I bought Elvis Costello & The Imposters, The Delivery Man, at Lakeshore. That's awesome HOG opens at midnight for releases. I may have walked in there at one point, but I think I got put off by the organization or something.
Yes, the Dick's Picks were available in retail - or at least they started to be after the first few. I tended to wait - GD offered up bundles of 6 for a discount after each run of 6 volumes was released (Vols. 1-6, 7-12, etc.) For pretty much everything after, I think, Vol. 12, that's how I purchased. Then they didn't do that for 31-36 and once I'd waited long enough to realize it wouldn't happen I caught up on those individually. Might be a bit off with some of that, but it's what I recall. Road Trips then went to the Dead.net only approach that has continued with Dave's.
The "Thoughts on the Dead" blog, which is often hilarious, BTW, routinely calls him "Josh Mayer" on purpose, which is where we are getting it. I would like more of us to make that a habit.
1-14-78 has a notable solo. I can't tell if he's messing up, having problems with feedback, or doing that all on purpose.
Listening to Dicks Picks Vol 6 for the first time. Second set is very strong, very well executed. “Trucking” is outstanding!. Will continue enjoying this release cor the rest of the week.
I hate to throw this old warhorse out there but 5/8/77 has a fantastic solo. Maybe not GOAT but that Loser gets overlooked.
Taking the new transfers of the Philly spring 87 prefms for a test drive tonight. Currently 3/31/87 - that smoking Jack Straw, Franklin’s opener!
The entire 4 show December '77 Winterland NYE run in the Vault? Gods, that would make an epic Box Set. (We can pretend Dick's 10 just didn't happen, of course...) After a Summer '73 Box Set is released, mind.
Oh and btw, fyi, fwiw asoasf...The first two RT’s with bonus discs are still available from dead.net.
While I agree the second set from Dick's Picks 6 is strong (10/14/83) they did not perform "Trucking".
Listening to 11/15/69 show this a.m. (via the archive on crappy work computer speakers). Don't think I ever heard it before. Really like how the drums sound or were recorded on this one.
I remember seeing a couple of the first batch pop up in Discount Den, where I went to college. It was one of those combo University apparel / head shop / mini-mart stores, which happened to have a small music section. Ahh, the memories. They didn't have a deep selection, but new releases were NEVER more than $10.99, often $9.99 - which, remember folks, in the days of the CD price gouging late mid-1990s, was an astounding price for broke college kids. Plus, pretty much any even slightly hyped release got a midnight release party with free pizza. Anyway, I bought my first two Dick's there. I also recall a few popping up at Borders before they went away, but at (seemingly, to me, at the time) astronomical prices. Prices, of course, that I'd be happy to pay for them now.
There was a Discount Den in Carbondale, IL - when I went there in the first part of the 90's -- bought many a CD and incense there.
Yeah, mine was in Champaign-Urbana, but I'm betting they were basically the same shop. My favorite Discount Den story was the first time I ever walked in, during mom's weekend with my mom, looking for some T-shirts for my younger brother. As she was staring at the wide selection of, ahem, "tobacco accessories" on the wall, The Offspring's "Bad Habit" was playing at wall-shaking volume and the "you stupid dumb*** g**-d**n mother*****" line came on. It was a nice introduction.
Back on the topic at hand though, I've continued my trawl through '76 with the first night at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey. A fine show, though rather unexceptional. I gotta day that I'm starting to get a little burned out by the song selections... just too much of the same songs reappearing. And, as much as some folks complain about the regularity of the "Drums > Space" in set 2 that would develop, at least it popped up out of different songs. This "Let It Grow > Drums > Let It Grow" is growing stale really fast. As high as some of June's peaks have been, I'm understanding why a curated set might be a good move. That said, it wasn't a terrible show, the "Help > Slip > Franklin's" and the "Wharf Rat" served as nice set 2 bookends, and the set 1 "Scarlet Begonias" was sweet. EDIT: Hoping for better things from night 2. I've already heard night 3, earlier this year, which - judging from my brief notes - I liked quite a bit.