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Audience 7.8 - Very worthwhile listen, all the energy and excitement is here in spades, and a very decent recording of what had to be insanely loud! One of the better early audience recordings out there for sure. -
Audience 7.7 - You can count on one hand the number of GFR live recordings from the early 70’s, so whenever one pops up, it is worth investigating further. This one is absolutely worthwhile, with sound quality that places it into the top 5. All instruments hear, and clearly with drums being the weakest link. -
Audience 7.1 - Not the greatest fidelity but once you get through the first sound and your ears adjust you will get sucked into this marathon of a show. Only one song clocked in at under 6 minutes. One thing that I was struck by here, was the sheer massiveness of the bass, when he kicks in the fuzz overdrive it is massive and really drives this band’s music. A worthwhile listen considering the miniscule amount of GFR recordings out there, especially from this vintage. -
Grand Funk Railroad Hawaii 1971 - Soundboard 9.1 A scarcity of prime era recordings mandate that anyone remotely interested in this band pursue any and all recordings that are A. Soundboard and/or B. decent audience for the simple reason that this band kicked ass. This is a true rarity – a soundboard and, yes, it kicks major ass. Grand Funk Railroad Boston 1971 Audience 8.7 - A very good tape surfaces and you can actually hear everything pretty clearly. This band played very loud (as did any self-respecting heavy rock band of the early 70’s) and consequently unless you smuggled in superior quality machinery you weren’t likely to be able to capture this sound with any clarity. This taper had better than average gear it seems, and even though it’s still somewhat distant from the stage, it is a tape that allows the listener to experience an entire show without struggling too hard to make out what is going on. Grand Funk Railroad Live 1971 Disc 1 Hawaii University Honolulu, Hawaii July 13th, 1971 1. -Are You Ready 2. -Paranoid 3. -In Need 4. -Mean Mistreated 5. -I'm Your Captain 6. -Into The Sun 7. -Inside Looking Out 8. -Are You Ready (Reprise) Disc 2 Boston Garden Boston, MA. october-3-1971 1 -Intro - Footstompin' Music 2 -Upsetter 3 -People Let's Stop The War 4 -Mean Mistreater 5 -Feeling Alright 6 -I'm Your Captain 7 -Heartbreaker Disc 3 Boston cont'd 8 -T.N.U.C 9 -Gimme Shelter 10 -Inside Looking Out the band Mark Farner – guitars lead vocals keyboard Don Brewer – drums lead vocals Mel Schacher – bass guitar -
Audience 9.0 - This goes from worst to first in a hurry. Skip the first song, go right into the next song because from there on out this is spectacular! -
Audience 7.4 - Supremely loud! Only by turning down the dial on the very crisp highs (as in cymbal crashes) will you get something discernible in this noisy wall of sonic mayhem. However, it is clear enough to enjoy nonetheless. -
CD 1 - Pro Soundboard 9.4 ~ CD 2 - Soundboard 9.2 - Ten years separate these shows but you’d never know it. The band, let’s face it - Kicks Ass Bigly. -
Soundboard 9.5 - What a tour-de-force this show is! Long considered by Deadheads as being the pinnacle shows of the entire 72 tour, the “Texas Swing” stand of shows (Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston) just present so much incredible music and vibe that it’s hard to believe your ears. Let me put it this way – if the psychedelic pop music of the 60’s is like a tic tac, than songs like Black Throated Wind or The Other One are Porterhouse steaks! Grateful Dead Municipal Auditorium Austin, TX November 22, 1972 Disc 1 01 - Sugaree 02 - Mexicali Blues 03 - Loser 04 - Black Throated Wind 05 - China Cat Sunflower 06 - I Know You Rider 07 - Beat It On Down the Line 08 - Candyman 09 - El Paso 10 - Bird Song Disc 2 11 - Playin' In The Band 12 - Casey Jones 13 - Greatest Story Ever Told 14 - He's Gone 15 - Truckin' 16 - Drums Disc 3 17 - The Other One 18 - Stella Blue 19 - Big River 20 - Ramble On Rose 21 - Sugar Magnolia 22 - Brokedown Palace 23 - Around & Around 24 - One More Saturday Night 25 - Uncle John's Band -
Audience 9.1 - Very nice and detailed with loads of electric atmosphere make this one to dive right into. GRATEFUL DEAD Music Hall Boston MA. December 1st 1973 Disc 1 1 -Intro - Tune Up 2 -Promised Land 3 -Sugaree 4 -Mexicali Blues 5 -Tennessee Jed 6 -Looks Like Rain 7 -China Cat Sunflower 8 -I Know You Rider 9 -Big River 10 -Brokedown Palace 11 -Weather Report Suite Prelude Disc 2 12 -Let It Grow 13 -Casey Jones 14 -Around and Around 15 -They Love Each Other 16 -Clear The Aisles 17 -Me and My Uncle 18 -Clear The Aisles 19 -Don't Ease Me In 20 -Me and Bobby McGee 21 -Mississippi Half-Step 22 -Playing in the Band Disc 3 23 -Uncle John's Band 24 -Playing in the Band (reprise) 25 -Row Jimmy 26 -Greatest Story Ever Told 27 -Not Fade Away 28 -Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad 29 -Not Fade Away 30 -Audience THE BAND Jerry Garcia lead guitar vocals Bob Weir rhythm guitar vocals Keith Godchaux keyboards Donna Godchaux vocals Phil Lesh bass vocals Bill Kreutzmann drums -
Soundboard 9.3 The band are at the top of the biz, laying down a scrumptious assortment of rock, country rock, bluegrass, country, and heady, mind-frying psychedelic jams. It’s all here, it’s all great...ful. Grateful Dead Memorial Auditorium Dallas, TX November 24, 1972 Disc 1 01 - Don't Ease Me In 02 - "Pigpen's not with us tonight......" 03 - Me & My Uncle 04 - Brown Eyed Women 05 - Black Throated Wind 06 - Bertha 07 - El Paso 08 - Deal 09 - Technical Difficulties 10 - Beat It On Down The Line 11 - Tennessee Jed 12 - Jack Straw Disc 2 13 - Sugaree 14 - Playin' In The Band 15 - China Cat Sunflower 16 - I Know You Rider 17 - Box Of Rain 18 - Truckin' Disc 3 19 - Ramble On Rose 20 - Big River 21 - Casey Jones 22 - Sugar Magnolia 23 - Not Fade Away 34 - Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad 25 - Not Fade Away -
Soundboard 9.4 (all three discs) -
Soundboard 9.2 - This is the complete recording featuring both sets (previously available as an edited down version) and is notable for the amazing version of Dark Star, although the gig is expertly performed, that track really stands out. The sound is clean (almost too clean) and does have a “rounded” sound, there’s no jangly edges here so crank it up for a better experience. Grateful Dead Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX November 19, 1972 Disc 1 First Set 01 - Bertha 02 - Me And My Uncle 03 - Sugaree 04 - Beat It On Down The Line 05 - Bird Song 06 - Black Throated Wind 07 - Don't Ease Me In 08 - Mexicali Blues 09 - Box Of Rain 10 - Stars And Stripes Forever - tuning 11 - Tomorrow Is Forever 12 - Big River 13 - China Cat Sunflower 14 - I Know You Rider 15 - Nickeldeon tuning Disc 2 First Set cont'd 01 - Playing In The Band 02 - Casey Jones Second Set 03 - Tuning 04 - Promised Land 05 - Ramble On Rose 06 - El Paso 07 - Stella Blue 08 - Jack Straw 09 - Dixie tuning Disc 3 01 - Dark Star 02 - Weather Report Suite Prelude 03 - Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo 04 - Around And Around 05 - Big Railroad Blues 06 - Sugar Magnolia 07 - Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad -
Audience 9.7 - Spectacular, crystal clear and lush sound makes you sink deeply into this one. For some, the Grateful Dead are not easily understood, but this show and this recording can easily be understood as beautiful music played with passion and talent galore. Now, to be honest, this set is missing an important segment, the "space/drums" part is conspicuously absent, but there is still plenty of lengthy workouts to keep you engaged with the psychedelic overtones of a Dead concert as well as the more bluegrass and bluesy numbers. All in all this is one for the history books. Grateful Dead Long Beach Arena Long Beach, CA December 13, 1980 Disc 1 01 Feel Like A Stranger 02 Sugaree 03 C.C. Rider 04 To Lay Me Down 05 Minglewood Blues 06 Ramble On Rose 07 Lost Sailor 08 Saint Of Circumstances Disc 2 09 Deal 10 Scarlet Begonias 11 Fire On The Mountain 12 Playing In The Band 13 Not Fade Away 14 Black Peter 15 Sugar Magnolia 16 One More Saturday Night -
Audience 8.6 - Decent tape! -
Soundboard 9.3 - A very clean and mellow sounding board tape, and it suits the music well because everything is pinpoint accurate, which you really want as the playing is so well executed you need to hear it all as well as possible. Grateful Dead May 19, 1974 Portland Coliseum Portland, OR Disc 1 Set 1 101 - Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo 102 - Mexicali Blues 103 - Big Railroad Blues 104 - Black Throated Wind 105 - Scarlet Begonias 106 - Beat It On Down The Line 107 - Tennessee Jed 108 - Me And Bobby McGee 109 - Sugaree 110 - Jack Straw 111 - It Must Have Been The Roses 112 - El Paso Disc 2 Set 1 cont'd 113 - Loose Lucy 114 - Money Money 115 - China Cat Sunflower 116 - I Know You Rider Set 2 117 - Tuning 118 - Promised Land 119 - Bertha 120 - Greatest Story Ever Told 121 - Ship Of Fools 122 - Weather Report Suite Disc 3 Set 2 cont'd 207 - Wharf Rat 208 - Big River 209 - Peggy-O 210 - Tico Tico 211 - Truckin' 212 - Mind Left Body Jam 213 - Not Fade Away 214 - Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad 215 - One More Saturday Night 216 - U.S. Blues 217 - Johnny B. Goode -
Soundboard 9.1 - More of the amazing and magical sounds of Grateful Dead circa 1972 as they blew through Texas like tumbleweeds on psilocybin! Grateful Dead San Antonio Civic Auditorium San Antonio, TX November 26, 1972 Disc 1 01 - Deal 02 - Mexicali Blues 03 - Sugaree 04 - Black Throated Wind 05 - Bird Song 06 - Beat It On Down The Line 07 - China Cat Sunflower 08 - I Know You Rider 09 - Box Of Rain Disc 2 10 - El Paso 11 - Big Railroad Blues 12 - Around And Around 13 - Casey Jones 14 - Tuning 15 - Playing In The Band 16 - Brown Eyed Women 17 - Jack Straw 18 - Don't Ease Me In Disc 3 19 - Big River 20 - Dark Star 21 - Me And Bobby McGee 22 - Brokedown Palace 23 - Sugar Magnolia 24 - Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad 25 - One More Saturday Night