Shug

Mainly coke, I think.

I was gonna suggest it was everyone getting their high just exactly perfect, but thought it might be too crass or too obvious.  But I'm sure its true to some degree.

Yeah, it makes me wonder what the variables were for the Dead that allowed those hot streaks to happen.  Was it something mundane about touring life that was going right for everyone in the band all at the same time?  No one was in a bad mood for a few weeks?  Something made band members feel particularly connected or more interested in usual with doing something they did a lot of?  In all the books and interviews  I've read about the Dead, I don't recall that topic being explored very deeply.  I recall a few quotes in David Gans' first book from Jerry and Bob about not trying to force it and also passing responsibility for the good and the bad nights off onto the mysterious thing/force that made the music come together or not.  Something along the lines of "You can't make it happen when it ain't happening, as hard as you try, and when it is happening its almost as hard to mess it up"

and 3 days after Wichita 11-15-72 they played another monster Playin' in Houston 11-18-72.  This one is intense, just a bit shorter than the Wichita, but may be one of the greatest performances by the Dead ever.  Wow, they are going off!!!

https://archive.org/details/gd72-11-18.set2-sbd.cotsman.9002.sbeok.shnf

November 1972 is one of those months for the Dead when they could do no wrong, "Can't stop the train, gotta let it roll on".

Kinda like May 1977, April 1978, October/November 1979, June 1985.

Listening to Today in GD History, 3-29-85 Nassau. Middle of the 6 years I was off the bus. Never knew they did Baby What You Want Me To Do. I always knew that as a Hot Tuna sing on Yellow Fever. Brent does a good job with it.

 

 

I'm two days late, but this reminded me of what I think is an even better show on 3-28-85 Nassau.  They opened with Truckin'>Smokestack Lightning and High Time and it stayed hot all the way through to the nice jam after Looks Like Rain.  I especially enjoy the entire first set.  Matthew Kelly from Kingfish taking a nice harmonica solo in Smokestack, too.

https://archive.org/details/gd1985-03-28.118304.sbd.healy.damico.flac16

1985 had some really strong first sets.

Nice^. Loved when they did Torn & Frayed, too....

Me, too, a perfect Stones cover for them.  They did it really well in 2006, I especially dig the version from Houston 7-2-06. http://instantlive.shop.musictoday.com/Product.aspx?cp=858_4575_8569&pc=IVCD328

Not sure when this version is from, but it sounds good. https://youtu.be/5smge7OrXDo

If you are willing to spend a little bit, you can still purchase some of the Instant Live recordings from 2005 and 2006 shows.  They have reduced the price to $10 for most of those two or three CD sets.

If you don't have it and you like the Crowes with Marc Ford going for long jams, you gotta hear 5-14-05 Hampton Beach, NH.  Its one of the best shows they ever played, IMO, definitely in the top 5 for 2005/2006.  They jam for about 10 minutes on Black Moon Creeping before they even start the song and its heavy and intense!  Also a Thorn's Progress jam among others that night.  Holy shit, they were on fire.

http://instantlive.shop.musictoday.com/Product.aspx?cp=858_4575_8569&pc=IVCD208

Its a long history of incidents like that that I'm talking about, Lammy.  It might be justified for CR to go off on an obnoxious fan, but it still is hostile and its not consistent with being a peace and love hippie, in my view.

Steve said even more clearly on his radio show what CR did to nix the 2015 tour, the link to that is posted above..  From all of what I know about the Crowes from following them for so long, along with Steve and Rich being on the same page in their recent comments, I have no reason to doubt what they say.  There is a long list of incidents that are well documented in which CR has been aggressive and hostile, even to his own audience, so I think its a joke that he is increasingly trying to portray an image of a peace and love hippie when his behavior for years has consistently demonstrated the opposite.

Rich has covered Free in the Crowes and in his solo bands (Ride On A Pony and Oh I Wept), so I can see him really wanting to get to play those songs with Paul Rodgers on vocals.  I got tickets to this Bad Co/Joe Walsh tour before I knew Ralphs was not gonna make it and Rich was taking his place.  I'm excited to hear Rich play with Paul, especially the Free songs I'm guessing they will do, as well as the Bad Co songs, and I'm a little bummed Mick Ralphs won't be there.  Its hard to decide which I would prefer but I'm stoked to hear Rich play ripping electric guitar any chance I get.

As for the shit between Chris and Rich, I believe that Rich has stoicly and with public dignity put up with Chris' diva shit all these years and Chris' nixing the 2015 tour, especially the way he did it, by demanding ludicrous and demeaning terms from the rest of the band, was the last straw for Rich.  I think Rich wanted to explain to the fans to whom he and Steve clearly feel a loyalty, that he is sorry the tour didn't happen and he didn't want the blame falling on him or the rest of the band, but on Chris, who deserves it.

I have the Hundred Year Hall cd, but it is all ding up and doesn't play that well, so I have not listened to that release in a long while.

 

I listen to the complete show via the box set - but I think I read that the Hundred Year Hall release is a different and perhaps better mix

I think the mixes for Hundred Year Hall, Rockin' The Rhein and Steppin' Out are different from those on the Europe 72 box, with the mixes on the box not being as detailed and meticulous as the earlier releases mentioned.  Its one of the reasons I think that Steppin' Out compilation is really good, it sounds fantastic and that allows me to really hear the performances clearly.  That and the incredible Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia>Caution!

"Let’s not forget that big chunks of this tour previously appeared on the archival releases Hundred Year Hall (released in 1995), Steppin’ Out (a compilation of songs recorded on this tour in England, released in 2002), and Rockin’ the Rhein (released in 2004). Also, the box set The Golden Road (released in 2001) and the later individual re-issue of Europe ’72 contained bonus tracks from the tour. Astute listeners will notice that the mixes on these earlier releases is much more refined in terms of dynamics, equalization, reverb, and other sonic niceties than it is on the 2011 box. Keith Godchaux in particular receives more attention to detail on the older mixes. On the 2011 mixes, there is even a distortion issue with the vocals on every show up to the first Paris show (5/3/72) that then pretty much clears up for the rest of the box. Obviously the mixing budget for Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings did not allow for the “extravagance” of the earlier, higher-fidelity mixes."

http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-europe-72-overdubs-guest-post.html

Yep, nothing like 72 and its Dark Stars and Other Ones, I agree.

https://youtu.be/idUIhfmOkfI Nice version of Mission In The Rain to open this late show/second set of JGB in 1980.  Ozzie Ahlers keyboard sound kind reminds me of the sound Brent was getting in 1979 and a little bit in 1980 and 1981.  I don't like Ozzie's sound as much as I like Brent's (electric clavinet?).  

Brent was using it still in 1981 like on this funky version of Feel Like A Stranger from the 5-16-81 Cornell show we've been talking about.  https://archive.org/details/gd1981-05-16.sbd.miller.30647.sbeok.flac16

Made it up to 1987 so far in the 30 Trips set. Everyone knows the 9/18/87 MSG show, for good reason. Maybe the best show of the Brent era, or at least the second set? Even the Watchtower is exciting, and the Heaven's Door is engaging. Of course the Dew. Gotta be up there with the Warlocks and Branford shows. For someone who poo-poos Brent, this stuff is pretty good. 

Backing up a few years, is the 5/16/81 Cornell  from the 30 Trips set SBD all the way through?  On archive it goes to AUD on Stella Blue to the end of the show.  I'd like to know if they restored the full show as a SBD recording.

Just announced, the July 1978 Betty Boards official box set release:

 

http://www.dead.net/store/1970s/july-1978-complete-recordings?intcmp=home/carousel1

I had those Red Rocks shows on cassette years ago, I always thought they were great, haven't heard the others in this box.

7/8/78 is strong, especially the Estimated>Other One>Eyes.  The outro jam on Estimated goes on for awhile into some interesting sounds.  I've also not heard the other shows besides the Red Rocks nights.  Some of those second sets are short.  I think 1978 is the peak year for Estimated Prophet, Black Peter and Music Never Stopped and Good Lovin' without Pigpen and probably US Blues for folks that don't dislike that tune.

Rolling Stone is reporting that they will also sell 7-8-78 by itself.  http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-grateful-deads-sublime-wharf-rat-from-first-ever-red-rocks-run-20160315

I had a huge backlog of downloaded live Dead stuff on my computer that needed to be labeled by hand, each track.  It was a big job and I forced myself to stop downloading stuff until I got all the stuff I already had labeled.  Whew!  Just got it done a few weeks ago and that was a load off.  I feel for ya.  Now I get to download more shows, yeah!  At least all the songs are labeled if you by the official releases that are still in print.

Hey fanatics: which shows or releases (Dick's Picks, etc.) do you consider absolute must-haves? Like, "If it disappeared from my hard drive and I couldn't ever find a replacement, I'd be devastated."

 

The reason I ask is because I recently had to completely replace my operating system, and am now tasked with going in and manually adding all my stuff back into iTunes. I just can't sort through all of it, especially since I have so many artists. I don't have the time to pull everything I can fit that's archived on my external hard drive.

 

With the Dead, I put in a few essential studio albums, Europe '72, and a few random shows like 3/1/69, 7/18/72, etc. Problem with adding back shows is that some require labeling songs, and so on, and it's just a bitch.

 

Whaddya think?

This is a good resource for quickly seeing what has been released.  Some of it is out of print, though.  http://deaddisc.com/

I know you have clear opinions on what you like and don't, so you can probably eliminate yourself the stuff you are not interested in.  Its such a personal preference, so a hard question to answer

For me, the official releases I listen to over and over include:

Dick's Picks, Vol. 4, 1996 : Fillmore East, 2/13-14/70

Dick's Picks, Vol. 12, 1998 : Providence & Boston, 6/26 & 28/74

Dick's Picks, Vol. 18, 2000 : Madison & Cedar Falls, 2/3 & 5/78

Dick's Picks, Vol. 28, 2003 : Lincoln & Salt Lake City, 2/26 & 28/73

Road Trips: Vol 1, Number 1: Fall 1979

Road Trips: Vol 2, Number 3: June 1974: Wall of Sound

Dave's Picks Volume 7: Horton Field House, Illinois State, Normal, 4/24/78

Dave's Picks Volume 11: Convention Hall, Wichita, KS 11/17/72

Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings

Fillmore West 1969: Compilation

Go To Nassau, 1980

Steppin' Out, England 1972

Reckoning, acoustic 1980

Sunshine Daydream the Springfield Creamery Benefit Veneta, Oregon August 27, 1972.

My 1971 throwback weekend continues with a spin through Three From the Vault, Portchester 2-19-71. I think it was Garcia who called this band the "shoot em up cowboy bar band", or something like that. Hits the mark. This was a couple of years before I caught on, but this was a good deal of the GD music we listened to at the time. The band really swings.

 

 

I think we spoke of it a few months back, but if you are in a 1971 frame of mind, don't forget the two strong shows in Berkeley on 8/14/71 and 8/15/71.  Ferocious guitar tones from Jerry!  https://archive.org/details/gd71-08-15.sbd.ladner.21780.sbeok.shnf

I don't have Dicks Picks 35 or Road Trips Vol. 1 No. 3 but they covered August 1971 pretty well, but I still dig those two Berkeley shows.

Gaelic Park Bronx 8-26-71 another show with the 5 piece Pigpen lineup and one of only two versions of Empty Pages.  Pig's vocals are a bit rough but if you like a Pigpen soul power ballad, its worth a listen.

https://archive.org/details/gd71-08-26.sbd.dopey.1559.sbeok.shnf

What are the odds that  Wilco will do a run of shows in Chicago this winter, maybe in December or January or February?  If anybody hears anything, please let us know.  My live Wilco drought continues and won't be abated with any of the shows announced thus far for 2016.

Row Jimmy 89-90 was awesome! Did not car for the Jerry slide versions in the early 70s though. Never skip Roses!

I remember hearing a Row Jimmy (which wasn't really a favorite song of mine) 12/30/91 Oakland,  and I heard Phil do this awesome melodic bass part that seemed like it was something brand new that he usually didn't play, it really opened my ears to that song.

https://archive.org/details/gd1991-12-30.sbd.miller.32574.sbeok.flac16

 

Early 80s brent was his best in my opinion...1979 Spring tour really underrated and the Spring / Summer 1980 stuff is really amazing...

 

 

CHECK out the Far From Me on 06 September 1980...That was really well done and Jerry sizzled during the finale portion....

https://archive.org/details/gd1980-09-06.nak300.friend.andrewf.101685.flac16

I like Brent's sound in 1979 and 1980 alot, too.  I'm partial to the Fall tour of 1979, they were on a hot streak at the end of October and first part of November for sure.  New Haven, Cape Cod, Nassau and then Philly were all very strong.  I've not checked out the Spring very much, are there particular shows that you think are strong from that tour?

As for 1980, that Lewiston show is probably the best of the year and maybe even a candidate for the best of the entire 80s.  I also really like the Go To Nassau album from May 1980, the sound is fantastic.  The first set tunes seem stronger than the second set songs, though.  I love that High Time. http://deaddisc.com/disc/Go_To_Nassau.htm

I like Tons of Steel (wife says it's "bad") and We Can Run.

 

Don't care for Just a  Little Light, though. The carnival-esque keys are a turn off, and used to really like "

Take You Home," but it's hard to listen to, now.

 

Love Easy to Love You, Far From Me, Maybe You Know, Blow Away, Pocky Way, Louie, Louie.

 

As much as I appreciate a lot of his lead vocal tunes, he really shined on backing vocals and co-vocals (Gimme Some Lovin', Mr. Fantasy, Keep On Growing, Let the Good Times Roll, etc.)

My thoughts almost exactly (except I don't like We Can Run).  Tons Of Steel is my fave Brent song and his earlier songs were mostly better than his later songs.  He was a nice change of pace on the occasional lead vocal but his backing vocals were one of his major contributions to the sound.  Him and Phil on Gimme Some Lovin'  and him and Jerry on Dear Mr. Fantasy makes a cool vocal blend to my ears.  What were his best backing vocal Bobby tunes?  Cassidy?  Gotta think about that one a little bit.  I mean if you can make Phil sound good, you are doing your job as a backing vocalist!

https://archive.org/details/gd1987-03-24.sbd.milller.94349.sbeok.flac16

3-24-87 Hampton  Jack Straw is smoking with the whole band firing on all cylinders right from the start especially Phil and the drummers and Jerry blazing away in the jam. Followed by a really good Candyman except for the blown lyrics in the first verse, but he recovers well and they pull out a corker.  This first set is pretty good all the way through.  A very strong Terrapin Station in the second set is another highlight.

I'm not as down on 80s Dead as some folks are, but I understand why they feel that way and I somewhat agree.  For me, its more about the guitar tones becoming less and less organic/traditional and more and more processed to the point they sometimes don't sound like guitars at all (and I'm not just taking about the MIDI stuff, I mean in general playing).  I did think it was kinda cool to have Jerry's guitar sound like horns on Ramble On Rose or Mexicali Blues, but I think they overdid it for my tastes.  A little of that is plenty for me.  So in the early 80s, I still liked the guitar tones.  Around 1988 is when I find the processed guitar tones finally reached the tipping point too much for me to not feel disappointed when I try to listen to those shows now.  I know they played pretty well on the Summer 1989, Fall 1989 and Spring 1990 and even summer 1990, but I'm not fond of the tones in those years. Brent's keyboard sounds got worse, too, I think, right at the same pace and Jerry and Bobby's tones did.  I wish he would've stuck to a B-3, Fender Rhodes, and an actual acoustic piano (and whatever the keyboard was that made that funky sound in 1979!).

An even though 1985 has its obvious flaws, I love that year and I think there were plenty of hot shows with fantastic ensemble playing (Hershey Park, Saratoga, Merriweather, Cuyahoga, the Greek, Long Island and Philly in the Spring, etc) and I vastly prefer 1985 to 1988 or anything afterwards.

And I really dig Spring 1987 for Jerry's triumphant return to the East.  Touch of Greys and Candymans on that tour were usually exceptional, due to Jerry and the crowds emotional poignancy for those songs at that time.  Too bad the soundboards are really mostly AUD recordings, though.  Good summer tour that year, too.  Oakland and Anaheim were hot with Dylan.

I think the early and mid 80s were pretty good, later 80s was when the shows were far less consistently satisfying to me.

Not making Red Rocks this year, nor the two shows in Louisville this spring, either.  I'm hoping they do some indoor theater shows at the end of the year.  The band minus Jim are going to back Ray Lamontagne on his summer tour, so no Jacket shows in the summer other than the few festivals.  I see they are gonna do Lockn this year.  After all that is done, I hope they'll want to do a run at Cap Theater Port Chester.

A year with no live Wilco nor any live My Morning Jacket for me so far and there will not be unless either band pulls out some end of the year multi-night runs in an indoor venue.

I wish they'd announce this shit, its hard to plan my year without that info!!!

That show is an all timer, particularly the seamless Truckin> thru GDTRFB.

Yeah, that part SMOKES!  Killer Truckin' and the jam out of it into a Mind Left Body jam, sweet!

So, I've always preferred the '72 China>Riders to any other era. Which ones from '73-'74 would you fanatics recommend as the best?

I like the tightness of the '72 ones, too, maybe it has something to do with the guitar tones as well, just a hair more country rock sounding?  But for '74, in addition to those mentioned, 5/19/74 Portland, Oregon is a good one.

https://archive.org/details/gd74-05-19.sbd.clugston.6957.sbeok.shnf