Vacant Horizon

I'm talking in a big scale. Always will be a core but streaming/renting. SPOTIFY is the future

I've actually gone back to listening to CDs as spotify was too overwhelming. Also, I can't stand being on computer for any length of time. Of course I'm on one now. I just don't care for music interface stuff. I don't think CDs will die until gen-x dies off.

Ironically, used CDs ar dirt cheap these days. It's awesome.

Another point I've thinking about is the way Dylan has released his archives and maintained a relatively listenable, if not, brilliant output. As compared to Neil Young. Everybody suffered in the 80s. Dylan had some good stuff there. NY basically put out a load of unlistenable crap. Now, Neil is putting out such junk and goofy. (Red sky not withstanding)

I'm on pain medication, so this may make no sense.

There are some samples up on iTunes. Some drastically different versions of familiar tunes.

I saw the reunion show. It was mediocre. Still fun.

And they are recording with Peter Buck, with a spring 2016 target for release.

 

https://www.facebook.com/jayhawksofficial/photos/a.197659083591434.51048.196510573706285/1054238964600104/?type=3&theater

Heard Tomorrow the Green Grass at the record store last weekend (yes, we still have one!).  That record and Hollywood Town Hall are so damn good!  Too good.  I hope the new album is more in the vein of Rainy Day Music.  I'm not sure what happened with that last record.  Seemed to have so much potential, but it basically broke the band up again.  Olson says he wants nothing to do with Louris.  Olson has a new record out.  Some good songs, but the production is a little weird with his girlfriend's vocals all reverbed out.  I still love some of Olson's Creekdipper stuff.  Oh, and I hope Tim gets a few tunes on the new album.  Love his voice and songs.  His solo album is excellent.

Oh, yeah.  I have a vinyl bootleg from the European tour in 1980, I think, for the Saved album.  I believe Like A Rolling Stone is the second song of the set and the band is killing it and Dylan is waaayyy into it vocally, just a superb performance.  I really like his gospel period.  Those records were well recorded with great bands.  And somehow when Dylan sings religious stuff, its not offensive or disgusting to me because I know he gets the true meaning of those spiritual teachings and not what the greedy power-mongers of institutionalized religions have twisted it into for centuries.

I agree with this.  Even though Dylan is so 'on the nose' with his Christian lyrics it doesn't bother me.  I'd love to see a live comp from each of his tours.  

Yes!!!  More genius, inspired songwriting from Dylan buried in a collection of mediocre songs.  Somehow that makes it even better (by contrast?).  What a great great song, just as good as Every Grain of Sand to me.

 

I feel the same way about Where Are You Tonight? on Street Legal (although that album as a whole is far less mediocre than Emprie Burlesque, IMO).

Somewhere I read that Dylan needed one more song for Empire and the producer or whoever suggested he write an acoustic tune.  So he went back to his hotel room and knocked it out.  So, he was capable of putting together good stuff.  I just don't think he gave a shit.  I know I'd go through periods of apathy if I'd been writing music for 25 years.

I have got to get this!!

Garcia's change in demeanor and voice from 81-82 is pretty striking.  That fun loving dude from the Radio City run press conference a mere 18 months before was almost gone.  I might be overstating things a bit, but damn he was still 39 years old.  Of course, the playing was still incredible.

Yeah, that Dew is fantastic from Portland. The whole show is very good, even with a few warts of flubbed lyrics, etc. here and there. First set Throwing Stones-> Deal to end it is right on and, imo, nothing finer than a Bertha to kick off a show.

Early Throwin' in the first set was fun.  It was cool to see the song evolve.  It's so crazy to me how those In The Dark tunes were basically introduced so soon after Go To Heaven.  They seem like late 80s songs, but really are early 80s.

Not to mention all the live stuff. I'd love to get some curated live sets from tours over the last 20 years with his excellent band.

I'm a weird Dylan fan.  I actually prefer the post Blonde On Blonde stuff.  I love the instrumentation, but his voice is a little tough to take at times.  Cliche, I know.  I need to make another effort.

82 show would be cool!

Seeing Empire Burlesque mentioned reminded me how Dark Eyes is one of my favorite Dylan songs.

You could pull together a nice compilation form 80-89.  Infidels, however, stands on it's own.  I love Silvio and Death Is Not The End from that era. 

Probably Ned. They did Seastones during those shows, and Ned sat in on portions of the Dead set. Check Nedbase. It's a real thing: http://nedbase.blogspot.com/

Wow.  Didn't know that even existed.  Thanks for the link.  He is playing on the Dark Star in that footage.  Whatever he is doing seems to be inaudible though. 

I liked Broken Arrow.  It was always fun to hear a Phil tune when it was a rare occasion.  Never thought I'd hear him sing lead on the majority of Garcia songs.  

RE: that bonus footage from the GD movie…at one point there is this dude behind Bob dicking around with all this electronic equipment.  Is that Ned Lagin?  I think it's during Dark Star or Other 1.

BTW, I could watch that footage over and over.  So fun to Jerry just zoning out and the close ups of their hands.  Bob never plays a standard chord.  Nuts!

Lets get down and dirty!

Thanks for the links.  It's amazing how so much equipment and engineering went into such simple, yet awesome sounds.  Same goes for Phil.  He holds the bottom end, but you can hear the notes clearly among the other instruments.

My fake Jerry tone is basically turn treble up, bass down and turn treble down on guitar.  Unfortunately, I always end up just cranking everything because I can't hear shit in the band.  One main issue is that we have two drummers, two keys, an acoustic rhythm and electric rhythm.  It's not my band so I really have no say.  But the electric rhythm dude is always so loud!  Kind of frustrating.

This is always pleasant to watch:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWQFZ7Lx-rg

That is awesome.

Anyone know how Garcia and Bob got such clear, simple sounds out of their guitars?  I play lead in a Dead cover band and it's next to impossible to get volume and clear tone etc.  No head room, if that makes sense.  Jerry and Bob always sounded like their guitars really weren't amplified, if that makes sense.  Just a clean, pure sound.  

Incidentally, I was watching a vid of Trey on Charlie Rose and he was talking about how he was amazed at how the audience was totally focused on Garcia at shows.  It's amazing to me too, given that there was no real gimmick.  Just simple, clean, fluid notes.  And, excellent songs, of course.

Jesus…I got to read these.  Been a King fan, but never got around to this daunting series.

I don't mind the version with Willie Dixon taking the vocals (he co-wrote it with Weir) but it falls flat (for me) listening to Weir sing it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G35subqlRo

 

Always dug "Liberty" and agree on Days Between. I know the tune is full of juicy imagery and that a lot of fans have a soft spot for it, but it doesn't do much for me....

I remember when Days was introduced people were calling it the new Terrapin :-P

Just listened to Samba for the first time this morning. I finally have technology that allows me to access archive.org and this is what I go to... Just kidding, it wasn't all that bad.

Welcome to the 21st century…regurgitated rhetoric and Vince Welnick Grateful Dead songs on demand.

I loved Eternity. eternity, Liberty 1st set closer was fun. I also thought Phil's tunes were good. It was just cool to see him writing and singing more. He hadn't really done any songs since Mars Hotel. Unbroken is one of my top 5. I found Days Between to be a bit tedious.

Gonna dig into the "post-wheelchair" era in the next few days: taking the Wazoo live 2-disc set and Imaginary Diseases with me in the car stereo. God bless my tolerant wife.

My wife is generous enough with the all the Dead I play.  Zappa on a road trip would lead to some serious marital issues :-)

You can find someone that likes pretty much every Dead song, except Samba in the Rain. Once had a conversation with a guy who thought the lyrics to Easy Answers were cool. 

That is hilarious!

I always liked all the 'new' tunes, just didn't think they ever belonged in the second set.  Samba and Way to Go Home would've been fun first set closers.  I do like Believe It Or Not.  Day Job was a fun, dumb song.  Glad it never made a record though.  Was Brother Esau ever maligned?

The worst Dead tune has to be I Will Take You Home.  Sorry Brent…RIP (although I did like Jerry's midi trumpet on that one.

Has anyone watched the Billy & the Kids with Weir set? That was the biggest surprise set to me, given how nervous Weir usually makes me these days. I watched the pro shot video, and it was as good as I thought it was at the time.

 

 

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Why does Weir make you nervous?  Just curious.  Are you afraid he'll fall over while playing Unbroken Chain again?  My concern is that he's gonna play the tunes too damn slow…which he ultimately does.  Love Bobby!

This is incredibly accurate in my opinion, especially the Summerteeth and Ghost descriptions. However let's not taint Wilco the Album to the untrained ear....those who have not heard other albums could absolutely love that album(maybe).   Die hard Wilco lifers have trouble accepting it in comparison to the band's other work. It's not exactly the chopped liver it is made out to be around here. It's better than most of Maroon 5's catalog. 

I wasn't really slighting WTA.  Just a cheap shot, I guess.  That album is kind of their AGIB meets pop album.  Bull Black, Deeper Down and One Wing are as good as anything they've done.  I cannot warm up to Sonny as the lyrics are just clunky and weird.  The riff is pretty cool though.

Adding UT, I'd put Anodyne in the top 5.  That album is perfect and one of the best albums of the 90s (there weren't that many imho :-).  One of the best albums ever?  Yes.  

Start with Wilco (the album) 

Actually, I think each album shows a different era of the band with The Whole Love and Sky Blue Sky being the most similar.  AM is pure alt. country.  Being There is classic country/rock/alt. album in the vein of any of Neil Young or Dylan's masterpieces.  Summerteeth is intellectual power pop.  YHF is deconstructed alternative rock.  A Ghost is Born is one of the greatest albums of all time in production and songwriting.  That's a start.