The Grateful Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by JRM, Apr 11, 2014.

  1. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    4/15/82 – Providence, RI (One of the greatest shows ever played. EVER) *********************************

    The show opens with a high power Alabama>GSET combo. Sure we've heard this a million times before but a great version is a great version and the guys are ON from the start! On Alabama, Jerry is shredding it up to the max and everyone is beating the crap out of their instruments. Just the kind of energetic opening I like! Same goes for GSET. Great piano and vocals from Brent on this one. Always love hearing him dueling with Bobby. Also, Jerry just never stops soloing throughout the whole darn thing. Pretty cool.

    A perfect Candyman fits right in perfectly next. The crowd is clapping along and Jerry's voice sounds soulful and deep tonight. Also, instrumentally, this is a fantastic performance only marred by some morons lighting off fireworks during the first verse. Bobby proceeds to follow it up with his own downtempo number now. CC Rider is bluesy and chill as always. He's in great voice tonight, making use of the subtle vibrato he's got. WOW! Check out Jerry's killer solo around 2:20!!!! That's gotta be one of the best blues solos I've heard from him. Wow. CHECK OUT THAT INSANE JAMMING AROUND 6:30!!!! HOLY BANANA JEEZUS!!!! It lasts a solid minute and is just incredible. This might be the best CC Rider ever, man.

    Up next is Ramble On Rose. Haven't heard it in a little while, so it's welcome. It's pretty funny that someone in the crowd goes “I can't believe it!” when they begin the song like it's the last thing they expected, lol. This Ramble ain't the powerhouse of that CC Rider, but it's right up there. Everyone in the crowd is losing their stuff over it, go figure, lol. Of all songs to get a crowd going.... :) I guess Jerry's in another of his ballad moods because immediately after a rocking BIODTL, we get a gorgeous-as-all-hell Peggy O. Seriously, when is this song ever bad? It's always lovely! Now, I don't want to say he's losing steam, but this is definitely the “slightest” of Jerry's guitar performances so far tonight. Still great though! It's pretty awesome towards the end when the crowd starts clapping along. That's really cool!

    And then Bobby with the save, we get the first Cassidy for a while and it's, like the previous show's Jack Straw, a giant breath of fresh air. Oh boy and I'm lovin' it! The beat and the mood of it is perfection. Tropical paradise, mates. When the jamming begins around 3:15, it's like we're back in 1976 for a little bit. Jerry breaks out some wonderfully fluid soloing, going all over the place and experimenting without opening the noodle shop. FREAKING TERRIFIC JAMMING AND SOLOING, YO. This is freaking awesome. Check out 5 minutes where the song just EXPLODES with the Seabird section. Urghfhrhg it gives me chills! :D :D :D Too bad it ends right afterwards, but what a frickin' sick 5 minutes that was!

    And of course, being the downer we know and love, Jerry pulls us back down with a great Althea. It's pretty excellent and has a rather “spooky” vibe about it tonight. Jerry's guitar playing is still switched on from that epic Cassidy and he lets it rip here as well. Dragging us out of the darkness, Looks Like Rain greets us next. Bobby's vocals aren't as great as usual, singing rather rushed, but the playing and performance are top notch. Brent's piano really tugs at me. Again, Jerry gives a pretty phenomenal solo around 3 minutes in. After this incredible performance, the guys almost-segue into Deal. It sounds even more rushed than usual. CHECK OUT JERRY'S SHRED FEST AT 1:45!!!!! WOAH NELLY HE'S LETTIN IT RIP! With a number of recent first sets being “That was great, but I wish it was over faster” affairs, at least I can say this set wasn't one of those.

    This was a pretty great first set seeing the guys explore the different sides of their sounds and with Jerry in particularly good form. Great set!

    Set 2 is of course next. Scarlet Begonias gets things partying right from the bat! The tempo is up, the beat is lively, and Jerry's voice sounds pretty great for the era. Unfortunately, Jerry completely botches a verse, but the music is good enough to overlook the lyrical fail. Around 5 minutes, Jerry really brings the goods with a terrifically upbeat solo sure to bring a smile to your face. The crowd hooting and hollering during it just about sums it up. Awesome! Around 6:30, the music gets really chill and we get a kind of breakdown section. Some fluid and choice soloing happens with the drummers making great use of their hi-hats, rides and cow bells. It's a definite X Factor section – almost tropical sounding in places. FREAKIGN COOL. This Scarlet is incredible. Bobby even is given a solo spot! Woah! When the “end theme” comes in around 9 minutes, the guys are firing on full cylinders. This is one of the coolest Scarlets EVER. Oh my god check out 10:45 and that heavenly section as they begin to transition into Fire On the Mountain. Oh man, as soon as that octaver lead line for Fire begins, to quote Aliens, “it's game over man! Game over!”. :D The crowd picks up and begins clapping along. Wow, this is a really terrific audience and recording. I feel like i'm in the audience and as the lyrics begin, I've got chills running down my arms. It's incredible from start to finish. It's like 3/22/90 on psychedelic steroids or something. X FACTOR- X FACTOR EVERYWHERE. All in all, 23 minutes of perfection – and I mean it this time, dammit!

    Wasting no time fiddling around, the boys lunge into an excellent Estimated Prophet. Bobby's gotta steal back some of the thunder after Jerry's insane performance on Scar>Fire. :) Check out the guitar soloing around 4:20! Jerry reaches straight for the sky, rocketing ever higher with all the X Factor he can muster. The crowd's enthusiasm is infectious and just helps propel this version to a higher level than most. It's a great Estimated! Around 6 minutes the jamming properly begins. It's another Jerry-fest, but it has a couple peaks and valleys. The guys are listening to each other and responding accordingly. Very cool stuff.

    And just like that, after a near-meltdown, we float gears right on into a chill-as-hell He's Gone. Always welcome. It's business as usual. And then around 11 minutes that X Factor comes in again and we get a really cool uptempo, piano-led jam until the end. It's really awesome to hear things like this come out of nowhere. I think Jerry leaves the stage at this point, but everyone else still appears to be on. It gets FIERY, man! It's friggin' SWEET!!! Like, HOLY MOTHER OF JAM, THIS COUPLE MINUTES IS HEAVEN! And from there it's drums.

    Out of Space, it's straight into Truckin. I could be wrong, but isn't this a pretty rare slot for the song? It's excellent and rocking from the start, Jerry and Bob dueting like their lives depend on it. Also, take note of the sex-change-related lyrical change. :) Around 7 minutes, Truckin' breaks down slowly and morphs into Morning Dew. Anyone know what this theme is? It's lovely.

    And in ONE OF THE GREATEST SEGUES IVE EVER HEARD, we go into a magical Morning Dew. You could not make a better sequence than this if you tried – I got chills when the vocals started. Unbelievable. Around 4 minutes in, Jerry lets it absolutely RIP for one of the greatest, most passionate unbelievably killer solos he's probably ever played. This is the kind of Dew that makes you stop, look around, take a deep breath and then ponder the meaning of the universe while your surroundings spin around you in a foggy haze of disorientation. If this was the last song by anyone I ever heard, I'd be content. This is magic right here. This is the birth of the universe in my ears. I don't know any better how to describe what I'm hearing or what it even is. It just....is. I throw my hands up. I'm done. D-O-N-E. Done. It does NOT get better than this Morning Dew right here. They should've just ended their careers right there because that will never be topped.

    So I take a deep breath now as Bobby follows it up with a party-rific Good Lovin. The only way to follow up an interstellar voyage to he heavens and back is by planting your feet firmly on terra firma and shaking your worrie's away through the act of vigorous partying. :) Good call Bobby. They segue wasn't too poor either. And as mind-blowing as that Dew was, this Good Lovin' is about as good as a Good Lovin' can possibly get. Say that 5 times fast. All is right with the world, smiles on our faces. No worries, no starving children in Africa, no bills due tomorrow. Just Good Lovin, am I right? :)

    And how else can you end the greatest 2nd set ever played but with Don't Ease Me In? More like Don't Ease Me Out because I'm in a stretcher after having a stroke from the magnificence of that Morning Dew. Unbelievable set. :)
     
  2. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    Good old hyperbolic warewolf! :laugh:
     
  3. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    You needed that!
     
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  4. BurtThomasWard

    BurtThomasWard Guided by Loke In Memoriam

    Location:
    Norge
    I don't really know why but this was the first time I really felt '78, you know. I had steered clear off (at least listening properly to) any post-'77 stuff until I heard this one. Never thought I'd enjoy a second of it. I felt that '78 was just a steep decline for my favorite Dead line-up and that the end aka Brent was drawing near.

    Probably had something to do with being seriously bummed out by both Closing of Winterland and Rockin' the Cradle as well. Still do not really enjoy those much. But that makes no excuse for overlooking Dick's 25 for all these years, now does it? Some of the perfection and the jazzier stuff is lost forever. But this year is not fallow. It is rich and beautiful in it's own right. But wilder and a bit sloppy from time to time.

    Then again I like a bit of slop ever so often.
     
  5. Tom H

    Tom H Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kapolei, Hawaii
    As much as I love the July 1978 box, Dave's 15 & 23, etc. - the benchmark for 1978 official releases for me is still Dick's 18.
     
  6. BurtThomasWard

    BurtThomasWard Guided by Loke In Memoriam

    Location:
    Norge
    See my post above to @Dahabenzapple for a background for my point on this subject. While I do not think I'll ever prefer the rougher, perhaps more rock'n'roll-y ride of '78 over the mellow perfection over the year before, it has surely become one of my favorite years after finally cracking the code.

    I could take three more large box sets within the next two years and four Dave's in a row from this period and still come out grinnin' like a Cheshire Cat on the wacky baccy.
     
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  7. Tom H

    Tom H Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kapolei, Hawaii
    A phrase is coined. Bold, italicized, and quadruple exclamation.

    Well done!
     
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  8. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    You know you love me. ;)
     
  9. Aardvark23

    Aardvark23 Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Just got the July 78 box set as a birthday gift. It's much, much better than I expected. I've listened to 3 shows so far, and they all sound great - Betty really knew what she was doing. My major trepidation of having shows from this period revolve around "fear of Donna" and her wailing, out of tune vocals. They are thankfully better than most I have heard, and she never really dominates the mix. Thanks, Betty!

    Can't believe this hasn't sold out already.
     
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  10. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    Oh man, I very much did. The last few shows were a little bit of an effort but they were slowly building up. This show was like golden nectar from the start to the finish. :)
     
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  11. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    What is that saying, necessity is the mother of invention? I needed a new way to explain what I was feeling. :)
     
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  12. adamos

    adamos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern PA
    He writes this later in the thread; wonder what those are:

    "Actually well over 1,000 but not everything is for public consumption due to contractual obligations."
     
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  13. BurtThomasWard

    BurtThomasWard Guided by Loke In Memoriam

    Location:
    Norge
    It is indeed one of Donna's best releases with the band. She sounds like she had a slight cold or something. Maybe made her take a step back and not go full throttle all the time. Whatever it was, it helps the enjoyment.

    Even my GF, who sorta digs the Dead (luckily for her since she get's around three hours of them every day) but who have always been very vocal in her opinions on the Don, said she was shocked by the quality of her singing her. And in a positive way for once, she added hastily :D
     
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  14. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    Are you guys ready for me to actually listen to/review Space during the next two 1982 gigs? :)

    I know @Crispy Rob is. :D
     
  15. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    A couple of posts here almost made me want to revisit some July '78 shows from the box set. Almost.
     
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  16. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    Your enthusiasm is always refreshing.
    (But beware, because unbridled enthusiasm was what led to Billy Mumphrey's downfall.)
     
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  17. ianuaditis

    ianuaditis Matthew 21:17

    Location:
    Long River Place
    I've gotten that sense by reading reviews in such as Deadbase, which are written mostly by people who attended shows rather than simply hearing them on tape, though I'm sure most are retrospective.

    A frequent contributor to this very thread calls 78 a 'poor year overall,' as opposed to 'certainly 1977 was one of the most consistently inspired periods in the Dead's career.'

    Another reviewer, talking about a show in June - 'we were dismayed ... that the second set was identical to the one in Santa Barbara three weeks earlier' and later, reviewing 2-17-79 'At this point the Dead were being criticized so much for the sameness of their shows that it seemed like this show was an answer to all that.'

    There are plenty of raves for individual 78 shows, but not as unreserved as for 77. There's always some kind of qualification, that reads to me as if speaking to a general perception that 78 is a decline, or not as good. (Certainly the tension between Keith and Donna and the rest of the band contributes to that tale.) I don't have the publications anymore, but this was the narrative among other GD related material I had back in the 90s as well.

    And I fit at least part of the description in your last sentence, and I've been firmly on 'team 78' for a while!
     
  18. BurtThomasWard

    BurtThomasWard Guided by Loke In Memoriam

    Location:
    Norge
    Well, I think we can keep it up until you, like, buuudge, man. I'm gonna put mine on later, BTW.
     
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  19. Dahabenzapple

    Dahabenzapple Forum Resident

    Location:
    Livingston NJ
    Back in 1972

    4/29/72

    The "Riff" in Caution still works for me. The Sugar Magnolia in between Dark Star & Caution is blazing fast and rocks out.

    Surprised to hear the Feeling Groovy jam early on the Dark Star (maybe a bit after 6:20 if I remember correctly?). I like when these repeated jams are short and this one is. Not sure my take in this Dark Star is as a first listen is just that, a first listen. I will say compared to the 2 others I just listened to for the first time (4/17/72 & 5/23/72) that this one sounded less significant.

    That being said I sure wish they kept the video tapes running for this second set.

    And I think the Caution is strong as are all 4 of the long Cautions I've heard on the tour - and now I've heard them all.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2017
  20. ianuaditis

    ianuaditis Matthew 21:17

    Location:
    Long River Place
    From what I've heard, in the late 70s Donna's singing is far less of an issue than 72-74.

    But on the other hand, I thoroughly enjoy the 'whoa-yeah' scream on Playin in the Band, and lament its absence in later years, so that may give you an idea of just how far I've come around to her singing.
     
  21. ianuaditis

    ianuaditis Matthew 21:17

    Location:
    Long River Place
    Since I was asking about the term 'Deadhead' yesterday, I should have looked to the source, LIA's (other) indispensable blog

    Grateful Dead Sources

    There's a great cartoon there (check out the skeleton's headband,) but it's quite political, so I don't post it here, though it's from the 1880s.
     
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  22. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    At around 6:40 Phil starts plating the riff. "Dark Star", Europe, 1972, nothing could go wrong.
     
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  23. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    Nice to know I'm not the only one!
     
  24. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    I've just realized I erased those shows from my Walkman. I guess I needed the room for something else and July 1978 had to go.
     
  25. BurtThomasWard

    BurtThomasWard Guided by Loke In Memoriam

    Location:
    Norge
    Good thing they are readily available on this here internet thing then, eh?
     
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