Dave's Picks Vol. 39: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 4/26/83

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July 30, 2021 - 9:15am

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Dead Admin

Joined:
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We're feelin' Philly 4/26/83 and its '80s highs. See what we're on about when you pick up DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 39: THE SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA, PA, 4/26/83, the final show of a three-week tour, played at the venue that the Dead played more than Madison Square Garden (there's your daily dose of Dead trivia). This one fires on all cylinders, with extremely well-played, high-energy tight sets featuring newbies "West L.A. Fadeway," "My Brother Esau," rarities like Brent's tune "Maybe You Know," precise medleys "Help>Slip>Franklin's," an inspired new pairing "Throwing Stones>Not Fade Away," and the Dave's Picks debut of "Shakedown Street." And before you come down, we've got a prime slice of bonus material from the previous Spectrum show 4/25/83 and an extra dollop of '83 from the War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, NY 4/15/83 (featuring the Bobby rarity "Little Star").

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 39: THE SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA, PA, 4/26/83 was recorded by Dan Healy and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.

*2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

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October 10, 2021 - 12:20pm

#41

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

60s

It is puzzling that so few sixties have come out?
Yes their very repetitive, but look at this box, obviously that doesn’t stop em...
And yes many are short,
And there probably not as many good recordings,
but I’ll bet there’s still enough quality there to do something?
Been way too long fo sho!
October 10, 2021 - 10:28am

#42

hendrixfreak

Joined:
February 26, 2014

Thanks gents

Icecreamed I appreciate your logic. I'd agree that ABCDs will continue to come out, interspersed with what's in the Vault. Clearly, for this St Louis box, that one ABCD reel enabled the entire box. Frankly, the list of returned Bettys is rather stunning. I'm still panting for every release and that's 50+ years after hearing AB and Skull & Roses for the first time. (Actually, I borrowed Live-Dead from a friend when it came out -- I was only 12 and couldn't make sense out of the opening to Dark Star, so I took it off the stereo and returned the LP unheard!!) And I'll leap at any '80s shows that are hot, after all, I did attend my share. Agreed, cassettes of hot shows beat multi-tracks of lacklustre performances.

Here's a curveball: whatever happened to the tape stash that Mtn Grl turned over? Those were Jer's tapes and Dave did release that killer April '70 acoustic show with the Pigpen set. But I haven't heard anymore about them, nor ever seen a list. (That probably doesn't exist outside Dave's files.) Then there are the tapes that the roadie's ex turned in, which helped create the Fox Theater/FW 69-70 release (DaP 6) and an undisclosed source of returned tapes that enabled Thelma 12-69 (DaP 9). There's a bunch we simply don't know about. And primal stuff, too. I'd think they still have a fair amount of '69 suitable for release. (DaP 40???)

Though thinking about the Vault holdings can drive me a little crazy, I'm kinda glad that Dave doesn't release a list. It keeps the surprise factor going and my earlier posts about the Vault -- how many excellent shows remain unreleased -- run to the optimistic side because Dave has many aces up his sleeve and, as I surmised earlier, he's looking for commercial patterns that could lead to a box and one-offs that work for the DaP series. I must say, while I really don't want his job, it's gotta be mighty fun. A couple tokes and a tour of the Vault would probably leave me quite worn out.

As to preservation, it's not clear to me what the process or pace is. I did get the impression from Dave's description of his DaP process that he selects a show, and THEN it gets digitized and a technical once-over to see if will stand up to release quality. I'd love to hear Dave talk about his process, which shouldn't reveal anything he doesn't want to reveal.

Meanwhile, it's been established that the OSF still has reels of GD. I asked them to keep an eye out for 9-19-72, which is in the Vault, but missing a reel. Fingers crossed, that was my first show. I did sponsor a reel myself of 1973 NRPS. OSF told me that they had opened a box marked NRPS, only to find it empty -- disaster! Yet it seems they've recovered quite a few reels somehow (mislabeled, misplaced?) since then because, obviously, they did that early NRPS box and, presumably, more NRPS releases to come in the future. Johnny Cash at the Avalon is coming out soon! They must have feelers out to innumerable artists for permission to release and they've been careful to go outside the San Francisco bands to broaden our palate. I'm, grateful.

Man, I never tire of this stuff.

And Icecreamed, the new box is pretty sweet. The setlists are mindblowing. You're gonna love it, I'm sure. I'm gonna stretch it out into the early winter just so I savor every skull fuck.

Edit: P.S. Yeah, the demographic angle (Giants box sell-out) is a strong one. I suspect that each era has its fans. I didn't see any '60s shows, but I'm on 'em like white on rice. I caught one '91 and two '92 shows after leaving the GD concert scene in '87, and I'd love to have those properly restored. And I caught shows in every year, 1980-1987, which of course I'd love to hear again. Think of it this way: if you were 25 in 1985, you're ~61 now. Still rockin'. I kinda doubt that, except for Billy the Kid, that any of us did catch '60s shows, but we're hot for 'em. Crazy good stuff.
October 10, 2021 - 10:17am

#43

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

Cone kid DL

maybe that’s it Conekid, save up the working capital from profits now so they can afford to fix up and digitize, then add a DL series, but one that not only works, but excels. Ya know, something the Dead used to be known for: cutting edge, leading technology...
October 10, 2021 - 10:13am

#44

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

As far as as digitization

now that Plangent can be used on cassettes, wouldn’t they want to wait on digitization?
I agree that they should get digital back up ASAP for everything, starting with the best sounding good shows as ICCK suggests, but it seems like they wait to cover the production costs until they have the years submoney in hand?

Remember this was one of the big riffs that happened between band members: some wanted to “sell out” to some corporation who would have the financial resources to digitize the whole collection, so you could get any show ala carte, but Phil was like “I’m not turning on the TV and hear Truckin’ during a Chevy commercial” not an exact quote, but he wasn’t about just selling out, he wanted to maintain control and do it their way, well maintaining the respect the music deserved. Or remember the whole Terrapin Station debacle, where Mickey said there’d be a kiosk, so you could put your order in at arrival, and pick up your shows after you toured the museum etc,
So there has been talk at least of trying to make the vault more accessible. But now that Rhino has bought at least some level of control, I don’t think their in a hurry to do any of that, which sucks.

Now if there was any forethought, Rhino et el would of been reinvesting some of the profits from all these years of windfalls to build up enough scratch so if/when the Beatty well etc runs dry, they have the cash to fix up the better cassettes, properly!, and then start pushing them out en masse? Not sure if it’s true, but a reasonable theory, that they could be marketing to the “older” crowd currently, assuming that more of the 80/90s market is younger and thus will be around longer. That seems limiting to me, but what do I know?
Personally, I’m in the All The Years combined camp: let’s get all the multitracks from any year out first, or say one box of multi’s a year at premium rate, so they can milk it along, combined with say DaP series of Beatty’s and predominantly older stuff, (perhaps with some “normal” boxes mixed in), and also offer a no frills 80/90s outlet for everyone else to enjoy, you could call it Pedro’s Picks as I’m available ; )
Sure they might not sell as much of any particular individual format/series, but cumulatively they could be selling more total! And no offense, but their doing this to make money!
October 10, 2021 - 9:44am

#45

icecrmcnkd

Joined:
October 20, 2015

Giants Box is a grate one

Multi-track and a BluRay.
We need more video!

80/90’s multi-tracks should all be released.
And the 2-track DAT Masters if they sound good and the performance doesn’t have any major meltdowns.

As for the 80’s cassettes, if they sound good and the band is on, then release them. Especially since Plangent can now do cassettes. I would support and 80’s cassette download series, but not until Rhino figures out how to run a download service.
October 10, 2021 - 9:26am

#46

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

ABCD/80s etc

They needed to get returns on their investments.
I believe I read there is a NDA?

Theory: using say just four years of DaP only with 20k subs at $100 per sub = $2Mil per year (not including extra ala carte $, boxes, aprons, hatchets etc)
So that’s 8 million in four years just for DaPs...
So my theory is that after production costs and corporate profit etc, it’s taken a few years to pay some or all of that investment off, thereby loosening things up a bit. I’m sure you’ll see ABCD reels being used more then less until their either mostly gone, or the shows aren’t up to par. Hey, a well recorded lousy show is still a lousy show...
As for 80s shows, I’ve said it all along: have 2 series!
I think you snobs would be surprised how well a series dedicated to 80s and 90s “cover band” shows would sell.
I think there’s a huge army of silent heads just waiting...GIANTS box anyone? Sold out way quicker then 78, 76, PNW or the current one!
October 10, 2021 - 9:05am

#47

icecrmcnkd

Joined:
October 20, 2015

HF, speculation

My speculation regarding the rate of ABCD releases is based on the speculation I read on these boards. I have no additional knowledge.

Regarding the STL Box, in the seaside chat Dave explains how this Box came to be. I don’t recall the details but I think it was something like most of the shows had been selected for release at some time, and he wanted to do another regional Box, and this one came together at this time, although another Box could have also come.

I think that digitization of all the analog recordings (presumably starting with the best sound quality) is a constant process because getting digital copies stored in multiple locations is an insurance policy to keep the releases and revenue coming well into the future.
You don’t want to pull a Universal Music and lose everything in a fire.
So, I think that the library of digitized shows is constantly increasing and that Dave has an ever growing selection to choose from, and then he picks a show that appeals to him at the time. In seaside chats in the past he has said how he has more than one show in mind for an upcoming release, and then makes a decision for whatever reason.

Regarding 80-85 cassettes, we basically know what sounds good because you can get copies from the torrents. There are a lot of people who do want shows from those years released, but also a lot of people who will not buy them. The Rhino business plan may be to generate as much revenue as possible from the pre-Brent years while the people who only like those years are still alive and spending money.

This has all been speculated on in the past on these boards, and I’m just respeculating.

The USPS app says that my Box is out for delivery…..
October 10, 2021 - 8:11am

#48

hendrixfreak

Joined:
February 26, 2014

The Vault conversation, part XXIV...

So, Icecreamed, I'm curious why you say that Dave has to deal "first" with returned Bettys? I have openly speculated here that the initial plethora of ABCD-related releases in years just passed might reflect some arrangement with the gents who are ABCD to get the material out more or less immediately. Do you have any argument or evidence that that's true? Being sincere here, not snarky.

I say this because I note that only one reel in the St Louis box is from ABCD. I don't know how many reels per show were used, but is it safe to say more than 20 reels for 20 CDs' worth of music? So the St Louis box benefited from one returned reel but is by far mostly composed of reels they had in the Vault. Neither DaP 39 or 38 were from the ABCD stash.

So I'm genuinely wondering: if there is/was a deal with ABCD to get out those returned Bettys, did the initial slew of ABCD shows (spring '77, Red Rocks, etc.) in the past 2-3 (3-4?) years satisfy that agreement and now Dave is free to intersperse Vault shows with returned Bettys? That scenario seems kinda likely, in that I can imagine an ABCD deal as described above but not one that would shackle Dave for any length of time from freely choosing shows after an initial burst of ABCD releases.

I guess we can only speculate, as a confidentiality agreement probably exists.

As for speculation that we're being softened up to accept '80s shows on cassette -- a world of difference from a Betty, I think many would agree -- that is ... disturbing, to a degree. I'd probably keep subscribing even then, because as in this year, when Dave did '87 and '83 shows, he also gave us 9-73 and 4-78. The '73 shows are a must-hear, must-have for me. So I'd suck up a few '80s cassette shows to get what to me is the really good stuff. My storage situation reflects my personal approach: I've got prime shelf space in my office for '66 thru '75 GD. '76 thru '90s shows are in a tall oak bookshelf in the basement (along with 3/4s of my Jimi, all my Dylan, and other top artists, so no disrespect, just space issues).

Blah, blah, blah! My guess is that the ABCD agreement has passed its initial phase and we're now in potpourri territory. Yes, "potpourri territory"... mmm, need more coffee...
October 9, 2021 - 3:59pm

#49

icecrmcnkd

Joined:
October 20, 2015

The Vault

GD renewed the 10-year contract with Rhino a couple of years ago and will probably renew for a third term when that time comes.
So, Greek, Frost, Ventura, and others will probably get sifted through for release.
But, Dave has the returned reels to deal with first.
I think that the 80’s DaP’s we have received so far were selected so that the ‘better’ 80’s shows can be used later when there are few pre-Brent shows remaining.
October 9, 2021 - 3:08pm

#50

hendrixfreak

Joined:
February 26, 2014

Don't be too grumpy...

I think the Vault has quite a few iconic shows tucked away, as well as tons of shows we attended and haven't heard squat from.

I'm not a natural optimist, but remember that Dave thinks the DaP series will go for 20 years. That's 100 shows, counting bonus disc. Plus he's putting out another 7-8 shows per year in a box. Another decade of boxes is another 80 shows.

All I'm saying is that, to accomplish that, Dave has to have a long-term plan, not just plucking the occasional show out of the Vault for release. I have no actual knowledge of his m.o., but it would seem to me he's got to come up with box themes that'll fly tape-wise and business-wise. So he may very well have Frost, Greek, Shoreline, Red Rocks (that's my personal desire) shows staying intact, under the radar, to enable future boxes.

Notice I didn't say something like, "Have patience..." because I want that Rocks box NOW!!

Just sayin', there's hope.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Dead Store Products

We're feelin' Philly 4/26/83 and its '80s highs. See what we're on about when you pick up DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 39: THE SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA, PA, 4/26/83, the final show of a three-week tour, played at the venue that the Dead played more than Madison Square Garden (there's your daily dose of Dead trivia). This one fires on all cylinders, with extremely well-played, high-energy tight sets featuring newbies "West L.A. Fadeway," "My Brother Esau," rarities like Brent's tune "Maybe You Know," precise medleys "Help>Slip>Franklin's," an inspired new pairing "Throwing Stones>Not Fade Away," and the Dave's Picks debut of "Shakedown Street." And before you come down, we've got a prime slice of bonus material from the previous Spectrum show 4/25/83 and an extra dollop of '83 from the War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, NY 4/15/83 (featuring the Bobby rarity "Little Star").

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 39: THE SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA, PA, 4/26/83 was recorded by Dan Healy and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.

*2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

Peanut guitar for cover band?

Failing that, maybe Dead & Co could use one. They play a lot of Grateful Dead songs.

Dammit Lemieux.. we tried to warn you.

Release some 1968 for DaP 40 already. Shitcan whatever you and Norman have in the pipeline and give us 1968 primal dead or else. Civil discourse is beginning to fragment, the fate of the free world depends on you. At this point it's your only clean way out...

Continue to taunt us so and the entire 68 shelf in the vault will be replaced with a 40 oz tin of peanuts.

10/12/68. Final warning.

Jiminmd

You sound mean mad. (Grapes of Wrath reference)

Cmon Dave...hes right...a 68 show would be mighty sweet

Came home to an intact Dave's glass....

....on my doorstep. I was a little bit apprehensive, being Fri The 13th and all.
And now I want peanut butter. Thanks people. Luckily, I have a stash.

I like living in Berkeley, but I know Berkeley's not the world….

50 years ago today…..

August 14, 1971
Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, California

Set 1: Bertha-Me And My Uncle-Mr. Charlie-Sugaree-El Paso-Big Railroad Blues-Big Boss Man-Brokedown Palace-Playing In The Band-Hard To Handle-Cumberland Blues-Loser-Promised Land

Set 2: Truckin'>drums>The Other One>Me And Bobby McGee-Sugar Magnolia-Not Fade Away>Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad>Not Fade Away

Encore: Johnny B. Goode-Uncle John's Band

Deadicated to Serpent of Dreams, droidmec, WhatsbecomeofRosemarysBaby, Fogle, MilesM, NWScarletFireGuy, Old Chief Smokem, mdboucher, Quodlibet, Thats_Otis, and Pancho Pantera, because memory is the treasure house of the mind wherein the monuments thereof are kept and preserved……

One of the better summer 71 shows, with a decent dose of first set Pigpen and a nice big jam to open the second set. Phil is very active. The second set seems to be dominated by Bobby, with four straight Weir songs to kick it off. One never hears a lot about the two Berkeley shows, but they are worth a listen!!

Rock on!!

Doc
Sometimes I can think of nothing more blissful than going to Berkeley and reading Byron for three years……………

Interesting conundrum about iterations of the music

Ironic a band with a song called "the music never stopped" has so many diehard fans claiming the music has stopped. My favorite quip to someone at a show these days jibing a younger fan with the old trope "you never saw Jerry! You have NO idea!" I like to ask if they saw Pigpen?! The music IS the true thing we are all after, even the band. A nightly search for the just exactly perfect moment or inspiration from the ethereal realms. The music ending with the band is NOT what I've gathered they intended from their comments. Even Bob recently said he had a dream where Dead and Co. was playing away fiercely except he wasn't in the band. When he looked John, Oteil, and Jeff were old and gray with new players in his spot with Mickey and Bill. Personally I like Bob's dream and that's the way to make sure the music never stops. A lineage of players keeping the flame alive and bringing in younger generations. Not telling the kids its over they missed the party and life sucks now cause you're watching a cover band. I've said it before Fare Thee Well was simply "Fare Thee Phil" It was Phil's retirement party so he could do his own projects, never once thought that was THE END nor was that a Grateful Dead show as advertised.

Oops, double post...........

Apologies, too much King Crimson, not enough coffee......

Rock on!

Doc

Uh huh Thin

I do agree with you on a point Thin. The Dead were not a cover band to me immediately after Mickey came back in 76. I did accidently write that through many copy and pastes trying to organize my thoughts. My bad. What I lost in the process was a comment I had wrote that there was a large enough change in sound and way of playing the songs that the Dead was at that point a substantial degree off separation from their early 70s sound.

You did not need to point out that they still made great music with K&D after 74 because I said so in my post. So I agree with you on that point too. Just please try to be more attentive.

Disagree on crushing the oldies. There was an occasional Bertha like Dick's 18 that rocked. Very few Playing in the Bands or Eyes of the World came anywhere near 73/74, emphasis on very few.

After K&D left is a different story. Yeah they were evolving. Into a cover band. That's when they turned into a new band all together. If the degree of separation from their 71 to 74 selves was a 5 out of 10 to their 76 to 78, selves and the degree of separation from their 78 selves to their 1987 selves was at least another 5 out of 10, and their sound and style of playing those 71 to 74 songs was substantially changed, which it was, then a band is just too far from their former selves to be anything but a new band playing there old songs. Same as the Who. Yeah it's fun, but it's not same band. The word cover band is used very loosely. Obviously they are still called the Grateful Dead and still playing the music that some of the members originally made, but not really the same at all. Wasn't the 2015 reunion a cover band? Of course it was they were the Grateful Dead only in name.

I do not believe I am projecting but you may be in denial ;-)

Peace

Cover band

Not sure what the appropriate term is, but clearly not the same band.

Just look at the videos. While the available footage from 74 and prior is limited, the band plays with purpose, focus and intensity. In later years, they just seem to be going through the motions. And please don’t mistake the smiles and giddiness for passion.

You can make the argument that the band had peaks from 78 on, but they are few, far between and often measured in songs rather than shows or entire tours.

No cover

Take the example of the Sons of the Pioneers: they've been around since 1933 and have been performing ever since with no breaks, with new members coming( while the old ones go...); they were never perceived as a cover band in the 60s or 70s, even though all the founding members had already retired by then.
Whether you like post-hiatus Dead or not, they were not a cover band; by definition, a cover band performs other artists' songs, and if they copy precisely the original arrangements, they become a tribute band; the Dead were neither(on the other hand, most of Jerry's solo ventures were cover bands with a few originals sprinkled in)
The big change when Brent joined is the formatting of songs/sets: first set songs, pre-drums songs, drums/space, post drums songs, shorter jams, and overall predictable shows(with a few exceptions here and there.)

Berkeley '71

Thanks Doc, I don't recall hearing about these shows. Will see if there's a good Charlie Miller on Archive.org.

Uncle Gary sent me the suite of shows from the Manhattan Center last week, back in early April '71. It's been primarily '71 for me this past week.

Not literally, no

I don't think anyone was suggesting that the post K and D Dead were literally a cover band. They weren't like The Australian Doors or The Bootleg Beatles or whatever .What I was trying to suggest was that after 1975, they lost touch with their creative source-their muse - however you want to think of it. This became, for me, even more pronounced from 1979 onwards. They still played quite a few songs written from up to 1974 after this date, and it was when they did this, that they gave the impression, to me, that they were no longer as creative as they had been in the past. They seemed to re-presenting their earlier more innovative selves in much the same way that a literal cover band might have done. They still played jamming vehicles like Playing, Eyes, Other One etc - but the spark seemed to have gone. For me, any way-its all obviously very subjective.

They didn't sound like a cover band doing Lovelight with Pigpen singing - but they did when Bob started doing it. Same with a lot of traditional material they played circa 1969-1972. The sounded to me to be connecting with their roots which was then expanded into their own repertoire. So, contradictory as it may sound, they seemed less like a cover band playing other peoples songs between 1969-1972 than they did playing many of their own songs after 1979.

Fun times 1975 to 1995

All I know is ,seeing the Dead from 1975 to 1995 I really got high a lot and had a lot far out crazy times. Saw a lot of great shows , even the last shows I saw at Shoreline, 6/95 were enjoyable. 40 years ago today, I was hitchhiking up to Portland from the Bay Area to see the Dead. Fun times at the Greek, Frost , Winterland, Ventura, The Warfield and on and on. Garcia & Grisman , Garcia & Nelson & Rothman at the Warfield, those shows were historic. Acoustic Dead at the Warfield, fun times for sure.

Thin

Good points. I agree.

Check your pm.

Two avenues of drift

To DaveRock's point, if you judge the GD by Bobby doing Lovelight or Good Lovin', there's an argument for decline -- those were poor choices, just as Bobby's slide playing really marred a lot of material. Then you have Jer checking out on H, which according to Hunter, "ruined everything." Then you have Phil and his "Heinecken years," which started in '73-'74. So the roots of decline coincided with the loss of Pigpen, and the vagaries of being a rock star (affecting Phil and Jer) and the delusions of grandeur affecting Mr. Short Shorts. Another factor: age and the way maturity and creature comforts rob people of the intensity of their youth. Still, only Jer soldiered on with his own band, sounding fresh and intense even during his H years. (Yes, Bobby too, but not in the same league, and I'm a huge fan of and saw many shows by Kingfish.)

As for the Stones, I'd had it when Mick and Keith started wearing eye makeup. Yet they regrouped and followed my advice by cutting an all blues album a few years ago. I told 'em, stop writing Jagger-Richards crap and just do the classics you grew up on. Although I only howled this at my stereo in the privacy of my home, somehow the message reached them.

I will say that I quit the GD scene after 1987's three at the Rocks, two in Telluride. I'd been going full tilt with that band from '71 onward (1st show, '72) and by '87 (full disclosure: I turned 30 that summer), I was done. So I had an age-related issue, too. Still, when cultivating in Vermont in '92 I agreed to catch 'em one last time in Albany with a little help from my friends. (Mr. Blow.) One weak show, one fairly strong. So I bookended a 20-year live thing with the band. But I never flagged on Jerry's band and caught a huge show in '91 at MSG that they just released. One man's story... Which has a lot to do with actual concert attendance. As for the music, well I think everyone knows my position on a hot tape in the comfort of one's home. Gawd, back in fall '72, and the summer of '73, GD shows were marathon survival tests for a 15 year old. I mean, we were essentially little kids with grownup tastes. We had nothing except a t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and blotter. Literally nothing else, no IDs, no money, no hats (RFK '73 = 100 effin' degrees and like three water fountains for 25,000 people...) Yet, here I am!

Blah blah, woof woof!!

But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here...

everybody's gonna wanna doze

The only vinyl I don't like...

...is a broken record.

'65->'95. I LOVE IT!

So this happened....

....my granddaughter Trish sent me an Instagram message out of nowhere.
She came across Billy Strings doing Brown-Eyed Women.
"Grandpa! This is the band you enjoy!'
I asked her if she enjoyed it too.
"Yes! Its happy music. Is there more?"
Made my day. She's 17 and smart as a whip.
Turns out she's a huge Queen fan as well.
Hard to argue that.
Guess what Trish. There is more.

Re:

Great story VGuy.. and another generation fills in the void for the less than passionate old dead guy folks that no longer let hippies congregate on their grass.

Think of the GD like we might think of the Olympics.. every four years we get a fresh pool of passionate deadheads and athletes to keep the flame burning. Billy Strings is certainly an Olympic picker.

Love Brown Eyed Women.. If I had his talent I would cover it too..

Happy Music....

....that's a definite definition.
I'm open to debate. Cover band or not. Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare.
Edit. I'm not a Stones afficiando by any means, but they became a cover band because of Ron Wood? Amazing.
On that note, I enjoy Aftermath UK, Tattoo You and Let It Bleed quite a bit.

Truth is the cry of all, but the game of few…..

50 years ago today…..

August 15, 1971
Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, California

Set 1: Big Railroad Blues-Playing In The Band-Mr. Charlie-Cumberland Blues-Sugaree-Promised Land-Big Boss Man-China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider-Me And Bobby McGee-Casey Jones

Set 2: Truckin'>drums>The Other One>Me And My Uncle>The Other One>Wharf Rat-Turn On Your Love Light

Encore: Johnny B. Goode-And We Bid You Goodnight

Deadicated to the420bandito, MLavallee, blueboy714, Roguedeadguy, chilly1214, Moses Quasar, kevinbrandon, UncleBill'sBand, gruesom, skantor, Lightfoot510, JJJJJ, msmiranda, bchar, JackS, luis, clovett, and Dead Ahead, because memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin…..

Requests for White Rabbit, and a critical envelope…………..

As with the previous evening, a show that doesn’t get a lot of attention. A little less grease, and a bit more jamming. A worthwhile trade-off? You decide………..

Rock on!!

Doc
So long as I confine my thoughts to my own ideas divested of words, I do not see how I can be easily mistaken……

Not because of Ron

I don't think anyone would suggest that The Stones became a cover band because of Ron Wood. But they did go into creative decline around the time he joined. A bit cartoonish. Tattoo You is a good 'un though.

Anniversary show 8/15/81. Portland , Oregon

40 years ago today, I was up in Portland having another fun night with the Dead . Great party scene all day down by the Willamette River. Opened up with Shakedown Street, nice To Lay Me Down. Crazy fun times.

Never Seen a Cover Band

Eleven GD shows, one The Dead, and a couple hundred other fine acts of rock bluegrass and jazz. Oh, and a symphony or two. Does seeing a musical count? Probably could have seen a cover band in a bar if I ever went to them.
I did believe it, and needed it, and dared to need it. Is that box of rain a euphemism for acid?

Fun subject at our house: misheard lyrics.
Mine, among most of the Stones catalog, is Elton's Rocket Man, "burning out on you (fuse?) up here alone".
Wife's is Beach Boys Barbra Ann, "Went to a dance, lookin' for a man (romance?). Saw BarberAnn so I knew I had a chance".
Some of these we have misheard our whole lives and we get a good laugh when we figure them out. There are probably whole websites of these. Cheers!

My ears are alight

By Desmond Decker and the Israelites always used to raise a smile with my group when it came on the pub juke box. "Excuse me while I kiss this guy" in Purple Haze was another good one.

Misheard lines.

Always a favorite subject here and abroad. My largest ever is my first two albums of the Tannerhill Weavers I got. Thought I knew all the lines,,, finally saw them in print and they were 70% Gaelic. Wow! Did that change things!

Preach On Doc

Did anyone listen to 8/14/71 yesterday? Always good to get Doc's recommendations for the '71 shows. Thanks Doc. I listened to the first set yesterday. Great stuff. Phil is very audible, as Doc indicated, and Jerry is also very present and crisp (more on that below). Later, I'll get a listen in on the 8/15 show.

1971 needs more official Full Norman shows. Sucks that they didn't release all of the FW 7/2 show with the Skull & Roses 50th redo. I'm listening to more and more soundboards these days in search of the magic. It used to bum me that there are so few '71 Dark Stars, but now I'm finding that they did a lot of Dark Star type stuff in other songs - for example the "Jam" track from Ladies & Gentlemen. The 8/14 Other One also has a really good "Jam" section.

For guitar-Heads: when I started getting into this 8/14 show, I noticed Jerry's guitar tone is really crisp and mid-rangey (definitely not the Strat, more like a Gibson). Checked the trusty Garciad guitar site, and it turns out he's playing a Les Paul at these Berkeley shows. The Les Paul makes for an interesting take on the sound of these songs, so all the more reason to check out these two shows.

Misheard lines - for years I thought Weir said he was Truckin' "like the dude I met".

Misheard lyrics

I heard this discussed years ago either on FM radio or a TV rock doc.

Blinded By The Light
“Revved up like a deuce/douche…”

Covers

Based on the criteria of some attempts to justify calling the GD a cover band at some point in their career, Bob Dylan would be guilty of being a Bob Dylan cover anytime he played a song differently, or with a different lineup, than the way he played it originally.

8/14,15/71

Listened to 8/14/71 last night. 8/15/71 coming up tonight. I can damn near taste the Lebanese red hash that our whole row smoked from in a chillum 50 years ago.
Life is short. Live it to the fullest!

Got to agree

This cover band conversation is plain silly. Condescending era comments.. boring and thin skinned..

I did listen to most of 8/14/71 on a drive yesterday and most of 8/15 on the return today. Suffers from a bit of song redundancy, but that shouldn't scare anyone off.. Love the pig centric sequences.. plus the playing was all but redundant.. unique and special. Got to admit I was a bit distracted and my mood not ideal... but I will plant the flag and take the win nonetheless. I am free to revisit these shows when the situation is more ideal.

Hope you all had a great weekend. Live each day like it's your last and be kind to those that look like they need kindness. Things are getting weird.. how does that saying go again???

Onward.

People who judge others

Jim - maybe it's got a bit heavy going lately, but if some people on here want to discuss their perception of the bands music, who are you, or anyone else, to pass judgement on them for doing so ? I am sure the conversation will swing on to something you are more comfortable with soon enough. The strength of any community surely lies in its ability to accommodate different perspectives and to encourage people within it to voice them. Not to insist on conformity. Not everyone see the world the way you ( or I ) do, but the fact that they don't doesn't mean that they are wrong. There has been a marked rudeness in the posts of some people on this issue when they have come across something that they haven't agreed with.

Icrmcnkd -isn't Dylan consciously re-interpreting his songs when he sings and presents them differently ? Like The Dead did with their jams between 1968 and 1974-and some would say on to 1995.

Yes Daverock

I only saw Dylan a couple times in the past, and I recall that with some songs he played them differently than how I knew them from albums, and so I didn’t even recognize them at first.
The point was that GD was never a cover band just because they played differently at some point than they did at another point.
Open discussions here are fine. But the ‘cover band’ claim was initially used and then reused a few times as a disparaging term to trash the choice of DaP 39, and Brent and the Brent era, as well as the ‘76 return of Mickey. It seemed to be an attack on the band, which of course is going to draw responses.

Dylan

Icrmcnkd - I've only seen Dylan once, about three years ago, and I didn't recognise "Desolation Row" until it was half over!

Dylan

It’s even harder to recognize the song when he sings it through his nose.
:)

Cover Band

Hopefully we can move on then. It's a silly argument and unnecessarily negative.

SAINT STEPHEN!!!

+-×/

"Lookin' for a lover

who won't blow my brother"

Ladies and gentlemen, the Eagles!

8/16/81 An evening with the Grateful Dead & L.S.D.

40 years ago today I was up at McArthur Court in Eugene Oregon to see the Dead. An Evening with the Grateful Dead & L.S.D., that's what the marquee read as we pulled into Eugene early that morning. The Deads equipment guys were out front unloading the trucks and they were pointing up at the sign and laughing.. The sign was removed later that morning. The Dead did Baby Blue as an encore, the first time I heard them do it. Kesey, the pranksters and the Thunder Machine were all there. A bunch of fireworks set off in the graveyard across the street after the show. Crazy fun times.

other people

Jim-you want to move on, but you post on the subject again. Be kind to other people - unless they disagree with you, seems to be the message. Things would be much easier if everyone was like you, eh?

I say, my dog has no nose

No nose? How does he smell?

Bloomin' awful!

Cover bands

I haven’t followed the discussion closely but have read many of the posts. A couple of points. First I don’t get the issue about playing others’ songs. It’s been a long tradition in music to interpret others’ songs. The second point is anyone who wants a band to be exactly the style and type it was 10, 20, or 30 years later is in the wrong place. Maybe try a stones site.
My definition of a cover band is a band that only does the popular songs of the day to make some cash. That’s not the Dead
While I’ve been listening to them on disc since 1967 and enjoying their shows from a short time after then, they’ve never stood still. Is 1973 different than 1983? Of course, thankfully so. I enjoy both

Ok.. agree.

It's all good on my end.

Onward.

..

Anyone know any good jokes?

😊

A wife got so mad at her husband that she packed his bags....

....and told him to get out.
As the husband was walking to the door to leave, the wife yells out, "I hope you die a long, slow, painful death!!"
Husband turned around and said, "So, you want me to stay?"
Ta dum dum tissh

I'll give 'er a go Jim...

Here's two for champagne pow lovers.
-What do you call a snowboarder in a three piece suit? The defendant.
ba-dum-dum...
-What do you call two dudes on shaped skis? A parabolickers.
ba-dum-dum
As has been said here before, I'll show myself out. Happy national joke day everybody.

Best joke in history...

A man married a woman.

My dog has no nose

and still smells bloomin' awful!

What is every Amish womans fantasy?

Two Mennonite!

I can say that one because my family background is Mennonite...

1409 arrives on Vancouver Island!

2 weeks, 4 days after my delivery notice arrived! Right on schedule!

I probably missed this tid-bit in previous posts but does anyone know why 4/26 was cut short on Disc2 and replaced with the 4/25 bonus material, and then 4/26 starts up again on Disc3? Curious that 4/26 was cut short on Disc2 when there is the balance of the show left?!

Stay healthy, stay safe.

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