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    Srinivasan.Mut…
    Joined:

    What's Inside:
    7 Previously Unreleased Complete Shows On 20 Discs
    Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/09/71
    Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/10/71
    Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/17/72
    Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/18/72
    Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/19/72
    Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO 10/29/73
    Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO 10/30/73
    Sourced from tapes recorded by Rex Jackson, Owsley "Bear" Stanley, and Kidd Candelario
    Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
    Restoration and Speed Correction by Plangent Processes
     
    Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 13,000

    Steamboats and BBQ, ice cream cones and Mardi Gras - are you ready to laissez les bons temps rouler with the "gateway" to the Grateful Dead? Meet us, won't you, in St. Louis for seven complete and previously unreleased Dead concerts that capture the heart of the band's affinity for the River City.
     
    LISTEN TO THE RIVER: ST. LOUIS ’71 ’72 ’73 is a 20CD set featuring five shows from the Fox Theatre - December 9 and 10, 1971; October 17-19, 1972; and two from the Kiel Auditorium - October 29 and 30, 1973. 
     
    The seven shows in the collection span slightly less than two years, but they represent some of the best shows the Grateful Dead played during some of its peak tours. The music tells the story of a band evolving, changing from one sound to another seamlessly, precipitated – in large part – by significant personnel changes in the Dead’s lineup.
     
    The two 1971 shows feature the original Grateful Dead lineup plus newcomer Keith Godchaux on piano. This version of the band would hold together for the next six months as the Dead embarked upon its Europe ’72 tour. By the time the Dead returned to the Fox Theatre less than a year later, they were without Pigpen, who’d played his final show with the Dead at the Hollywood Bowl on June 17, 1972. A year after the exceptional Fox 1972 shows, the Dead came back to St. Louis, but played the much larger Kiel Auditorium, touring behind the release of WAKE OF THE FLOOD, which came out just two weeks before.
     
    All told, the band played 60 different songs during these shows highlighted by blazing romps through “Beat It On Down The Line” and “One More Saturday Night” and wistful takes on “Row Jimmy” and “Brokedown Palace” (whose lyrics give the collection its name). Meanwhile, the copious jamming ebbed and flowed like the mighty Mississippi River on multiple voyages through “The Other One” and “Dark Star.” Naturally, the band paid tribute to one of its favorite rock and rollers and one of St. Louis’ biggest stars by playing Chuck Berry songs at every show in the collection, including Pigpen galloping through “Run Rudolph Run.”  
     
    Each show has been restored and speed corrected using Plangent Processes with mastering by Jeffrey Norman. The collection comes in a slipcase with artwork by Liane Plant and features an 84-page hardbound book as well as other Dead surprises. To set the stage for the music, the liner notes provide several essays about the shows, including one by Sam Cutler, the band’s tour manager during that era, and another by Grateful Dead scholar Nicholas G. Meriwether, among others. 
     
    Due October 1st, LISTEN TO THE RIVER: ST. LOUIS ’71 ’72 ’73, is limited to 13,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively from Dead.net.

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  • #31
    daverock
    Joined:
    More art

    One of the most stunning experiences I had going to an art gallery was when I went to see "Sunflowers" by Van Gogh a few years ago. I eventually found the room it was in, and noticed a huddle of people in front of a painting on the far side of the room. One of them moved..and there it was. It had a spotlight on it so that the yellow of the flowers shone out into the room. Amazing...but as I got closer, I realised that it didn't have a light on it at all - the light was actually coming out from within the painting. Truly extraordinary.
    It's also quite an experience going to see his work in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I just wandered in there by chance about 30 years ago. Wow.

  • #32
    Oroborous
    Joined:
    Conekid in the know

    per usual!
    Thanks, lol, never knew that request page existed. Goes to show, just gotta poke around!
    Those will get utilized more now for sure…Smithers, release the hounds!

    Yeah that RFK was probably too many units for what it was? Good example of doing say one of these a year at lower unit count along with a more traditional box release at perhaps less units?
    But I liked RFK, (hell I think they’ve done a great job with most) because that stretch from summer through the next summer is prime time for moi, and it sounds great, but they certainly weren’t the best available, once again the ole he went to a great city and street, but picked the wrong house? ? Wasn’t it relatively pricey too?
    But as we’ve all been saying, there’s a whole lot of causal heads out there who might not buy anything UNLESS it was something they were at. Perhaps explains the Giants phenomenon some what?
    That was sorta my M.O. back around turn of the century: “I have more than I need so I’m only going to get shows I was at. That worked out sorta ok at first by sheer dumb luck, but I eventually realized
    A) I’m not going to get many of those any time soon, if at all, and
    B) I’m missing out on some killer shit!
    The E72 Dark Stars are what really brought me back. Didn’t get the trunk but picked up several of the Dark Star shows Ala cart.
    So started dabbling again, but mostly just wanted the music and not more stuff. Luckily or not, my cousin used to get a lot of the releases free through their business connections with GDP etc, but when that all changed with Rhino etc, they lost those relationships. So I was able for a while to get copies of stuff he had that I wanted.
    But then I started getting back into it, hanging with you junkies etc lol, and next thing you know I’m a “collector”, just the thing I was trying to avoid lol.
    So of course the down side of only getting copies is all the great collection stuff I missed out on!
    The biggest regrets were the FW box and Winterland 73. The FW I just wasn’t very in dead land at the time and because of the repetitive set lists figured “oh hell, I have live dead already” idiot!
    Luckily I have the mini version and you know who here tightened me up with copies of the box, so at least I have the music!
    The Winterland 73, being fall 73, which even then was one of the tours I had huge interest in, I contemplated getting it, and man, wasn’t it really cheap considering, but I cheap skated out and have been regretting it ever since!
    Some of the others I regret only as a “collector” now, though I should have grabbed that summer 78, wasn’t that another bargain box?

    So yeah Daverock, the scene was relatively small until later. When I started going in late seventies there were tour heads, but not anything like what would come. I think the whole multi show run factor contributed to this. It was now much easier to just plan on a three show run or two, especially day on weekends, then to catch 5 or 6 shows, one stop at a time up and down I 90 etc.
    Now I know old timers talk of how it changed throughout the seventies, especially that huge influx of kids like me in the mid and late seventies, but I don’t think it was near as dramatic as what we saw from late seventies up too 87 when it exploded, perhaps leveled off a bit, but continued at a steady pace that unfortunately just got too big to support it properly. Fame, the kiss of death…

    ART: not a active art participant, but sometimes you get shown the light!
    We had a great Albright Knox gallery back in the tundra, and on family vaca to Europe in late seventies, went to tge Louvre etc. Don’t recall a lot of specifics, Mono Lisa etc? But it definitely impacted my thick adolescent Beavis and Butthead dumb American skull. That whole trip would of been much more awesome if I’d only been older.
    That Hopper work is cool. I’ve seen that corner diner one but wouldn’t say I was familiar. Will have to burn a fat one and check him out. Yasss great light etc. And yes, I can only imagine how much more sharp and vivid his work would be live!
    Good sheet Mon,
    Party on Wayne!

  • #33
    That Mike
    Joined:
    E-mail Survey

    DaveRock - Awesome idea with the email to all the folks on the mailing list. Something that perhaps itemizes what is in the vaults (no use clamouring for reels that don’t exist), and survey to see what is in high demand. I know on the Neil Young site, as an example, he has a “Letters” column where he states he answers ALL the letters himself (I’ve sent a few, and always get a reply), and the bulk of requests are folks asking him to release this show, or this tour, etc, and he tells you if the request is even doable. I don’t expect the Core Four to answer Dead Head mail, but a quick email survey is interesting. Maybe it is as easy as Ice Cream Kid says, and we just hit up the request thread, but it doesn’t tell us what tapes are in the vault, and what condition, etc.

    PS - Dave, you are right about seeing the art “in person”, but of course, work of say a DaVinci is so limited, so rare, and will not ever tour, that it would be so hard to see in person, save visiting Paris or Venice. But, should a major show make the rounds, like Picasso, or Diego Rivera/Frida Khalo, I’ve made a point to see it, and you are right - seeing a picture of these works does not do them justice! There is something about seeing The One And Only of something, knowing the artist worked on this piece. I’ll paraphrase Mr Ones al a “Music is the best”: “Art - and sports - are a close second!”

  • #34
    daverock
    Joined:
    A new approach

    Crmcnkd - I hadn't noticed that section asking us to make recommendations, so thanks for pointing that out. Maybe, though, the only people likely to fill that out are the people who come on here-all the old faces-and we know what they (we, me) will say in advance. I like the idea of reaching people who may not come on here - maybe an email like we get telling us what is coming out- but asking us what we would like to see coming out instead. The key is, it has to be "them" wanting a survey - as much, if not more, than "us" wanting to fill one in.

    Oro - thinking of casual fans of different eras, it reminds me of the fact that Deadheads didn't actually exist in the 1960s. I can't imagine early fans travelling around the country to see them. I guess it started with the invite to "Deadfreaks" on "Skull and Roses", but I would think it took several years before the travelling circus developed.

    It's interesting watching a documentary on late 60's San Francisco bands called "Go Ride The Music-West Pole". The main bands on this are Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service - but at one point an interviewer asks people queuing up outside a concert hall, who their favourite bands are. I was expecting them to say "The Dead" automatically-but they don't. They are mentioned but they were clearly perceived at that time as just being another band, along with the two mentioned, Steve Miller, Janis etc.

    Mike - one of the great things about going to art galleries is how much more alive the originals are compared to the prints and posters you can see anywhere. I would say that going to an art gallery to look at paintings is a bit like going out to hear live music. If you go to any gallery, look at the originals, and then go in the gift shop and look at a book reproducing the originals you have just seen, the difference between the two is shocking.

  • #35
    icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    Rehashing past speculation

    Don’t forget that several people, including myself, have previously told stories about talking to other deadheads who are completely clueless or disinterested in the official releases.

    The RFK Box is 15,000 copies and not sold out, although the banner says “less than 750 left”.
    My Boxes are packed away so I can’t check what the production numbers are, but 15,000 seems to be the limit except for a few releases that need an AME.
    I think that the last few Boxes were in the 10,000-12,000 range.

    Dave’s Picks can sell 25,000 due to people buying more than one subscription and resellers.
    And if you subscribe early bird you get 13 or 14 CD’s for $100, which is a pretty good deal.

    For those wanting to take a survey, there is a page on this site called ‘Requests - Box Sets’.
    I posted on it this morning, so use the ‘recent posts’ button to get to it, or use the search box.

  • #36
    That Mike
    Joined:
    Boxes & Paintings

    I am enjoying the discussion, because I’m hoping the marketing folks, or even the interns working at Rhino, see that this is a very passionate group of dedicated fans. Oro, I really think you have made some great points, and it is hard to please everyone (personally I have never been a hardcore 60s Dead fan, because that was before they came along with jewels like Wake of The Flood, Mars Hotel, etc, and all the outstanding concert material those albums brought forth), but so much work goes into the sourcing and mixing of the music in these boxes, and the art work, and the history to the scene happening at the time, that most, if not all, are home runs.
    Oro, you definitely hit the mark on many points, as did others, but collectively, as a group of fans, our mantra is “Keep ‘Em Coming!”

    DR - I love a wide range of art, and even doodle a bit myself, but Hopper is definitely an artist I have held in the highest esteem, for his amazing use of light and open space to paradoxically create figures of loneliness and solitude. If I can ever get my butt to NYC, the Whitney Museum of American Art is where I plan to sleep; the guy was an American master, and really nice to hear you too see his immense talent.

    Last listen - McLaughlin/Corea - Five Peace Band Live
    On Deck - Ry Cooder - The UFO Has Landed

  • #37
    1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Great Discussion

    I think I fall into the category y'all are citing here. Not quite into it as much as the die-hards but wanting it all anyway. The LTTR box was more money than I was willing to put out at the time so I chose the LIA vinyl instead. A trade off decided by my having already pre-ordered Dave's #1 vinyl and simply wanting to get more vinyl. Interestingly, all the fantastic comments have me alternately regretting my choice and being satisfied with a taste of '72. DR said recently the chunk I have on Light Into Ashes is the crux of the biscuit of the box so today I feel satisfied. My collecting took a hiatus around the time the big Europe '72 trunk came out but kindly folks here are helping me fill that void. Thanks to all for keeping the fire alive. It's so nice to have reliable information from everyone here in our disinformation shrouded world.
    Cheers all!

  • #38
    Oroborous
    Joined:
    Great comments

    Mike, the 60s vibe, that’s a good example of what I’m saying. To “US”, the hardcore lunatics at deadnet, there appears to be an overwhelming unified consensus demanding a 60s box, but perhaps if you did a survey like DR suggests, our sample might be quite small comparatively? Just talking out me arse, but worth a thought?
    You’d think they’d be doing marketing , but maybe not? Maybe they have been so fortunate to have enough of a loyal, reliable, bankable demand that they could just go with whatever they felt was good?

    Personally, I think it’s good when things don’t sell out immediately. Gives some folks like P.T. etc a chance to decide or what not if they want to buy it. Or maybe you didn’t hear about it right a way, and as the bastard Murphy would have it, your busted after getting yet another of your kids braces, while the other kid smashed the car, and your washing machine broke. Like “Whaaaa???, you want $300 tomorrow morning, Dooaahh”
    But these are singular micro type scenarios and we’re talking macro level.
    Maybe DR is right and the nostalgia factor is bigger then I think, in that logistically, because of age, there are more casual fans from the later years than the early ones. Hell statistically, comparatively there weren’t that many causal fans in the early years. Let’s face it, for good or for ill, as time advanced there were way more causal “lets just go party and check it out folks” going to shows.
    So maybe that’s part of it, when/if something that this larger population feels more akin to comes round, their more likely to buy it, then yet another older moldy from a time they don’t know or care about because they’ve never been in that deep?
    I guess it’s probably a perfect storm of all the things we’ve been discussing? All these factors add up and the amount of units we’re talking about isn’t really that large, so…
    But!….that’s all the more reason to deliver more, but smaller batches of certain eras!

    Though I understand why a Giants type box would sell so fast, I still, do not understand fully how this box, by now, has not? Shifting market demographics and saturation is my guess though?
    Just goes to show…

  • #39
    daverock
    Joined:
    Tip of the hat

    ThatMike - my eyes lit up when you mentioned Edward Hopper. I really like his work too. About 20 years ago there was great exhibition on in London, and it was a real treat to be able to go from room to room and get drawn into his world. You can see his influence sometimes in films -"Deep Red" by Dario Argento features a scene that is clearly modelled on "The Nighthawks". And although I can't think of specific examples at the moment, Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch feature scenes in some of their films that look to me to have been influenced by Hopper's way of seeing things.

  • #40
    PT Barnum
    Joined:
    format? sound quality? putting great shows with good shows?

    IMO there seems to be lots of reasons why this has not sold out. I did not buy it and I buy them all. After the so so patch jobs on the PNW box which I did not care for, I passed on this box. These are all good shows, with great shows mixed in. Call me a snob but I want all great shows with no cuts or patches. If that's not possible then I will just keep what I got from the archive or from etree, why spend that kind of scratch for shows I already have that only sound a bit better?
    The format could be the reason, some only want from the era they were a part of, mostly 80's from what I gather here. I like the progression of the band from psychedelic juggernaut to what they became, but not everyone's cup of tea.
    Perhaps it's the ploy of putting out most requested shows with shows that are not up to the great show that they are centered around? The original great box was a tough act to follow, seeings how the E72 tour was their best tour and it was the first one released with a massive 73 discs. With that great price. How to follow that? It's been what tptb have been asking themselves since.
    The spring 90 boxes are a good example of that also, a great tour with consistently great shows released at a great price, which sold out quickly.
    But what do I know? just the ramblings of an old deadhead on the first day of Spring.

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Submitted by Srinivasan.Mut… on
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Dead Store Products

What's Inside:
7 Previously Unreleased Complete Shows On 20 Discs
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/09/71
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/10/71
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/17/72
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/18/72
Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 10/19/72
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO 10/29/73
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO 10/30/73
Sourced from tapes recorded by Rex Jackson, Owsley "Bear" Stanley, and Kidd Candelario
Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
Restoration and Speed Correction by Plangent Processes
 
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 13,000

Steamboats and BBQ, ice cream cones and Mardi Gras - are you ready to laissez les bons temps rouler with the "gateway" to the Grateful Dead? Meet us, won't you, in St. Louis for seven complete and previously unreleased Dead concerts that capture the heart of the band's affinity for the River City.
 
LISTEN TO THE RIVER: ST. LOUIS ’71 ’72 ’73 is a 20CD set featuring five shows from the Fox Theatre - December 9 and 10, 1971; October 17-19, 1972; and two from the Kiel Auditorium - October 29 and 30, 1973. 
 
The seven shows in the collection span slightly less than two years, but they represent some of the best shows the Grateful Dead played during some of its peak tours. The music tells the story of a band evolving, changing from one sound to another seamlessly, precipitated – in large part – by significant personnel changes in the Dead’s lineup.
 
The two 1971 shows feature the original Grateful Dead lineup plus newcomer Keith Godchaux on piano. This version of the band would hold together for the next six months as the Dead embarked upon its Europe ’72 tour. By the time the Dead returned to the Fox Theatre less than a year later, they were without Pigpen, who’d played his final show with the Dead at the Hollywood Bowl on June 17, 1972. A year after the exceptional Fox 1972 shows, the Dead came back to St. Louis, but played the much larger Kiel Auditorium, touring behind the release of WAKE OF THE FLOOD, which came out just two weeks before.
 
All told, the band played 60 different songs during these shows highlighted by blazing romps through “Beat It On Down The Line” and “One More Saturday Night” and wistful takes on “Row Jimmy” and “Brokedown Palace” (whose lyrics give the collection its name). Meanwhile, the copious jamming ebbed and flowed like the mighty Mississippi River on multiple voyages through “The Other One” and “Dark Star.” Naturally, the band paid tribute to one of its favorite rock and rollers and one of St. Louis’ biggest stars by playing Chuck Berry songs at every show in the collection, including Pigpen galloping through “Run Rudolph Run.”  
 
Each show has been restored and speed corrected using Plangent Processes with mastering by Jeffrey Norman. The collection comes in a slipcase with artwork by Liane Plant and features an 84-page hardbound book as well as other Dead surprises. To set the stage for the music, the liner notes provide several essays about the shows, including one by Sam Cutler, the band’s tour manager during that era, and another by Grateful Dead scholar Nicholas G. Meriwether, among others. 
 
Due October 1st, LISTEN TO THE RIVER: ST. LOUIS ’71 ’72 ’73, is limited to 13,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively from Dead.net.

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Submitted by JimInMD on Mon, 11/22/2021 - 20:46

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I wonder if they are happy drunks or ahole drunks? Is Big Bird a drunk Sasquatch in disguise? I mean.. he's an 8'2" tall talking, clumsy, flightless bird who would never pass a field sobriety test. Just asking.

Are Sasquatch adept at stealing catalytic converters?

Back to your regularly scheduled The Other One > Morning Dew.

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6 years 11 months

Submitted by SkullTrip on Mon, 11/22/2021 - 22:04

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The angry drunken ones are called Assquatch:

Ass.quatch
/ˌassˈkwaCH,ˈasskwäːCH/
Noun
1. a drunken, belligerent Bigfoot.
2. anyone with an abrasive, off-putting personality.
"That guy is a raging Assquatch!"

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Submitted by JimInMD on Tue, 11/23/2021 - 07:16

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We are both Rhode Scholars.. but many thanks for the compliment.

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10 years 3 months

Submitted by 1stshow70878 on Tue, 11/23/2021 - 08:34

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I was going to post the exact same idea about Dr. Gates. Less the Jerry part but still, great minds think alike. Or we are joined like all Deadheads through the cosmic connection of the dosed mind. Either way I'm good with that.

Had this thought, almost dream, while going to sleep last night. It's this coming July at Red Rocks and I'm strolling in and go down to the first row and beg everyone's attention with, "Hello all you Dead net posters! Is Hendrixfreak here? Oroborous? How about you Vguy? Shout out your usernames and raise your hand!". And then practically the whole place raises their hands and responds and we all give a good hoot and applause.
I guess it just helps to feel a part of something positive these days.
Thanks, and prost!

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Submitted by 1stshow70878 on Tue, 11/23/2021 - 18:27

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Dap40 is gone but at least they fixed the black friday sale. Trade 'ya back?

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11 years 10 months

Submitted by nappyrags on Wed, 11/24/2021 - 06:24

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I had posted on #40 about the Target website sale...go to the page and enter Grateful Dead and you'll see some Dick's Picks, Road trips & Vinyl pop up (all Real Gone Label)...best part is buy two get one free sale going on...

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Submitted by hendrixfreak on Wed, 11/24/2021 - 06:45

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Nah, it's always about the money. They cleaned up the site, getting rid of anything that's not for sale. Because, you know, "Black Friday," etc.

Happy Holiday$

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14 years 10 months

Submitted by Deadheadbrewer on Wed, 11/24/2021 - 07:13

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But wanted to show you all the red-coded terminal of my car battery. With all the bad things on social media these days, I thought it would be nice to see a positive post for once.

Have a Grateful Thanksgiving, all!

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Submitted by hendrixfreak on Thu, 11/25/2021 - 07:14

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The pair of '71 shows was delicious. Tons of songs, and a real nice two-night evolution to the sets. Just listened to the first of three '72 nights and, again, the band manages to make old favorites sound new as they take different angles on the jams and the feel of jammy tunes.

Waiting in the wings: Neil Young/Carnegie Hall, Coltrane/Seattle, Los Lobos/Gates of Gold, Pharoah Sanders/Live, Gov't Mule/Heavy Load, Dylan/1970, and more.

Happy Indigenous People Sorrow Day to all.....

There is a digi click between China and Rider.
I just confirmed on my copy.
On the STL Box download page KF says that it’s on 10-19 too.

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Submitted by 1stshow70878 on Thu, 11/25/2021 - 10:57

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There's more music on that Target sale than d-net's black friday sale. The buy 2 get one free will help but some items were considerably higher priced than RGM's recent sale prices where you didn't have to buy 3.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Sat, 11/27/2021 - 02:32

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Fifty years ago today…………

It was a day between, a travel day, now, fifty years later, giving us time to ponder the deeper mysteries of music, because there is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres…..

I have been asked by a fellow traveler in 1971 Grateful Deadness to post a comparative analysis of two December 1971 Dead shows. I won’t tell you where his own tastes lead…….

Monet or Renoir? Joyce or Dostoevsky? Ellington or Mingus? Whitman or Frost? Wells or Bradbury? Rubies or emeralds?

Second Felt Forum or Second Fox Theater????

Every precious gem radiates and luxuriates in its own unique brilliance. One mustn’t necessarily outshine the other. Must we be forced to choose that single one that touches our hearts, and ears, most deeply?

The "1971 challenge" is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be. I generated a single page/single post rough draft early, and while it's nice, I'm not totally satisfied with it. After all, 12/5 vs 12/10 is serious 1971 Grateful Deadness. LOL it's like Ali vs. Frazier, Cowboys vs. Steelers, chocolate chip cookie dough vs. pistachio.

The analysis itself isn't that hard, as long as you try to apply uniform criteria to both shows. And in attempting to be "objective" (always an issue while trying to analyze/criticize any art form), one has to try to put aside personal, subjective feelings and opinions. Which in this case, is truly difficult. I'm very familiar with both shows, but 12/5 has been a favorite of mine for a long long time.

When comparing different years, one comparative factor is "style". Here, that's not an issue since the shows are only 5 days apart. Which is actually good, because that factor is quickly eliminated and therefore one can concentrate exclusively on "content". Which means things like lengths of first and second sets, characteristics of the big jams, encores, etc. Naturally, the two shows have a lot in common, but there also have some very important differences as well.

For any and all who wish to weigh in, vote early, and often!!

Tomorrow: Felt Forum---how much does weirdness count?

Rock on!!!

Doc
What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit…..

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Submitted by Deadicated on Sat, 11/27/2021 - 15:17

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Billie, Peggy Lee, Bird, Jimmy Forrest , Ya Ya's, Roy Buchanon "Livestock" or the expanded version w/ HF liners.
Weird's gotta count for something!

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Sun, 11/28/2021 - 02:18

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Felt Forum December 5 1971

Set 1: 15 songs. Opener: Bertha. Closer: One More Saturday Night. 7 Garcia, 5 Weir, 3 Pigpen.

Substantial, top notch first set. Perhaps the greatest one-off ever, revealing Garcia’s old soul. Muddy Water sounds so well rehearsed, as if it had been in the repertoire forever. Garcia’s picking is so so sweet. Solid Weir and Pigpen material. Excellent first set.

Set 2: 15 songs, plus one ‘loose jam”. Opener: Truckin’. Closer: NFA reprise. 5 Weir, 7 Garcia, 1 Pigpen, 2 “group” (NFA, NFA reprise). Encore: Johnny B Goode. Big jam: Dark Star.

A Truckin’ for the ages. A nonverbal—but certainly not silent---version of their signature psychedelic opus. Fine jamming in the NFA suite. Really fine second set.

We should revel in the gooey exotic weirdness of the Felt Forum show. Twists and turns, peaks and valleys, Pigpen and Bakersfield, rock and roll, Grateful Dead. In December 1971, did it get any better than this???

Overall rating: classic of the first rank.

Tomorrow: Second St Louis, Rodney Dangerfield’s favorite December 1971 show…..

Rock on!!

Doc
Embrace your weirdness!

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Mon, 11/29/2021 - 01:59

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Fox Theater December 10 1971

Set 1: 12 songs. Opener: Bertha. Closer: Casey Jones. 6 Garcia (including two back-to back), 4 Weir, 2 Pigpen.

Well played, somewhat Garcia-centric first set. No major surprises or weirdness. Appears “typical” for late 1971, which still means “excellent”. Even so, clearly, on this evening the goodies were delivered in the second set.

Set 2: 14 songs. Opener: Good Lovin’. Closer: NFA reprise. 5 Garcia, 5 Weir, 1 Pigpen, 2 “group” (NFA, NFA reprise), 1 loose jam (sometimes labelled “China Cat” jam”, which lasts perhaps one minute, does that count as a song?).

Encore: One More Saturday Night. Big jam: The Other One.

Really fine Good Lovin’ to open, here Pigpen reveals his old soul, the only time it was played this month. Excellent big jam, as the Other One bobs and weaves along, seamlessly transitioning into and out of Sitting On Top Of The World. Typical fine late 71 jamming in the NFA suite. Rockin’ Saturday Night to close the show.

Now, after all these decades, we are treated to the full sonic majesty of the second Fox Theater. Now, without doubt, it shall get its due respect………..

Overall rating: Excellent!!

Rock on!!!

Doc
To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth……

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Tue, 11/30/2021 - 01:54

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I’m not big into analyzing—or choosing--one show over another. I like what I like, but I am interested in what criteria folks use to judge what is “best”. The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.

Style? Content? Quantity over quality? What is the value, if any, of weirdness? Whose tunes are “better”? Decisions, decisions, decisions, every song is like a painting. Speaking of which, Renoir-Dostoevsky-Mingus-Frost-Bradbury-Rubies. Just for the record….

Honestly, I love BOTH shows. One is “merely excellent”, while the other is “quirkily classic”. Which one is which? The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions. By constant contemplation of excellence, we clear our selfhood of all dross and impurities. Freedom comes with the impossibility of choosing…..

This may surprise no one, but if I had to choose a “desert island show”, it would not be either of these shows, although clearly, both are exceptionally fine, and worthy!!! Music is the best means we have of digesting time…..

Tomorrow brings December, be prepared! He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter……

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk. Sorrow is knowledge, those that know the most must mourn the deepest, the tree of knowledge is not the tree of life……

Rock on!!

Doc
Truly fertile music, the only kind that will move us, that we shall truly appreciate, will be a music conducive to dream, which banishes all reason and analysis. One must not wish first to understand and then to feel. Art does not tolerate reason.

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Wed, 12/01/2021 - 01:52

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Yo! Rockers!!!

We’re in the home stretch. Cold winter beckons, warming music arrives……..

This is not the winter of our discontent. The anniversaries of eleven fine shows await. Two bona fide classics, maybe more, all worthwhile. October good, November better, December best. Be prepared!

Rock on!!

Doc
A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened…..

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Wed, 12/01/2021 - 02:00

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50 years ago today……

December 1, 1971
Boston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts

Set 1: Truckin'-Sugaree-Mr. Charlie-Beat It On Down The Line-Comes A Time-Jack Straw-The Rub-Tennessee Jed-El Paso-Big Railroad Blues-Casey Jones-One More Saturday Night

Set 2: Ramble On Rose-Me And Bobby McGee-Big Boss Man-Cryptical Envelopment>drums>The Other One>Me And My Uncle>The Other One-Not Fade Away>Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad>Not Fade Away

Deadicated to Albert, where ever he may be. Don’t go all existential on me…..

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. After an absence of eighteen shows, Pigpen returns, albeit in a slightly subdued mode. But it’s good to have some grease back………..

This was the first show with both Pigpen and Keith Godchaux. It includes the final performance of The Rub, which is actually a pretty decent, hard rocking version. The Other One reprise has some nice, energetic “interior jamming” before they return to the Other One theme and the second verse, after which they fairly abruptly stop. This is followed by extended tuning prior to the start of Not Fade Away.

Hard to assess the first set due to “suboptimal sound quality” of the first set audience recording, but it seems well played and well received. The second set is very fine, highly recommended!

Rock on!!

Doc
I have just returned from Boston. It is the only thing to do if you find yourself up there……

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Submitted by KeithFan2112 on Wed, 12/01/2021 - 12:22

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Just to clarify, what I hear is a distinct increase in volume from China Cat to Rider.

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Thu, 12/02/2021 - 01:41

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50 years ago today…..

December 2, 1971
Boston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts

Set 1: Bertha-Playing In The Band-Mr. Charlie-Sugaree-Beat It On Down The Line-Black Peter-Next Time You See Me-Jack Straw-Tennessee Jed-Mexicali Blues-Smokestack Lightning-Big Railroad Blues-Casey Jones-One More Saturday Night

Set 2: Sugar Magnolia-Deal-El Paso-Brokedown Palace-Uncle John's Band-Not Fade Away>Turn On Your Love Light>Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad>Not Fade Away-Johnny B. Goode

Deadicated to Ken Kirk and Joe Lydon, for all the shows we shared together……

Maybe not a top-tier classic, but it has its own quirky gooey goodness. One of only two 1971 shows with both Black Peter and Brokedown Palace, and the only 1971 show with both Smokestack Lightning and Turn On Your Lovelight.

Back in the very early years of my crazy tape trading daze this was one of the first “local Dead show recordings” I had, so it has a special place in my Grateful Dead heart of hearts. It never seemed like the greatest Dead show ever, yet I still treasured it then---AND now.

Definitely worth a listen…………

Rock on!!

Doc
There may be a great fire in our hearts, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke…..

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Thu, 12/02/2021 - 07:57

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Yo! Rockers!!

Speaking of messages, does anybody check PMs any more? Hint hint................

As they say at my office, "Sure is dead around here......"

Rock on rockers!

Doc, paperwork day
You die, but most of what you have accumulated will not be lost; you are leaving a message in a bottle.....

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Submitted by KeithFan2112 on Fri, 12/03/2021 - 03:20

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Yes I'm onboard with Vguy: Doc's reviews are great reading, especially if I catch them in the morning with that cup if French Roast. And it's not just the show reviews - you also get some pearls of wisdom to stimulate thy waking brain. Heh. I said "thy". Been reading a lot of Tolkien lately.

Sure get stoned at night Big Boss Man. Just tuning into 12/9 the past couple of days after reading about the predicament Doc found himself in, with the 12/9 vs 12/10 comparison request (kk

I hope it wasn't me). Comparing Dead shows on back-to-back nights is especially difficult. Assuming the audio quality is the same, it's almost down to the set list.....almost. I don't think I've heard a "bad" show from '67 to '77. The factors that influence my replay likelihood are:

Recording Quality - this affects me more than I like to admit, and sometimes my tolerance grows over time. As a headphone listener, an undercurrent of buzzing, drones, excessive tape hiss, or other anomalies will definitely impact the frequency that I play a show.

Mix - If I can't hear Jerry, I'm not going to be happy, whatever else is going on. Sometimes it happens - not much you can do except move the balance a little bit to the left. The opposite is true for me too. If Jerry is high in the mix I'm going to listen a lot more (examples of hHigh Jerry: DP 23 from '72, DaP from Nassau 9/7/73, Road Trips '74, DaP from the Orpheum '76, DaP from Swing Aud 2/26/77, and pretty much most multi-track releases, to name a few).

Performance / Energy - did they play well?/ I think pretty much every night before 1978 was at least an A- on the grading scale right? But most nights I think they had some extra rocket sauce and played extremely well - an A night. And then there were some nights where they had "the stuff". You know "the stuff". FW 2/2/69, 5/2/70, 4/29/71, 5/3/72, 11/11/73, 2/24/74, eckcetra, eckcetra). Sometimes there's this vibe that even the tapes catch. 12/10/71 feels like lightning in a bottle to me.

Setlist - it somehow factors in sometimes, I suppose. If the tape quality and performance are top notch though, the setlist almost doesn't matter. What's that? Yes you in the back. What if it's Dark Star night? Well perhaps, yes, that can be special - but a Dark Star does not an A+ concert make.

Thanks for all of the great insight Doc. It's only rock 'n roll but I like it.

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Submitted by daverock on Fri, 12/03/2021 - 03:57

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It isnt all plain sailing for me between 1969 and 1972. Not by any means. How could it be-given the nature og what they did? For me, the first half of 1969 is stellar - a real peak in terms of material and performance. But things ran less smoothly from about June onwards when the "Working Mans" and country songs started getting introduced. To me, these early versions sound a bit awkward, and the energy of the first half of the year gets dissipated a bit. Plus, the "Lovelight's " get tediously extended. Typically, these are the only shows from 1969 represented in Dave's Picks.

In 1970, its more of the same-interstellar jams, awkward short songs and interminable "Lovelight's". I should say though that I do like the acoustic sets from this period.

1971 seems to be a complete reverse - they are now spot on with the country style-but what's happened to the jams? Look no further of course - in October, with Keith onboard they return, and the Dead became lords of all they survey. Every type of song they play they take ownership of. And the "Lovelight's" get shorter.

That's a ridiculosly truncated summary of course-just a general impression I have this morning in repsonse to Keithfans post. I wouldn't descibe The Dead as rock n' roll, either. They sometimes played it , but only in the context of a greater whole.

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Fri, 12/03/2021 - 04:51

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Yo! Rockers! And especially Keithfan...............

If I recall correctly, the comparison was 12/5 vs 12/10. I know, just a small detail, but still.................it's probably because you listen to too many Dark Stars...................

To me, 12/9 has always been an anomaly. For years it's been postulated that there was a missing reel. My guess is they were running late. I know, shocking for a professional band....................

Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.................

Rock on!

Doc
Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat......

I actually agree with everything DR said except about the R&R part lol
with much of what is now in the R&R hall of fame, I don’t think there’s any debate about the Dead being a R&R band, unique yes.

DOC: we’re in the final stretch. Have hit all the Capital run and everything since Winterland 3/24/71, (plus the boxilla show!) Keep ‘em coming and thanks for all the informative/entertaining posts!
Some real Bobbie Dazzlers coming up! Looking forward to 12/15 and New Years as I’ve never heard those
Guess you have to add 1/2/72 as another I’ve not heard but folks seem to go on about?

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Submitted by daverock on Fri, 12/03/2021 - 11:02

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I'm not sure I like the sound of that very much! No...in England rock n' roll is now a distinct culture - very different from rock music. Near where I live, they have rock n' roll weekends - or they did before Covid, and it was a sight for sore eyes. Incredible cars would turn up, and the patrons modelled themsleves in hybrid 1950s style. They looked great, some of them.
I've only attended as an outpatient - I don't dress up to suit the band I'm going to see. But I did feel a bit out of place. There was a sign on one wall saying "hippies not allowed"!
I like listening to The Dead and rock n' roll-but they both seem very different- no, they are very different.

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Submitted by proudfoot on Fri, 12/03/2021 - 11:15

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never a major fan

although I will tolerate them when in the right mood

I have always said, I don't need to know about Pigpen's action.

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Submitted by KeithFan2112 on Fri, 12/03/2021 - 16:31

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That's pretty funny Doc, considering I've been playing the daylights out of 12/9 and 12/10 the past couple of days (including the past 2 hours). Heh. I suspect you're right about the shortened 12/9 show. Probably swung into town late and didn't get to the gig from the diner fast enough.

Daverock, agree on those half hour Lovelights - most of them throw me off the scent for a bit, but I just FF >> to the last 5 minutes or so and keep on Truckin'. I imagine the live experience was much more exciting - Pigpen up there engaging the crowd in those tiny venues (if Reverend Grease helped close the deal for even one pocket-ball player, I'd say his work was complete :D

I do love the 2nd half of '69, probably as much as 1st half, but for different reasons. 1st half I'm into for same reasons you mentioned. 2nd half '69 brought us the first UJB, Feeling Groovey, and Tighten Up jams. I hear what you're saying on them getting their legs on some of the new tunes (1st Cumberland Blues rough, but didn't bring down DP 16 for me). There aren't a whole of official releases, but what we have is pretty good stuff (sans the half hour Lovelights). Thelma has some great stuff with Bonus Disc (including a singularly unique UJB with an incredible gooey intro). Some great soundboards: 8/30, 10/25 partial (fantastic Dark Star => St. Stephen => The Eleven), 11/2, and the whole last week of December (Dallas 12/26 + Boston Tea Party shows). New Speedway Boogie. Mason's Children. Easy Wind.

And in the words of one drunken man who has crashed more cars than most of us have owned in a lifetime: next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways -
It's still rock and roll to me....

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Submitted by Forensicdoceleven on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 01:37

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50 years ago today…..

December 4, 1971
Felt Forum, New York City, New York

Set 1: Truckin'-Sugaree-Mr. Charlie-Beat It On Down The Line-Tennessee Jed-Jack Straw-Run Rudolph Run-You Win Again-Me And Bobby McGee-Comes A Time-El Paso-Smokestack Lightning-Cumberland Blues-One More Saturday Night

Set 2: Ramble On Rose-Me & My Uncle>The Other One>Mexicali Blues>The Other One>Wharf Rat-Casey Jones

Encore: Johnny B Goode

Deadicated to evilyn2003, Mr.Dc, dissident1980, Maine Dave, Across the Rio, cosmicdavid, Lost Dantian Tapes, Dantian's Wei Lu, Heart of Dantian, Sydney Prentice, and Grayteful, because how cruelly sweet are the echoes that start, when memory plays an old tune on the heart…….

The food that feeds us all, the Grateful Dead………

We shouldn’t let the intense cosmic quality of December 5 overwhelm the other shows from this fine run. Here is a solid, well played show that you almost never hear about. The first set is long, well played, and has some nice, slightly oddball tunes like Run Rudolph Run, You Win Again, Comes A Time, and Smokestack Lightning. Equipment difficulties appear to be at a minimum. Admittedly, the second set is short, but does have the quirky, heavily Weirish jam sequence. Maybe not a top tier show, but certainly worth a listen…………

Rock on!!

Doc
To have no time for philosophy is to be a true philosopher…..

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Submitted by daverock on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 03:21

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Keithfan-yes, there have been some good recordings from late 1969 - throughout the year, in fact, taking into account releases outside of Dave's Picks. And they are all fascinating and worth hearing ( again and again) in my humble estimation.

Part of the attraction for me with these shows, is that the band actually evolved on stage for all to hear not closeted away in rehearsal - so we can all recognise from whence they came, where they were, and sense where they were going. Much more interesting than if they had simply stopped touring for 6 months - say from May to December 69, and reappeared as a new model.The develpoment happened in public, over a period of time, for all to hear. To me, this meant that some shows featured somewhat tentaive playing as they evolved-but that's not a problem. It's a quality, in fact.

I've pigeon holed 1969-but this on stage development obviously started in 1966 and continued spiralling on into the 1970s.

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Submitted by KeithFan2112 on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 05:09

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You've inspired me Daverock, to revisit the latter half of 1969. Up to my usual tricks, I've taken some editorial initiative to combine the Thelma 12/12/69 show with the bonus disc from the previous night, as well as drop Lovelight Feedback and drums. I popped Bonus Disc tracks Dark Star => St. Steven => The Eleven in the space between discs 2 & 3. It works nicely..
Then disc 3 plays like normal with that miraculous UJB; and then I placed the remaining Bonus Disc tracks Cumberland Blues => The Other One and Cosmic Charlie to just before the closing And We Bid You Goodnight. Without drums and Feedback in that ending sequence, stuff just flows better. Great Caution btw. What a show, and barely longer than the original. I hadn't listened to this one in a good 6 months, and this re-ordering of tracks really optimized the lozenges I recovered (long story).

Hey Stoltzie, regarding Pigpen's action:
she got her leg up against the wall.....nuck nuck nuck

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Submitted by billy the kiddd on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 06:27

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56 years ago today the Dead played their first public gig as the Grateful Dead, at the San Jose Acid Test. For a very cool story about a 16 year old who went to the party with his brother, type in "jerry's brokedown palaces big nigs house". The 16 year old kid meets Pig Pen and Garcia that might and gets quite a different reception from both of them. His story is toward the end of the article and an absolute must read. The Rolling Stones were playing the same night at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, and Keith Richards and Brian Jones showed up at the Acid Test when the Stones gig was done.

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Submitted by Numb on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 07:21

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Shout out to dr. rhino, dead.net and whoever had their hand in expeditiously replacing the 6 discs from my St. Louis box that had a lot of scratches on them! Keep up the great customer service, and keep bringing it, DL and team!

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Submitted by daverock on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 07:49

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Keithfan - that's a good idea. I too brought that one down this morning, and just had time to play the Drak Star from 12/11/69 before going out for my booster jab. I might follow suit, and start again from cd1 in the order you suggest. There do look to be an awful lot of songs played at 12/12!

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Submitted by Dennis on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 08:02

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Drak Star? Wasn't that the catlike person on Space Ghost Coast to Coast? Ended up with his own spinoff if I remember right. :-)

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Submitted by daverock on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 09:20

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Dennis - no, that was Dark Star in it's developmental stage.

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