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Pacific Northwest ’73-’74: The Complete Recordings Boxed Set
WHAT'S INSIDE:
6 Complete Shows On 19 Discs
• 6/22/73 P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C.
• 6/24/73 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
• 6/26/73 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA
• 5/17/74 P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C.
• 5/19/74 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
• 5/21/74 Hec Edmundson Pavilion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Mastered in HDCD from the original master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering
Masters transferred and restored by Plangent Processes
Original Art by First Nations Artist Roy Henry Vickers
Photos by Richie Pechner
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 15,000
Includes an immediate digital download of "Eyes Of The World (P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada 5/17/74)"
"We were in the Pacific Northwest...between somewhere in Washington and some other where in Oregon. The road took us to the lip on a ridge, from where we could see around us for many miles in all directions … It was breathtaking to behold, but as we watched, we had a firm realization that we were witnessing something even more beautiful than our eyes could ever take in … Life causes life. Heaven and Earth dance in this way endlessly, and their child is the forest. And so there we were, epiphanously watching that grandest and most glorious dance of life—of which we are just a tiny part—awed by a magnificence without beginning, without end..."
Bob Weir, “Sell Headwaters—Everyone Wins,” San Francisco Chronicle
The Pacific Northwest offers up a rich feast of land, sky, and water. It is ripe with influences, abundant with symbols, deep and spirited. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that the Grateful Dead played some of their most inspired shows on these fertile grounds. It does, however, sometimes take a breath for the elements to re-align years later. It seems for us, they finally have and we are able to present not just a glimpse of the band's extraordinary exploratory tour through the region, but a two-tour bounty as the PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS.
For PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS, we've paired two short runs made up of six previously unreleased shows - P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C. (6/22/73); Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR (6/24/73); Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA (6/26/73); P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada (5/17/74); Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR (5/19/74); and Hec Edmundson Pavilion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (5/21/74). Each show has been mastered in HDCD from the original master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. The transfers from the masters were transferred and restored by Plangent Processes, further ensuring that this is the best, most authentic that these shows have ever sounded.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS comes in an ornate box created by Canada’s preeminent First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers (more on this tremendous artist soon). To complement the music, the set also includes a 64-page book with an in-depth essay by Grateful Dead scholar Nicholas G. Meriwether and photos by Richie Pechner.
Due September 7th, this release is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively from dead.net. You'll want to grab a copy while you can and sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks.
Looking for something a little more byte-sized? The collection will also be available for HD digital download in FLAC and ALAC, exclusively at dead.net, on release day. You can pre-order it now too.
Get it while you can.
Unkle Sam: Not much they can do with the mix on a 2 track tape
These are 45 year old tapes that were 2 track analog tapes. There is not a lot they can do to change the mix of the tapes. They can just clean it up and enhance the sound. But, the mix is what the mix is.
I am kind of actually enjoying paying attention to some of the other instruments that usually don't stand out in the mix (particularly Billy, as well as all the instruments in that '74 show that has a stretch of about 4 songs with all the vocals very low).
We are very lucky and spoiled that they recorded as much as they did and as well as they did. Even so, there are still gonna be some less than stellar portions of tapes this old.
Now I love those cowboys
I love their gold. It lured my uncle, God rest his soul.
Nuff said :-)
But it begs the question, how honest is a Denver man?
In Donna's Defense
Mostly lurker (a rule I follow says, "If you have nothing to say, shut up."), but decided today to put my head on the chopping block so you folks can kick it around a bit. I've had my own fun at Donna's expense in conversations with a Deadhead friend or two. But two things in her defense come to mind that I've not seen mentioned.
1. The consistency of what she tried to do on a given song, comparing performances, suggests she did what she was told or asked to do by the band. Doing it would have been a leap of faith on her part, but the tendency to take chances was integral to the Grateful Dead's DNA.
2. I know from experience that if one is playing an instrument, be it a voice or something man-made, the frequency range of the output of that instrument says much about likelihood of hitting that "sweet spot" where it sounds good and blends well with other instruments / voices (lower frequency output than itself in the "mix"). Hitting that frequency (the note) squarely is more difficult for the female singer because the target progressively shrinks as the frequency rises, and the result is usually hideous.
Bonus comments (no additional charge):
1. Some have said she couldn't hear herself, which if possible (and with that massive sound system they had), could mean she leaned in closer to the microphone diaphragm to have a better chance of hearing herself (and adjusting). The result, if the mike gain wasn't adjusted, is she could have come off as shrill as well as sharp or flat.
2. There have been times where I've made notes in a loose-leaf notebook I keep to retain things I notice in GD performance recordings, where she's hit her pitch and sent it (forgive the pun) out of the ballpark - it sounded fine to me. That could be 1 time in 3, but still ... Ask me to cite an example, and I'd have to be home with that notebook to do it. Reputedly she was (and is) a professional singer who's made her living doing it for decades. She couldn't have liked the sound situation at live GD concerts herself, and developed her chops in more controlled conditions, so I'm inclined to cut her some slack.
3. If having idiosyncrasies of a voice like hers is the cost of having a recording with keyboard work by her late husband Keith, it might still be worth it (decide for yourself). The Godchauxs were a package. I really like Keith's earlier work on the mighty Steinway, including in this box set.
4. The trove of recordings we have access to doesn't lie - the problems are there. I have come to accept them as being a fact of life if I'm going to listen to this stuff. I'd rather have the recordings than not, and I can make my own jokes at her expense in private (but with subliminal empathy).
So it goes ...
still going on about djg?
kind of like the planets going around and around
Donna-time
Yes, she was hit and miss
when she hit she was very very good
when she was miss she was...
TIGDH
Here is a tasty, date-appropriate palate cleanser for everyone who has been knee-deep in 73 and 74 for the last week or so (count me among that group)...
If you dig 1970 Dark Stars, this one is prime.
https://archive.org/details/gd1970-09-19.sbd.reynolds.97906.flac16/gd70…
"Why, yes, Dave-- this WOULD make excellent bonus disc material for DaP 30!"
Dead Awake
I've had a wonderful bout of insomnia these last few nights and it's been an excellent opportunity for me to sneak down around 1, 2 or 3am, slip on the headphones, and dig into these goods. Last night I got to the last one of the box, Seattle '74, and I gotta tell ya, I was hanging on every snare-skiffle and tiger-lick coming outta those cans during that unwieldy raging monster of a PITB ... Shit, man. GOGD.
I like it all
If you aren't a Donna fan, it's ok you have the right. I don't mind her, listen to the looks like rain from 6/29/76 in Chicago is what I always say to someone who isn't a fan. Some songs have drop outs in the recent box set, that's ok they recorded them 45 years ago and probably never thought they would release them a half a century later!!!! Just exactly perfect as Bob use to joke about!! Is the amount of time Donna appears on the 5/21/74 46 minute Playing in the Band more than the 43 minute Dark Star from 12/6/73, when she was on maternity leave?? I don't know but I love them both. I am glad that we actually have access to this music in the quality that we do... bob t
Ace Of Cups
Unless I missed it and I didnt look that hard but I've seen no mention of Bobby's new song guesting on "The Well." I've been listening the last few days and really enjoying, plus it features a Bobby lead solo, nice. The music video is very cool too.
https://relix.com/blogs/detail/song-premiere-ace-of-cups-the-well-feat-…
I need to post some good news....
https://www.newburycomics.com/products/grateful_dead-american_beauty_ex… there it is. I might actually buy this, even though I haven't jumped back on the vinyl train yet. Haven't bought a record since 1989(?) Took a two day break from the Dead btw. Had a case of GOGD overdose with the PNW Box. Cueing up PNC '73. The last show left for me to hear. That show was one of the first really good tapes I got back in 1989(?). Time in a bottle.
vguy 72 ticket scalping by Ticketbastard
Thanks for the link....what a friggin racket. I have always wondered how 1000's of tickets and at times sections appear available on stubhub, owned by Ebay, could have gotten some many tickets before, or right after an event is sold out.
I understand season ticket holders, from any given venue, get rights to pre-sale and is usually limited to the guidelines of the quantity of tixs, available.
Miss GDTS
Donna Jean
Never heard her sing live....got on the bus in 1982. So whats next Pigpen's keyboard skills?
Just thankful for the continued releases. Trying to think of any band, that have had some many archival releases since the Grateful Dead's demise, 23 years ago. I'd like to think each of us, has found a holy grail, to suits their tastes from these releases.
Goes to show, you don't ever know.
Believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on.
Wave That Flag
This is a really upbeat song to have the word Blues in it. I never really thought much of this one until I saw the Grateful Dead movie, and there's this one part where you can see the guy in the front row singing wave that flag. Then I thought well there must be something here. Somebody on here turned me on to Road Trips 1976 version. It is really hot and was my favorite for a long time, along with one from the vault. Then I got Dave's Picks Volume 13, and I've been a 1974 fan of this song ever since. The one that's on show number 6 of the box set is really good.
@Across the Rio Re: Double Post
It was that new Android Chrome browser wasn't it.
down load works great
Previous posts to this thread report download issues. I waited a couple of weeks before attempting, just to let the mad rush pass by. Then picked a time-of-day when I expected most of Europe and the North America to be asleep. The big mother file came down it 40 minutes. I've hear about half of the tracks so far ... so good. Also checked the mother of all Playin', because it was earlier reported as being downloaded in a damaged state. For me ... a-okay. If like me, you've been waiting for web site stability prior to download, anecdotally, all is well. Proceed.
More '74
I am really enjoying the 1974 shows. This 5/21 concert is top shelf. Jerry's not too low here! All I can say is Weather Report Suite. Definitely in my top five, possibly BOAT for me. I can't overstate the importance of turning it up as high as it will go.
Is anyone finding versions of songs that you consider to be close to best of all time for you? I suspect a lot of people are digging the Bird Song.
Minas welcome back.
Lovin' It, still in '73
Really lovin' it so far. I am a show quality over sound quality person, so a glitch here and there bothers me not one iota.
Only drawback is the degree of song repetition throughout. Though the "core" of every show is still different. The He's Gone>Truckin'>Other One from Vancouver, Dark Star>Eyes>China Doll from Portland, etc.
So good it got me to buy the LST video on blu-ray.
Gotta finish up Seattle & then move on to '74. Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile!
Real Gone Music Sale DP30 available
For those looking for a physical version Dick's Picks 30 (like me) RealGone Music has it in on their website as part of their once a year sale. I've been looking for this on their website every few months (1 of 3 I am missing). So scored one that I needed.
Hopefully the entrepreneurs that browse these pages give the fans a few hours head start...
Box Review
I am not even through the first '73 show all the way yet, but I am totally blown away. I think the mix is perfect. The vocals and instruments are balanced and each member is balanced as well. I llove hearing what everyone is doing behind Jerry when he's soloing, so this mix is spot on for me. This show is the dead at their absolute best, and this show is quickly climbing the list of my all time favorites. I'll probably spin it again after the first complete listen. That Truckin was insane, and there were 24 great songs before it. Bird Song was maybe GOAT, PLayin was spectacular, and as others have said, this whole show is infused with a relaxed vibe, but the playing is so on point.
I cant wait to slowly make my way through this box.
Thanks Dave and crew for this gem. It's absolutely perfect.
Real Gone
Boblopes, throw a copy of Shanti in your basket at 3 bucks, you will thank me, ( but no thanks necessary)A Diga connection if you need a reason...
And, cos Im behind, reprising a conversation from a couple of days ago where Donnas wailing was compared to Free Jazz...(and sorry, but Freddie Hubbard played mostly hard bop, not free jazz) for a free jazz comparison I suggest Linda Sharrock, she could out screech Donna anyday, and hubby, Sonny, was a great guitar player,category:free skronk!
How honest can a Denver man be? I'll take the bait...
I'm a Denver man. And I'm as honest as a Denver man can be.
How honest is that?
Well [he shuffles his feet, doesn't make eye contact]:
Pretty honest. Always trying. Never stabbed a friend in the back, well, almost never... But, you know, situational ethics and all sometimes test me, oh yes, test me test me. [Typically, I do not beseech the listener with "Why don't you arrest me?" I mean, why ask for trouble? Besides, it's LEGAL here now...]
As Lowell George once put it, rock 'n roll could be the culprit, if there's a limit to my honesty as a Denver man:
"Gonna boogey my scruples away!"
Replacement disc arrived quickly
I am happy to report that MaryE and Dr. Rhino made sure that my one damaged disc was replaced less than a week later. Thank you.
People Make the World Go Round riff in Dark Star
Is it me or is there remnants of the riff or chord change that Jerry used in "People Make the World Go Round" cover that Jerry did with Merl (Legion of Mary) like the one from Pure Jerry Volume4 towards the beginning of Dark Star?
This is my first listen for this show - so I will replay when show is over, but man was it Deja Vu...
Sound quality
I know one of the joys of a Dead show is the "inconsistency" of the performances. However, am I the only one that is hearing extended periods on these recordings where the vocals become literally inaudible? Not the usual momentary soundboard mixups, or at the beginning of sets, but entire songs or multiple songs in row... It is frustrating. If a dead.net expert could respond to, that would be wonderful and I would be quite GRATEFUL!
Sound quality
The Wall of Sound was a work in process and the recordings were a separate entity, so each recording of a show the levels were actually set up during the first song. Sometimes it wouldn’t be set “just exactly perfect” until the second or third song. Keep in mind that the people doing the recordings were most likely high, so in some cases volume might have been messed with later as in the three songs from the Portland show that they released on vinyl. Just think of it as part of the times in which it was made, a Persian flaw if you will. These shows were never meant to be commercially released, but they are historical documents and we are all Grateful.
Okay, what's the next realistic box set?
Given what we know about what's in the Vault and what they've already released, what is realistic possible next box set?
Not including 30 Trips, we already have box sets focusing on the following years:
69
72
73
74
77
78
89
90
what eras or particular tours are most ripe to get the box set treatment (given that they don't have a lot of the early-mid '80s stuff available in good enough condition)??
My vote would be for an Fall 1980 acoustic/electric box set.
It was a unique tour, a big success, and it had them firing on all cylinders with Brent now a fixture in the band.
There's 25 shows for them to pick from on that tour. Of course, lots of repeats. But they could pick a string of 4 or 5 shows., or all 8 from Radio City Music Hall and be done with it.
It would make a great addition to the box set family, cementing a great mid-career success story
Of course it's already been documented in Reckoning, Dead Set, and Dead Ahead, but having numerous previous released didn't stop them from doing Europe '72 or Spring '90.
Any other good candidates??
Sound quality
Well Ricky, i am no expert, but i have been listening to the SBDs for years and it is on archive.org for you to verify yourself.
it's the same SBD, but the box has a Plangent processed digitization of the reels, which is a vast improvement. it won't bring back stuff that isn't on the tape, like Jerry's guitar or vocals, but it does make what's there sound much better. doesn't Bobby sound great?
most of the officially released Warner Brothers or Arista GD Live albums have studio overdubs to fix the mix flaws, Rhino doesn't have that luxury. maybe they could get the guy from Dave & Co to do some over dubbing for the next box ;)
a check of the tape on archive.org would have alerted you, and others of the nature of the mix on some songs. the archive.org reviews talk about the same flaws in the original recording.
Rhino is an "archival" label, which is a nice way of saying bootleg, in that they offer releases of material to "fans" that was never intended for release. as with most bootlegs the nicer the package the more questionable the recordings. are they perfect, no, would you rather have them not include the questionably mixed songs? isn't it a really nice package?
even though they don't include it on the packaging anymore, it is still Caveat Emptor and the best they can do with 40 year old reels that are literally falling apart every time they play them.
Take it easy, Crossroads....
You're rushing the speculation. Give us all a chance to digest the new box first, please.
That said, the best possible boxes are:
Spring 1971
Fall 1972 (*must include my first show..)
You heard it here first. Damn, there I go again -- decrying speculation, then jumping in first. After 61 years, oh hell!
2019 boxset
yes let us digest this new box, but we can play...Spring 71 had many good shows, Manhattan, a run of shows from Port Chester? Eurpoe 74 with full one full show from London Paris Munich. I agree with acoustic /electric dead set from 80 and it is 8 or 16 tracks recording?
@ bob t - Donna
You are correct sir, she sounds wonderful on LLR Chi-town 6/29/76. I especially love her on that wheel sandwich of PITB. Wish there were more "Wheels" with her singing. She obviously loves that song!
Pre-hiatus Donna and post-hiatus Donna....
....is like comparing two different singers if you ask me. Much better post.
Fall 1980 acoustic/electric box set
Hey @Crossroads, I too would love to hear several more shows from the source tapes that gave us Dead Set and Reckoning. Unfortunately, I believe I saw or heard several times that Lemieux reports that for some reason, all or most of the tapes that didn't make it onto the Dead Set and Reckoning albums were erased way back then. I'd love to hear different reports, but that's my understanding.
My only vote for the 2019 box
My only vote for the 2019 box set: please no more 70s.
To be clear, it's my favorite era.
But I have enough 72-77 for a lifetime, especially since DaP has historically tended to focus on this era, too.
How about a Summer (or Fall) 85 box?
Bootleg
Whatever value and strength of argument you had discussing sbd quality was totally destroyed with your absurd definition of bootleg. Bootlegs are quasilegal releases of in this case music. Depending on the countries laws some things like live shows or studio recordings over a certain age may be issued without the original copyright holders permission though frequently mechanical royalties are paid. The RIAA likes to confuse things by throwing the word piracy around. Bootleg has never meant for an entity this case the GD that transfers possession of material they own to a 3rd party in a business transaction. Whether they originally planned on releasing it or not. Of course with the Dead you even lose that point as they have for years looked at ways of getting it out
Sorry.....more Donna
Loving the PITB from Vancouver '74. Donna singing tasteful background vocals. I think, "oh, I guess she can hear herself....maybe the return to the verse after the 1st break will be ok." Not a chance in hell. Instead, it's a blood-curdling parody of "soulful" female vocals as she screams her way back to Bobby singing.
This sort of puts the lie to the "she couldn't hear herself" bit. She heard well enough to sing great background a minute before she screams tunelessly.
Great spacey jam with Keith on the electric piano. Return to song with slightly less objectionable scream followed by tuneful background vocals. She could hear just fine.
Bootleg
RIAA sucks why would i use their definition?
i'm using it in this context, cut from wikipedia Bootleg recording entry.
Other bootlegs may be soundboard recordings taken directly from a multi-track mixing console used to feed the public address system at a live performance. Artists may record their own shows for private review, but engineers may surreptitiously take a copy of this,[a] which ends up being shared. As a soundboard recording is intended to supplement the natural acoustics of a gig, a bootleg may have an inappropriate mix of instruments, unless the gig is so large that everything needs to be amplified and sent to the desk
Two Track Soundboards & 1985 Box
I got what KG was saying, "in that they offer releases of material to "fans" that was never intended for release."
He explained this somewhat clearly.. Dicks Picks (I believe always two track or mono recordings) almost didn't get off the ground because Phil was so critical of the sound on some of these that they couldn't find anything that passed his cut.
I'm very glad they worked out those kinks.. I get a lot of enjoyment from them.
I am a big fan of 1985, but I don't believe they pass the muster on what they usually reserve for box sets. Originally they were pretty much all multi-track.. but they did let in really good sounding, well recorded reel to reel tapes such as Winterland 73 & 77 the returned Betty Boards, etc. 85 was recorded on cassette and/or PCM (Betamax) tapes. Of course 30 trips is a big exception to this also.
I think we are more likely to see items come through as Dave's Picks, which is a continuation of Dicks Picks/Road Trips. That's the lower grade recording release mechanism. I guess this could change as times goes on and the multi-tracks get thinner and thinner.
Just my opinion and of course I reserve the right to be wrong. Other opinions are welcomed. I do have an affinity for 1985, however..
Did anyone else think....
....that when the boyz were tuning into the '73 PNE HCS that they were teasing Help On The Way? I hear it. The PNE Playin' is better than I remember. And I remember it being fantastic.
....edit. Before y'all jump my shit, I know Help wasn't on the radar in '73. I still hear it though.
Thanks Wilfred..
Ooops.. speaking of higher minds. Corrected.
I do like 85, who knows.. I was at the Richmond 85 run that became half of Dicks Picks 21 and I really like that release. Had a great time.. lots of break outs that year too.
I could be wrong..
Pardon me. Would you have any Grey Poupon?
I too would love some releases from years off the beaten track. I think the best way to do these would be how the 89 RFK shows came out last year. Give us a two or three show set. Or one with some filler, and see how many people eat the custard. Of course, you have to release enough to make the economics work. Maybe 7,500 would be an optimal run, but that probably doesn't generate enough earnings for a project. But who really knows? The suits do I suspect.
*Dons hard hat for upcoming economics discussion.*
Was that a captcha box I just had to click?....
....interesting.
First Listen
At this point I have given each show in the box a quick listen and I like this box. There is so much material here that it will take a while to really digest the whole thing, but it seems to me that the sound is overall good with a few minor exceptions, excellent when you consider we are talking about 45 year old tapes that were never intended for release.
To my ears this is prime Dead, there is not much I like more than that jazzy feel in the jams in '73 and '74, and this box has a lot of them. I went in chronological order and I can't wait to revisit that 6/22/73 Vancouver show, but the entire run is just full of musical gems. Over the last few days I have been finishing up the '74 shows and every EOTW has seemed particularly tasty, it will take a few more listens to sort them out and say anything beyond my initial impression that they were all stellar. It appears that I have one disc with a skip on Box of Rain from the Portland '73 show, hopefully I can muster up the energy to deal with getting a replacement, but I have been known to procrastinate on that kind of thing. In any event, no buyers remorse here, this is just further confirmation that I really like '73 Grateful Dead, and '74 too.
a few ideas...
9-5-88 Landover for a Dave's.
12-26,27,28-1970 Legion Stadium~El Monte,Ca. for a small box.
...my favorite Easy Wind...
:o)
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