Dave's Picks Volume 29: Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA 2/26/77

Back to product page

Post reply Log in to post comments

January 23, 2019 - 9:54am

1,510 replies

clayv

Joined:
March 14, 2018

An institution in American rock music, the Grateful Dead continue to surprise the ears with new arrangements and altered styles. If their playing continues with the force that was heard in San Bernardino, the spirit of the Dead will live on. - Sun Telegram

We are more than pleased to kick off this year's Dave's Picks series with the much requested and quite spirited complete performance from Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA 2/26/77. The Swing ’77 show was a unique beast, unlike any others from this era: as the band’s first concert of the year, it bridged the gap between the new and re-emerging sound of the returning 1976 Grateful Dead and the precision excellence of the spring ’77 Dead. Debuting two of their most intricately crafted songs of the 1970s, “Terrapin Station” (to open, no less!) and “Estimated Prophet,” the Dead demonstrated right from the start of this new touring year that they were not going to be a nostalgia act; they were going to be as adventurous and ambitious as they were at any time in their career.

Join the adventure as they soar through tried and true ("Playing In The Band," "Tennessee Jed"), well-loved covers ("Mama Tried," "Samson and Delilah," "Dancing In the Street"), and epic new jams.

Rounded out with three songs from Santa Barbara, CA 2/27/77, this one was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.

Dave's Picks Volume 29 is limited to 20,000 individually-numbered copies*.

*Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

Comments

sort by

Recent

Recent Oldest A to Z Z to A

Reset

April 15, 2019 - 8:51pm

#51

Lovemygirl

Joined:
April 29, 2016

*Re/ Keithfan

...Road Trips ‘The Wall Of Sound’ minus the Bonus Disc...I play it quit often! Thank you again my friend, I hope your still enjoying those major Europe 72’ shows...love it!
🙏❤️😎
April 15, 2019 - 8:48pm

#52

MDJim

Joined:
March 16, 2017

6/20/83 -The First and Most Memorable Merriweather Show

I apologize for the length of this post.. but man.. that storm.

I grew up perhaps an hour hike from Merriweather Post Pavilion.. and after getting harassed by Howard County's finest for hiding beer under my car instead of pouring it out on the curb as instructed at a Jethro Tull show a few months earlier culminating in a thorough and regretful search of my parents car and a loss of a nice pipe and some hash.. I just started walking to shows from that point forward (at least until I moved out of my parents house). I probably saw between a hundred and a hundred fifty shows there over the years.. probably about the same number of times I saw the Grateful Dead. I'm ashamed to admit now.. but I knew how to get in that place for free plus the ticket collectors were mostly people I went to high school with, so taping two stubs together and presenting an amicable grin was usually enough to gain entrance. I did buy tickets for many/most shows, certainly for all the Dead shows.. - never take unnecessary risks.

Some background.. I wouldn't compare this to one of the greatest or best shows, but it was memorable for lots of reasons. My first show was 4/19/82 at the Baltimore Civic Center (perhaps my biggest lysergic GD moment, save that for another day).. I believe I made the Capital Centre shows in the fall that same year but they weren't playing super close in the Spring so we headed South to Hampton and my first GD road trip in April for my one and only birthday show. I think I drove and I am confident we did not tell my folks we were taking the family car to partake in all kinds of shenanigans and see the Dead.. in hindsight, so dishonest. Then it was announced that they would be playing two nights in the summer for the first time at Merriweather Post, my local venue. I couldn't believe it.. That would make this run my fourth and fifth shows.. I was still quite green behind the ears.

I had friends that worked as busboys and room service at the Columbia Inn, where all the bands stayed back then that performed at Merriweather, they told stories of bands partying in the bar, tips they got (or not) and what floors they would put them in, etc.. so the night before, on whim.. we showed up and went to the bar. I could barely drive but with an older brother that looked similar, and the drinking age being 18 at the time, I had an ID and we headed past the lobby to find Phil sitting at a table by himself.. we closed the bar that night and had some passes for the next day... I have to say, he was super nice and not at all an icon or unapproachable. I do recall a few of the stories told, but the memory I left with was that I could not muster up the courage to offer anything intelligent to say and couldn't think of a decent question to ask until I was walking through the parking lot to the car at the end of the night. After a few beers, humor was flying and things seemed fine. Phil seemed happy to have a group to party with. I was so young I couldn't even order a beer correctly.. I asked for a tap beer and she brought me a tab (soda).. so she returned it and brought me a draft Budweiser.

So the next day.. a few of us walked from the neighborhood where we all lived to the show, a bit early.. I had my pass and went backstage and it was so weird.. plus early. I just couldn't handle it. I didn't know anyone except my buddy.. and it was like being in a foreign country. Nobody seemed to want anything to do with us and the band wasn't there yet.. So we decided to split before the show started, inhale a bit in safety and get to our seats, which were pretty close.. I am fairly sure we took some mushrooms too which only made it all the more weird. So the only time I ever had backstage passes, I totally wasted them. ..Perhaps for the best.

I don't think you can talk about the show without talking about the storm. Growing up there.. the only time I recall it raining harder was during Hurricane Agnes in 1972. This is the only time I recall the highway on the way in (Route 29) flooding and being shut down like it did that night. The storm was biblical and it wasn't just rain. It thundered and lightninged for hours that night and I believe lightning hit the lightning rod at the venue or perhaps the shed itself at least once (during He's Gone, Truckin' and perhaps one other time), but that's probably impossible to verify. You can hear it on the tapes though including the PA going in and out several times.

So the performance aside, there was other energy and stimulus going on that night.

The setlist was fairly standard for the day.. my second Peggy-O, second Truckin', second China>Rider. The first set was pretty standard, but things started to get weird by The Music Never Stopped.. I forget exactly when the started and ended and then started again, but I think t had had rained in the first set and the beginning of TMNS, then the sun came out for a bit during this song, then set break.. then big cumulonimbus clouds, then it started getting spooky dark as the setbreak came to an end. ..and then things really got weird. In hindsight, we should have starting building an ark.

The second set started with China>Rider>Sampson>He's Gone>Truckin'>Drums. By the transition in China>Rider, everyone was getting soaked and the rain entered the pavilion area as it was raining sideways. I had to pee as Sampson started and by then people were body sliding down the lawn and everyone was so soaked that it just didn't matter anymore. Soaked to the bone, you couldn't get more wet.. When I got back to our seats, the heavens opened up and the lightning started and it went from weird to downright scary. The people working at the venue sought shelter, anarchy ensued and there was a mad rush from the lawn to the pavilion area. Everyone got squashed and became bug eyed.. and safety became a big concern. We got pushed forward and what row you sat in mattered less than the need to create more room inside, under the shelter. By He's Gone, there became a general feeling of insecurity and helplessness, just as I began to peak. Lightning struck the shed and the power went out.. but the weirdest thing of all, the band was just as freaked as we were, but the they kept playing on. I swear Phil and Jerry were playing power chords in sync with the thunder and lightning. By the time Space ended, we got a rare Bob Star (one of three times played).. during Sugar Magnolia I think Bobby got shocked and put down his guitar and took his mike to a strange part of the stage and started wailing into the mike.

There was no encore and no soundboards exist.

So what to 20k tripping, soaked, disoriented hippies do when the show ends? The deluge had stopped but it continued to rain. There was a tiny creek between the venue and the parking lot, usually a trickle like you see on a water fountain.. it was flooded way over the banks and to make matters worse had washed away the foot bridges, so you really couldn't safely walk to the parking lot, but people managed.. the lawn was so eroded both from the rain but more from people doing mudslides down it that at dawn, they had to bring in heavy machinery and rebuild the lawn as there was another show that next night. After they Dead left.. they really went to town and had to do a total rebuild of the lawn area, changing the contour forever.. lots of heavy machinery. They spent the day off to rebuild it with different contours to the format we have to this day.

When we walked home, still tripping.. we could not go the way we came, it was not passable. So we went an alternate route. Getting over the highway, which was still flooded.. we held hands as the current was strong and waded in waste deep water eventually getting to other side and about an hour later to mom and dads house. Some quick showers, then post show activities until the sun came up then sleep.. only to do it again the next day on a reformatted lawn with straw and new sod. They played Looks Like Rain that next day and you can imagine the crowd reaction.

So back to the show.. Yea.. I sort of remember 6/20/83. It was the weirdest, highest energy GD show I ever saw. Not the best, but certainly one of the most memorable. I saw every GD/JGB show played there but this was perhaps the most fun. Thanks for jarring my memory.
April 15, 2019 - 8:22pm

#53

KeithFan2112

Joined:
August 6, 2014

Unbelievable

They say the oakwood interior of the cathedral was built in the year 1200, requiring trees that would have been 400 years old, thus sprouting out of the ground in the 8 or 9th centuries. Hard to believe.

Bob t - thanks for the heads up on One From The Vault release date. I could use a change from the E72 binge. I did manage to get in 6/14/76 and 12/26/69 today, both on the Rolling Stone top 20.

Lovemygirl - I don't recall which ones you sold me, I'm thinking Tivoli II, Lille France, and maybe one of the Lyceum shows? Lotta weed in between ;-) I don't remember what I sent you, refresh my memory. My memory is outstanding on everything until I was 25, and then past 3 weeks. But everything in between is shit.
April 15, 2019 - 6:53pm

#54

MDJim

Joined:
March 16, 2017

6/20/83

Holy Smokes.. yes, I was there. It was biblical, as much or more from the storm then from the music.. but it all combined for a complete sensory overload.

I wrote something on this a couple times over the years.. but I think I was too shy to share details, or perhaps too lazy to try and remember it all and it put to paper.

Just getting home, if I have some time once I get settled I will try and put my arms around it..
April 15, 2019 - 6:17pm

#55

Angry Jack Straw

Joined:
October 2, 2012

Our Lady

Such sad news.

Not just an architectural marvel, but one of the most important structures in the history of mankind.

My deepest sympathies to the people of France.
April 15, 2019 - 5:58pm

#56

nappyrags

Joined:
January 24, 2013

Hey Stone Jack Baller...

I too just got my notice that the CD issue of the Warfield performances will be in my grubby paws in a few weeks...I tried at first on a couple of record shop websites that do online ordering of what is left of the merchandise on Sunday but no luck...I went to Amazon and Bingo! i feel like I won the jackpot considering how many copies are on Ebay for over a $100 a pop...can't wait...meant to say that the nearest record shop to me is over three hours away...at least it's all downhill but still...
April 15, 2019 - 5:56pm

#57

bob t

Joined:
November 21, 2007

One from the Vault Anniversary 8/13/75, released 28 years ago

Did anyone just see the post on facebook from the Dead about this. Released 4/15/91, 28 years ago..... This changed everything if you were trading tapes back then!!! Everyone had this show, either FM, or the bootleg called Make Believe BallRoom.. But now we had a legit release!! It really did change everything... It took away i have 1000 hours of tapes and only want to deal with someone who had the same amount and started to level the field..... Sorry to rant but I was in that era... bob t

Edit my first copy of this were two cassettes!!! Didn't get the CD's because wasn't a fan yet!!!
April 15, 2019 - 5:23pm

#58

daverock

Joined:
September 1, 2014

Fire

Hopefully no lives were lost or people injured-doesn't seem to be much in the news about that. The only thing I could find was that one firefighter had been burned. Pretty remarkable.
April 15, 2019 - 5:07pm

#59

Exile On Main St.

Joined:
August 10, 2018

Sounds to me

like we have a false prophet among us.
April 15, 2019 - 4:22pm

#60

Lovemygirl

Joined:
April 29, 2016

*RE/ Trainwreck, Keithfan & Paris

...first I’d like to make a statement about the horror in Paris today, a sad day in my soul, so much lost turning to dust & rubble, my prayers are with Paris’, May the songs of old play on in heart & soul. 🙏❤️😢
...Trainwreck, you asked me about my last post and by what I mean by “treasure trove” is a new batch of tapes have been recently found. 😉 I’ll share more info when I can. ‘Exciting News For Me’, I love new and unheard recordings of all bands, the Grateful Dead more so now in my life than my past with the likes of ‘Elvis’ & ‘Beatles’ Records lol ...Plus Some confirmed dates for new Dead releases/product...😌
...Keithfan, hope all is well as always. What three shows did I send you from the ‘Europe 72’ boxset, i can’t remember, but I do remember them being Primo Shows ! 😎 and the Primo Show you sent me, love it! 🙏❤️😎
Off to dinner, have a grateful evening everyone...

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Dead Store Products

An institution in American rock music, the Grateful Dead continue to surprise the ears with new arrangements and altered styles. If their playing continues with the force that was heard in San Bernardino, the spirit of the Dead will live on. - Sun Telegram

We are more than pleased to kick off this year's Dave's Picks series with the much requested and quite spirited complete performance from Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA 2/26/77. The Swing ’77 show was a unique beast, unlike any others from this era: as the band’s first concert of the year, it bridged the gap between the new and re-emerging sound of the returning 1976 Grateful Dead and the precision excellence of the spring ’77 Dead. Debuting two of their most intricately crafted songs of the 1970s, “Terrapin Station” (to open, no less!) and “Estimated Prophet,” the Dead demonstrated right from the start of this new touring year that they were not going to be a nostalgia act; they were going to be as adventurous and ambitious as they were at any time in their career.

Join the adventure as they soar through tried and true ("Playing In The Band," "Tennessee Jed"), well-loved covers ("Mama Tried," "Samson and Delilah," "Dancing In the Street"), and epic new jams.

Rounded out with three songs from Santa Barbara, CA 2/27/77, this one was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.

Dave's Picks Volume 29 is limited to 20,000 individually-numbered copies*.

*Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

80s Fan

Nice mix dude. Your Estimated Eyes from DP 18 is the first I ever heard. And the Estimated is my favorite of all time. Also dig the Paris China Cat. Garcia absolutely shreds the solo. I hope you included Bill Graham's introduction to Help on the Way :D I know you did - that one and Veneta are my two favorites band intros. I look forward to checking out Row Jimmy & He's Gone (Dicks Picks 28) - no recall.

P.S. - come to think of it, I heard estimated prophet long before Dick's Picks 18, on a sweltering hot night at JFK Stadium in July of 89. Standing on the moon, Crimson white and indigo. Oh Captain My Captain...

Dick's 28

KeithFan - Dick's 28 is one of the best...this one release manages to contain my all time favorite versions of not only Row Jimmy and He's Gone, but also 1/2 Step. Maybe it caught me just the right way when I first heard it years ago, but either way it's fully imprinted on me....

Dr. Sardonicus

One of my ALL TIME go to albums

Hello again to all of my old friends. This is my first post on the new site. OMG! I took forever to get through the gate keepers. Hope next time is easier.

Rock on

Spring 1990 Superlatives

As referenced along the way, I successfully put my ears to the complete Spring 1990 more or less spot-on with their show dates, save for one or two. I think many agree that it’s a great excuse to listen to a show on its anniversary date, for some reason this gives it more purpose and gravitas. And it made for a fun couple of weeks. I could only imagine doing it in person, city to city…

Anyway, I took notes as I went and pulled together a list of superlatives for this tour (why not?); all are totally subjective of course but it was fun nonetheless. And I purposefully left out 3/29 because otherwise it would probably sit at the top of a lot of these categories, for me anyway. When absolutely necessary it’s referenced but otherwise let’s just all agree that one is top shelf as-is.

Rockin’ Opener: This was a 3-way tie of course; but definitive energy and jamminess is going on in these. And check out that Stranger, I get why they included the one on Without A Net, but this one must have been a close contender:
Jack Straw (3/15/90, MD);
Shakedown Street (4/3/90, ATL);
Feel Like A Stranger (4/2/90, ATL)

Favorite First Set: 4/2/90, Atlanta; Stranger > Half-Step > The Weight to start; there’s a good Brent tune in there and a Queen Jane (I always loved Queen Jane for some reason), an upbeat and rare (on this tour) Brown Eyed Women, and a KILLER Let it Grown to close out. Again this one gives the version on Without a Net a run for its money from where I sit. But that opening triple whammy followed by continued upbeat songs with a killer closer does it for me.

Favorite Second Set: 3/28/90, Nassau Coliseum; This one is my favorite specifically due to its uniqueness in the top half: Foolish Heart > Looks Like Rain > Cumberland Blues > The Weight > Hey Pocky Way > Drums….and then it rounds out with all-time favorites: The Other One > Wharf Rat > Good Lovin’ (I really gravitate toward these during this era, especially the energy and vocals during the coda at the end of the song) and Revolution to encore it out. How COOL is that top half? Just fun stuff, great playing, good surprises, odd placements, it hits many check-boxes.

Favorite Song Sequence: 3/19/90, Hartford: Top of the second set, Box of Rain, Foolish Heart > Playin in the Band > Eyes of the World > drums. I always liked giving Phil an opening slot and Box of Rain is a great song; but my favorite moments of this one come first in the Foolish Heart – Jerry does his thing on that one, especially during the jam toward the end…his little ‘Garciaphrases’ and flourishes that only he can do…he does this several times during the end-jam and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time. Then in to a good Playin’ and then a really cool Eyes – fast paced, but with a pretty interesting jam at the end. I’ve actually had this show for years and was so psyched to get it officially released.

Favorite ‘Moment’: This one is literally a ‘moment’. Following Women are Smarter on 3/16 (Landover, MD) Jerry decides to continue playing, and off they go on a semi-Women Are Smarter jam with heavy doses of calypso peppered on top. At one point late in the sequence, Jerry VERY CLEARLY goes into Eyes of the World territory, even to the point of playing about a bar and a half of the lead, and you can just hear the crowd SWELL for that instant along with the musical quote as if in anticipation of plopping Eyes right there….but of course this never happens, and the crowd swell just as quickly dispels, and the jam then eventually peters out into drums. It’s a cool moment.

Best Segue: 4/2/90, Atlanta: Mississippi Half-Step > The Weight. This is referenced earlier, but it is noteworthy in its fluidness and how no one misses a beat. The only potential detractor is that they never actually sing the ‘Across the Rio Grande-EE-OOO’ part, but even so the outro in Half Step is still sweet as pie. Not only was the transition flawless, the actual placement of The Weight right there up front was pretty awesome.

Honorable Mention: Just A Little Light, 4/1/90, Atlanta. I give this one an Honorable Mention, cause it's just really, really good. This song sort of evolves a bit over this tour - they only play it 3 times I think - but by the final time it's played, Jerry is just spot-on with his wah-wah support, and Brent's vocal's are gritty and true, and they even take it out for a little walk toward the end, in a cool, spacey-jammy moment. I only wish they had expended on this one more - stretch it out in that same vein - it might have been cool. Perhaps there are other such versions, I can't say for sure....

Favorite Show Overall: Undecided. I know, I know – sad. But I can’t really say 3/29, cause that’s just not playing fair. I will say that I loved the Omni run at the end, there was a lot of good stuff those last three shows. And the opening shows were super strong as well, in retrospect. One of the other inspiring and seductive enjoyments is hearing all (well, most) of the songs from Without a Net in their proper setting. Context matters, and the fun in this listening activity cannot be understated.

In closing, this really is a great tour. Not overwhelming if you keep up with it, and each listen is different and unique due to the change-a-roo of the setlists on a nightly basis. They don’t over play any songs, and they keep others sporadic enough so as to ensure their momentum when they hit. And, we have access to all of them, officially released.

Now to see if I can pull this off for Europe ’72. That’s a much bigger commitment; shows are longer, and there are more of them…..ut oh. But what damn fun.

Sixtus

Sixtus and 1990

Just a Little Light! Wish they had more time to develop that one :-(

….. to give me just a little sweetness, just a little light.... wah, wah, wah

Dicks 28

The funny thing 80s fan is that I know this release pretty well, but I must fall asleep at the wheel for he's gone and row Jimmy. I will pay attention next time. Greatest Story is tits up. Can I say that here?

Dave's 5/1990 Box Sets

I have an extra copy of this gem if anyone is interested in a trade for some other goodies, send me a PM.

Absolutely love these box sets, brings back so many great memories. Agree with all your points Sixtus. These boxes are always in my regular rotation. Love Queen Jane!

*RE/ Daves Pick #5- DeadVikes

...I’ve been looking for quit some time for Daves Pick #5...maybe we could buy/sell/trade together.
I would be gratefully appreciated. 🙏❤️😎
I have sold a lot of my collection to members on this Dead forum, with no problems at all. I won’t list names but i don’t mine if any of them confirm themselves...have a grateful day. Hope to hear from you soon. 🙏🤠

* ‘Daves Picks’...

...for some reason today, I was in the mood for some more 80’s, maybe because I enjoyed The Road Trip series 4-4. Spectrum,PA. 4/5-6/82 yesterday. So I’m listening to Daves Pick #27 Boise, ID. 9/2/83 at the BSU Pavilion, Boise State Univeristy. Not the best of the year but I must admit it’s growing on me after repeated listening, one day it just click for me and I pretty much enjoy Jeffery Norman Mix from the Vaults master cassettes of this show that ‘gratefully’ were in A+ condition/Primo😉... Rock on 🙏❤️😎

Deadvikes

You haven't got a spare copy of the first 1990 box set knocking about by any chance ?

Daverock

Sorry, I do not. Just the one, and it is showing some wear. Definitely been used and used.

Lovemygirl

Check your pm.

Dylan Bootlegs

Just acquired these digitally....all of them except maybe for the last 2? Let me know my friends if any of you would like some love....happy to provide....send me a pm!

KCJ

Some Swing Auditorium History

December 13, 1969 Grateful Dead/Country Joe and The Fish/Flying Burrito Brothers

The Grateful Dead began a fruitful history with the Swing Auditorium on this day. It being the Dead and all, there's a tape and even some quite amazing photos on the Archive. --- Tickets were $4.00 for this show. The Zeppelin / Jethro Tull show at the Swing was also $4.00

How much is Bobby charging now a days?

$4.00 Ticket to the Swing

To be fair.. that same $4.00 ticket would be worth $16.88 today, accounting for inflation.

Ok.. I concede your point. :D

On the flip side, albums (sorry CD's, sorry Streams.. sorry flacs) are significantly cheaper, adjusted for inflation, then they were in 1977 (which was more or less a peak in album prices, adjusted for inflation, see link below).

http://theunderstatement.com/post/3377858909/album-prices

One man gathers what another man spills....

Edit: I would have killed to be there... I would have paid at least $6, perhaps $7, maybe $8.

Swing history

Whilst rummaging down the rabbit hole that is Wikipedia I discovered that on September the 11th 1981 a light aircraft crashed into the venue damaging it iraparably, at the same time the dead were playing down the road at the Greek . 😾🙀😾🙀

*RE/ 1990’s

...spinning September 10th 1991, Madison square garden, NY. with guest performer - Branford Marsalis ! Excellent Mix!!! And Daverock , this is a jazzy concert from start to finish from the band, truly remarkable! The band seems to mend all of their past eras into one beautiful concert, primo😉
🙏❤️😎
Hears are some reviews,

http://gratefuldeadoftheday.com/09-10-1991

http://www.gratefulseconds.com/2017/07/september-10-1991-with-branford-…

hbob1995 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus

Hey man, glad to see you back on this site, I know, those hoops and hollers they make us jump thru to get on are sometimes ridiculous. I also concur your comment ie 12 Dreams, an excellent lp showing the original line up in their best form. I asked Randy about this album long ago, as it was also one of mine (and just about everyone's) favorite back in the day. Being the humble person he was, he said that it was a good time unfortunately, the band had split up by the time the lp had been released, so they just did not get to bask in the revelry of this great music. His worst memory of that time is that they were kept out of the line up for Woodstock. He and Cass so wanted to go but their manager at the time had them scheduled for studio time and did not think it was such a big deal. Boy, was he wrong. They were working on the songs from 12 Dreams when Woodstock went down and can you imagine what would have happened if they had been there? Would have been included in the film and on the lp? They would have been huge and that lp would have went triple platinum for sure. But it was not to be. Talk about a missed opportunity. Can you imagine seeing Randy and Jimi playing together again? That too could have happened as they knew each other very well from back in the day when Randy was the "other" guitar player in Jimi James and the Blue Flames. Now that would have been one hell of a jam.
Daverock, shoot me a pm and your email address, I will hook you up with some killer Randy.

re: 90's

.....LOVE the 9/10/91 show - talk about a full stage how cow.

On my ride in today I pulled out 6/17/91....a personal favorite that blasts out of the gate with that EPIC 16 min+ Eyes of the World...full on Bruce and Jerry dueling...utter sweetness. Then of course they tease the hell out of Dark Star the rest of this show but never actually play it.
Feel the 90's love my friends. FEEL IT!!!

Happy Friday in Deadland
SIxtus

*RE: 90’s/ SIxtus

“Re: 90'S
.....LOVE the 9/10/91 show - talk about a full stage how cow.

4/2/1973 Dave's 21

Popped this one this morning and for me still one of my favorites. Not sure what it is about 73, but I go back to this year a lot.
Probably one of my favorite China-Riders to date and we get a Box of Rain! Jerry is so on throughout entire show. Awesome Eyes and than the two song encore!

Spirit

sent you a couple of emails, let me know if you got them, more if you want it, just got to figure out how to put it all in an email.

*RE/ Daves Picks...

...I also concur Daves Pick #21 is great. Made up for 20th Pick from the 80’s...lol , I love it all..

Anniversary Blues

Buenos Dias Rockeros!

Got them anniversary blues? So much great dead, so little time!
I, like perhaps many of you, often don’t have enough time for proper Dead listening.....blasphemous I know!
So I’ve been using the five year method for a few years now and it seems to help.
I simply follow the below criteria, or not, because some times you just feel like a nut 😉

Generally, for any given calendar day, I take the years in corresponding five year increments; so this year it’s 69, 74, 79, 84, 89, and 94 prioritized accordingly...
1) Officially released shows I was at (especially if one of the above years)
2) Shows I was at from the corresponding years; so again this year its 9’s and 4’s.
3) Official releases from the corresponding years that I was not at.
4) Shows I was at, but not from the corresponding years
5) Offically released shows, but not from the corresponding years
6) any dam thing I want if I have a certain itch to scratch...
This has saved much time (and headaches 😀) figuring out what to listen too, and made anniversary listening much more manageable...perhaps this might help you too?

What ever works, PLAY DEAD!
& Be well folks!

PS, I’m really glad I’m just a dog and not a robot. I was worried there for a minute.

Spirit - PotatoLand

Just digging in....that PotatoLand Theme's some funky shit.....

Thanks Sam!

Back from the time coast

I played Dr Sardonicus as well last night. I had forgotten what a great album this is-everything about it works, but the incredible guitar sound and playing stand out. Strange how this album, and band, come to that, tend to get overlooked in retrospectives of psychedelic albums and bands of yore.

Yes, it would have been quite something if Spirit had played Woodstock, and Randy California had jammed with Hendrix. Watching the film, you can see Jimi willing Larry Lee to step up and spar with him, but sadly Larry really isn't fit for purpose-although the Hendrix set is still the highlight of the festival for me. Sparks could really have flown had Randy been up there.

Thanks for the offer, Sam-pm to follow.

Dick's Pick #17

Just received this the other day. Really like this show 9/25/91. Listening right now to the bonus song 23 minute version of Eyes of the world from 3/31/91.

Thanks for TOO's

Almost listened to all of them. I'm putting the whole shows on for these, so it's taking time.

E72 Anniversary Starts Sunday

Sunday April 7 - anniversary of the first show of the tour. Time to bust out the Europe '72 Steamer Trunk. One of my favorite Greatest Stories - cool clear water well you can't ever tell - 2x. Go Donna.

4/5/91 & ......

A fantastic anniversary show. Today's, from 1991. Love the Bruce. Holy cow hold on tight from the opening Shakedown:

https://archive.org/details/gd1991-04-05.132572.sbd.healy.latvala.wise…

....Including Dick's Picks 17, that one's a doozy and an all-time favorite great call. I still think that the entire Garden 91 run should be released in a wonderful Bruce-infused box.

And Keithfan, as for the Europe 72 trunk, I gave that a once-over last night and also came to the same conclusion that this starts on Sunday. Looks like there's going to be some Greatest Story blasted at 10 a.m. to get things rolling along with the percolating smells of coffee and bacon ummhmmmmm.

Sixtus

anniversary show for tonights listening pleasure...

4-5-71 Manhattan Center~New York
...only thru The Rub at this point. Just warming up. Fun show.
:O)

And oh boy...that Samson->Eyes from Greensboro '91 is super sweet.

DaP 28 replacement disk #3

It might be old news but DAP 28 disk#3 replacement is new run with no skips on let it grow or anywhere else. It's good to be heard! Let's rock!!

Echo...Echo

Is there an echo in here?

Echos

Yes.. good call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmlZLnkF0aU

Re: Greensboro 91

Please release this as Dave's 34, with 3/31-4/1/91 spread across 4 discs. That or gives us a Greensboro box of every Greensboro Coliseum show from 1981-1991. Think it's 7 shows.

Speaking of Echoes, this is a great way to experience it and 2001's final scene.

https://youtu.be/rn7MmS3vazU

Thanks MDJIM

That vid. Brings back 1979 when I first heard that tune and was transformed and grew my hair long like gilmour. Funny the things you do when young.

Hairstyles....

....I rocked a mullet when I was fifteen. Turned it into a rat tail a year later. Lol.

Re: Hairstyles

Ha..

Now that I am old and in the grey... the closest I can now get to looking like Gilmour (or Jerry) would necessitate diverting the hair coming out of my nose, eyebrows and ears to my chin and head. On the bright side.. I am convinced there is enough there to pull it off. ..and I can sport a black t-shirt like the best of em.

Senator.. how many times have we told you to put the kibosh on mullet speak during re-election years. Before you know it.. a picture is gonna surface and then what?

so...

35 years ago tonight me and a bud were sitting in the nosebleeds at the Thomas Mack Arena UNLV watching Kareem break the NBA scoring record...the following night we were at The Aladdin Theatre for our 3rd visit to Vegas to see the Boys play...such times such fun...

Bruce Box....

....good luck with that. I'm all in, however....

72-74 China-Rider

Surely the golden age for this jam. It had been around in the preceding years-it crops up during the February run at the Fillmore East 1970-Dicks Picks 4. But it never really grew wings until Keith joined, and its apex for me arrived in 1974. I've just listened to the first set of 3/23/74-great version on there-as ever the linking jam makes it.
In fact, if I was to demonstrate to someone who didn't know about the band, why I liked them-one of these China-Rider jams would serve as a great indicator. The psychedelic song-jazz inspired link-traditional American folk/blues song-pure gold.

Get yer hair cut!

My biggest blip with haircuts was a long one. Between the ages of about 30 and 55, I had short back and sides to fit in with the work a day world. I am back to normal now.

The Echoes

Jimbo, that's so weird - I juuuusst "discovered" that Echoes video a couple of weekends ago. I was blown away that such good quality pre-Dark Side footage existed. I don't even recall how I came across it. That song is special for me. In college I knew from Dark Side of the Moon forward, and side 1 of Meddle (what a great start to a record - One of These Days, Pillow Of Winds, Fearless).

I rarely listen to Echoes, to preserve the magic. I remember first hearing it. I was always an experimenter with pot or whatever else in high school, whenever I could get my hands on stuff (which was rare). In my second year of college, I met some really cool guys, two of whom were the first to move out of the dorms and into a rental house off-campus. They had parties a couple of times a week there. After a few weeks I was invited "upstairs" for the first time, and there was pot. It became a regular thing, and we had a huge posse of like-minded individuals. And of course there was music. The Doors had made a huge comeback in the 90s, and Jane's Addiction was breaking out. Jane Says was one of the stoner songs we played a lot, but very early on, they put on Echoes. Of course I dug it immediately, but my one buddy kept telling me to wait for the good part....wait for the good part....and then Gilmour's guitar crescendo came on and I was blissed out by it. The rest of the year we would come back to that house from parties, go up and smoke, and put on "The Echoes". Those times were too short, but I'll never forget them. Thanks for the reminiscence.

daverock - couldn't agree more about China / Rider, although there are a couple of great (but short) renditions on Three From the Vault and Ladies / Gentlemen. I think it did better on one drummer. Phil plays some nice sustained bass notes at the beginning on those two. But they're way too short. Even '72 is beginning to feel too short (5-7 minute range). They were breaking 8 minutes consistently by '73 (China Cat only of course).

I reached for the original May 1977 Box Set this morning. There's a really exciting Scarlet Begonias on 5/13. It's too bad this one was only 7 minutes, because the drums and jamming is very rockish, especially leading up to the wind in the willows verse.

“Sunshine Daydream” 😉

...The sun is shining brightly today, love it! 😎
...August 27th 1972...first pick of the day...🙏
Have s grateful weekend everyone!

30th anniversary

Of my first show!
4-6-89

Set 1
https://youtu.be/qhz8YfKE6O0

Set2
https://youtu.be/X7PZHKN51YI

Think I’ll watch it tonight.

Spirit

I know a few Spirit songs from FM radio in the 80’s but never owned any tapes/albums. Also didn’t know the back story.
So, I watched this last night and my eyes were opened. Bizzaro Hendrix.
That would have been awesome to see them on the stage together. Mirror image guitar playing.
Thanks for the Spirit/Randy talk that got me looking.

https://youtu.be/E_jYkwWjgh8

Re: 72-74 China Riders

I tend to agree, Daverock.. If I had someone's attention who had an open mind and wanted an intro to the GD, I might put on something from 72 and then a 73 or 74. You almost can't go wrong with any from this period, and we benefit from many multi-tracks to pull from. Wowwow stuff.

That being said.. I've never met a ChinaRider I didn't like. I like the progression, the changes in arrangement and of course the improvisation and musical discussions back and forth.

Some of the early versions are so creative, historic perhaps. The genesis from which all others came from. I have really been getting into the 74 ones lately, especially those present on the PNW Box, 5/17 PNE and 5/19 Portland being the strongest. The crescendo in the transition is a powerhouse. I think 80sfan was the first to comment on how good these versions were, he was spot on. 2/24/74 is also excellent as is the one from Dicks Picks 12.

But the return on 12/29/77 is amazing too, the transition smooth as silk. By 1980 they had tightened things up considerably and the long, stretched out jam between had been simplified, it was back to the basics.. but it was tight. I might be in the minority, but I really like some of the midi versions in the 89/90 with Copps Coliseum being one of the better versions and the one used in Without a Net is excellent.

All in all, we might have our favorite periods and favorite versions but the fact that this duo changed and evolved so much speaks to why it is so good. The performances of this pair of songs were never meant to be static, it was highly improvisational and the arrangement was clearly written and intended to change and evolve over time. It couldn't have worked any other way and that, to me, is what makes it special. When you hear those opening notes of Chinacat, you never knew what they were going to get into. So Grateful Dead and that's what made it great. I believe these two songs to be as important as Dark Star, The Other One and Playing in the Band.

Cone Kid.. Happy Anniversary.

China/Rider conversions

Before I had cassettes, or when I had hissy cassettes, I would use China/Rider from Europe 72 to try to convert people.
Years later I would use China/Rider from 3-15-90 and all the way through Drums to convert people.

Both methods worked for several people.

Thanks Jimbo.
Low 60’s, partly sunny, heading outside to roast some beans.

Roasting

I am doing a double batch today myself.. I have been having very good success lately. Now.. what to listen to?? I might just have to spin Portland 74.. high energy, jazzy, psychedelic rock and roll.

Ultimate Deadness-Jim

Yes, I also would place China Cat-Rider in the same class as The Other One, Dark Star and Playing in the Band as the ultimate vehicles-the place where Bill Grahams statement that -"They are not the best at what they do. They are the only ones that do what they do" can best be evidenced.
Quote may not be exactly accurate- the gist of it is.

product sku

081227924317

Product Magento URL

https://store.dead.net/dave-s-picks-vol-29-1.html