should i give the grateful dead a chance?

I always have time for the studio “help on the way,” especially the opening

one of the more unexpected musical detours of my life has been the sheer amount of time i've spent listening to the dead over the past few years. i spent a long time late last year actually putting together a rough sketch of a "grayfolded"-style dark star focusing only on the tom constanten era of the song. i don't think anybody else has actually heard the result, but i did write up my results here:

https://www.alanauch.org/wtob/2021/11/19/dark-star-69/

i'm pretty happy with the result, and i have listened to it a fair amount in the six months since, so i think it was worth doing!

One of my main interests in bootleg recordings is what I pretentiously call “terroir”, the unique way in which any particular recording reflects its particular sense of place and the circumstances under which it was made. Is it an outdoor gig? Indoor? Audience tapes, by their nature, have a tremendous sense of terroir to them, but even soundboard tapes can differ widely based on the venue and the mix.

this is a super interesting take that concretizes some of my sentimentality for bootlegs, thanks for the link! great stuff.

also not pretentious, imho <3

this is A+ funny as well:

TC’s old organ was one of the shittiest excuses for an organ used by a major rock group, making Mike Ratledge’s Lowrey sound positively sophisticated in comparison.

hands off mike ratledge's lowrey! all organs shd sound like that

I learned to listen to their music without looking for an aim or purpose, learned to see their songs as a series of moments rather than a trajectory.

this is the key, took me a little bit to understand this but it frees you from expectation

I think it would be really funny if alternate Grayfolded tracks were compiled of other Dead songs, but only using the worst moments from the performance. Imagine a 2LP of just Weir’s vocal vamping on “Estimated Prophet.”

“Money Money” slowed down 800%

I think it would be really funny if alternate Grayfolded tracks were compiled of other Dead songs, but only using the worst moments from the performance. Imagine a 2LP of just Weir’s vocal vamping on “Estimated Prophet.”

I sometimes think about compiling all of Donna’s “Playing In The Band” entrances and re-entrances into a single massive chorus of Donnas. But the main reason I haven’t is because she gets unfairly shit on for that part by Deadheads, and I wouldn’t want it to seem like a piss-take. I also genuinely like that part of the song.

Aquarium Drunkard:

Back by popular demand: for the first time since 2018, we’ve just re-upped the entirety of the music featured in our Dead Notes column, as penned by D Norsen from 2013-18. Get ’em while they’re hot. The two PDF zines included.

Dead Notes :: The Re-Up, Vol. 1-15https://t.co/X1iDZdNMQG pic.twitter.com/0NPJZXRSPc

— aquarium drunkard (@aquadrunkard) May 21, 2022

put on sunshine daydream bc it seemed to suit this hot hot day

the grateful dead rules

omg are you gonna journey through the years with the Dead like you did with Phish?

The "Sing Me Back Home" from Sunshine Daydream destroys me every time

8/27/72 might be my favorite Dead show of all time, due in part to my experience wandering the Desert Botanical Garden in AZ in 95 degrees while listening to it on headphones.

huh that might be fun xp

I've mentioned it before, but the "Dark Star" on the DVD of that show is outstanding, watching the sun slowly go down as the band plays (well, that is once you get past the cringeworthy animation).

My recent discovery has been 11/14/1973 with the second set starting with Truckin'>The Other One>Big River>The Other One>Eyes of the World>The Other One>Wharf Rat. I mean that is a helluva jam.

xp Yeah it's miraculous that 8/27/72 was captured in pristine, beautifully color-saturated 16mm film. I wish more early 70s shows had been documented like that, but I'll take what I can get. I mean this BIRD SONG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe2u7ogAgtQ

Also RIP Pole Guy (or so I have read)

Wanna buy John Perry Barlow's ranch in Wyoming?

https://www.businessinsider.com/wyoming-ranch-where-grateful-dead-wrote-music-on-sale-2022-7

When Jerry goes big on vocals it’s a crapshoot but when he nails it it’s great. 2/26/73 “I Know You Rider” just did that for me.

Spotify has become almost useless for me once I downloaded the Relisten app.

Veneta absolutely rules, very strong candidate for my favorite Playin

I’m assuming people have read it but for those that haven’t I highly recommend reading Bear Owsley Stanley’s wiki page. Hollywood needs to green light a bio pic for him asap.

^definitely, Owsley was an absolute legend. Also if you are remotely interested in him and have 30 minutes to spare, I urge you to watch this video (basically a freewheeling monologue where he reflects on his life and achievements):

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

there's very few mythic dead shows that you can't just hear in their entirety, speaking of early '73, 1973-02-24 university of iowa is transfixing
https://archive.org/details/gd73-02-24.pset1-sbd.sly.16051.sbeok.shnf

i saw DSO do 2/23/73, it was really wonderful. been fortunate to catch a 69 show, a 73, and one of the amazing ones from july 1976. not sure i could hang with a brent-era show

My main Dead listening for years has been officially released live shows from 69-72, One from the Vault, a little 73-74, and a little 77.

I started this summer really focusing on 1973. Dick's Picks 1 (12/19/1973), 05/26/1973 and 11/14/1973 have been the ones that stuck with me.

Thanks for the tip on 2/23 and 2/24/1973.

Does anyone else listen to their birthday show (if they have one or have adopted one)? My (50th) birthday show is coming up in September and I've never listened to it, so I am saving that for the big day.

xps Early 73 is a very sweet spot. The Dark Star -> Eyes of the World -> China Doll from 2/15/73 is one of the all-time great jam sequences imo. Unlike lots of Dark Stars from that era, this one never explodes or collapses into dissonance--just a lot of flowing liquid jazziness followed by one of the most listenable Phil solos, which is joined by Jerry and Billy in the last couple minutes for one of their most beautiful passages on tape.

They didn't play a show on my actual birthdate, but on that day in 74 they played the longest-ever "Playing in the Band" (which I believe is also the longest single version of any song they ever played). So I've got that going for me, which is nice. PBKR, September 72 is as good as it gets so whatever date your birthday falls on, you're in for a killer show.

apparently hardly anybody was touring on my birthdate! looking at the shows listed on etree: bruce springsteen was still touring "born to run". genesis were on their first post-peter gabriel tour with bill bruford on drums. there's a happy and artie traum show... maybe, they're marginal enough that there's a couple of different dates given for the same shows. peter brotzmann recorded a radio session, i have that tape and it's quite good. the main thing that seems to be circulated is a performance heart gave on a local PBS station - again, i don't know if that's the recording date or the broadcast date or what but it is a _delight_, i will say. look at that amazing scanimate/dissonant synth KWSU logo. i have a real soft spot for '70s PBS logos, they're _very_ much my aesthetic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp862e4vaug

i'm watching it now. heart fucking _kill_ it. immeediately right on with a huge witchy vibe and a flute solo out the damn gate. honestly what grabs me most is roger fisher's jacket. oh my god i want that jacket. '70s rock and roll fashion was amazing.

anyway i know what i'm doing for the next hour or so.

OH MY GOD THEY JUST SHOWED THE BASS PLAYER, seriously that top he's wearing was _not_ designed to be worn by a man and was _not_ designed to be worn on television, holy _fuck_ why did nobody tell me heart were this fucking amazing in '76, shit, is buckingham/nicks era fleetwood mac this rad?

no, Heart rules over all

so _that's_ what the moral of "metropolis" is about. fritz lang predicted the coming of _little queen_ fifty years before it happened! truly this man was a visionary genius. and here i thought the whole film was just some weird slashfic about edsel ford and janelle monae.

70s era Heart is unbeatable

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Uw8A2ryDJNyaVOEBmg1eY?si=nSThBGbtR3SOBA_eveMpVw

Big dicks picks compilation playlist maybe pretty much all you need

new Dave's Picks, vol. 43 at Family Dog & Southern Methodist -- tapes of this have floated around I think but it's a super nice Bear recording with a full acoustic set, Workingman's tunes very early -- a great "High Time" and "Black Peter" -- really nice "Dark Star" -- pretty great volume

xp idk if you're on the bus to the extent that you wanna hear all the Dick's Picks it's gonna be real hard to stop there. From my experience at least.

Q: Top 5 Dick's Picks?

For me it's 2, 11, 22, 33, and 36.

Oh yeah, new Dave's Picks is the best in a while. Two late-69 Dark Stars? I'll take it.

btw thanks to Kate for that Heart show upthread -- they were my favorite band when I was a kid and to see them at that power level in such a small room is incredible

Will check that, thanks. Looking for an Aug. 18 show, cos that's my birthday. Not seeing my birth year, and ones from late 80s, early 91s not so promising, so here's the most likely to be groovy: 8-18-70, at Fillmore West!
https://archive.org/details/gd70-08-18.aud.yerys.1346.sbeok.shnf

http://archive.org/details/gd70-08-18.aud.yerys.1346.sbeok.shnf

Yeah, looks like it's the same tape, judging by link info---

Sorry, meant for the second one to be this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOW_0Xq2ak

One YouTube survivor, whose screen handle I can't paste for some reason:

Jerry keeps playing these insane improvised uniquely toned colored licks that he never played before or since, at these break neck speeds. They continue to blow my mind, in the moment, 51 years later. just smiling and shaking my head in wonderment. thanks again Okie. ('68 to '70)

Oh hell yeah 8/18/70 is a landmark show, properly kicking off the American Beauty era, which I think they were in the middle of recording at the time. It's got the first known performances of Truckin, Ripple, Brokedown Palace, and Operator in the acoustic set and a ripping electric set with a top-shelf Dancing in the Street. And it sounds pretty good for an audience tape from 1970.

Operator was such a fun tune, sucks that they only played it like four times

A+ revive, lots to investigate, thanks all

Also happy birthday dow!

Thanks! (Just ate way too much Oreo ice cream cake, annual ritual)

"Operator" was written by Pigpen!

Indeed, but Pigpen was still playing in the band for almost two years after "Operator" debuted--plenty of opportunities to play it. Apparently they really did only play it four times, the last on 11/8/70. Similar trajectory to "Till the Morning Comes" (played five times from September to December 1970). I get why the latter was dropped so quickly (imo the weakest track on American Beauty and solidly "of its era" vs. the timeless cosmic Americana of the rest of the album). But "Operator" was a fun/funky lil Pigpen feature. Not sure what the issue was...

these mixes are fantastic, especially if you're a little wary of the Dead's vocals, haha:

https://saveyourface.posthaven.com/grateful-dead-improvisation-1972-1974

I am in the middle of the biggest Dead dive in my life, so that sounds great, but this is laughable:

To me, this is where the Grateful Dead planted a flag that no one in the rock and jazz categories can dispute or directly compete with.

Dude needs to listen to some more jazz.