Grateful Dead

dead.net the official site

Ya gotta remember: technology's going to continue to evolve.

True, there's only so much in the vault. (And it's already starting to feel like most of the really, really great stuff is already out.) At some point they will run out of "new" things to release. That's just math.

But there will probably be a near endless series of remasterings and reissues in new formats. Probably we will see the release of shows that were deemed unreleasable due to poor recording quality but which have been restored through new audio technologies. Probably we will see the re-release of shows we already have in new masterings and new formats that offer improved audio.

I have to say "probably" because it all depends on the existence of an audience that's willing to pay the freight. You and I grew up believing that music was central to life and something worth paying for. But we ain't none of us getting any younger, and Generation Alpha will probably be more likely to spend time and money on virtual reality computer games than listening to analogue era recordings of Boomers playing guitars.

Probably the archival releases will keep coming for as long as you and I are here to pay for them. Which is, what, another 10-15 years? Maybe 20-25 for some. After that, it's up to somebody else.

I'm not a robot!

had a long post, got hay nowed, well, lets hope they fix this some time this year. gonna be a great year.

Appreciate the attitude and good vibes!
Hope your new year turns out awesome!

Da Future: bottom line, is well, the bottom line, amen ; )

Dave's Picks Volume 30

Back in July I purchased the D&Co 2023 three night run at Folsom Field July 1-3. Over New Years Eve and subsequent Monday and Tuesday, we watched all three consecutively. I figured a three night run would present them with three completely different setlists, and I was right, I don't think they repeated a song. The Morning Dew on night 2 was excellent! John Mayer was 'on' all three nights and leading the band. Please let this go through.

agree-disagree ...anyway I love the Dead. and considering the hardcore fans get older, maybe a "extreme honey serie" should be welcome!!!

3 More Weeks !!?

Years ago today I attended my FIRST GD concert a rescheduled show from November 27, 1978.

Tasty

My 45th is in 2 weeks!
I’ve actually been making my way through early 79 and recently hit 1/5/79.
Good show, good energy, and not bad aud by Bob Wagner I believe?
Wondered why they played the Rectum twice but not together…

Maybe I’m projecting but it ever so slightly seems like you can hear K&D slowly dropping out sort of?
They were so good on 12/31 but, hard to put in words: she usually starts off good but some of these shows seems to go downhill a bit as the night progresses? She has mentioned Alcohol becoming a problem, along with others…
Who knows, I’m up to the 15th, which is generally good, second set is awesome. That’s another thing: seems like the first sets are not as magnificent? Again, good, but as the tour progresses it seems like the first set is becoming more of a warm up set? The 15 fyi, is on Dave’s “list” and seems like a show he would pick…

I would like a 1979 or 1980 box set sometime. I’ve always enjoyed the Alaska 1980 shows but I’ve listened to them so many times I’d rather get something else. I’m a proud Lost Sailor fan. I saw the Wolf Brothers play a Sailor > Saint a couple weeks ago at the Capitol Theatre and it was the highlight of the show for me (well Terrapin too). But I like most everything.

....I was 12-13. The formative years.
Good times. The best of times.

One really weird thing about getting old is that your memory starts to be so full of holes that you can sometimes watch a movie you know you've seen before and yet be surprised and delighted by the whole thing as if seeing it for the first time. Happened to me the other day with Scorcese's film about the Rolling Thunder tour. And it made me really miss the '70s.

Imagine if now a major rock star, one of the very biggest, decided that rather than do another stadium tour as his managers and record company wanted, decided to play 500 seat venues in small towns, doing shows that were advertised only by hand-out fliers and word of mouth a few days in advance. Suppose said rock star also decided that he wasn't going to do his regular arena show, but a review that included Allen Ginsberg reading poems and various famous and not-so-famous friends doing a few tunes. Suppose he decided that he himself was going to drive the tour bus from town to town and stop off to perform an an Indian reservation when he felt like it. Suppose he'd just written a protest song about a boxer framed for murder, and rushed that song onto the market, and it was climbing the charts (and would eventually help to get the guy released)?

Hard to imagine anything like that these days of corporate sponsored tours that spend years pounding away at a schedule designed to extract every last dollar out to each and every football stadium around the world as the "artists' lip sync their biggest hits.

And certainly nobody these days wants to take any political stand whatsoever. Except maybe Neil Young. Or maybe Springsteen. Two guys whose best days were in the '70s.

So here I am missing the '70s. Which is weird, because at the time, we all thought everything sucked! But looking back, there were still a lot of people around who thought they could actually Change Things. Including Bob Dylan.

That movie... so much of a time and place, or places... lucky enough to catch the Rolling Thunder Review at the Augusta Civic Center, the day after Thanksgiving 1975. Talk about old... Heard Dylan before at MSG Concert for Bangladesh and at the old Boston Garden with The Band, January 1974. RTR was a trippy variety show for Rubin Carter, the make up, Scarlet Rivera's violin with the Blues For Allah sticker. The thing that jumped at me in that movie, when they are jamming at Gordon Lightfoots place, Dylan and McGuinn can't follow Joni Mitchells chords, almost agape.

IJWTS I'm really enjoying the Good Old Grateful Podcast coverage of all the songs on Wake of the Flood. The deep dive into Eyes of the World was especially insightful. Almost done with Eyes, and its on to Prelude and Weather Report Suite. Highly recommended. Please don't Hey Now me.

When can we expect the first Dick’s Picks of 2024?

For some reason I thought the first set was being issued this month; was I wrong?

Nothing happened, one of four dates the Dead never played.

@ crow told me, interesting comment...
"in an old man there is always a kid who wanders what has happened..".Could be Groucho or another merry prankster.
but memory not so full of holes...just a lot of music on the shelves, like Dicks picks 21, an underated gem, maybe the best show between Atlanta 80-11-30 to this day 85-11-1 in Richmond.
strange and good filler from 80-9-2 in this pick

I think the "release date" for Dave's 49 will be January 26th, which is the last Friday of the month.

That's interesting, Dick's 21 dosen't seem to get much respect these days...best show in five years?

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. peace

Dick's Picks Volume 21 is an excellent show in my humble opinion. 11/1/1985 Richmond, Va. Set 2 is where the magic lies.
Unfortunately, soundman Dan Healy was using audio cassettes to record shows during the 1980s, and cassettes don't have that sonic range and we can hear it on compact discs. I tell myself that I am listening to the original cassette that Healy gave me with the original recording/playback deck that he used because the CD doesn't degrade the sound.

@born cross eyed
the first set is very good too .All the small songs are very well played.
High time could be the best ever...sailor-saint sanwidch...I did not listen this show for 5 or 6 years. I like Jerry 's playing in this one. This show sounds more like end of thr eighties . this could the best show before last era 89-91.

....was one of the first tapes I ever got back in late '87.
Very familiar with that one.
"Gotta get funk!"

Skiing in a real funky snowsuit. Check it out on YouTube. Just explaining that the subscriptions will be closing in a few days. Go to YouTube it's short sweet and complete. He also hints about 51 as well.

I bought a few items the same day i THINK i renewed my Dave's PIck's 2024 subsciption. I do not want to miss out.
How can i check on that here..... I ordered with the email i used with this account.
Thanks again
Frank Ogle III 08312

looking good and grooming deadheads to even out their anticipation and preparing them for 51. It’s a Kicker when a small, triangular shaped bit of music is usually added. Please Dave no Air-to-Fakie half pipe trick where you approach release day moving forward, and then Rhino suggests you land listening to the latest release backwards. It’s real, right? No Fakie with a Greensboro DS, and a 9/7/73 or 4/19/84 Kicker...
Peace All!
uncle_tripel

Dave certainly looks like he has a fun life.

It is not too late to Subscribe.

When Dave says "a few picks back" where is he referencing from? Is it from where we're at? Or, more likely, where HE is at! Remember he is a few picks ahead of us, the consumer. So by my logic, the "uncompleted" release has to have been the 1970 filler fro the last pick, #48. Since there aren't any official released shows that are incomplete. Seems odd to get a 1970 pick only a year after a 1972 & a 1971, but that may be the case. Especially since we've got 1985 & 1977 on the way, with a variety of line ups promised. So, maybe it's a "Bear's Banana Box" Pig show!?

My money is on a post Brent era for Volume 52, maybe 1991 or 1992.
Aslo for next years releases I am predicting a 1976, & 1982 are due. Still speculating on other dates.

So, I didn't know the Dave's 49 artwork has been on various social media sites for a month now...

Dave adding the remainder of the 1970 show to #51 dosen't necessarily mean that #51 is a 1970 show.
Man I love speculation..

I wouldn't mind a post Brent show, I think Dick's 27 is real nice.

Gotta say, that is pretty sweet cover art. Dig the nod to the Scarlet> Eyes, and Playing. And Stanford Trees and Magoo's Pizza. First release from the actual home of the Dead. Not far from where Phil and Jerry first met, and where Bob met Jerry and took lessons from him, and so on and so forth.

The caveat emptor from the back cover of the CD case for DiP 21, 11/1/85:

DP 21 was mastered from the original digital tapes, our earliest foray into the digital domain to date. The master tapes are Beta PCM cassettes with stereo digital audio recorded on the video track. We’ve aimed to make this release sound as good as possible and we feel we’ve succeeded. Hopefully, you will agree. Enjoy

—-

So, cassette masters but of the more modern (circa ‘85 at least) digital variety. Early DATs. I’m guessing analog cassette masters would be, as some have mentioned, significantly worse quality, and that’s why there’s a paucity (barring some recent releases like MSG 81-83) of 81-85 releases

enjoy daP 49 artwork

the concerts from the Laurence Frost Ampitheater at Stanford Univ is super HIGH. you have to GO listen to this Jerry Garcia "FRETS" Interview on you tube from January 12, 1985, it's an Out-of-Sight precursor to get yourself FIRED UP for daP 49.

Peace All!
uncle_tripel

...about y'all, but getting abit ANTSY out here, need some RHINO LOVE in the form of, well, maybe, like a 2024 Release Schedule, HAHA!
anyways, I like talkin' futures...
feb 1 #49
apr 27 an announcement of some kind

jun 15 pre-order mars 50th + meet up movie announcement
jun 27 ugly rumors release
jul 15 box announcement + pre-order

sept 15 box release

PLEASE understand this is all CONJECTURE on my part, & should be viewed as my opinion based on incomplete info.

keep on truckin'
uncle_tripel

EDIT (1):
MAR 27 ACTUAL pre-order mars 50th
APR 10 an announcement = HUNTER 50th
APR 25 #50
JULY 25 #51
OCT 25 #52

Thanks for the tip on the Frets interview. Only caught about 20 min. of it on bluegrass subjects but got some names to look up now. Clarence White and Scotty Stoneman.
Cheers
Kinda sad hearing Jerry talk about Scotty being a lush who could still blow anyone away on fiddle even while blind drunk. One of 23 children, Scotty died poor and drinking hair tonic when he was 41.

yeah, Jerry also mentions Art Tatum [pianist] and he is an unbelievable player, it's like listening to two piano players dueling with each other. unfortunately some of the greatest players just self-destruct...apparently scotty was sober for a period of time before fallin' so hard he didn't realize what he was actually drinkin'.. that's really fahk'd-up

uncle_tripel

a.k.a. Clarence White has a huge wiki page. I learned a lot! Lots of recordings to look for in the used bins, lol. The cross connections are astounding, Byrds etc. And he invented the "B-bender"! World class flatpicker. Another one gone too soon.
Cheers

Great player. He was the person being referenced by Gram Parsons in the second verse of the track ‘In My Hour of Darkness’ on ‘Grievous Angel’.

Tragedy seems to follow the famous. Clarence and his brother killed by a drunk driver while loading up their gear after a gig I think it said. I gotta get some Clarence White. Marty Robbins (OOPS, Stewart) owns the "B- bender" strat and Tony Rice had his modified Martin D-28 acoustic.
Cheers

Just announced she has a tumor in her abdomen that will require a complex surgery.
Positive vibes for her!
Peace

1stshow,
are you sure it's Marty Robbins who owns/owned the CW B-Bender?
Or is it Marty Stewart who bought it from CW's family?

I'm a huge GP and Byrds fan too.

Greetings to CO!
G.

I do that all the time with those two names. I call it Anheuser's disease instead of Alzheimer's since I was born in STL. Thanks Gerd. Will correct. Howdy back at ya!
Cheers

...(201)-777-8653 was the grateful dead hotline and how us East Coast HEADS "stay(ed) in touch", phone re-dial was REQUIRED lol; today we have dead.net. what WILL we DO in 2039...?

peace all!
uncle_tripel

Oh wow, I just came across Elliott Peck's statement. Wishing her and her family much patience and peace.

As someone who had major abdominal surgery five summers ago, I was blessed to have two capable surgeons and an amazing crew of nurses who took care of me while I was on the post-surgical ward for nearly a week afterwards. And with a no-bend, no-lift restriction, I was basically helpless for another month after that. So although it was very humbling, I was always aware of how very fortunate I was. I recovered in full, and all of my awful stomach/digestive woes have been a thing of the past ever since. So Elliott, I doubt you'll see this, but if you do please allow me to wish you a successful procedure(s) and a speedy and complete recovery.

...to THINKIN' yesterday about how EXCITING the sonic travels of the 36 DiP's & 50 DaP's releases have been SO FAR. In August this year, DaP begins #51 onwards to #100... anyway the years that have been largely FOCUSED
upon include:
'74 & '77 (7 each year)
'73 (5 for this year)
'71 & '72 & '78 (4 for each year)
'69 & '76 (3 each year)

QUESTION: will there be DaP 2-track recordings released featuring the years of '68, '75, '82, '86, '88, '89, '91 thru '95 ?
could it be some of these years ONLY have MULTI-track recordings and don't qualify for a DaP release?

anyone care to comment with insight or opinion?

So you know I've been a soldier in the armies of the night, & I'll find the fatal error in what's otherwise ALL RIGHT.
Something shines around you that seems, to my DELIGHT...
...just a little light.

... my own questions lol; recent on-line research gave me some insight, and info regarding the lack of representation of particular years in the daP series.

Here are some words from Light Into Ashes (feb. 2011) quoting Mr. Lemieux "If we had Betty Boards, if we had reel-to-reel properly [mixed] tapes of every show in the ‘80s, believe me, we would be seeing a lot more ‘80s releases.” AND “There have been a lot of requests for 1984-88 DPs. Many don’t realize that those years have atrocious sound quality.”

Also quoting Mr. Norman, “If they’re PA tapes, right off the soundboard, they may not be a good, representative mix for a CD. What could happen is that Phil or Bobby might be very loud onstage; then whoever was mixing for the house wouldn’t [put] much of that bandmember in the mix; it wouldn’t be necessary… Unfortunately, the tape made from that board mix would be lacking. But yeah, there’s lots of stuff missing from the ‘80s.”

This last comment may explain some of that so-called echo / reverb we can faintly hear in 1985 tapes.

LOVE ALL the HARD WORK this TEAM PERFORMS!
YOU ALL are truly the SMILE MAKERS!

peace all!
uncle_tripel

...graphics for Dave's Vol. #50
GREAT job!

uncle_tripel