The Grateful Dead

falconcry72

Hey Now,

Just wondering if there are any dead fans lurkin' around here. If so, I'd love to trade recommendations for great dead recordings!

Ben

comfortablycurt

Woohoo!! I'm going to see Furthur in a couple weeks...should be a good time.:)


I've been getting really into the Spring '77 Dead lately. I've been hooked on 5/28/77 from Hartford, Connecticut lately.

http://www.amazon.com/Terrapin-May-28-1977-Hartford/dp/B001TW2S9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1266689295&sr=8-1

Excellent recording quality through the whole show. There are a few numbers that kind of leave you hanging, thinking they didn't go exactly where they were trying to, but it's an excellent show overall.

falconcry72

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Woohoo!! I'm going to see Furthur in a couple weeks...should be a good time.:)


I've been getting really into the Spring '77 Dead lately. I've been hooked on 5/28/77 from Hartford, Connecticut lately.

http://www.amazon.com/Terrapin-May-28-1977-Hartford/dp/B001TW2S9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1266689295&sr=8-1

Excellent recording quality through the whole show. There are a few numbers that kind of leave you hanging, thinking they didn't go exactly where they were trying to, but it's an excellent show overall.

I saw Furthur last weekend at Hampton. It was worst dead family ensemble I've seen. That's compared to "the other ones", "the dead", ratdog, the trichromes, and phil and friends. I had a good time though! And I'm sure you will too!:D

I generally stick to 68-75, with a heavier emphasis on 69-74, and a heavier yet emphasis on 71-73, with the heaviest emphasis on 72. My dead emphasis favors pure improv if you can't tell.:cool:

That Hartford show is a good recording. For May 77 I always recommend the 25th from the Mosque in Richmond, Va beacuse it gets over-looked, but it's fantastic all the way through. Here's the setlist:

Set 1:

Mississippi Half-Step
Jack Straw
They Love Each Other
Mexicali Blues
Peggy-O
Cassidy
Loser
Lazy Lightnin'
Supplication
Brown Eyed Women
Promised Land

Set 2:

Scarlet Begonias
Fire on the Mountain
Estimated Prophet
He's Gone
drums
The Other One
Wharf Rat
The Other One
The Wheel
Around and Around

U.S. Blues


I would imagine you're familiar with the Barton Hall show from the 8th. The 7th and 9th are good, too. Another May 77 moment I really love is the transition from the other one to comes a time from the 1st. That version of comes a time is one of my all-time favs. The recently released box set from June 7th, 8th, and 9th is also great. Can't really go wrong with Spring 77 dead.

Have fun at the show!:)

nspindel

There's really no need to do trading any more. If you go to the Live Music Archive, they pretty much have every show known to mankind that you can stream for free.

falconcry72

nspindel wrote: »

There's really no need to do trading any more. If you go to the Live Music Archive, they pretty much have every show known to mankind that you can stream for free.

yea, I know the archive. I'm talking about trading "recommendations", not tapes; rec's are important when a band has nearly 3k shows available.:) And by the way, the archive streams at a fairly low bitrate of MP3, so streaming from there is far from ideal for me. It's a good way to try out a show, but FLAC is it for me and my setup:cool: The archive also does not have any commercially released shows available for streaming, which is a lot. peace,

Ben

mhardy6647

falconcry72 wrote: »

Hey Now,

Just wondering if there are any dead fans lurkin' around here. If so, I'd love to trade recommendations for great dead recordings!

Ben

...maybe...
not really a collector of shows, though.
5/8/77 Cornell U is pretty nice...

falconcry72

mhardy6647 wrote: »

...maybe...
not really a collector of shows, though.
5/8/77 Cornell U is pretty nice...

pretty nice indeed! also the most over-rated show of all time! seriously though, it is a good [EDIT: great] show, and I know why it's so popular, but it's just not my cup of koolaid.

mhardy6647

I guess that constitutes trading recommendations, then.

falconcry72

mhardy6647 wrote: »

I guess that constitutes trading recommendations, then.

sorry about that; that wasn't a very even trade I don't think.:) Allow me to make up for it: If you like that cornell show you will probably also like Dick's Picks 10 and 15. Both also from 77, so you get a similar band sound, but with different songs played. If you're only going to try one, I'd have to give the nod to DP 10, with the most magic happening around the Playin' jam. Cheers!:D

heiney9

nspindel wrote: »

There's really no need to do trading any more. If you go to the Live Music Archive, they pretty much have every show known to mankind that you can stream for free.

Yep, I was going to post that. Not a Dead fan per se, but I spend some time on the Live Music Archive and noticed all the dead shows. Most if not all are posted in FLAC

http://www.archive.org/details/etree

falconcry72

heiney9 wrote: »

Yep, I was going to post that. Not a Dead fan per se, but I spend some time on the Live Music Archive and noticed all the dead shows. Most if not all are posted in FLAC

http://www.archive.org/details/etree

Some clarification about the archive's formats:

The archive streams MP3. Period. This is the case for every track from every band. You can download FLAC versions for shows which allow it. As far as the Grateful Dead is concerned, you can only download audience recordings, not soundboards. Every band's policy on this is different, and the "no sbd downloading" policy for the dead just came about 3 or 4 years ago. The only FLACs you can listen to at the archive from the Grateful Dead are of audience recordings that you have downloaded, of which some are good, some are lousy, and NONE are soundboards. Hope this helps

Derrick4Real

falconcry72 wrote: »

Hey Now,

Just wondering if there are any dead fans lurkin' around here. If so, I'd love to trade recommendations for great dead recordings!

Ben

First show in July 88...last show 6/30/95...been all over the globe for shows.

Personal Favs in no particular order:

71: Feb Port Chester run
72: Spring Europe run
74: Feb Winterland run
77: 4/25 Capitol Theatre, 4/29 & 5/4 Palladium, 5/22 Sportatorium (not DP3)
80: October Radio City run
7/18/90: Deer Creek
Sept 90: MSG run (9/15 specifically)
Sept 90: Boston Garden run
10/31/91: (in my top 3 modern day shows EVER. Ken Kesey rap off the hook!)
6/20/92: RFK (casey jones locomotive horn revival and dark star on the 22nd)
6/30/95: Sentimental reasons...rain set for set II

My fav spot for legal lossless Dead downloads: ShnFlac.net

falconcry72

derrick4real,

i also use losslesslegs; it's a good place for sure. bt.etree is good too.

Hey I heard rumors that the new road trips release is going to be from November 71!!! Awesome!!! Can't wait for that one.

For now my favorite tour of their's is def europe spring 72. I have sbd's of all the shows, but it'll probably take me a decade or so you really digest all those dark stars and other ones. It's a lot of material!

comfortablycurt

falconcry72 wrote: »

I saw Furthur last weekend at Hampton. It was worst dead family ensemble I've seen. That's compared to "the other ones", "the dead", ratdog, the trichromes, and phil and friends. I had a good time though! And I'm sure you will too!:D



I would imagine you're familiar with the Barton Hall show from the 8th. The 7th and 9th are good, too. Another May 77 moment I really love is the transition from the other one to comes a time from the 1st. That version of comes a time is one of my all-time favs. The recently released box set from June 7th, 8th, and 9th is also great. Can't really go wrong with Spring 77 dead.

Have fun at the show!:)

Yeah, I've got my doubts about how good these shows are gonna be, but I don't want to miss them. There aren't going to be many chances left to see Phil. This tours wrapping up with his 70th birthday in SanFrancisco, and he's already got 11(?) years on a liver transplant. He's probably not gonna be around much longer.:(



5/8/77? Ahh...the stuff of Deadhead legend. This show has been called the "greatest show ever" many times.

Is there really such a thing as "greatest show ever" though? Every Deadhead has different aspects they look for in a show. Some people just fondly remember a show that they were at, and to them, that is the greatest show ever.

I won't even attempt to pick a favorite. There are too many good ones.

5/8/77 is an excellent show. The best ever? That depends on who's listening to it. Is it in the top 10-20 shows of all times? Certainly, IMO. It definitely has the most smokin Scarlet/Fire jam you're ever likely to hear.




Yesterday I snagged up "Three From the Vault", which is the 2/19/71 show in Port Chester, NY

D4Real actually mentioned that one a couple posts back ironically. It's an excellent show.

Some interesting factoids...this show contains the second ever performances Greatest Story Ever Told, Bertha, Loser, Playing In the Band, and Wharf Rat. As well as the world premieres of both Deal and Birdsong. This is also the first show the the Dead played without Mickey Hart. After the show the previous night(at the same venue), Mickey decided to take a hiatus from the band, do to some issues with his fathers financial management of the band(or lack thereof).

This is really a great show considering that they lost a band member the night before...Billy really takes hold though and holds down the drum line very well.

The highlights?

For me...An excellent Truckin'. A great Smokestack Lightning. The China/Rider on here is really good, but I've heard much better IMO.

Johnny B. Goode is excellent in this show!! It really rocks out. Both Wharf Rat and Good Lovin' on this show are excellent as well. Especially considering that this was the second ever performance of Wharf Rat.



I also picked up Dick's Picks Volume 23 yesterday...9/17/72-Baltimore, Maryland. I haven't given this one a listen yet, but I will be later. The set list looks very promising though.




So, anyone have any thoughts on the official HDCD remasters versus some of the available bootlegs? Are the HDCD's better hands down? I've really been loving the quality of these remasters. Excellent sound on all of them that I've heard so far.

falconcry72

DP 23 is great. I am biased towards 72 though, as I previously noted. That 40 min Other One is awesome. It explores a lot of interesting areas, as does every other Other One from 72.

I will say that Phil sounded great at the Furthur show. Have you seen his newish Ritter bass yet?! That thing is f'n nuts!

comfortablycurt

falconcry72 wrote: »

DP 23 is great. I am biased towards 72 though, as I previously noted. That 40 min Other One is awesome. It explores a lot of interesting areas, as does every other Other One from 72.

I just checked out some of it...The Promised Land opener is pretty good...Sugaree is...ok, but it lacks some of the depth and space that it developed later in their career, IMO.

I didn't have a lot of time to do any listening...so I skipped ahead to the China/Rider. Very good! I've heard better(6/19/93 to name one), but it was excellent none the less. I'll have some time in a little bit to check out the whole show in it's entirety. Should be a very Grateful time.:D

I will say that Phil sounded great at the Furthur show. Have you seen his newish Ritter bass yet?! That thing is f'n nuts!

Yeah, that bass looks crazy!! That's what he was using when I saw The Dead last May(on Cinco De Mayo) at the Rosemont(Chicago).

Derrick4Real

comfortablycurt wrote: »

So, anyone have any thoughts on the official HDCD remasters versus some of the available bootlegs? Are the HDCD's better hands down? I've really been loving the quality of these remasters. Excellent sound on all of them that I've heard so far.

I'd also be interested in hearing what people think of this? They are about to release Philly 89.

Now that I have upgraded my HT from top to bottom...I am definitely going to give them a shot.

I have a Matrix (Aud/Sbd) 5.1 DTS copy of Cornell 77 that Dan from AM-Dig mixed down that is unreal...it really brings the Betty board we all know and love to life.

I am going this Tuesday to see them at Radio City Music Hall...tix sure were expen$sive...that's for sure.

My first ticket was $12.50 I think

comfortablycurt

Philly '89 DVD?- That should be good. There were some excellent shows in '89. Check out the Downhill From Here DVD, from Alpine Valley in '89(the exact date escapes me ATM). My brother Bill was actually at that show...some excellent cuts on it. Specifically, Let The Good Times Roll is great...Built to Last has some great Jerry lead in it...An excellent performance of Deal. A great China/Rider(I'm kind of fond/critical of various China/Rider's, if you can't tell;))...Standing on the Moon is quite inspiring as well.


Any info on where I could get a copy of that 5.1 Cornell '77 mix? I'd love to check that out.



Have fun at the show!! We expect a full report.

I'll be seeing them March 2/3. I'm gonna try to go to both shows.

Tickets are sold out, and I don't have any. So, I'll be getting my tickets with the "finger in the air" method.:)

Sometimes that's for the best. The Cinco De Mayo show last year for instance...I got a $95 ticket for $20.:)

falconcry72

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Any info on where I could get a copy of that 5.1 Cornell '77 mix? I'd love to check that out.

here's the 5.1 DTS mix @ bt.etree:

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=22184

I haven't heard it yet... I'll let you know how it sounds tomorrow. I'm actually glad this show came up in this thread; now I'm going to get the 5.1 copy, which I wouldn't have gotten otherwise, and I'll be giving this show another good listen...it's been years.:)

Derrick4Real

I got mine here at LosslessLegs...that is where Dan seeded it originally. He put quite a bit of time into it. His notes are quite interesting on how he made it as well.

EDIT: It appears there is only one seeder at LosslessLegs and there are 4 over at etree. I'm not sure if you are in to the who torrent thing or not...but if you are not...I'b be more than happy to burn you down a copy old school style and mail it your way

Notes

I looked at the 4 pages of notes I had on this project and
it made me sick to think about typing them up. So, although
not complete, you will get a good idea of what was done to
bring these recordings to this point.

ALLOT of editing was done to keep the flow btwn songs. Both
AUD recordings suffered from btwn song pauses that not only
cut the crowd cheer out but clipped the beginning of many
songs. The 2 AUD source coverage allowed my to patch 1 with
the other in some situations. A couple spots I created a
fake AUD recording by mixing crowd cheer with the SBD. This
was effective at creating patches for the rear channels in
the 5.1 presentation but also maintained a smooth quality in
the stereo matrix mix as well. These patches are numerous
and I think completely smooth and most likely undetectable.

The SBD+AUD matrix details. The stereo matrix it is approx
60% SBD, 20% Jerry Moore's AUD and 20% Steve Maizner's AUD.
The matrix mix on the center channel is a 50/50 with just
the SBD and Steve Maizner's AUD. I also D'EQ'd both sources
to pull up the vocals and give the center channel a unique
sound as not to detract from the front stereo imaging or the
rear surround effect. You will also note that the rear channels
are just Jerry's AUD and not a matrix of the 2 AUD sources. I
did give that configuration a listen but opted for the single
rear source. It was clearer and had more definition on its own.

d1t01 The first 16.041 seconds of Minglewood blues was cut on
the SBD. Starting this monster project with an unrecoverable
flaw was unacceptable to me. I decided to patch that opening
portion with a SBD and AUD recording from 5-7-77. As this
patch ends you will hear some slight phasing as the stereo
field moves. The result, although not perfect, I think
provides the listener with a more enjoyable and natural
listening experience. Maybe you disagree. For those of you
who would rather have a patch using a matrix mix of the 2 AUD
sources please feel free to do it yourself :^)

d1t07-08 The SBD is missing approx 34.361 from 42:47.001 -
43:16.362. This was patched using a matrix mix of the 2 AUD
sources and then EQ'ed to best match the sound spectrum of
the SBD. I also tried to match the volume on the SBD. A
switch in sources is obvious to the listener but this is
still pretty good. The switch back to SBD is actually
really good as there are no vocals at that point.

d2t02 A tiny right channel digital sizzle at 12:18.418.
This was fixed using a quick channel swap. This is smooth
and most likely undetectable.

If you play this DTS-Audio-CD and hear static it is b/c you
didn't really read the text file, did you?

Derrick4Real

There are quite a few 5.1 DTS gems here as a matter of fact. Some primo Pink FLoyd shows as well...a few DMB too.

5.1 DTS by Dan at AM-Dig

comfortablycurt

Thanks for the links guys. I'll definitely check those out.



I picked up Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings earlier today. This is November 9/10/11 1973 recorded in it's entirety.


So far I've only listened to the first night. There's some smoking stuff on here though!! TLEO is excellent...it's got an awesome Black Throated Wind. The China/Rider on here is fricken smokin!! An awesome 20 minute PITB jam. Probably the best version of Big River I've EVER heard...some awesome stuff on that one. A really cool Weather Report>Eyes>China Doll jam.


I'm really looking forward to checking out the next two nights. The second night has a Playing In the Band>Uncle Johns Band>Morning Dew<Uncle Johns Band<Playing In the Band jam that I'm anticipating being incredible.

comfortablycurt

Could anyone tell me if there's an official release of 5/8/77? I could have sworn it was one of the Dicks Picks...but I can't seem to find it.

All I've got is a bootleg of it...and I'd love a better copy.

Derrick4Real

Negative. I recall Dick L. saying there will "never been an official Cornell 77" when he was alive. However...after he passed...the shows that have been released are far from "Gems" and have been widely circulated with great quality versions easily available. I often shake my head in disbelief at what I see and think "they couldnt have done one more obscure?"

Anyway...about a year ago I read on ShnFlac.net that there was talks about releasing a Barton Hall DVD...but haven't heard anything since.

If I was the money hungry Dead Machine...I would go for a Spring 77 Box CD/DVD set (5/7, 5/8, 5/9)...just imagine the sales that one would pull in!!!

strider

2/13 and 2/14/70 are both pretty hot shows. They made Dick's Pick's 4 out of those two shows. I downloaded soundboard shows transferred by Charlie Miller (worth it to look for his transfers) from gdvault.com.

phipiper10

I owe much thanks to Charlie among countless others. The more songs in rotation the better for me - I know it's not cool to like 80s shows but there are plenty of good ones.

I get burned out on every show starting with a promised land sometimes.

Heck as I think about it, I think wow, there was really good stuff in 73-74 yeah and I like 77 and 79 too and some mid 80s ****....hmm guess I just like the Dead!

I'd pass on a lot of Hornsby shows and while Donna makes me cringe sometimes I'm still ok with her. Of course YMMV.

falconcry72

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Thanks for the links guys. I'll definitely check those out.



I picked up Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings earlier today. This is November 9/10/11 1973 recorded in it's entirety.


So far I've only listened to the first night. There's some smoking stuff on here though!! TLEO is excellent...it's got an awesome Black Throated Wind. The China/Rider on here is fricken smokin!! An awesome 20 minute PITB jam. Probably the best version of Big River I've EVER heard...some awesome stuff on that one. A really cool Weather Report>Eyes>China Doll jam.


I'm really looking forward to checking out the next two nights. The second night has a Playing In the Band>Uncle Johns Band>Morning Dew<Uncle Johns Band<Playing In the Band jam that I'm anticipating being incredible.

I'm really glad for you that you got that set; it is some of the best dead out there. The Playin>UJB>Morning Dew>UJB>Playin is sweet, but the real magic of that box is the next night. 11/11/73. Man. That Dark Star is considered the "tops" by many a head. I wouldn't call it the "best" dark star, but I will say that, to me, the best dark stars were played in 72 and 73, and I've listened intently to nearly all of them, and that star holds its own pretty damned well. Have fun; I'm going to listen to it right now.

BTW you HAVE to get "steppin out with the grateful dead" if you don't have it. It is HANDS DOWN the best dead release from the europe 72 tour, and the dark star on that one is very unique. It's completely different than the one from 11/11/73.

falconcry72

Derrick4Real wrote: »

the shows that have been released are far from "Gems" and have been widely circulated with great quality versions easily available. I often shake my head in disbelief at what I see and think "they couldnt have done one more obscure?"

I know. It's weak. But hey what about that Road Trips 2.2 from 2/14/68? That was killer, and though there was already a nice board available, the release was an upgrade. PLUS...... the bonus material from 1/20 and 1/23 on there is sick. Viola Lee boyeeeeeee:D

comfortablycurt

+1 on the Spring 77 box set. That would be an instant best seller for sure. I'd definitely be snagging it.


So...what's the best version of 5/8/77 you can find? I'm just looking for a 2 channel mix, not the 5.1 mix that's been mentioned previously.

I find it incredible that 5/8/77 hasn't been officially released yet. It's considered by many Deadheads to be THE best show ever, and is in the top 5-10 for almost all other heads. That show would be flying off the shelves.




I just finished making my way through the Winterland 73 box set. There's really some awesome material on here.

The Eye's on the last disc is nothing short of breathtaking. The last disc is also home to probably the best Sugar Mag I've ever heard. The last 3 or so minutes aren't so much Sugar Mag, as "here's Jerry Garcia bearing the innermost depths of his soul to you through his guitar". Some definite tear-jerkin' Jerry moments there for sure.

strider

I logged onto gdvault.com tonight and there were five different versions of 5/8/77 on the first page of torrents, including DTS and 24 bit FLAC versions. I'm downloading a 16 bit version that has some positive comments about the recording. I'll report back once I listen to it.

Derrick4Real

comfortablycurt wrote: »

+1 on the Spring 77 box set. That would be an instant best seller for sure. I'd definitely be snagging it.


So...what's the best version of 5/8/77 you can find? I'm just looking for a 2 channel mix, not the 5.1 mix that's been mentioned previously.

I find it incredible that 5/8/77 hasn't been officially released yet. It's considered by many Deadheads to be THE best show ever, and is in the top 5-10 for almost all other heads. That show would be flying off the shelves.

I just finished making my way through the Winterland 73 box set. There's really some awesome material on here.

The Eye's on the last disc is nothing short of breathtaking. The last disc is also home to probably the best Sugar Mag I've ever heard. The last 3 or so minutes aren't so much Sugar Mag, as "here's Jerry Garcia bearing the innermost depths of his soul to you through his guitar". Some definite tear-jerkin' Jerry moments there for sure.

I've given the 73 box a listen...but I havent "listened" to it completely yet...looking forward to it.

I have 4 sbd sources, 2 aud sources and close to 9 versions of 5/8/77. It was actually a quest of mine back in the day to get every good source of Cornell ever put in to circulation. In my opinion...there only two non 5.1 board sources to get. #1 for a great Matrix which is a 2009 clean-up/re-master of Rob Eaton's DBX decoding from 1999. And #2 for the classic Betty Board most of us heard for the first time many moons ago...with great Aud patches for the missing SBD segments.

1. gd77-05-08.mtx.seamons.97274.sbeok.flac16 Seamons (MTX)

2. gd77-05-08.sbd.hicks.4982.sbeok.shnf (Hicks Fix SBD)

Interesting Reading:
From Dick Latvala (circ. 1999)

ABOUT 20 SHOWS THAT WOULD BE BETTER RELEASES THAN 5/8/77, FROM THE YEAR OF 1977.

1) 2/26 & 2/27- The first 2 shows of the year, and together would make
a much better and way more fulfilling listening experience than
Ithaca.

2)3/18->20/77- Winterland (although none stands alone completely,
together a 3-4 cd release seems an obvious choice.)

3) I have to pass on the Palladium, NYC shows, since I have never heard
them. They need to be baked and dbx decoded and we haven't got to a
whole slew of tapes in similar condition.

4) Both the night before and the night after (5/7 & 5/9) would be more
pleasing as releases.

5) I haven't heard the Chicago shows, but I have heard from friends
that something happened at one of them anyway.

6) The shows on 5/15, 5/17, 5/18 and 5/21 are each deserving notation,
and although they don't match up with 5/22, they are each more
satisfying than 5/8.

7) From what I hear from others (and what I saw myself, i.e., 5/2,
the final 3 shows from this amazing month of performances are each
worthy of many listenings.

8) Unfortunately, the 6/4 show in Los Angeles is missing from the
vault and from anyone's tape collection, as far as I know. Otherwise I
would toss this one in the pile of special shows.

9) The run of 3 at Winterland on 6/7->9, has some exceptional playing,
but not within a single night, so this should probably be a
compilation of the 3 shows, with most of the emphasis on the first 2
nights.

10) Englishtown (9/3) needs no mention!

11) October is another of those months where there seems to be a
disproportionate number of excellent performances. The downside is
that the quality of the recordings leaves something to be desired. In
the first tour during this month, the standouts are 10/11, 10/12,
10/14 and 10/16. I think all three at the end of the month are
qualifiers (10/28, 10/29 and 10/30).

12) Each of the next 5 nights rips Ithaca. But the 11/4->6 shows are
difficult to choose between. If I had to pick one of the three, I
would have to go with 11/6, although Rob Bertrando's choice of 11/4 is
pretty hard to pass up.

13) I think that many have overlooked the last 2 shows of the year,
since 12/29 was so startling. Neither approaches the completeness of
12/29, but I remember some fine playing during the 2nd set jams from
both nights.

So maybe this doesn't total 20 shows, but it gives a pretty clear idea
of where I place 5/8/77 amongst the meat from this year. I don't feel
it's necessary to point out what is specifically lacking on the 5/8
show, since this would only further distance it from the shows listed
above.