Jerry had to be levitating during this opening China>Rider! Good grief every time I come back to this set I'm floored by how great it is. Next I simply MUST check out this 4/24/72 PITB!
I have to confess my sins, brethren. I cracked. While putting some new inner protective sleeves and plastic covers on my E72 set, I found some minor scratches (!!!!!!) on three of the discs that (I swear) wasn't there the last time I played them. I confronted my better half and she denies any knownledge of the horrible crime. Which makes me suspect that there were some grains of something sharp and nasty in those cardboard ones. So then I had to play the three offenders to see if there was any damage. This doesn't count as listening for pleasure, does it? More like having ones heart in ones throat... Have to say: pretty great music, eh? First one was ok, second disc of Europe '72: Strand Lyceum, London, England (5/23/1972). That Dark Star>Dew is really something. Now I'm halfway thru disc three of the Bickeshaw gig ( ) which also seems ok and the last one is disc four of the Rheinhalle. Worst case scenario with that last one and I'll just stick with the ol' Rockin' the Rhein. But still... Odin be my guide.
I find pretty much this whole show beyond great. This is my favorite 1976 show with many memorable moments in a wonderfully creative evening both in terms of playing and how the set of songs is constructed and developed. Love this Dew and Playing, among quite a few others (including the Wharf Rat). One of my favorite shows to run to. Love the liner note description that describes it as so many different Deads in one show, including the 1977 shows to come.
True Dat. 15 Jan 1979, Springfield Civic Center. Such a beautifully played show. Now: Egypt! Ollin Arrageed > Fire On The Mountain > Iko Iko, Shakedown St. > Sand Castles and Glass Camels > Unusual Occurrences in the Desert... (The latter two designations describe the jamz)
I think this is the only place for them and yes they have flac LIVEDOWNLOADS | Download Grateful Dead MP3 and FLAC »
Some old notes: This version of Playin’ is taken at the slowest tempo of the Europe ’72 (E ’72) tour. There may be another version from the tour that was this slow, but in general, most were a few to several metronome clicks faster. It starts very inauspiciously, but evolves into one of the very best jams of the E’72 tour and, in my opinion, the best Playin’ jam from that tour and perhaps the best Playin’ jam of all time. This tune was played at every show on the E’72 tour and became a mainstay throughout ’72 and into ’73-‘74: 3:07: Vocals end and 10 theme begins and Keith's up and down compliments start 3:18: Keith's accompaniment changes from rolling up and then down to cascading starting on a different beat each time 3:28: Tonality switches from D Major to D dorian (as is typical); for quite a while, the jam is nothing out of the ordinary. It's rather thick and plodding; note that this jam is in "1" - there really is no time signature 4:15: Jerry shows signs of pushing, with his Mutron wah getting a work out; at the same time, Billy's use of the ride cymbal becomes more important and he establishes a more insistent beat, but still maintaining the "1" feel. 4:51: Phil has risen to the occasion and he and Billy start to dictate where this is going; the train is trying to get over the crest of the hill and they're hell-bent on it getting there 4:55: Billy pounds the snare and creates a strong swing/shuffle beat 5:10-5:15: Billy does a tight snare roll and lick and the damn train has crested the hill; the brakes will fail and nobody cares - this is the GoGD at their finest 5:22: Jerry finally hits the Launch button and the whole band is on board 5:33: The Jerry wah swirl – the sound bounces around the hall 5:57: Jerry reels it in a bit to provide some strong melodic soloing 6:23: A lull, as is wont 6:40: Jerry's wah signal is still hot 6:55: Hot nailing by entire band and pounding from Billy; Jerry wails from a distant solar system 7:41: Jerry introduces 3 feel 7:54-8:02: three/six feel is embraced by entire band 8:39: 10 theme is recapitulated 10:37: Phil misses cue on finale, but who gives a crap?
Gave it a listen today. It was ok but I hate the midi. Bobby's guitar sound I do not care for either and Brent's saloon piano doesn't gel. I don't know if it was recorded digitally but it doesn't have the warmth of the old analog recordings. And Phil could be higher in the mix. What I like most from this era is the songs but If I want to hear a longer jam I go for something before the coma usually. At least I gave it a try, again
That question has been discussed many times here and we never reached a final conclusion. In my opinion, is Keith with Ned's equipment, because when those sounds take place, there's no piano to be heard.
After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I finally got EAC installed and running to rip CDs (to mp3--FLAC will be another ordeal) so I can listen at work and in my truck. It should be noted that I don't have a working sound system at home currently, so the July 1978 box set has just been sitting on the shelf since November. Listening to 7/1/78. First four tracks were a little creaky, but Friend of the Devil and Me and My Uncle were better. I have high hopes for the second half once they and the crowd get warmed up.
Ned was sent that disc and his analysis, including it was not his rig, is in the comments section of the link @pbuzby provided, go to the response to a post of 10/13/16 NedBase: Annotated Nedbase 1970 - 1975 »
So it was Keith trying some new equipment he never used again, who knows. I'm sure about one thing, though: it is Keith.
I put on 10/26/89 Miami last night. That was definitely a heavier/scarier Dark Star. The 10/16 set weaves in and out of songs and doesn't have much in the way of spacy meltdowns (until the set Drums/Space break). I will give them both a few more listens, but initially my preference is for 10/16.
