Mid eighties

[stat]

The mid eighties (83-86) were, in my mind, years when there were some fantastically slippery, kaliedoscope-sounding concerts when the dead were fine as old wine. Also, I believe the magic of this era was best captured by audience tapes. Some of these SB tapes are clean, but the moment is generally not captured like audience tapes.

Anybody agree with this?

[AugustWest]

1985 is one of my all time favorite years. I agree with you all the way. Aud tapes are the way to go. A perfect sounding Sooundboard from 77 is just pure perfection and beauty, but it puts me to sleep. I love a clean aud tape the best. Give me a raspy jerry voice any day. I love the soul of the fat man.

[amyjared]

I here you! '85 and '86 were my years to really tour. I caught every show in '85 except I was shut out of New Years! I love the sounds of the tapes I had, but I do like having access to the boards from those shows also, just so I can hear both! Just my two cents.

[tigerstrat]

6/21/85 was my first show (and by 86 summer I was touring) but , after hearing lots of 80's recordings, imho the strongest and most amazing and profound music of the 80's occurred from '80-83 and '87 til Brent's death. The middle of the decade JG seems to my ears to have been getting a little too fogged up on the persian... still, inconsistent play can make the moments of brilliance shine all the brighter... and I guess the point is that there were always moments of brilliance at every GD show.

[st stephen]

yeah i agree with tigerstrat. I really love 80 - 83, and then i thought the tailed off a little bit but then peaked again in 88 untill brent died. I do listen to all years and brent is my favorite keyboardist that the dead ever had, but i feel they were a little sloppy and a little to high from 84 - 87.

[hlblyhipy]

My first show was in late 79,and i would have to say i loved them all until around 86.Not that 86 wasnt a good year just seemed to me to be lacking in something
just my 2c worth
peace Andrew

[wisedyes]

Myself, I started seeing them in 1983, toured heavily on the East Coast starting in '85, and more or less dropped off for awhile by '88, seeing a few shows a year after that. My memories of the mid-'80s shows are largely colored by my fondness for the experience of being there, not necessarily for the actual playing on the tapes.

Don't get me wrong, though; there were plenty of well played hot as a pistol shows in '84 and '85, but there were also many where Jerry's obvious drug problems and Phil's heavy drinking at the time took a heavy toll. Lots of shows from that era are particulary sloppy, truth be told. Plus, it was about "83 where Jerry's voice really started to wear out, I always thought.

[tigerstrat]

Phil's heavy drinking at the time

By 82 Phil had met Jill and begun to curtail his drinking. His hard-drinking "Heineken" years were more like '75 -'82.