should i give the grateful dead a chance?

Wiki:

Second-guessing the end results, Garcia and Lesh went back in the studio in 1971 to remix the album, removing many parts present on the original release, including a choir singing on "Mountains of the Moon", many difficult-to-identify sounds on "What's Become of the Baby", and an a cappella ending for "Doin' that Rag," dropped for an earlier fadeout. The remix also uses different vocal takes on some songs, most noticeably "Dupree's Diamond Blues." The result, with the same catalog number (WS1790) and perhaps brighter sound, but with much of the original's experimental character removed, can be identified by the "Remixed September, 1971" legend on the back cover. Mistakenly, the song timings on the first (1987) CD release refer to the original mix, not the remix (varying most significantly on "Doin' that Rag," which was edited from 5:15 to 4:41, and "China Cat Sunflower," edited from 4:15 to 3:40).

The original mix was later planned for CD release, but the original master tapes could not be located. When the masters were finally found, years later, they were used for The Warner Bros. Studio Albums vinyl box set, marking the first time the 1969 mix has been available since the 1971 remix replaced it, in 1972. The 2013 high definition remastering for download uses the remixed version – even though promotion related to this release declared "produced from the original analog master tapes in 2013, using the original album mixes".

An edit of the track "Doin' that Rag" was released on the Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders compilation The 1969 Warner/Reprise Record Show. Since this set stayed in print through the late 1970s, it provided a sample of the original mix for some years after the full album was only available in the remixed version.

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On June 7, 2019 Rhino Records released the "50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" of Aoxomoxoa. Disc one contains both mixes of the album – the one from 1969 and the one from 1971. Disc two contains previously unreleased live tracks from the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, recorded on January 24–26, 1969.

Yes. Going by the outro to Doin' That Rag, it seems both my versions are the 71 remix. So I've never heard the 69 mix. I must rectify that.

interesting that the Warner/Reprise record show was in print for so long, for just a promo sampler comp

the original mix is definitely worth hearing, but I hardly ever listen to it.

a very strange Aoxo outtake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg10Puy1kYo

'Doin that Rag' is such a shambles...like they're still learning it and lurch into the different parts

also has some rare Jerry falsetto

still surprises me when i remember members of the Dead put in session work for David Crosby's "If I Could Only Remember My Name." That pedal steel work Jerry puts in for "Laughing" is fantastic. "What Are Their Names" is such a wild tune to come out of a Crosby, Neil Young and the Dead composition.

this is what i'm talking about when i talk about how much i love the one drummer approach. i much prefer it. so good! well, they had the right one drummer for it. that helps. i mean i get that the mickey/bill combo is part of the mythos...and before 1972 i feel like i enjoy it more? i dunno. anyway, this is a really good show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtsB3lgvN5w

how many 60s and 70s bands wish that they had ONE show with the sound quality of that one above that they could listen to now. kinda crazy really.

(that set is really down-home. nothing out or crazy long. old-fashioned.)

many difficult-to-identify sounds on "What's Become of the Baby"

all-time wiki writing tbh

The uncontroversial part of my take is that I agree with Scott, one drummer Dead before the hiatus in '75 was peak Dead. Kreutzmann was a better drummer and allowed the Dead to turn on a dime in the jazzier years.

The somewhat controversial part of my take is that the Dead would have been a far less interesting band in the '80s and '90s without Mickey back in the fold. Mickey was a worse drummer, but I think he was often the main one still pulling the psychedelic thread in the later years. "Drums > Space" was not everyone's cup of tea, but in those later years it was sometimes the only moment in the show where they dipped a toe in those cosmic waters.

i do agree with all that. having said that, i don't listen to 80s and 90s Dead much unless someone tells me its a truly great show.

dual drummer arrangement in the 70s lost all the ferocity they had in the late 60s. bludgeoning is not a word i'd often use for the dead but some of those 'other ones' are gnarly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE66xE2bk5M

however, most all drum 'solos' or features or whatever, first nine minutes of this included, are dire

again, without a net, ffs

that's what happens when you try to play triplets with four hands

this is what i'm talking about when i talk about how much i love the one drummer approach. i much prefer it. so good! well, they had the right one drummer for it. that helps. i mean i get that the mickey/bill combo is part of the mythos...and before 1972 i feel like i enjoy it more? i dunno. anyway, this is a really good show.

Europe 72 is among my favorite dead, and I also never felt like Mickey added much tbh. I mean sometimes he does, but a lot of my favorite stuff is one drummer.

there are euro 1972 shows where BK gives krautrock drummers a run for their money!

yes! The dude was a machine. I also sometimes think of krautrock when I hear those shows.

Riiight. Nothing evidences precision motorik quite like a double Bill / Mickey fill

no we are talking just bill. in europe. in 1972.

do keep up

Jon otm. Billy was better but Mickey preserved a lot of the psychedelic mysticism that defined them from the start. The freakin' beam is still a fixture of dead & co drums into space and it's still a bone rattling thrill to hear it live. Also, the best studio recording of playing in the band was on Mickey's solo album Rolling Thunder, horns and all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE7-2Qo9FTc

Listened to the Truckin'>Mind Left Body Jam>Spanish Jam>Wharf Rat on 07/31/74 during a night drive through the country. It's pretty sweet.

anyone know of any other good instances where they go hard, like the end of sunshine daydream's (1972-08-27) dark star?

early "The Other Ones" are the first one that comes to mind. can't name a particular show, unfortunately. i just know they could get pretty gnarly before Weir's vocals hit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Sx0Li9gQs

I would like to apologize in this public forum to Michael Steven Hartman, aka Mickey Hart, for anything I might have said to disparage his involvement with the GD. I stayed up until 2 AM last night watching the closing of Winterland video and him and Bill are having so much fun together and Mickey is just bashing away like a kid and they sound really cool and the band sounds awesome and Donna's vibe is awesome and I just love hearing them like that and it reminded me of how great they could sound when they all play together in sync. or in Dead sync anyway. and i love that opening 1-2-3 punch of sugar magnolia/scarlet begonias/fire on the mountain and i love that not fade away with john cipollina. Sorry, Mickey!

I’ve written about my love for Dozin’ at the Knick, it was my gateway Dead record. I went to see a local band cover the whole show last night and had so much fun. “Terrapin” delivered all the spacy funky prog goodness.

someone brought stuff in to trade including cd sets of 12/10/71 fox theatre and june 10 1973 rfk stadium. that is my era. well, i do love the 60s dead too. gonna take them home. feel like 1970 to 1973 dead was the best american folk rock band in the land.

i've never read about the dead's impact around the world. who loved them? where did they hit big with people? were they beloved in japan? south america? they never went to those places. did the krautrockers listen to them? there should be a book about that. maybe there is one.

I think that 6/10/73 show is the longest ever and has part of the Allman Bros sitting in for the third set. It's a fun show.

yah i think its 4 discs.

It's 8LPs(!) because they try to avoid splitting the songs.

jam much?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtJ8FIWx8og

i can't remember if i already posted this here. if i did its worth posting twice. so cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H-CW12fBNA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8oV1mUEWlk

#onethread

In reply to Sven way upthread: If you liked Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, also check Weir's aptly titled Ace; they've sometymes been described as a trilogy.

Watch: Phil Lesh Taps North Mississippi Allstars for Ron “Pigpen” McKernan Deep Dive on Episode Seven of The Clubhouse Sessions

Ace's songs became staples in the live Dead sets to a greater degree than most of the actual Dead albums. a total classic. Garcia's S/T solo as well, though it leans more experimental.

This is... something

https://www.newspringfieldboogie.com/

jerry's solo album has "deal," "sugaree," and "bird song" which are three of the best in the repertoire. better i think, than any of the staples introduced in ace, depending on how you feel about "playing in the band"

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a42dbb_47453d81dd874b93b58e22961ff5cc3f~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1112,h_1112,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/a42dbb_47453d81dd874b93b58e22961ff5cc3f~mv2.jpg

the Ace studio recording of "Black Throated Wind" is top notch.

As I understood from one of the band bio books, these solo albums happened as they got a pretty sweet deal for making the solo albums right as the Warner deal was ending. They used the money to buy houses etc, which is why those tunes never ended up on a dead studio album.

Steal Your Donut

Speaking of which, what is the best GD bio?

The Dennis McNally book is the official one but I thought the Rock Scully one was the most entertaining read. The Dark Star oral biography of Jerry Garcia is a good read but very sad too. Phil Leah’s book is pretty good too, but more from his POV.

Thanks.

Bear Owsley’s is wild and it’s absolutely insane no one has tried to make a bio movie about him.

I was pleasantly surprised by Fare Thee Well. It’s not exactly a happy tale but pretty revealing about how these guys interacted in the very late years.