DAYS BETWEEN 8/7

Today in Grateful Dead history are two shows that the band played. The first is from 1971 and the other is from 1982. Both of these shows became official releases Dicks Pick's 32 and Dicks Pick's 35, named for the Dead's archivist Dick Latvala. Yesterday marked 13 years since his passing.

Dick Latvala first meet the Grateful Dead at the Acid trips in 1965. He started participating in the tape trade and after friending some of the GD roadies, he started doing odd jobs for the Grateful Dead offices on Front Street. Eventually his encyclopedia type memory for concert and shows earned him a job at Front Street.
In 1985, the twenty year anniversary of the Grateful Dead, Dick Latvala was officially named the curator of the Grateful Dead archives. As archivist he was in charge of the preservation of thousands of hours of Grateful Dead music.

He was a passenger in Grateful Dead history until they gave him permission to release his favorite show and in 1993 Dicks Pick's Volume 1 was released. Dick personally picked out the first 14 releases in the series before passing 8/6/99. The remaining 22 shows were assembled by David Lemieux from notes that Dick left behind.
Highlights of Dicks Pick's 32 include the opening sandwich of "Music "Sugaree" "Music." The band takes their time with each song, not rushing through the combo. The "Playin'" fest in the second set is well played out with "Drums/Space" and "The Wheel" in the middle (very similar to Jerry's 40th birthday show a week beforehand.) But this "Playin'" set is capped off with "Morning Dew."

Dicks Pick's 35 is a snap shot of the Grateful Dead as a guitar rock band. Pigpen was not in good health, Keith had not yet joined the band, and earlier in the early Mickey Hart left the band from embarrassment. Essentially they were a four piece band at times durning the show. Rare Dead. A fun game I like to play when listening to this era Dead is; count the Phil bombs per song.

I only have one complaint about the Dicks Pick's series, is that they are fragments of shows. When I sit down to put on some music, it's a show. I don't listen go from the "Let The Good Times Roll" from 3/28/94, then the "Music" then the "He's Gone." This is why, so far, I'm enjoying the unedited Dave's Picks.

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