For you Dead Fans out there...

Started by thegenius
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Made a spotify playlist of all 12 volumes of Garcia Live, by Jerry Garcia Band and I have to say, it's good, damn good. Mostly covers and lots of jamming. If you listen to it with an open mind, realizing it's not the Grateful Dead, it grows on you, really grows on you like the Dead does. It's sort of like listening to Jerry just jam away having fun with a jazzy, funky, super-tight, James Brown-type backing band. Awesome stuff.
 
Unfortunately my listening has gone down recently. Overall that is. It's not in favor of other things though, I'm just not listening as much as I would want. Too many other things / distractions in my life right now that I basically don't want.
 
thegenius said:
Unfortunately my listening has gone down recently. Overall that is. It's not in favor of other things though, I'm just not listening as much as I would want. Too many other things / distractions in my life right now that I basically don't want.
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It'll smooth out eventually and you'll have more time.
 
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Birdstrike said:
It'll smooth out eventually and you'll have more time.
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Since I've gotten into them starting around 2000, my interest goes in waves. There will be periods lasting 2-4 months where I'll listen, NON STOP, (driving to work, driving from work, and several hours a day) taking notes, doing research, ranking songs, categorizing the shows I have on my computer, and other stuff. It's probably hypomanic actually.

Then there are times that I don't listen at all. I'm in one of those phases now.
 
thegenius said:
Since I've gotten into them starting around 2000, my interest goes in waves. There will be periods lasting 2-4 months where I'll listen, NON STOP, (driving to work, driving from work, and several hours a day) taking notes, doing research, ranking songs, categorizing the shows I have on my computer, and other stuff. It's probably hypomanic actually.

Then there are times that I don't listen at all. I'm in one of those phases now.
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It's good to get away from it for a while to let the brain reset. Then you can go back fresh, with a new perspective.
 
Love the idea!

Weather Report Suite > Let It Grow
Any version from 1974.

It's a contemplative piece and uplifting. Makes me smile and wish we had a simpler life.

She comes from a town where they call her the woodcutter's daughter,
She's brown as the bank where she kneels down to gather her water, and
She bears it away with a love that the river has taught her.

Black dirt live again!
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For today, I present two shelter-in-place Dead options. Either put on 3/21/72 and batten down the hatches and feel the glow of '72. Or alternately, as a nice pairing for the melancholy mood of Coronapandomonium, put on some headphones, get out into the virus-killing sunshine and put on some mellow, acoustic tunes and take a long run or walk in the fresh air, starting with the haunting but strangely relaxing, Dreadful Wind and Rain, by Jerry Garcia & David Grisman.
 
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This thread is really long and I just clicked on it so I just read the last few posts. As a former full-time guitarist I thought I would throw my #1 album to listen to in here. Got me started playing the guitar. You know the band but probably not before they went mainstream. Incredible guitar from Matt Scannell and Keith Kane's voice makes the record.

Vertical Horizon > Live Stages album(its on spotify)

Favorite tracks are Japan, Candyman, Heart in Hand, and Wash Away

It's definitely not Dead but it could be something to listen to if you really like differing music styles.
 
24GaugeEJ said:
Terrapin Station from 2/26/77. It was the first live performance and they played it more like a chunky rock and roll tune. Jerry improvises the solo and it just sounds great:

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As a fairly new Dead fan I had never listened to that show. Man, it is really incredible.

I am appreciating all of the recommendations, they work equally well for sheltering in place and while on shift.
 
justin8818 said:
As a fairly new Dead fan I had never listened to that show. Man, it is really incredible.

I am appreciating all of the recommendations, they work equally well for sheltering in place and while on shift.
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Seriously nothing beats 2/26/77. It's got everything!

A brand new Estimated!
Terrapin to Open the show!! BAM! A left punch to the face. POW

Playin > Wheel > Playin!! holy moly!!
Can't leave out fan favorites Minglewood Blues and Sugaree

Second set just goes on.
The Music Never Stops
Eyes > Dancin! That's the only time they ever did it (probably)
And how did I almost forget Help > Slip > Franklin.

With a rollicking US Blues to end

This is the first show of the year guys. It's like their warm up show
And it could be the best show of arguably their best year 1977
 
gratefuldeadoftheday.com

Dead of the Day: March 24, 1973

The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
gratefuldeadoftheday.com gratefuldeadoftheday.com

"There are so many shows on this date, and quite a few fine ones, but our Dead of the Day is the fairest of them. The show gets off to an explosive start with a very tight Bertha; and, though it is a small thing, the last note that Jerry throw in to cap the tune is just so lovely. The next couple songs are so fresh and crisp, exemplified by the bouncy, energetic opening to Don’t Ease Me In. Then things shift gears a bit with Lesh delivering a heartfelt Box of Rain with Keith’s keys and Jerry’s lilting, reserved guitar play complementing the emotional lyrics. Row Jimmy, Looks Like Rain, and the Here Comes Sunshine are also highlights of the early going. But the best of the first half has to be the closing Playing. Keith and Phil are in sync and feeding off each other, while Jerry paints these spirited brush strokes of pure bliss to cap the set. Though it does not seem possible, the band ratchets it up a notch further in the second set, really beginning with the He’s Gone. This was just the second He’s Gone since Pigpen’s death, and it seems to have an effect on the boys, especially followed by the biographical Truckin’. Jamming out of the latter tune, they search for their next angle, coming upon a tremendous Spanish Jam. Bobby, Billy, and Phil push the pace while Jerry provides some face-melting, dance-crazed spectacularness that still leaves a tremendous amount of room for contemplative exploration. Eventually, the jam plays itself out and the boys enter into a haunting, ethereal zone before bursting forth with a four-minute Dark Star that, despite its brevity, is somehow still totally satisfying. Then the Pig reminiscence and reflection reaches its crescendo with Sing Me Back Home, the Merle Haggard tune that, though written about different circumstances, could not be more appropriate at the moment. Jerry does total justice to the lyrics while the rest of the band provides accompaniment, making it an emotional powerhouse.
03-24-73.jpg

Ron Pigpen McKernan’s death two weeks prior to this show, on March 8th, had put the final closure on an era. He was the band’s first true frontman, the real face of the Dead through the 60s. Though Jerry had long since taken the musical reins of the band, Pigpen continued to be the major presence throughout the early seventies, busting out command vocal performances on Lovelight, Gimme Some Lovin’, Hard to Handle, and other earth shattering numbers. With his retirement from the band and subsequent passing, the Dead began to evolve once again. This time, they would become the seething monster of the Wall of Sound era. Though the full development of that sound was still another year off, it was beginning to form here in early ’73, replacing those killer Pig tunes with even more driven, spacey jams that featured Jerry but relied on the full, mind-melded participation of the rest of the band. They also began to hone their vocal performances. Though nobody would ever confuse Jerry or Bobby with Art Garfunkel or the backup of Donna and the rest of the band with the harmonies of the Beach Boys, they put together a vocal soulfulness and togetherness that fit perfectly with the Dead style and their voracious playing and could do justice to the lyrics of Hunter and Barlow as well as the traditional Americana and contemporary classics the band covered."
 
Painted said:


If you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing... forward to the 12 minute mark and listen to this harp player on Bird Song and Ripple.
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Oh, no, no, no. No you don't. You don't go posting stuff like that and think I'm gonna watch only half. I'm all in, right now. Watching. Dirty, mellow, grizzly, greasy, hickory campfire-smokin', great stuff. And then they drop a 20-year-old female harpist in the mix, Weir puts down the cowboy guitar, pulls out an electric guitar and proceeds to dueling solos with the harpist. Lol. How insane. I love it! And that harp sounds perfect melted into Ripple doesn't it? 50 years of playing these songs, they're still being written, and they're still finding new ways to do them. And listen to that tiny crowd erupt in huge voices to sing along at the end. Unreal.

Can't wait to see Dead & Co. in July.
 
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thegenius said:
Dude, f this S-I-P. I'm listening to it right now at work!

Bucket is a great opening song. I'm looking at the set list. Oh boy they play Blow Away. Skipping that song LOL

Was this show officially released? Spring '90 much of it was released.
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Well I'm just about done with this show. A lovely little show. Unfortunately it's mixed in with Blow Away (ugh) and Built to Last. Now some people like BTL, but not here. The morning dew is pretty good. Let's see where is this from?

The SetList Program - 3-26-1990 Albany NY

Albany NY!

Now I'm going up to listen to one of your other recommendations.

Work is slow. EMS actually brought in an old guy with SOB and is COVID-19 negative from a prior admission 2 weeks ago. That's nice.
 
thegenius said:
Unfortunately it's mixed in with Blow Away (ugh) and Built to Last. Now some people like BTL, but not here.
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I don't love Brent's solo songs, but the versions of Blow Away where he goes nuts at the end are kinda, sorta cool. They've grown on me a little, but yeah, they're not may fave either. Built to Last ... meh, agree.

My faves from pre-mortem Dead (post In The Dark) are Standing On The Moon, So Many Roads, Lazy River Road, Days Between, and Foolish Heart a little bit (only because it sounds like a Jimmy Buffett song to me). If you include In The Dark era, give me Hell In A Bucket, Touch Of Grey, Black Muddy River, and Brother Esau. West L.A. Fadeaway has been growing on me lately, mainly because of this, which gave me a greater appreciation for it.
 
First, West LA Fadeaway is straight dope. I just wish we had some better versions. There is a really good version out there were Jerry wails, but I can't remember the date offhand I'll have to look it up.

Many of those other songs you write above I agree are great. Especially Days Between. Man what a gem.

I gotta say that 1973 show above is good, but it's hard listening this at work because I'm in and out of the room all the time! Sucks. I'll hear set 1 song 5, leave the room to take care of some nonsense complaint, and come back set 2 song 3. It's annoying.
 
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thegenius said:
First, West LA Fadeaway is straight dope. I just wish we had some better versions. There is a really good version out there were Jerry wails, but I can't remember the date offhand I'll have to look it up.

Many of those other songs you write above I agree are great. Especially Days Between. Man what a gem.

I gotta say that 1973 show above is good, but it's hard listening this at work because I'm in and out of the room all the time! Sucks. I'll hear set 1 song 5, leave the room to take care of some nonsense complaint, and come back set 2 song 3. It's annoying.
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Why does it take you 6 hours to deal with a nonsense complaint?
😉
 
thegenius said:
First, West LA Fadeaway is straight dope. I just wish we had some better versions. There is a really good version out there were Jerry wails, but I can't remember the date offhand I'll have to look it up.

Many of those other songs you write above I agree are great. Especially Days Between. Man what a gem.

I gotta say that 1973 show above is good, but it's hard listening this at work because I'm in and out of the room all the time! Sucks. I'll hear set 1 song 5, leave the room to take care of some nonsense complaint, and come back set 2 song 3. It's annoying.
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this LA fade. Track 15
 
OK
I would like to plug a very special version of Playin In The Band.

Surprisingly it comes from one of the only shows in 1977 NOT officially released
5-4-77 The Palladium

The Dead used to be masters of improv but after they rejoined together in 76 and added another drummer, they kind of lost it. 72-74 were special years.

Some people don't like 1977 because there was little improv, but they do regularly point out a special PITB from 5-4-77. It appears on this night they are in fine form. It's weird and noodly and Phil really spends some time off by himself plucking the bass. Making weird sounds.

It's a delight in it's own way. Like the way your child rubs dirt and mud all over their sloppy, snot-filled, corona-non-COVID-virus dripping face. You smile...then you have to clean up.

5/4/77 Grateful Dead

It's not too long, but it does deserve it's own attention. take a bath tonight, dim the lights and listen to THIS.
 
@thegenius Not sure if you prefer Dead auds or soundboards, or matrix's, but I found something pretty cool. I happen to often think the best tapes are the matrix's. Sometimes auds are too muddy, too much stupid crowd noise ("Susie, get me a BEER!). And I always love a good clean soundboard (Charlie Miller is a legend, obviously), but sometimes soundboards are too clean and others have off balance instrument mixes. For that reason anytime I see a show has a matrix, I hit on that one first, because they usually sound like perfectly brightened up auds, or warmed up soundboards. Some were recorded as matrixes, but for the shows that didn't have them made contemporaneously, this guy Hunter Seamons is actively still making them, and with cover art. Most sound great with the perfect proportion of sbd/aud. You should check his mixes out, if you haven't already (you probably already have).

His facebook: Hunter's Trix
His mixes in Archive: https://archive.org/search.php?query=hunter+seamons+AND+collection:GratefulDead&page=3
Bit Torrent tracker: bt.etree.org | Community Tracker
 
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Yes...in general I like SBDs more than other versions, but a good matrix is great. I have Hunter's website bookmarked and have visited it many times in the past.

Sometimes the AUD (or the SBD) for that matter are not great quality...so when it's put into a matrix it's still not that great. But he'll do 60/40 mixing and other stuff and he appears to picks shows that have good quality AUDs and SBDs and put them together.

For instance someone did a three source splice for cornell 5-8-77, SBD + AUD 1 + AUD 2 and it's my favorite version!
 
Someone recently posted 2/26/77...and I'm inspired. I'm on my third morning shift in a row. I'm currently listening to 2/26/77. Just imagine you're a deadhead familiar with their music in the 70s...and you go to this show thinking "I'm gonna get more great music". And the band noodles prior to the first song, and then Bob busts out that little high pitched beginning to Terrapin Station. Everybody is like "whoa....what is this?" And there is the birth of a new song. Just so lovely.
 
I love all the posts about matrix recordings. I was so blown away stumbling across my first matrix on archive.org way back in the day. It really is an example of the whole being greater than the perceived sum.
 
24GaugeEJ said:
I love all the posts about matrix recordings. I was so blown away stumbling across my first matrix on archive.org way back in the day. It really is an example of the whole being greater than the perceived sum.
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My first ever listening of any Dead was a triple matrix from 5-8-77. I was like "WHOA!" This is like being there, in the hall. My first two ever songs were Lazy Lightning -> Supplication. Got me hooked, so to speak.
 
thegenius said:
My first ever listening of any Dead was a triple matrix from 5-8-77. I was like "WHOA!" This is like being there, in the hall. My first two ever songs were Lazy Lightning -> Supplication. Got me hooked, so to speak.
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Same here! A friend burned an audience recording of that show for me about 20 years or so ago. When I found the matrix recordings I was blown away. I used that show's version of Brown Eyed Women as my standard against which I judged all other versions of that song. Love Jerry's whimsical playing on Lazy Lightning too!
 
Incredible show from 3/31/91. Jerry is on fire and Bruce Hornsby's piano fills are pure glistening diamond dust. Great through and through. Press play and feel the glow.
 
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Okay, this is a great show, 4/2/73. Crystal clear recording, band's in peak form in a peak year, and brings a truckload of songs (36). Vocal mix is weird first minute, then 3 1/2 hours of perfect '73 Dead.

 
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