Grateful Dead Archival Live Release Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Al Gator, Feb 5, 2021.

  1. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    A ha ha ha ha ha. That's what I get for revising my post and not rereading it before I post. 9-20-91 Boston.
     
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  2. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    5/3/72 for merely sentimental reasons, I wot
     
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  3. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    Sometimes it's like 5 minutes of "I'm going to play just one more lick now" while the drums are rising like the tide/.....it can feel half out the door the whole time
     
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  4. Crispy Rob

    Crispy Rob Cat Juggler

    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    I’ll have to check it out. I didn’t see any of that run because I was out of the country at the time, and although I’ve heard most of it, I don’t think I’ve heard that one.
     
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  5. jmadad

    jmadad Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    I'll allow 5/3/72 because you got the other 3 right

    #4 is fungible anyway, so why not go with sentimentality
     
  6. ODShowtime

    ODShowtime jaded faded

    Location:
    Tampa
    I need to recharge my 8/27/72 batteries sometime soon during this hot hot summer. Need some naked pole guy in my life.

    "every time we come here it rains now it's too damn hot" sounds like someone describing my backyard.
     
  7. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    The first show of the fall '81 U.S. tour 11/29/81 Pittsburgh has one too.
     
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  8. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Delay not another minute. Second set from 9-20-91 would be considered an all-timer if they had only played three shows in Boston that year.
     
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  9. Crazy Otto

    Crazy Otto Voodoo all night long

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    Help > Slip > Fire
     
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  10. Crispy Rob

    Crispy Rob Cat Juggler

    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    I forgot that was the date, but I've definitely heard the Help>Slip>Fire from that show on a friend's tape back in the day. Don't think I had my own copy, and not sure that I heard the rest of that second set or not. So, I'll still have to check it out sometime.
     
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  11. GuitarStrangler

    GuitarStrangler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Slovenia, Europe
    In this regard, I just want to say that:

    Veneta 8/27/72 is NOT overrated.

    And also Veneta Dark Star is NOT overrated.
     
  12. GuitarStrangler

    GuitarStrangler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Slovenia, Europe
    Dick’s Picks 14 - Part 1: 11/30/73

    My sentiments are very similar to that of the majority (I could just copy-paste @Crazy Otto's post above for example :) ).

    First disc is undoubtedly weakest part of the whole release. This Morning Dew served as a live soundcheck and it shows. The rest of CD1, well, it's not that bad again, when you're in a mood, you'll like it all. But nothing to write home about. Highlight for me is of course PITB.

    The second CD though is really, really top shelf material. The whole sequence is an ecstatic celebration of music.

    A short and sweet review for a change :)
     
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  13. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    I don't disagree.
     
  14. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    I couldn't not be said to be in incomplete agreement
     
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  15. ODShowtime

    ODShowtime jaded faded

    Location:
    Tampa
    It's one of the best shows they ever played.
     
  16. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    I guess I'll be a bit crabby and mention that for me the second CD is uneven. "Weather Report Suite Part One" is the most ragged version I remember hearing as the band can't agree on a tempo and seems bewildered singing it without Donna, although they rebound for a tight version of "Let It Grow." After that there is the "Dark Star" jam with some of the same unsettledness of WRS Pt 1 and parts of the first set although there are some pretty ideas being thrown around, before Jerry abandons it for a very good "Eyes." Still it is a disc worth multiple listens, like nearly everything from '73.
     
  17. frightwigwam

    frightwigwam Talented Amateur

    Location:
    Oregon
    Yeah, I'd say that the 11/30 performances are generally fine, but not outstanding. Some are kind of rough and sluggish. I realize that some people think it's a great feature that Donna isn't here, but I miss her vocal parts, and I think the band missed her, too. The abridged version here also happens to cut some uptempo numbers, which mostly leaves a lot of long, slow, languid and chilled pieces, one after another. The pacing really drags, I always feel. The full concert, even with all of the AUD patches, is a better listen.

    This could've been a better collection if Dick had just dropped most of the first set, since he wasn't presenting full shows, anyway, and included highlights from 12/1, the night he skipped.
     
  18. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al Thread Starter

    Clickable thread guide

    List of releases

    By Release Date
    By Concert Date
    This week: 1973-12-02 Boston (released 1999-06-18 on Dick's Picks 14)

    Next week: 1977-09-03 Englishtown (released 1999-10-18 on Dick's Picks 15)

    Fair warning: the 5-disc So Many Roads set will follow Dick's Picks 15.
     
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  19. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al Thread Starter

    [​IMG]

    Dick's Picks Volume 14

    Recording date: December 2, 1973
    Recording location: Boston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts.
    Release date: June 18, 1999
    Recorded by: Bill Candelario

    Disc 3
    12/2 First set:
    1. “Cold Rain and Snow” (traditional) – 7:21
    2. “Beat It on Down the Line” (Jesse Fuller) – 3:40
    3. “Brown-Eyed Woman/The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down/Beer Barrel Polka” (Brown, Franklin, Friend, Garcia, Hunter, Timm, Vejvoda, Zeman) – 7:48
    4. “Jack Straw” (Hunter, Weir) – 5:21
    5. “Ramble on Rose” (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:04
    6. “Weather Report Suite” (Anderson, Barlow, Weir) – 15:54
    7. 12/2 Second set: “Wharf Rat” > (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:38
    8. “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo” > (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:03
    Disc 4
    1. “Playing in the Band” > (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 12:09
    2. “Jam” (Grateful Dead) > – 15:39
    3. “He's Gone” > (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:27
    4. “Truckin'” > (Garcia, Phil Lesh, Weir, Hunter) – 13:34
    5. “Stella Blue” (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:15
    6. 12/2 Encore: “Morning Dew” (Dobson, Rose) – 14:31
    The first two discs of Dick’s Picks 14 covered the first show of a three-night run at the Boston Music Hall, and we discussed that last week. This week it’s on to the last two discs, which cover the final night.

    In sound it’s very similar to the November 30 show - somewhat introspective and often quiet. We start with some first-set songs, including a fine Weather Report Suite (the superior of the two versions on Dick’s Picks 14 in my opinion). The disc is rounded out with a quiet-yet-intense pairing of Wharf Rat (the ending is sublime) and Mississippi Half-Step.

    But it’s disc 4 that’s the key for this Pick. It opens with Playing in the Band, and they quickly get the singing out of the way. Phil immediately picks up the lead, setting the rudder for new territory.

    It’s hard to tell where Playing stops and the Jam starts - it’s one long, lovely sequence. It builds, then drops into a very chaotic space. This is dense, challenging music, and not something to play if you’re trying to make a new fan of an inexperienced listener. Eventually it changes into a lovely Mind Left Body jam, bringing the listener back to some semblance of normality.

    Next up is a mellow He’s Gone with a gorgeous ending jam. Then comes Truckin’, not a driving version, but more exploratory, with a distinct Nobody’s Fault jam in the middle. The sequence ends with a controlled Stella Blue, a great selection. Providing a perfect bookend for the shows, the encore is Morning Dew.

    In my opinion, 12/2 is the most consistent show of the two on this Pick, and disc 4 is essential Dead. But in the end, Dick’s Picks 14 falls just slightly short of being top-shelf from start to finish for me, and as a result isn’t quite at the top of the 1973 pile. Nevertheless, having said that, it’s got plenty to love and shouldn’t be overlooked! It was also the last Pick released while Dick was alive.
     
  20. Crispy Rob

    Crispy Rob Cat Juggler

    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    Dicks' Picks 14, Discs 1 and 2: 11/30/73

    I've never heard the full show, but might give it a whirl soon. as a friend happened to send me links to all three nights of this run recently (he particularly pointed out the Uncle John's from 12/1, which I don't think I've ever heard).

    I was familiar with the meat of the 12/2 show before this release, as I had a tape with at least the big jam, but hadn't heard 11/30/73 until the official release.

    Agree that the Set 1 material is pretty average for the time. I'm not sure that I love the slow-tempo Dire Wolf, but it's unusual compared to most versions (I honestly can't recall if it's an unusual approach for '73 versions or not). I always dig TLEO, both in its earlier faster incarnations and in the post-Reflections slower approach, and this one, toward the back end of Disc 1, is the first song in what's presented here from the first set that really seemed to fully gel. The Playing in the Band is terrific as usual from this period.

    Set II is a really nice long ride. Here Comes Sunshine has a couple different peaks in the jamming, the first one driven by Keith really pounding out chords at one point, a different approach than usual for him. The whole band is fully in synch. Not quite up there with the absolute best versions (like 12/19/73), but not that far behind either. Very nice Let It Grow, enjoyable Dark Star Jam, and a great Eyes of the World. The Sugar Magnolia is a bit sloppy and I liked it less than most pre-hiatus versions.

    A good show and nice to have, but 12/2 is better.
     
  21. Crazy Otto

    Crazy Otto Voodoo all night long

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    There's great slowed-down Dire Wolf on the Denver '73 Road Trips, aka 11/21/73.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2021
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  22. GuitarStrangler

    GuitarStrangler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Slovenia, Europe
    Yeah, that's what I usually feel about half of them anyway, so there you go :angel:
    I mean to say that very often nothing remarkable happens until they hit "Let it Grow" part, especially from the first jam on.

    Anyway I can remember I was really ecstatic last time I've listened to DiP14 and that 2nd disc had really elevated me... But I was under a good dose of whiskey and in a really suitable mood. Next time it may not hit me the same way...
     
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  23. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    I guess it would have been tricky to condense 11/30/73 to one CD (as fans would have complained if Dick had dropped "Morning Dew," "WRS Part 1" or "Dark Star Jam") and a five CD set wasn't likely in those days.
     
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  24. polchik

    polchik Forum Resident

    thanks for this !!
     
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  25. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    As I mentioned earlier, it interests me that back in the 90's some people who had an audience tape of 11/30/73 seemed convinced it was one of the best shows the Dead ever played. If you have the Compendium, the review there is similar to what I read from them.
     

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