Artist -Porno for Pyros Title - Porno for Pyros Format - Vinyl Single LP USA Color - 1000 made for USA on Tie Dye Swirl Color Vinyl UK Color - 1000 made for UK on Blue Color Vinyl
HEY IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA – head over to Looney Tunes in West Babylon NY. They have a few copies left!!
We could not be happier about this release. We are releasing this album with our friends ENJOY THE RIDE RECORDS. This will be an official 2013 Record Store Day release. There are two colors. One will be available in the USA (Tie Dye) and one will be available in Europe (Blue) we are making 1000 of each color. If we have extra after Record Store Day they will be available on this site starting Sunday April 21st.
IF YOU ARE A CURRENT SUBSCRIBER!!! YOU DO NOT NEED TO ORDER THESE – YOU ARE ALREADY DOWN FOR THESE TO SHIP. YOU WILL GET A PAYPAL INVOICE THE WEEK BEFORE THEY SHIP. AFTER YOU GET YOUR INVOICE YOU HAVE 2 DAYS TO PAY THE INVOICE AND THEN THE ORDER SHIPS TO YOU.
VOL 3 and VOL 4 shipping now!!!!
If you want vol 3 and 4 order with the TOP button for both to save on shipping costs!
Title – Vol 3 and 4 together $205.98
Title – Vol 3 $79.99 Title – Vol 4 $125.99
Artist -the Grateful Dead Title – Dick’s Picks Vol 3 Format – 180 gram 4 LP Vinyl Box Set Pressing – Limited to 2000 Copies, Hand Numbered 1 – 2000 Packaging – 12″ x 12″ Box Set, 4 LPs individually sleeved in deluxe poly lined sleeves, 180 gram
Artist –the Grateful Dead Title – Dick’s Picks Vol 4 Format –180 gram 6 LP Vinyl Box Set Pressing – Limited to 2000 Copies Hand Numbered 1 – 2000 Packaging –12″ x 12″ Box Set, 6 LPs individually sleeved in deluxe poly lined sleeves, 180 gram
Shipping Costs are as follows. YES we understand that the International costs are expensive. We are only charging what it costs us to ship. We only ship international with tracking. So we have to use International Priority Air. If you are looking for a cheaper International option try AMAZON.com. Canada is expensive also because it is to heavy to ship economy. The 2 sets together weigh almost 10 pounds. We are only charging what it costs us to ship.
VOLUME
US MEDIA MAIL
US PRIORITY
CANADA
INTERNATIONAL PRIORITY AIR
VOL 3
9.99
23.99
40.99
55.99
VOL 4
10.99
26.99
41.99
57.99
VOL 3 & 4
11.99
35.99
48.99
64.99
PRESS RELEASE
Jeffrey Norman to work with Brookvale Records! Jeffrey talks about mastering Vol 3 and 4.
Brookvale Records is proud to announce that we will be collaborating with mixing and mastering engineer, Jeffrey Norman. Brookvale Records will be releasing Dick’s Picks Series volume 3 and volume 4 this February on vinyl and Jeffrey will be doing the mastering for us. We would also like to announce that he will have access and will be using the ORIGINAL master tapes for this project. As we get more information we will let you know. Pre orders for these releases will go up next week. STAY TUNED!
For more information on Mr. Norman, you can click these links below:
“I was excited to get the chance to remaster the early Dick’s Picks’ releases for vinyl…they were originally mastered for CD in 1995-96, and I was looking forward to hearing the 1/4″ source tapes once again, 17 years later. What I didn’t expect was the dramatic improvement the new mastering gives to these classic releases. The original CD resolution is 44.1KHz/16bit (as is any released CD), while the mastering I am now doing for the vinyl releases is 96KHz/24bit. I’m now using a state-of-the-art analog to digital converter (Pacific Microsonics Model 2)….and I’ve probably gotten better at doing this over the years! I used the original CDs as a guide for the new mastering, but when listening to the CDs I feel like I’m listening in black and white, while the new mastering feels like I’m listening in color.It’s very exciting!
A few observations: the mixes for Dick’s Picks Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 couldn’t be more different. The Pembroke Pine show (Vol.3) is quite bass strong and powerful. The Fillmore East show (2/13-14/12) on the other hand is very bright and a little bass shy. Both represent the ears and interpretations of the mixers at the time (Betty Cantor Jackson at Pembroke Pines, and Bear at the Fillmore East), and both capture the quality and excitement of these shows. I did some equalization on both shows to enhance the presentation but kept true to what the original mixers intended. As typical of all Grateful Dead shows, both these two shows are very dynamic….there’s a wide range of volume from quiet to very loud. I tried to keep the dynamics intact, with very little limiting, using limiting mainly as protection against digital overs.
In choosing the songs for each side of vinyl, the goal was to be true to the flow of the show and keep the fidelity as high as possible. There is a physical limitation to the length of a vinyl side….if it gets too long there is a loss of bass and level. Ideally the sides would be no longer than 20 minutes, and for the most part that was accomplished. However there are a few sides that are longer than ideal, but because of the way the music lays out there was no way around a few longer lengths. Also because of those side length constraints, there are some songs that had to be split in two (i.e. Vol.4 Dark Star, The Other One, and Lovelight)…sorry, you’re going to have to flip the record to get the entire “good stuff”.
Considering that these tapes are 40 years old (in the case of Vol. 4, Fillmore East), they sound phenomenal!There are some issues on the original recording that can’t be fixed (i.e.. L/R movement side to side in Vol. 3 Eyes of the World), but that in no way takes away from this great music.”
VOLUME 3 TRACK LISTING Show – Pembroke Pines, Florida 05/22/77 Set will be 4 LPS (Side 2 of the 4th LP will be blank)
Price will be $79.99
Release Date to be February 2013
Pre Orders will go up soon
VOLUME 4 TRACK LISTING Show – Fillmore East 02/13-14/70 Set will be 6 LPS (Side 2 of the 6th LP will be blank)
Price will be $125.99 Release Date to be February 2013
Pre Orders will go up soon
CHECK OUT THESE COOL IMAGES WHICH WE HOPE TO INCLUDE IN THE VOL 3 PACKAGING!!
CHECK OUT THESE IMAGES FROM VOL 4 THAT WE HOPE TO INCORPORATE INTO THE PACKAGING!
We are very proud to announce that we will be releasing the Dream Theater album “Images & Words” on vinyl for the first time in the USA! We could not be happier with the it came out. The album was remastered just for vinyl with great care. We released the Dream Theater album “Metropolis PT2″ on vinyl in the fall of 2011 and that sold out right away. We expect this release to sell out even quicker! The release is 2 LP Set on 180gram vinyl for the highest fidelity. We only made 2000 units. Each LP is hand numbered from 1 – 2000! This release is a joint venture with our friends at ENJOY THE RIDE RECORDS.
We are making 2000 pieces of this record. 1500 of them will be on BLACK VINYL. Those 1500 will be going out to stores across the world. 500 of them will be make special on a RED/GOLD SWIRL vinyl. This pre order is for BLACK vinyl. This RED/GOLD Swirl is now already SOLD OUT.
PRE ORDER NOW!!
Artist -Dream Theater Title - Images and Words Configuration - 2 Lp Set – BLACK VINYL - 180 Gram St Date - February 19th, 2013 Price - $59.99 (LESS THEN 10 LEFT AT $59.99 – was $29 selling of some we purchased ourselves from another store at full price – you may want to check amazon or somewhere else first ONLY FEW LEFT!) Quantity Made - Only 2000 Pressing - Hand Numbered 1 – 2000
This vinyl mailer box has been custom manufactured to be one of the most secure ways to ship your vinyl records. The set consists of 2 pieces. The first hugs your vinyl with bumpers around it, to carefully protect the vinyl corners. The second piece covers the box to give it even more security.This set will hold 1 or 2 single LPS or one double LP set.
This vinyl mailer box has been custom manufactured to be one of the most secure ways to ship your vinyl records. The set consists of 2 pieces. The first hugs your vinyl with large bumpers around it, to carefully protect the vinyl corners. The second piece covers the box to give it even more security. This box is made with thicker cardboard to give it extra protection.This set will hold 5 single LPS or one 12″ x 12″ LP box set.
Super LP Vinyl Mailer Shipping Set: 25 sets = $87.25
SKU: brookvale_3
This vinyl mailer box has been custom manufactured to be one of the most secure ways to ship your vinyl records. The set consists of 2 pieces. The first hugs your vinyl with large bumpers around it, to carefully protect the vinyl corners. The second piece covers the box to give it even more security. This box is made with thicker cardboard to give it extra protection.This set will hold 10 single LPS or two 12″ x 12″ LP box sets.
We here at Brookvale Records could not be happier to have you along with us on our journey as we breathe new life into the treasured Grateful Dead Dick’s Picks catalog, by giving them all a proper vinyl release.
With that being said we have some unfortunate news. Due to a manufacturers delay, the street date for the next installment of our Dick’s Picks series (volumes 3 and 4) will be postponed until April 16th. The product was originally scheduled for delivery this week, with orders shipping immediately seeing that the initial street date was Tuesday, March 19th.
Although this is not the greatest news to hear for those of us dying to sit down with our new Dead records, we can all breathe a little sigh of relief knowing that they will be here soon. Product should be in our hands here at Brookvale by April 2nd with orders shipping immediately following their arrival.
Our manufacturer simply had to delay several important projects in order to meet the deadline demanded by that of our national holiday here in vinyl land known as Record Store Day! (April 20th this year for all of those wondering). Brookvale Records is also proud to announce the release of Porno for Pyros self-titled album on VINYL this year as our contribution to the Record Store Day catalog for 2013. Details will be made available soon at www.BrookvaleRecords.com
For most of us, this is a welcomed speed bump on the road to our next GRATE release. We apologize for any inconvenience and we thank you for your time and understanding. Please feel free to contact us with questions, comments, or concerns. info@brookvalerecords.com
Brookvale Records is proud to announce the release of Kevin Devine’s 2002 debut LP “Circle Gets the Square” on vinyl for THE VERY FIRST TIME! This release is a collaboration with Enjoy the Ride Records and Kevin himself. This album is very hard to find both digitally and on CD, so make sure to get a copy while they last.
The pressing is limited to 750 total copies
250 on Maroon w/black smoke for Brookvale/ETR which will be available via the ETR webstore
All come with download code of the remastered audio as well.
OMG!!! We just got in the test pressings for Dicks Picks vol 3 and 4. I am SO SO SO happy we had Mr Jeffrey Norman master these from the original tapes. HOLY SH*T these sound like nothing I have heard before. WOW so so amazing!!! Pre Orders we promise to get up within the next week. I know we have been saying that but we had to wait for these!! I am going to try and see if we can post some sound clips from these. WOW I can not wait for you to hear these! If anyone is in the NY area – near West Babylon, come on down and check em out! What a way to start the new year!! Happy and Healthy everyone!!
Jeffrey Norman to work with Brookvale Records! Jeffrey talks about mastering Vol 3 and 4.
Brookvale Records is proud to announce that we will be collaborating with mixing and mastering engineer, Jeffrey Norman. Brookvale Records will be releasing Dick’s Picks Series volume 3 and volume 4 this February on vinyl and Jeffrey will be doing the mastering for us. We would also like to announce that he will have access and will be using the ORIGINAL master tapes for this project. As we get more information we will let you know. Pre orders for these releases will go up next week. STAY TUNED!
For more information on Mr. Norman, you can click these links below:
“I was excited to get the chance to remaster the early Dick’s Picks’ releases for vinyl…they were originally mastered for CD in 1995-96, and I was looking forward to hearing the 1/4″ source tapes once again, 17 years later. What I didn’t expect was the dramatic improvement the new mastering gives to these classic releases. The original CD resolution is 44.1KHz/16bit (as is any released CD), while the mastering I am now doing for the vinyl releases is 96KHz/24bit. I’m now using a state-of-the-art analog to digital converter (Pacific Microsonics Model 2)….and I’ve probably gotten better at doing this over the years! I used the original CDs as a guide for the new mastering, but when listening to the CDs I feel like I’m listening in black and white, while the new mastering feels like I’m listening in color.It’s very exciting!
A few observations: the mixes for Dick’s Picks Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 couldn’t be more different. The Pembroke Pine show (Vol.3) is quite bass strong and powerful. The Fillmore East show (2/13-14/12) on the other hand is very bright and a little bass shy. Both represent the ears and interpretations of the mixers at the time (Betty Cantor Jackson at Pembroke Pines, and Bear at the Fillmore East), and both capture the quality and excitement of these shows. I did some equalization on both shows to enhance the presentation but kept true to what the original mixers intended. As typical of all Grateful Dead shows, both these two shows are very dynamic….there’s a wide range of volume from quiet to very loud. I tried to keep the dynamics intact, with very little limiting, using limiting mainly as protection against digital overs.
In choosing the songs for each side of vinyl, the goal was to be true to the flow of the show and keep the fidelity as high as possible. There is a physical limitation to the length of a vinyl side….if it gets too long there is a loss of bass and level. Ideally the sides would be no longer than 20 minutes, and for the most part that was accomplished. However there are a few sides that are longer than ideal, but because of the way the music lays out there was no way around a few longer lengths. Also because of those side length constraints, there are some songs that had to be split in two (i.e. Vol.4 Dark Star, The Other One, and Lovelight)…sorry, you’re going to have to flip the record to get the entire “good stuff”.
Considering that these tapes are 40 years old (in the case of Vol. 4, Fillmore East), they sound phenomenal!There are some issues on the original recording that can’t be fixed (i.e.. L/R movement side to side in Vol. 3 Eyes of the World), but that in no way takes away from this great music.”
VOLUME 3 TRACK LISTING Show – Pembroke Pines, Florida 05/22/77 Set will be 4 LPS (Side 2 of the 4th LP will be blank) Price will be $79.99
Release Date to be February 2013
Pre Orders will go up soon
VOLUME 4 TRACK LISTING Show – Fillmore East 02/13-14/70 Set will be 6 LPS (Side 2 of the 6th LP will be blank) Price will be $109.99 Release Date to be February 2013
Pre Orders will go up soon
CHECK OUT THESE COOL IMAGES WHICH WE HOPE TO INCLUDE IN THE VOL 3 PACKAGING!!
CHECK OUT THESE IMAGES FROM VOL 4 THAT WE HOPE TO INCORPORATE INTO THE PACKAGING!
Don’t want to miss any of the Dick’s Picks on Vinyl?
Dick’s Picks Vol 1 and 2 are SOLD OUT !!
SUBSCRIBE NOW ITS FREE!!
Subscription starts with Vol 3 and Vol 4 which are scheduled for February 2013.
With your subscription you are entitled to:
1) Guarantee you get a copy of the limited edition run
2) A low number edition
3) Advance shipping on your order
4) Special discounts to other related product offers
If you have a paypal account you can subscribe to the entire Dick’s Picks Vinyl Series now. If you do not have a PAYPAL account you can call us (631-587-7722) or EMAIL US with your credit card info and we can also add you to the subscription members. YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED ANYTHING FOR SUBSCRIBING. You are just letting us know you want each volume sent to you automatically. You can also cancel at any time. BUT you are expected to take every volume. If you opt out of a volume you will be put at the end of the list and we can not guarantee you will get any more volumes at all.
Our next additions will be vol 3 and 4 which we expect to be ready in March 19th 2013 – see note from Jeffrey Norman on the mastering below!
Here is how it will work.
1st – you subscibe
2nd – when the next volume is ready you will get an invoice for it through paypal or we will email it you to.
3rd – as soon as your payment clears we will ship you your volume
4th – if we have any of the volume left after we ship to subscribers we will then take the additional product and put it up for sale.
PAYPAL Members Subscribe below: If you do not have paypal or want to pay by another credit card just EMAIL US or CALL US at 631-587-7722
Any questions you can EMAIL US or CALL US at 631-587-7722
HERE IS A PERSONAL NOTE FROM JEFFREY NORMAN ON HIS MASTERING OF VOLUME 3 and 4
“I was excited to get the chance to remaster the early Dick’s Picks’ releases for vinyl…they were originally mastered for CD in 1995-96, and I was looking forward to hearing the 1/4″ source tapes once again, 17 years later. What I didn’t expect was the dramatic improvement the new mastering gives to these classis releases. The original CD resolution is 44.1KHz/16bit (as is any released CD), while the mastering I am now doing for the vinyl releases is 96KHz/24bit. I’m now using a state-of-the-art analog to digital converter (Pacific Microsonics Model 2)….and I’ve probably gotten better at doing this over the years! I used the original CDs as a guide for the new mastering, but when listening to the CDs I feel like I’m listening in black and white, while the new mastering feels like I’m listening in color. It’s very exciting!
A few observations: the mixes for Dick’s Picks Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 couldn’t be more different. The Pembroke Pine show (Vol.3) is quite bass strong and powerful. The Fillmore East show (2/13-14/12) on the other hand is very bright and a little bass shy. Both represent the ears and interpretations of the mixers at the time (Betty Cantor Jackson at Pembroke Pines, and Bear at the Fillmore East), and both capture the quality and excitement of these shows. I did some equalization on both shows to enhance the presentation but kept true to what the original mixers intended. As typical of all Grateful Dead shows, both these two shows are very dynamic….there’s a wide range of volume from quiet to very loud. I tried to keep the dynamics intact, with very little limiting, using limiting mainly as protection against digital overs.
In choosing the songs for each side of vinyl, the goal was to be true to the flow of the show and keep the fidelity as high as possible. There is a physical limitation to the length of a vinyl side….if it gets too long there is a loss of bass and level. Ideally the sides would be no longer than 20 minutes, and for the most part that was accomplished. However there are a few sides that are longer than ideal, but because of the way the music lays out there was no way around a few longer lengths. Also because of those side length constraints, there are some songs that had to be split in two (i.e. Vol.4 Dark Star, The Other One, and Lovelight)…sorry, you’re going to have to flip the record to get the entire “good stuff”.
Dear Friends,
Today I am very proud to announce that Brookvale Records will be releasing the entire Dick’s Picks Series on vinyl. We are working very closely with the Dead on every aspect of these releases. The Dead will be reviewing and approving all artwork, packaging, and mastering. We are honored to be working on this project. Growing up my favorite bands were (and still are) The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead. To now own a record label and to be working with the Grateful Dead is truly a dream come true. As a fan first, I realize that these vinyl releases must be handled professionally and meticulously put together. It is my responsibility to make sure these releases come to the fans in the very best packaging and sound possible. It is with great pride we are today announcing the release of the beginning of this series with Vol 1 and Vol 2 coming out on November 20th, 2012. Going forward we will continue the releases starting in early 2013 and hope to release at least one volume a month, if not more. Details on Vol 1 and Vol 2 are below. We hope you enjoy these vinyl release as much as we do. They look and sound amazing!
Gratefully,
Karl Groeger Jr.
President Brookvale Records / Looney Tunes CD Store
PS – I have received a lot of questions about SOURCE, MASTERS and SIDE SPLITS. Please look at the bottom of this page and read my post from http://www.stevehoffman.tv/ addressing these issues. As always if you have any concerns or questions please reach out and email me HERE.
You can also find these titles as select Retail Store near you!! CLICK HERE for a list of stores that have ordered these.
PRE ORDER HERE BEFORE THEY SELL OUT! Release Date – Tuesday November 20th Shipping Date – Friday November 16th
Please read below for shipping information.
Artist - the Grateful Dead
Title – Dick’s Picks Vol 1 Format – 180 gram 4 LP Vinyl Box Set Pressing – Limited to 2000 Copies, Hand Numbered 1 – 2000 Packaging – 12″ x 12″ Box Set, 4 LPs individually sleeved in deluxe poly lined sleeves, 180 gram
Artist – the Grateful Dead Title – Dick’s Picks Vol 2 Format – 180 gram – 2 LP Gatefold Pressing – Limited to 2000 Copies Hand Numbered 1 – 2000 Packaging – Gatefold with deluxe poly lined sleeves, 180 gram
TRACK LISTINGS:
A WORD ON TRACK LISTINGS. When manufacturing the Dick’s Picks for 180 gram vinyl we had some things to really consider. With the time limitations on vinyl sides we did our best to preserve the JAMS and make the vinyl flow as best as possible. Vol 2 as you see has only 3 sides. We left side 4 blank to preserve the JAM on side 3. We will always preserve and keep any jams together where possible.
Dick’s Picks 1 Tampa, FL 12/19/73
Side 1
Here Comes Sunshine
Side 2
Big River
Mississippi Half Step
Side 3
Weather Report Suite
Big Railroad Blues
Side 4
Playing In The Band
Side Five
He’s Gone
Side 6
Truckin’
Nobody’s Fault But Mine
Side 7
Jam
The Other One
Jam
Side 8
Stella Blue
Around and Around
Dick’s Picks Vol 2 Columbus, OH 10/31/71
Side 1
Dark Star/Jam
Side 2
Sugar Magnolia
St. Stephen
Side 3
Not Fade Away
Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad
Not Fade Away
Side 4
(Intentionally left blank to preserve the jam on Side 3)
SHIPPING INFORMATION AND VIDEO
POSTAGE METHOD
VOL 1
VOL 2
BOTH VOL 1 & VOL 2
USA – Media Mail – Economy
$10.99
$9.99
$12.99
USA – Priority
$22.99
$17.99
$26.99
CANADA
$35.99
$18.99
$38.99
Worldwide International Priority Air
$53.99
$45.99
$56.99
A word on shipping charges. These releases are VERY HEAVY and so is the box we ship them in. Vol 1 is 5 lbs, Vol 2 is 3lbs and both together packaged come to 6lbs. We will ONLY ship international with tracking information. That is why International is so expensive. We are not adding ANY money over what it costs to ship your item to you. The boxes and packaging we are using costs us $4. Canadian orders could not be shipped 1st class international due to the weight of the package, we have to ship priority international as its the cheapest way to ship a package of this size. Again YES these seem high, but it is just because of the box we are shipping in and the true cost to ship these out.
It is hard to remember back to the birth of Dick’s Picks. It was a time before the internet had really impacted music, and the series was an outlier of all things to come. The idea of archival and on-demand live music releases flowed from the fountainhead of Grateful Dead releases as supervised by the ultimate fan Dick Latvala. Looking back now one can see the Dead organization playing with various formats in order to hit upon the golden ticket to fan appreciation and financial reward.
Volume one comes from December 19,1973 a fertile and favorite year for band and fans alike. This release represents highlights of both sets but is not a complete show. This was an obvious way to go about it that would have worked for any fan base but The Grateful Dead’s. The release was greeted with some disappointment originally because it was incomplete, but with hindsight it hits all the marks of an important release. A largely un-circulated show, it boasts everything the band was doing well in 1973. Kicking off with Here Comes Sunshine it is clear from the get go that the band is in the mood to play. This song opens up into a breathtaking jam displaying the Dead’s much talked about “x-factor.” All the selections from the first set are top-notch, but the set closing Playing In The Band clocks in at over 20 minutes and ticks all the boxes of greatness. It is worth noting that having a song like this version of Playing In The Band stand alone on its own side of vinyl lends it a certain artistic logic and context that could be missing from a cd or tape. It allows one to appraise it as a stand-alone work of art. That ultimately is the greatest value of getting these releases on vinyl: the individual songs are given a certain weight, gravity and meaning when listened to as unique pieces of music as opposed to an entire show. It is essentially the power of editing. It is why the Dead’s first live offering Live Dead made such an impact on fans originally. The second set of this show is one long monster jam encompassing 6 songs and 2 sections of extended improvisation which again gain meaning in some ways from the ability to separate them from the entirety of the show (in other ways not so much). The standouts are a wide-ranging version of The Other One and the rarely played cover Nobody’s Fault But Mine.
Dick’s Picks Volume 2 sees another format change as Dick tried to create a single disc release that just presented one meaty chunk of what he would have called “primal Dead.” In many respects it succeeds wildly. Again choosing a lesser-known show, the release showcases just the heart of a second set from Halloween night 1971 in Columbus, Ohio. Side One is taken up by a long and exceptionally weird Dark Star, which again wins by being listened to alone. It conveys all sorts of moody shifts from scary to beautiful to deep and spacey. The remainder of the set is taken up by an early version of Sugar Magnolia and the kind of medley (Not Fadeaway>St. Stephen>Not Fadeaway) that made people Deadheads for life. The band twists and turns through a roaring jam and tons of heroic guitar leads by Garcia taking the audience on a wild cat and mouse trip through a psychedelic wormhole that ends up in a screaming, breathless finale.
I am lucky enough to be listening to Dick’s Picks 2 on vinyl this afternoon. On vinyl you say? Why yes, yes I am. The good folks at Brookvale Records will be releasing both of these albums on Tuesday, November 20th at Looney Tunes CD’s here on Long Island and also at independent record stores around the country. Both of these releases will be limited to 2000 copies, so you are going to want to look into this like yesterday because brother…they sound fantastic.
This is the shortest of the Dick’s Picks and it features a chunk of the second set from this show and it starts off with a stellar Dark Star > Jam. Jerry just goes nuts on this one and leads the band into all kinds of tasty places. I don’t always dig where Dark Star goes but this one is a favorite. This seems a little short at one cd (57:39) but on vinyl it spreads out over two lps. You can’t quibble with the set choices this night from a kickin’ Sugar Mag right on though GDTRFB and Not Fade Away. It jams, it rocks and it is all kinds of sweet.
So how is the sound on vinyl? They sound really good actually. These were originally two track recordings so there are limits to how much can be done during remastering. The spacing of the instruments is fine, but I find the vocals to be a bit too “out front” which can’t be helped based on the “warts and all” tapes. Will it stop me from playing this one again…uh no it won’t.
DP #1 was never one of my favorites…it’s not bad rather it is a kind of weird place to have started the series. I’ll start off by saying the sound is very good, perhaps a bit better than DP #2 which was pretty good to begin with. This was recorded towards the end of 1973 kind of in the middle of the endless track to support Wake of the Flood. This is a different Dead than you had only a year or so earlier. PigPen is gone and the band is less bluesy and psychedelic and more jazzy sounding. The 60′ are now clearly over and the 70′s are in full swing with the Dead morphing along with the times.
This set has some great moments in Here Comes Sunshine, a great jam during Playing in the Band and a wonderful He’s Gone. What was great about the Dead is that they played a lot of these songs over their entire career and they had a different vibe in different eras. Many of these songs would take on a whole new feel in a couple of years and its great to have such a wide selection to compare, contrast and enjoy.
I’m glad to see the Dick’s Picks series getting a vinyl release…now I want DP #8!!!
Go down to Looney Tunes or visit them online and grab yourself both of these fine additions to your Dead collection.
For all you Dead Heads and vinyl junkies, Christmas will come a little early this year. Brookvale Records will be releasing the long overdue Grateful Dead “Dick’s Pick Vol. 1” & “Dick’s Pick Vol. 2” on 180-gram vinyl. The two releases will be ready on November 20, 2012, the Tuesday prior to this years’ Record Store Day Presents Black Friday.
Dick’s Pick is the creation of legendary Dead tape archivist Dick Latvala. Grateful Dead Records released 36 in all prior to his death. As of now, these shows were only available in CD format. Looney Tunes Record Store owner Karl Groeger and head of Brookvale Records had the insight to release these gems for the first time on vinyl.
Dick’s Pick Vol. 1 was recorded December 19, 1973 in Tampa Fl. The vinyl release will come as a 4 LP box set. Dick’s Pick Vol. 2, recorded on Halloween night in 1971, in Columbus, Ohio, will be released as a double LP gatefold package. Now this all sounds fine and well, but my concerns are considering the original source. Would the sound on vinyl be better than the CD predecessor? The LPs were taken from the CD masters. After being presented with the test pressings of D.P.1 & 2, I immediately went home and played Dick’s Pick 2, side 2 starting with “Sugar Magnolia”, “St. Stephen” and “Not Fade Away” (always one of my favorites). After a careful listening, I was amazed at how clean and rich the old recordings had sounded on record. I had to be sure. So, I did the old A- B roll test. I got out the CD’s; I threw on a pair of headphones and started the record and CD at the same time switching from CD to vinyl. I was truly amazed on the sonic upgrade the vinyl had over the CDs from the same source. Proving once again another nail in the coffin for the CD.
Each set is hand numbered strictly limited to 2000 copies worldwide. So, if you’re planning on purchasing these albums do NOT hesitate. I predict by Record Store Day they will be gone forever.
POSTED ON http://www.stevehoffman.tv/
Morning All,
My name is Karl Groeger and I am the owner of Brookvale Records and Looney Tunes. I am the one putting out the Dick’s Picks series on vinyl.
We have been working very closely with The Dead on these releases and I welcome your questions and concerns.
As a fan first, I knew there would be challenges going into this project and I think we are doing an amazing job with them. I would like to address 2 concerns I see brought up here. Sound source and side splits. Of course these are critical.
While we want of course the source tapes to every show, we are at the mercy of The Dead for masters for both ART and MUSIC. For the first shows the Dead simply does not have the original masters for them. We had no choice except to go from the CD. My first reaction was, thats impossible, how do they not have the masters? Well after about 6 months of searching they just do not have them. It looks like though for future releases they have about 90% of the masters on all the volumes.
OK so we don’t have the masters. Can we go from the CD? How is that going to sound? Well they sound great! (Check out the reviews on brookvalerecords.com).
We had a choice to use anyone we wanted to master this vinyl from the CD. We were suggested to use Rainbo pressing. I decided not to. I have been a HUGE face of both RTI and GOTTA GROOVE RECORDS. I think both plants have been making some great QUIET records. After about another 6 months of discussions, we choose Gotta Groove to re master and manufacture the vinyl on 1 and 2. And I could not be happier. Although YES the CD is not ideal to go with. BUT I think it came out EXCELLENT! Or I would not put my name on it. I have actually made LPS from masters on another project that did not sound half as good as these dead records do. I hope you will enjoy them.
SIDE SPLITS. Yes this is going to be another challenge for sure. With vol 2 you notice that it is a 3 sided record???? WHY ??? I decided to not make a side 4 because I could keep the JAM going on side 3. Where ever possible I will also keep the jam and do our very best with track listings and side splits. It will be a challenge YES. BUT I DO NOT THINK that its a reason NOT to do these.
I love vinyl. I think it is the perfect way to listen to The Dead.
I welcome your comments. (crap…ha ha).
Thank you for your time guys I hope this addresses some concerns.
