Grateful Dead

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Deadvikes - how about if they had played more and sang less? I never saw them in 73, I should say, I am just going off the live cds and tapes I have heard.

Curiously, 1969 shows work in the opposite way. They started off by refining the music played during 1968, and in the process created some of the most sublime music ever to come out of an amplifier. From June onwards, though, they start moving away from the jams towards more song based sets.

Typically, the Dave's Picks released from 1969, like the ones from 1973, have been from the weaker half of the year. In fact there have been literally no releases on Dave's Picks from this first golden age of Dead shows, which for me ran from about Fall 1967 until approximately May 1969. Maybe Dave prefers the songs to the jams.

Several of you had interesting, diverse comments on....I can also understand Daverocks POV and I even feel that a bit for 72 also. But I don’t need to always hear whole shows, and the meat & potatoes stuff in the second sets for me is so strong that I don’t get hung up on the 1st sets. Huge Dark Stars, great HCS, those awesome Eyes with the cool jazz jams etc. Anyone who knows me, knows the weirder the better for me, and the Jazzy Dead is tops.
Spring 73 I pretty much knew nothing about until 4/2 came out. At first I was disappointed only because it was something at the time that wasn’t on my short list. But like any release now I got past that closed minded horse shit once I “listened to the music play”.....then I scored the Scooby Doo house which so far, if pressed, I’d prolly call my favorite Dave’s, but I still haven’t heard them all yet,....I guess what I’m trying to say is the more I am familiar with spring 73, the more I dig it, so I’m really stoked for 32....Summer 73 I’m still pretty ignorant about. I have PNW, but haven’t really had a chance to get down and dirty with yet, and I’ve heard 6/10/73 off the archive, in the background while working one day, and though I liked it, it didn’t blow me away like the fall/winter 73 shows do. That tour has always been perhaps my favorite, if I really, really was forced to pick only one. So yeah, count me as one who’d love more from late 73...but I’m good with pretty much any 73 that kicks ass, hell I’ll take any show that has the golden yummies!

Both! Lol I’ve always liked M. Griffin, and I’ve seen Sonething Wild, I recall it wasnt awesome, but pretty good, but I was referring to the Actress Pamela Gibley, who also stared in twin peaks. But since you’ve made me think about it, I guess the whole idea of the domestic robot, or like the main protagonist, specifically, the cherry 2000 model of domestic robot! Which is the premise for why he goes to such lengths to fix/replace her. Here’s the trailer....
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vBOiZ-ukS7Q

Too many songs? I don't know. I never went to a show and thought man, I wish they played less. We always wanted more and in 73 they gave you way more. And I agree Jim, the Boston Garden show is one of the best. Let's hope The Spectrum tops it.

I was checking out 7/78 box comments and David was as interesting as he is annoying. We need you back on the next box set.

.... haven't seen that gem in quite a while. Last time I saw it, my then six year old son walked into the middle of it and asked, "why is she wearing all that black stuff? Looks uncomfortable."
PNW '73. They sound just fine to me. Thankful I'm not cursed with the audiophile ear. Otherwise, I'd never be satisfied with 45 year old recordings.

Never saw it.

Oro - Not sure if it was the robot or the girl that appealed to you. If it was the latter, check out Something Wild. Cool Melanie Griffith movie.

I get what you are saying Daverock.. the first sets in '73 are ginormous and seem to be used as testing grounds for their newer material. But I still dig it. 4/2 has risen to one of my favorites.

If you look at most years, or more specifically the years when they were creating new songs and rehearsing. They seemed to take some time off usually big periods between January and April.. They seemed to use it to rehearse and work out the arrangements of new songs, and often to begin cutting studio tracks or at least finalize the arrangements and get the new songs ready for the road. Not a perfect rule, but I believe it's mostly true. So the spring of '73 got all the new material they were keeping from Warner Brothers. So there is a ton of new material and some of it (e.g. Wave That Flag) was not as fully developed as one would like.

Still, it's a creative peak of sorts and I enjoy it because underneath it all, it's still really good but more importantly it lets us take a look under the hood at their creative process as it was evolving.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong. I do like '73 though. There's some great stuff there.

It wasn't that long ago we were complaining about the 8 month gap in releases between February and October 1973 (DP 28 => DP 19). Now the gaps been filled and we're complaining there's not enough from original overstacked period. First world problems lol.

I jest Dave Rock. It has been a while since we've seen something from the autumn and winter, but we did complain about that gap for a long time.

I think the quality of the shows from the Spring Dicks and Daves Picks are really really good. There's a couple of really good Dark Stars and Playing in the Bands. Several of those great Loose Lucies, where the Autumn and Winter only have one. I would argue that the Eyes of the Worlds are better on those Spring releases than the two we got on the Winterland box set. The big missing thing in the spring releases is the full Weather Report Suite. But hey it wasn't ready what can you do.

Those PNW 1973 shows don't sound too good to me. I don't know if it was the person recording the shows or what but they just don't sound as good and I find them hard to listen to so I agree with you there. The first one is decent and has that great Bird Song.

But have you listened to The White Album lately? Tell me that doesn't just get better every year.

Deadheadbrewer - I also get much more from the Fall 1973 shows than the ones from the first half of the year - in which I would include the epic summer shows.
I have just had a look at the 1973 Daves Picks so far released, and it seems we have already had two from Spring of the year, with one to follow shortly. And both those shows already released are bogged down with short songs.
We also had three shows in last years box from summer 73. Seems odd that this great era for Dead shows, Fall 73, has been overlooked for so long.