@kevin - I love that you give us this daily report, it helps me orient in Space & Time, which is valuable for me. Right now I seem to be in Cheyenne... Great Northern out of Cheyenne, from sea to shining sea...
This is precisely what turns me off what I have heard of Spring ‘90 - I find it exhausting. It sounds like a race to me. Of course, others hear glory so it means different things to different people. In my opinion, that’s the best thing on Download Series Vol. 4. They really seemed to hit upon a good platform with the end of set PITB>something>PITBs in that period. The PITB>Supplication>PITB from 24 September ‘76/Dave’s Picks Vol. 4 is another. Many point to the PITB>Wheel>PITB from 26 February ‘77/Dave’s Picks Vol. 29 as a real winner. Not that they hadn’t already shown pre-retirement that first-set-ending PITBs comprised some of their most fertile territory, but these ones are a little different. Speaking of ‘76 (again) and specifically the September-October shows, what are people’s favourites? I sheepishly admit I have only heard 25 and 28 September (Dick’s Picks Vol. 20) once and don’t remember or own it and am yet to listen to 3 October ‘76/30 Trips despite owning it. I really rate 24 September ‘76. Other than the Day On The Green shows, what should I be listening to from this run? Also, I haven’t forgotten the nice JGB show from November ‘76 that was a GarciaLive release a while back...
Those 1990 Cleveland shows were such a trip seeing a new keyboard player where Brent used to sit. They were 6 or 7 songs in before Jerry introduced Vince. He held is own though and even at the time I thought the shows were good. The transition from just Vince to Vince and Hornsby between the Friday and Saturday night MSG shows was pretty remarkable. Hornsby brought a different level of energy. I certainly thought 9-15 and beyond were fantastic but I must say there was a certain groove they had Friday night w/o Hornsby that worked. Killer Scarlet>Fire Truckin'>Terrapin that is overlooked by most heads.
www.archive.org/details/gd77-04-25.sbd.symons.15879.sbeok.shnf/gd77-04-25d3t05.shn On this version its part of the Wharf Rat track, starts at about 15:30. IMO they'd been back in 'Playin jam' territory since around 11:00 of that track, if not sooner. From what Wikipedia says, the official release seems to be tracked in the same way, with the start of the Playin reprise track not starting until they definitively play the 'return to song' riff
The NFA>GDTRFB>NFA from 9/21/72 is a perfect example of why 1972 GD will always be better than 1973 GD for me. While the musicianship and group improvisation is at an amazing level in both years, in ‘72 there is a rollicking, spinning on the edge of a cliff intensity. ‘73, on the other hand, is laaaaaaaiiiiiidddd back.
Winterland San Fransisco 78-10-21 Set 1 Hamza el Din song#1 Hamza el Din song#2 Ollin Arrageed -> The Promised Land Sugaree Passenger Ramble On Rose Looks Like Rain Stagger Lee I Need A Miracle Set 2 Bertha -> Good Lovin' It Must Have Been The Roses Estimated Prophet -> He's Gone -> Drums * -> Space * -> Got My Mojo Workin * -> The Other One -> Stella Blue -> Sugar Magnolia * Encore U.S. Blues *with Lee Oskar on harp
One of my favorite Scarlet>Fires experienced live. It didn't hurt that I was front row center that night, and Jerry was looking right at me and we were boogieing together during part of it. [Edit: Very hot-for-the-time-period Other One that night (9/14/90 MSG) as well.]
I am currently listening to that Ark show...Let me put it this way ...when Dark Star is song two in the first set you KNOW you are listening to an Ark '69 show.
Still at Winterland. Don't miss out on The other one. Jerry's playing on the theme in the last min or so is some cool hard rocking shiiit
I FORGOT! Happy 50th to the Ark shows ...arguably the greatest of unreleased shows right up there with RFK '73.
4/24/72 paving the way for the great 4/26/72 which is so perfect a show I can’t even stand it. The Bertha, China > Rider, Truckin all cook, with an absolutely epic Lovelight that simply smokes. Go ahead, pick a song on 4/26 and it could be considered a top tier version. A lot of Dead shows ebb and flow with all sorts of different engagement, energy levels, highlights and clams. Not 4/26, it’s amazing from start to finish. In my world, it’s a top 5. Back to 4/24 though, a very heavy Truckin opens the show which is already somewhat rare, no? Jam here is pure rock and roll, with Phil and Billy driving especially hard. On the Europe master in particular, the sound of the drums and bass is raw and thick, love it. Not sure if Rhein is the same master. I remember seeing the Rhein release in stores back when it came out and it seemed so massive to me at the time. Since I was new to the Dead at the time I didn’t buy it, but was very happy to get the Euro release when it came out. As good as 4/26? No, but a great, great appetizer for it.
Great Dark Star > Uncle > Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Sugar Magnolia! The transition into Wharf Rat was very nice, and led to a pretty stellar version! And that Playing in the Band is an absolute killer, damn. Goes deep and heavy for the entirety of a short 8-9 minutes.
today only (10am 4pm eastern time, USA) using the code 09FLASH you can get the hardcover book on Cornell '77 for $15 from the publisher. (this code will work for any in stock book) There may be additional cost for shipping and copies may be available for less from other retailers -- but it's always good to directly support a publisher these days so spare a few extra bucks if you can. Cornell '77, The Music, the Myth, and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead's Concert at Barton Hall
Found a used copy of Rockin' The Rhein the other day. Seems like the perfect day to fire it up. I don't think I've ever hear this show either.
Yeah, Jerry's playing during Fire was, well, blazing! I remember two rows in front of us were these really tough looking guys with their "Outerbridge Crossing" gang jackets on and they all were swaying and dancing during Truckin>Terrapin. I completely forgot about the Other One. I think I'll need to hit the archive tonight and listen to that show.
I liked it so much, I listened to it again. Specifically, the best "Eyes" in the world (see what I did there?) from 9/7/73 Nassau Coliseum. The Fender Rhodes groove is in the freakin' pocket while Jerry slashes like Keith Richards' "Sympathy" solos in 1969.
Lots of sibilance on the Grateful Dead Movie soundtrack. Drums sound like they’re being played deep inside a cave. What is the perfect Grateful Dead live release? Perfect performance and perfect sound. Does it even exist? Are we to obsessed to hear this music as a child? Oh, the excuses we make. Imagine someone from the outside listening in on some of these releases. They’d most likely be repulsed and there you have it. But we do let people into our space and they’re going to hear it eventually. They don’t know the storyline. Be careful.
As a curated 4-disc collection of a run, Ladies and Gentlemen the Grateful Dead April 1971 is as close to perfect as you’ll get. One small exception is that there’s no “Playing in the Band” on it.
