Pick of the Day, with Discussion

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April 6, 2020 - 9:47am

8,100 replies

marye

Joined:
May 26, 2007

Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

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February 24, 2023 - 6:38pm

#1291

rockthing

Joined:
August 2, 2020

1970-02-23

You cats are already on to 1973. I'm still savoring the gentle respite in the oasis of Austin.

Death don't have no mercy, but there's always time for lunch.
Thanks for reminding me of LL. I need to see if I can get reinstated over there.

Grateful Dead Live at The Auditorium, Austin, Tejas on 1970-02-23
Harpur College was another of my heavy, heavy rotation tapes back in the day, along with the 2/18/71 Capitol Theater show I've already mentioned numerous times. Both were massive inspirations. For what seems in hindsight like a fairly significant period of time, if it wasn't one of those, it was Reckoning.

I Know You Rider: Lovin' the energy and grit of this Rider. It's almost angst.

High Time: This is a song! It's a pretty weird song, too, and after attempting it several times, myself, I must say it isn't surprising it wasn't played often. Damn, it's hard to sing. I submitted a completely deconstructed version of this for the February Dead Covers Project a few years back. I made a point of not revisiting to the original before recording, just going off memory and some notes left in an old binder of songs. I'm sure the ever-growing defenders of canon were thinking, "You ain't doin' it right if you ain't readin' it off a teleprompter." It was an "interpretation". Lol.

Dire Wolf: What a lyric. An electric version, no less. Pretty mellow electric set, almost acoustic.

Yellow Dog Joke… ah… well way to go for completely screwing up the joke, Bobby… actually, I'm not sure I've ever heard him make it all the way to the punch line. We should all heed Jerry's advice and "Don't encourage him." Everything was so light and positive in these days. Phil could be a bit surly, as we've already heard in this tape.

Monkey and the Engineer: This was a standard in my old folk-rock duo. My partner played it and I just followed along. I'd have to start from scratch to figure out how to play it again. Such good stories in these tunes.

Little Sadie: Nice. This wasn't on the Harpur College tape or Reckoning. Another dark story. I don't see how they could possibly be breaking strings playing such gentle music.

Me and My Uncle: I don't recall hearing an acoustic version. It's a great song and works in any format. At this point everyone hadn't already heard it a million times. Imagine that!

Black Peter: One of my favourite tunes ever. Doesn't get much darker than a song from the point of view of a death bed. Started doing this one myself occasionally a few years ago, but I always need a cheat sheet for the bridge. Nothing repeats. There are some interesting mnemonic connections between the chords and the words that help. Just have to sit down and do my homework. Ahh… yeah, Pig sittin' in nicely on the organ. This song needs a really delicate hand, but the organ adds a nice little gospel flavour. If only Pig coulda added just a touch more flair to his playing to fill in some lines before Jerry takes his solo. Pig's got the tone.

Seasons of the Heart: Never heard this before. Great pick! Thanks.

Uncle Johns: Have heard this one a few times. 😉

Not Fade Away: I'm gonna call the union! The Galactic Rock'n'Roll Union! That needs to be a band name, or a song, or something! Crazy to think this tune was in their set their entire career. Some good ol' primal energy here. Jerry's "wild" tone. He must've had the amplifier turned WAY up, cause it sounds like he's not in the mix at all. His guitar is just being picked up by a vocal mic, or something. Basically, no drums, either. I can't keep track of which guitars he was playing in the early years. He seemed to play whatever was available after giving up the Starfire. Sounds kind of like a Stratocaster, The Graham Nash Strat, perhaps? Alligator did not come on the scene until later, if I recall correctly. This tone has even more of a stereotypical Stratocaster sound than Alligator, which retained very little Fender electronics by the time it gets heard on Europe '72. Anyone? Oh, cool call and response with Pig. TC has already left at this point? I need to get my timelines straight. Bobby diggin' in with some soulfully aggressive singing, rather than simply aggressive.

Mason's Children: I can't recall ever hearing this, either. The name comes up often, but it's not on anything I've listened to regularly. Again, thanks for this pick! As you say, not exactly high-energy stuff, but some very rare pieces here. Always appreciate the chance to learn something new about this fascinating family.
February 24, 2023 - 8:28am

#1292

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

Chances are that the universe neither treasures nor regrets us

Rockers!

Lunch time. Death takes a breather. We're in the land of the living, gotta eat lunch.

The "new, fixed" 2/17/73 was up at Lossless Legs first thing this morning. So, it sometimes pays dividends to get up early............

So, one can get it there, or I can supply it to anybody who needs/wants..............

The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own......

Rock on,

Doc
It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure......
February 24, 2023 - 6:09am

#1293

DeadVikes

Joined:
October 26, 2016

2/17/73

Hey Doc,

Where is the new Miller for this show? I see a 2020 transfer from Miller on the archive as of this morning, and this one has issues.
February 24, 2023 - 1:16am

#1294

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

I met her accidentally in St. Paul, Minnesota......

Mornin', rockers!!!

For all you completists out there----as well as Row Jimmy fans----the talented Mr Miller just put out a "fixed" version of the fine St Paul show from February 17, 1973. Would make up part of a nice box set from early 1973----2/9, 15, 17, 19............

Ah well, one can dream..............

Rock on, happy Friday!

Doc
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before........
February 23, 2023 - 1:20am

#1295

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

Music is the best means we have of digesting time......

ROCKTHING.............

Check your PMs...........

Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend........

Rock on,

Doc
I frequently hear music in the very heart of noise.......
February 23, 2023 - 1:10am

#1296

Forensicdoceleven

Joined:
June 17, 2008

I have just got a new theory of eternity…...

Hey rockers!!!

Pick Of The Day: Austin, Texas February 23, 1970

I reluctantly discussed this at the end of last year. Here I am again. It appears that I’m stuck in a time warp. The galactic rock and roll union. I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious…..

It appears that the currently circulated recording of this show is the only surviving audio document from the Dead’s four show excursion through Texas in February 1970. It’s tough coming right after the wonderful, brilliant Fillmore West/Fillmore East shows earlier that month, and perhaps it’s not unexpected that the intensity level might come down a bit. That being said, this is still interesting, enjoyable, and worthy…..

The band is in 1970 electric/acoustic/electric mode. The circulating recording appears to be missing part of the first electric set, coming in during Know You Rider. For fans of acoustic Dead, this set is nice---Monkey And The Engineer-Little Sadie-Me And My Uncle-Black Peter-Seasons Of My Heart-Uncle John's Band. The festivities are completed with a jammy NFA and Mason’s Children.

The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity……

Did Bear travel to Texas, and did he record? Banana boxes, reveal thy mysteries…..

Rock on,

Doc
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods……
February 22, 2023 - 7:47pm

#1297

rockthing

Joined:
August 2, 2020

5/19/74 > 2/22/69

>daverock>

The vocal dropouts are not evident in the audience tape, so that must have happened on the way to the board tape.

That said, the recording is slightly overpowered by Jerry and Bob's guitars from the taper's vantage point, but a little time with a simple Equalizer was enough to bring more Phil and better presence to the vocals. I do recall a few lyric flubs with the new material, but in the overall mix it didn't really jump out at me. Probably much more obvious in the official release/soundboard recording.

2/22/69>
Oh, my. I can see this is gonna send me on a primal quest. I have all these fall '69 and fall '68 shows that I've never listened to, but I don't have much from the spring of those years. I love this gentle psychedelia. It's really these delicate type of sounds that really trigger the senses. I'm only up to Dark Star at this point, but what a beautiful way to start a show.... oops, "The transitive diamonds?" Haha. I'd probably have trouble remembering my name if I were there, so whatever.

It's such a shame that we're restricted to streaming this show. Imho, if the official release isn't so significantly better sounding than one of these circulating boards that it isn't a no-brainer to buy it, then what's with the classism, eh? I know the boys need a retirement plan... but... --mini rant off--
February 22, 2023 - 10:30am

#1298

daverock

Joined:
September 1, 2014

5/19/74

Rockthing - good notes on this show - cheers! I'm going through it very slowly, but it's the L.P. I am listening to. Although it has the famous vocal drop outs, the sound and balance of the instruments sounds fine throughout to me. I have just played the side with Loose Lucy and Money Money on. A short side. The lyrics are a bit naff on both of them - but I like the music, and they were both played so rarely that when they do crop up, it's a welcome surprise to me.
I presume the version you have listened to has the earlier vocal dropouts too.
February 22, 2023 - 3:51am

#1299

rockthing

Joined:
August 2, 2020

5/19/74 (Part II)

Wrote these notes on Monday morning while drinking my coffee and getting ready to do some work from home. After a while I was mostly distracted by the show.

I'll get to that Feb. 22 '69 show if I can, but I don't have that one handy. Hafta stream it.

The ETree identifier of this source is 115876, btw. I don't have the box set, so these are my first impressions.

It Must Have Been The Roses: Ok. /Now/ I'm awake. Possible tape change? There is suddenly a big improvement in sound quality for this hauntingly sensitive rendition. Jerry's voice is now clear above the guitars. Everything, save Phil, is suddenly much clearer and the sound field feels wider. Up to this point the tape had sounded like the tape the biker is listening to at the beginning of the Dead Movie. Nice harmony work during the refrain, blended well in the house mix.

Loose Lucy: Gettin' in the funk. Jerry's just perfectly behind the beat to make it nice and nasty. If the syncopation isn't just right, this tune can completely lose all form really quickly. Loose Lucy must be a pretty new song at this point. I have no idea when this tune debuted. They didn't do this in concert much, as far as I know. I was lucky enough to see'em do it once, but the performance I saw was almost unrecognizable. Something was wrong with the timing, so it sounded all backwards. I was embarrassed to not even recognize it until Jerry started singing. This is a nice treat.

I Know You Rider? Something seems to be wrong here. The info text says Money Money should be next followed by China/Rider, but we're just dropped into IKYR. Looks like some minor surgery might be needed on the meta data.

Money Money: Ok. Someone's just mislabelled these files. Man, this has always been one of my least favourite songs in the Dead's catalogue. I rarely skip songs on albums, but being the album closer on Mars Hotel makes it easy. I don't think I've ever heard a live version of it, so this is kind of a treat, in its own sort of way. Having not heard it in such a long time, I guess it's not such a bad song. The negativity of the lyric just sems to strike such a contrast to most of the other stuff in the repertoire. John Lennon, for example, has a lot of negativity in his lyrics, but when I listen to him, I expect that.

China Rider: Yeah. They're keepin' that funky groove going that was working so well during Loose Lucy. The transition jam seems to go almost immediately to an I Know You Rider feel. The guitar tone is very unusual here. It almost sounds like Bobby's Gibson 335 tone. He's playing lots of double-stops, where he plays two notes at a time even while soloing… wait… maybe that /was/ Bobby!? Some very cool interplay between Bobby and Phil before a guitar sound that is unmistakably Jerry joins in just ahead of the trademark unison bit before I Know You Rider. What is now clearly Jerry's tone keeps it going after the unison part, and now there's a Feelin' Groovy jam. I can almost see the smiling faces and twirling homemade sun dresses with flowers in the hair right now. Big, big ovation from the crowd as they settle into the Rider vamp before going into the first verse. They know what they've just heard. That was sweet, breezy, and smooth as can be. I'm guessing Jerry had some sort of equipment or other issue causing him to stop playing for a bit at the beginning of the transition. Oh, yeah, Jer, dig into that "On a north bound train" line. This and the out-of-place IKYR are going to get merged into one track when I get a chance.

Set II:
Promised Land: Yeah. Everybody's definitely up off their blankets now.

Bertha: Got a little "Yee Haw" from someone nearby for "All night pouring, but not a drop on me." It's quite amazing how inobtrusive the audience is, considering this was recorded with a handheld mic by someone just hanging out in crowd.

Greatest Story: Nice wah wah Jerry licks. Jerry's wah is so bubbly and has a rich swell, like the sound of a wave on the ocean. Using the rocking motion of the foot pedal definitely puts the player physically off balance, so I can understand why he seemed to abandon it later in favor of the Mutron "auto-wah" tone filter. Sounds so good here, though. Jerry's volume sounds cranked, though, totally drowning everything out. I ain't complaining. Oh, yeah. A little jam in GSET? They seem to have gone into something altogether different. I'm not sure if this is a set piece, but it feels unfamiliar to me. I know that I've heard occasional jams in Greatest Story, but they seem rare. This is definitely no longer the Greatest Story chord progression, but I don't know what it is, and then Wamp, Wamp-Wamp, right back into it. Now I'm gonna hafta start checking out Spring 1974 Greatest Stories. That was hot and adventurous, like maybe something went wrong and they fought through it… but maybe there was just a jam in this song back then.

Ship of Fools: Giving the manic dancers their first break of the second set. The taper is stopping the tape between songs, though, so who knows how long they spent tuning in between. Very nice harmony work from Bobby and Donna.

Weather Report: Seems a bit tentative in the earlier segments, but the Let It Grow jam is developing interestingly. The whole band just seems sort of in a gentle mood this night. Everything is soft and malleable, and most of all, creative, when they go off into improvised sections. The straight tunes are tight and, well, straightforward, but I'm hearing all sorts of novel ideas coming through during the instrumental segments. There seems to be a completely different confidence at work during this jazzy work out. You can hear Billy getting back to his swing roots and playing off Keith. This is fantastic. Such subtle interplay. Normally when I hear the full suite performed I wonder why they didn't continue to use the first parts, but in this case I didn't feel that way.

Peggy-O: Jerry's picking is quite aggressive, and his tone is very chimey, even behind his vocal. Relaxed tempo, even by Peggy-O standards. In this recording it sounds almost like Billy and Jerry doing a duet, but Keith adds some accents here and there.

??: What is this? A playful little jam and some quiet noodling where the audience's shouts and requests become more prominent. Bobby announces technical difficulties.

Truckin': Nice buildup, but not the major bomb drop I'm used to, and from there things start to get really weird. It's not spacy weird, just, "Whoa, what the heck is this?" weird. Some of the early 70s Truckin's could get totally abstract, so this is just the way they rolled back then. Great stuff. Gettin' that funky groove goin' from the first set again, even as the changes take on some jazzy influences. Bobby is very clear in the mix, and my oh, my it's gettin' Weir'ed. Jerry busts in with a burst of guitar feedback which seems to shock everyone for a moment, but they're still groovin'. This is the gold I look for in any show. It's funny because Mind Left Body actually sounds a lot like Loose Lucy. Billy and Phil getting' into a little funky-drummer exchange. Finally Phil breaks through in the mix with some space for him to hit that Bootsy one. In the info text "Jam" and "Mind Left Body Jam" had been listed separately, but they're actually all included in the Truckin' track, which is my preference. Cousinit made a real mess of this file set, but I can fix it. Rarely are there such glaring mistakes on the Archive, but this one has definitely been put together somewhat carelessly.

NFA: This interesting because I've been listening to a lot of Alligator era NFA's or Bean era NFA's, and that gives a nice context to compare to this Wolf tone… of course, there is a LOT of recording tech affecting the sound here, but even though there's a nice honk, everything seems so nice and round and gently muted. Hey. What's this breakdown in NFA. Pretty sure I've never heard that before… and GTRFB. THAT, was an interesting transition.

GTRFB: Nothing to worry about here. The old standby. Billy's hi-hat figure during the breakdown is, again, getting really funky with a swinging 16th note feel, or something. Very cool.

US Blues: Mars Hotel weighted setlist. What month did that come out? Good, tight version.

Johnny B. Goode: Full colosseum clap along for a high energy reading that does justice to the Check Berry original. Sometimes this can get a bit too languid. This one is rockin' hard.

On repeated listen, I've messed with the EQ some. First of all I bumped up the EQ preamp level, I dunno, about 10db, I guess. I then added a further 12db of 64Hz, and 125Hz on the 10 band EQ to bring Phil nicely into the mix, but also lowered almost everything else about 6db on frequencies that had been flat to make the bass frequency differential greater. The bass still isn't terribly defined, but it at least brings Phil into play. He was completely inaudible without EQ. Got just a touch more vocal by giving the 1KHz and 2KHz about 1db. The tape has a sort of nostalgic cheap car speaker sound, so I actually wanna preserve a bit of that… not that I could really get rid of it. There's quite a nice venue ambiance, especially when there is more space in the arrangements, like during the Mind Left Body Jam.

The vocal drop-outs others have mentioned were not audible to the audience.
February 22, 2023 - 3:28am

#1300

daverock

Joined:
September 1, 2014

2/22/69

That is a great show. According to the cd notes it was recorded, along with shows in late January and the Feb-March shows, for possible inclusion on Live Dead. It probably won't happen - the song lists are obviously very similar, but it would make a great box set to release all the shows recorded.
The shows from 1967-1971 inclusive are the main ones for me in 30 Trips.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Currently Listening To...

Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

9/30/76

:)))

4/19/83✔️

Interesting first set, second ok, went with ok aud, better recording might of helped...
Good background working music...

How About A Lyceum Show?

Classics.

With the weather improving day by day... and many of us getting vaccinated and moving about.. it's getting more and more difficult to pull off the infamous DHBrewer Hattrick.

But we carry on the best we can...

Lyceum

Let's do it Jim. Which show did you have in mind. All four of them are outstanding. I think we did 5/26/72 at some point. But that doesn't preclude us from doing it again.

Lyceum

How about 5/25 and for extra credit the China Rider through PITB from 5/24?

A great run of shows...

Edit: Of course we could just do them both, in fact I think I will. Keithfan just posted this on the Dave's Picks page regarding 5/24.. which contains my personal favorite China Rider of the tour. I just love how silky smooth the transition is on this one.

________________________________
(shamelessly stolen from the Dave's Picks 38 page)

Last Lovelight

5/24/72 - night two of the Lyceum run, but more notably, the anniversary of Pigpen's last Lovelight. It's my favorite. They streamline it down to a smooth 12 minutes that includes some Allman-like jamming, which was par for the course for Lovelight by '72; but unlike its two counterpart versions from the tour, they get into that great 'doot-doot-doo' melody at10:05. Pigpen's improvised lyrics over this quiet drumless guitar / bass melody are some of the best. Nothing about refrigerator repair men or pocket ball or legs-up-against the-wall. This one is....ahem....closer to the heart. Don't have that E72 show? No problem - it's on Rockin' the Rhein as well (bonus track). To Pigpen.

5/24 and 5/25 72

Sounds like a good plan. I will hit up 5/24 today and 5/25 tomorrow.

In the meantime I have been listening to the first set of 6/20/91. Nice show, I believe Download Series #11.

Will switch over to 5/24/72.

my potw-eekend carrying over to today

5/26/73

a bit premature

but that's ok

Wow

Got through 5/24 and the first set of 5/25. Simply wow. Great shows.. which leaves the spectacular second set of 5/25 tomorrow and 5/26/73 Kezar Stadium for Wednesday.

It's a mind blown week, and it's only Monday.

But back to 5/24/72.. one of the under-rated, sleeper shows of arguably one of great tours ever performed. Do not underestimate this one.. from Cold Rain and Snow to OMSN, it's start finish greatness.

I got a hoot out of KFan's lovelight comments. I had my eyes on 4/26 and 5/7. To me, they still ring true, but the Lovelight>Two Souls is really classic stuff.. and in a great way highlights the end of the Pigpen era. This tour is simply magic in a bottle, pick your show and you can find yourself.. the under-rated shows are really appealing.. Lille, this show, Munich,... so many. Great stuff.

5/24/72

Finished this up yesterday afternoon Jim and I agree great show. Also liked the Truckin into the Other One and then into Sing Me Back Home. And we had a little WRS tease in this show.

On to 5/25/72!

Oh and when will that box be announced??

I saw a post last week they will be doing a MUATM this year.!

Weather Report Tease

Yes, I noticed that too. On to the second set of 5/25 for me.

Have a good day everyone...

I guess we should set up a go fund me for GOGD.. clearly he has not been able to make his $6 bail..

5/25

The better of the two shows. The second set is sublime..

Hope you all are having a good week.

Lyceum Shows

Enjoyed 5/25 as well. Nice Good Lovin, The UJB ,Wharf Rat, Dark Star into Sugar Mag are really good.

Of the four Lyceum shows 5/26 is my favorite. I won't hit that one up today as I need to change it up a bit.

Moving on to Kezar today Jim? They have the reels for this one now after the ABCD transaction, I hope it comes out at some point.

Kezar

Yes to Kezar.. agree on 5/26, but I hit this one up about a month ago. Plus.. a good bit of it was released with E72.

I haven't listened to Kezar in years, so it will be a good listen.

Our go fund me to get GOGD out on bail is up to $4.50.. so we only need a buck and a half to get him out of prison on six dollars bail. Things should pick up a bit here when he's back.

Go Fund Me

Put me down for a $1.50 Jim.

5/26

72 (listened a year or two ago)
73 (listened over the past weekend +)

95 (my final in-person GD show)

here's another $1.50, JiminMD

Fresh Out of Prison on $6 Bail....

This should conjure up GOGD, just in time for the weekend....

5/26/73. Kezar

My brother went to this show, he saw Garcia and Peter Grant ( The pedal steel player on Aoxomoxoa), standing on the side of the stage watching Ralph Mooney, the pedal steel player in Waylon Jennings band play.

Peter Grant

Zeppelin manager

PGs everywhere

That's more like it!

The sports guy for a local Bay Area TV station has been reporting from the "vinyl room" at his home during Covid. He has albums lining 2 walls that he changes out every day.

I couldn't help but notice the absence of a certain San Francisco band that people seem to like around here. Just figured they weren't his cup of tea.

Wrong - check this out (scroll until you get to the panel under the 10:53 PM marker, then play). Get ready to hit the pause button after the ads to check out his display!

https://archive.org/details/KTVU_20210526_050000_The_Ten_Oclock_News_on…

Lyceum '72

At the time I was a teenager having a ball in 'Swinging London' (some parts of it were still Swinging in '72) and lucked into a job with Apple Records as a general gofer which put me right in the middle of the London music scene. Just for added fun I had a part-time job at the Marquee Club three nights a week. With a girlfriend who worked for another record company and a flatmate musician working with a music biz management team you can imagine I was never short of some live action.
I had been to the first of the Wembley shows in April '72 and dug it enough to look forward to the Dead's return in May. Now it gets a bit vague regarding dates but I had tickets for one of the Lyceum shows which was even better than the Wembley gig. But then the next day at work one of the Beatles' resident chauffeurs (either Alf or Lou, they were both usually around) happened to mention if anyone wanted to go see the Dead that night he had an invite he could pass on; I think I remember there was a connection to Don Murfitt who was known around town for security at the major shows and would have been known to the Beatles' entourage. I doubt there were many Deadheads at Apple at that time but I jumped at it and went along for the second night in a row.
Except this time I had to report to the backstage door with a message for someone on the crew; I can't remember the secret password but it got me in with a right royal reception and was promptly invited to lick the back of the hand of one of the crew which I duly did although the girlfriend declined. From there on this Deadhead was in heaven for quite a few hours tripping on the best acid I ever had and marveling at the night sky as the theater had a giant sliding roof that opened which seemed entirely the thing to do for Dark Star.
Somewhere around two in the morning, the Dead were still playing but the girlfriend was getting bored and demanded to be taken home; being the true gent I was (still am) I insisted on taking her across town in a taxi and then took same taxi home, the total cost of which was equal to a weeks' wages back then (she was hot though, worth looking after for sure).
But it was all worth it.
I can't honestly remember which two of the four nights I attended but I do know I was never quite the same after.
Anyway, I now live in Australia and much water has passed under many bridges. The girlfriend was eventually replaced with an even hotter one (that I married) and my career took a turn from the music business to the motor trade leading to working on race cars until I retired to the beach but I have all four Lyceum shows to listen to over and over and am still out there enjoying every second.
So if I still say I consider the Europe '72 shows are my favorite period of my entire GD collection you will understand there is good reason.
Thanks guys.

Swingin' London

Thanks for sharing @Chris Martin, that's great stuff.

Anybody else instantly think, "I wanna help Chris figure out which of the 4 shows he was at." ?

I couldn't help thinkin' that.
Would love to hear more about backstage scene and how that all went down.
What a trip!

Far out.

Bolo's tellin' us to watch the sports guy for some epic glimpses of SF's favorite hometown band memorabilia.

And May '72 is in the air.

Good to be back in town catchin' up on what's been goin' down.

Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart...

Sold for a buck & a quarter.

Hey Chris

Very cool story.. made my night just to read it.

GOGD.. good to see you back.

Chris Martin

Wow! What a story. Can't imagine what it would have been like to be in London at that time in 72. Great stuff! But wait, you left before the show was over? Okay, I can understand, you had a good reason.
Thanks for sharing.

Good to hear from you GOGD.

Kezar 73 is still top stuff. A few audience patches throughout, but the recording is great. Official release when it comes out will be even better.

Everybody hang loose.

London 72

Chris-great review - sounds very special. I also left a Dead show in London early due to a fed up girlfriend on 10/31/90.
I'd do it again, too. Must be something in the water.

7/7/89

How about 7/7/89?

July 89 is as good as Bobby says it was. Such high levels. You could even watch this one on Video if you have it.

I believe Keithfan was in attendance.

Sure

great show

IBANEZ

Ha, sportscasters name is Ibanez!

Chris, great story!

5/21, 22, 23/82: did the run, The 21st seemed a tad tame for a Friday, but the Sunday was more like a Friday! All good shows, but I thought they got better progressively...really liked Sunday, Rocking!
5/25/72: don’t have all,of the 24 and the streaming offerings were lacking so went with the 25th, which was nice...72 Dawwwkk, Stawwww!

leave the wives and girlfriends at home

"wahh! I'm bored! sacrifice your happiness for me! I don't care if you bought the tickets and we invested time and energy and money and anticipation! wahh! I wanna go home!"

leave
them
at
home

Leave The Wives And Girlfriends At Home

Re leaving the Lyceum gig while the Dead were still playing, I have three excuses:
1 - I had been to the show the night before and having a regular day job too even I was burning the candle both ends.
2 - She was a red hot babe and I thought I was in love so yes, I always gave her what she wanted (even walking out on the Dead) but she was worth it.
3 - At that age it did not occur to me that I might have to wait two years until they came back - Alexandra Palace September '74 - so leaving early did not seem like a crime.
The really strange thing was when I got home - about 3am - I was still tripping and I leaned out the window of my apartment in Finchley which is about 9 miles from the Lyceum and I was sure I could hear the band still playing. Whatever I had heard earlier that evening the acid made sure the show went on in my head for quite some time after.
Anyway, as I said I did not buy the tickets, it was a free pass and I doubt I missed much after 2am, I think the night before they finished soon after 2ish, maybe 2.30, but yeah, lesson learned I don't think I took her to see the Dead again.

Lyceum '72

GOGD asked what was it like backstage? Well allowing for the fact that this was nearly fifty years ago and my memory may not be completely unaffected by the intake of various substances over the years but some details I do remember. I was told to report to the door at the back of the stage, which I did, I think it was red but I can't remember if it was open or did I have to ring a bell? Someone let us in, I guess I must have said who sent me or something similar but I was immediately made welcome like an old friend. I do clearly remember the door led directly to the back of the stage and I was immediately aware of a large scaffolding frame right in front of me towering up to the roof which was filled with speakers. The area was mostly in darkness but I was sure I saw most of the band hanging around, and several of the crew seemed busy running around although as this was not the first night of the four night run (I was there the night before too) I doubt they would have had a lot to do setting up the gear. It was one of them who told me to lick his hand. Certainly the Dead must have traveled with their own supplies and it was the real deal, it took effect fairly soon after and lasted all night, clean and clear with no downside. Whoever it was who let us in asked if we wanted to stick around, I think there were a few flat wooden benches behind the stage, and drinks and smokes were being passed around but we would not have been able to see the band on stage from there so we were let through a side door to the main auditorium.
As for what nights I attended, I really could not say. I do know they were two consecutive nights and I had to go to work the next day after both so that rules out the 26th which was a Friday (I did not work Saturday). I would probably have been eager enough when tickets went on sale to have bought for the first night (23rd) so the next would have been the 24th but that is only guessing. It could have been 24th and 25th. I have all four CDs just to be sure I have the ones I was at and they all still sound great, but having been to other shows and after all this time I can't honestly remember what they played or maybe more relevant, what they left out. New Riders of the Purple Sage were on the same shows and there was a lot of waiting around between sets so probably the Dead did not start playing until very late.
One thing I should be ....ahem...."Grateful" for is that with hindsight many still think Europe '72 saw the band at their best and certainly on the evidence of the recordings available they were on top form.

7/7/89

This show has a great flow to it. That Box of Rain still gives me chills.
Finished up the last part of the show on DVD. Wish we had more shows on DVD.

Who has a pick for today? Bob t?

I don't think we will see a box announcement until August, but hey at least they released the Garden Club???
I remember when this site was packed with music.

Enjoy it.

Continuing...

with checking out shows I’ve never heard, 5/12/74. A lil 74 goodness for a Fri- day!
Perhaps later, 3/25/83 depending on chever way?

Hopefully Doc will lead us all on more 71 adventures Saturday and Sunday?

7/17 and Beyond

A great show. I like energy of the close to the first set.. say from Memphis Blues through Blow Away.

I'm all in with OroB's lead. Either show is fine. 5/12 is the windy show where the stacks of speakers over Bills head were swinging wildly and it freaked him out. They changed the setup going forward. I can see why it spooked him.
Sometime I want to draw us back to an earlier time... something off the beaten tracks with a good Smokestack or School Girl.

It's raining here, but we need the rain. Lots of vacationers starting to show up and fill the town. Rivers are running.. what's a guy to do?

Happy Friday everyone. Do something extraordinary.

something extraordinary?

How about some gardening?

while you wear your pretty little apron, listen to 5/12/74. You'll be glad you did.

Onward

5/12/74 ✔️ Interesting sequence in the last set, good sheeet mon. Overall perhaps not top 74 tier, but a fine show though the version I went with was not...

3/25/83✔️ Strider recommended so I had to check it out. Good energy, Bob even comments at some point about hopefully we can keep it going....first H-S-F, good set list, but again, the tape got weird for part of it....

So I was going to hop on the Doc train and go with 5/29/71 today, but I drank some cider and now I feel funny?

catching up

Chris - thanks for sharing that very cool story. that's some sweet happenings

Jim - thanks for suggesting that Lyceum run. had not really been on my radar compared to many of the shows on the continent. total eye opener. a magnificent 4 nights.

Senator Oro - spring '83. early on I had clean board of 4/17 Set II. It is smoking from the opening notes of H>S>F. great great tape.

DV - will have to check out 7/7/89. I was elsewhere during most of that year.

glad all it took was a $6 to spring GOGD from the pokey.

someone mentioned Fox Atlanta 5/18/77 I think (PF?) seemed like Set I was a pretty slow pace for that tour. High Time might be the slowest I've ever heard. Something seems to "change" in Estimated and holy moly the eyes of the World that follows is fantastic with an expansive opening jam by Jerry and beautiful soloing between verses. gorgeous.

finally had a mind meld with DaP 38. had been spinning it in my car for awhile - pretty okay but a bit sharp. But one evening relaxed and with Sennheisers it was like the mix totally changed - unbelievably smooth and sweet. Curious if I'll be able to find that spot easily again. I do think there are a couple of somewhat rough patches that may have come from another show - Bobby's guitar jumps from right to dead center for brief periods.

enjoy the weekend and be safe everybody

5 19 77

:)))

5/29/71

Damn that “cider” was strong! ; )
Just starting to feel right again, phewww
Another fine show. Perhaps not quite the Thunder of the years previous shows, but there’s some cool, almost DS like exploring during some of the out jams, I guess particularly TOO...
More of the laid back home town vibe versus the coke induced overdrive of some of the east coast shows.
Did the Aud for most of the first section, and the CM SB for the rest.
Both are flawed but I didn’t mind the Aud, back in the day we would have been happy as it’s got a good mix etc, and though it has Winterlands unique room coloring, it’s not bad.
The SB was mostly good but had some level/distortion issues.
These 71s are growing on me.
Onto 5/30 today.

5/29/71

The famous cider show at Winterland.

5/30/71

Another fine Lil 71 show. Didn’t have the cool jam of the previous but a solid show except for shug megs, ouch..
Good helping of pork, pass the napkins please, including a somewhat rare but nice Rub, and a spicey LL.
Cool little Dew in the first, And!,... it’s got a Cumberland!
Tapes were similar to the 29th: Aud for first section, SB for rest. The Aud was worse though than the previous, and I almost didn’t listen, but wanted to hear this at least once. Like most, eventually I was able to get past it and entrain with the music, but it suffered more from venue sonic anomalies than the previous night. The SB was mostly good, perhaps an occasional clipping instrument, but usually short duration.
Ok, hopefully we’ll see Doc (and Strider ; ) here on the 21st!

The bottle was dusty

but the cider was strong..

A bit behind having made the best of a strong holiday weekend. I was dependent on waterproof, bike and river devices for much of my listening this weekend.. which do not get updated based on this thread very often. I did find myself once again enthralled with 5/23 and 5/24/1969 a week after it's aniversary. I have to admit though.. hearing disc 2 into disc 3 you get a He Was a Friend of Mine, Death Don't Have No Mercy and Morning Dew almost back to back.. I was thinking, is something really bad just about to happen to me? So I had to switch it up a little and fast forwarded into the 80's for the end of the weekend.

I might re-hit William and Mary this week too. I only had one decent listen of that one since it came out.

Hope you all had as good a weekend as you could. What's the show du jour?

today's pick du jour fuer heute (which started yesterday)

10/14/76

Aaaaaa? tap, tap, tap

is thing on?
Mornin’ Jim,
Did 7/25/74 for the first time yesterday.
Nice little show, would make a good Dave’s.....

Was thinking of continuing on with my quest for unheard shows, and specifically 4/9/83.
Been digging spring 83 lately, especially some of the awesome Auds!

Ooops, sorry PF, you weren’t there before lol

So 10/14/76 Today, 4/9/83 Tomorrow?

Sounds like a plan. I am in a 76 mood today.. so there's that.

As for 4/9/83.. happy to do that one. I was there. I might have to conjure up a tall tale from the cobwebs of my failing memory.

I tried to bring to life the next night a few weeks ago. If you have ever seen both venues (Hampton and Morgantown Coliseums), the are remarkably similar. In the right frame of mind, you might mistake them or UFO's (or are they)? I did miss 4/10 which is silly because it was closer to where I was living at the time. Morgantown is the closest 'city' to where I live now, I have a soft spot for the Mountaineers.

10/14/76

I am only seeing the second set that circulates for this show, at least through Relisten. Would love to check it out. And 83 is always worth a listen. Thanks guys.

83

I did Morgantown back when it came up as I had a tape bitd and was interested. Couldn't remember about it, perhaps good show, not so good tape? I did remember "the girl with lobotomy eyes" comment!
Heard a great ayd version this time around!
Been there a few times, some wild stories considering we were there to visit the "20 year olds" grandma...but never saw the dead there.
Heard this opening night Hampton was good, and it seems to be.
I'll try for 76 later...

83

Doah, dbl time...

Well, this is embarrasing!

Aside from a 20 minute appearance at the Human Be-In on January 14, 1967, I always thought 11/10/1973 was my first "official" Dead show. I recently had the opportunity to go through some of my late brother's belongings. Lo and behold, I found a ticket stub glued to a piece of paper with a caption - First Dead concert with "Bolo" (name changed to protect the guilty). I was floored for two reasons: 1) that he would keep something like that - not his nature, and 2) that I would have been wrong all these years.

So, in memory of my big bro', I propose 12/10/1972 for POTD on Thursday. Caveat: a big chunk of set 1 is missing, but the rest is pretty sweet.

R.I.P. brother

Re:

And so it is. Great story Bolo. I will fly my freak flag half mast.. and hopefully enjoy Thursday's show to the fullest.

I will be sure to play the good parts extra loud.

4/9/83 Hampton

My second show and the first one we travelled to. We had tickets, our plan was simple.. get to the show and get in.. then find someplace really cheap to sleep or drive East and sleep on the beach.

The show features the East Coast breakout of Help on the Way/Slipknot!/Franklin's Tower, played just twice earlier in the spring since the fall of '77. Great China Rider to close first set, high energy and good for the era. The other thing that stands out to me is how fresh the new material sounds. West LA, Brother Essau are Throwing Stones are just finding their place. A super fun and high energy show.

We ended up driving East without much of a plan and played on the beach till the sun came up magically without drawing any attention to ourselves.. then crawled back to this dive in either Va Beach or Newport News, I cannot recall.. the dive we slept in was called the Strawberry Motor Lodge, which I am sure is long gone by now. There might have been rain or mist involved too.. it was Spring, perhaps colder temps but somehow we made it to dawn outside before retreating for a couple hours sleep and the drive home. We should have just headed to Morgantown for the next show.

So ended my second show. My only birthday show and it might have been my only Satisfaction. I think I caught another Smokestack (maybe).. All in all a fun little show.

That's about all I can remember. There must have been something in us that made us want to stay up all night... my guess is fungalificaiton but all these years later I cannot be sure of anything.