Aight, I'll play along. For perspective, I only saw the Dead proper (kinda) in spring 95. Like most that didn't see dozins (get it?) of shows in the 80s and 90s, it took some time to come around to what the band was offering in a live setting at the time. Also of note, I don't mind Midi but I'm also not a fan of the plinkiness of Brent's keys sometimes. Disc 1 Hell In A Bucket - great muscular version to kick things off. I love HIAB in the opening slot. Dupree's Diamond Blues - a lil late period psychedelia. Nice update. Just A Little Light - warming to this Brent tune and this is a really good version. Walkin' Blues - another strong version of a song I'm not a huge fan of. Brent scatting is a unique touch. Jack-A-Roe - great performance by Jerry Never Trust A Woman - again not a fave of mine but Brent really sells it. When I Paint My Masterpiece - the boys are having fun here and it shows in the performance. Row Jimmy - again not a favorite tune but this version is really sweet and pretty. Jerry's solo and tone were splicing into my brainwaves. Blow Away - great version by Brent. Overall, I'm shocked at how much I liked disc 1. On paper, it smells like a stinker but I really enjoyed it. I'll have to revisit to see if it has staying power. Oh and Brent's keys sometimes veer into the plink zone. But for the most part, he's either adding tasteful flourishes, or is going full on clown time.
This release is both great and incredibly frustrating. 3/24/90 is one of my favorite latter day shows, so the meat of this release is pure fire. However, it is aggravating because this compilation is the reason why we don't have a simple version of 3/24 in full. The 3/25 and 3/26 shows are both great. Would I have picked Disc 1 and Disc 3 as they appeared on this? No. But none of it is any less than very good. If TPTB would release 3/24 in full, I'd feel better about this release as a release. It is a nice compilation.
Yes, pretty much my case also. I do like Wake Up to Find Out 3/29/1990 release from this tour very much (though again I dislike the midi parts). Even the trumpet sound ? I'll take razor blade slide over midi trumpet any day of the week
MIDI question about that “glassy” sound referenced above. That is Weir? I just assumed it was a keyboard effect. To be clear, I’m talking about the higher pitched shimmering effect that is pretty common through spacier sections of this era. Count me as a Dozin fan. I’m currently up to the second post-drums section. I like the extended first set disc 1, including Never Trust A Woman. Blues numbers with off color lyrics don’t bother me. If they had replaced one of the Brent songs (or Row Jimmy) with Loser, the disc would be stronger, but I think they made a conscious decision to include as much Brent as possible. D2 Playing and UJB are really well done, but there isn’t much in the way of transition. Drums/Space are hit or miss for me and this one is more of a miss. I hear three players soloing, not really playing off of each other. Post-drums is fun. Wheel is nothing special but Watchtower has some great playing, as does Stella Blue. NFA is typically hot. This was a great release at the time and still holds up, but there are better Spring 90 shows to listen to. 4/5 on its own merits but a one point deduction when compared to other options from the era. 3/5 final score.
Yes, I believe so. Bobby was using MIDI for a year or two before Jerry picked it up, IIRC. Jerry's usage of midi was usually pretty obvious, "He sounds like a trumpet. He sounds like a clay flute," etc. Bobby often used for a "synth wash" effect, which sounds like what you're talking about, just a big "chunk" of synthy tones that didn't sound like it was sampling an acoustic instrument.
Yes I was talking about Weir. Listen to his guitar on Terrapin Station (left channel). He uses a sound that plays some glassy keyboard imitation alongside his "normal" guitar sound. It is not constantly prominent. He used the same effect in the Wheel (starting from 1:34), and also it can be heard very prominently during first few bars of All Along the Watchtower. Luckily he soon turned it off and saved the song. These are is still both very strong Terrapin Station and The Wheel though
Hmm. Not sure if we are referring to the same effect. Take a listen to Playing starting at the 8 minute mark. Maybe that is the same effect run through an echo? That sound shows up a lot. I remember a lot of it in the Dark Star from Nightfall of Diamonds.
My only issue with Dozin' is the synth sounds on "Blow Away." I didn't like them at the show, and I still don't like them. The evolution of that song live is disappointing to me, because I remember my friends and I being jazzed about it when it first appeared on a show cassette we had. But on the whole I remember those shows fondly, and that was the only three night run I ever did. Otherwise I always managed to miss one show, for some reason.
In this case we're not talking about the same thing. The one from Playing you mentioned here was Jerry with flute-like sound. FWIW I like it better than any of those glassy sounds I was referring to.
I am going to re-visit Dozin' after I finish playing "Ladies and Gents..." again. I recall very much enjoying Dozin', especially Disc 2.
The funniest MIDI effect from Jerry I remember was in 10/26/89 "Dark Star" where he sounded like a child's roller toy. I haven't listened to a lot of the MIDI era so I'm not sure if he used that again.
I think it’s Candyman from the Warlocks show where Jerry pulls up a horrendous midi patch for his first solo and then quickly abandons it. Clearly still getting the hang of the new toy
I am intrigued by how many of the shows discussed over the last couple of days are from official releases. They've released a lot of the key shows! Based on my spreadsheet: 5/3/72 - complete E72, cued up for week 112 6/26/74 set 2: Dick's Picks 12, week 21 3/29/90 - Spring 1990 TOO and Wake up, week 154 10/26/89 - 30 Trips, week 186 But I suspect tomorrow's discussion will be somewhat controversial - Dick's Picks 6, 1983-10-14 Hartford.
Thread guide List of releases By Release Date One from the Vault (1975-08-13 San Francisco, released 1991-04-15) Infrared Roses (1989-1990, released 1991-11-01) Two from the Vault (1968-08-24 San Francisco, released May 1992) Dick’s Picks Volume 1 (1973-12-19 Tampa, released 1991-10-31) Dick’s Picks Volume 2 (1971-10-31 Columbus, released March 1995) Grayfolded (1968-1993, released 1994 and 1995) Hundred Year Hall (1972-04-26, released 1995-09-26) Dick’s Picks Volume 3 (1977-05-22 Pembroke Pines, released 1995-11-07) Dick’s Picks Volume 4 (1970-02-13, 14 New York, released 1996-02-23) Dick’s Picks Volume 5 (1979-12-26 Oakland, released 1996-05-30) Dozin' at the Knick (1990-03-24 Albany (mostly), released 1996-08-29) By Concert Date Various (released 1994 and 1995 on Grayfolded) 1968-08-24 Los Angeles (released 1992-05 on Two from the Vault) 1970-02-13, 14 New York (released 1996-02-23 on Dick's Picks 4) 1971-10-31 Columbus (released 1995-03 on Dick's Picks 2) 1972-04-26 Frankfurt (released 1995-09-26 on Hundred Year Hall) 1973-12-19 Tampa (released 1993-10-31 on Dick's Picks 1) 1975-08-13 San Francisco (released 1991-04-15 on One from the Vault) 1977-05-22 Pembroke Pines (released 1995-11-07 on Dick's Picks 3) 1979-12-26 Oakland (released 1996-05-30 on Dick's Picks 5) 1989, 1990 (released 1991-11-01 on Infrared Roses) 1990-03-24 Albany (mostly) (released 1996-08-29 on Dozin' at the Knick) This week: 1983-10-14 Hartford (released 1996-10-07 on Dick's Picks 6) Next week: 1974-09-09, 10, 11 London (released 1997-03-04 on Dick's Picks 7)
Recording date: October 14, 1983 Recording location: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut Release date: October 7, 1996 Recorded by: Dan Healy Disc 1 First set: "Alabama Getaway" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:06 "Greatest Story Ever Told" (Hart, Hunter, Weir) – 4:52 "They Love Each Other" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:10 "Mama Tried" (Haggard) – 2:48 "Big River" (Cash) – 6:31 "Althea" (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:49 "C.C. Rider" (traditional) – 8:01 "Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:33 "Hell in a Bucket" > (Barlow, Weir) – 5:53 "Keep Your Day Job" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:57 Disc 2 Second set: "Scarlet Begonias" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 14:20 "Fire on the Mountain" (Hart, Hunter) – 16:36 "Estimated Prophet" > (Barlow, Weir) – 13:11 "Eyes of the World" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 17:53 Disc 3 "Drums" > (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 5:25 "Spanish Jam" > (Grateful Dead) – 13:05 "The Other One" > (Kreutzmann, Weir) – 6:09 "Stella Blue" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:10 "Sugar Magnolia" (Hunter, Weir) – 9:26 Encore: "U.S. Blues" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:40 I’ll say upfront that a lot of Deadheads don’t hold Dick’s Picks 6 in high regard. There are some good reasons for that, especially after the fantastic first five Picks. It’s the first release from a cassette master, and without a dedicated recording mix the instruments aren’t balanced as well as we’re used to hearing; as a result, the sound quality is a real dropoff from what we’ve heard before. On top of that, 1983 can be a hit-and-miss year and we’ll hear both sides of that coin in this release. Some will disagree, but the first set isn’t inspiring to these ears. Right off the bat, a croaky Jerry has some terrible lyrical miscues in Alabama Getaway. Even Bob’s not singing well in Greatest Story. Compared to what we’re used to, this seems like a disaster. But looking past that, Jerry’s actually playing some pretty good guitar here. But while there are some good parts and great solos, the first set is too spotty to reward repeated listens. At times the band seems uncoordinated, and all the questionable vocals in these shorter songs can be hard to overlook. We even get one of Bob’s most headache-inducing slide solos in C.C. Rider. Fortunately a different band appears for the second set. They waste no time getting into it, with a 30-minute Scarlet>Fire. It’s hot - Jerry’s on fire after the first Scarlet verse; this is jaw-droppingly good. After the second verse they veer immediately into the transition jam, but stretch it out. Jerry’s not running out of ideas and everybody is right there with him. The music swells and drops, finally finding its way into Fire on the Mountain. Jerry’s playing with us here, intentionally leaving us to fill in some of the notes and slowing things down before he really gets things going. It’s a lovely, expansive version, with lots of long and well-played solos and a band that’s (dare I say it) on fire. While the vocals may not rank with the best and the recording isn’t perfect, I still rank this very highly on my informal Scarlet>Fire list. Estimated Prophet keeps the set going strongly - the whole band is still playing at a very high level, with extended solos that somehow don’t meander. Eyes of the World isn’t rushed, letting the song move at its own pace, with the musicians playing off each other, in the Dead’s best tight-yet-loose way. The last few minutes are more of a jam than part of Eyes. A short Drums (maybe incomplete?) leads into Space. This becomes a mellow Spanish Jam, which segues smoothly into The Other One. It’s not an explosive version, but swirls around in a wonderful way and builds nicely before the second verse; short but sweet. Jerry’s emotion is audible in both his vocals and guitar in a beautiful Stella Blue. Typical versions of Sugar Magnolia and U.S. Blues end the show. Start to finish, this is one of the finest sets of the year, and fully justifies Dick’s choice. We’re back to a very simple insert; one photo, a ticket stub, and no liner notes. This will never be an all-time great Pick; the sound quality and first set are impossible to ignore. But that second set is really, really good, and is a must-hear one way or another. If this was a Betty Board it would be very highly ranked; given the limitations of available recordings, Dick made a solid choice for the first deep ‘80’s Pick.
Same here, along with a better mix, better recording,... This was a tough one to revisit this week. It's always been a bit of a disappointment, but I haven't listened to it in years, and was hoping the time away would make me look at it differently. On the plus side, I discovered that Amazon Music has the Dick's Picks series for streaming. Unfortunately, the lousy vocals and mix really stood out to me. It just wasn't an enjoyable listen especially the first set. Like Al points out things pick up in the second set (what was going on backstage between sets? ), but the sound (mix and cassette recording) still detracts from the listening experience. I tried out the AUD on the archive as well, and it's nice to get some of the live ambience captured, but still don't think it stands out over the release. Any future listens will involve skipping most or all of the first set and proceeding straight to the 2nd set.
Dick’s Picks Vol. 6 – 10/14/83 Pretty interesting that there were three official Brent releases in a row. It didn’t register, most likely because I was getting lots of tapes at the same time and wasn’t listening to the releases on back-to-back-to-back weeks. In any case, outside of this and DaP 27 (9/2/83), I’ve never listened to anything from ’83, or much of anything between ’83 and ’87, to be honest. I love this band, but was never interested in hearing Jerry sing in those years, it makes my head hurt. Anyway, for me this is by far the weakest release we’ve listened to up to this point (and overall one of Dick’s weaker picks). There are, however, some great moments to be found here. Notes and highlights: The sound quality on this is...not great. I haven’t listened to this first set since the first one or two times I heard it in ’96, and now I remember why: It’s mostly a hot mess, and I can’t handle the singing (Exhibit A: Tennessee Jed). Even Bob sounds like he’s really laboring. Plus Day Job. There are a couple of things I can dig about it, despite all that. TLEO and Althea are really well played with tasty solos and Brent just lays waste to C.C. Rider with his ballpark organ. Other than that, there’s not much for me here – I have far better versions of every song from other shows. The second set is what keeps this Pick out of the used bin. A great Scarlet > Fire starts things hot out of the gate. Wonderful between-verse solo from and a nice dreamy extended jam into Fire. I’m glad Brent didn’t stick with that marimba sound he used (unintentionally?) at the start and applied it judiciously the rest of the way…cool sound for flavoring, but one that can quickly get overbearing and annoying if it’s on all the time. Estimated is fine, strong standard version. I don’t remember liking the Eyes as much as I did on this listen -- Jerry does some pretty inspired playing, his tone sounds nice and sharp and he really gets into the solo, building it perfectly. That patented Jerry-Brent interplay we all know and love is on display in the jam into drums. I always love a Spanish Jam, and can’t recall hearing one come out of Space in another show – was this a common occurrence in the ‘80’s? Awesome guitar sound from Jerry after he turns off the mutron, with Bob laying the groundwork throughout…really cool to hear just the two of them do this. Brent tiptoes in when they start the transition into a good Other One with the heavier guitar tone I like. Bob is all over this one (but maybe a touch high in the mix? Tough to say) and keeps things chugging along while Brent and Jerry do their thing. A big part of me wishes they hadn’t started using this song as a short connector and kept it as more of a set centerpiece…but so it goes. Stella out of something dark or aggressive like The Other One (or Watchtower, as heard on Dozin’) is never, ever a bad decision. Jerry really takes control of this one (his voice even sounds better than on the rest of this) and lays down a couple of gorgeous solos. Great rendition. The Sugar Mag closer and U.S. Blues encore is…ok, whatever. I’m happy to stop listening after that Stella, to tell you the truth. In the end, this is a tough release for me, despite the things I like about it. I definitely enjoy the second set (a lot more than I remember liking it, actually) and may indeed revisit it occasionally after this. But is it really one of the first, I dunno, 50 sets I’m going to reach for? I don’t think so. I also find it hard to believe that Dick loved this show out of all shows so much that it had to be released so early in the DiP series – looking back at the sequencing, it almost makes me think there was pressure coming from somewhere to pick a Brent show to complete the trilogy. But who knows?
