Where to start with The Grateful Dead?

[Analogman]

Well - I do like the song West LA Fadeway somewhat, and also - I actually own Built To Last on cassette - although, I don't think I have ever played it. Someone gave it to me as christmas present back in 1989.

[Oil Can Boyd]

20 minute darkstars

[NightOfJoy]

A-man......do not deny yourself the glory that is 1977. Check out 5/4/77 and of course the show that never really occured (!CIA mindcontrol experiment!), 5/8/77. ALL of May is dynamite. The June 77 Winterland shows are smoking too.

[jc4prez]

A-man......do not deny yourself the glory that is 1977. Check out 5/4/77 and of course the show that never really occured (!CIA mindcontrol experiment!), 5/8/77. ALL of May is dynamite. The June 77 Winterland shows are smoking too.

 

 

77 is really fucking special

[darkstar]

I'll go out on a limb and say it. 77 is over-rated. No question there was some spectacular playing, the help>slip>franklin's from that time always put a smile on my face and of course the beautiful versions of comes a time from that period are amazing, but ( in my opinion) this is not the best year. Again, this is strictly my opinion as I tend to like the earlier stuff. Not saying 77 doesn't rock....it does, but I just don't get all googly eyed about it.

 

Of course a lot of people probably feel the same way about say 65-74......in later years (post 74) they just don't seem to stetch out and get out to Neptune as they did in earlier years. There is tons of great jamming in other years, tons! but for my money I don't think you can find consistently great performances night after night after night like you can find from the early 70's.

 

Just my humble opinion

[mountain bed]

My very favorite thing from all of '77 : the re-entry into the Playin' Reprise from 5/19/77. I think it's one of my favorite things they've ever done. I think it's DP 29 - check it out again and tell me you don't agree.

[Analogman]

A-man......do not deny yourself the glory that is 1977. Check out 5/4/77 and of course the show that never really occured (!CIA mindcontrol experiment!), 5/8/77. ALL of May is dynamite. The June 77 Winterland shows are smoking too.

 

I'll check it - I sort of like that reggae version of Uncle John's Band on the DP I have from 12/26/79.

[El Picador]

China Doll 5/21/74

 

This is such a wonderful song and to hear Jerry nail the vocals like he does here is pure bliss. I get goosebumps every time I hear this. Also, the 45 minute Playin' to follow is fantastic. If you haven't heard this one, go listen at archive.org.

[mountain bed]

China Doll 5/21/74

 

This is such a wonderful song and to hear Jerry nail the vocals like he does here is pure bliss. I get goosebumps every time I hear this. Also, the 45 minute Playin' to follow is fantastic. If you haven't heard this one, go listen at archive.org.

Playin' is my favorite Bobby tune. Nearly any version from '72-'74 is an exploration into the unknown. That 5/21 version is amazing - even though the length is impressive by itself, what happens there is just, wow. Only 10 minutes in Jerry takes off and goes nuts. The Tiger steps in early on, too.

[Analogman]

Our first selection this week, which really should have been played last week, I suppose, is from Wichita, Kansas, and as mentioned last week, is one of the finest versions of the The Other One played in 1972, featuring a perfect blend of rock, jazz and psychedelia. I have no idea how to qualify that it is one of the best of 1972, as there were so many stunning versions played throughout 1972, but I sure do like this one. From 11/17/72, Truckin'> The Other One>Brokedown Palace. I can't get enough of this one, up there with 9/17/72 to these ears. Keith, Phil, Bobby, Jerry and Billy play some stunning parts on this night. It lands so smoothly into Brokedown Palace. And what a Brokedown Palace; they are singing their hearts out on the final part of the song.

 

Next stop this week will be Tempe, Arizona, at Feyline Field on 11/25/73 in the rain. From that interesting show, we have the ultimate, new from 1973 combination of Eyes of the World>Weather Report Suite. Now that's a pair of songs that always brings a smile to my face.

 

Finally this week, from a few days before the Tempe show, we have this outstanding second set jam from 11/21/73 in Denver, the second of a perfect two night run of shows that falls virtually right in the middle of one of the finest two month stretches in Grateful Dead history. From this magnificent show, we have Mississippi Half-Step>Playing In The Band>El Paso>Playing In The Band>Wharf Rat>Playing In The Band>Morning Dew. Check out those tones Phil is getting during the final segment of Playing In The Band. And what Jerry's doing under that. Whew! Only in 1973!

[mjpuczko]

where would i hear this? if it's back in this thread, sorry. i haven't gone back to look. i'm lazy.

[Analogman]

where would i hear this? if it's back in this thread, sorry. i haven't gone back to look. i'm lazy.

 

The Taper's Section

 

every Monday

[mjpuczko]

thank you kind sir.

[mountain bed]

If anyone here has the full shows that Aman posted from the deadnet (11/20 & 21/73, 11/25/73) and would be willing to do either a trade or a bnp, please shoot me a PM at your convenience.

 

I have (on cd or cassette) most of the Fall '73 tour but I've never owned any of those 3 shows.

 

Thanks!

[Analogman]

If anyone here has the full shows that Aman posted from the deadnet (11/20 & 21/73, 11/25/73) and would be willing to do either a trade or a bnp, please shoot me a PM at your convenience.

 

I have (on cd or cassette) most of the Fall '73 tour but I've never owned any of those 3 shows.

 

Thanks!

 

 

11/20/73 can be found at archive.org

and bt.etree.org

 

11/21/73 can be found at bt.etree.org

 

Looks like someone has 11/25/73 at bt.etree.org

[Lammycat]

mb: check your in box.

[Analogman]

$9,499.00

[Lammycat]

$9,499.00

Hey, P & H is only $9!

 

I notice on the second sheet is "(steel)" written next to a few tunes. I was fortunate enough to catch Garcia bust out pedal steel guitar for a few of these shows (Giants Stadium, JFK, and Foxboro).

 

The Foxboro show was on July 4th and I wasn't real sane that day. I remember looking up at the big side-stage screen(s) and seeing what looked like Garcia drawing pictures during the middle of a tune (I think it was "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"). It took me a minute or two to figure out that he wasn't coloring during the middle of the song, but playing pedal steel. It worked really nice with the tune, too.

 

A lot of the tunes from the lists never made a live set list, though. I think they only did 5-6 shows together in '87 before Dylan walked.

[DueReflection]

I'll go out on a limb and say it. 77 is over-rated. No question there was some spectacular playing, the help>slip>franklin's from that time always put a smile on my face and of course the beautiful versions of comes a time from that period are amazing, but ( in my opinion) this is not the best year. Again, this is strictly my opinion as I tend to like the earlier stuff. Not saying 77 doesn't rock....it does, but I just don't get all googly eyed about it.

 

Of course a lot of people probably feel the same way about say 65-74......in later years (post 74) they just don't seem to stetch out and get out to Neptune as they did in earlier years. There is tons of great jamming in other years, tons! but for my money I don't think you can find consistently great performances night after night after night like you can find from the early 70's.

 

Just my humble opinion

 

 

i didn't want to be the dick who said it first, but yeah, i'm just not as in love with the sluggish tempos and god awful donna jean godcheaux as some others tend to be... summer 1985 is where it's at.

[Lammycat]

i didn't want to be the dick who said it first, but yeah, i'm just not as in love with the sluggish tempos and god awful donna jean godcheaux as some others tend to be... summer 1985 is where it's at.

I'm not a big Donna fan but I think she does add to the mix at points. She wasn't all detraction, imo. '77 is hyped, I'd imagine, because it was the year that a lot of those Betty boards became available before the advent or commercial use of cds. Having sbd analogs of a bunch of the '77 shows in the early 80's and beyond was awesome. There simply wasn't a lot of sbd material available and it was even rarer to get earlier sbd material at the time.

 

And of course the personal preference shines. I personally really like the arrangements of a lot of the tunes during this period. I like the slowed down versions of the Row Jimmys, etc. I also think the band was in relatively high spirits, and you can hear the fun factor come through the music. I still really like this era. As per "the best" era, it varies daily/weekly/whatever for me.

 

Summer '85 and fall '85 both had some memorable and well-played shows (Riverbend, Stralight, Saratoga, Merriweather, etc. and the Richmond shows were top notch in the Fall, as well as the excellent "Werewolves" Halloween show in S.C.) but I also remember it as being kind of the beginning of the end in terms of mass throngs, heavy narc/undercover presence, lots of drug busts, Garcia was very obese and looked pretty bad, etc. I think this was when Garcia started sporting a red shirt for a bit ("trouble ahead, Jerry in red" and all that).

 

The music shined at points but I remember the scene at the shows as changing that summer. That summer saw a greater shift to mass appeal and some of the nastiness that goes along with that. The jig was up, to an extent. At least from my perspective.

[jc4prez]

i didn't want to be the dick who said it first, but yeah, i'm just not as in love with the sluggish tempos and god awful donna jean godcheaux as some others tend to be... summer 1985 is where it's at.

 

 

I feel you somewhat. I agree some of the tunes don't take off because of the slower tempos (Bertha is a great example), but the playing is so tight. The transitions are phenomenal. And the sound quality doesn't hurt at all. B) :shifty

[jc4prez]

i didn't want to be the dick who said it first, but yeah, i'm just not as in love with the sluggish tempos and god awful donna jean godcheaux as some others tend to be... summer 1985 is where it's at.

 

 

I feel you somewhat. I agree some of the tunes don't take off because of the slower tempos (Bertha is a great example), but the playing is so tight. The transitions are phenomenal. And the sound quality doesn't hurt at all. B) :shifty

[Analogman]

Former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir keeps on jamming

 

Jim Abbott | SOUNDBOARD

November 16, 2007

 

My Dead Head buddy, Roscoe Gray, has a shoe box filled with treasured cassette tapes that go back to his college days, when he followed the Grateful Dead around in a tangerine-colored VW microbus (in his mind, at least).

 

That sacred ritual of making concert tapes and passing them along to friends who were worthy of the gesture is now an ancient throwback in the era of digital file-sharing -- a similar idea executed on a global scale.

 

Only it's not so similar, says Grateful Dead vocalist and guitarist Bob Weir, still a road warrior with his own band, Ratdog, which plays tonight at House of Blues. Weir, 60, is no fan of digital music, generally, and has particular disdain for the impact of illegal file-sharing.

 

"Digital music doesn't sound good," Weir says by phone before a recent Ratdog rehearsal. "It raises your stress levels. Plus, the file-sharing phenomenon has cheapened music; it has been devastating to music. It cheapens people's appreciation because they didn't have to honor and support the artist that they are listening to."

 

Since the advent of the digital revolution, the Grateful Dead has made efforts to limit the free distribution of its music among fans on the Web. That move seems at odds with the band's benevolent attitude toward bootlegs back in the day, but Weir says there's a crucial difference now.

 

"There was a hand-to-hand relationship among the people who were creating tapes," Weir says, "and there's only so many generations down you could take those tapes. There was eye contact there. People knew each other and you established a community.

 

"These days, even if people do know the people they are getting the music from, they can't tell what color eyes they have. They don't know them by the sound of their voices. It's a cyber-community which is a much, much colder medium."

 

That notion of human contact also plays into the philosophy of Ratdog's lengthy, jam-oriented shows, which encompass the Dead's music as well as interpretations of songs by Bob Dylan, the Beatles and other bands that helped form Weir's DNA.

 

Audience members have the opportunity to buy a CD version of the show after its conclusion, an idea that melds the spirit of bygone taping days with an entrepreneurial angle that helps support the band. Yet the business side of the equation is balanced by Weir's desire to offer fans a way to document a show that happened only for them.

 

"It's a decent stream of revenue, but the crux is that we do a way different show every night," Weir says. "I don't think in the thousand or so shows, or many hundreds at least, we have ever been close to performing the same tune the same way twice. The performances are all unique."

 

On stage, there's a mixture of control and spontaneity in the playing, which is the vibe that happens when a group has about 200 songs at its disposal. If Ratdog does Dylan's "Masters of War," as it did in a 2005 HOB show, it's unlikely the song will resurface again in Orlando.

 

"The way I make up set lists, I have a database going back to the beginning of the band," Weir says. "I pull up the last two or three shows we've played, say, in Orlando, and the tunes we played in those shows are automatically out. Then I pull up shows from the last couple weeks and those tunes are automatically out and we start working from there."

 

To hear the band do a classic Dylan tune, or something from the Beatles catalog, is to be reminded again of the immense power of those songs. It's a sensation that often happens to Weir.

 

"That's why I do 'em," he says. "That's where I'm really alive. I'm not entirely sure that everybody gets to do this. I actually get a chance to step halfway into the world of dreams.

 

"It's a totally separate continuum. I'm not thinking. It's more like dreaming than like normal day-to-day living."

 

Weir traces his musical calling to reading Jack Kerouac's On the Road, a work that has been tied to Grateful Dead's mythology through the historical research of the band's longtime spokesman Dennis McNally. Kerouac's traveling companion, Neal Cassady, was a former roommate of Weir's.

 

The book's 50th anniversary was celebrated this year, in an era defined by instant gratification that couldn't have been imagined when it was written.

 

Weir, who doesn't always see such innovations as progress, prefers to make his connections the old-fashioned way.

 

"The music happens somewhere between the band and the audience, and the characters in the songs. A big dance is going on there."

 

"When I'm on stage, I'm not there. When I'm doing my job even respectably well, the best I can do is be invisible. I may look like me, but I'm not."

 

In keeping with his literary inspiration, Weir still loves the road.

 

"It gets harder and harder as I get older and older, but given that, it's what I'm here to do. There's nothing I'd rather do than get away from myself and just revel in the character in a song telling a story."

 

For Weir, such stories are best passed along by hand, like those treasured tapes in my buddy's shoe box.

[darkstar]

Bobby Weir(d)....

 

Kinda hard to believe him using the phrase "revenue stream" in the article A Man posted. Gimme a break. Hey I'm all for these guys making a ton of dough but who does he think he's kidding with all the crap about digital music. In my experience I meet the same kinda folks swapping files as I did trading tape lists back in the early internet days.

 

Anyway on a different note...have just finished listening to disc 1 of the new road trips series. Not too bad at all. I have been on record many times stating my love for early period Dead, and while this is still the case I gotta say this stuff is very good. I admit to not having a lot of late 70's early 80's stuff so this is kind of a nice change. They have done a great job mastering all the tracks and it sounds really crisp. You might wanna consider getting it.

[Lammycat]

"The way I make up set lists, I have a database going back to the beginning of the band," Weir says. "I pull up the last two or three shows we've played, say, in Orlando, and the tunes we played in those shows are automatically out. Then I pull up shows from the last couple weeks and those tunes are automatically out and we start working from there."

 

How fabulously convenient to have that kind of access at your fingertips. I can agree to an extent on the personal contact being taken out a bit, but c'mon, that's not what's eatin' him.