Grateful Dead

Decoding my ramble, I was inspired by others musings about different Dave's Picks they either loved or loathed. So, I posted my own musings about comparative releases, from similar eras. Such as {#40} Deer Creek, July 1990 to {#44} Eugene, June 1990. Or the two releases from December 1979, {#31} Chicago`79 versus {#47} St.Louis`79. Another comparative example was {#45} Portland, early October 1977 versus {#33} DeKalb, late October 1977.
My next musing would be for folks familiar with the other Dave's Picks from spring 1973. Then compare them to this release. To which this {#54} is an awesome show and a grate release with a damn fine bonus disc. I only wonder what others think of how it compares with say {#32} Philadelphia`73? That particular Philly DaP was a lost & found Betty Board according to my information. Dave has a few releases from this era of `73, similar to the cluster of shows he released from Spring Tour 1978. One of those being that other lost & found Betty Board {#37} William & Mary College 4/15/78 & with the killer filler from Pittsburg a few days later.
Sorry for the confusion and all, I just get intrigued by others thoughts on the subject and of course I am "enjoying the ride" so to say!

When I was thinking about buying the Scranton release from 1971, I went over to the site dedicated to that release to read the range of views on it. I couldn't find any ! I guess they were there if I had dug deeper, but most of the posts, including my own of course, were not about that particular show. Which proves your point.
As soon as I mentioned it on here, though, people contributed to what they had thought of it.

I am always interested in different views of shows, and whether I agree with them or not is neither here nor there.
Daevid Allen once said of his band, Gong ; " Whatever Gong may mean to you, it's well possible that it means the very opposite to somebody else. This is very pleasing to me."

Daverock, do buy it. You will like it. Fresh and rough.

As I paid up for Greyfolded and 12/31/76 on vinyl this week, I have backed off from getting Scranton a bit. But I like the era, and if the playing is good I am sure I won't be disappointed with the sound quality. Your ears adjust - at least mine do - when I am listening to old recordings from the past. I guess I'd better make my mind up soon - it can't be for available for much longer !

I would be on Scranton like green on weed

No, not prickly. Matter of fact. A problem of the written word. Be the change you want to see. I find the studious, note taking side of listening to shows takes away from the music. I don’t go to live shows and do the same so I don’t want to do it while listening in my living room. Not insulted, and certainly no need to apologize. It’s just you said why don’t people do this and then you don’t do it either…so if you do take the time, that’s great maybe others will follow suit.

... Note: Was trying not to be a spoiler for those who had not received theirs yet:

"I have to say, after listening to 3.24 Philly Spectrum right before this one, that Philly is "wilder and woolier" and this show is mellower overall - with a bit more of the "coloring between the lines" sensibility, so to speak - It's a mainly laid back but still very focused vibe. Like Kezar, exactly two months later, it has an amazingly consistent High Level of performance ...

Owing to a few setlist differences (1/2 Step, Sugaree, Brown-Eyed Women, GSET, Weather Report > v. pretty segue > Wharf Rat), it will likely get more complete show plays here than 3.24 will - while Philly's disc 3 jam sequence (and the Buffalo Bonus Disc as well) stands up real nice all on its own."

Less specific here, such that each person can draw their own conclusions ...

Cheers 🍷

I wrote one after my first listen too. I'll see if I can retrieve it.

I also think this is an issue of what one writes is often not what the other reads. Without body language, facial movements and voice inflections, what we understand is always one octave away from what what was intended.

Hopefully no harm no foul here. It's a great release, let the good vibes flow.

Someone here brought up Philly the night before. They sound so good one, then the other. Like fraternal twins.. one boy, one girl. These shows are yin and yang and together are a great 1973 twofer.

So I agree that it is frustrating when people fail to mention the actual show date of the releases.

DaP12 was 11/4/77 at Colgate University. It was released 11 years ago. I purchased two of the T-shirts because I thought they were so cool. Last year I gave one to my daughter. After years of criticizing me about the band, she finally saw the light.

She graduated from Colgate University this weekend. Tonight I was able to get a picture of her with the president of the university while she was wearing the T-shirt. Doesn’t get much better than that as a parent.

A milestone for you both.
Cheers

Very cool, congratulations.

found a web page (kiwihawaii) has a hawaiian shirt with great pick of DAP 12 cover, front and rear, 35 bucks,,,, looks real nice,,,, may have to get one for me.

Where to start? For one thing, I resolve to try to be better* about not just saying Dave's 20 and instead including the 12/9/81 part. I tend to memorize lists easily but I see many people don't catalog in the same way, and if it promotes better discussion/easy reference, then that's a good thing and I'm all for it.

Daverock said:
"I am always interested in different views of shows, and whether I agree with them or not is neither here nor there."

And I think that's my basic position, too.

I've been comparing or trying to compare tapes/shows for... going on 4 decades now... and the best I can compare the process to is trying to study 'wave interference' in light. When it comes to Grateful Dead music, depending on how articulate someone is, and whether or not I 'agree' with what they are saying - or can understand/grok what they are saying - means that the resulting comparative experience can feel like constructive or destructive interference. That is, it can either amplify what I already believe or feel, or depress what I may not have any data on. Saying that, I recognize that it is a flawed analogy; I mention the light part (rather than sound) just because with light it's even more challenging to measure or even perceive the phenomenae (are we observing light waves or particles?) There's just so much nuance and so much personal preference, lived experience, variation ("I was at that show", "Bobby's too low in the mix for my taste" etc.) that I am not sure it's ever possible for a given person to really recreate or fully align with any other person's perception of a Grateful Dead show or song.

So over time I've taken a position where I just sort of sit back and try to observe - read, and reread. A good example of late is the discussion about Scranton (*Dave's 51, aka 4/13/71 and also 4/12 II). I realized I hadn't really taken the time to listen thoroughly, so yesterday I cleared the decks and gave it some real focus. And hot damn, I enjoyed the hell out of it! I remember on release various folks said "Phil shines on this one" and yes, I agree. It's rare to meet a Hard to Handle in 1971 that doesn't move me - Dave L. said this one was good, and so it proved. I know some people have said they didn't like the recording quality, but that wasn't something I really noticed (I kept trying to notice it - but I didn't).

There are times, though, when I am not even sure I can explain to myself why I prefer one show to another. June 1985 is a good example: I would take 6/28 set II as a "desert island" tape even though all the shows from that last week in June and running to 7/1 have great moments. So why that one? Why, when considered together, do that show's particular renditions of TMNS, Tom Thumb's, and Morning Dew seem always to outweigh all the other options for me? Why has my position remained entrenched for decades while during that time I have in fact evolved on others?

This is why I rarely post much about given shows. I will say "I love X" but that's about as far as I'll go. Since I find that I can't really understand why I come to my own preferences, I often hesitate to use superlatives, or to be overly critical for that matter. Even if I really thought a show was flat, I rarely say such a thing, bc for all I know that might have been the best experience that someone EVER had attending or listening to a show.

But this is why - to conclude by going back to Daverock's quote - I do truly value other folks' views. Reading them helps me open my ears and open my mind. To me, that's always in vogue. On that note, if you've read this far, allow me to say: thanks to all who have been commenting lately!

....I just zero in on the way I have them lined up. Spines are all I need. I know where Boulder is for example.
Everyone's memorizion is different. Welcome to humanity.

As I said previously.

No hustle. No grit. Overpaid laziness. This game was over one minute in.

Give me Mikko.

Getting caught up on the older posts on this thread. A shoutout to Dennis for remembering something I said here years ago, that if they recorded the 80's like they did prior to 79, we have a different outlook. And I do think Let it Grow was hot, hot, hot, in the mid to late 80's.

It seems your memory is better than mine. I'll have to listen to 12/31/85 and see if this LIG ranks compared to my failing memory of great ones.

Seriously, thank you Dennis.

Good point. I think sometimes what frame of mind you're in while listening can certainly have an impact! If you're in a good mood, even less-stellar show may grab you. Obviously if you were in attendance and had a good time regardless of the performance, I imagine those would be worth a relisten if not just to take you back to a fun day/evening.

Perhaps I should revisit some of these to see if something changes with my perspective. Looking at you 6/17/76 (DaP 28) and 9/9/72 (DaP 46) neither have been revisited since first listen. Didn't grab me, but maybe a second spin is warranted.

Don't know how much to believe what I read on-line but in a story about John Mayer playing music with Sheeran and Grohl for a new movie (F1) he supposedly said Dead & Co. may be recording some "new" music sometime soon. That might be interesting.
Cheers

I can never remember which Dicks is which or what Daves is where.. Generally, I do think of them as venue and year (ie, Colgate '77 rather than DaP #12). And usually I can't remember how much I liked this one or that without at least checking the set list, which sometimes rings a few bells in the old duder's head.

So I really shouldn't be allowed to render opinions. Especially since I change my mind all the time. There are bands, artists, and albums that I thought were terrible when I first heard 'em, and now have become favorites. And vice versa.

Just to give an example: how about Miles' On the Corner album? I thought it was some kind of lame joke when I first heard it. All these years later, it's become of one of my very favorite Miles records. Which is saying something, considering how many good ones he made. I think I just wasn't ready, when I first heard it. I didn't get the funk, then. I do, now. Mostly.

All of which is just a longwinded way of saying: my opinions are like onions. They both start with "o" and they end with "ions" and they tend to smell bad after a while. And by the time you've read them I probably changed my mind anyway.

Now, DaP #51? Aka Scranton '71? I gave it another (partial) listen last night, after reading everyone's comments. I guess I liked it a little more than I remembered. The word that comes to mind is "scrappy." (Which kind of goes with Scranton. Which seems like a scrappy town.) Everybody's working hard. It doesn't have the go-for-broke jams of '69 or '73, but there's an intensity to these tighter, tightly wound titles. Phil is, as has been noted, on fire. And there's a really good Good Lovin, which on its own would justify buying the set for any Pigpen lover. Alas, the fi is not hi: vocals have this sizzle of distortion on them, it seems to me. But you can hear what everyone's doing, and the ear does adjust. Anyway, for me this falls into the category of shows that I'm glad to have heard, glad to own, but probably will only return to once every other blue moon.

That is, I can't, you know, tune in, but it's all right. That is, I think it's not too bad.

Finally got around to listening to this Dave's release, and I'm lovin' it! That third disc is a keeper, I love the jam between WR and Wharf Rat. And the crazy lyrics in Wave That Flag are a hoot!

Yeah! After a few good listens I can't believe I hadn't commented before! Much of the primordial (U.S. Blues) "Wave That Flag" is lyrically hilarious! All the early versions of road tested Dead songs are a trip to some extent, from different lyrics and musical arraignments. Jerry is definitely messing around with the themes & lyrics on this night! What a trip to hear the song in its infancy, with even more irony than the final cut.

Wasn't that the theme of an intermission segment from the Ticket To New Year's DVD (12/31/1987)? When Jerry cooked up bacon wrapped scallop hors d'oeuvres? "careful, they're hot" and served them to family and friends backstage? Loved Jerry's apron on that one. What a happy, conscientious homemaker.

I think they played that during set break while they streamed the show on TV. At least I think.. I made it to that show, never had such a good time..

Sorry for the cheesy sidebar, pun intended. As you were.

Jim, you were there? That is great. Always liked this show and it seemed everyone was having a good time, even Bill Graham.

Wasn't it rumaki?

It was water chestnuts wrapped with bacon. I think Jerry burned his fingers picking them up after removing them from the oven. Careful, it's hot.

What I loved about this was both that he did it (surely it was not his idea), and how nervous and humble he was doing it.

Yes.. was there. After his coma I made it a point to step up my shows. My parents were not impressed.

On the backside, I watched the Kennedy Center Honors with my mother shortly after my father had passed. It was just the two of us. I was humbled by the presentation, at points fighting back peaks of emotion. During Ripple, my mom said, is that Jerry Garcia in the background? Priceless. She said, and this floored me, I like the Grateful Dead. I chose not to tell her of the times I RUNNOFT (Oh Brother reference) to see them. In the days before cell phones.. this could result in amazing 30 to 60 hour journeys where simple excuses were enough. No harm no faul.

Those were the days

Don’t forget Mr. Spock analyzing Jerry’s brain.
“Cigarette butts, lots of cigarette butts. Drums Space,…..”

...good stuff, Man!
keep up the good work!

my youngest
sent a text
last thursday
"jamming to eyes of the world from boston 5/7/77"
always good to know
the kids are alright!

87 was a great year to see the Dead in my opinion Jim. The recovery and resurgence phase and of course In the Dark.

Did you make it in the Video? Are you the "Bob Weir, when if ever are you going to get the words to Truckin straight" guy?

MaryE, any news on a MUATM show for this year?

Go Wolves!

Thank you for the kind words.

I’m not sure if I’m more excited about the fact that she finally appreciates the band or that she graduated from an elite college.

But, I’m going with the band. The college degree will bring her a lifetime of opportunities. The band will bring her a lifetime of joy.

Go Oilers. Canadaland’s last hope.

Edit: Mother of God. This bonus disc is unreal. TOO. I’m having a hard time believing what I’m hearing out of my speakers.

....quite the musical collection, including Tiger. Should dust her off and play her at the recently announced Dead & Co shows at Golden Gate Park. TAB, Billy Strings and Sturgill Simpson opening. $635 for a 3 day pass after fees.
Heading out to dinner to celebrate my 57th trip around the sun. Y'all stay cool.

....guess someone was trying to tell me to tell y'all to stay cool again.

43 years ago I ( along with a lot of other great folks who post here) was at the Greek Theatre for the start of a great run by the Good old Grateful Dead. Release 1982 and 1981 from the Greek as a box set and that would be fantastic! Fun times!

Happy birthday!
Cheers

Is the BFA-page about to hit us, since this site has looked strange since yesteday or so.. ?

some folks hate when we say Dave's 5 (or whatever) and want the date.

I hate acronyms, like when someone post about a song and instead of the title we get GDTRFB.

There I sit running every title thru the processor until I translate, what the hell is BFA? :-)

I did get BTO after a couple of beats :-)

Bachman Turner Overdrive

Some fine material out there

Abbreviations and acronyms and such

It's all part of the fun

AIR? Huh? AIR?

Happy Birthday Dude! You deserve a great day!

Enjoy,
Sixtus

Bachelor of Fine Arts? Lol

Happy happy joy joy Vguy, hope you have many more!

listen to 5/22/82 today

In England, in the1990's, some people didn't always write song titles down, but instead wrote words that sounded like them. The only one I can remember, but which is a good example is ...instead of writing "Don't Ease Me In" in a set list when it was played, some bright sparks would write "Dough Knees " instead.

....is my show for today. Didnt have time yesterday.
Amazon has When Push Comes To Shove. A book written by Hollie Rose. Documents her life following the Dead in the 80's and 90's.
Ordered.

Bachelor of Fine Arts was all I found :-)

Funny you should pick "Don't Ease Me In". Back in the day there was a period when they seem to close first sets with that tune as a quick out. My buddy used to call it "Don't Sleaze Me In".

Balochistan Food Authority.
Allegedly.

British Trust for Ornithology (we’ve been members for decades)
I quite like BMFA a song by Martha Wainwright with a rather crude description of her father.

....ok. We are all wondering what BFA means.
Big Fucking Asshole is all I got. (And you all know who I'm talking about. Its not Lenny Hart, although he sucks as well).

Anniversary release?
Just a guess.
Cheers
Vguy - lightning in that baseball bat. Nice!

EDIT: FYI - Rhino 15% off Memorial Day sale.

Can you hear me Dave.. we beat your Canadian butts.. Denmark rules..

I've got Dave's Pick #32 in the mail and on the way!!!!!!!!!! Hooray! It was another lost & found Betty Board according to my stats. Trippy how I found it, and I've never busted out a credit card so fast!
Yesterday or was it the day before now I dunno? When its tree season I tend to loose track of time, its either a work day or an off day. Mostly work days,... Anyways...
I got back from the job the other day and found the chats removed from all purchasing pages, when I had just read a bunch of them that very morn. The format looked different, so I surfed around the site a bit and low and behold what do I see? Holy crap some of the more recent Dave's picks (#47, St.Louis Dec.'79) that had just sold out, including some not so recent long sold out picks (#45, PdX~Oct.'77) were mysteriously back in stock.
Scrolled a little further along and low and behold it's the pick I was just musing about in a previous post. Dave's #32, Philly 1973! I wasn't a subscriber back then so I was hella stoked!
Thanks Dave for cleaning out the warehouse and hooking us up. The release should go well with this most recent Dave's (#54) from the show two days earlier, and the Nassau 1973 show coming in the 60th Big Box.
YEP! Still, enjoying the ride.

43 years ago I was at the Greek Theatre for another great show with the Grateful Dead Our car broke down on the way home right in the middle of the freeway, kind of a dicey spot. The police came along and pushed the car off the freeway and gave us a ride into S.F. and dropped us off.

BFA

Big Fat Ass

but hey

Blues For Allah

That's the one

That could have ended differently