Grateful Dead Live audio from 1971

[samwheat]

I can't remember where I found the link to this but here it is ..... full concert

http://www.archive.org/details/gd71-08-06.aud.bertrando.yerys.129.sbeok.shnf

[Aldo]

One of my favorites in my collection for sure! Great audience recording, great playing. My favorite "Hard To Handle". "Mr. Charlie" "Cumberland Blues" "Brokedown Palace" whew! Great (but short) "PITB". The "Truckin">"The Other One" freak out into "MAMU" & back again is just too cool. I should stop now...

...love this show.

[zzzezums]

absolutely great.

[johnzias]

Definitely check out the "Hard To Handle", especially if you've never heard Jerry RIP!!

[zzmoore]

Wow, the whole show, nice find. Poor Ron McKernan was just about through at this point. He died about 18 months later, and they were tough months. You cannot help but wonder which way the band would have gone if his life had lasted a lot longer. I sure do like the sound The Dead had while he was in the band.
Thanks for the link.

[karmadave]

This is a classic show with the GD at the top of their game. Great audience recording too. Garcia and Co. would take the spaceship and explore the outer reaches of the galaxy. They'd land the ship and Pigpen lay down the funkiest, greasiest Blues you could imagine. There were some great years, after Pig died, but it was a different band without him. There are simply songs that could NOT be done without Pigpen (Hard To Handle, Easy Wind, Lovelight, Mr. Charlie, Good Lovin', etc.).

-KD

[bynt]

Cool! thanks for the post! 71 is the year I was born so I'm partial to it!

[kwaves99]

This is a classic show with the GD at the top of their game. Great audience recording too. Garcia and Co. would take the spaceship and explore the outer reaches of the galaxy. They'd land the ship and Pigpen lay down the funkiest, greasiest Blues you could imagine. There were some great years, after Pig died, but it was a different band without him. There are simply songs that could NOT be done without Pigpen (Hard To Handle, Easy Wind, Lovelight, Mr. Charlie, Good Lovin', etc.).

-KD


it's interesting to hear the boys arrangement of Good Lovin that they started to do in the late 70's with Bobby on lead vocals. Compared to the version with Pigpen it came across as GD Lite. After Pigpen's death in 1973, Jerry considered breaking up the band.

[johnzias]

it's interesting to hear the boys arrangement of Good Lovin that they started to do in the late 70's with Bobby on lead vocals. Compared to the version with Pigpen it came across as GD Lite. After Pigpen's death in 1973, Jerry considered breaking up the band.


I started noticing it as early as late '73, ( albeit a period of some amazing shows), that the Dark Side was slipping away, when the Dead could sound downright sardonic. They got more flowery and started to swing less. Of course to many, they are defined by the 80's sound.

I know that for me, seeing them for the first time in '68 at the age of 14, and attending about 55-60 shows with Pig, it's difficult for me not to look at that period as the high water mark. (69-73). Of course YMMV, largely depending on your point of entry.

[kwaves99]

I started noticing it as early as late '73, ( albeit a period of some amazing shows), that the Dark Side was slipping away, when the Dead could sound downright sardonic. They got more flowery and started to swing less. Of course to many, they are defined by the 80's sound.

I know that for me, seeing them for the first time in '68 at the age of 14, and attending about 55-60 shows with Pig, it's difficult for me not to look at that period as the high water mark. (69-73). Of course YMMV, largely depending on your point of entry.

Sadly, my first show was 6/9/73...so I never got to experience them with Pig out front.

[johnzias]

Sadly, my first show was 6/9/73...so I never got to experience them with Pig out front.

Not so sad Kwaves. RFK was an epic run!

[karmadave]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwbQN5_8Mys&feature=related

[mark norwine]

I got on the (live) bus in 1976 (8/4/76 to be exact...at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City NJ), and although I saw them 198 more times after that, to me '71 - 76 was "the best" period.

I adored Terrapin, and Englishtown was one helluva party, but "the sound" I like best is still the first half of the 70's....

[bynt]

I got on the (live) bus in 1976 (8/4/76 to be exact...at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City NJ), and although I saw them 198 more times after that, to me '71 - 76 was "the best" period.

I adored Terrapin, and Englishtown was one helluva party, but "the sound" I like best is still the first half of the 70's....

It's tough 'cause I really like the early stuff with Pig Pen (69 SMOKED) but I gotta agree with this. Their stuff right after Pig Pen died had a gorgeous hole in it. Kinda somber or something then they got on this major roll. It just seemed like Jerry stripped down, the band stripped down and was more raw or something. For me (and this is just MHO) that's when the magic really started flowin' in a lot of the music.

[mistergyro]

yes that Hard to Handle is one of the best versions I have ever heard!

Oh Jerry

[kwaves99]

Not so sad Kwaves. RFK was an epic run!

No John...not sad in the sense that the 2 DC shows (6/9+10/73) with the Allman Brothers WERE epic, but sad in the sense that i never got to see them play the blues with Mr. McKernan. But I consider myself incredibly lucky that i got to see them in DC, in upstate NY twice in the fall of 73 (with the horn section of Joe Ellis and Marteen Fierro) plus the Roosevelt Stadium show of 8/6/74. To me, the Dead peaked in the years 72-74, so in regards to my experiences seeing the Band................I am blessed.

[Guitar55]

Sadly, my first show was 6/9/73...so I never got to experience them with Pig out front.

I was at that show!! Did you see me? ;-)

I still have some slides I took of that show somewhere. I also have a recording of it. Not a great show, but it's special when you were there.

[Guitar55]

No John...not sad in the sense that the 2 DC shows (6/9+10/73) with the Allman Brothers WERE epic, but sad in the sense that i never got to see them play the blues with Mr. McKernan. But I consider myself incredibly lucky that i got to see them in DC, in upstate NY twice in the fall of 73 (with the horn section of Joe Ellis and Marteen Fierro) plus the Roosevelt Stadium show of 8/6/74. To me, the Dead peaked in the years 72-74, so in regards to my experiences seeing the Band................I am blessed.

The Dead were at Roosevelt on 8/6/74? I'm surprised I didn't go to that show. I was there two nights later for the CSNY show where they celebrated Nixon's resignation that night.

[dharmafool]

My first GD show was Pig's last: 6/17/72.

[reddgeetarzan]

That European tour in '72 really solidified things too- they became a BAND- I LOVE this period. Jerry+strat+Twins=some of the best "raw" Jerry of all time. Great stuff!

Thank you!!!

[reddgeetarzan]

Man, this show is sooooo good. Brokedown Palace about had me in tears.

[Guitar55]

Well, everyone is raving about this show and it WAS great...but...this recording is actually sped up. I have another version that was somewhat speed/pitch corrected and the version of Playing in the Band which was 5:06 in length is actually 6:03 in the corrected version. A much better listening experience.

[reddgeetarzan]

Maybe this version is trying to get the listener back in that "frame of mind" they may have experienced the original show on??

[kwaves99]

I was at that show!! Did you see me? ;-)

I still have some slides I took of that show somewhere. I also have a recording of it. Not a great show, but it's special when you were there.
while 6/9/73 was a good show 6/10/73 is one of the GREAT Dead shows IMHO>

[Guitar55]

I missed that one!