Jerry decided he didn't like the words in Cryptical. The band also didn't like the words after a while in The Eleven, and Jerry and Phil also both mentioned that the I-IV-V chord pattern was too restrictive for jamming. I'm not sure why they didn't play Unbroken Chain in 1974. When Phil started singing lead again he mentioned in 1990 that he would need to relearn the guitar part to teach it to Bob, among other things. I don't know of band comments about the other songs on the list. (I don't think they dropped West L.A. Fadeaway.)
I remember he said he didn't like the first Dead album in general so it figures that they dropped several of the songs, and slowed down the songs they did keep playing and changed the arrangements.
Went down to the mountain, I was drinking some wine Looked up in the Heaven, Lord, I saw a mighty sign... The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack today...
During the Vince rehearsal Jerry says the first record was recorded in four days while high on speed or something - hence the fast tempos. He also confirms what the Deadcast folks said about Uncle John's Band being a melody lifted from a Bulgarian Women's Choir song - not sure which one. I found the rehearsal pretty depressing gotta admit. Vince seems like the wrong fit from the get go. They overvalued the need for a high-harmony singer and missed the chance to bring in a better player as a result. Shoulda coulda alert I know...
I went to pick up my kids from school today and I was stuck in the traffic line leading up to the school for almost the entire length of the Scarlet Begonias 10/19/74.
I've totally fallen behind on the E'72 anniversary listens, as well as May '77, and still have lots of '74 releases to check out, including DaP42 Listened to this little guy earlier this afternoon: 1987/03/26 Hartford, CT (Dave's Picks Volume 36) This show and the following night (on the same release) are my only '87 shows so far. I like the energy on this show. The crowd is really hanging on every lyric, particularly those coming from Jerry. Solid setlist, He's Gone leads to a nice Drums>Space, but on the whole there isn't a whole lot to chew on. I like the matrix sound of this release, a nice change of pace from the wonky sound of the '83-'84 stuff I've heard, and the crystal clear sound of the '89-'90 I've heard so far.
There were equipment problems necessitating a split first set, it was hot dusty and dry (no shade at all), and parking and traffic congestion were problematic to say the least. It was fun to attend, but probably not so much for the band and it showed
So if one were to plunk down a large chunk of change on a Dead box set, would you go for the 30 trips set or the Europe 72 set? Seems you can get them for about the same price on the used market.
30 Trips. There's a whole lot of E72 material you can get standalone without buying the trunk and every single individual show is available on streaming to tide you over. Also you get more variety of sound and material from 30 Trips. The E72 tour is fantastic, without a doubt, I just think the material on it is so easily accessible without buying the trunk that 30 Trips makes for a better actual purchase.
I listened to both boxes in their entirety last year, alternating between them, playing several E72 shows and then several from 30 Trips. I've seen a few people here mention setlist fatigue as they follow along with the E72 tour, and my approach last year really helped keep that at bay. (I also wasn't attempting to follow along with the tour dates, which would've completely sabotaged the project for me.) As @Merrick says above, the sheer variety -- of repertoire, show length, show arc, band personnel, overall band sound, etc. -- in the 30 Trips set is incredible. And if you're at all uneasy about or unfamiliar with certain years in the Dead's history, all I can say is I really enjoyed all of the shows in that box. Even the 90s shows, which I was sort of dreading, had a lot going for them.
Bird Song, China > Rider, and Black Peter are huge highlights of that first show, too. Listen out for how they try to find a way back into Bird Song during the unique He’s Gone jam.
Well, the relationship is over for safety reasons. Maybe today's the day I finally listen to 7/9/1995 in its entirety.
I listened to the jammy portions of Lille 5/13/72 today. Good stuff, but maybe I'm just getting jaded after all these amazing E72 shows.
Are Bear's Sonic Journals a worthy investment if I like Doc and Merle, the Duane-era Allmans, Tim Buckley, Ravi Shankar (my connection to Ali Akbar Khan), Commander Cody, Jefferson Airplane, NRPS and Johnny Cash?
