Best Sounding Dead?

[CrispyTapes]

What shows stand out for you guys as being the best sounding Dead tapes (I will forever call them tapes!)? Best sounding being in terms of overall performance, ability of the bands instruments to shine through the best, and the quality of the sbd/aud mix and source tape....For instance, 5/8/77 jumps to mind for many folks due to the quality of the betty board, the low generation of the tape, the overall great sbd mix, the great reverby vibe to Jer's guitar and the smoking scarlet-fire jam, etc...

I don't recall seeing any top 10/25/50 lists around (now that new millers and other sources are coming into circulation).

-Crispy

[strumminsix]

I am mostly a fan of MATRIX recordings. Betty boards and Charlie Miller ones particularly!

[Tennessee Jedi]

I am mostly a fan of MATRIX recordings. Betty boards and Charlie Miller ones particularly!

Sick Bits !

I just got 09/21/72 .....sdb ..... LOVE IT
Its not the Dicks Picks version - but a boot
Love the mix
love the jams
Love it

[CrispyTapes]

yes, I've been psyched on the miller remasters that popped up in the past few weeks. I'm amazed that new sources are still being found. I have to revisit my 3 tapers compendiums and get back on the horse!

[Mandoborg]

Barry Glassbergs Spring '81 audience tapes from M.S.G.
You feel like your 12th row dfc.
Still better than most aud.tapes made today !!
Cheers Barry !!!

[jdsmodulus]

Charlie Miller tapes are the best to me, He still is working on dead shows all of the time. Bless his heart!

[Frenchdead]

looking for sbd only , ok with a little audience patches but not a lot

here's my rules
each instruments clearly audible, and nearly same level at the mix
same for the vocals

don't keep shows with a good jerry but where you can't hear the rest of the band
77-78 very good sound in general 72 too

[strumminsix]

looking for sbd only , ok with a little audience patches but not a lot

here's my rules
each instruments clearly audible, and nearly same level at the mix
same for the vocals

don't keep shows with a good jerry but where you can't hear the rest of the band
77-78 very good sound in general 72 too

I'm with you on this. But gotta say I've found in my collection of 500+ shows of GD alone that you should really focus on:
- 70's shows
- MATRIX type shows from the 80s

Too often SBDs especially with Brent are very heavy Jerry.

[Emoto]

God, what a question. There are just so many great recordings of shows out there. I am in the mood for different eras at different times. It seems random. Lately been listening to a lot of '73 and 74.

Oh, and as well as Charlie Miller, Rob Berger does terrific work getting shows out there. He has done a lot of Jerry Moore's tapes.

[SarnoMusicSolutions]

I love the big spacy warmth of the '68 and '69 stuff, just cosmic. There's some great sounding '70 and '71 stuff. Of course '72 is really happening with great multitrack mixes. But then I really love the stark mixes from '73 and '74 with just BK on drums. And of course the '77 stuff is astounding and fat. And then by '81 or so, the Brent version of the band with Jerry's tone all dialed in has some great offerings. And in '85 there's some smoking jams with a really drugged out band with great Healy board mixes. And then there's some album quality mixes from '88 and '89 with the rejuvenated band totally on fire. Pretty much downhill from there. By '93, once Healy left and they had the in-ears thing and Jerry stopped using his good rig, I can hardly stand to listen to that stuff. Weird mixes, poor improv and communication, uncohesive jams, Jerry's worst tone ever (plus he was lethargic and very unwell), the keyboard role never quite happened, the band vibe was off, etc. So I guess the best sounding Dead is in that little window from '68 to '89.


Brad

[krzykat]

I love the big spacy warmth of the '68 and '69 stuff, just cosmic. There's some great sounding '70 and '71 stuff. Of course '72 is really happening with great multitrack mixes. But then I really love the stark mixes from '73 and '74 with just BK on drums. And of course the '77 stuff is astounding and fat. And then by '81 or so, the Brent version of the band with Jerry's tone all dialed in has some great offerings. And in '85 there's some smoking jams with a really drugged out band with great Healy board mixes. And then there's some album quality mixes from '88 and '89 with the rejuvenated band totally on fire. Pretty much downhill from there. By '93, once Healy left and they had the in-ears thing and Jerry stopped using his good rig, I can hardly stand to listen to that stuff. Weird mixes, poor improv and communication, uncohesive jams, Jerry's worst tone ever (plus he was lethargic and very unwell), the keyboard role never quite happened, the band vibe was off, etc. So I guess the best sounding Dead is in that little window from '68 to '89.


Brad

you have to include 90 in that too! BRENT

[SarnoMusicSolutions]

True about '90. I hit shows real hard that year. But summer of '90 is kind of a sad time for me. It was when Brent was really a mess and was misbehaving on stage. I sensed things were off with him that summer, and it had me uneasy. But hell yeah, 90 was smokin too. So was '91 and '92 as well. I just never fully adjusted after Brent, and Healy's departure really killed it for me.

Brad

[tigerstrat]

It's fine to call any GD show a "tape", because the source recordings were all laid down on tape.

'66-'90

[brutusbuck45]

Quintessential Dead... (don't often get a chance to say quintessential).

RFK 06-10-1973

http://www.archive.org/details/gd73-06-10.sbd.hollister.174.sbeok.shnf

Check out bass quality during Truckin'. I was vacuuming the pool today and had this on the iPod and listening. I have listened to this show maybe a hundred times and every time I do, I think my jaw is left hanging wide and drooling. I wonder if the neighbors see me and think there is something wrong : > . The entire show is stellar... but the first set is truly a gem and in my opinion one of the finest performances of 1973. It does not disappoint.

[jester536]

I was vacuuming the pool today and had this

Vacuuming the pool!!! Jesus Christ...it's 27 degrees and theres a foot of snow in my yard...it's a charmed life you lead.
It's so very cool to see people's responses to this question. I'm not sure of everybody's ages but I find it interesting that so many gravitate to the same era. I've been asked this question before and I never pick specific shows but always choose the years '72-'77. You get the end of Pig, and the very best years of Keith...the hiatus year of '75 that resulted in so much practice time for the band that they were so extrememly tight. I know Jerry didn't like practicing...but let's face it...they were practicing a lot during those Blues for Allah years and look how it payed off. I like the early Brent years but he'll always be the new guy...they did great stuff during the 80's and I saw them a ton during that period but I always find myself going back to shows from '72-'77...there just doesn't seem like there is a bad one in the bunch.
As a footnote...that's what makes the Playin' Dead shows so cool...Nothing like getting a show with a smokin' Feel Like a Stranger...and an Easy Wind or Mr. Charlie...played by a bunch of guys that really know what they should sound like.
We're all lucky to have listened to a band who's legacy will live on for such a long time.