To be honest, I bet you can put together a VG/Like New set for much leass than $58.33 a pop incrementally. Even new, only a handful are going to cost that much.
I know it's not '72 or '77, but Jerry tore the house down during Sugaree on March 25, 1985 in Springfield, MA. Sugaree starts at 5:48.
The June 1976 recordings are a better mix than the July Orpheum shows. That 9 June show sounds stunning on a proper system.
If we are going back to the 80's in the DaP series, its gotta be 12-27-89. Everyone on their A game. The Bird Song is an all timer. JG fumbles some lyrics but who cares, the jam is one of the best of the 80's IMO. (3-9-81 is my other fav) The pre drums are just as gold. The quality of the recording is dynamic and warm. What a way to spend a work night....
Obviously not an offer for everyone, but for a new Head with more money than time, this would be the end of the rainbow. I go on eBay and report some of the more notable offers from time to time.
Tonight listening to 8/5/70 San Diego. Not the best sound, but not too bad either, with a bit of tweaking. Unusual song selection with a couple of New Riders on board. Check out the acoustic El Paso with a mandolin.
Yes, mirthful indeed. I recall a cheshire cat grin in my past. And then the third solo break came around and the band began splintering slightly and the whole thing was just nuts.
Welcome, @Orange T-Rex! I rank that one highly, but not as highly as many from '72 and one or two from '74. For the record, here are my notes in Media Player for the 2/26/73 Playing in the Band: (hot like '72! then meanders into '73 and then back into '72 hotness). So, you are indeed onto something. Try these on for size. Some are more lengthy (or of similar length), but most are more short. However, they pack a power punch: 3/27/72 4/8/72 4/16/72 4/24/72 (my personal favorite) 5/13/72 5/24/72 8/27/72 8/6/74 I guess I posted this, or something close to this recently, but if you missed that...
I've given up on that. My worthless opinions are now all public domain (and legally, have likely been so since the day I posted them). Cut and paste it onto your bedroom wall if you like. I do have an idea to write a book about the juxtaposition of a certain prog band and a certain jam band that many of us love, but I suspect I'm too lazy to do that.
I'm there with you on the RT 4.5. The sound is really good on that set and, even better that, it has great takes on a lot of tunes, I really dig the versions of old favorites (of mine), like High Time, St. Stephen, Scarlet Begonias, and Sugar Magnolia, and new favorites (again, of mine), like The Music Never Stopped, Crazy Fingers, and Cold Rain and Snow. I think I've made it through most of this set since I first got it, but have much more exploring to do.
I'm listening to Dave's 21 for a second time. Bobby says they've let loose tarantulas and snakes on the stage, but that probably didn't happen. You see, he's just trying to get the front-crushers to take a step back, but that song hasn't been written yet. "'Everywhere we've been, the audiences have been Grateful Dead audiences,' he said. 'We've had the German equivalent of the guy who gets up on stage and takes his clothes off. We've had the English freakout, the Danish freakout. But we haven't been playing enough. I'm a music junkie and I have to play every day. The gigs are too far apart. It's like we're not @#$%ing off enough to enjoy that or we're not playing enough to enjoy that.'" --Jerry in Rolling Stone, 6/22/72
Enjoying Boston Gaaaaden '77 (5/7/77) again tonight. Edit: Holy ****, the final jamming on "The Music Never Stopped" is blowing my head right off!! I mean, that first set was great, but the ending? Totally, mind-boggingly redonkulous. In the best way.
This is a fairly glorious Playing on DaP 22. The jam in it has a lot to do with Playing but also some that has little to do with Playing--it's a good mix. Anyway, in NASA terms, Playing is the primary stage rocket for this show.
