The Grateful Dead Dark Star

[sal]

Just gave Dicks Picks 11 a spin last night. Its a show from 1972 from the East Coast somewhere. Fantastic. Hadn't heard it in a couple years, I forgot how good it was. Highest possible recommendation for all Dead fans.

[AmirBagachelles]

Heylin is not objective about the Dead (hates 'em), nor about Dylan (worships him). He got his views on the Dead from Lou Reed I believe. I've talked to Clinton about the Dead, and I think I know when I am talking to somebody who has no idea about what they are or what their music aspires to. The word regarding the Dylan-Dead get-together in '87 is that the Jerry and the Dead felt very let down by Dylan's laziness on stage, his unwillingness to SING especially. There were also some bad feelings about having to play some of the later crap such as Joey. The rehearsal tapes are pretty good (lots of traditional material, some odd covers including The Boy in the Bubble), and there were two good shows out west, especially Eugene I thought. (Check out the Frankie Lee and Judas Priest, you can feel the stage rise as Dylan starts to sing, abandoning the "tuneless wheez" as it has been called.) I thought all the shows had at least 3-4 really well played songs.

[Quincy]

The Eugene show was fun to be at. It was a beautiful day, it sure looked cool seeing them all together on stage, and the sight of all those puffs of smoke during "Rainy Day Woman" while making your own was good to be apart of. I remember hoping the combo would approach that of Dylan & The Band but it didn't quite work out that way. Still, it was fun.

I've heard stories that Dylan and the boys had been partying pretty hard with regional author & prankster Ken Kesey before the show. The oft repeated tale is that Dylan had sucked down a fifth of whiskey before he went on. As his last album was Knocked Out Loaded perhaps he had.

If I recall correctly Garcia had put together a different set of songs for the Dylan & The Dead album but Dylan vetoed it. It's too bad as the tour wasn't as bad as the album makes it out to be (or at least one could cherry pick a better 35 minutes to wrap around "Frankie Lee.")

The rehearsal version of "Boy In The Bubble" is so terrific I always have a hard time remembering what else is played over the 3 discs. Phil's bass on it is so damn good on it. It would have made a great 1st set song for them.

[Matthew]

New cd of the Jerry Garcia Band coming out that looks nice. Here's a good PRE-ORDER DEAL people can check out if you wish. I'd love to buy it, but I'm saving my money for the Dylan concert at UC Irvine right now. Decisions, decisions.

[Quincy]

Speaking of pre-orders, The Grateful Dead Movie is available as a pre-order in all sorts of combinations (would you like a T-shirt with your order?) They're releasing a 5 disc CD set as well - some music is in the movie, some isn't.

Their unique trinket to get you to pre-order from them is that they'll include a 6 inch strip of film from one of the retired movie reels with the DVD. Cute.

The latest box (Wake thru Built To Last) is available to pre-order as well. And they reveal the extras on the remasters.

Lotsa lotsa stuff. Too much in future jazz purchases is spoken for, so I reckon I'm just getting the movie (sans the filmstrip.)

Edited September 23, 2004 by Quincy

[jazzbo]

Man, I'm really divided about this next box set. . . . I mean I adore Wake of the Flood and Mars Hotel, but my interest after that really wanes dramatically. I'd like to have the remastered Flood and Mars, AND the bonus disc only sold through the website. . . but not the whole box. Play the waiting game I guess and hope they put out remasters of Wake and Mars soon.

[AmirBagachelles]

I had to laugh when I saw some of the extra tracks on the bonus disc for the new GDR/Arista years box. For years my buddy has LUSTED for a good tape of 8/31/80 from the Cap Centre, I have heard a crusty aud and for sure this was a very hot night. And what do we get on the bonus disc?: the 8/31/80 edition of Brent Mydland crooning Far From Me. woohoooo!

[Chalupa]

Jazzbo, no love for the Blues for Allah album?

Edited September 23, 2004 by Chalupa

[jazzbo]

What am I thinking! I really like Blues for Allah. After that is where it drops off for me pretty quickly. So I guess I'm quite interested . . . in one quarter of the box set.

[WD45]

Good post akanalog. The space was the place for improv, from '78 onward, and I generally loved it at the shows. Nice jams with Hornsby too in 1990/91, and some offbeat set lists here and there.

Try a taste of Phil and friends, its really an awesome tribute band, celebrating the 68-70 Dead. (only half kidding...) They are fun, and they make it up as they go.

I do heartily recommend seeing Phil play Golden Road, The Eleven, and Viola Lee Blues before you die.

Do they play Clementine? That is my favorite song by the dead and it was sadly under-recorded and under-explored. My favorite is the 1/20/68 show. You can listen on archive.org. Dig it.

[AfricaBrass]

I think fucking solo Lou Reed BARELY beats Robert Hunter solo; Hunter/Garcia slaying his weak ass HARD, over & over & over again... somehow superjive Lou conned some jokers into believing he was a goddamn "poet." Yeah, right.

Right On!!!

In my book, Lou Reed hasn't done anything for me since LOADED. The exception being METAL MACHINE MUSIC, which he probably intended as a joke, but plain noise is better than his solo stuff.

Back to the good ol' Grateful Dead:

I'm on the fence about this new box also. The Arista albums never have done that much for me, plus I already have most of them as remastered Japanese versions that I got for bargain prices.

The Grateful Dead Records albums are essential for me. I'll probably just pick them up when they come out separately.

As for the bonus disc, I probably have most of it (if it's from live shows) anyway.

But... the Grateful Dead Movie.... Whoo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been waiting for this on DVD for a LONG time.... It's better than Homer's forbidden donut.

[GregK]

I just preordered this box set, because I want remastered copies of Blues for Allah, Wake of the Flood and Mars Hotel, and the rest I'm just curious about. I've heard all of the albums after those I just mentioned and don't need them but I'm interested in hearing the bonus material. Plus, the extra disc looks cool, and the price is pretty good for a box set of this size. Total around $130 or so, avg of $10 per disc. Since I have the Golden Road box I gotta get this one to complete the set anyway!

It looks like they are also reissuing So Many Roads at the same time.

[AfricaBrass]

It's still hard to believe Lowell George, Mother of Invention, primary genius behind the first two and a half Little Feat lps (Roy Estrada being the other soul man), produced "Shakedown Street."

Incredible.

Strawberry Flats Clem

It just goes to show:

Coke is NOT it.

It's funny I really love the songs from TERRAPIN STATION, and the spring '77 shows that I've heard are favorites, but I hate the production on that album. I can't even listen to it. (Insert vomit emoticon here)

It's hard to believe the producer (Keith Olson) of that mess was actually a member of that great 60's group, The Music Machine.

[AmirBagachelles]

Clem - there are a few gems on Shakedown Street, including the heavy title track, If I Had the World to Give, and one of the all-time great Dead songs Fire On the Mountain. But the album is piss overall you are right. Maybe some bonus tracks will redeem it.

Does Tangled Up in Blue count as a Bob Brooklyn song?

[Tony Pusey]

Clem, I agree 100% on your assements re Lou ,Lowell (and Roy Estrada) and the Buzzcocks!

[Tony Pusey]

I dont know if I will be picking up the new Rhino/Arista box yet-Too much patchy if not downright poor material from my taste-frinstance I do not share the offt spoken admiration for Mars Hotel which, tho it includes Unbroken Chain also includes the unspeakable Loose Lucy and USBlues-but am I missing something where is the-admittedly piss poor-Steal your Face album?

[AmirBagachelles]

Run Your Life...Steal Your Wife...Share Your Wealth...Steal Your Face? Nov-05 I think, with the DVD release of the Dead movie, there will be a new (HDCD) 5-CD compilation from all the Oct-74 Winterland shows, a movie soundtrack-plus. Mmmmmm. If you are still pining for Steal Your Face after that, you may need some professional help.

http://www.gdstore.com/gdmovie/

The tracklisting for the CD is:

CD 1

US Blues

One More Saturday Night

China Cat Sunflower>

I Know You Rider

Eyes of the World>

China Doll*

Playing In The Band

CD 2

Scarlet Begonias

He’s Gone>*

Jam>*

Weirdness>

The Other One>

Spanish Jam>

Mind Left Body Jam>

The Other One>

Stella Blue

Casey Jones

CD 3

Weather Report Suite

Jam>*

Dark Star>

Morning Dew

Not Fade Away>*

Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad

CD 4

Uncle John’s Band*

Big Railroad Blues*

Tomorrow Is Forever*

Sugar Magnolia>

He’s Gone>*

Caution Jam>*

Drums>*

Space>*

Truckin’>

Black Peter

Sunshine Daydream

CD 5

Playing In The Band>*

Drums>*

Not Fade Away>*

Drums>*

The Other One>*

Wharf Rat>*

Playing In The Band*

Johnny B. Goode

Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo*

We Bid You Goodnight*

* denotes songs not featured in The Grateful Dead Movie or Bonus footage.

[Tony Pusey]

Thanks Amir, I suspected that could be the answer to my conundrum.! I seemed to remember that Steal was the soundtrack to the film long before the film came out. (I have never seen it, hence my query, my wife agres that I need professional help, I mean how many versions of Lovelight does a grown man need to own? ?)

[jazzbo]

I think a safe answer is. . .no more than twenty-seven. . . .

Oh, a GROWN man! No more than thirty-seven. . . .

[.:.impossible]

Thanks Amir, I suspected that could be the answer to my conundrum.! I seemed to remember that Steal was the soundtrack to the film long before the film came out. (I have never seen it, hence my query, my wife agres that I need professional help, I mean how many versions of Lovelight does a grown man need to own? ?)

My wife LOVES Lovelight!

A Good Link. You guys would be interested.

[Tony Pusey]

impossible-I suppose i must confront the uncomfortable possibility that I married the wrong woman! Just kidding honey, honest.....

[.:.impossible]

[sal]

I must say that I am quite surprised to find so much discussion on the Dead's studio albums in this thread. Not that I have anything against it...its just unusual because in all the years I've been a Dead fan, when it comes to recordings, its always been all about the recordings of the LIVE shows! Once in a while, when the topic of a studio album came up, it would quickly get shot down with comments like "it sucks", or "why would you listen to studio Dead when you can listen to live Dead?". End of discussion. I guess that the studio albums were never really even considered to part of the Dead's legacy....at least with the people I hung out with.

To be honest, I was always in that same boat. I found "Terrapin Station", "Blues for Allah", "Wake of the Flood", and pretty much every other Dead album to be really dry, over-produced, and just not very exciting. Especially when I had (and still have) piles of recordings of intense Grateful Dead concerts that would just blow my mind. Studio Dead and live Dead sound like two completely different bands to me, and I just never found it necessary to listen to any studio Dead. Therefore, its very interesting to me to read up on the discussion about the studio albums. I've never heard perspectives before like some I've read in these posts.

This is a great thread!

[GregK]

Therefore, its very interesting to me to read up on the discussion about the studio albums. I've never heard perspectives before like some I've read in these posts.

This is a great thread!

so will you be getting this box set based on this thread?

[sal]

No, but its still a facinating read!