Grateful Dead

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Dan Rather has been doing these interviews with rock icons. The last one I made a point to watch was Robert Plant. Obviously, the eternal adolescent in me carries a torch for Zeppelin (you think)? and of course when Plant nixed the billion-dollar international megatour after that singularly brilliant O2 reunion show, I was bummed. And I was bummed when he wouldn't do Desert Trip with Jimmy, either. But I understand. Robert Plant can go out there in 2018 at age 69 and cover his old band's material, but with a fresh, "age-appropriate" (his term) take on it. This man has done what almost nobody coming from the wild-ass rock genre has been able to - remain on stage and age gracefully. He can go out there and sing "Whole Lotta Love" without the cock jeans and the dog in heat affectations of a 23 year-old, and still pull it off. Most of these guys in Ratt or whoever just look dumb in their cartoon heavy metal clothes singing the old hits that were relevant for five minutes in the 80s. But, you can't get a good real job now pushing 60 as that ship has sailed. No other option but to do the county fair/casino circuit to thinner crowds every year. Sad but true, but then it's been this way for decades. Glenn Miller, Sinatra, Elvis, The Beatles. Hey, at least Elvis "got more ass than a toilet seat." Not my line but hilarious and worth repeating. It's a fine line to go out there at 75 and sing the songs Mick Jagger does. But, with that first wave of post-blues bands (Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, etc.) still carrying on, I'll take what I can get. In ten more years this will all be gone. There won't be any Stephen Stills out there playing electric shows. No more Paul McCartney on a massive stage. Charlie Watts' Duracell has got to crap out at some point. Someone here dropped this recently: "tender little cupcakes who normally fire off those barbs get all bent and whiny when they find them coming their way." I feel as if I have deserved to be the brunt of that one, even if it wasn't directed at me, for talking hard smack here over and over. But, y'know, sitting around the campfire the truth is bound to come out. There's no point in making Small Talk. Hollow, plastic redundant bullshit 'how you doing, Mrs. Blanfield? Oh, very well, Eugene, all the best to yer Mum!' Fuck that. It's good to know that some people still don't flinch when getting to the core of the truth. I try not to kick anyone square in the balls on the internet. It's weak, it's like being a telephone tough guy. I think I can say something like, "that chick has a nasty stinking pit hair forest," without coming from a place of hatred. Dark humor, maybe, but I reserve the right. "Brown Sugar" is horribly sexist and cast in a terribly inhumane setting that existed long ago. And still does just not in mainstream America. It was also recorded at Muscle Shoals and is one of the most heartfelt, soulful, ass-shakingest grooves ever this side of R.L. Burnside. Brown Sugar, turned up loud, feels so good. And isn't that what rock and roll is supposed to do? It is the devil's music, after all. \m/

I go to about 1 concert a year these days, not counting HardlyStrictlyBluegrass. I am not a big fan of the new Dave Alvin/Jimmie Dale Gilmore album, nor of the new Jon Langford album, but I love many records they've each done in the past. So off to the show I went. Someone standing on the other side of the audience from me videoed this and put it on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDDntOqTCgs

I listened to the whole thing after getting it today and now I've got the encore rolling through my mind over and over ... WOW!

Well, it might, or might not be worth discussing-but it surely isn't worth arguing about! I think we have different perspectives-not on the subject in hand-part of me agrees with you on that, for what its worth-but on the way we discuss things. In the real, physical, world, I have friends who have similar interests to me, but we see those things in diverse ways-which, for me, makes for interesting discussion. You mentioned Shakespeare in one of your posts-and this is a subject I have discussed often with my friends. We go to The Globe Theatre in London, which is a reconstruction of the play house as it was in the 17th century. And the plays are performed in a traditional way, more or less. Or were. About three years ago, they started adapting them to fit in with modern ways of thinking. "Taming of the Shrew" was performed in such a way as to remove the sexism inherent in the text. I thought it was great. The bloke I went with thought it was terrible-and disrespectful to the original. We didn't fall out about it, though! Later in the year I saw "A Midsummer Nights Dream", which included modern pop songs. To me, it was hideous-but lots of people around me thought it was fantastic-especially young people. Neither of us were "right" or "wrong". In most issues there is surely no right or wrong, just different shades. Everybody on here likes The Dead to differing degrees for different reasons. The more people share their unique perspective the more interesting the board becomes. I would also say that it is possible-in fact desirable- for one person to have differing views on the same subject, at the same time, depending on the perspective they choose to take.

Mine came in the mail and I've listened to it in full on a long drive yesterday. Excellent show for sure! I couldn't decide about the sound on first listen, only complaint is the balance and presence of the instruments and vocals. In my ears the vocals are right up front and seem like they have too much effects processing on them, that is sometimes distracting and doesn't sit within the music the same as other releases. The blending of the instruments and separation seems a little weird to my ears as well. I wish Jerry was way more up front and loud in the recording as he sounds a little buried in there, I hear him playing some really great stuff but I feel myself straining to follow along on this one. Maybe my ears are finally broken. Once my ears adjust to the tape I'm sure the second listen on different style stereo will be clearer.

For the audio feedback. Now I just need for this thing to show up at my door. Love the cover art, its like vol9 part II. JiminMD where have you been? I get concerned when there's a new release and all the regulars aren't tuning in. LedDed, much as I like your input, I have to say,your comment to Hippy Chic didn't sound like dark humor, it sounded like the square kick to the balls you were talking about. You know you've crossed the line when half a dozen other people are calling you on it. It's not as though you've had a past history of comradary with her, it was pretty much the first thing you said, and if that was dark humor I didn't catch the punchline.

Good show with perfectly acceptable sound quality. The vocals sound muffled at times. During one of the aud patches the vocals jump out at you so it's the soundboard mix that's the problem. Also problematic is exactly what direwulf said. The balance and location of the instruments in the mix is confusing. Jerry and Bob's guitar seem to occupy the same space making it hard to distinctly hear both. This may be better with headphones. But none of this is a deal breaker. Enjoy.

I'd like to put the image of the cover into iTunes. Why do they now always show the cover at an angle etc? Would be nice to also have a front image as well. found it here: https://www.jambase.com/article/daves-picks-volume-27-features-1983-gra…

Received my copy on Friday in South Jersey # 16258. Played the complete concert and I liked it a lot. Thank you Dave for this great release.

Dave's Picks won't be arriving in England for many moons, but the powers that be have finally given the green light for prescribing cannabis. This is majorly good news, brought about by one particular case of a child who has been suffering from seizures. Apparently the only substance that stopped him form having these seizures, was cannabis, and his supply had been confiscated, then dispensed to him inpatient only. This confusion was endangering his life, which led to much political hand wringing-and the current legislation. Its curious that the politicians don't seem as conflicted about the ongoing prescribing of synthetic opiates, amphetamines, major and minor tranquillisers and anti depressants-all of which are dispensed liberally in this area. The Home Secretary keeps asserting that this in no way, no how, means that they will go on to consider legalising cannabis for supposedly well people to take for pleasure. In fact, he emphasises it with such regularity that you cant help wondering if the opposite will happen.

I don't always agree with your point of view, but I very much appreciate the manner in which you deliver your message. Straightforward and honest. Please keep it up. The cupcakes will be fine. I missed the initial exchange of barbs, but in general, if it isn't edgy, it's not funny.

your ears are fine, I had the same experience although I listened to it after listening to DP15 Engishtown, NJ 9/3/77 which had my bar set real high.. sound seemed somewhat muffled

That's a good one AJS. I don't think I've ever seen you write something funny. Laughable, yes.

the 50th with that sneaky live show so good morning little school girl inspired to dl 2-11-69 never heard just dig dead

The sound quality is questionable with this one. The vocals are way too loud. It is good when the band is not singing. I wish there was a way for me to adjust the mix so the vocals are tuned down, way down. I think Dave should stay out of the 80's. Brent has many issues.

....don't we all? Lol

I've only done a cursory listen through of DP 27 and I have to agree the audio quality was somewhat less than I expected. My first thought was "muddy" and I would have expected better from the time period. Maybe it's because it's from a cassette master rather than reel? But I liked Brent back then and still do today.

I think Dave has to offer up something occasionally from the 80s, even if the sound is sub par. There are some Dead fans who want to hear it, that simple. I also think there's something to be said for representing all eras of the band. I got my copy and the sound isn't too good here. But I understand where people are coming from. If I was only able to hear one great 1972 show from an audio standpoint because that was all they had in the vault that sounded that good (like Veneta), I would definitely want something from 1972 that sounded like this 83 show. In other words sub par 83 is better than no 83 to some. I think Dave and Rhino know this and keep it flowing to appeal ti all parts of the market. I don't think we would ever get 4 in a year like this, and I am sure it's no accident that the three 80s shows in the series came as #s 3 & 4 in the year. In other words, they're not marketing an 80s show to sell the year's Dave's Picks subscription when they sell the subscriptions in January or whenever it is, they pick a more marketable show (1977, 1973, 1974, etc). I've never seen the band live, so there is no emotional ties to them for me with regard to concert memories. I simply want the best sounding best performances I can get. That's obviously not what we have here. I do like it better than the RFK 89 set, because I can't hear Brent too well here and I don't like the way he sounds when he's mixed in at the same level as the rest of the band. Not towards the end of his stint with the band anyway. I have listened to Dead set and it's not nearly as rough as the 89 / 90 era, and his keyboards don't sound intrusive like they do in the later era. Does Hornsby play on the 89 RFK set? I thought back when I came out somebody identified him as the one playing the chordal spacey synthesizers.

....in fact, he helps create one of the best Man Smart, Woman Smarter I have ever heard! Accordian yes, synths no.

I’ve heard way worse many times.For those who complain about the sound quality, how many hissy, muddy cassette recordings did you listen to before the doors of the vault were thrown wide open? Back when a single CD cost $20 (the time when I got on the bus) and there were no complete show releases - just compilations like Live Dead, Skull Fuck, Eur 72, Dead Set, Reckoning, I was happy to get a complete show recording, even if it was hissy and muddy. I spent many hours listening to low quality recordings on cassette because I was, and still am, addicted to Grateful Dead. These releases are a blessing!!!!! My music listening is >98% GD, ~1% JG, ~1% others. I need all the years available so that I can move around the eras and not burn myself out on a single year. I love all the years, warts and all, although I listen less to the very warty years, but there still are some good parts to those years. I think that a good model for Dave’s Picks is ~3:1 pre-80’s/post-80’s for the time being while we get the returned reels released. Mini-Boxes and regular Boxes of the later years sounds like a good plan. That way you can buy it or not, and it’s not part of the subscription. It’s time for a Bruce release. For those not happy with DaP27, put it up for sale, there are people who want it and will be happy to listen to it. Thanks Dave, Jeffrey, and crew for another great release that sounds so much better than the hissy, muddy cassettes that I cut my teeth on, and that made my non-Deadhead friends want to leave the room. Sitting on the couch, playing the CDs on an Onkyo 6-disc changer, Onkyo receiver, Onkyo sub woofer, Bose 301 speakers. Franklin’s just started. H/S/F sounds better than CD1, I can differentiate all the instruments, vocals not too loud. For CD1, some parts were clearer than others. The jam part of Big RR Blues seemed to have distinct separation of the instruments, while some other songs were a bit more blurred. One thing I noticed is that Bob’s guitar was not obscured by Jerry, but that sometimes Bob and Brent were playing similar tones and it all rolled into one.

Butch, that my man is one hell of a good opinion. I could not have said it better. Last year, a kind soul sent Dave 24 to me free of charge. Don't ask why I did not buy the subscription last year, because there is no good answer. 80's Dead is not my cup of tea. I am returning the favor done for me a year ago. Please PM me if interested in 27. The cd is still in the original packaging. Please no one interested in re-sale. Just somebody who was at the wrong place at the wrong time; and missed out. Be kind, Sam T

thanks for that awesome pic...need to steal...Bob's slide playing has always driven me to the Donna edge...YAWWWWW!!!!

....not even gonna take Boise for a spin around the block? Time to take off the training wheels and ride. That's sarcasm btw. To each their own. But, really? Guess I'm in the minority that any Dead is better than no Dead. I won't be playing this every day for sure, but when the moment hits, it's right there. Those moments can catch one off guard if you're not careful. I would think why break up the numerical beauty that is Dave's lined up all in a wonderful row? I've been know to be a bit OCD, so maybe it's just me. I like me. And that's enough for me....oh. And UB40 was really fun. Have you heard of The Movement? My step daughter turned me into them a couple of hours ago. Good stuff.

Never bothered me.I don’t play guitar, so I have no frame of reference, or preconceived notions, of how it should be. But that is a funny picture Vguy. And the MNS link you posted last night was quite funny. But the person who made that video totally missed an opportunity to put Otto in there.

How was UB40? Their first album seemed to be reggae, their second seemed to be a bit polluted by MTV.

We have a winner if I give cd away. vguy, will put you on the spot. The only post Keith 30 trips I have listened to is 79' cape cod, which is solid. Give me a brent era 30 trips show I should listen to. Sam T

Some pretty good deals on Dead related products from Warner Market on Amazon. -Dave's 14, 20, 24, 25, 26 -Hampton Warlocks Box Set -30 Trips Box

Can't seem to find any of what you listed by a "Warner Market"...

At least listen to the 10-26-89 Dark Star. After that you can say you gave it a chance.30 Trips 81-83 definitely has some sketchy sound quality. So if that’s an era you don’t like to begin with, then the sound quality will really turn you off. Give 6-24-85 a spin for Cryptical’s sake, albeit brief. I think I recall the 30 Trips 86 show actually being good. Do the 87 Good Lovin>La Bamba>Good Lovin for the novelty of the La Bamba. 11-30-80 DaP# is a Brent show with excellent sound quality. But what about Gainesville? I haven’t heard it yet in it’s Full Norman glory.

....I try and be as Switzerland as I can. No harm. No foul. Dissing Brent kinda ruffles my feathers at times, but I find my nest just fine.

I lucked up on this site right before Dave 5 was released, so no subscription that year for me. Outside of the first 4, Dave 7, 8, 12, and 20 are the only picks not in my collection.Seems the overall consensus over the years places Dave 8 as the crown jewel of 80's (not 89' as different mode of recording) Dead releases. Guessing it's the sound quality. Dicks 5 and the 79' road trips get solid reviews. Were the Dead still recording with soundboards in 79' or had they switched to the tape format that seems to dog the 80's sound quality?

....and taken to the interrogation room.He says to the police officer, "I'm not saying a word without my lawyer present." "You are the lawyer," says the policeman. "Exactly, so where's my present?" ....found this one today. So bad, it's good.

Having read up, I think folks are just looking for different things in the sound department. This is not a Jerry up front mix. It's more of a balanced mix. If that's what you're looking for, I think it actually sounds better than Dick's Picks 15 (though that's a fantastic show). That one had some issues (low Bobby; boomy Phil; all treble drums; distortion on Jerry's vocals and sometimes the piano). For DaP 27, the guy who said that Jerry's voice is a little recessed is right, but I don't think it's a deal breaker. Drums could be louder for me, too. Also, it's true that the cassette stuff doesn't sound as good as the reel to reel. To me it sounds like the high and low end are rolled off. Not sure if cassettes do that (I bet they do). Other than that though, it sounds clear and well-mixed to me. I had no problem locating the instruments and following different folks. Sounds great. DaP 8, on the other hand, sounds off a bit for me. I'm not sure exactly what it is. The release is a "matrix," and I think I've heard folks speculate that there were issues with how the AUD and SBD sources synced up. That's also one of those widely heralded shows that just never quite clicked for me, so I may just be mis-remembering. I like DaP 27 better on all fronts.

It's a weird mix. I'm up to Eyes and the most glaring things are how loud the vocals are (and Healy's effects, particularly the weird room reverb on Mama Tried and Big River) and the loudness of the keyboards, and the rather quietness of the guitars. It does get better on Jerry's solos, but it starts out with Brent drowning them out. Songs are played well on the whole, the sound has more punch to it than most '80s boards, so that's a plus. A decent Pick, not one that will come off the shelf often, but few of them really do. I have so many shows in box sets on another shelf, and I'm fully expecting to listen to the impending 46 min Playing in the Band more times than the HelpSlipFrank on this set. That may also be true of most of the 11/6/77 Pick earlier this year, I loved the Half Step, Straw, Music Never Stopped, and Truckin', the rest is good. So much music, so little time, basically... To SamT the 1983-84, '87-'89 Trips were the best of the '80s to me, in sound and playing quality. 1982 is a great show with terrible sound, so your choice on that one.

The link posted by "bakerflippd" leads to many Dave's Picks supposedly on sale for 28.95 each. DaP26 is there WITH (subscribers-only)BONUS DISC for 28.95!And they supposedly have 30 Trips in stock for $699! WTF! https://www.amazon.com/Trips-Around-Sun-Grateful-Dead/dp/B07FYS8P4T/ref… So, they have a bunch of "sold out" stuff on sale at face price! Why did we all not already know about this and how do "sold out" and "available at face" go together? If you missed out on anything here that "sold out" recently, follow that link!

....I too, am intrigued/confused. The family and I just finished watching Isle Of Dogs. Love me some stop motion animation. Love me some dogs. Instant classic. Wes Anderson is a genius. Bravo.

I agree with your assessment. I have been spoiled by all the excellent 70's material released in the last few years.

One of the lesser problems with the eighties is the use of cassette tape for the soundboard recordings.

I wasn't keen on it myself-but one thing that can be said in his favour is that he didn't rely on tried and tested licks when he played. He seemed to be trying to take the style into areas that no one else had. It was experimental, which was true to the spirit of the band at its best. And genuine experiments don't always work. It was the same with his rhythm guitar style - it doesn't sound like anyone else. Another experimental approach, but this time one that worked beautifully. And whether you like it or not, it has to be said that no one played slide guitar quite like Bob Weir!

daverock, if your comment is not meant to be ironic, I applaud your positive spin on Bobby's slide. But with all due respect, you're comment comically hits EVERY cliché in the book! You sound like the father of 3rd grader following a disastrous violin recital, PLEADING with his wife to let the lessons continue.. After 52 Dead shows I think I have PTSD and am not capable of blowing such blindly effusive sunshine, or even reading it without a visceral gag reflex. (And vGuy, that photo is priceless). Bobby is inventive in his rhythm playing, but slide? When you have no licks and ZERO pitch awareness/control (Duane never hit a discordant note within a year of learning slide), then just say No. Jerry was asked if he was embarrassed by Bobby's slide in an interview, and he responded "Well, HE isn't embarrassed which is all that matters" as if to say: "Yep, embarrassing, but what do you want me to do?". And I disagree with the assertion that "he didn't rely on tried and tested licks when he played slide". Yes he did - he played the most basic, sophomoric licks imaginable - and basically the same stuff every time!! I bet you can't find two Bobby slide solos on Minglewood that are materially different - I can whistle his basic formula in my sleep, unfortunately: one verse (4 notes!) low on the neck, then repeat the same 4 notes up an octave (genius!), going to the 3rd octave on the turnaround!!! That 3rd octave is the killer - ALL the way up the neck beyond the frets and even the neck pickup (the Cheez Wiz zone) where pitch control is almost impossible, hitting nonsensical discordant shrieks while posing flamboyantly like Pete Townshend (I'm CRUSHING this!!!!!") - as if piercing, warbly dog-frequencies are musical Nirvana. (However, if your wording of "didn't rely on tried and tested licks" means he didn't practice, then I agree!) Bobby's slide playing makes Donna's early-70's "Playing' in the Band" warbles sound like virtuosity, yet people flame her mercilessly. At least Donna eventually figured out how to better monitor herself and make it work after a year or two, while after 3 decades of playing slide Bobby still sounds like a struggling middle school guitar student. Phew! OK, I feel better now.... that hit a nerve..... Apologies if my strong opinion upsets any Bobby-soxers out there. But if ya can't handle an honest, unfiltered opinion on the internet... (And yes, his rhythm guitar IS undeniably unique and inventive, of course, starting in '72/'73. Perhaps the most underrated rhythm player ever. Wait till you hear Bobby on 6/22/73!!! Hall-of-Fame stuff.)

RE: https://www.amazon.com/s?marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A10MCNMI6XFGSK&… The unannounced appearance of the WarnerMarket on amazon offering once "sold out", "limited edition" GD releases would seem to require some explanation from the powers that be. Most of us on these dead-dot-net forums and so many others scramble and stress every time a new "limited edition" release is announced. And after the dust settles and the release sells out, many who missed out must submit to (sometimes much) higher prices from resellers. It is insensitive at best, when Rhino/Warner, with nary a word of explanation, begins offering these once sold out releases at original, pre-release prices (in the case of Dave's Picks at the early bird subscription price and WITH BONUS CDs where applicable). Forget the ethical "right thing to do" argument. What does this do to Rhino's vaunted business model of the "limited edition release" that many of us have written about and even defended over the years? If they're simply liquidating overstock, why not alert the hard-core faithful on these forums and elsewhere in advance and WITH A SYMPATHETIC EXPLANATION? Maybe/hopefully these again-available releases were withheld from initial sale as potential replacements. Who knows? Their out-of-the-blue appearance on amazon is a blow to any trust that we may have had in Rhino and Warner. Hopefully a believable explanation is forthcoming, but my heart goes out to the poor heads who got shut out on Thirty Trips and saved up and bought one on eBay for 1,500.00 or more.

I couldn't have said it better!Another side effect of The Slide, is that Bobby played it on top of Jerry soloing, at the same volume. But that was mid-78 to 79; thankfully, by 1980, the Slide appeared only for a few solos in Rooster, Minglewood and later Walking Blues.

This show kicks so much ass! The entire 1st set is really solid and energetic. Love the Wang Dang Doodle opener. Seems to set the tone for the whole show. New Minglewood Blues really rocks too. What can't be said about the 2nd set? The Help>Slip>Franklin's is a good as any others I've ever heard, if not one of the best. The jam out out of Eyes is absolutely insane...Bobby and Brent playing off of each other in a very unique and energetic way. Gives a great contrast to show considering Jerry was playing so well and throwing down sick solos on every single song, a nice reminder that everyone else was shining that night. And then the Space is very melodic and lovely...just great, interesting, & unique stuff.

I listened to discs 1 and 2 in the car yesterday. My car system always sounds worse than my headphones, so here were my first thoughts from the car listening. I'm not much of an 80s fan, but I was pulled into this one by some of the previews I'd heard, and was going to get it regardless because I subscribe. -I liked the energy level -The drums sounded sloppy -Like others said, it was harder than usual to distinguish Garcia's and Weir's guitars -Garcia sounded like he was rushing the vocals and his usual soulfulness suffered somewhat from that. That's aside from the fact that his 80s voice had strained compared to the 70s. -Phil sounded like he was playing simpler lines than usual. Maybe the tune selection on disc 1 impacted that though. -I liked the LLR version, usually not a favorite, but they did some different things with it instrumentally. -Brent's keyboards, again never a favorite, were too prominent for me. Then this morning I listened to much of disc 2 again, plus disc 3, all on headphones at home: -What a difference! Sound is so much better and the instruments much more balanced. I could make out the guitars more clearly. The drums did not sound as sloppy and unfocused, though on disc 3 I did detect a bit of the mid-80's pop music influence big drum sound. -Garcia's vocals sounded better to me on Black Peter and It's all over now baby blue. He took his time, and let his deeper register bring out more of the soulfulness. Those songs are designed to be that way though. I actually liked the Black Peter better than some 70s versions I've heard where it sounds like he's straining. I don't say that about too many 80s shows' tunes. -Brent's keyboards sounded better balanced in the mix on headphones than in the car. -It's all over now baby blue has always been one of my favorite encores. I'd rather end that way than with a Chuck Berry rocker most of the time. This one didn't have quite the deep mystery of some of the 60s versions, but I enjoyed it. Overall, I will probably pull this one out semi-regularly. Though I'll still go back mostly to 60s and 70s, this was a pretty good job for the sound quality issues that the 80s presented. Not at all unhappy with this choice.

After offering my positive review of the quality of Dave's 27, I was reading the many so-so, reviews about which instruments are not heard compared to other releases. How are you listening to this? Are you formulating your opinion based on a car multi-speakers or ear buds (high-end headphones aside) or a MONO mini blue tooth speaker? I just got back to listening to all my GD and JGB in STEREO. Try a listen with some floor standing speakers (3 way) and 2 dedicated amplifiers about 250w ea. I was recently gifted this gear from a fellow head who had it in climate-storage for 28 years. I started to re-listen to everything I was sent from GD mdse and WOW what a game changer. I Instantly tried kicking myself for having left stereo listening of the 70s and 80's for multi-speaker Dolby Theater setups of the mid-90s', to present day 7 speaker home theaters w subs and rear speaker's. Now it's "Back-To-The-Future" listening with only two speakers separate from my home theater. The shows are not recorded for multi speaker Dolby, so why play them that way. Stereo images across the landscape between the two speakers (not across your desk) so that you can hear the different instruments and vocals spread-out as played on the stage. Now if anyone wants to school me on STEREO or your particular home system equipment I'm all ears. Thank you PS: Due to permanent/painful ear damage I'm not the one who listens to my purchases with headphones.