Listening Party: Dave's Picks Volume 2
We welcome you to hear “China Cat Sunflower> I Know You Rider” and “Wharf Rat” from the brand new Dave's Picks Volume 2.
July 31, 1974
$27.98
Few, if any, have been as outspoken as I against the tyranny of the Complete Show Totalitarians. But this time they're right. Dead right. And they even have a legitimate gripe about the advertisement of a complete show when it isn't.
Seastones was the quintessential Wall of Sound experience. As one who personally witnessed Phil and Ned "play the system" I can say that it was the trippiest, least predictable, most unusual aspect of Dead shows of the period. It was a unique performance each time and should have been included. Indispensable to the 1974 vibe."Trippy," "unpredictable," "unusual," "unique." Isn't that why we keep coming back to this music?
I'm starting to wonder about Dave's sensibilities and preferences. His first two Picks are not up to Dick's standards. These are fairly run-of-the-mill shows. I suppose it is distinctly possible to run out of release-worthy shows. I doubt this has happened quite yet, but hopefully good taste and forbearance will eventually prevail and not market exploitation. And now he edits out Phil and Ned from a "complete" 1974 show? I wonder if he ever saw this phenomenon in person. Likely not or he'd understand how incomplete this show is without it.
While I'm here, I'd like to renew my call for more early stuff. Why has there never been and official release of a 1967 show, in part or complete? C'mon, Dave! We know there are more Touchheads than old hippies who buy this stuff, but don't let that determine the selections every time. We've got plenty of 70s for the time being. More 60s, less 90s and go easy on the 80s.
Got it, complete Grateful Dead performance. Complete Dead show? Trippers, twirlers, tour hounds and electronic music fans might beg to differ. There were SO MANY chances to indicate that this was to be a complete GD performance, MINUS Seastones.
I've seen the Dead with a few (2-3) band members playing steel drums during a set break, saw musicians sitting in, saw Mickey and Bill playing percussion inside a ring of jugglers, all sorts of interludes and all PART OF THE COMPLETE SHOW, just like Seastones. It goes with the "There's nothing like a GD concert" territory. What was Infrared Roses? It was the Grateful Dead. And check Bralove's credits.
But thanks for coming back to tell us you guys had it right all along here.
I just passed Seastones. Damn, those things had been rattling around down there since '74!
By the middle finger of Jerry?? Too funny ssg!
A photgrapher named Jim Anderson posted some beautiful shots from this show:
http://www.photog.com/gdead/70s/74/7-31/index.html
These anal compulsive deadheads just make me laugh and laugh. I can just envision this guy's wall of CDs, all lined up chronologically and geographically, catalogued and numbered, absolute full tours all - except, there is a gaping hole in the 1974 collection, his soul is torn, a half hour of incomprehensible feedback is missing! How can he live with this insult to the concept of the complete show? It is not something anyone in their right mind would ever actually listen to, but BY THE MIDDLE FINGER OF JERRY THIS WAS TOUTED AS A COMPLETE SHOW!!! I believe a class action lawsuit and possibly a congressional investigation is in order, take it to the supreme court, this outrage will not stand!
"...nothin left to do but smile smile smile..."
...for my dad last week he asked what the hell it was (DP 12). Personally I like to have the eeps and blurps, etc.
Well, we collecting heads are a tough bunch to please. A complete, beautiful sounding '74 show (first one, I believe, after some nice, incomplete Dick's Picks and the wonderful Dead Movie compilation), and Dave still gets grief. I for one am ecstatic. I've been waiting for a full '74 show, since I like the 1st sets as much as the mind-blowing jams of the 2nd sets. Can't wait for this one, and after the selections so far, I'm likely to buy into the subscription idea next year. Can I please have a year-one bonus disc as advance reward? ;-)
Seastones is not the Dead. If folks really want to hear some Seastones, why not petition the dead office with requests? Im not sure it would sell much - it was interesting hearing Seastones once, but I dont have interest to going back for another listen. YMMV
Phil and Ned is not the Grateful Dead. It is the complete Dead show.
Location
exactly, sffct or however you pronounce that. I don't care about complete releases, hell I would still be buying not one but two subscriptions (strange and unique gifts, if you must know) even if I knew Seastones was missing. I did get a bit fired up assuming it would be there. I don't like misrepresentation here (and I didn't see a "gee, sorry we didn't mention this"), and I generally don't like anybody's bitching, least of all mine. I care that they know that some of us really do care about communication. OK moving on.