Thank you all for your kind welcomes. Today's listening, on my lunchtime walk and evening commute, was "Three From The Vault", which I haven't listened to for a while (and with a massive choice of soundboards and official releases - oh, and other bands! is not as surprising as it might be). I've got as far as "Easy Wind", so the main jamming is still to come. Two thoughts: Given it's the first concert after the departure of Mickey - after the show the previous night! - the drumming is amazing - and I'd forgotten just how high in the mix Phil is, and the form he's in. Listening to this is a bit of a cheat, as it happens to be on my phone, and is in the chronological sequence of DiPs that I'm working through, but I couldn't resist it as it was next up (I have them filed with the date at the start: only GOGD are filed like this). Any recommendations for a similar show? I have one somewhere where someone's notes read "Phil is a BEAST!", but I can't remember which one it is... and obviously it could be anywhere between about 68 and 95... Thanks!
I always point to the April Fillmore East run documented on the 4 CD compilation Ladies & Gentleman Improves on almost everything that was debuted on 2/18-2/19/71
That's a good call... thanks very much. "Ladies and Gentlemen..." is one I like to have available for decent length flights, both for the length of the album and the meandering nature of the compilation, so I can listen to it all the way through in a sitting. I've also got the soundboards, including the night with The Beach Boys (not the highest quality IIRC?) But I'll definitely look to have a relisten to this run sooner rather than later.
Yup, I agree. @TwoJokersInEveryPack -- you can easily get the soundboards for the shows. But there's no need unless you don't have access to the L&G (or are a stickler for "only full shows"). The comp is so well put together and thorough, and the band is so on point. April 25, 1971 – Disc 1, tracks 3–4, 7, 10–12, Disc 2, track 1, Disc 3, tracks 1–2 & 4 April 27, 1971 – Disc 2, tracks 8–9, Disc 4, track 9 April 28, 1971 – Disc 1, tracks 5 & 8–9, disc 2, tracks 2–5 & 7, Disc 3, tracks 6–10, Disc 4, track 3 April 29, 1971 – Disc 1, tracks 1–2 & 6, Disc 2, track 6, Disc 3, tracks 3 & 5, Disc 4, tracks 1–2, 4–8 & 10–11
Thank you! I already have all five nights (currently listening to 27th April, The Beach Boys night - it's better quality than I remember, so far ). I've got a lot of SBDs, ten years or so of downloading. I don't know how many I have, but it's a lot! And yes, I do like full shows, I like the narrative arc that you get, even if that makes for occasional moments where I wonder whether to skip yet another MAMU or GSET etc. as I go through yet another first set. What I lack is the live exposure that I would have got if I had been born earlier (I'm roughly the same age as GD) and on a different continent. Even so, I've managed to see 10 GD related shows, and my wife's been to 9 of them - 4 Dead & Co. (Boston 2016, SF 2015), 1 Phil & Friends (San Rafael, 2014), 2 Terrapin Family Band (London, 2014), 2 RatDog (Manchester 2004, Cardiff 2003) and 1 Grateful Dead (London 1990), which has involved a fair degree of travel! None closer than 200 miles from home, and five on three separate trips to the USA. I never got the exposure that I would have got in the USA when I was younger as the GD were such an underground thing here: my wife owned and liked "American Beauty", and we knew they were supposed to be good live via music magazines, so we saw them when we had the chance in 1990 but it was "good" rather than "life changing". It was only about 2002 that it all really clicked into place: I got in via RatDog when I first saw them live - I was working away from home, saw a poster on a wall in Cardiff ("Ratdog - featuring Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead") and went down to the gig that evening rather than sit in my hotel room, really on the off-chance. Suddenly it made sense live! I bought the "Live At Roseland" CD at the end of the concert. Then I started listening to the stuff we already had on vinyl occasionally, and more of it made sense than it had before I saw RatDog live. The following year I got made redundant from my job and I began by buying up Dick's Picks and the Vault stuff, off the back of the settlement when my job finished, a good time as it was when people were unloading collections via eBay and Amazon Marketplace as they digitized. Then I discovered The Internet Archive, then downloading, and began taking holidays abroad, and tying a concert or two into a holiday made sense. Then booking holidays started to get driven by where and when people were playing, and now I listen to them most days, and have more of their music on CD and hard drives than I care to think about.
When I say a lot of soundboards, I mean several hundred. I started off in the classic "Good Years": 1972 and 1977, spreading gently to either side. Getting attuned to the Wall Of Sound vocals took a while, but that added 1974, and I loved the acoustic stuff in 1970. 1968 and 69 was tougher to get into, but in the end it clicked too. Of course I neglected the 1980s and 1990s (and of course how could I be unaware of the debates (wars?) on dead.net). From the outside I can see both arguments, but because of course I wasn't there, they weren't my gigs and therefore I felt free to concentrate on the 60s and 70s. Then I bought the first 1990 box, and was stunned by how good it was: I also reassessed some of the Vault stuff (Dozin', Truckin' Up to Buffalo) that I already had. Now I am filling in the gaps in my soundboards collection (1979 to 1989 and 1991 to 1995, mostly) and enjoying the later years more. Of course there are fewer great nights, and more duff ones, but there are still so many gems, even if they are fewer and further between, particularly after 1991. And of course there are still new things appearing even now, like the 1978 box. It's just stunning to me that three nights of recordings of such quality were in a lockup auction, then on other peoples' shelves for the best part of thirty years, then finally released in such an amazing package. So many bands never got to play that well EVER, let alone in a year that's not even regarded as top notch in their history. And even if they did, we'd never get to hear them because recordings wouldn't have been made. Just how lucky are we?!
Listening to From the Mars Hotel, released on 6/27/74 (the day between the two Dick's Picks 12 shows, which I probably never would have noticed, but I coincidentally played them both today).
So good, definitely got a Pink Floyd vibe in some spots. Top of my list for bands I hope to see next year.
"Space Wheel" from the album is definitely Floydian. That track in particular is stunning with its power and beauty, but it's a fantastic album and it is welcome news indeed to hear that there will be more.
Brother, you are truly a Deadicated fan. So good to have you join us in our ranting and raving. Bloody shame you didn't see the show in Edinburgh.
A famous show for having been broadcast by WNEW in NYC. The only version of Muddy Water was performed at this show. This whole Felt Forum run would be a fine box set.
I had a tape of Set 1 that was rebroadcast on WBAI, I was going to say you can hear a youthful Scott Muni between songs, but evidently he was 41 at the time. He certainly sounded much younger than he did in the 90s (which I guess isn't saying much.) I remember sitting in Senor Mecca's Spanish class in Junior year of high school with that tape. I passed it to my buddy Chuck and said 'Hey, what's this song called?' He put on the headphones (my mom's walkman, which she still has, and it still has the dancing bear sticker I put on it,) and right away starts nodding. 'Felt Forum, right? It's just called 'Muddy Water,' that's the only time they played it.' Meanwhile the teacher caught sight of us each with one earbud in our ears. "Carlos! Mateo! Quieren detencion?" So I put the tape away for a few. I practically wore that thing out, it just has so many great versions of the songs, one of the best first sets they ever did. Mister Charlie and Comes a Time are highlights for me. The 2nd set is good as well, all of those late 71 shows point to where they'd be a few months later, and they all have their moments. This one has a verseless Dark Star that turns into Me and My Uncle, back into Dark Star, and then into Sittin' on Top of the World. I would be down for a late 71 box set. I saw a comment on the Alembic forum that the Dead's early 70s sound was the stradivari of amplified instruments, and that era bears it out.
I've never heard set 1 of that show, but set 2 with the DS->Uncle->DS was the first tape I traded for in college. I had a friend tape 3/30/90 for me while I was at my first show.
Scott Muni "The Professor." He was high like crazy at that show, I never heard him giggle on the air like he did at that show. The Professor was a treasure, and a prime example of a long-format 1970's FM DJ, he is one of the people who shape my appreciation of music as a teen.
Try August 14/15 1971. Phil is pretty high up in the mix during the whole year. 11/7 comes to mind also
This morning I begin set two of 5/10/91 with a perfect Foolish Heart for this most dreary of autumn mornings - literal Cold Rain and (almost) Snow!
New Riders of the Purple Sage Live at Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden on 1973-03-18 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive » Jerry, Bobby, Keith and Donna show up at this NRPS show. They all take turns sitting in on various instruments. Jerry plays banjo on "Whiskey" and "Glendale Train," Bobby sings The Race Is On and a couple others, and the whole gang does an acoustic gospel set (more Jerry on banjo) that includes Jerry singing lead on "Swing Low Sweet Chariot." This is an FM broadcast. Lost Live Dead: March 18, 1973 Felt Forum, New York, NY: New Riders Of The Purple Sage & Special Friends (FM VI and 1/2) »
I'm not done with it yet (listening to Black Peter) but you guys HAVE to listen to this show. Unbelievable. X Factor out the ass. Never mind that there is a whopping FOUR Dylan songs in tonight's show, lol 05/10/91 Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA Set 1: Jack Straw They Love Each Other Walkin' Blues Stagger Lee Me And My Uncle Maggie's Farm Cold Rain And Snow Desolation Row Don't Ease Me In Set 2: Foolish Heart Saint Of Circumstance Crazy Fingers Truckin' New Speedway Boogie Drums Space The Wheel All Along The Watchtower Black Peter Sugar Magnolia Encore: It's All Over Now
5/10/91 – Mountain View, CA ****** (for the unbelievable second set) A ripping Jack Straw kicks off the show in splendid manor. Unfortunately TLEO immediately kills all the momentum brought on by the opening salvo. Thankfully Walkin Blues, though long to get going, is really hot. Stagger Lee is very nice to hear and Jerry's vocals are spot on tonight. Stagger is in fact friggin' excellent. Next we get a blazing MAMU>Maggie that just slays. Oddly, next up is Cold Rain. It's excellent except for the fact that Jerry jumps the beat on his guitar solo forcing everyone to, perfectly I might add, realign themselves back in time. Very cool as not a note is dropped. A stunningly gorgeous Desolation Row follows. Jerry gives us an interesting and great solo. This very long and interesting first set ends with a typical-but-fun DEMI. A fantastical Foolish Heart starts set 2. Seriously, is there a single non-awesome version in this entier era?! Every rendition just seems to get better and better and better!!! And this one is no exception! Same goes for the ensuing Saint via a perfect and flawless segue. What a wonderful version! This goes perfectly into a gorgeous and surprisingly upbeat Crazy Fingers that just sets the mood in the best way. Jerry's noodling is just sublime. This goes into a cool Spansih Jam that then segues PERFECTLY into Truckin like they were meant to be together! LISTEN TO THAT SEGUE!!! TRUCKIN IS EXPLOSIVE HOLY MOLY!!!! This of course then goes flawlessly into a kick ass New Speedway Boogie. AWESOME. Out of Drums/Space and into one of the BEST versions of The Wheel these ears have ever heard. Upbeat, musical, rocking....simply awesome. WATCHTWOER IS NEXT AND IT IS FREAKING PHENOMENAL HOLY CRAP. If you can believe it, this carries over into Black Peter. I normally want to skip this song, but tonight it's downright excellent. I don't want it to end! After a SMOKING Sugar Mag, this unbelievable second set comes to a close with a perfect Baby Blue. Just....wow....
I had 1st row center for this and ended up leaning against the stage for nearly the whole show. during the acoustic set I looked up at weir and asked for swing low. he nodded approvingly and it was the next song. Garcia played electric on a few songs too. hand jive in particular was really good.
