Grateful Dead

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Or do the Dead just get Jazzy?

7/27/74 was fun for sure. That jam between US Blues > Promised Land seems unique.
Of course, a lot of this band's jams are.. but you get what I'm saying?

Listening to 4/16/72 yesterday I totally flashed.
What a show!
I was definitely inspired last year after hearing it to participate in this here group, something I hadn't normally done in the past.
I think it was a time thing... and then the time space continuum shifted.
Anyhow, in case you're wondering I listened to 4/16/72 last year on 4/16/20 and got shook.
Listened to it again yesterday, and guess what?
Got shook.
Wow.
Phil is a monster.

And 9/20/88 dig it, need to give the show a more focused listen, but enjoyed what I was hearing.
Sounds like some of you all were digging it too.
Good ol' Miller Time.

Speaking of, couple fresh transfers of really good audience recordings by Rob Eaton 8/14/79 & Mark Severson 8/14/81 have landed and they are worthy of a grok.

Fantastic recordings. Pretty amazing the difference in Audience recording between say 1971 & 1979.
One small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.

Once again, the 3 rules of music -

1 - Good Music is What I Like
2 - Music I like is never too loud
3 - Music I don't like is always too loud.

You fockin’ A!

Strider, That’s pretty good!
The ole lady and i have had a new favorite word since we binged Game of Thrones last summer; KOONT! or Koonts in the case of much of what we see on TV and the news...(watching the news for me is a participant sport!) big fun cept were worried what the neighbors are going to think this summer when the windows are open an im yelling “bloody KOONT” all the time lol

EDIT: it takes one of the most nasty, inappropriate words in the English language, but by putting the “English” on it makes it acceptable!

2 17 79
5 10 69
5 21 77
4 26 69
10 30 80
7 27 74

"Shut your bloody gob"

"Come on ingerland, score some fahqing goals!"

Hey now!

Where's the time gone? Nuthin's gonna bring it back. Sorry, this really isn't playing by the rules, but I wanted to drop in and say, hi.

Someone mentioned the 7/16/72, yeah, I was listening to that yesterday, I think it was. Busy busy busy keepin' my day job, so no tangible notes on it, but it's bookmarked for future reference. (We all know how well that works).

I've been trying to keep up with the current date. I follow the 31 Days of Dead Insta account which is always full of good recommendations, but I'm usually a few days behind. Been boppin' back and forth between 1978 and 1984. Some good jams in '84, but poor Jerry's havin' such a hard time with the vocals. He sounds so winded by the end of each tune.

The other thing I've been listening to a lot lately is the Rockpalast FM. They really stepped up to the plate for that one. I finally realized that you can actually hear Pete Townsend during Not Fade Away. He's tearin' it up. I just love Jerry's face in the video. It's like he can't believe what he's seeing, but he's lovin' every second of it.

I just wanted to toss out a show that I've had on in the car some lately, but just this evening really appreciated.

https://archive.org/details/gd1974-02-24.136266.aud.GEMS.flac16

I suddenly fell in love with the sound quality of this wall-of-sound audience from Winterland. I'd been through all of the audience pulls on the Archive a couple months ago, and this one seemed most agreeable to me, but, again, not for any tangible reason. I usually pick a song like Mexicali, Promised Land, Big Railroad Blues, or Don't Ease Me In, something that hits the ground running, to get a feel for the sound quality of an audience recording. So this show's been on my ipod for a few weeks, but today I was just rollin' on shuffle when the Dark Star from 2/24/74 popped up. Billy's drums sound soooo good to me on this. It really sounds like an old-school jazz recording where you can hear the room, but it doesn't sound like a cavern.

Anyway, as you were. :) :) :)

VGuy got a big laugh out of that one this weekend :)

RockThing good to hear from ya. 2/24/74 WOS audience huh? I could probably be talked into spinning a little of that.

Landed on an anniversary play of 23 minute Playing In The Band from 4/19/86.
Dig it.

Been on a huge NRPS kick.
I'll blame OSF, Dawn of The NRPS triggered me.
Need to get that Veneta '72 NRPS.
Haven't heard too much feedback on that one?
Found that 5 CD NRPS compilation of Studio Albums for cheap!
First 5 Albums (Remaster Versions) all bundled together.
Shit couldn't resist.

Also checked out some Bob Dylan from 6/25/95 opening set from RFK, Jerry plays on Encore.
Man, Bob sounds way better in '95 than in '86-'87.
Alright, them theres some roads I been traveling for all you travelers out there, they're worth seeking out.

EDIT: Forgot... maybe we'll hear something about DaP V38 this week.
Whatcha think?

April 30 will be DaP38 day

4/19/86 PITB: yeah. yeah. yes, indeed.

The official release isn't too shabby either. Might be one of the best releases to date?

Tomorrow's Pick, how does 9/15/88 sound to you all? Continuing the Madison Square Garden run GOGD got rolling last week.

It has a Desolation Row. The SBD 2 source matrix appears to be the ticket.

I would think some people here will have their Dave's Picks before they hit the street on April 30.

Everybody hang loose.

Since my first show. Wish I caught them earlier, but glad I caught them when I did.

MSG 88 for tomorrow sounds good.. A matrix from the garden.. The GD could rock that place.

Jim, 39 years ago! Happy Anniversary.
How was the show, any memories to share?
We should hit this one soon.

....I will be as old as Jerry when he passed.
I look my age. Poor Jer.

TGOGD: I haven't made much progress, but I hope to sort through all of the 74 WOS AUDs at some point. To me it makes more sense to hear the effect of it in the room. The era being the era, I realize there aren't as many good field recordings of it as there are nice boards, but a project is a project. If you give it a spin, listen for Billy's drums, especially. It's not so much what he's playing, but the tone.

DEADVIKES: Did not know there was an official release of 2/24/24. Multitrack, or two track stereo? Again, from my point of curiosity, the sound of the Wall in the room is kinda the whole point. Actually, official release info is always noted on the Archive, so I must've just overlooked that fact. I'll check it out. I've got it favorited.

A couple months back I started pokin' around for Dick's Picks 30, but those CDs are goin' for, like, 300 bucks online. I mean, a great show is a great show, but no CD is worth 300 bucks. Being a few months back, I may be getting my shows confused here, but I found a really nice audience of the show. The only problem is that some jerk is getting real uptight about people standing up, or mic stands, or something throughout the whole Scarlet Fire jam... which is really the reason I wanted to hear that show. Otherwise that felt like the best audience pull on the Archive. I like hearing the crowd ambience, but that dude was a serious buzz kill, shouting at someone at the top of his lungs. Wth.

For 4/19, I like Jim Wise's pull from Orono Maine. Well, a bit late, I suppose, dern near 4/20 in the rest of the world now.

9/15 MSG. That's one I've got handy and haven't heard in a while. Nice call.

420 happens twice a day. Be well friends.

It was a dark and stormy night... wasn't it? The Raven Space was unique and memorable.

Good first show, the first set is interesting.. Jack Straw opener, On the Road Again, a poignant Pretty Peggy-O, Cassady.. it's got a Cumberland.

But the sweet spot is the first half of the second set. Stranger>Franklins>Estimated>Terrapin combo, for a first show, it was pyrophoric and left a smoking crater.. they had a nitrous tank hidden somewhere behind the drums which they melded into a really powerful space. Maybe I should have just taken one?? It was all very new to me, new and strange.

We might have done 4/19/82 here within the last year.. we will have to ask GOGD, our official historian. The show before it in Hartford had a powerful Phil induced Space too.. 4/18/1906 was the great San Francisco earthquake and Phil folded that nicely into the space that night. Two great Phil induced Space's, back to back. I think that's in a nutshell the importance of these two shows. I would call them very good shows for the period.

As for 4/19.. what an initiation. I have never looked back and never been the same. It was big, scary fun. My memories? Fear and loathing in Baltimore city. I think it was a school night and I somehow got away with seeing the GD for the first time. Didn't sleep a wink. Got good grades that term if memory serves. I had fun (somewhat) responsibly. My motto was if I get good grades, I can get away with more. That motto served me well back then.

everyone.

It's 420 all day.. why wait until 4:20?

Nice Jim. Looks like the set list would have been a cool first show and like you say that second set, looks really good. Ice cold nitrous!

Not sure if we ever hit this one up or when, but I will let GOGD weigh in.

Rockthing, yes, Dave's Picks #13, two track and it is spectacular!

This is one of my all time favorite Dave's Picks. A bobby dazzler.

Gets The Weed.

4:20 happens twice a day. Good one Strider. You're funny man.
Scoobies Doobies Do!

Well.. for a year now, we've really neglected April 1982.
Based on what I'm seeing here we've only ever really given it attention on 5/30/20 when Otis recommended 4/6/82 Road Trips.
I feel like we've talked about the Earthquake & Raven Space before.
But I guess they never showed up on an official pick.

We can fix that.. as we live in the Garden of Eden!
I dig that Set 2 from 4/14/82 and both the mentioned shows with Phil Space.
Happy Anniversary Jim!

I'm hip for 9/15/88, that Playin > UJB > Playin sandwich is tasty.

I did listen to a little of that Audience pull from 2/24/74, it's good.
I forgot to focus on the drums, but that's not a hard problem to fix ;)

Alright, Happy 420 friends.

....Happy Hippie Holidaze everyone!!

Let's check that one out tomorrow.

....too late.

LMFAO

POmyD: I started set 2 of 4/30/77 on cassette last evening, and got to Good Lovin' by the time I arrived at work today.

LOL, I’m confused? Whole lot of stuff bouncin’ round here...which is nice...so it’s 9/15/88, I think?
If so, I think I’m going to tap 9/20 or what ever CMs fav is, and if time try some of the 15th...
Curiosity is too strong not to.

Did 4/17&18/71 yesterday. Both shows really resonated, cough, cough, 420, get it ; )
But seriously both of these were really enjoyable. Perhaps just me or where my head was at, but the tapes sounded great, the set lists worked, and the band sounds tighter etc. Defiantly in my top five favs since I started on 3/24.

Happy Belated Meester Jeeeemmyy! Hell of a first! I always felt like I lucked out, but that’s a pretty cool start...on a school night no less ; ) Hey we all started somewhere, why not with some nitrous raving lunatics blowing the roof off!

74 Auds....that’s actually a good idea. As long as the tapes were done well, bet some of that sounds amazing?
I’m sure the vocals sound way better than direct 2 channel....

I listened to MSG and started breaking out in a cold sweat with wicked headache. No wait. That’s monosodium glutamate (MSG) . The FDA says is safe. Remains controversial.
I did indeed listen to 9/15/88. Quite a good Dead show.

.Twenty

JIMINMD: I'd imagine anyone who wasn't at the Pizza Parlour says they wish they'd seen'em sooner. :) Sorry I horned in with Maine when we were talking about (What's new in) Baltimore That sounds like a cool show. '82 is one of my weaker years, but I've been getting into several shows from that period over the past year, so I'm definitely curious. Now the queue.

Currently diggin' on that 9/15/88 MSG gig. I was mistaken. It was another September MSG run that I'd spent time listening to. Sure never had heard this. Most of my '88 shows came from old tape trades several gens off the master, so this reminds me that maybe I should be looking to upgrade those. Steve Porter's Sennheiser ME80 pull appealed to me the most. Frequencies seemed most well-balanced. I always go for AUDs first and fall back on boards when it's slim pickins. This show, though. Man. Gimmie an E-N-E-R-G-Y! What's that spell? Great show. Grahme's first "Rock'n'Roll" is certainly noteworthy. Sugaree is rockin'! That's a song that I'm kinda used to feeling like it's draggin on a bit, but not this night. Wow. Desolation Row, otoh, kind of overstays its welcome a bit, and then Bobby flubs the climactic lyric. I love Dylan tunes, and obviously The Dead do too, but this song is rarely a highlight in a Dead show for me. All Along the Watchtower in the second set, however, really cooks. Jer could really rock some dirt in these later days, which makes the contrast with his wonderful clean playing in the early 70s a real treat, and also highlights how each era has its attractions. On the other hand, I prefer Crazy Fingers with Jerry's "silvery elf voice", but I'd never complain about getting a Crazy Fingers. Deal. This has got to be one of the band's most dependable numbers. Such a cool tune to begin with, but they always nail it. Good night for Bobby tunes, with both Cassidy and Playin'. I love how Phil seems to be the first to hint at going back to it during the jam out of Uncle John's. Pretty concise Drums/Space. The crowd clearly reacts to Brent's daughter coming on stage during I Will Take You Home. Interesting choice out of Space showing that Space wasn't all about melting face, but also creating some more gentle dream atmospheres, too. The Lovelight false ending is cool, like, in a James Brown throwing off his mantle kind of way. Bobby really strikes the right balance here delivering exuberant rather than psychotic. ;) They barely slow down at all. I'm not sure I've ever heard such a relentless show before. Nice call.

Agree Strider, this is a great 88 show and so representative of the time. Short show. Love these 2 source matrix recordings.
Rockthing, flubbed lyrics is part of the charm and deal with the Dead and so is stretching out those songs. Desolation Row, that song is stuck in my craw. Love it. Might be because it reminds me of the late 80s and being a different dumb kid.

Going to check out 4/19/82 today. Jim's first. Oh and this is Dan Healy's master soundboard recording.

JIMINMD: 4/19/82: Helluva first show. Wow. I had an hour drive each way to my work site today, so nearly got through the whole thing in the car. I'd just made it up to the most blatant Other One tease that turned into Truckin' when I got home. So much good happening from start to finish, but that Raven Space is fantastic. Not sure how I missed this one, considering it's my wife's birthday, and a few years ago I made a point of checking to see what shows landed on her birthday. Got stuck up in Orono, I guess. :P Only wish I'd not been driving so I could've listened with more attention and taken more notes about specific hot and not spots. All I know is, I wish I could say that was /my/ first show. I think I'm gonna be listening to this for a while.

DEADVIKES: 9/15/88: Oh, yeah, I'm amazed they remembered the lyrics as well as they did, tbh, pulling songs out of nowhere on stage that way, well before the teleprompters became practical. It happens. I get it. Usually I have a laugh over it, 'cause sometimes it's the imperfections that are most endearing. I guess Desolation just doesn't appeal to me as much the other tunes in the set, or other Bobby tunes for that matter, so that missed lyric right at the climax of the 12 minute rendition of the song sort of added insult to injury, so to speak. lol. I guess Casanova was just being punished for going to Desolation Row. ;) On my first listen it kind of stood out as one of the few points in the show that weren't pedal to the metal. Don't get me wrong. I love it when Jer brings it waaay down with one of his dramatic ballads, and I love Bobby's role in the band. I know some people who're like, "I only listen to Jerry Band 'cause I can't stand Bob," but I totally do not get that.

Normally I like the stretched out tunes, but I also dig the hot and tight atmosphere circa '87/'88. So many different approaches over the years. That's what keeps it fun.

Speaking of flubbed lyrics, There's a line in Promised Land, "Right away I bought me a through train ticket right across Mississippi clean" that I've heard Bobby miss on multiple recordings. The reason I bring this up is that whenever I try to sing that song, I always forget the exact same line. Has Bobby hypnotized me?!

LOL, this is why I love this place!
Personally I love Desolation Row, but that certainly doesn’t mean you have to lol.
Those 89 versions are sick. Or any that Jerry’s “on”...
Man that is a lot of lyrics...how can Bob usually do well with this one but constantly mess up Trucking, lol, and Promised Land! Bet it has to do with where the vowels/consonants fall relative to timing and playing at the same time etc. Unfortunately I can’t remember where, maybe Relix book? But read an interview recently with Hunter discussing just how difficult it is to write so the singer can sing/breathe right etc.. Rockthing,.bet that’s why your having trouble in the same spot...

Gonna hit up 4/21/71 just cause, “buy the ticket, take the ride”. Actually almost to the final stretch of the April madness.
Hit up both those 88 shows yesterday and enjoyed both. 88 is another under radar year that needs more love.

4/19/82. Been a big fan since I got the tape back then, perhaps even more so the previous night.
Wasn’t sure I’d have time but the Mrs works late tonight so maybe if it’s on YouTube....I thought I saw some of this there once?
So one step done and another begun...hup, hup, vamonos!

Oh, ps, hey Vguy I think Striders trying to take away your class clown/site jokester title ; )
Keep em coming boys! Not enough smiling or laughter “in this world of trouble, we got ta....”

What a great show Jim. Recording is fantastic. They Love Each Other really stood out to me. Love it when when a show does that. Peggy O, Cumberland. That Feel Like a Stranger Franklins is hot. Like that finish and the Brokendown encore is solid. But, the strangest part of the show was that Raven Space. What the hell was that?? My god, my dog went nuts when that came on.

Keep it moving forward.

Happy Earth Day everyone.. hope that's something we can all agree on.

Yea, that Space grabbed us too.. we left the arena thinking what the hell was that?

I think I've told this tale here before so I'll keep it brief. The weirdest thing of the whole show was the setting. I went with a buddy and his older brother who was purportedly as straight as can be, but an avid dead fan and a taper. Me and my buddy were quick to depart him at the car.. got two steps inside and serendipitously bumped into a benevolent stranger underneath a dark stairwell.. and we both got two that set the stage for the rest of the night. I only knew of the GD from a couple of my older brothers studio albums. So I was expecting mellow, acoustic type playing. The last thing I listened to before we left was an 8-track of Terrapin Station so I was happy they played that.

Well.. things turned dark during Drums/Space. My friend to my left started really wigging out. He was scared and not happy.. at a certain point I stopped looking over at him and began worry about myself. I looked over at the woman to my right who was not surviving this any better. Tears of fright. ..and that laughter, that taunting, looney laughter and the noises. It was all any of us could take. ......and eventually in those minutes that seemed like a lifetime, it all seamlessly melted into the delicious sounds of the most beautiful melody I had ever heard. A tranquil Wheel that came just as I this "my nerves were shot and I felt like I couldn't take it anymore" feeling had outlived it's useful life. I got a hug from the cutie on my right, she next hugged her boyfriend and everyone was happy again.. all was good with the world.

So we survive the whole affair, and it really felt like survival. We miraculously met up with my friends older brother at the correct time and place (how we did this I will never know, surely divine intervention) but just before that got a very stern warning ".. act straight man.. he cannot know..." so we meet up, hop into the car and on the drive home he grabs a tape out of his Sony and fast forwards the second set tape and says we gotta hear that Space again man.. and listened to it at high volume on the first playback of his master which took most of the drive home.. so we had to survive it again, this time driving through the streets of downtown Baltimore, through the freeways on another trip through never, never land.

I will remember that mad cap laughter and that trip for the rest of my remaining days and the feeling of fearlessness that I carried through school the next day. When things get weird.. there's a challenge and reward to put it in perspective and grind on through it with a smile on your face. Thanks for listening and commenting guys.

I participated the first year at the NYC Central Park bandshell. The following month I saw the Jefferson Airplane for my first time, same location.

OROBORUS: There's definitely something to what Hunter is saying. I write lyrics for some friends' band, and they usually give me the vocal melody before I start for exactly that reason. The first album I did with them, I focused mainly on the meaning, but came up with a lot verse that didn't rhyme. The vocalist commented later that he was having a hard time remembering the lyrics to that album, so the second time I worked with them I put more thought into the rhyming schemes, and that made the lyrics more memorable for him, and I suppose for their listeners, too. Another member of the band who is not a native English speaker only wants one syllable words for the songs he's writing because he says it's easier to find the beat. I've read that Hunter didn't like the vocalists altering his lyrics, but when writing for myself a lot of editorial decisions about the lyrics occur as I'm trying to marry the page to the music. Some lines just look much better on paper than they sound when vocalized in rhythm. I've got the freedom to just say, well, I like that word, but it's never gonna work. To me a lot of songs that end up sounding awkward do so because the authors were too precious with their words, not being willing to alter the page to suit the performance. That has nothing to do with Desolation, of course. Dylan's lyrics are on another plane of existence. I don't have a specific problem with the song itself, just in the context of a show, it often feels like a prolonged drop in intensity to me. I guess I just haven't heard "the one" that will convert me. There have been songs that I just didn't get until I'd heard one performance that suddenly struck a nerve. From then on every performance became important.

But anyway.....

Still raven about 4/19/82.. I can totally see how that space would wig out both dogs and ravers on a ride. It's maniacal. The 9/15/88 space was just the opposite, so sweet and then evolved into a really nice I Will Take You Home, iirc. That's a really tight show all around. I'm gonna have to revisit that period, 'cause the tapes I had didn't leave as favorable an impression.

4/19/82 Around and Around is pretty unique, too, at least to me. Beautiful Stella Blue. Man, what a first show. Trying to picture what the folks "up there" were doing when Bobby cautioned them during Broken Down Palace. Standing on the tracks, perhaps? :P

When did they stop doing On the Road Again?

First Earth Day in 1970, and The Airplane at the Central Park Band Shell... massive event envy.

Holy crap Jim, I don't know how you guys made it through that Raven Space twice!
Freaks me out now. What a first show!

Besides 4/22/71 natch, how bout either DaP 35 or 37? One last good ride before we (hopefully) get our new 38s...

Dug 4/21. Really liked the first set. More of the same consistent tight, full throttle, but not manic. Cool jam and smoking Hard To Handle. Second set seemed to....? Don’t have good descriptor? Perhaps more like earlier in the tour when they were feeling their way more? Though I was more preoccupied so maybe it was just me?
My overall impression was good, but perhaps I liked the last 2 more by this much 🤌

Wow, talk about getting yer cherry popped lol. Can’t imagine knowing basically nothing about the Dead, dropping, and then peaking out during THAT! LOL. Was it your first time tripping too? If so, that’d be like the trifecta!
- never heard the Dead (basically)
- First Show
- First Trip?
Hee-hee, I had almost 2 years of indoctrination/training before my first show and I didn’t trip at a show until like my tenth show, and it was still almost too much !
Favorite quote in quite some time;
“act straight man, he cannot know” 😂😂😂
Yeah, like an older head who tapes even, is not gonna notice those giant pupils, sheeeoot, he probably could smell the fear on ya lol. I mean just one look and I woulda started laughing......we used to call it “Cats that got that bright eyed look” sorta our code for it...
Anyway, baptism by fire, I love it! Your lucky ya didn’t permanently fry some circuits!
Great story! Nothing like starting with a bang!

but 2nd or 3rd and strongest at that time. Glad I didn't short-circuit anything too, in fact.. I feel it kind of made me stronger and helped put things in perspective. I still use the term serious fun..

That space was something.

As for today, we could do a ladies choice or combo of 36 or 37 (or 35, 36 or 37). A way to wash out the old and in with the new.. a palate and karma cleanse. Just a thought..

Unless someone else has something pressing to get to, I’m going with those Dave’s.
I just did 36 recently so I’ll probably start with 35. Definitely want another go round with 37 ASAP...
ONWARD!

....just sayin'.

By George, it is.. and a fine show at that. The last two track Betty Board??

Hard to Handle is great
The Microphone Monitor Level Test is great (great snakes!)

other than that...meh

the time crunch during the second set reminds me of some blunt Zappa lyrics:

"got in and got soft"

anyway...palate cleansing at the moment with the mighty Motorhead 1916 CD

RIP Humpty Hump

every time I eat instant oatmeal, I hear that line...

So op away mi amigo!
I felt the same about this one as I did the last; really dug the first set, both H2H were awesome, the banter is priceless, but the second sets....? seemed slightly...? a tad, ruff, ragged, forced, distorted...? Sorry, can’t spit it out, but not as bad as this might make it seem. I’m nit picking comparing to for instance the 17 & 18th. But hey that’s just me...
Have enjoyed em all so far. Really looking to the big final stretch next week!

Had a nice visit with Dave’s 35 too. Need to hit 37 again before 38.
But onward to 4/24/71 today since I have time but won’t tomorrow.

Awful quiet around here.....(sound of crickets......)......
Seems like it might be time for SOMETHING? Come on Dave!!
Now is the Time!

JIMINMD, is your buddy's tape circulating?

So it's Daves's Picks 35? Ah, I see. 4/20. Sounds good to me.

I've really been loadin' up on April '84 shows lately. '82~'85 had been a real weak spot in my listening until a year or so ago. Been really into all the '82 shows I've checked out so far. The '85 New Year's show, with Ken Kesey absolutely freaking the fxxx out, was one of my first dozen tapes, though.

I think I've got a copy of Brent's first show hangin' about on a hard disk. Disco Dead, I'm all over... well, not really, but I've spent more time with that period, at least. Gonna start with that '84, show, though, 'cause I'm sure I've never heard it.

In lieu of an actual copy of Dave's Picks 35 (sorry Official Dead dot Net ^^;) I had a poke around the Archive. A further poke around revealed I could actually get a copy from Amazon by the middle of next week for less than 80 bucks. I'd just assumed all those things were sold out on pre-order.

So, before realizing I could get the official release (but too late to contribute to any discussion about it) I did some taste testing on The Archive. Using BIODTL as a quick starting mid-first set number, hoping the house sound would be pretty much dialed in by then, I listened to The Executive Crew's FOB Beyer XY cassette master, then listened to the Miller transfer of the Silberman digital source. Yep. A digital field recording from 1984. Pretty avant garde. I listened back to the Beyer. Listened to the Silberman Sennheiser 441's again, then the Beyer cassette master, and so on for a while. The Silberman digital source probably has a touch more clarity, and even more so than a lot of Sennheiser recordings seem to me, even the Senn source attributed to Jim Wise, but suspiciously having the exact same set up as the Silberman source. At the end of the day, there's something that seemed warm and soothing, but at the same time, a little rough and tumble, about the cassette master. Perhaps it strikes a balance between what I often perceive as a kind of muffled sound from the Senns and the hyper clarity of the Silberman/Miller project. I've noticed my ear's preference for Beyer recordings, but it's never guaranteed. The binaural recording from this same team is intriguing and will likely be revisited, but for now, I'll be downloading the Beyer XY cassette pull. Confirmed as a Luddite, I am.

6 25 85

85 box would be welcome, ptb.

4/20/84, aka Dave's 35, right? That's in my Amazon cart, but "so soon after payday"... The Holbrook source comes with a little commentary from the Crew. As they indicate, Feel Like a Stranger does not yet seem to have come into its own, but there's nothing particularly wrong with it. Good Cumberland, but that Rooster, which the tapers also mention as being sort of "the beginning of the show", struck me as possibly the best Little Red Rooster I've ever heard the Dead do.

Speaking of splitting hairs, as OROBORUS was alluding to, it's really hard to quantitatively say any rendition of a standard blues number is better than another, but I think the dynamics of this performance are what make it stand out for me. (The opinions of this author in no way reflect the opinions of anyone else anywhere). They bring it up, and then take it back down, creating a dramatic experience. Jerry gets really raunchy with his slide solo, and the crowd responds, lifting the band just that touch further before they drop back down into the verse, which leaves space for the audience show their appreciation, thus giving the band further confidence. The feedback loop of live performance. Many times this tune just seems to plod along, but not on this night.

Let it grow also has a kind of wild vibe on this night. Again, maybe this was the norm for the day. I need to unpack the '84 shows from earlier this week.

The Scarlet-Fire. First of all, I love how the Holbrook source leaves this couplet as one track. Scarlet Begonias also benefits from a dynamic performance that takes it to a raucous place at which it normally never even hints. Perhaps Jerry's breathing difficulties actually contribute to the rousing performance as he begins to scream to get to higher notes that used to be easy for him. The band is pulled along by this energy, and Jerry's guitar work also gets a kick. Love this, despite the mixed feeling about it being a result of Jerry struggling with health issues. Fire has lots of meandering jamming, which, to me, always makes it better. This is amazing, while having a completely different character than the great Scarlet-Fire jams of the late 70s. They really came out of the box strong for the second set.

Hearing Jerry kind of struggling with his vocals in the mid-80s had always kind of left me with a sad feeling, which is probably why my listening experience is weak in this era, but this show may have enlightened me as to that actually being the attraction of this period. Jer has to really dig deep, and the extra effort that once was not required infects the band and the audience with its energy. Dunno, just a thought inspired by listening to this show.

Samson and Delilah absolutely had me out of my seat, lord I had to dance!

I made it up to Drums before other duties required my ears.

OROBORUS: 4/24/71. That's one tape I've had for as long as I can remember having tapes. I tend to go to 4/18 more often, so this'll be nice to revisit.

JIMINMD: 4/22/79 is the last two track Betty Board? Don't really know her history well enough, other than she made a ton a great recordings. Are her masters multi-track from then on, or did she stop touring with the band after that?

Actually, I was wrong about having Brent's first show. I'd read about it somewhere, Deadology, or Dead Listening blog, or something. The closest thing I had was 5/5. That has now been remedied. Fantastic audience source available. Feels a touch mid-scooped, but the Miller transfer of Mark Severson's tapes seemed, to my ears, to have the smoothest frequency response. I have not listened to more than a few A/Bs of Mama Tried, however. Looks like a good time, but we've already moved on.

PROUDFOOT: Yeah, I completely lost track of Shock G and that whole scene, but the Humpty Dance was a phenomenon, wasn't it? There's a really interesting interview with Shock G thread-posted to Twitter. No mention of oatmeal. :P

As much as I like the April '71 tapes I've got, I've never managed to "collect'em all". This is one of my gaps.

Also, Motorhead 1916. The song 1916 is so heavy without actually being "heavy" as in heavy metal. Chokes me up every damn time. Jerry and the boys coulda destroyed that song at the end of the second set. 20 thousand Dead Heads weeping in unison. Also a lotta good old rock'n'roll, cranked to 11, on that album. Picked that up back in the day when I stopped at a random "cassette shop" that I'd passed every day on the way to work for a while. Needed some new tunes for the commute. Couldn't say why the car wasn't full a Dead tapes, but there have been a few periods where I set'em aside for a while... or maybe just didn't wanna leave'em in the car.

I usually skip that track because I get so verklempt.

Lemmy excels at high energy swaggering strutting rock n roll

and he can then do 1916, whorehouse blues, God was never on your side....