Yeah, I mean, we could do Widespread, or Phish, or even Pearl Jam.

Neil is kind of done to death around here, IMO.

Even I agree with this. Nothing left to discuss.

or even Pearl Jam.

phish would make the most sense due to the wide variety of shows available and the fact that their "sound" changed from year to year. good lord though, i don't think i could make it through even just the 20 livephish albums in a row like this. i'm ready to give up already and it's day 4 of 36?

if you guys are still doing this by the time i get back next wednesday, i'll be seriously impressed.

[ If I were Yail Bloor I'd say if I was there I'd be thinking of dipping my pinky in for one more taste during Stella only to be halted at the onsetting coda of Sugar Mags. Thank god for that.

All this "next band" talk is interesting...when's the next Dead show? I still wanna hear Franklin's Tower off a soundboard.

The third installment in the Grateful Dead's Dick's Picks series captures the combo during a mid-'70s peak. In fact, for many Deadheads 1977 is considered one of their (if not the) prime years in terms of consistency, stylistic range of material, and available tapes to support these claims. And there is evidence thanks to this double-disc entry featuring excerpts from the band's May 22, 1977, show at the Sportatorium in Pembroke Pines, FL. The lineup that was resurrected post-sabbatical included co-founders Jerry Garcia (lead guitar/vocals), Phil Lesh (bass/vocals), Bob Weir (guitar/vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann (percussion). Plus, Mickey Hart (percussion) is back in the fold and staying for good. Also at the top of their game is the husband-and-wife team of Keith Godchaux (keyboards) and Donna Jean Godchaux (vocals). Although the entire concert is not presented, Dick Latvala -- Dick's Picks' namesake and the Grateful Dead's tape archivist -- made some choice selections throughout. Even as the set list may seem typical for 1977, each song is performed with the trademark greasy grooves and that almost sacred and unspoken ability for the players to unite and lift well-worn entries such as "Sugaree" or the driving and admittedly disco-fied revival of Martha & the Vandellas' "Dancin' in the Streets" that stretches a quarter-hour. Weir's coupling of "Lazy Lightning" and "Supplication" is energetic and adeptly executed. All the more powerful is the "Help on the Way">"Slipknot!">"Franklin's Tower" trifecta. Garcia's excursions during the instrumental "Slipknot!" are hands-down among the best moments on Dick's Picks, Vol. 3 (1995). The serene Donna Jean Godchaux-penned ballad "Sunrise" has long been considered one of her finest offerings. The song's haunting subject matter deals metaphorically and indirectly with the loss of Rex Jackson, a Grateful Dead staff member who passed the previous year. His wife, Betty Cantor-Jackson, also deserves props. Her efforts of perpetually perfecting the art of recording the Grateful Dead won her a place in the band's folklore as her reels of oxide-adhered documentation became nicknamed "Betty Boards" -- which loosely translates as ultra-high-fidelity soundboard recordings. The concluding combination is interesting. It links "Estimated Prophet," "Eyes of the World," and "Wharf Rat" to an odd "Terrapin Station" that omits the usual "Lady with a Fan" introductory section and concludes with "(Walk Me Out in The) Morning Dew." All told, this is nearly an hour of nonstop musical manna for inclined minds. Very keen-eared listeners might detect some slight audio anomalies in the form of fluctuating frequency loss at various points. Those are remnants of the "baking" procedure that the master tapes had to undergo. Over time the oxide surface that stores the information had become separated from the plastic/Mylar backing. In order to bond the two together, the physical tapes had to be placed in a special kiln-type oven and slowly baked at a very low temperature for an extended period of time. The process' success speaks for itself.

36? I thought this was going to include the Download Series as well?

(no really, i'm serious)

I do think that three a week may be the ceiling here.

Agreed, each of us can pick one a week.

As for other artist projects, I actually agree with Gar about Neil for the most part. We don't need to go over the stuff we've all discussed before at length, but we could do a week of his 80s or 90s work or just his live albums (I vote for that) or with the Stones, similarly, we've all talked a blue streak about Exile but less so about Between the Buttons (or again just do some live albums and boots) etc. Same with Dylan, but if we pick and choose some interesting and somewhat ignored albums it should generate some interesting discussions. As for Van Morrison, that's relatively unstomped ground on the board. We could go all out there.

jasn, have you ever heard One From the Vault? I feel like I might need to step outside the Dick's Picks exercise and up it for you.

I must confess I have not Yail, so I'd much appreciate the opportunity...

Bloor turns another onto the Vault; it was he who set me off on the Dead with Two from the Vault, still one of my all time favourites.

Off and running for the morning spin. Wow! The Music Never Stopped starts out so smooth I had to check the track list to be sure I didn't start in the middle of the show.

Is this our first Donna show?