Grateful Dead live, Dick's Picks etc - S&D

I mean I feel like whole shows are the only real way in, but...

Dark Star 12-6-73
Help/Slipknot/Franklin's Tower 5-22-77
Me & My Uncle 7-18-72
and a '69 St. Stephen but I can't settle on one

Help/Slipknot/Franklin's Tower 5-22-77

as i said on some other dead thread this was my gateway. i was listening to the pembroke pines show and was like "this is nice" and somewhere in the center of this i was like "holy shit omg i get it"

honestly I'd make a case for a lot of '73 country-rock jams, because they are SO good but also have that fried psych feel still and it suggests the mix of stuff that makes the Dead special. Bertha, Tennessee Jed, Mama Tried, the whole country dead when they were really on is pretty persuasive

xp yeah the Pembroke Pines show is one that sneaks up on you. had the same experience with it in a car, going from "cool" to "man they're really on tonight"

yeah, the pleasure in exploring post-74 shows for me is getting to those moments when you realize they aren't just coasting -- usually something to do with Garcia leaning into a song, and the rest of the band suddenly snapping into focus.

and was like "this is nice" and somewhere in the center of this i was like "holy shit omg i get it"

This applies to any of the crazy Phil-heavy '77 mixes; I can literally still remember where I was the first time I heard 5/8/77 SBD.

Yesssss that's a pretty great selection for less long-winded side of GD, tylerw.

Late 1969 through 1975 were clearly Garcia’s songwriting flood years – an amazing catalog of songs written with Robert Hunter, the notable status of which, as an oeuvre, is perhaps partly obscured by both by the relative marginality of the studio albums on which they appear and the dispersion of these songs, in live performance, among both country and western covers and expanses of improvisational playing.

OTM.

I've muttered this before here and there (maybe on this thread?) but oddly enough though I don't really have much of a feel for the band it's Hunter who I enjoy the most as a linchpin. I always find his role, especially as a non-performer, both fascinating and essential -- however you want to phrase his sensibility (curdled, wry, cynical, or maybe just simply honest), it gives the band something almost uniquely its own. And given that I pretty much am all about zoned instrumental improvisation or the like in terms of a lot of my listening, and generally (never fully) am not a listen-for-the-lyrics person, the fact that for me re the Dead this breakdown is totally flipped is something I've never been able to put my finger on in terms of any sort of rationale. But I appreciate that I may never exactly know in the end, and am quite fine with it.

yeah that is otm -- it's sort of surprising that more bands don't employ a lyricist, but I guess Hunter was unique in that he didn't really have performing aspirations there during the Dead's prime years. they discuss it in interviews, but I've always kinda wanted to hear a detailed progression of how hunter presented a song to Garcia and then follow along as Garcia edits it into the song we all know. maybe it's in some doc?

Dunno but I was just reminded of this piece from Hunter from 1996, mostly discussing "Franklin's Tower":

http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl/fauthrep.html

(The fact that said piece is from a UC Santa Cruz site reminds me that a visit to the library is fun if you get the chance -- like all such archives, the actual GD collection is functionally packed away in the building for research use, but they rotate the main exhibition area.)

ha, that piece is good, i imagine some of hunter's explanations there mirror convos he had with garcia about the song.

I found list of top jam segments to be really handy, it's worth a read

for me it was china cat on europe 72 which caught my ears, then i finally 'got' it listening to dark star off live/dead

i'm hooked tho. i feel like playing in the band from veneta would be a good intro

that one recently converted my older brother (who liked the Dead previously but didn't LIKE them).

also sugaree from 5/22/77 is amazing, could listen to the second instrumental break all day

Veneta is another excellent choice. My favorite Dark Star definitely

I'm way, way into the most recent Dave's Pick (Vol 20, Dec 81), and I'm not even a big Brent guy. Disc 2 on this thing is amazing

i ended up listening to an 83 show due to a lauded sugaree. not half bad honestly! i'll have to dive into more 80s

yeah man some china cats are good entrypoints actually. don't really have a favorite, but I know that when I was first getting into live dead, this was a tune that routinely made me go "whoa they're really goin' in here"

they sweetened up the vocals on europe 72 so that's a good entry although the jams are better on others. i feel often it's the first one to make you go 'whoa' that remains the 'standard' to you

was listening to a pauline oliveros interview today from 1985 and she talks about going to see the Dead the night before, how sick their sound system was. can't believe they didn't invite her onstage to jam on accordion for Space.

the Europe 72 "He's Gone" is fucking aces imo

Listening to Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966: fast tight, Thee Sir Pigpen Quintet mostly, with Garcia singing looser than usual on very tight fast "Promised Land" full-group-throated vox on "Good Lovin", stompin' Highway 61/Blonde On outtake-type punky "Cream Puff War", with VU/TVesque guitar climax--ready for CBGB!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ztvlU0mBow

(now Dupree pitching woo slowly etc.)

"Put your arms around me like a circle 'round the sun..."

Got the ripple already

Dammit Garcia is already a past master ov all styles

And he hasn't even gotten weird yet

i feel like playing in the band from veneta would be a good intro

Damn, I'd forgotten how good that is - thanks for the reminder

(The fact that said piece is from a UC Santa Cruz site reminds me that a visit to the library is fun if you get the chance -- like all such archives, the actual GD collection is functionally packed away in the building for research use, but they rotate the main exhibition area.)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, December 1, 2016 12:11 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm fairly certain that my oldest existing online contribution is on David Dodd's The Annotated Grateful Dead page (and it looks like it still exists!)

haha, that's great. Jesse Jarnow's HEADS from earlier this year is a great read for many reasons, but one of them is that you learn how the internet was essentially created to talk about Dead setlists.

Maybe the internet would be a more chill place if Hunter had founded the EFF instead of John Perry Barlow.

If you can't see this, it's San Francisco 1976--the Orpheum Theatre Broadcast On Three CDs. Think I've heard some of it--- is the whole thing worth getting?
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81AtX4mDZRL._SL1425_.jpg

don't know that set, but 76 is a super interesting year - they toured more than they had in 75 (hardly any), but not as much as they would the following year. The syracuse show from 76 is really something else. that's about two months after these. if they're doing cold rain & snow and cassidy and tennessee jed, probably a good find

I have this set - good show, tho Dick's Picks 33 remains my go to 76 set.

It's taken from a radio broadcast, and fidelity is about on a par w/ a mediocre sounding Dick's Pick. I've seen a number of these GD radio shows for sale in UK rec shops - this one looks like a choice set, too (Dark Star>Drums>Other One!):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harding-Theater-1971-Grateful-Dead/dp/B01A9U6F90

Adding a concert for the 50th Anniversary Edition of the studo s/t debut, as I think somebody mentioned upthread---the Big Pitch is here, video and all:
http://view.em-dead.net/?qs=9b141882d7989403564a1fb1f79ab664ac66378e68a1f4292da7839536e6673e411ba739bf88020a16dffd9647cc8c7a5784d2d47f2f75e0accc4bded2105b0b

They totally cut the bonus tracks from the single disc reissue, it looks like? Weird. Those were cool bonus tracks.

The Cornell set got added to Dave's Picks. This, with mucho Pigpen, is up next
http://www.dead.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/product-main/daves-picks-22-prod-shot.jpeg?1492192469

Feelin' fine with the Felt Forum! Dave's Picks Volume 22 presents the last stop on a collector's choice run in the Grateful Dead's home-away-from-home, New York City. 12/7/71 yields a highly pleasurable Pigpen-filled show and what was surely a top-notch Tuesday for all who attended. Talk about vibe-ing with the crowd! At their prime in terms of lineup and performance, the Dead churned out a batch of songs that would soon become well-worn Europe '72 favorites ("Jack Straw," "Brown Eyed Women") and also served up solid versions of freshly-minted classics ("Sugar Mag," "Friend," "Casey Jones"). That winning combination of Pigpen AND Keith? Nothing but peak "signature showstoppers" including what could potentially be the finest "Smokestack Lightning" of all time. The complete show runs a wee bit short (for a Grateful Dead show, that is) so we've rounded out the release with much of the second set from the previous night, December 6, 1971. With exceptional takes on the likes of "Wharf Rat" and "Uncle John's Band" and a massive "The Other One," we're pretty sure you won't mind.
Limited to 16,500 individually numbered copies, Dave's Picks Volume 22: Felt Forum, New York, NY - 12/7/71 has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman and features illustrations by our 2017 Artist in Residence Dave Van Patten (stay tuned to learn more about the illustrator in an upcoming All In The Family piece).
Audio, more info: http://www.dead.net/store/special-edition-shops/almanac/daves-picks-volume-22?cmpid=dn/2017April14/AnnouncingDaves-main-image-1&eml=2017April14/3950520/6131962&etsubid=33554028

That winning combination of Pigpen AND Keith? Hadn't realized they played any of the same shows.

think keith joined in fall 71, and pigpen was around til summer of 72. this is a good show!

finally picked up hundred year hall after first hearing it 20 years ago, what a great set

Yeah I think that and Bickershaw are my fave Europe 72 shows ...

The Pigpen / Keith overlap is definitely worth hearing

The Cornell set got added to Dave's Picks? Is there any confirmation on that? Because there's also this, out May 5th

the Cornell thing isn't a Dave's, just a regular old live release.

That's what I thought!

I just bought this: www.amazon.com/Cornell-77-Magnificence-Grateful-Concert/dp/150170432X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492213558&sr=8-1&keywords=cornell+77

I recently realized that my favorite Dead jams are from versions of Dark Star in which Keith is playing Fender Rhodes. To find every single one of these I listened to every Dark Star from the relevant time frame--basically 73-74 (turns out the group acquired the Rhodes in May of 73). The fruits of my OCD are below w/brief notes.

6/10/73
6/24/73 (can't hear Keith til almost 12 mins)
6/30/73
8/1/73 (my favorite version ever. pure kaleidoscopic sunshine from start to finish, plus searing slide from Jerry)
9/11/73 (probably my second fav. moodier. they almost sound like can on this one)
10/19/73 (Dick's Picks 19)
10/25/73 (Rhodes briefly in beginning, restarts 10 mins into post-Mind Left Body jam)
10/30/73 (post MLB Jam, also gets synthy)
11/11/73 (back and forth btwn Rhodes and piano throughout. epic and famous version)
12/6/73 (INCREDIBLE. arguably the spaciest ever. kreutzmann bends the fabric of time)

5/14/74 (Dave's Picks 9)
6/23/74 (no vocals, excerpt on So Many Roads box set)
7/25/74
9/10/74 (DP 7)
10/18/74 (Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack. Ned Lagin joins on second(!) Rhodes)

It should go without saying that every one of these is excellent, especially if you dig fusion Dead. And I find exploring adjacent Other Ones, Playin in the Bands, and Bird Songs to be just as rewarding.

9/10/74 from Dick's Picks 7, that is.

very cool! I always had a hard time connecting with dark stars beyond the classic 68-69 versions - e.g. live dead, two from the vault, august 68, which are some of my favorite dead music ever - so I will check those out. sometimes the later versions just seem so nebulous that I have hard time knowing what to look for. nice to have an "in" and who doesn't love fender rhodes??

Reminds me---yeah, Greyfolded is still here---might or might not turn out to be a bit of a buzzkill; I've never listened to the whole thing---but here 'tis for whoever wants it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl0-f1Vt6aE

Oh yeah, Greyfolded is one of my favorite things in the world. After my recent 73/74 "Dark Star" odyssey I revisited Greyfolded and, studying the chart in the liner notes, sadly realized my beloved 8/1/73 version wasn't used. Can't recommend it highly enough for maximum uplift.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QsoDMEXFXM

Spoiler Alert...Dr. Rhino unboxes the individually-numbered, limited-edition May 1977: Get Shown The Light Boxed Set. (there's also a non-ltd. ed, duh)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkS-R87kmkw&feature=youtu.be

HAT'S INSIDE (the non-limited All Music Edition):
Four Complete Shows on 11 discs
Four folios housed in a slipcase
5/5/77 Veterans Memorial Coliseum: New Haven, CT
5/7/77 Boston Garden: Boston, MA
5/8/77 Barton Hall, Cornell University: Ithaca, NY
5/9/77 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium: Buffalo, NY
Sourced from the Betty Cantor-Jackson soundboard recordings, transferred by Plangent Processes
Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
Artwork by Grammy-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike
Release Date: May 5, 2017

More info, audio:
http://www.dead.net/store/1970s/may-1977-get-shown-light-all-music-edition?cmpid=dn/2017April19/CornellCiceron_1977BoxedSet-LearnMore-main-more-2&eml=2017April19/3955503/6131962&etsubid=33554028