The other boxes are CD-sized and are on the CD shelves. There's a photo a few posts later which shows them (along with other small boxes like the '89 ones).
Thanks for organizing this @Al Gator; looking forward to it. I was also just thinking that the famous Bill Graham intro on One From The Vault will be a great way to officially kick things off.
Great thread - I'm in. Currently jamming to OFTV while reading a really long book I'm 3/4 done and am determined to finish.
Yes. Which is besides the point when acknowledging the first point. It is a gorgeous item to look at, which is kind of the point with physical music media in 2021, when it is so easy to just stream everything. If you’re gonna have it on physical media, you might as well make it into a work of art. Now, where to place it? Somewhere viewable that is not on a regular music shelf. Right now, it is sitting atop one of the speakers in my bedroom system.
I'm doing some pre-emptive listening to One From the Vault today. It's part noon where I live. I distinctly remember listening to this show years ago and not thinking it held up to Cornell or DiP3, don't know where I got that idea. It's a rare opportunity to hear Blues for Allah (has that title been cancelled yet?) in its entirety with some great songs interspersed.
Listening to OFTV - does it sounds more like 74 or 76? I'm leaning towards the latter. I want it to be the bridge that connects the two eras, but I'm not sure I'm hearing that. Maybe what I'm looking for is in those studio jams recorded in 75. I've heard bits and pieces of them, but not really given them a thoughtful listen.
1975: closer to 74 or 76? Listening to "Eyes .." ... fantastic. Phil has that awesome upper register thing happening and Keith has that nice spacey 73-74 keyboard sound (electric piano?) still, so maybe this is the combo/conflict of both eras I was hoping for. The drummers sound great - love the "Drums" coming out of "Eyes." Must have been a treat for those at the show who hadn't heard double-drummer "Drums" since 70/71. "Crazy Fingers" ... forgot how much I like this song. Great version.
Here we go... One from the Vault Recording date: August 13, 1975, Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, California Release date: April 15, 1991 Disc 1 (Set 1) Introduction by Bill Graham > – 0:46 "Help on the Way > Slipknot!" > (Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) – 7:52 "Franklin's Tower" (Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Hunter) – 6:58 "The Music Never Stopped" (Weir, John Perry Barlow) – 5:29 "It Must Have Been the Roses" (Hunter) – 5:05 "Eyes of the World" > "Drums" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 14:32 "King Solomon's Marbles" (Lesh) – 6:36 Start of set 2: "Around and Around" (Chuck Berry) – 5:59 Disc 2 (Set 2) "Sugaree" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:56 "Big River" (Johnny Cash) – 4:50 "Crazy Fingers" > "Drums" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 13:08 "The Other One Jam" > (Weir, Kreutzmann) – 5:33 "Sage and Spirit" > (Weir) – 3:24 "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:13 "U.S. Blues" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:29 "Blues for Allah" (Garcia, Hunter) – 21:01 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lI6V7id3mqQpVPH2yFwRrLMSJeUeSahpo As the original liner notes state, “this is the beginning of the release of the vault tapes.” The original release was a four-section cardboard foldout with liner notes on the cardboard with no booklet. The band was still touring at the time; many fans think 1990 and 1991 contain some fine shows. The telephone hotlines and ticket phone numbers were printed on the release - a real blast from the past almost 30 years later. I don’t think it was planned this way, but the short-lived Vault series was to be mainly aimed at multitrack recordings, while the Dick’s Picks series (still more than two years in the future) would focus on two-track recordings. Even with this release, before the internet, I remember Deadheads whining. “Why are they releasing something everyone already has in great quality?” “Why did they move the set break?” The more things change… I wasn’t as deeply into the Dead back then, so I didn’t understand how unique 1975 was for them. Without access to an online Dead world the release had to stand completely on its own merits. And both then and now, I think this one has plenty to recommend it. Mixed from a multitrack recording, it has gorgeous sound quality and a stunning performance. Since the release of Blues for Allah was more than two weeks away, a lot of these songs would have been new to the audience. Right from the Bill Graham introduction at the beginning of a scorching Help>Franklin's sequence, the band is hot. Slipknot! still has a lot of development to do; here it’s very short, but the sequence still crackles with energy. This early version of The Music Never Stopped shows a very coherent band, and while it doesn’t have a long jam it’s still a fine version. Roses briefly brings the audience back the ground. Eyes is superb, and if it isn't as long as some, it holds its own. And King Solomon’s Marbles is a rare treat! The core of the second set starts with a lovely, laid-back reading of Crazy Fingers and a second drum solo. A short Other One leads into the rarely performed Sage & Spirit, with an energetic Goin’ Down the Road followed by a rollicking U.S. Blues. The concert concludes with a very rare, wild version of Blues For Allah; I believe it was only performed three times, all in 1975, and two of them have been released (3/23/75 Kezar Stadium is on the Beyond Description bonus disc, except the encore). I consider this one of the cornerstones of any live Grateful Dead collection. Great sound, great performance, and very rarely performed songs - what's not to like?
First off thanks to @Al Gator for doing this. It will be good to go back and listen to some shows that surely have been ignored for too long. Carving out the time to revisit all of these shows is no problem for a retired guy but would be tough if I was still working. Listened to One from the Vault twice this week as well as the Golden gate park show from the 30 trips box. Look forward to the thread starters analysis before offering any opinions. Bring it on.
Excellent summary. This was my first live Dead back in late Summer or Fall'91. Got a taste of the band at Pine Knob and Richfield Coliseum 9/4/91. Not sure what made me pick up the CD set, but you could say this sealed the deal for me. The first CD totally blew me away for the reasons you summed up so well. Eyes was the one that really stood out for me, and I would later find out that the elements I loved about were all over in the '74 and '73 versions. The 2nd CD didn't get as much play from me, but the Crazy Fingers still stands as one of my faves, and they are just ripping it up in the Big River. This is an extremely tight but loose set and fortunately the band brought the weird for the closing (encore?) Blues For Allah. I'm with you. A cornerstone indeed. This is always one of my picks when asked for recommendations on where to start with the Dead. This morning's listening....
I've listened to the whole show today, almost uninterrupted, and am in the middle of "Blues For Allah." At first I thought it was a strange way to the end the show, US Blues being the more typical Dead move, but it's sweet once the jam starts and goes into eternity. I wonder why "BFA" didn't turn into a regular jam vehicle, like "Darkstar" or "TOO." Too bad they didn't play this at the Pyramids. Haven't heard "Rocking the Cradle" - think I'll check it out. I'm also going to go back to Blues For Allah studio album. I'm not really into the studio albums past American Beauty, but Blues For Allah always intrigued me because it's so sui generis in the band's studio catalogue.
Was fun revisiting this release. Over the last few decades, I play it less and less as my collection expanded. I always felt this release was more important than it is a favorite. I give it a solid 5 out 5, though - the intro to Help over Bill Graham still gives me chills every time, even on listen 100. But, the actual show has been eclipsed for me by others in the 72-78 era. No worries, room for them all. I was actually quite surprised that this show tied for first as the Heads favorite in the 5 Favorite Shows thread last year. Seems like this is so unusual and specific to be that many people's favorite. A cool surprise.
One From The Vault was a stunning game changer for me. I just couldn’t get over how GOOD it sounded. It’s a terrific show, yes...the H>S>F and Eyes are especially wonderful and I’ve played them a zillion times. But this while I had a pretty sizable bootleg collection by this point, it was still pretty mind blowing. And of course, we had no idea at that point how many official live releases would follow...
The opening introduction and Help > Slip > Frank has got to be in the running for my most played tracks from any Grateful Dead archival release. I was in college when One From The Vault came out and my friends and I had it heavily in the rotation. I don’t revisit it as often as I used to but when I do it still conjures up the same feelings.
One From The Vault - One someone asks me "what live Grateful Dead live release do you recommend?" This is ALWAYS in the top 2 of my choices. The band's playing is so tight, smooth well-rehearsed - this show was put together for record execs and was broadcast live to showcase their new album Blues For Allah. This was the show that the GD rehearsed for to show the music industry and their fans (listening on the radio) that they were back and better than ever. And the band was spot on perfect! The extended jamming was concise and the band was playing as one mind. A truly great show and it is the one from the vault that I recommend to everyone wanting an introduction to live Dead.
