A sealed, unlabeled box sat undisturbed for decades on a shelf in the Grateful Dead’s San Rafael tape vault on Front Street, its contents an enduring mystery, even to those few with access to the vault. All David Lemieux knew about that box when he became the Dead’s archivist was that it contained tapes belonging to Bear—Owsley Stanley, the Dead’s first soundman and architect of the Wall of Sound. Even in the Dead Heads’ Holy of Holies, the taped-up box was tantalizing. But this was Bear’s personal property, and so he didn’t touch the box out of an abiding respect for the elder luminary of sound. Bear’s archive of Sonic Journal recordings had been kept safe for him for years within the Grateful Dead’s vault—over 1,300 reels of tape stored in heavy-duty cartons like old banana boxes. At any time, David could have popped the tops and explored them to his archivist heart's content. But they were off-limits without the nod from Bear. - Starfinder Stanley, Hawk, and Pete Bell, Owsley Stanley Foundation
With a wink and a nod from Bear, we've peeled back those banana boxes to find some of the oldest and rarest of all recordings of the Dead including the double dose of shows that make up DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 43. The two virtually complete performances from San Francisco 11/2/69, Live At Family Dog At The Great Highway, and from Dallas 12/26/69, McFarlin Auditorium, are complementary in their clarity and consistency thanks to Bear himself, and in their ability to foreshadow where the Dead were headed in the years to come. If the two killer 20-minute+ "Dark Stars" don't get ya, how about the Pigpen-centric sets featuring "Midnight Hour," "Next Time You See Me," "Big Boss Man," "Good Lovin'," and the once-lost-now-found complete rendition of "Dancing In The Streets," or the first full acoustic set ever performed? And we're certain you'll be fascinated to uncover the "Mystery Of Bear's Banana Boxes" as told by Starfinder Stanley, Hawk, and Pete Bell in the liners.
Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 43 was recorded by Owlsey "Bear" Stanley and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.
*2 per order. Very limited quantity available.
Jean Luc-Godard
Maybe a good time to check out Sympathy For The Devil aka One + One again. It's not going to be easy.
I haven't...
...Opened 43 much less played it yet...I know I know...oh wait...I did open it to rip to my drive and rearrange the playing order to drop into my portable but....
Sun Goddess
Ramsey Lewis 1974. Still have that LP. One of my favorite "cocktail jazz" albums.
A jazz pianist who had successful cross-over in more than one category.
He and Bob James could keep the young ladies from leaving your Sat. night
party too early to go look for a better party as the evening progressed. RIP
RGM has Dick's 29 back in stock at $69.95. Two 1977 shows. Totally forgot that
this is the only Dick's or Dave's with 6 CDs. That's on the playlist for today!
10 days and counting to MSG. Cheers
Edit: Holy keyboards Batman! Ramsey did 80 albums!
And RGM just added the Dick's 33 vinyl! Eight LPs but it's $175. Dang, Bill Graham's 1976 Day On The Green (2 shows 10-9,10-76) is too much green for this guy right now. I'll be kicking myself later but I'm getting used to it. I'll just have to play the CDs. If I recall doesn't this have a monumental hour long jam?
Dick's 33 vinyl....
....one of my favorite releases, but I'm being a good boy and not diving into the vinyl purchases yet. They aren't cheap and I know me. If I start now, I'll never be able to stop. I have enough habits as it is.
Anniversary show 9/13/81 Greek Theatre
What a great show to end a fantastic 3 day run. 1981, my favorite year at the Greek. Hopefully these shows will all be official releases one day.
One of my missions
I never bought any of the Dick's when they came out, I was elsewhere musically at the time. So, I'd like to get the collection on vinyl.
So I bit.
Trying to get all the Fillmore's (got the first 3),,, all the Europe 72 vinyl (so far, so good),,, I'd get more Dave's in vinyl.
I have the "3 from vault" ordered, but still no word on when! Summer 2022 "they" say.
enjoy
Dave's Picks 33 Vinyl
I'm with Dennis - never had a chance with the original CD's so it's now or never :). Listened to the monster second set jam from 10/9/76 this morning and knew I made the right choice
More RSD good vinyl news !
PURE JERRY: HAMPTON ’91 5-LP SET COMING FOR RSD BLACK FRIDAY.
Loving the vinyl! Haven’t got Lyceum yet though. Got the three FW and Dave’s 1, Buffalo 5/9/77, Empire Pool , Dick’s 19. Giants 91. Also Long Strange Trip soundtrack. Most of Cornell (long story, missing a record) got record No. 2 twice and no No. 3. On eBay and was away for along time before I even opened it long after anything really to do with them! Grrr!. But With having LST missing only the Dancing in the Street, but still annoying. It’s addictive the vinyl.
Dick Dick Dick Dick Dick Dick Dick
How many Dicks is that? A lot.
Just in case someone might find it useful to know: the Dick Picks get reissued on CD pretty regularly by Long Gone Records. They ain't cheap, but they're cheaper than what you'd pay on ebay for the originals, and they sound the same. And needless to say they're way cheaper than the vinyl. Also, they can sometimes be found floating down Bezos' river at a significant discount.
Either way, it was an incredible series, with several issues that are just indispensable. If somehow you never picked up #4 (Fillmore East 1970) or #8 (Harpur's College '70), well, good sir, you must rectify that at your earliest convenience. Those are just essential Ur Texts of GD Mythology that cannot under any circumstances be missed. The '77 shows on #29, as well as volume 1, 11, 14, 31, and 36 all strike me as pretty essential too, but your results may vary according to preferences for various eras. (Early '70s is my jam, as you can probably tell.)
The 76 show that's newly reissue on vinyl is one of the very best in terms of sound quality. Should sound amazing on vinyl.
Pick of the Dicks
36 came out on vinyl too - expensive but worth every penny. As well as the full show from 9/21/72, it also includes the 50 minute He's Gone-Other One - Wharf Rat jam from 9/3/72. That's what you call a filler.
19 came out last year-10/19/73, and although it's a great show I decided not to go for that one. The last Dicks I listened to was number 12 - highlights from 6/26/74 and 6/28/74. It might be a bit off putting, as it doesn't feature complete shows - but it does feature 3 cds of some of the best jamming of that, or any other era. In fact it's one of my favourite releases, from any series from any year.
Favorite DP's
15 - Englishtown
18 - Dane Co., Cedar Falls
25 - New Haven, Springfield
29 - Lakeland, Atlanta
33 - Oakland
There: only five. I'll conform to the norm.
Cheers
Goodness
I will spend extra time purgatory for this, and it's against everything I am.. but......
4
8
16
19
Shit.. I blew my load.
A three way tie for last, 31, 35 and 36.
Edit: Sorry.. that makes 7. ...but I tried
Edit 2: More simply stated,
DP 4 - DP8 + DP16 - DP19 + DP31 - DP35 + DP36 which equals 8-4+16-19+31-35+36 = 5.85 which approximately equals 5. QED
Top 5 enough for me.
Edit 3: Crap, I forgot 18. Give me a minute.
see ya at the movies
in Phoenix on Nov 5th for Tivoli '72...not sure what theatre yet...tix on sale on Sept 23rd
Joni Box
On the 23rd one can pick up the latest Joni Mitchell remastered box, containing new remasters of For the Roses, Court and Spark, Miles of Aisles, and The Hissing of Summer Lawns. It doesn't look like there is anything in the box BUT the remastered studio albums, but there should be a forthcoming live/outtakes box that accompanies the years covered by these albums. Vinyl version, too . . .
I don't know about Nappy....
....but my Fandango app has it. Village Square. Nov 1st. 7 pm. Also Nov 5th at 3?
It's on my Regal app as well.
I have apps and I absolutely love going to the cinemas.
Greetings Professor Falken
I'm afraid I've had to report several of you to the Ministry of DeadHeads for excluding DP 36 in your top 5 Dicks Picks. Are the picks you made unworthy? Not at all. The Vault was ripe for the picking in those days.
Is the whole concept a catch-22? Yes. Yes indeed. Any game that forces you to exclude a great sounding 1972 show that opens opens with Promised Land and a 13 minute impeccable Bird Song, and includes a top 7 Dark Star and The Other One => Wharf Rat bonus tracks is pure evil.
The only winning move is not to play.
Love Me Some Dick’s
My Fave Five:
Not in order
16
4
22
8
11
Hmmm, wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Thanks all, for the movie tips. Something to get excited about. I’m anxiously awaiting my Miles Davis Bootleg Series Vol.7 today. That’s what I’ll be doing later.
Music is the Best!!
Joni Tivoli
Fortunate to see Joni first in Augusta Maine with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review, Thanksgiving 1975. Later, on the Refuge Tour 1983. That band she put together for Shadows and Light, 1979, world class. See brief clip in Scorsese's RTR movie, also on yootoob, 1975 Joni's jamming with Bob and Roger McGuinn, showing her song Coyote, they are blown away. Looking into the details of the MUATM Europe 72 Tivoli announcement, seems to say the movie is only about 90 minutes, yet concert length was close to 3 hours... please don't tell me they cut Dark Star.
They cut Dark Star
DMCVT - there's no easy way of saying it. If my ancient bootleg is anything to go by, the film opens with Me and Bobby McGee and runs up to Next Time You See Me. Then a few songs are cut, and we have One More Saturday Night up to Truckin'. And that's it.
fraid so, no Dark Star
yep, what I gathered after scanning video on yootoob. Also, alligator decal had not yet been installed on Jerry's strat.
Nope, no DS : (
I’ve got a DVD that has much of the first 2 sets, but none of that glorious 3rd set.
Dick's Picks favorites
#2) 10/31/71, #4) 2/13 & 14/70, #8) 5/2/70, #16) 11/8/69, #22). 2/23 & 24/68. That was easy enough.
Miles and Creedence
Miles Bootleg #7 is in the house. I should get to it tomorrow. I’m currently watching the Creedence Live at the Albert Hall documentary which has turned up on Netflix UK.
DP36
Yup KeithFan. I didn't appreciate it initially, but it has grown on me over the years and needs to be included in the top 5. Even though Dick wasn't around for the official release.
Not saying that Dick had an easier job, but he got to pick first. 14 times. And he did a damn good job. Many of his choices outside of my top 5 outrank the top 5 for Dave.
Dave is Not a Dick
But then, nobody is. Dick had a unique role in GD history, and those releases were like manna from heaven back in the day. Tape trading was cool and everything, but it also had its drawbacks: listening to a hissy 16th generation cassette with mid-song tape flips was fine when that was all we had, but it was even finer to get so many legendary shows in (what was then) the best possible sound.
Which brings up a question: could Dick's Picks be reissued with better sound, now that audio restoration technology has become so much better? Would the project be financially viable? Or, to put it another way, would you buy these releases again if they were reissued with better sound?
Los cincos ultimos:
Sturgill Simpson: Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
GOGD: DiP 11 (DS>Cumberland! Yasssss!)
Sly Stone: There's a Riot Going On
TTB: Crescent (ii from I am the Moon)
Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller: In Harmony
Sometimes Weird Just Works
And by that I mean, damn, the new King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard tune Ice V is a weird, funky, groovy treat that hits the spot for me. Dig that funky video.
Metamodern Sounds and There's a Riot Going On, couple of classics there.
Going through all these things twice
I have bought 3 Dicks Picks on vinyl, despite already having them on cd. Numbers 8, 26 (from April 1969), and 36. I would buy more on vinyl - number 19 is tempting, but they are so durned expensive. If they were released on cd with improved sound I would definitely...think about it. I wouldn't want them all again, but maybe my favourites.
Another one I rate very highly is number 11 - 9/27/72. Opening with Morning Dew and featuring a Dark Star-Cumberland. In a word...epic.
Ice V by King Gizzard....
....I agree charlie3. Good stuff. I see they played Vegas in April. Slipped under my radar.
List Favorites
For those who might be curious, here are the volumes of Dick's Picks that showed up on more than one person's list of favorite volumes of the series over the past couple of days. For those not as bored as me at the moment, feel free to disregard. For those just as bored, or moreso, feel free to check my calculations. Looks like 9 responses included 5 or more favorites.
DP 4 was on 6 lists
DP 8 was on 5 lists
DP 2 and DP 36 each showed up on on 4 lists
DP 16, DP 22, and DP 29 each showed up on 3 lists
DP 11, DP 12, DP 19, DP 31 and DP 33 each showed up on 2 lists.
No others showed up on more than one list. At least so far.
Currently spinning Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Going On, saw it on Crow's last 5 list and realized it's been a while since I played it.
Dick's
Great that so many have put Dick's #2 in their top five. It's in my top three single discs of released Dead of all time. The only one that might beat it is the last disc of Steppin Out, with the momentous Dark Star.
Most underrated Dick's for me is #12. The Weather Report starting on disc 3 through the end of disc 4 is sublime. I like this release better than 10/19/73. (Of course, it is a compilation, so...)
Fave 5 Dicks
DiP 14 Boston 1973 is my sentimental favorite, the first one I bought, and the first Dead release I bought. Got it at Best Buy, chose it because it was 4 discs and reasonably priced, less than 30 bucks. Opens and closes with Morning Dew, 2 jazzy '73 Dead shows, I still dig it.
DiP 12 this compilation twofer has excellent Wall of Sound material from 6/26 & 28/74. My favorite Eyes of the World in a surprise encore spot. A massive 45 min Weather Report Suite> Dark Star Jam> Music Never Stopped Jam> Jam> US Blues, and one of the greatest ever China Cats, with a groovy intro jam. All killer, no filler on this one.
DiP 4 This Fillmore East Feb 1970 beauty would probably be higher if I listened to it more. My fondest memory of this release is a buddy using an internet-based jukebox in like 2004 (first time I'd seen one) to cue up the Dark Star> That's It For The Other One> Lovelight segment for the restaurant. It was fantastic entertainment, and we actually finished and left before Pig started his rap in Lovelight, can only imagine how the patrons reacted.
DiP 29 5/19 & 21/77 I like the twofers, and this one has one of my favorite 1st set segments with Jack a Roe, Jack Straw, and Tennessee Jed with Jerry on the MuTron for Jed.
DiP 36 9/21/72 and the last in the series, a magnificent 50 Dark Star> Dew and 50 min of filler with Truckin'> The Other One> Wharf Rat from 3 weeks earlier? Ummm, hell yeah! What a way to close out the series.
Crow
I have DP 1-36, and would buy them again if the reels were Plangentized.
All the chop jobs need to be put out in full too.
I think that a 12-18,19-73 Box should happen first. And even better, be part of a 73 Box next year.
FW69 vinyl says Plangent on them, but the CD’s don’t.
I hope that they have already run all those DP reels through the Plangent Process and have numerous digital backup copies in various geographic locations.
Most popular Dicks
Interesting that three of the most popular - 2,4 and12, are compilations and don't feature complete shows. Which suggests that they could do this more often. Not saying I personally agree or disagree with such a move, but if they did, evidence suggests that it wouldn't detract from such releases popularity.
Hear hear, well spoken Daverock
I like complete show releases, too, but sometimes I remind myself I gotta take what I can get.
Complete shows ARE preferable, though
No Box Sets Back Then
...but I would have loved a 2/13 and 2/14/1970 mini box set complete with the acoustic stuff even though some of this was previously released on Bears Choice.
Just saying, I love Dick's Picks 4, it's one of the best.. but it would have soared higher if it were released in its entirety, song for song in the same order as they were originally performed.
I was looking for recording info on Wikipedia a second ago and ran across this comment from Rock Skully which, although not entirely accurate, explains why I think releasing the full shows would have been ideal.
Band manager Rock Scully said "Pigpen went out on the stage and sat down in a chair ... it was the only time he ever did it. He sat down and played the bottleneck guitar. We'd been pushing him for years to do it and finally he just got loose enough and comfortable enough with the audience there at the Fillmore to go out and do it. He went out and sat down on the stage—it was Valentine's Day and he had a honey out in the crowd. He went out and played 'Katie Mae' to her. Immediately following that, Bobby (Weir) and Garcia went out and did the same thing. They sat down and played acoustic guitars. They don't do that anymore."
I want that Little Sadie and All Around this World though and what we lost of the electric sets.
As for best use of Partials.. well.. 1968 I'm looking at you.
Dicks Picks 33 Vinyl...
Just landed at home - #1026/6000. Looks beautiful, will give it a spin later in the evening. The quick delivery is something Warner/Rhino could learn from...I know the model isn't the same but still.
Update: Took a listen to the 3rd LP before I left the house and my oh my, I need to get a better record player - this sounds glorious. Help on the Way is crispy, Jerry kills it vocally. If you're looking for a gift to get in advance of the holidays this might be the winner of the year. Now to set my sights on the 11/9/91 JGB RSD release...
Random vent of the day
"Bitchez be trippin'"
- William Shakespeare
Couldn't You Try Just a Little Bit Harder?
So, a while ago I ask my wife what she wants for her birthday, and among other things, she says she wants a Grateful Dead t-shirt, bless her heart. Two weeks ago, I ordered one from deadnet, thinking that would be plenty of time. But no. Today's her birthday and the item hasn't even shipped yet.
And meanwhile, the MSG box release has been delayed. And of course they had a complete fiasco with the digital versions of the Lyceum set. Hard to understand why this kind of stuff keeps happening. I've ordered merch and CD/lps from the websites of Neil Young, the ABB, TTB, and never had a problem. Just sayin'.
Anyway thanks to everyone who commented on the Dicks Picks series! It's been fun to read everybody's thoughts and favorites.
Oroboros noted that, in some ways, the reissue series I'm longing for is kind of already happening, what with the Long Gone vinyls. And I reckon that's true. So it made me think about what I'd really like to see. So FWIW, I done some thinking'. Always a dangerous thing.
My primary interest would be in seeing the DiPs get reissued in the best possible sound, and preferably on CD (since vinyl has gotten so expensive). It's been 30 years since some of those came out, and we've seen enormous advances in audio restoration technology since then. We've heard what a difference that can make, as we compare the audio on the 50th anniversary reissues to the CDs that came out in the '90s. And we can hear how amazingly good the audio has (almost always) been with DaPs. It seems reasonable to think they could get similar results from at least some of the DiPs.
In an ideal world, it'd be great to see the whole Dicks series get royal treatment: Plangentized, high-res remix, bonus tracks, the whole nine. I admit that's probably not financially viable, but maybe do that with some of the more popular and "important" DiPs? If we can't have a giant suitcase reissue of EVERYTHING, maybe just do reissues of 4, 8, and some of the other more popular (and essential) shows that came out in the prehistoric dawn of digital restoration?
Like somebody (I think it was a pretty woman in a darkened door) said once, "why not ask for more?"