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The Dicks Pick was the night before at the same venue 9-27-72.  Fall '72, fan-fucking-tastic!

 

On 9-28-72, Check out the sweet He's Gone>bass solo>Other One>Bobby McGee>Other One.  Greatest Story rips, too.

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That is a great show. I think I am more of a '72 guy than a '73 guy, though of course, they were still great then. If I had the cash, I would have totally bought that Europe '72 box....

 

Me too. I was hoping the local library was gonna pick up the 72 box for me......but alas, it wasnt to be.

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I may have to eat my words about '73. Been listening to the show from 2/17/73 over the past couple days, and it is a very solid, enjoyable show. Plus where else do you get a combination like this: Here Comes Sunshine > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider

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Me too. I was hoping the local library was gonna pick up the 72 box for me......but alas, it wasnt to be.

Ask them. Back when I was allowed to check items out from Denver Public Libraries the chick at my local library took requests and always ordered the item(s). Most libraries do.

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I may have to eat my words about '73. Been listening to the show from 2/17/73 over the past couple days, and it is a very solid, enjoyable show. Plus where else do you get a combination like this: Here Comes Sunshine > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider

Is that St. Paul? The only instance of that sequence I know of. The transition from HCS into China Cat is seamless, a remarkable transition.

 

I listened to the last disc of the Winterland '73 box this morning and thinking about how much I love '73 shows.

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I finished that '73 show and moved on to a show from '77 that I hadn't heard before, Winterland from 3/19. I don't know, '77 has plenty of moments where the bands sounds just exactly perfect, but some of the versions of songs are kind of toothless. This show starts out soooooo slow. The typical wimpy '77 version of Bertha (contrast it with the versions from '71 and you'll see what I mean), a very tame Big River (they rocked this much harder in the 80s), and an incredibly slow They Love Each Other. It's all pleasant, but not exciting.

 

Kind of funny, but during Looks Like Rain, Jerry really overplays, like he just wants to shred, but it's the wrong song for it. I laughed out loud while I was driving. Still, I have high hopes for the Terrapin>Playing>Samson combo, and the second set no doubt has a nice Eyes and Franklin's. These guys had some gems in pretty much any show until about the early 90s, I think.

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I had to post about Dick's Picks 15: Englishtown, NJ 9/3/77.  I've had my mind blown this afternoon, and I haven't even finished listening to the show.  I'm certainly no expert when it comes to listening Dead shows, but at this point I've listened to a lot of shows.  I've read books on the Dead and am aware of Lavata's passion (understated I know) for getting people to listen to Dead shows.  It's the joy of hearing a moment or moments that you weren't expecting.  I'm also aware of the idea that the Dead played as one unit.  It's hard to necessarily judge from tapes alone about chemistry between bandmates.  I'm not quite sure about this idea about the band as one unit idea when listening to most shows, maybe I'm missing something. However, with Englishtown, there's no doubt that the band was playing as one unit during this show.  Everyone's locked in together, moving the rhythm along.  However, what actually is happening, as the line in 'The Music Never Stopped' goes, the music played the band.  In a rare instance, the band were the instruments through which the music played, not the other way around.  It is something I don't think I've ever heard in any other live performance on tape or in person.  And the performance, the tempo just moves and grooves.  I've always loved 'Bertha' because it is such a rockin' song.  I've heard lots of versions of 'Bertha', the Englishtown is one version up at the top of the list.  There's a moment in 'Estimated Prophet' where the sound opens up like a flower and spreads out.  If you closed your eyes, you could possibly visualize it happening.  Then 'Eyes Of The World', one of my other favorites, in most cases chugs along, leaving time to reflect upon the nuances of the sounds you're hearing or moving at a jazzy groove.  Not with the performance here!  This performance moves along like a galloping horse.  Blink and you just might miss it.  If the band didn't have it together during this performance, this song could have gone off the rails.  In most cases, at this pace, I'm not sure if I would have liked 'Eyes' performed in this manner.  It seems to me though that there is a performance of 'Eyes' at a similar pace, but I don't think it stood out to me much.  I understand this show and the Sunshine Daydream show are top rated performances by Dead fans.  I can certainly understand why this show would garner such praise; it deserves that honor.   Anyone concur?

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Winterland soundboard recordings often have a lot of echo in them, I've found.  I hear it in the june 1977 and the october 1974 recordings I have. Must be something about that room, I've always thought.  I haven't listened to the Nov. 1973 sbds in a long time.

 

 

Listening to the October '78 Winterland soundboards and they don't have all that reverb/echo to them.  I guess it was something about how they were recorded and not necessarily the room.

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I had to post about Dick's Picks 15: Englishtown, NJ 9/3/77.  I've had my mind blown this afternoon, and I haven't even finished listening to the show.  I'm certainly no expert when it comes to listening Dead shows, but at this point I've listened to a lot of shows.  I've read books on the Dead and am aware of Lavata's passion (understated I know) for getting people to listen to Dead shows.  It's the joy of hearing a moment or moments that you weren't expecting.  I'm also aware of the idea that the Dead played as one unit.  It's hard to necessarily judge from tapes alone about chemistry between bandmates.  I'm not quite sure about this idea about the band as one unit idea when listening to most shows, maybe I'm missing something. However, with Englishtown, there's no doubt that the band was playing as one unit during this show.  Everyone's locked in together, moving the rhythm along.  However, what actually is happening, as the line in 'The Music Never Stopped' goes, the music played the band.  In a rare instance, the band were the instruments through which the music played, not the other way around.  It is something I don't think I've ever heard in any other live performance on tape or in person.  And the performance, the tempo just moves and grooves.  I've always loved 'Bertha' because it is such a rockin' song.  I've heard lots of versions of 'Bertha', the Englishtown is one version up at the top of the list.  There's a moment in 'Estimated Prophet' where the sound opens up like a flower and spreads out.  If you closed your eyes, you could possibly visualize it happening.  Then 'Eyes Of The World', one of my other favorites, in most cases chugs along, leaving time to reflect upon the nuances of the sounds you're hearing or moving at a jazzy groove.  Not with the performance here!  This performance moves along like a galloping horse.  Blink and you just might miss it.  If the band didn't have it together during this performance, this song could have gone off the rails.  In most cases, at this pace, I'm not sure if I would have liked 'Eyes' performed in this manner.  It seems to me though that there is a performance of 'Eyes' at a similar pace, but I don't think it stood out to me much.  I understand this show and the Sunshine Daydream show are top rated performances by Dead fans.  I can certainly understand why this show would garner such praise; it deserves that honor.   Anyone concur?

I like that Englishtown show, too, mostly for what to me is faraway  the best version ever of Mississippi Half Step, Jerry is just soaring in his long long solos on that one.  The Truckin' and the Not Fade Away are pretty hot, too.  Some nights they were just on, like you say, making it seem effortless or not even in their control.  I love that shit!

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I will have to give that Englishtown show another listen...Pretty sure I have it at home.

 

Many Deadheads consider '77 to be a high watermark or whatever, and it's true that there are many stellar versions of songs from that year.  However, when they're not playing at a stellar level, they seem unusually cautious rather than sloppy. I think you have to be in a certain frame of mind for '77 shows.

 

Although the 3/19/77 show I'm still working through has quite a few vocal flubs and even some instrumental train wrecks, there are also quite a few high points, especially towards the end of the first set and the beginning of the second set. The Terrapin-> Playin'-> Samson & Delilah-> Playin' that ends the first set is pretty interesting, and almost demands to be played loudly. Jerry is very precise throughout Terrapin, and although the first section of Playin' is rather perfunctory, it goes into a deep space reminiscent of '74 before the transition into Samson. Normally, those lose my interest, but this one is very unique.

 

In the second set, it's great to get a cold open of Eyes of the World, rather than having something else go into it. The band plays it at a pretty good clip, and although I like the slightly slower '74 versions better, this is a nice one. The drums are the weak link here, but they don't muck it up too much. Then it goes into Dancin' In The Streets-> Wharf Rat-> Franklin's Tower-> Sugar Magnolia, all played pretty well in spite of periodic vocal flubs. Some of the songs may even benefit from the flubs. I have noticed that pattern with Jerry in the late '70s and early '80s: Jerry vocal mistake = he will play like crazy as if to try to make up for it (or maybe it just pissed him off and kind of woke him up a bit...lol).

 

Anyway, it's a pretty decent spring '77 recording, if not at the level of May or June. Check it out:

 

https://archive.org/details/gd77-03-19.sbd.chinacat.255.sbeok.shnf

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That Englishtown show is ridiculous and yeah, that Half-Step from it soars and is the one I go to for probably the best version.....William &Mary '78, Mosque '77 and Rochester '77 also come to mind....

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That Englishtown show is ridiculous and yeah, that Half-Step from it soars and is the one I go to for probably the best version.....William &Mary '78, Mosque '77 and Rochester '77 also come to mind....

There's a fantastic Half Step from Broome County arena, Binghampton, either fall '77 or fall '78, I always forget which. Probably my favorite version. That entire first set is a mind blower how good it is.

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Yeah, that'd be the '77 one. November 6, I think. Amazing one, as well as an amazing show. I've had a sbd tape of that show for years now. Chrystal clear.

That was the first tape that I ever got.  Love the Fire on the Mountain on that one.

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I think 10.15.1977 is one of the most underrated second sets ever...

 

The Sampson is smoking...

The Terrain is deep but nicely paced...

The St. Stephen solo may be the best from 76 and 77...

The NFA starts with a drums / Lesh solo...

Jerry on NFA is on fire...

Check out Donna's "in tune" screaming during NFA...

The transition into Stella is utterly beautiful and may be my favorite ever (07 Sept 1973???; 18 June 1974???)...

The finale of Stella is heart wrenching...

Jerry's broken string during Sugar Mag leads to a very well done Keith Sugar Mag piano lead...

Find me a better SSDD instrumental from 1977...

The SSDD vocals leave it all out with Weir trashing his voice (ending with "its still a dream...its still a dream...its still a dream" from Donna and Weir screaming his lungs out)...

The Truckin' OMSN is stomping....

 

https://archive.org/details/gd77-10-15.sbd.cotsman.19154.sbeok.shnf

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8 Things We Learned From the Tribeca Film Festival's Bob Weir Doc
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/8-things-we-learned-from-the-tribeca-film-festivals-bob-weir-doc-20140423


Grateful Dead's Bob Weir Looks Back On Bandmate Jerry Garcia
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/24/bob-weir-jerry-garcia_n_5205803.html
 

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I think 10.15.1977 is one of the most underrated second sets ever...

 

The Sampson is smoking...

The Terrain is deep but nicely paced...

The St. Stephen solo may be the best from 76 and 77...

The NFA starts with a drums / Lesh solo...

Jerry on NFA is on fire...

Check out Donna's "in tune" screaming during NFA...

The transition into Stella is utterly beautiful and may be my favorite ever (07 Sept 1973???; 18 June 1974???)...

The finale of Stella is heart wrenching...

Jerry's broken string during Sugar Mag leads to a very well done Keith Sugar Mag piano lead...

Find me a better SSDD instrumental from 1977...

The SSDD vocals leave it all out with Weir trashing his voice (ending with "its still a dream...its still a dream...its still a dream" from Donna and Weir screaming his lungs out)...

The Truckin' OMSN is stomping....

 

https://archive.org/details/gd77-10-15.sbd.cotsman.19154.sbeok.shnf

I'd never listened to this one before and I heard all the stuff you mentioned, its really good, especially the St. Stephen and NFA, smoking!  Thanks for the rec!

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A while back there was a discussion about the Dead downloads (Road Trips, inc.) that could be purchased over at dead.net and whether a .pdf of the liner notes come with the download - just read on the Hoffman board that liner notes do not come with the downloads (which kinda sucks).

 

However below is a link to all the liner notes of Grateful Dead releases.

 

http://www.gdreferencesite.com/albums.html

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