This morning I continued my Brentathon with 1985/07/01 Columbia, MD and I might have to agree with @LandHorses that this is an even better night than the first night. I would argue that this 2nd night at MPP has the stronger first set, but I kind of like the 2nd set from the 6/30 show a little more; however, all 4 sets are killer, 7/1 is the better full show overall I'd say, and this run is deserving of an official release to give the era more spotlight to newbies and seasoned vets who may have neglected the mid 80s period. Jerry's on absolute fire on guitar, constantly throwing out fresh ideas and tasty licks, playing like his life depends on it. His vocals can be a little rough, but I still hear traces of his younger voice still in there. I'm really intrigued from these two nights to check out the rest of the Summer '85 This afternoon I'm moving on to a short show at just over 2 hours. 1987/07/12 East Rutherford, NJ (Giants Stadium 87, 89, 91) What a change from '85 and earlier, to this late 80s post-coma Dead, where the sound is definitely bigger, fuller, if that makes sense, but it's not a huge difference from a couple of years earlier. Jerry's guitar is noticeably less energetic than in the '82 and '85 I've listened to this past week, but his clean tone is also noticeably more full bodied and it's pretty amazing how good he sounds considering he mostly forgot how to play for a little while before this. His vocals have lost all traces of his younger singing voice, though, could that be from the coma?? and he has that classic late 80s/early 90s weary tired traveler sound in his voice, which I do like during this period.
I'm just curious, what are the experts best shows of 95? I saw the Giants/Wharf rat debacle, I was so far away I couldn't really tell what was happening at the time. Saw first and last Vegas, last was pretty good. Chapel Hill a really nice DSBD circulated and don't know how much I liked because of sound quality or performance. Drumz was top notch that year for what it is worth.
I listened to this one recently, first time in a while, although it's an old favorite. I was little surprised at just how "rough around the edges" this show was. Forgotten lyrics, a few sloppy transitions, etc. Obviously there's some fierce playing as well, but that may be why Dave hasn't released it yet. The whole thing definitely seemed a lot more "shaky" than most shows from ca. 1982-84 (or earlier), which may be why Dave hasn't released it yet. It seems a characteristic of a lot of shows from '85, '86 and '88.
3/18/95 Spectrum is really good (for 95 standards). Jerry shows up for the most part. “Visions of Johanna” was used on Fallout From The Phil Zone. Has the debut of Vince’s “It’s All Too Much” Beatles cover.
The '85 shows don't sound any worse than a whole bunch of other shows that have been released that I found to be average, mediocre, or straight up boring. I'd take any of those two MPP '85 shows over Dave's Picks 44 from Eugene, OR 1990/06/23, or what's been released from '88 or some of the Vince-era stuff. I'd say over post-hiatus with Keith, but I don't want to be reported. I like live music that's rough around the edges, anyway, as long as the good are brought.
I liked it too, especially the 2nd set, I was saying that the '85 MPP shows were just as deserving of release. I was trying to think of a recent release I wasn't that excited about when it came out (though I'm due to relisten to that Eugene '90 show for a re-evaluation)
Me too, I love Spring '90 and other shows I've heard from Summer '90 (6/16, 7/8, 7/18, 7/19) are great as well.
Another thing I noticed going from '85 to '87 is Brent sounds more confident in his singing, or it's at least more prominent in the mix, compared to what I've heard from '79-'85
He always sounded like a confident singer to me, I think it has more to do with the change in the character of his voice in the later years…much more gravelly, so it didn’t blend as well on the harmonies.
Whatever it is, it sticks out more. I didn't mean to say he wasn't confident in the earlier tours, just that there is a difference between pre-coma and post-coma. More character makes sense, or at least he embellished his style more.
I think Brent oversang a big more post coma……sometimes tried to get too rock star…….overdid it on later versions of “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” (Make it SNA-PEEEE).
Probably because Jerry took more of an interest in Brent and everyone else after he left his heroin haze for a bit.
3/23/95 Charlotte is considered one the best of the year. It’s still a ‘95 show so it’s not without its flaws in particular a number of lyrical flubs. But there is also some good music and noteworthy moments. The first set is pretty good overall despite some ups and downs although it ends abruptly after So Many Roads. In the second set the Unbroken Chain opener is cool; Scarlet > Fire is unfortunately a bit more ‘95-ish but still enjoyable. Then comes what makes it a top show of the year: Corrina > Matilda > Jam > Drums > Space > Days Between. There’s some good musical interplay with Bruce who was sitting in that night and starting from the second half of Corrina it’s a cool sequence.
First listen to 1980/10/09-10 San Francisco, CA (The Warfield) this evening. I really like the types of acoustic performances they did in '70 and '80. Gets to that roots vibe but still has that regular Dead energy, while also getting a chance to hear some songs that are more on the rare side, like Been All Around This World, Dark Hallow, Ripple, Monkey and the Engineer, and Heaven Help The Fool. This sounds like a nice companion to Reckoning. Nice to hear Brent on real piano, in this context. Weird that this never happened when Keith was in the band.
I like it when Mickey says he's a percussionist, not a drummer, and Bill says, "Yeah, he's not even a drummer."
Makes me wonder what 80s Dead would have sounded like if Brent had decided to ditch the keyboards and mainly play a baby grand piano all the time.
Not sure where I read or heard this, but one of the issues with Keith is he was reluctant to leave piano and piano-like setups. I think part of what got Brent the job was he could rock on organ. I don't think anyone in the band wanted him to play piano all the time. Although, I think the real or central issue with Keith is he was one heroin addict too many, and was the one they could throw out.
The quote from Weir and/or Garcia was that they were "hungry for color" (=non-piano keyboard stuff) by 1979.