Alright, after a week-long break and a bevy of Zappa and Smashing Pumpkins listening, I return to the fold (at least for today, we'll see how I feel...) with 9/22/91 AKA DP#17 I can tell from this opening Shakedown this is going to be a good one. I'm already nodding my head and smiling. Glad to be back after my foreign tour away, haha.
So I was reading in the Compendium that 9/21/91 has a fairly tepid review. I completely disagree. Set one was ass kicking and that set two UJB>Saint>Eyes blew my socks off. Anyone have any shows for which you disagree with either the Compendium review/s or a generally held consensus of?
3/25/85 comes to mind because I played it a week or two back. I disagree with the reviews a reasonable % of the time, especially since sources have improved considerably since the books were initially published.
Yea, as far as sources go, I pretty much disregard the compendium as a lot of it is obsolete, but Ive actually found the reviews to be pretty spot on 75% of the time when I go and read a review while listening to a show. That actually surprised me, but I'm glad I know I can recognize what's good as well as others can, haha.
I listened to a bit of Boreal Ridge 1985 (reportedly the worst Dead show ever, or at least there was some sort of consensus about that before the 90's) and it was pretty good.
I haven't heard the show myself, but I've heard people say it was worse on the technical side of things than the music itself.
I don't have the Compendium, and I cant speak for anyone else, but (based on notes I used to keep) if you want a killer show to sink your teeth into all you gotta do is poke around this superb Tobin Matrix... archive.org/details/gd1979-11-25.mtx.tobin.90846.sbeok.flac16
At its best, 1988 is similar to a couple of other years: 1985, 1979, and 1971. Using Jerry's phrase, it's that "shoot 'em saloon band" sound: straight-up and high energy. Even the drummers sound lean in that clip.
Listen to the first set of 23 April 1984- New Haven, both Nassau shows from 1984, and Harrisburg '84, if you want to hear a lame Dead show. I had to spend a night in New Haven on top of it all. I want a refund!
It was probably worse in the mid-80's, when the Coliseum was still standing. If not, I shudder to think of what it is like now!
I never saw the GD there, because they stopped playing there too early for my time, but I took the train to New Haven and walked to the Coliseum for other shows in the mid-80s back when I was too young to drive, and it was always a sketchy adventure.
The '84 SPAC show was the day after Harrisburg and it was a great show (despite the torrential rain). Not '83 great, but one can forgive that. Something about SPAC, I guess.
Currently listening to 4/27/84 Providence.........Playin > China Doll > High Time sounds very nice. Both shows look great on paper.........I'm guessing Providence 84 was better than New Haven or Nassau. (My 1st show was fall 84 - 10/18 Meadowlands)
I drove all night to get to that show from Harrisburg, 'twas worth it! Through much of Pennsylvania I-81 was reduced to one lane, bright orange cones placed along to road to keep us in line. Bright orange cones going past- zip, zip, zip- all night long. I still see them sometimes when I close my eyes to sleep- zip, zip, zip- bright orange cones. And rag-tag hippies following in the mighty draft of the 18 wheeler with GD Productions, Inc., stenciled on the cab door.
Thank you US Blues, these are the gems I savor, the outcasts. A lot of us would donate a testicle to science for just one lame Dead show, you were blessed (not so much with that 1st set in New Haven ) However, maybe time has softened your feelings about Harrisburg '84 This is a really nice aud recording that my daughter and I listened to tonight, and I have to say is worth the time for anyone with an open mind and appreciation for historical perspective. Skip the 9 minute Rooster. A funkified Esau is pretty cool. A nice TMNS (Bob throwin some nice vamps) and Estimated. I think it's safe to say we can thank Noriega and Escobar for helping Jerry break the speed of sound on Eyes. I prefer the jazzier renditions but it is something to marvel at. archive.org/details/gd1984-06-23.109812.beyer-senn-daweez.D5scott.flac16 Lily started 6th grade today and has had to listen to hundreds of shows since birth. When Estimated hit she chirped "Decent" in a bland tone. I laughed and said "Really?" She replied "I've heard better." Which cracked me up. Then I asked her what she thought of the sound quality... "Crispy" mocking my voice and intonation with a smirk. She is my offspring, no question.
I've had a tape of the first 45 min of the first set and the Space--> Truckin'--> Black Peter--> Around and Around--> GDTRFB OMSN from the 2nd set for 31 years. Delivered just a few days after the show. It's never seen any rotation since summer '84. But rock it if you dig it. Like I posted above, SPAC '84 was great.
Nice. I hope you get a chance to listen to the version I posted. The taper did a fantastic job with mic placement and the mix of the Beyers and Senns sound great to my ears (maybe a little big on the bottom, easy to overlook). I would love to hear your interpretation. My co-pilot and I will listen to SPAC '84 tomorrow night after dinner (and homework, if she is unlucky enough to have any on the second day of school), thanks for the heads up.
I have been adding most of my Picks into Itunes the last few days, and this evening I created a lovely playlist. 19 songs, 4 hours and 2 minutes. Very spacy-some main jams from Dick's 12, 13, and 14 plus the Dark Star from #36.
Disc 1 of the main Egypt '78 release tonight. Jack Straw is pretty slow and ragged, but at the same time has a big raging '78 style finish, and these shows are definitely dripping with a unique vibe. Had a cassette of the Olin Arigeed->Fire set II back in high school, but over the years had not gone back to these shows much until the official release. Speaking of this time period, it would be nice to see a complete box of the From Egypt with Love shows someday, but the Road Trips release (which does have a lot of prime stuff - but not nearly all of it - from that run) probably has made that extremely unlikely. [Egypt '78 - it's that ritalin and hashish sound. Without the ritalin.]
I give your post the Crispy seal of approval. In related news, my daughters (4 and 6) have recently added Fire On The Mountain to the list of songs that they request. Up until now it's been mostly Take the A-Train, Beatles and Wings (Band on the Run). They are kids of a Forum member, alright. (But being of their own generation, there are also some Frozen songs and lately some Taylor Swift in the mix).
