Pick of the Day, with Discussion

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April 6, 2020 - 9:47am

7,856 replies

marye

Joined:
May 26, 2007

Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

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January 19, 2021 - 1:26am

#4551

rockthing

Joined:
August 2, 2020

gd1989-08-05 impressions Second Set

Am I doin' this right? Sorry if I'm kinda goin' overboard. That's my thing.

Continuing to listen to the Schoeps MK2 source.

Hey Pocky Way: This song did not get performed enough. Just some light fun with a little cheesy keyboard sound.

Playin': Nice and spacey jam. Sparse. Chill. Percussion taking the back seat in the mix. Jerry really challenging the others to find the trail he's blazing. Catch me if you can! Whoa, what's he hintin' at? No way! So THIS is the standalone I Know You Rider. More like a Playin' Rider. THAT really came outa nowhere. People musta been goin' nuts. Can't really hear too much reaction from the crowd, even though this is an audience pull. Up up tempo. Really flying. Headlight ¡GONG! on a northbound train. Nice. :)

Terrapin: Are you serious? Third song into the second set is Terrapin?! Pretty solid.

Drums/Space: At some point I really began to dislike the generic titles for drums and space. It's canon. I know. Can't fight city hall. Never gonna change four decades of precedent, but when I track my old tapes for my own personal use, I include drums and space in the song either before or after them. I like to think of them as a drum solo and free form jam into or out of a composition. I realize they rarely have much of anything to do with the tunes around them, but some of the early stuff would go out so far you had no idea what song they were playing, I kinda like to stay in that frame of mind. So, to me, this is the drum solo for Terrapin. ^^; Is there a cut, or was that just the world's shortest "drums"? Some wacky MIDI stuff to start off space. Everyone playing everyone else's instruments, virtually.

Gotta run. Catch up with the rest of the second half later.

EDIT:

Sorry, Terrapin wasn't the third song. Maybe Pocky Way felt like such a throw away that subconsciously I didn't even count it. At any rate, seemed to arrive at Terrapin awfully quickly. Time flies when you're having fun? :)
January 19, 2021 - 12:49am

#4552

rockthing

Joined:
August 2, 2020

gd1989-08-05 impressions First Set

Hey now. Is it ok if a newcomer jumps in on this? Never need an excuse to cue up a show I've never heard. Wish I had time to do it more often. Easily lead into rabbit holes, so hafta stick with my old favorites when things are busy. Nice to have someone to share the impressions with. I apologize in advance. I am notorious among all my correspondents for writing the sequel to Ulysses in every email.

I don't have any hard and fast policies, but generally I prefer to find a good audience pull over soundboards. There are plenty of boards I love, though, so as I say it's not a rule. Being a minor taping enthusiast informs that tendency, but often I actually like having the crowd in the mix. Sometimes the audience can be as entertaining as the band, like the dudes calling out for Casey Jones during Seastones. Hilarious. Idle chatter drives me up a wall, though.

Introductions out of the way, please allow me to share my experience listening to this Cal Expo gig.

First impressions:
Wow. Bobby's vocals are really loud. This is something I often find distracting about boards. The vocal balance is way too high in the mix compared with the instruments. It's inevitable, I guess. Usually the instruments don't need to be amplified as much as the vocals. I gather that we're supposed to be listening to the same releases, but I decided to see what the other sources sounded like.

I switched from the Miller SBD to Mattes Schoeps CMC 44 pull. I've heard some Mattes tapes I like. The Schoeps are top of the line mics and can't be faulted technically, but I often find Schoeps pulls to favor the lower frequencies in a way that seems to muffle the overall experience. In this case my first thought was, where's the band? Had to really crank it to even notice OMSN had started.

Next it was a switch to the Casey Coniff Sennheiser 441 pull. Starts off promising. Instruments loud and clear, but then I WENT UP TO THE MOUNTAIN, wow, the vocals were blasting into the audience, too. Yes, you can hear Dan Healy, I presume, immediately pull the volume back, but Bobby's vocals are really dominating the mix.

The Schoeps MK2 pull seems to offer a frequency balance I like best of these sources. The vocals are still really high, but they would be since everyone's taping the same show. Let it be said, however, that the focus and clarity of both this and the Coniff audience pulls are right up there with soundboards. No need to search for the show in the recording.

Cold Rain and Snow: Poor old Jer. Love that old silvery elf voice of his and I know it won't be there in '89, but he sounds kinda tired to me at the beginning. Kick drums kinda have that slappy festival sound quality. Phil's bass sounds great. Low end is powerful, but well-defined, and his upper register runs are right there too, but not harsh. Big smile for that little hiccup/accent around 4 and a half minutes in. Love this tune. This probably won't rocket to the top of my list of favorites.

We Can Run: As much as I love Brent's keyboard work with the Dead, I rarely get into his songwriting.

Stagger Lee: Nothing in particular to say about this.

Stuck Inside of Mobile: Nothing to write home about. Everyone seems to be getting a little more warmed up. The buildups for the choruses each seem to grow in intensity.

Row Jimmy: Whoa! WTH was that atonal weirdness. That was brilliant, whatever it was. lol. Sounds like someone accidentally dropped something on The Beam. Unfortunately no one had the presence of mind or inclination to try to incorporate it into the song, or improvise off of it. It just happens and sounds like a mistake. Jimmy plods along as usual. Gonna get there? I don't know.

Let It Grow: Oh, some of those crazy Healy vocal/etc. effects. I usually liked it when he added stuff like that, but I guess others didn't. As is often the case with this tune in the second half of the 80s and onward, we get our first taste of the band firing on all cylinders for one quick hot lap before the set break. This one doesn't get too far out during the first jam, though, before Bobby brings it back and seems to miss his own cue. lol. Nice fills from Jer and Brent in the outro. Could've stood a bit more of that, tbh.
January 18, 2021 - 12:03pm

#4553

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

Extra Credit retracted....

....Dennis fact checked it.
January 18, 2021 - 11:45am

#4554

Dennis

Joined:
November 1, 2012

Ok, you made me look.

I too had the 9/27/89 gap. I checked archive, they had one copy, I jumped on it.

Then read comments, it was mislabeled 1989,,, should have been 80!

That I had!

Sidenote - what I don't have is a good download link for american beauty - angel share!!! 2 MONTHS later!

Just sayin'
January 18, 2021 - 11:23am

#4555

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

Extra credit assignment....

https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1989/09/27
....Apparently, they played an acoustic set at the Warfield on Sept 27th, 1989. News to me!
January 18, 2021 - 9:47am

#4556

DeadVikes

Joined:
October 26, 2016

2/22/74

Loved it. What a long show and there was also the sound check material available, which was cool. Again, this show and the 23 hopefully will be released someday.

Cal Expo, summer 89, sounds good. Thanks for the Pick Vguy.

I always love the good Hey Pocky Way
January 18, 2021 - 9:22am

#4557

JimInMD

Joined:
June 27, 2011

Cal Expo

I'm in.
January 18, 2021 - 7:45am

#4558

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

How about some 1989?....

....Cal Expo 8.5.89.
https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1989/08/05
-
One More Saturday Night
Cold Rain & Snow
We Can Run
Stagger Lee
Memphis blues
Row jimmy
Let It Grow
-
Hey Pocky Way ->
Playin' In The Band ->
I Know Your Rider ->
Terrapin Station ->
Drums ->
Space ->
Standing On The Moon ->
Throwing Stones ->
Not Fade Away
-
US Blues
---------------
Features a OMSN and CR&S one two punch opener and a stand alone Rider.
I was lucky enough to be present and accounted for at this run.
January 17, 2021 - 10:01pm

#4559

JimInMD

Joined:
June 27, 2011

PITB

I forgot how good the PITB was from this show. I was in a great situation to listen today.. and about a third of the way into this song I felt it was ho, hum.. Another three minutes and I realized how wrong I was and good this Playing is..

Is this the first flirtations with Slipknot!? I forget if they played with the theme in '73 or not.
January 17, 2021 - 12:28pm

#4560

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

2.22.74....

....twist my arm.
Lmao. Jerry blowing the US Blues lyrics right out of the gate. Gotta love it. It's part of the charm.
"We're all confused. What's to lose."
👍

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Currently Listening To...

Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

Orange Sunshine

I remember Buffalo '90 we had motel room like right across the street from the stadium I know it was in walking distance. Anyway we went up a day ahead and went to The Anchor Bar for wings and pizza. Then we went to The Falls Canadian side my buddy had family up there. That night we got back to the room we took the bed spread off the beds and went down where they were camping and stayed up all night eating Orange Sunshine and drinking Fosters.

1969-05-23 - Road Trip!

I know it’s a surprise, but the Highlight = Dark Star > St. Stephen > Eleven > Lovelight

The Infamous Dark Star Suite of ’69!

Dark Star
If I waxed poetic, I’d go on and on about this Dark Star, but mostly I wanna say, it’s got the Vibraslap, and I love the Vibraslap, especially in Dark Star, and therefore I love this Dark Star.

St. Stephen!
Can’t beat a Classic Version like this. You get the Xylophone, Cannon, William Tell Bridge, it’s all there. This is a great St. Stephen of old.

The Eleven
It’s good! Crazy good you ask? Well.. Crazy good might be a bit much, but it’s good I say!

Turn On Your Lovelight
Sir Ron McKernan aka Pigpen with his blues and soul. I’ve come to feel that Pigpen is a tragic figure, and the band would forever change with his passing, but here he is young and alive and that’s how I like to remember him.
Cause she’s got Box-backed nitties… what’s he say?!?!? (Let’s leave that for the scholars)
Calm down Bobby.. it’s no time for screaming like that!

Alright, well.. that was fun.
I guess I should put on the next show and follow my bliss.
5/24/69 you’re up next…

Note:
When they rehearsed and played St. Stephen with regularity, like in 1969, it was such an amazing song.. alas Jerry would remark that he felt that the song was a cop and due to that and less time spent rehearsing, St. Stephen would leave the garden.

If you watch the Grateful Dead Movie with the director’s commentary, Susan Crutcher tells a pretty fascinating story about how, she wanted to include St. Stephen in the section with the photo montage and Jerry was like, we don’t even play that song anymore, and Susan said yeah but it’s sooo good. And while listening to the song repeatedly during the editing process, Jerry’s interest got peaked and that led to the band resurrecting the song in 1976. The story holds water as they were editing the movie in ’76 when St. Stephen came back. Not to mention Susan strikes me as a cool person who would have no reason to embellish a story like that. I found that to be pretty cool and wanted to share.

I love St. Stephen of old!

FOURWINDSBLOW: How much of that there Orange Sunshine did you eat? That's the question...

GOGD-OSS

Enough! That's all I'm saying.

There were just the three of us out of ten that went to the camping site, we were the crazed of the group. The next morning when we went back to the motel room waking everyone up with a hearty breakfast of Orange Sunshine.

Good Show! CSN and The Dead! We went in early and sat right up in front of Jerry.

RE: OSS

FWB - That sounds like Good Times!

You seen that Doc on Orange Sunshine? Pretty fascinating.

That and Heads by Jesse Jarnow.

So much info. Such a Taboo subject... You gotta love it!

Oh Yeah

I just remembered that right before set 2 the band on the stage and the camera rolling a camera guy center stage got me giving the thumbs up as he panned the crowed I know he saw me cause he smiled. Hope it makes it on the official video.

7/16/90

Check out Bucket> Half Step if ya wanted to listen to more that would be okay.

https://archive.org/details/gd1990-07-16.sbd.miller.95782.sbeok.flac16/…

I have a cool story about taking mexican quaaludes at a show....

....I'll fill you in later.
I have a pick to throw into the ring. It's not official, and I'm sure most have you have heard it, although maybe not in a long time (like me). 10.16.81 Club Melk Weg. Amsterdam. Bobby's birthday. One acoustic set. One electric. Borrowed instruments. High AF on hashish. Lovelight bustout after nine years. It's a really fun show. My two sense.
https://archive.org/details/gd1981-10-16.sbd.miller.110351.flac16/gd81-…

Taboo Subject, Let the Good Times Roll

Not sure why this would be a taboo subject here.. the band certainly didn't try to hide it. Besides.. most of this is folklore by now, happening between 55 and 25 years ago. It could be just because I am old and in the way.. but you don't see or hear of it that much these days.

I enjoy reading peoples stories, most of which (probably all that are told on these threads) by far predate any statute of limitation. Like it or leave it, this is American and World History. Let the good times roll (deja que los buenos tiempos pasen, deixe os bons tempos rolarem, laissez le bon temps rouler).

Edit: Speaking of LSD, I finished discs 1 and 2, 3 later. Still one of my favorite 69 releases behind FW and Fillmore Auditorium. I agree with the Good Ole GD.. disc one probably delivers the goods and is the highlight, but my favorite is disc 2 simply because He Was a Friend of Mine > The Eleven speaks to me... As for disc three, I have never met a Morning Dew or an Alligator I did not like. Even the squatty little yeller one with no tail.

vguy 10/16/81 Melk Weg

There was a video of both shows on Youtube, a few years ago, don't know if it is still out there!!

Back to Pow Wow....

....i never met an Alligator i didn't like, and i really like this one. Love the Feedback as well. Great show!!

Mmmmm.....Melk Weg

https://youtu.be/WvvYChZTXMw

https://youtu.be/b4p1zBuqYDk

5-23/24/69 Pow Wow RT 4.1(?)

I actually was awarded this for a prize back in 2010 for the inaugural version of 30 Days of Dead. It was on the 5th day and the song was Playing in the Band from 5/20/73 UCSB. As I recall it was a totally random guess! Funny the things we remember (and what we forget!)

Re: Pow Wow

Couldn't have happened to a better person.

Pow Wow Wow

Had a good time listening to 5/23 & 24/69 today.

The opening Lovelight almost seems to be a prankster response to the rookie mc telling people to be seated... never trust a prankster.

All the banter is fun. The difference between the closing Lovelight & opening Lovelight was interesting as well.
The opening Lovelight seemed to be much more exploratory with different themes being introduced, especially around 14:30, Jerry gets into a cool groove. The Drums > St. Stephen transition was a trip too.

Good stuff all around.

Milkweg is cool, I like Milkweg

11/17/73 Dap 5 is calling me too, I can feel it's pull.

WILFREDTJONES - 30 Days, look forward to it every year, and that's a good prize! Thanks Dead.net for being cool.

JIMINMD - I agree! That subject should not be taboo. May the human exploration into the cosmos and beyond continue!

Alright you all, keep on rockin' looking forward to the next pick here and in my mailbox.. shipping noticed received!

Be Well

Tomorrow's Pick

What's on tap for tomorrow?

Jimbo, good to see you over here. Time for a pick. Send us one.

Still no shipping notice here.

Pick

Oh,.. the pressure. I am not good at this. But since we are on the best sounding of the road trips. I would humbly suggest either the WOS road trips (6/18/74) or the 5/15/70 Road Trips.

If I had my way.. I would pick Louisville 74 in honor of the eminent release (Road Trips Vol 2 No 4). One other ask.. on or about the first received date of the next Dave's Picks. Would it be possible / make sense to hold this show open for a week so both the folks that get it first have time to comment and the folks that get a day (or six) later have time to participate? Seems reasonable to me. So a week and day of 1974?

Pick

We could do 'From Egypt With Love?' Mix it up a little.

Real great Stella Blue even with the audience patch.

Pick TOO

I want to pick a show Vguy saw. It was his second and it cooks!

Jim's Pick

Good choice, let's do The RT.2.3. Shows from 6/16 and 6/18 74.

I like your idea for Dave's #34.

FourWinds, let's hit up The From Egypt with Love RT tomorrow. 10/21 and 10/22 78. I have not listened to this one in a while.

Thanks guys.

Deadvikes Egypt with love tomorrow

How funny i was grilling last night and I listened to half of the first CD!! Now i have a reason to listen to the rest.. bob t

orange sunshine

there was orange sunshine in the 90's? I only remember it back in the 60's and early 70's and it was the bomb, 4 way hits, which meant you only needed to take a quarter of a hit and they were kinda small, so it was quite easy to take a bit too much. :o fun times indeed. Did some yellow sunshine back then too, it was suppose to be 8 way, never did more than a crumb of that stuff, talk about mind blown. They don't make it like that anymore.
Mexican quaaludes, mandrax I think they were called, not the same as 714's but still lots of fun, they had an antihistamine in the mix to help keep you awake the first 30 mins or so, then it was all fun and stumbling and falling and laughing and feeling invincible, sure wish they hadn't outlawed that drug, one on my favorites. Ever try ludes and acid together? wow, what an experience that was, add some black nepalese hash on top and you are now in heaven. Back in those days, it was ok to have a trove of drugs, like Hunter Thompson said in fear and loathing:
"We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers...and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can." and push it we did.

O S

If it wasn't O S it was very good and very clean. After our first dabble we stayed up all night looking for the girl that had it bought a bunch and ate it all day. Don't want to put misinfo out there but, thats what she called it, we had a good time.

6.18.74 sounds most excellent (Wyld Stallyns guitar riff)....

....cueing it up now on the Archive (i don't own the physical copy). Avatar updated. Four winds says he wants top pick a show i saw? I recently listed my attended shows if you want to look. Just don't choose 5.19.95. Yuck. Vocal drop outs during the Freedom Hall Promised opener. Good ole Wall Of Sound.

Vguy

Check your PM.

Wall of Sound

Many happy Road Trips over the years. Just finishing 5/23/69 lovelight . Amazing all the changes from live-dead era into Workingman’s era , nothing short of phenomenal creative drive.
There were a few lackluster Dead shows in the 70s ,but I never went to one back then that was less than amazing.
Would like to see a board tape of UCSB May 74 with Great American String Band set official release. Maria was real hot also. 74 was a banner year.
Seminole Powwow kicked ass. Dark Star was super improvisational . The 11 was exciting . Love-Light was also reflective of the youthful vigor of the band at that time.
Miss Indian World ,Cheyenne Kippenberger 2019-2021, is from the Hollywood , Florida Band of Seminole Tribe. Met her in Albuquerque during Gathering of Nations Powwow a year ago. She’s a real good person from one of the strongest of all the tribes in the country.
I still nominate 5/2/70 for this Saturday on its 50th anniversary .

Vguy

I suggested the 2nd ever show you saw. I thought this show had some unique Jerry playing on it especially for the time period. If we don't get to listen to it I'll understand but, maybe you can give your take on it I thought it was good for the time.

Ps. Fun fact, though I've never counted till today I got 28 of the 39 I saw on video.

You mean Anaheim Stadium?....

....it's View From The Vault 1. Maybe a video of the day with discussion is in order?
6.18.74's Ramble-On Rose was so good, i played it twice!!
pm checked

Meet Up At The Movie

Quarantine style. Sounds good!

Pick has Started = Contact High

Alright, firing up 6/16/74 and already WOW on Sound Quality and playing on China Cat..

My Completist OCD has prevented me from frequent listening of this & from Egypt with Love.
It might be cool to hear them both again in their compilation order... already struggling with the whole notion of rearranged songs.. Deep Breath.. they sound good.

Talking about Orange Sunshine, Mexican Quaaludes, Ludes & Acid, HST gave me a nice Contact Buzz!

Thanks UNKLE SAM & FWB for that.. Keep ‘em coming.

I was still tripping from the Great Pow Wow! Both nights rocked real good. I dug that.

He Was A Friend & Death Don't were real good too hear again, along with all the rest of that psychedelic stuff.

Good times!

Meet Up At The Movies Quarantine Style sounds Awesome!

Shake up the Shakedown Stream.. with a little bonus footage:)

This Eyes sounds real nice..

EDIT: And 5/2/70 Anniversary sounds promising as well!!

The Logistics....

....to have everyone cue up View From The Vault at the same time would be incredibly incredible. Zoom Meeting?!

RE:VGUY72 - Zoom Meeting

Bad Ass!

ZoooooooooooM!....

....I'm considered essential, but I'm off this Saturday and Sunday. jUSt SaYIn'.

6/16

Eyes, Playin. Nice! Nobodys Jam, now were going old school. Love it!

RE: Zoom Vault View

VGUY - Saturday works for me! PST

And 6/16 Eyes > Stronger Than Dirt > Big River is super!

Keith's piano... is he using a pedal or what's going on there?

Video pick?

If nobody has interest in the '87 Anaheim second choice would be in honor of the resident care-taker of the Vault, the man on the inside. With Dave's very first pick 'Truckin' Up To Buffalo' '89.

RE: Video Pick?

FWB - 4/10/20 - Shakedown Stream was "Truckin' Up To Buffalo" but 7/7/89 "Crimson White & Indigo" might have you in the crowd somewhere? Haven't seen that in awhile.

I'm down for View From The Vault V1 or '87 or whatever, just maybe something other than "Truckin' Up To Buffalo" as I just watched that recent. Just sayin'

DL said this week Shakedown Stream would be Closing of Winterland.

Alright, stoked to hear this 6/16/74 PITB for 28 minutes, but gotta wait till later and take care of some business first...

Be Well you All

GOGD

Yeah I forgot they did the '89 show but , The one I was talking about that i could be on film was Buffalo '90. Sorry for any confusion. JFK '89 we were in the bleachers half way back Jerry, Brent side.

I have the opener and the main act on audience video from Buffalo '90.

6/18/74

Had to cue this one up on archive too, (and will tomorrow's "From Egypt" pick.) I really don't know why I slept on these Road Trip releases - I guess I was put off by the cut-up nature. Oh well - LMA is a-ok with me :) Just now on "Roses."

I had to run out for my weekly grocery trip yesterday, and Sirius was playing "To Lay Me Down" from Jai-Alai - sounded very good, though I am not sure if it was the soon to be delivered version or not.

I know that many here already know this, but if not, the Freedom Hall show "Eyes" is the version that Holly Bowling does on solo piano. She apparently transcribed the whole jam. I have never directly compared them note for note, but her version is really great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voLdRQ-19dc

EDIT: She actually does her own "version" of the verses, but the jam is transcribed. On "BTW" and it looks like the WoS has settled in and is sounding better - still some vocal drops, but the band sounds incredible!

Peace