons '72-'74 shows are such a high point in the band's history.

    Now, Mickey, on the other hand ... he does two things I sometimes find really distracting. One is that his fills are often not in time. Mickey would probably say, "Oh, it's in time, but I'm playing in 13/8 while the band is in 4/4" or something. Which is fine, if it works. But not if it's making listeners wonder if their CD is skipping, as is sometimes the case here.

    The other thing is That Damn Cowbell. There's a reason "more cowbell" is a punchline. NOBODY wants more cowbell. Except MH.

    Anyway ... DaP 37 is growing on me, even though the drummers are sometimes not together. They actually get some really interesting stuff going during the PITB jam, which leads directly into the unique Rhythm Devils etc.

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    before they're all gone

    scattered like lost words for some

  • Thin
    Joined:
    That Grateful Dead item is going fast!

    Hey y'all - Just a reminder that this GD item is selling fast! Place that order for DaP 37 before they're all gone!!! ....Wait, what? Oh, nevermind....

  • daverock
    Joined:
    White Riot

    The Clash were on television last Saturday as part of an excellent film called "White Riot." Its basically a documentary about the Rock Against Racism movement of the late 1970s - inspired by the ghastly presence and growing popularity of The National Front.

    I always find it interesting to see documentaries of eras I was more or less present in. British culture looks very confrontational in the film, and the music reflects that.

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    Damnit! Now I need to check out some Clash again....

    ....Sandanista baby!

  • wilfredtjones
    Joined:
    rhythm

    If I am remembering right (justifiably questionable) it was a month later Billy and Keith had a big blow up over this precise issue that causes them to cancel the tour-ender in Chicago which had been slated for 5-18 according to Bill K's book.

  • sjemison
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    proudfoot

    I'm a musician myself and they definitiely weren't trying to reinvent a drum beat to BEW. It was almost certainly a new buzz for the band that caused these rhythm train wrecks in '78. That said, this year is full of amazing music and I perfer the bounciness of '78 to '77 when they're ON.

  • LedDed
    Joined:
    Six strings and the truth...

    I really enjoyed that link to Jerry's guitars. I had not seen it before and I have done some looking. Thank you for sharing.

    Of course, the sound is really in the hands of the player... I firmly believe that God resides in Jeff Beck's hands, and at times, David Gilmour.

    Jerry was also touched.

    I have been admiring for some time now the PRS that John Mayer plays with Dead & Co. John really does have a stunning tone with D&C, which of course, starts in his head through his hands. It rings clear as a bell, which was Garcia's forte, especially at his peak. John dials in a little dirt now and again however, like on the intro to "Cold Rain and Snow."

    This is really a beautiful guitar, very much of the modern era but with classic tone:

    https://www.prsguitars.com/index.php/electrics/model/private_stock_supe…

    Man... if my ship comes in I'm signing on for one of those.

    Be well everyone.

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

6 years 8 months

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! Gentle mistresses and most distinguished gentlemen, we have come upon the release of the DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 37, from the Fifteenth of April in the year Nineteen Seventy-Eight, at ye olde College Of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Cast your waistcoats and your bonnets aside, the Grateful Dead are on steady gallop from the opening high-kick of "Mississippi Half-Step" into a where are we going? where have we been? "Passenger," followed by full-on versions of "Friend Of The Devil," "El Paso," "Brown-Eyed Women," and a double-barreled "Let It Grow>Deal." Catch your breath and straighten out your tricorne because the 2nd set shows no bounds with delightful takes ("Bertha>Good Lovin'," "One More Saturday Night") and introspection ("Candyman," "Playing In The Band"). Then - great fifes and drums - it's 15 minutes of "Rhythm Devils," with band and crew gathered round to amplify the merriment before delivering a rare incantation of "Not Fade Away>Morning Dew" that sets the soul alight. Pure jollification!

The town crier's addendum:

Three bags full! Lest you feel 4/15/78 beginneth and endeth too quickly, we've selected highlights from Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, 4/18/78 to satisfy your fancy.

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 37: WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA 4/15/78 was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman. It is guaranteed to sell out - often within hours.

*2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

user picture

Member for

10 years 3 months
Permalink

Lowest # I've ever had.

Couple spoilers ahead if you haven't received yours yet.

Just queued up the show. I think Bertha / Uncle is my favorite Jerry / Bobby 1-2 opening duo. "Smoking" I think Carlo said about disc one. Yeah, I hear it so far. Jerry is really tearing it up on Me & My Uncle. Even Sugaree is a bit harder than usual. Works for me.

I hear you AJS on the Bertha sound issues. They should have pre-opened every show with LLR to straighten out the audio.

I'm hearing Bobby much louder than usual. As loud as Jerry at least. Keith is nowhere to be found, but I'm strangely okay with it for the moment, I think because Bobby is playing that Gibson so well and it sounds so good.

Yeah, another cookin' solo in Tennessee Jed. Good stuff. Oh dear, LLR came on and I'm enjoying it. Lol, guys, honestly I probably should have sobered up to report the real story here. Well I mean - it's not the alcohol so much as I probably shouldn't have drunk all of that cough syrup this morning.....stay gold Pony Boy.

user picture

Member for

10 years 3 months
Permalink

Been awhile, glad to see you weighing in. I don't know if it's that I usually listen on headphones or what, but I found the three PNW '73 shows very uneven from an audio standpoint. I figure it has to be the headphones because everyone else loves them. By "uneven" I hear the symbols coming in piercingly loud on half the tracks maybe. Also some tape hiss creeps in and out and there. My recollection is the Bird Song show is the least affected of the three. And the Dark Star / Eyes of the World from show #2 is right on the money. But overall I'm constantly dicking around with the EQ trying to get the sound right on PNW "73

Now the '74 shows are a completely different story; the audio on these is about as good as I've heard any '74 show sound. They've just about eliminated the tinniness that those Wall of Sound phase cancelling microphones used to cause. Not sure how they did it but they did. Or maybe I just wore out the mid-range in my ears. That could definitely be it. But yeah, those '74 shows are ultra smooth. I should revisit those '73 shows again. I recently listened to the Dark Star => Eyes of the World after Daverock mentioned how well Bobby was playing on that Dark Star; but otherwise it's been awhile. Now I feel like I should do an immediate comparison. I may have undiagnosed ADD.

user picture

Member for

7 years 6 months
Permalink

Your right about the loud vocals bob and jerry sing. It was the first thing I noticed as the first set played through. The high vocals make this Dap a lot of fun.

user picture

Member for

11 years 4 months
Permalink

Yeah, when I was listening to China rider, I noticed the audio seemed a bit edgy. Maybe with headphones I'll be able to isolate what I was hearing, but I went back and toggled it with one of the 1973 NW box china rider and the sound is very different. As if somebody's signal is a little too high in the mix and getting slightly distorted maybe? Or maybe the master recording's levels were a little too high making the mix sound a bit saturated? Not sure.

Not a complaint, just an observation. Great show. Listened to most of the release last night, and it's glorious.

user picture

Member for

10 years

In reply to by Thin

Permalink

...I've noticed this same thing on the sound Thin. You've described it pretty well. And, I don't hear a whole ton of Phil either, which usually helps to solidify and round out the overall sound with some deeper depth. Not so much here. I assume it's because of the limitations of a two-track to some extent.

I will say though, the 'Let Me Sing Your Blues Away' caught me surely off guard, where I had to stop and do a double take before a huge grin took over my stolen face. It's a pretty jaunty tune, a shame it was shelved so soon.

Hope Others' are receiving theirs and enjoying the ride - off to get #2 JAB shortly, here's to hoping for no adverse events!

Sixtus

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

3 years 6 months
Permalink

I have been seeing that a bunch of people have had their 38s for a few days now. I’m sitting here in Colorado still waiting on a shipping notice. Should I be worried??

user picture

Member for

4 years 7 months

In reply to by MDA

Permalink

MDA - I also live in Colorado and have yet to receive a shipping confirmation email...we must be the last batch of subscriptions to ship. Hopefully we hear something soon.

user picture

Member for

4 years 3 months

In reply to by MDA

Permalink

What, me worry?

With all the versions of "The Shipping Blues" in the past, one might.

Give it until at least next Friday before any panicking.

No, I am still not a robot.

user picture

Member for

10 years 2 months
Permalink

No worries Jimbobwe and Proudfoot. Keep the faith. I was thinking the same then got my shipping notice here in Colorado this week showing Monday 5-3 for delivery. You never know. My July '78 box is #36/15,000.
Cheers!

I wouldn't worry about a shipping notice. For #36 I never received one but it came the usual 4 days after date like all the others. Come to think of it a notice has been an iffy thing. More than a couple of times I didn't get one yet it came nonetheless.

user picture

Member for

9 years 3 months

In reply to by daverock

Permalink

I watched a documentary a few days back. I am sure you all have seen on the History Channel the various docs. I cant remember what the title was, and like I have written, memory aint what it used to be. It was on the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. I had posted a few years back that on the day off during the NYE1987 run, my friends and I walked to the mid-point of the Golden Gate Bridge and back, somewhere around 10 pm. It was super cold and a strong western wind. In the documentary, it talked about them at one point putting up a net to protect the bridge builders. I also remember a couple of years back that they had a drive to collect money to put another permanent net type device to prevent jumpers. Any way, long story short, I never put it together that the live album, Without a Net, was not just shot in the dark title (about the circus coming to town and the razor's edge of improvisation without a net) but also some San Fran history to boot. Those guys were on top of so much Americana that it is mind blowing.

If I had missed the page for the sale of #38. Now I know this is maybe a new rule for sales. Ship subscribers and dont open for sale until the day of release. Not sure if that is true or is it the or some special artwork??? Cant wait to see. I hope it is the poster for these shows, which I have. Will write more later, not wanting to spoil the trip...

Edit: well just checked my farseer email and see the artwork. Not the poster. Email sent 10 minutes ago...

Edit 2: OOOps wrong show poster is for March shows, see old brainism

product sku
081227891695
Product Magento URL
https://store.dead.net/music/dave-s-picks/dave-s-picks-vol-37.html