[JackStraw]

Yeah, the Dick's Picks series are where it's at IMO.  Although some of the music is "smokin", I would recommend avoiding the late 60s and early 70s stuff if you are bothered by a lot of tape hiss and other sound issues.

I avoided that era when I first started collecting shows -- until I realized that this material is what I was looking for all along. The open jamming in this timeframe (esp. 1973) is where it's at in my opinion. You won't impress anybody at audio society meetings with these shows, but if you want to experience raw emotion and the blurred reality where "the music plays the band" then you've gotta delve into this era.

By the way, I'm a conservative too...

[WilliamL]

Blues for Allah...

Great album! Miles Davis said before he died that Jerry Garcia was one of the very FEW rock musicians that he admired.

Cheers,
Bill

[JackStraw]

It looks like a lot of the Dead's albums were remastered for release earlier this year. I guess I missed that... has anybody checked them out?

[OBF]

I got the boxed set for Christmas that has 12 discs (I think) in it.  Only problem is I don't have any original CDs to compare them with (lost my Europe '72) and don't listen to them very often because I mostly opt for the Dick's Picks.  Although, after just looking at the details, I'll have to dig in one these days.  There's quite a bit of unreleased material, and I've seen it on ebay for $79 (like right now)!  Heck of a deal.

[JackStraw]

I've suggested a demo CD swap at the following link. I thought that some folks here might be interested.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=3272

[DeadFish]

Hola Folks,

Lurking ol' Deadhead here and y'all struck a chord or two in me forcing me (gasp!) to say 'Hey now...'

Coming behind seeing 'The Dead' 7-2 in St. Louis with my 20 yr. old son, I've been thinking on the band for a while, and I might as well ad to the mix.  
BTW, I had a great time at the concert.  Willie Nelson came out and did like 32 songs or instrumentals.  He joined the Dead @3rd song of the first set for one of the jumpin'est 'Mr. Charlie's I've heard in a long time.
The added St. Louisan Johnny Johnson for most of the rest of the set, which lasted an hour.
2nd set had an hourlong jam of 'All Along The Watchtower', 'Fire On The Mtn.', and 'Space' that ushered into a real pleasant 'He's Gone'.  Total of 2 hours or so on the 2nd set.

That 2nd set begining had a LOT of places for Jimmy Herring to stand his place as Garcia's shadow.  (I want to put this right)  I've been seeing this band for 34 years, and a lot of copiers since, and Herring tweaked something just right for me.  I've sure anyone who has dug this music has also heard other's chasing Garcia's 'sound' and although there is a lot of competence, a lot of what I have listened to has Jerry's competence, but not necessarilly his philosophy of playing around what I call "The Note", which is sometimes the noodling around everywhere else BUT that note, where the audience is pregnant in suspense and knowing every new note as its played.  (Well, SOME of you might know what I mean....I hope)
Anyway, it seemed Herring was letting us witness his acts of creation like Jerry did, rather than someone copying an old show.

(Am I going on too long yet??)

At the concert, by my side was my son who I crooned WorkingMan's Dead and American Beauty tunes to, rocking to sleep.  On my otherside, some old fella in his 60's, straight as an arrow, there for Willie Nelson and maybe some Grateful Dead like he had on an old 8 track tape he liked.  Phew!  He was kind sometimes, but he talked a lot.  He waited until the end of the concert waiting for 'Dr. John's Band', and I couldn't tell him he was mixing Dr. John and Uncle John up.  I just kept egging him on to wait for the next song before leaving.  He complained that they could get to his song if they wouldn't play only one for an hour.
hehheheheh  My anecdote ends in that in trying to explain what he was listening to, I thought a bunch about what it meant to me....

MY point now perhaps?  Nobody mourned Garcia more than me after concerts in the early 70's, where I could be in the 7th row, having Garcia look me right in the eye, both of us grinning and knowing right where the music HAD to go....
I missed a lot of the 80's concerts, and the band became a 'Grateful Monster' on tour in the 90's, with a cumbersome sound as Garcia's humanity caught up with him..
Felt like I was at a funeral at the Furthur Fests.. and developed an interest in Mickey Hart's stuff with a passion.
SO, on that 2nd set, when the band jammed and Herring played his own, when the band played "He's Gone", it was real poignant for me, as if finally able to lower that casket for Garcia a little farther.  Made it a little more like a wake for me, where after a funeral, folks celebrate the kind of things someone's life had been about...  And we were all there for the music.

Now as for the vocals, Joan Osborne is a definite asset, and infinitely more pleasurable than Donna. (sorry Donna).  I could go on, but I've stretched the electrons enough for your listening.

One final note.  The band took a bow at the end.  Made it kinda personal, and if you haven't guessed, I've a knack for taking the music and Hunter's lyrics kinda personal...
 
Thanks for listening.  It just seemed that the music never stopped.  It has just changed, again....

Regards,
DF

[DeadFish]

Get yerself up on Dead.net and you can check out the summer tour, and from there, get to where you can buy any of the soundboard recordings of the tour, save for a few when the featured Guest doesn't want to sign the release.  (Dylan perhaps).
Also there is a link where you can d/l the 2-14-03 3cd s/b of The Dead, and few other 3cd sets of Phil and Friends concerts over the last few years.  

Happy Motoring!

DF

[jqp]

Greatful Dead Jewel Case inserts

http://birdsong.etree.org/

[jqp]

OK I got the CD The Pizza Tapes featuring Garcia, Grissman and Rice.

Excellent recording of acoustic music in a little studio! Nice to hear them interact.

[zachslc]

Deadfish:

"Beyond the Missouri Sky" is an awesome disc!  One of my new favorites!

Ok, regardign the dead, can anyone recommend a live CD (or readily available LP) with a really long, slow, soulful rendition of "estimated prophet"?  I love that song on Dick's Picks 10 and a few other live albums, but I can't find the version that I think "feels just right".

Thanks.

[JackStraw]

Deadfish:

"Beyond the Missouri Sky" is an awesome disc!  One of my new favorites!

Ok, regardign the dead, can anyone recommend a live CD (or readily available LP) with a really long, slow, soulful rendition of "estimated prophet"?  I love that song on Dick's Picks 10 and a few other live albums, but I can't find the version that I think "feels just right".

Thanks.

The first thing that I'd recommend if you like DP10 is getting DP29. I have copies of both shows from way before they came Dick's Picks, and they are fantastic. Two nice, early versions of Estimated on there.

There are several DP that feature the very common Estimated > Eyes segue. Do a text find on http://www.dead.net/merchandising/music/grateful_dead/Dicks_Picks_5/ and you'll see what I mean.

If you're not hung up on getting perfect sound, the following can be had from just about anyone who collects Dead shows... and they're generally considered to be the cream of the Estimated crop.

7/8/78
3/29/90 *
12/31/90 *
9/10/91
9/22/93 *

I put a * by the ones that I have on CD... I had the others on analog tape, and then on DAT, but I haven't replaced them with CDs yet. Please send me a PM if you'd like for me to burn you copies of what I have.