Grateful Dead

Okay, we get an early release and the cover looks really cool. Another great 73 show.

Been years since I've listened to this show, but that third disc looks mighty tasty. Bring it!

We are lucky to have Dave, Rhino and especially Jeffery Norman putting out this great music.

Oh and it is finally Oberon season again in MN. Finally joining you in that Conekid.

Dave seemed to breeze over the bonus subscriber disc info. Anyone have any details?

"a lot of other wonderful stuff coming out this year"
I took to mean there may be another extra release for the 60th.
Maybe a mini-box?
Cheers
Bonus disc is 3-31-73 Buffalo 2nd set. Dave barely mentions it but he seems to say "that 2nd set" like it is the whole set? And he only mentions the cool stand alone Rider.

back in the day

Good stuff

This release is very appreciated

Looks good and savory like crispy crab cakes!

Three full CDs. And the bonus disk. Gonna be a great May!

Are crabs a thing in Baltimore?

Chiming in because '73 is right up my alley, my first big year hitting GD shows on the road.
June 9, July 27-28, July 31-Aug 1, Sept 8. The Sept show was less than a month after my 16th birthday, so I got baptized a bit early with 5 shows as a 15-year-old neophyte.

For Deadheads of the "modern era," we did not "tour" with the band. We would hitchhike hundreds of miles in t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, with a modest ball of hash and small sheet of blotter to attend these shows and depended on the kindness of strangers to get there and back. After a show we might sleep in nearby bushes, get up and hitch home. Maybe 3-4 dollars in our pockets. We would sometimes get close to the stage, but avoided the very front due to a perceptible ommmm emitting from a thousand tripping hippies. Plus, you could feel Phil's bass in your chest, so, kinda loud.

For me, at that age, it was a real eye- and ear-opener.

One thought: I have typically found '73 to be big, open, sunny, breezy (perhaps because most shows that summer were outdoors) and '74 to be a tad over-baked and curling in on itself. (That said, I'm pretty fully stocked with '74 shows, of course.)

If Dave said 'there's more to come,' I'd expect the BfA 50th (w/ 6-17-75). But I'd yearn for a small primal box of '66-'68 - but then y'all knew that.)

Cheers, HF

P.S. To Simonrob, no, there's just one monstrous crab in Baltimore that's been terrorizing the docks for a century. Eats small children, etc.

WRT the question about crabs, I guess it refers to Maryland crabcakes? Totally psyched for this release.

As a proud Maryland boy, I highly approve of this cover art! One of my favorites of the series.

Yes - blue crabs are a thing from Chespeake Bay and coastal Atlantic waters. Only got a chance to feast on blue crabs once - that dinner ranks as one of the finest meals I've ever had. Some little restaurant out on the coast back in '82.

Very excited for this tasty release , plus cherry on top of 3/31 Buffalo bonus disc.

Simonrob, indeedie, crabs (the kind you eat, not the kind you "get") are a pretty big deal in Balti - they roll out a baking sheet piled high of crabs in the shell, covered in 'Old Bay' seasoning, sit you down at a picnic table covered with paper for easy clean up, and you have to attack each crab with precision and patience to obtain about 0.005 ounces of crabmeat - which I am not suggesting isn't totally worth it - but it is a real endeavor and commitment to get into a bushel of crabs. Its a fun way to get down over the course of an hour or two with some cold suds and a few buds (both green and friendly).

That being said, I'm digging on this Balti show - I have a copy that Jimbo handed off many years ago but this will be a welcome addition to the official collection. It's a monster.

Be Well People!
Sixtus

P.S. Speaking of Jimbo - JimInMD - Happy Birthday Big Guy! I know you love this show and it is apt that it pops out on Your Day.

They even have this creative graphic where they disguise the state flag (a 17th-century heraldic banner of arms of Cecil Calvert) as tasty crustacean. The crab shaped state of arms has become more popular than the official state flag.

Every Grateful Dead performance played in Baltimore occurred at the Baltimore Civic Center. Not a great venue, but not a bad one either. It's in the middle of the city, can hold up to 14,000. The acoustics are not remarkable but not terrible either. Not overly tinny, boomy or tin-can resonant. Cops never seemed to bother us when I was there. Easy in and out and if memory serves there was an excellent paper guy with cleanest I have ever had who could be found in the dark recesses under the stairwell so long as your intentions were good and your soul was pure.

Sixtus and HFreak are both correct.. except you can get a little more than a half ounce of meat from a big meaty crab. It does take an afternoon to fill up though, but that's what the cold beer, neighbors, friends, and relatives you share it with are for.

Back in the day, come mid July through September, crabs were cheap and plentiful or you could spend an afternnon with some string, chicken necks and a wire basket and pull them out of the bay yourself for free. When the dog days of summer hit, someone in the neighborhood would get a keg of beer and a bushell of crabs and everyone would gather, eat, drink and be merry. On a good summer, it would happen every other week or so. Unfortunately the secret got out, now they are harder to get, smaller and expensive but they still taste as good.

Big fan of this show too, but I am a little biased.

And yes HendrixFreak, it's rumored there is a giant (99,000 ton) blue crab living near the piers near Harbor Place that eats young children if they peer into the water unsupervised. The only known footage can be seen at 4am on the UHF channels in Godzilla vs. Crabmon. As you might know, the headwaters of the Susquehanna River create the Chesapeake Bay. About 100 miles upstream from the Baltimore Civic Center on the Susquehanna is a defunct Nuclear Power Plant called 3 Mile Island that sprung a leak and almost melted down in 1979. So the crabs in the bay were exposed to the same form of mutating radiation that gave Japan Godzilla.

The Grateful Dead played at City Island, just upstream of 3 Mile Island, twice in the mid 80's. Now that's an odd but very cool place to see the Dead also.

Thanks for the bday wishes Sixtus and DVikes. I only caught one Birthday show, a Hampton adventure, I think in 83. How did this secret get out of the ether. Speaking of Ether..... after all it's my birthday....

Downtown Baltimore at that time was in pretty rough shape from riots a few years earlier. We parked nearby where several row houses had been destroyed where cars were packed so close together we almost had to crawl out the window. We asked one of the locals who was working the parking how to get to the Civic, and he said, "Just follow the people with a smile on their face".
I had been to the Civic before for Blind Faith the night they landed on the moon, and the Stones in November, both in 1969. So after the first set of my first Dead show ran 17 songs, my friend and I grabbed our coats and started to leave. A neighbor stopped us and said to stick around for the second set!
When the second set began, Wolfman Jack came out and told everybody to Strike a Match for the Grateful Dead (pre-bic lighters), and I saw that concert staple for the very first time. I loved the way the dead went right into Ramble on Rose, and I didn't know if Wolfman's name was really in the song, or it was just an adlib.
The Morning Dew was a monster. They hit the disco ball above the arena with spotlights, and the movement of the ball matched the speed of the song. Wow. I am hoping that the cut on the great sounding board tapes on the Dew has been fixed for this release.
I had never seen a show before where the band played so many songs that were not on their records. The next day I couldn't get that Rio Grande-eo chorus from Mississippi Half Step out of my head, and from that point on I was on the bus, seeking to find more of this music, and I still am to this day.

Happy Birthday Jim. Enjoy your day!

What's new in Baltimore?

Who knows the reference?

And

What is WRT?

Nice birthday present, this announcement

The timing on the release is excellent

Random

Fate had me listening to side one of Bear's Choice this morning

A tasty record that I first "got" after the special show on 5/25/95

As print everywhere gets smaller and my eyes get weaker (despite an exceptional ability to spot good-looking women at a distance) I always assumed that Jim is a doctor.

And, indeed he is, of a sort. Happy Birthday Jim, a friend to Deadheads seemingly everywhere.

Have an infused crab on me, HF

P.S. And wash it down with a tall cold brew -- the best defense against Crabman!

A fellow Aries!

In another time's forgotten space
your eyes looked from your mother's face

"all over town, that you've been seen, out runnin' round"
Best Dead I could come up with for birthday wishes.
Cheers to Jim!

Nothing left to do but Smile Smile Smile for this performance from the Vault! Primo pick & performance indeed my brothers and sisters! Truly grateful for Dave, the team,Rhino and all the fans supporting this most amazing project & series! I would welcome any spring 73’ performance into my collection & brain! The cover art is excellent art design & composition! I’m really feeling & dig’n this years Artist style and technique in his artwork.Looking forward to see more! Have a Grateful Day everyone, peace be with you all! And Happy Birthday Jim!

....just like Wolfman Jack.
Cover is cool. The guts look better. Happy Birthday Jim!

… I almost forgot to mention that there’s only 300 copies left folks! Get it while you can, it’s definitely worth the price of admission!

Well come to think of it I don't suppose that song has any Baltimore references, does it.

Anyway. I'm super excited for this one. Haven't heard a note of it but I've never been unhappy with anything from the Spring '73 run. I had the Maples Pavilion show back in the day but it rarely got played vs the March offerings in my collection like 3/16 (even though my source for that one was kinda rough) and 3/21 (which was crrrispy good!)

Proudfoot mentioned the GDH hour playing some of the Buffalo show too. That was back in November 1994. Thirty years ago. I haven't heard that in ages; I gave away all my cassettes sometime in 2003 or 2004.

HF mentioned the vibe of '73 vs '74. I'm in agreement even though I also love '74. I rather supposed it was due to the avalanche of cocaine but I wasn't there so what do I know.

Good times! Dave's 53 was fun, 54 can't miss, and I'll also be Enjoying the Ride this year. My bank account may not be, but I haven't asked it...

That would be the maestro Mr. Frank Zappa !

Of all the picks released in the last few years, I would think this one would sell out relatively fast. Of course, just one man's opinion.

for this music & glad to be a subscriber this year. This one (plus Buffalo) is definitely going to hit 'the spot'.

for this music & glad to be a subscriber this year. This one (plus Buffalo) is definitely going to hit 'the spot'.

and yep.. Mothers of Prevention, but alas I was beaten so no prize for me.

To Mr Jeemy! Older yes…but wiser? ;) ; ) ; ) JK of course!
(I owe ya a reply…soon…)
And to us all…these shows are shintabulous!
If you’ve never heard em, oh boy, yer gonna love the jam (s) / sequences of both shows! Will pair nicely with the Nassau Box show!
Not sure I fully agree with Dave’s opinion on Spring being better than winter 73 lol, but hey, somebody has to play the fool, er, a, I mean “the picky DH” lol ; )
Kidding of course, fully stoked for this one!
But hey, you say Maserati, I say Lamborghini lol either way your riding in style!
But hey David, hint hint, anytime you wanna drop those first seven shows of 73 in THE box, well I’m pretty sure they’d sell out ; )

ORDERED
Let's play dead and let's play dead VERY LOUD!!!

Haven't seen it mentioned, but there's a Pink Flamingo on the cover. I assume a nod to John Waters.

WRT - With Refence To

Someone asked.

Oh wait, I quit that shit decades ago... well, at least early in the 21st century...

A man can reminisce though. Especially since the brain seems to blot out the bad times and just remember that first whiff of the night.

Er, back to # 54... definitely stoked for this one, will probably micro-ingest for a good long evening when it arrives.

For chrissakes, with old HF, if it's not one thing, it's another!

Yours Truly

And thank you for clarifying WRT, Dennis

....are also a Vegas Golden Knights thing.
They throw them on the ice.
I'm going with the VGK theory because it's a free country dammit!
First round home secured.

Does anyone know if this show would or could ever be a candidate for an official release?

I certainly liked this show, but I am not sure a soundboard circulates. 5/6 had a nice recording and parts are smoking hot. Not sure if it's complete or a partial though?? Sherman, set the controls for May, 1970, Kresge Plaza, M.I.T. - Cambridge, MA.

Smithers release the hounds.

73 shows sound warmer to me. Keith's piano sound obviously changed with increased use of an electric one, and the Wall of Sound seems to separate the sound of the individual instruments so the whole sounds ,less cohesive. But 1974 is one of my favourite years - the jams played that year are amazing. Especially the ones released from June of this year -16th, 18th, 22nd 23th,26th and 28th for example.
Most of these are releases of partial shows - which may add to their appeal for me. 1973, especially summer, features some really long shows. Takes a day or so to get through one - although you can of course miss a few songs out along the way to get to the heart of the matter.
Anyway - my order is in.

I begrudgingly ordered the magnet. Didn't think I would.

The damn things are 30 bucks! Don't even really have a place to stick them!

But they do only make 300 of them, more than the axe, but less than most things. I know they only made one axe and Jim got it. Damn you!!!!

Anyway, checked ebay this morning just for argument sake, somebody wants 70 bucks for 54,,,, NOT EVEN OUT YET!!! Will they sell it???

So maybe 20 years from now my kid can rehash for at least the 30 I paid!

Happy (belated) Birthday Jim, you are not an old coot yet... love the artwork, a moon child born under the crab sign, Marylander for my first twenty years, most of all, this my first Dead show... as may be seen, managed a few rough photos. This was less than three weeks after Pig Pen passed... Thanks Dave for the mention, Mary, Steve and Ivette. Made a few shows at BCC, Jefferson Airplane as well as Jimi. Mulvey's notes spot on, place lit up for Wolfman Jack. And Frank? Will get some Zappa this weekend, Dweezil in Northampton.

DMCVT is the aforementioned "D" that graciously gave his photos for this release! And you managed to call at the right time/last minute to get them in the layout. And you get your 1st show! So cool. Now I am really looking forward to seeing it. Thanks "D".
Cheers
Multi-sport time of year. Masters (go Rory), hockey, baseball, etc.

I haven't listened to DL's seaside soliloquies for years, but had to this time and DL goes apeshit over DMCVT's photos from his first show (as 1stshow noted). Can't wait to see 'em. And I'm sure the music probably is good, too.

Now I gotta send my Watkins Glen photos in, just in case....

"So you wanna be a rock 'n roll star, so listen now to what I say...
"Get yourself an electric guitar, take some time and learn how to play..."

Nice work DMCVT!

Looking forward to seeing the pictures.

Very excited about this release. I’ve already listened to it on the archive and it’s easily in the top five of the series, IMHO.

Blue crabs. Nothing better. I was introduced back in grad school by two friends from Baltimore, who brought back three coolers full of this delicacy. We spent the afternoon cracking open these crustaceans covered in Old Bay on a picnic table covered with newspapers. Washing them down with a few cases of Old Vienna splits. Happily licking our fingers as we made a mess of ourselves.

Faidley’s crab cakes get all the publicity and are outstanding, but John Steven in Fells Point was our “go to” place for seafood when in Baltimore.

Ultra mega super stoked for this release. I'm always up for more '73! Also somewhat semi sketched out about this idea of 4 hours of music on 3 discs. Wot, me worry? Yeah, a little. Seems like pushing the envelope on the run time might increase the potential for defective discs. Those 0s and 1s can get a little agitated if you cram 'em too close together, what I heard.

All this talk about crabs brought back a long suppressed memory of Art's Crab Shak. It's one of those places you "have to" experience if want to know Oakland, locals say. Really more of a dive bar than a restaurant. The kind of place where you have to pay BEFORE they bring you any food, if you know what I'm saying. They serve buckets of crab with lots of butter, a little bread, and plastic bibs. It was good, but once was enough for me. Would've helped if they had a few beer choices beyond Bud-Coors-Miller. I think it's closed now, anyway.

Once you get past the joke about Rocky Mountain oysters (deep-fried bull balls -- against it on principle), we can get flash-frozen seafood "up" here (5300 ft elevation, 1200 miles from the nearest ocean) but it's never the same.

Probably the best I ever had was in Annapolis at a cafe on the water. Flew out there to help a female friend drive a car back to Colorado over the course of a few days. The route was not straight. We hit the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland (saw Howlin' Wolf's gig money valise, which had a bulging top because that's where he kept a pistol), Chicago for Uno's Pizza (one slice was like a sedative, we swore we wouldn't eat Uno's leftovers and drive), then the buffalo herds in the Black Hills and the desecration (but fascinating) that is the Big Heads (Mt Rushmore), then south through eastern Wyoming (getting hoovered while at the wheel)... man, that was some traveling!

But ... the crab cakes...

Box-set - "Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960". Only 4 cds (smal by Dead standards), but OMG..

For my tastes, Hubert Sumlin really defined the riffs that made the Wolf's records and performances so classic. Yes, so many guitar greats worked in the blues and I appreciate the best of them, but somehow Mr. Sumlin really captured the tone and phrasing that made the Wolf's music so stick-in-your-head. The counterpunch to the raunchy pounding beat, etc.

I'd just add a couple titles:

Howlin' Wolf - The Complete RPM & Chess Singles (As & Bs), 1951-1962 (3 CDs, 80 trx)
Howlin' Wolf - Chess Records Outtakes, 1948-1968 (3 CDs, 53 trx)

Keep Howlin' with Hubert, HF