Heads' Tales Grateful Dead of the Day

Following a heavy metal phase in junior high, Joel discovered the Dead in the late eighties. And since then, he has, in his own words, “spent an unfathomable amount of time collecting, listening to, and obsessing over all things Grateful Dead.” That obsession included taking in a healthy number of shows and amassing an impressive tape collection in the 90s and listening to, downloading, and archiving everything in the digital era. In this episode, Joel shares his thoughts about Wall of Sound and early 80s audience recordings, explains how Jerry’s passing sent him on a different path, confesses to being a digital hoarder, and covers a whole lot more ground.



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Some of the shows mentioned in this episode:

June 14, 1985 - Greek Theatre, University of California - Comes a Time and Dancin' In The Streets both come off a Doug Oade and Jim Wise recording that was mastered by Dan McDonald.

March 27, 1991 - Nassau Coliseum - A Ray Ackerman recording transferred by Joe Noel and Charlie Miller gives us the Hell In A Bucket and Reuben and Cherise.

March 28, 1991 - Nassau Coliseum - The Terrapin comes from an audience recording by Fitzy that Keo kindly transferred.

July 15, 1988 - Greek Theater - A recording of the FM broadcast that DG Hale taped and transferred gives us the Fire On The Mountain.

June 17, 1991 - Giants Stadium - We took the Eyes Of The World, New Speedway Boogie, and Playin' Reprise from a front of the board recording, transferred by Todd Evans and Jamie Waddell.

July 13, 1994 - Franklin County Airport - Another front of the board recording, this one transferred by Bill Koucky, gives us the Let The Good Times Roll that got things started at Highgate.

March 20, 1994 - Richfield Coliseum - We took the Cold Rain And Snow opener from a first set audience recording, transferred by Terry Watts.

June 21, 1995 - Knickerbocker Arena - We get the Easy Answers from a Dan Stephens transfer of an audience recording.

March 7, 1981 - Cole Field House - A Barry Glassberg MOTB audience recording, transferred by A. Egert and C. Ladner gives us the Bird Song.

Other music in this episode:

November 30, 1980 - Fox Theater - Scarlet Begonias comes off a front of the board audience recording of the second set by Bob Wagner that Charlie Miller remastered.

June 23, 1974 - Jai-Alai Fronton - The Cumberland Blues and Casey Jones are both from a Jerry Moore recording that Rob Berger and John Tallmadge transferred.

December 12, 1980 - Swing Auditorium - A Barry Glassberg recording, reworked by Mouth of the Beast, and transferred by A. Egert and SirMick provides us the China Cat Sunflower.

December 19. 1973 - Curtis Hixon Conventional Hall - Here Comes Sunshine comes off an audience recording seeded by Scott Clugston.

September 19, 1987 - Madison Square Garden - When I Paint My Masterpiece is from a Michael Hessberg audience recording that Charlie Miller and Scott Clugston transferred.

June 4, 1977 - The Forum - A Bob Menke tape that was reworked by Mouth of the Beast and transferred by Derek McCabe gives us the Peggy-O.

June 18, 1983 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center - The Morning Dew is off a Jeff Silberman audience recording from front row balcony that Charlie Miller transferred.

September 21, 1982 - Madison Square Garden - I Know You Rider comes off a Charlie Miller master and transfer of an unknown audience recording that came to him by way of Bucko.

June 21, 1980 - West High Auditorium - Brokedown Palace comes off an audience tape recorded by Eddie Claridge at the board.

You may know Joel from our Facebook page, where he has been a major contributor over the years. If not, you will quickly find out on this episode that he is a knowledgeable and passionate Deadhead who listens to tapes all day long while working hard in his studio building beautiful handmade art deco furniture. Joel has been a Head since the mid-70s when his brothers indoctrinated him. Originally from Long Island, he caught his first show at Nassau in 1979 and regularly attended the New York area shows through the eighties while catching a few dates out West during an epic 1982 road trip. Despite all those Brent era shows, it is still the early stuff that he really loves, which he talks affectionately about throughout the episode.

Check out Joel’s beautiful hand-made furniture, including unbelievable custom stereo cabinets that would represent a serious upgrade to any Deadhead’s setup. And if you are ever up in Easthampton, Massachusetts, stop in his shop, say hello to his dog Blue, and listen to some Dead.

Become a supporter of Heads' Tales on Patreon and keep all the great episodes coming. And check out the complete show notes over at Grateful Dead of the Day.

Some of the shows mentioned in this episode:

May 5, 1967 – Fillmore Auditorium – The show where Bobby yells to the audience, “Everybody say primate!”

January 10, 1979 – Nassau Coliseum – From Joel’s first show, the Promised Land and Music Never Stopped are off a Bob Wagner recording that Charlie Miller remastered with help from Joe B. Jones.

May 8, 1977 – Barton Hall, Cornell University

August 13, 1975 – Great American Music Hall – The Sugaree and Help On The Way> Slipknot!> Franklin’s Tower are from a FM broadcast seeded and transferred by CousinIt and Matt Vernon.

October 19, 1971 – Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota – Keith’s first show

September 20, 1970 – Fillmore East – David Grisman and David Nelson sit in for an acoustic first set.

February 11, 1970 – Fillmore East – The Dark Star, with most of the Allman Brothers and Fleetwood Mac sitting in, comes off a recording by an unknown taper which was shared by Don Wolfe and mastered by Matt Smith.

July 17 and 18, 1982 – Ventura County Fairgrounds – The Estimated Prophet is from a Jim Vita recording that Jim Wise, Charlie Miller, and Scott Clugston helped along.

July 27, 28, and 29, 1982 – Red Rocks Amphitheater – A Neil Sturtevant and Charlie Miller recording provide The Wheel from the 27th.

May 15, 1970 – The Saint Stephen is off a Jimmy Cooper recording that Rob Berger transferred.

Other music in the episode:

August 6, 1971 – Hollywood Palladium – The Playin’ and Deal are from a Rob Bertrando recording that Ben Kasper transferred.

October 10, 1982 – Frost Amphitheater – The Far From Me is from a Rango Keshavan recording that Charlie Miller remastered.

March 23, 1974 – Cow Palace – The debut of Scarlet Begonias is off a Charles Connors tape with Michael Hughey patches.

May 7, 1977 – Boston Garden – The Terrapin is off a Steve Rolfe audience tape that Noah Weiner transferred.

Our guest this week, Teri, grew up Mormon listening to The Cure in Salt Lake City. In her early twenties, her ex-husband turned Teri onto the Dead, in time to catch her first shows at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in '93. But it was not until a Brown-Eyed Women the next year at the Desert Sky Pavilion that she really got on the bus. Cue up our latest episode and listen to Teri's tales of walking to the '95 shows at the Delta Center with her Mom, mourning Jerry at a Lyle Lovett concert, and living as a Deadhead in the Rocky Mountain West.

See the complete show notes at Grateful Dead of the Day.

Support Grateful Dead of the Day and Heads’ Tales on Patreon to keep more great episodes coming your way.

Some of the shows mentioned in this episode:

May 14, 1993 - Sam Boyd Silver Bowl - The Cold Rain and Snow and Standing on the Moon are both from a Charlie Miller FOB recording.

May 15, 1993 - Sam Boyd Silver Bowl - One More Saturday Night comes off a Ray Ackerman recording that Charlie Miller and Joe Noel transferred.

March 6, 1994 - Desert Sky Pavilion - Slipknot!, Brown-Eyed Women, and Attics of My Life come off a Mr. Darby recording that Keo transferred.

May 8, 1977 - Barton Hall, Cornell University - The Estimated Prophet is from an audience tape recorded by the late great Jerry Moore and transferred by Rob Berger and Chris Larson.

February 19, 1995 - Delta Center - Teri mentions a Brokedown House Production video of the night.

February 20, 1995 - Delta Center - The Bertha opener comes from an audience tape that was helped along by Paul Tumolo, Neil Sturtevant, and Jean Lerond. Teri also specifically mentions the video of the show by Brokedown House Production.

February 21, 1995 - Delta Center - Like the previous night, the recordings of Salt Lake City, Friend of the Devil, and Visions of Johanna are from an audience tape that was helped along by Paul Tumolo, Neil Sturtevant, and Jean Lerond.

May 28, 1977 - Hartford Civic Center - The Estimated Prophet that we send you out with is from a Jerry Moore audience recording that Tim Dalton, Charlie Miller, Chris Chappell, and Scott Clugston all helped bring along. And it should be noted that Teri emailed us shortly after we recorded the episode, specifically requesting the Estimated from this date.

Other music in the episode:

August 12, 1981 - Salt Palace - The Friend of the Devil is from an unknown audience source that SIRMick transferred, edited and mastered.

Winterland in the 70s, the hiatus shows, and Egypt 1978 are just some of the greatest moments in the history of the Grateful Dead that our guest this week, Don Defenderfer, experienced in the flesh. Margaret and I were thrilled to listen to his intimate and captivating stories and were just as floored by his heartfelt insights into the music and culture of the Dead. Cue up this special episode of the Heads' Tales podcast and smile, smile, smile as Don relates all his incredible memories.

Get a copy of Don's book, Tasmania: An Island Dream and read his columns from Forty South.

Support Grateful Dead of the Day and Heads’ Tales on Patreon to keep more great episodes coming your way.

And check out the complete show notes at Grateful Dead of the Day.

Margaret and I are excited to get a new episode out after our unintended hiatus. And we are even more pumped because in this episode we sit down with Max Wiener, a long-time contributor to Grateful Dead of the Day. Max has written over ninety reviews for the site, though he is a young Head at just 23 years old. And while he has only been on the bus for five years, coming in by way of John Mayer and Dead and Co., Max’s tale of falling in love with the Dead by listening to countless hours of shows and hearing stories from wizened Heads will be familiar to any Deadhead. Max also provides a primer and roadmap to anyone who wants to take a dive into the band beyond description. Enjoy!

Head over to Grateful Dead of the Day to see complete show notes, including links to all the shows and music in this episode.

You can follow Max’s stand-up comedy and over-the-top track-suited lifestyle on Instagram: @maxisawiener.

Support Grateful Dead of the Day and Heads’ Tales on Patreon to keep more great episodes coming your way.

As we discuss with Max, we have added well over a thousand videos to Grateful Dead of the Day. Some of Max’s favorites that he references in the episode include July 8, 1990 at Three Rivers Stadium, March 22, 1987 at Hampton Coliseum, and April 26, 1977 at the Capitol Theater in Passaic. And there is remastered video, courtesy of Christopher Hazard, of the 1995 breakout of Unbroken Chain at the Spectrum that Max discusses.

In this episode, we spend some time with Tom Ribe, a long-time Head who grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and now makes his home in Santa Fe. In between, he lived across the West and saw the Grateful Dead throughout the region. Tom talks about hanging with the band before the 1983 run at Santa Fe Downs, braving a nasty blizzard to get to a show in Arizona, and first turning on to the music by way of the early studio albums and some of Bear’s finest in the Jemez Mountains.

Today, Tom and his partner run Great Southwest Adventures, an outdoor tour company based in Santa Fe running trips throughout Northern New Mexico. If you find yourself in the Land of Enchantment, book a tour with a fellow Deadhead!

Support Grateful Dead of the Day and Heads’ Tales on Patreon to keep more great episodes coming your way.

Check out the show notes and other episodes at Heads' Tales on Grateful Dead of the Day.

Some of the shows mentioned in this episode:

11-17-1971 - Albuquerque Civic Auditorium - Albuquerque, New Mexico 

01-18-1978 - Stockton Civic Auditorium - Stockton, California - The Sugar Magnolia is from a partial audience recording via Raoul Duke and encoded by Matt Vernon.

09-11-1983 - Santa Fe Downs - Santa Fe, New Mexico - The Me and My Uncle, Greatest Story Ever Told, Althea, and Franklin’s Tower are all from a front of the board recording, transferred by Larry Sellers & the Philly Crew along with Joe Noel.

08-19-1989 - Greek Theater, University of California - Berkeley, California - The Let the Good Times Roll and I Know You Rider are from an audience recording transferred by D5scott.

12-06-1992 - Compton Terrace Amphitheater - Tempe, Arizona - The Here Comes Sunshine and Throwing Stones are from another FOB recording transferred by Pete Ebel.

06-18-1994 - Autzen Stadium, University of Oregon - Eugene, Oregon - The Jack Straw and Days Between are from a tape by Greg Clark that was transferred by Charlie Miller and Joe Noel.

Other music in the episode:

Alligator from 04-29-1971 - Fillmore East - New York, New York, comes from an audience recording by Marty Weinberg that was transferred and worked over by Dr. Michael Parrish, Steven Martin, and Jack Warner.

Caution from 03-22-1972 - Academy of Music - New York, New York, is from a partial audience recording that came to us via David Hollister.

Dancin’ in the Streets is from 05-08-1977 - Barton Hall, Cornell University - Ithaca, New York, taped by Jerry Moore and transferred by Rob Berger and Chris Larson.