Brace Yourselves: 60 CD Box of Grateful Dead '72 Europe Tour Due In Fall (part2)

Continued from here:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=239406

 

Anyone get a numbered edition of 100 or less?

 

Just started #10, Musikhalle, Hamburg.

Most shows have gotten better as the days and weeks wore on, but I can see why they cut out some of the songs they cut out for Hundred Year Hall.

Regarding sound quality. These shows don't have a whole lot of treble, but I don't think they ever did. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember a lot of top end on any of the Europe 72 material released so far.

As far as compression goes, remember that these CDs are HDCD encoded with Peak Extension. Listening with a non-HDCD player is going to shave about 2 - 3 dB off the top. Comparisons can be made using HDCD.exe or the foobar2000 HDCD dll.

Having said that, some quiet sections are extremely dynamic while other loud passages get a little squashed even listening with HDCD encoding. It's hard to tell whether this is how the tapes are but I think I read that there was no compression used in tracking.

Just my 2 cents...

 

Thanks! Bobby for your comments.

 

Los Angeles Times article

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-grateful-dead-20110908,0,7466610.story

 

Funny about the LA Times article about the Europe '72 box set. Mickey hart says he's not interested in hearing old music, that it's like eating the same meal. He wasn't playing live with them from '71 to '76! Some heads say that was the best era.....

 

1971-74 you mean...oh yes...wonderful era. Having just Billy on the drums made them really swing

 

In the NY Times a few years back one of their music critics wrote a Dead article where he asked Mickey about his memories of 8/27/72. It didn't occur to either of them that Mickey wasn't in the band then.

 

Really tremendous version of "Playing In The Band" on Show 5! Love the "Dire Wolf" and "Deal," too.

 

Wow, what a bizarre analogy. I've had some outstanding meals in my lifetime, and I'd be happy to eat some of them all over again.

 

Thanks and I don't want to imply that this released is too squashed. It's really not. Listening to Mr. Charlie from show #3 now and it's nice and punchy. Each instrument lives in it's own space nicely.

I really like these mixes although I have not yet made any direct comparisons to the other releases. Having too much fun just listening as a fan first.

 

There is one thing that bugs me a little in the mixes. They're riding the faders on the vocals so right before a singer starts singing, you can hear some tape hiss ramp up.

I can live with it though.

 

I know of one Canadian who's received his set, it arrived today. Both of ours hit customs within a minute of each other, according to the tracking, however mine is still there and he has his set, so I guess I'm getting hit by extra customs fees...he didn't.
I figured I would...as a part time worker, I can always count on Murphy's Law to hit me for customs when others get missed...oh well, poor me.

 

I guess you somehow missed that he did not tour with them between February 1971 and June 1976.

 

You're tripped up just a wee bit, though this is sort "trick question" territory for the Grateful Dead. Mickey plays the last show of Winterland '74 and he's with them for the Blues For Allah album and the few shows they did in '75 (one of which can be heard the excellent One From The Vault.)

 

I didn't trip up. That was not the question. 2 sets in 74 when they assumed it was over? He said he could not even make up his mind whether to go and packed his drums in his car and drove to Winterland at the last minute, only getting there shortly before the second set. The others did not even know if he was coming or not. I assume after they played a set, they believed not. He commenced his touring in June 1976.

I was at these shows. Did you ever see a Ticket. They say "THE LAST ONES."

 

My mistake...my friend was hit by customs as well, $60+. Our were entered into the tracking system within minutes of each other, and yet, his is at his home and mine is still showing itself stuck in customs. Since they dinged him for extra fees, it makes no sense why mine is taking so much longer...I figured his didn't get hit, and mine did, hence the delay, but apparently logic plays no part in how customs works.

 

Well, if we're going to nitpick about the original question, the question was which statement was correct (or more correct):

- "He wasn't playing live with them from '71 to '76"
or
- "He wasn't playing live with them from '71 to '74"

You chimed in to "correct" the latter and defend the former. But given the last show of '74 and/or even simply the few '75 shows (i.e., he was in the lineup from 10/20/74 onward, and *expected* from '75 onward), it's pretty clear which statement is more accurate.

 

He played part of the last show as a farewell. He is not present on all of the 75 shows. And what I stated is correct. He did not tour with them from Feb 1971 until June 1976. If you want to debate that you better get something better than a pipe dream. It is a fact.

 

+1

Exactly.

 

Not trying to raise anyone's blood pressure. Your "he didn't TOUR with them" statement is absolutely true, because of course they didn't TOUR in '75.

But you were on about the "original question" which was about PLAYING LIVE with them before '76, not touring (a word you only brought into the conversation later). And within that framework, again given the one '74 show and any gigs he played with them in '75, the original statement you were defending was not correct. Just like your statement, that's a fact, too.

 

I'll defer to your expertise since I'm sure you have experience seeing them from 1968 to the present. Wish you were there buddy...

 

Everything I wrote is correct and I stand by it. June 76 is the date.

 

I'm guessing that's just how the tapes sound. I've listened with both HDCD and non-HDCD players (I'm one of those who really can't hear much of a difference with the decoder) and I can hear a little bit of what you're talking about during the loud passages. I don't hear things get squashed, although perhaps a little distorted, but maybe we're saying the same thing with different terminology. I'm finding I have to *really* crank these discs when I want to rock out. I don't have the desire to turn them down during the loud bits, so again, I'm thinking the distortion is what's on the tapes.

 

Nope, don't be silly and "guess". I know my Dead history quite well. I know about the departure of Mr. Hart and when he returned.