And I've just looked at the tracks for 22, that also looks tempting. I listened to Two From The Vaults over the weekend, from the same year (and with a similar set). There's something about the sound of the band/Garcia's guitar from that time (68/69). I can only describe it as having a lot more bite.
Completely agree with you roger about Live/Dead - that's the benchmark for me, both the version of Dark Star and the album as a whole.
I was surprised the first time I heard Grayfolded how 'ordinary' a lot of it sounded i.e. not ordinary as such but just like a great extended version of Dark Star, the first CD at least. The vocal 'swooshes' and 'folds' sound good though.
― James Ball (James Ball), Monday, 7 July 2003 13:54 (twenty years ago) link
― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 10 July 2003 19:43 (twenty years ago) link
― James Ball (James Ball), Wednesday, 16 July 2003 11:51 (twenty years ago) link
Just listening to vol 12's lovely version of China Cat Sunflower, as mentioned above by Aaron M.
Any new opinions?
― frankE (frankE), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 13:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― Sean Witzman (trip maker), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 13:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 15:25 (nineteen years ago) link
i'm too tired to elaborate, but if you consider that Neil Young has Candian citizenship, and if you exclude the American contingent of Fleetwood Mac at their absolute peak, The Dead are the greatest American rock and roll band of all time.
Trux and the Drive By Truckers are tied for me personally, but we're looking through history's lens here, people. The Dead. the fucking DEAD!!!!
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Saturday, 24 July 2004 06:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― Monetizing Eyeballs (diamond), Saturday, 24 July 2004 06:23 (nineteen years ago) link
http://usa.festivalexpress.com/
I do have to admit, I didn't get that excited about Closing of Winterland though. THen again, I watched it at like 3 in the morning a couple months ago when I was pretty wiped out. I'll give it another go.
― Monetizing Eyeballs (diamond), Saturday, 24 July 2004 06:28 (nineteen years ago) link
haven't tracked down that Arista set - 71, eh? I'm more a 72-77 kinda guy, but will check it out - thanks!
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Saturday, 24 July 2004 06:35 (nineteen years ago) link
Yeah, the Ladies and Gentlemen thing is '71 but it's pretty song-oriented. Sort of midway between the psychedelic blow-outs and the Europe '72 stuff. It's a nice, pleasant listen. GREAT version of "Bird Song".
― Monetizing Eyeballs (diamond), Saturday, 24 July 2004 06:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― Sir Chaki McBeer III (chaki), Sunday, 25 July 2004 06:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Monetizing Eyeballs (diamond), Sunday, 25 July 2004 07:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Monetizing Eyeballs (diamond), Sunday, 25 July 2004 07:45 (nineteen years ago) link
Donna was probably just as proficient a musician as Phil Lesh (making her twice as proficient as Bob Weir) and an all around great, great vocalist. Her live performances were hit and miss due to lack of proper monitor support, everyone knows that.
She never gets a fair shake. It's not like she was Linda McCartney fer chrissakes.
The Godchauxes broght so much life (not to mention a a very vital jazz-informed musical eloquence) to The Dead. I love Pigpen and Mydland as much as the nxt guy, but the 70s are where it's AT because of Keith and Donna!
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Sunday, 25 July 2004 17:54 (nineteen years ago) link
Rocking the Rhein is good stuff as well.
― frankE (frankE), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 18:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 18:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Sean Witzman (trip maker), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 19:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― Roy Williams Highlight (diamond), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 19:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― 57 7th (calstars), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 20:26 (nineteen years ago) link
Au contraire. Au contraire.
― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 21:42 (nineteen years ago) link
i take umbrage with this comment.and so would CCR.
me rawk.you snow.
― eedd, Wednesday, 29 September 2004 23:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 23:20 (nineteen years ago) link
Help/Slip/Frank rules
― Jackson, Wednesday, 29 September 2004 23:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 30 September 2004 03:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 30 September 2004 04:49 (nineteen years ago) link
Thank You
― Uncle John, Saturday, 27 November 2004 21:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 9 January 2005 08:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― chaki in charge (chaki), Sunday, 9 January 2005 09:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 31 March 2005 18:07 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 1 April 2005 14:01 (eighteen years ago) link
Does this new version sound better:Europe '72 Remastered with bonus tracks?
― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Friday, 1 April 2005 15:17 (eighteen years ago) link
And LS, Europe 72 sounds better (though the original still sounds fine to me) and the bonus tracks are worth it.
― Scott CE (Scott CE), Friday, 1 April 2005 17:02 (eighteen years ago) link
― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Friday, 1 April 2005 17:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― Scott CE (Scott CE), Friday, 1 April 2005 17:32 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 1 April 2005 17:52 (eighteen years ago) link
YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND MONEY ON GREAT LIVE DEAD RECORDINGS. Archive.org and Furthur both have plenty of 1st rate SOUNDBOARD and other high quality recordings.
Download these for starters FOR FREE:
1977-05-08 - "one of the best" (5/7 and 5/9 were good, too)
1972-05-26 - soundboard
1977-05-26 - (same month/day as above, but different year)
1977-11-06 - "one of he best"
1970-05-02 - Harpur College (hard to find, but available as a Dick's Pick if you can't find it as a free download)
1971-04-28(?) - Fillmore East
1971 - Port Chester
1969 - Ark
1973 - Pavillion
1978 - Red Rocks
1973-11-11
1972-05-26
1968-02-14
1969-03-16
1970-02-13
1970-05-06
1981-02-21
1985-04-08
Lots of these are available as soundboard (SBD), just look for it. The Soundboards from 77 were especially high quality.
Sorry the dates are not in chronological order, but I started out doing it highest quality first and then I just went through my discs and chose the best for sound quality and performance. The above represent a good many hours of great live Dead: flub-free, energetic and good singing.
... and YES, I did learn all about bold punctuation from comic books!
― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Saturday, 2 April 2005 02:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― charleston charge (chaki), Saturday, 2 April 2005 02:46 (eighteen years ago) link
― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Saturday, 2 April 2005 02:50 (eighteen years ago) link
As far as paying $$...
I think "Go To Nassau" is just FANTASTIC! "Live Without A Net" is way overlooked, too, although I can see why people wouldn't like it. It grows on you, though.
― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Saturday, 2 April 2005 03:05 (eighteen years ago) link
1977-06-09 - soundboard1977-02-26 - soundboard1977-04-22 - soundboard1969-02-22 - soundboard
all totally killer quality top notch, but I'm not familiar enough to tell apart the 77's yet. I think 06-09 is the one that really is blowing me away lately.
― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Saturday, 2 April 2005 03:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Saturday, 2 April 2005 03:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― charleston charge (chaki), Saturday, 2 April 2005 03:42 (eighteen years ago) link
'77 - '78'72'69 - '70'74
I like the warmer, funkier mid-70s stuff more than the turn of the '70s acid, I guess. Curious if there is anything in the '80s that might interest me. Downloaded a couple of supposedly great shows from '79 and Jerry was already sounding pretty rough.
― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 14 November 2005 15:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 28 November 2005 23:59 (eighteen years ago) link
It's incredible: early Dead at their greaser/psychedelic-Tex-Mex best. The fidelity is insane too, it's like these cuts were recorded yesterday. It sounds way better than even the stuff on that Birth of the Dead comp. so crazy. There's a slowed down version of "Cream Puff War" on here that's great, a studio "Standing on the Corner", a version of "Stealin" that has an arrangement that's totally cooler than the one from the 1st single!!!!! I am not shitting you! this version of "Stealin'" is just tough ... it's just incredible. Any 1st album fan (and if you're *not* a first album fan yer nuts, get outta my face) needs to get this at once..
― Stormy Davis (diamond), Friday, 23 December 2005 06:47 (eighteen years ago) link
Two From the Vault (1968) - really good
Grateful Dead Download Series Number 6 (also 1968)- also very good
but Dick's Pick's 12 (1974) - which is a favourite of Suzy Creamcheese, I think , from another thread - is a soft ultra-noodley show.
Which were the more harder jamming/ rocking years?
― Bob Six (bobbysix), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 16:02 (eighteen years ago) link
in his autobiog Phil Lesh sez that 74 (the 'wall of sound' era) was the Dead's finest year musically, and i sorta agree w/ him - personally i like the noodle-jazz stuff they got into round about 72-74, def. post-Bitches Brew rock music (and they cld still get pretty intense when they wanted to - just a diff. sound/emphasis). garcia certainly swapped gtrs round abt 70 and that seemed to make a major diff. to his playing
― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 19:55 (eighteen years ago) link
I'm looking for the best recording of Dark Star - other than Live/Dead (which is just incredible). Is there another recording that is nearly as awesome, yet different?
Is the Greyfold 1-hour remix any good?
― Other One, Saturday, 21 January 2006 18:48 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Saturday, 21 January 2006 18:59 (eighteen years ago) link
Recommend divks picks 5, 1979, weird electric slow versions
― calstars, Thursday, 15 June 2023 23:44 (nine months ago) link
put a random 76 show (LA 10/15/76) on and was pretty surprised at how great it went front to back - stellar closing run of He's Gone/Drums/Other One/Comes a Time/Franklin's/Sugar Magnolia. Crowd was going absolutely bonkers for the final two.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 17:11 (eight months ago) link
It's hard to go wrong with any show in 73/74, but for more Dick's Picks check out 19 (10/19/73), 12 (6/26 & 6/28/74), and 31 (8/4 - 8/6/74)
Don't think I'd ever listened to DP31 (8/4 - 8/6/74) ... just 10 minutes into the opening Playing, absolutely sick. Feel like Keith's keys have way more reverb than usual, sounds great. We'll see if I make it through 4+ hrs.
Had started DP7 and had to turn it off because the drums seemed mixed waaaay more up front than I rememeber.
― ヽ(´ー`)┌ (CompuPost), Friday, 21 July 2023 20:45 (eight months ago) link
man those 76 show can be great. check 10-15 at the Shrine
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Friday, 21 July 2023 21:42 (eight months ago) link
oh ha that's the one you're listening to
lol
since there's some 74 talk, too. I'll stump for Dave's Picks Vol. 34 (June 23, 1974), which was one of the first Dead shows I really clicked with. It also has the bonus of being recorded at a Jai Alai Fronton so the album art incorporates appropriate sports imagery.
― Judi Dench's Human Hand (methanietanner), Friday, 21 July 2023 21:47 (eight months ago) link
^^^^ fantastic release, I think the night before another top-tier release, DP12. Another comp that gets lost in the shuffle is Road Trips Vol 2 #3, which is a best-of from three June '74 shows and is essential listening if you like that sound ... basically like new 2nd versions of all the DP12 stuff + a 30min Playing tacked on. I wonder if they found a mixing/recording sweet spot around then – a lot of these shows have a shared sound venue to venue on recording, maybe the most neutral they ever sounded?
― ヽ(´ー`)┌ (CompuPost), Sunday, 23 July 2023 15:47 (eight months ago) link
Something small (1hr of mindless tagging) but really consequential in my GD listening habits via streaming from Apple Music finding a way to force a UI where I could easily see ALL of their live releases ordered chronologically, something I had 20 years ago with a finely-metatagged mp3 file collection that sits on some external hard drives I will never touch again.
I'm sure there's a simpler way, but I ended up:- adding all live albums / comps into one single playlist folder- manually changing the metadata year to the year it was played (comps listed as something like "2022")- Set View to Albums- Sort by Artist - Year - Ascending- Let the warm wash of calmness wash over you as you browse
In Apple Music, it's ~115 live albums total (missing stuff like Dave's Picks, but lots of random releases as well ... I also left like 15 of the Europe '72 releases because I simply don't need that much choice, like 5-7 is enough). It's made browsing so enjoyable – and for the first time in the streaming era, I feel like I can browse through as I would've on iTunes in 2008, which is all I want! – that I ended up doing the same for a bunch of other live music that I like to browse by year/era (Miles Davis, Zappa, JGB, Phish). It also makes it pain-free to just line up all the Dark Stars or Playings, or search for a song, sort by year, and just plow through some '77 Dancings or w/e.
― ヽ(´ー`)┌ (CompuPost), Sunday, 23 July 2023 16:14 (eight months ago) link
I don't spend a lot of time in the Vince era, but giving 10/14/94 at MSG a shot right now and it's surprisingly good. A short 50-minute first set that is really well paced, love the sleazy "West L.A. Fadeaway". But it's all about the massive "Scarlet > Fire" to kick off these second set, nearly a half hour long and about as inspired jamming I've heard from '94. I also like the jam out of "Corrina" that sets up "Drums > Space".
https://archive.org/details/gd94-10-14.sbd.perkins.9054.sbeok.shnf
Shame about that "Samba" that got dropped in there though, it's rough even by that song's standards.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 4 August 2023 16:44 (seven months ago) link
I have been naming the Album Name for live albums as "Year-Month-Day - Album Name" since I started collecting bootlegs so they always order appropriately on digital platforms.xp
― yo la dieng-o (fionnland), Friday, 4 August 2023 16:56 (seven months ago) link
I’m currently seeing my second Dead cover band in a week. I think I may have finally succumbed.
― Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable POST (Dan Peterson), Sunday, 20 August 2023 19:31 (seven months ago) link
One of us, one of us!
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Sunday, 20 August 2023 20:52 (seven months ago) link
There's (or was) a whole festival of Dead tribute bands in Ventura, CA. I always enjoy going to this divey place in Pasadena that does "Dead Night" once a month. Through strange circumstances, one of the best bands to ever play that place later opened for Vampire Weekend at the Hollywood Bowl. Blew my mind.
― Reeves Gabrels' Funko Pop (majorairbro), Sunday, 20 August 2023 21:01 (seven months ago) link
Any chance that was Taper's Choice? Not exactly a Dead tribute band, but jam adjacent and Vampire Weekend's Chris Tomson is a member...
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 21 August 2023 15:30 (seven months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYauWP1boZg
― MaresNest, Friday, 25 August 2023 15:11 (seven months ago) link
that's honestly a really fun game to play along with imo
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Friday, 25 August 2023 15:29 (seven months ago) link
I love how they can't help but get into that Sugar Magnolia.
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Friday, 25 August 2023 17:30 (seven months ago) link
Maxmillion: not Taper's Choice, but I have seen them too. This was Richard's Pictures.
― Reeves Gabrels' Funko Pop (majorairbro), Sunday, 27 August 2023 05:44 (seven months ago) link
listening to 10/28/79 at Cape Cod this morning, not sure how I'd missed this one until now, it's a pretty hot show and one of those where the first set damn near bests the second set. you know you are in for a treat when the first set opens with a 12-minute "Half Step" into an 18-minute "Franklin's". the outro jam on the set 1 closing "TMNS" is fire too.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 30 August 2023 15:19 (six months ago) link
lol that's about 50% more "Franklin" than I need! I did listen to set one this morning, Jerry starts creaky but warms up. Good setlist, nice "Althea."
― Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable POST (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 30 August 2023 21:26 (six months ago) link
yeah it's a lot of "Fraklin's" but I think it's 100% justified
the second set "China > Rider" is worth it for the Phil bombz and when Bobby mistakenly tries to steal Jerry's "I wish I was a headlight" verse
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 30 August 2023 21:40 (six months ago) link
79 fall tour is pretty great, I've always been partial to 10/31/79 Nassau Collisium.
― BrianB, Wednesday, 30 August 2023 22:55 (six months ago) link
dipping into some '83 shows - an absolutely unhinged Jerry performance on "New Minglewood Blues" from 9/2/83 went waaaay beyond my expectations.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 01:02 (five months ago) link
Yeah, that was a surprisingly decent show when it came out as a Dave's Pick a few years ago, I dug large parts of it. Although I always laughed when Phil opened the show with his, "Citizens of Boise, submit or perish – you are a conquered people" intonation and the band promptly launched into...... "Wang Dang Doodle".
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 14:28 (five months ago) link
Ha. I don’t think the dead doing WDD conquers anyone.
― tobo73, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 14:41 (five months ago) link
xp i clipped that exact section afterwards!
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 15:41 (five months ago) link
New to me, the "Dark Star" from 2/21/69 at the Dream Bowl. Really liking this version a lot, feels like one of the earliest versions where it feels like the entire band is locked into the improv.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 3 November 2023 22:02 (four months ago) link
Thanks, Jon!
https://archive.org/details/gd69-02-21.sbd.owen.7859.sbeok.shnf/gd69-02-21d1t03.shn
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 3 November 2023 23:02 (four months ago) link
Not the longest version, but nonetheless an epic, prismatic one.
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 3 November 2023 23:07 (four months ago) link
Thanks for this. I needed a good Dark Star>St. Stephen>The Eleven to lift my spirits. That last one is just so joyous to me.
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Saturday, 4 November 2023 00:17 (four months ago) link
Listening to without a net, was wondering who the smokin trumpet player was on “let it grow”, realized it’s Jerry’s midi guitar lol
― brimstead, Tuesday, 16 January 2024 21:45 (two months ago) link