Road Trips Volume 2 Number 3
Road Trips Vol 2, No.3
Shows
Des Moines, IA - June 16, 1974
Louisville, KY - June 18, 1974
More Road Trips
Road Trips 1.1
Road Trips 1.2
Road Trips 1.3
Road Trips 1.4
Road Trips 2.1
Road Trips 2.2
June 1974: Wall of Sound
Can it really be more than 35 years since the Grateful Dead unveiled one of their most audacious (and successful!) experiments—the legendary Wall of Sound? Why, it seems like only yesterday that I was cowering in fear worrying that one of Phil’s bass bombs was going to topple the impressive array of speaker towers that sprawled across the Dead’s enormous stage and rose to a height of more than two stories! What a sight—no one had ever seen anything remotely like it before (or since). What a sound—there had never been a cleaner and or more powerful system. At its peak, it was comprised of nearly 650 loudspeakers powered by 50 giant McIntosh amplifiers, and unlike traditional left-right P.A. systems, this behemoth gave each instrument its own vertical array, and vocals emanated mostly from a center honeycomb cluster above the band. Wow! It was an amazing thing to behold (and a mutha to transport and set up)!
And it just happened to coincide with one of the band’s most fertile musical periods ever, which is why we’ve dipped into the Wall of Sound era for our latest Road Trips release. Talk about your “strangest of places”: These back to back shows from the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa (6/16/74), and Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky (6/18/74), have long been cherished by Dead Heads for their inventiveness, expansiveness and brilliance of execution. The Des Moines material includes a classic ’74-style “China Cat-Rider,” a spectacular “Eyes of the World” and a marvelously exploratory “Playing in the Band” that clocks in at a mind-bending, never-a-dull-moment 29 minutes! Disc Two comes from the Kentucky show, and it’s another prime batch, from beautiful readings of the poignant Garcia ballads “China Doll” and “Stella Blue,” to Weir’s multi-dimensional “Weather Report Suite”—a highlight of so many shows in this period—and a freewheeling “Other One,” and a jam around the blues tune “It’s A Sin,” a sequence considered by many to be among the finest and most highly-regarded jams in the band's entire career. Check it out and you’ll hear why!
The ultra-clean soundboard master tapes were “crispy” reels (that’s good), and they sound even better now that mastering ace Jeffrey Norman has sprinkled his electronic fairy dust on them and brought them up to HDCD specs. The colorful booklet insert features a cool essay about the Wall of Sound by Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally and lots of great photos of the band dwarfed by the majestic edifice!
By the end of 1974, the band had begun its 20-month hiatus, and the Wall of Sound—so magnificent, but so impractical on so many levels—was never re-assembled. But it was glorious while it lasted and the incredible music that came blasting out of those hundreds of speakers is the reason why.
For more details about what’s on Road Trips Vol. 2, No. 3: The Wall of Sound, and to order your copy, click here. You won’t regret it!
—Blair Jackson
Track List
Disc 1
Recorded live at State Fairgrounds, Des Moines, IA, 6/16/74
2. I Know You Rider
3. The Race Is On
4. Eyes Of The World>
5. Big River
6. U.S. Blues
7. Playing In The Band
Disc 2
Recorded live at Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY, 6/18/74
2. Eyes Of The World>
3. China Doll
4. Weather Report Suite>
5. Jam>
6. Other One>
7. It's A Sin Jam>
8. Stella Blue
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Comments
Sometimes A Little Cuttin' Ain't A Bad Thing
I've not been happy with some of the previous Road Trips Decisions. My biggest gripe (so far) is the October '77 set: Baton Rouge should have been released uncut.
This time around, I think the edits are indeed necessary. If I remember it right, there are sections on both nights where the technical problems got pretty bad. I'm ok missing the channel drop outs and occasional mixing screw-ups.
And saints be praised, no El Paso from either night! Yay!
Two Mexicali's, Come on Now
I don't know. For another 20 bucks, I could get.....
Two Mexicali's, no thanks
Two El Paso's, laid back, blah blah
Two Ten Jed's, catchy, but not that catchy
Two BIODTL's, time to hit the head
Two Around's, let's get a beer
Two BT Wind's, good song, maybe both versions sucked
Two Row Jimmy's, see BT Wind
After giving this release some consideration, I think a compilation for these two shows was an excellent idea.
wall of sound
I was'nt impressed with the wall of sound. I thought they sounded best just playing through their old tye dyed twin reverbs. Just old fashioned i guess.
i think it looks real good
This is great But remember the Dead organization probably wont release unworthy material . As there's lots . in all moments of the bands playing , years , tours etc etc
Id rather pay for the finest material instead ofa collection of doubtful and rollicking at once stuff . Thanks GDP and all involved in selecting and producing these GREAT releases
Jaime G
Des Moines 6-16-74 memory
on the Forum-What got you on the bus? Thread-Life Changing show, on page 10
Just a taste of that day ;o}
The Truth is realized in an instant, the act is practiced step by step.
In favor of Road Trips
I'm going to come out in favor of the Road Trips format. Not much to add that wasn't already stated in previous posts. There are some shows that for a variety of reasons merit release in their entirety, such as the recent "To Terrapin," but sometimes I'm sure for a litany of reasons it's easier, more cost-effective, and just downright better to do it this way. A lot of these old tapes have some tracks missing, etc., and to be honest one thing I've noticed especially with 73-74 is the 1st set was often a little bit of a throwaway when they were warming up and adjusting the Wall and ironing out all the sonic kinks so that the 2nd set could be really smokin'. Usually by mid- to end of the 1st set they were loosened up and ready to launch into Weather Report Suite, Eyes, or Playin' and really stretch things out. I concur with an earlier poster who mentioned the kind of indistinguishable quality of those 1st set throwaways like Me and My Uncle and U.S. Blues. Those songs, for instance, improved a lot by the late 70's in my opinion. Road Trips, with the booklet, the bonus disc, and the overall amount of music that you get is an incredible buy and I've been enjoying the ones that I have. I'm thinking I'll probably get this one, too. One thing I'd like to see is more View From The Vault or some equivalent, I know there must be some more good video tapes in there. Overall, good job Rhino so far, keep it comin'!
Listen to the music play
Love the choice, two great shows and the sound is tremendous.
Give the purists the option to download the complete shows please and sell the Road Trips as CDs, then most everyone is happy. There's some great stuff on the bonus disc, which is a lame marketing ploy in my opinion, so just make them available all the time. Come on now.
So, some improvement can be made with the product marketing but I'm on board with this Road Trip.
excellent
I'm totally jazzed about this release. Great choices. Unlike those who just keep playing their same tired with every Road Trips release (sans the complete 2-14-68), I've gotten hoarse and downright tired of arguing the myriad merits of the RT series. Scratchie, Wharfrat1, Itsburnsy, you guys said it all. What I love are the threats ~ "till you release a complete show, I'm not buyin!" Fine! Don't buy! Do you think you're on a ledge and waiting for the rest of us to talk you out of jumping? Don't buy it! Miss out on Jeffrey's amazing mastering work and the best quality you'll ever hear these gems!
They totally picked the best Louisville stuff. It's funny, I'd hand-sliced my own portion of this show a couple years ago off the archive, and with a couple of differences the meat is the same......and I'm very much looking forward to that wonderful sequence in even-better-than-merely-soundboard quality. Too bad the 6-20-74 Omni sequence (with the Slipknot slipped in between Eyes -> China Doll) couldn't make the party, too, but then again I've never heard Des Moines so I'd rather have that.
Will be ordering this post-haste. HOW many minutes of great '74 jams for $ 20? Are you kiddin'?
Dew
Definitely get the bonus disc, ye who've never heard Louisville. This Dew is a great one, and also uniquely great ~ the jam features some beautiful Jerry - Keith interplay.
when will it be shipped?
CAN'T WAIT!!!!