Customer Reviews »

• Promising but scattered collection of tunes

  Reviewed By: Lou Davenport

  Interesting trying to reconcile the setlist for this release with those on the database websites. The 8-23-71 set on disc 2 bears no resemblance to those on either setlists.net or deadbase.com, but it partly agrees with the one on deadlists.com. According to that latter site, the CE>TOO>M&MU>TOO>CE fills 33 minutes (!). There's also a note that the show is normally listed as 8-24-71, as it is on the other two sites--guess deadlists was right! But there's no China>Rider, Truckin', or Sugar Magnolia on 8-23, so I wonder whether the Road Trips folks actually drew tracks from other nights for the disc they're listing as all 8-23. They could be from 7-31, which features all those songs. Again following deadlists, the first three tracks on disc 1 were originally scattered through the 7-31 first set, sandwiching the Dark Star>Bird Song that is placed after them on disc 1.

• Summer of Jam 2008.

  Reviewed By: Coconut Phil

  I'll be waiting for my copy to arrive. Looks great, keep jamming. Coconut Phil, SC 6/8/08

• My 1st!

  Reviewed By: Gary Mollica

  I'd bought all the Dead albums when they came out, even had Live Dead on 8track so I could hear it without having to change LP sides, but Yale Bowl was my 1st of many shows (I was 15 & it was a great summer series at The Bowl - also saw Yes open for Grand Funk!). Totally outstanding Dark Star>Bird Song

• Somewhat satisfied...

  Reviewed By: Ohio Ted

  I've already purchased this compilation, but I have a valid complaint. The Dark Star>Bird Song is supposed to be Playin>Dark Star>Bird Song. How can you ever chop up such a rare selection of songs? In fact, this was the only time they played those three tunes in succession. I'd rather pay 20 bucks for just those 3 tunes alone. I'll get over it, but I don't see any way of justifying this musical blasphemy.

• 8/6/71 Hard to Handle Soundboard!!

  Reviewed By: Michael Oberg

  Newsflash- The holy grail has been found! Seriously, this is like finding the lost city of Atlantis. I cannot WAIT to hear this in a pristine soundboard version. Just this past weekend I was at my parents neighbors house and spotted a photo of Garcia, Dylan and Weir on his wall. A new found Deadhead. He told me that he was at the Yale Bowl show in '71 among other amazing performances in and around NY around that year. Fillmore East '70, Anderson Theater '70. The guy has some stories. Can't wait to hear this one.

• fresh & raw

  Reviewed By: hans

  Many times I've decided to not buy any Dead stuff any more as there's so much more to hear, but, well, you know how it is. So I bought this great cd from a year that I regarderd as slightly less appealing than the years that preceded it. This has to do with "Skull & roses": while it has a great cover, I never really liked it that much, missing the real sparkle. My opinion of 1971 has changed already by the purchase of the really great "Ladies and gentlemen" cd, and this change for the good has been confirmed by this one. The song choice is excellent, and what struck me most was the rawness and freshness apparent in these recordings, and a feeling that the band really enjoyed playing (and some really new songs as well, from what I gather from Blair Jackson's notes). So, another addition to my 70+ Dead collection, and a great one. My resolve to refrain from buying Dead cd's has been torn to shreds again ...

• Unfitting.

  Reviewed By: prereboy

  This release is blessed with the involvment of folks obviously in love with the band and its music; the selection of material, the nature of the sound quality, and the wonderful liner booklet are all in keeping with what the Dead were doing with their art. But whose idea was it to package cd's inside envelopes of loosely fitting sandpaper?!?! Come on, folks. With all the de[a]dicated and talented people on both sides of this commecial venture, you can certainly come up with something better than that. Excepting this sole, (but legitimate) complaint, this is an excellent release. My thanks to all the good folks involved.

• Hollywood Palladium?

  Reviewed By: Donovan Whittemore

  Nice packaging and a fine booklet with photos and a short essay. I'm glad to have this, but I'm not sure I'll spin it very often, I don't know the setlists or what's missing from these shows, but the flow of tunes seems a bit funny here and the performances are a bit lackluster (and there is a frankly awful version of Uncle John's Band). As for the bonus disc, are the complete soundboards not available for the Hollywood Palladium? I have the audience tape and that show is simply fantastic, a terrific listen from toppermost to bottom and it seems criminal to skim a few tracks from that show to throw them on a bonus disc! I say keep the great packaging coming, I love a nice booklet to pore over while I listen and I love the all paper sleeves, but with so many great complete shows out there do you really have to put out these barrel scraping compilations? I'd much prefer to hear the flow of a show from the beginning to end, warts and all, and I can make my own compilations. Hell, if you digitized the vault and put it all on I-tunes I'd sell my soul to buy every one!

• Memories!!!

  Reviewed By: larry spalding

  I was at the Palladium show listed here and of all the shows I saw over the years, this was it!! I was next to the main man who has blessed us with the audience tape so cherished amongst so many of us. I got a set of reels from him the next week and they are still my prized possesion. The band was soooo in synch this night. Just listen to Bertha. They opened the show with this unrecorded new tune and it is still one of my favorite Garcia moments with juice that .....................well, you had to be there. Hollywood Palladium was the host to countless great dance shows from the 40's till now. They still have great shows there! My parents met there listening to Bernny Goodman. It is one of those venues that brings out the best of whoever plays there and this night is a prime example. Good on you all at G D headquarters for keeping the spirit alive! Buy this disc and turn it up!!!! HIRO

• AMAZING

  Reviewed By: eebee

  After the Winterland release, I didn't think anything could nudge me back to the pre-Godchaux era for a long time. This road picks changed all that. The energy is amazing. Even the bonus disc is a ripper -- great version of Sing Me Back Home (Rivals Baltimore '72 and that's saying a lot!). The interaction between Phil and Jerry is just fantastic, especially in the jams of Hard to Handle, Not Fade Away-GDTRFB, Lovelight and of course Dark Star. Blair Jackson speaks about Phil's "anaconda" style in the liner notes (wonderful notes, by the way!). That's exactly the impression I get from the big, thick, bass notes snaking around the walls when I play it loud. I've now become a BIG fan of the Roat Trips series, and I keep turning to them again and again. The artwork deserves a special commendation, by the way. Keep on Truckin' !!!

• ????

  Reviewed By: walter diffee

  I would just like to have three of the containers i had shows (casettes) in. sory for the spelling but don't have much use for the archaic reel to reel encased in plastic tem anymore. the shoes on the other hand were great...kansas to kentucky...brent. man those were the days. not the correct venue for such ranting but how bout a roadtrip 85-88;

• I Don't Want To Spoil The Party So I'll Go...

  Reviewed By: robert rockhill

  I really dislike doing this, on this site, when I should be celebrating the discovery of these tapes... and I am... however, the Hard To Handle presented here is not the Holy Grail of Hard To Handles. If one takes their bootleg soundboard of the Hard To Handle from 3/24/71, plays it first, then follows it up with the soundboard presented here, the outcome is rather obvious, folks. Switch the order... I guarantee the outcome is the same. We should all be thankful these pristine tapes have surfaced. However, since the voting in Deadbase is influencing releases, I for one go absolutely on record and say without reservation that Deadbase was incorrect regarding the best version of Hard To Handle. I even challenge Phil to take the taste test. If we are going to release this WONDERFUL version because it is "the best", then lets truly get the best version released. However, do buy this CD for all the obvious reasons. There is nothing like a Grateful Dead Concert.

• Great Releases

  Reviewed By: Granville Ganter

  This is a fine release from an under appreciated period. A request for Dead Productions Ltd: Considering the buying audience, can we get "normal" titles from now on? "Summer 1971" would be fine with us. And the same for Dick's Dicks (or Andy Lemieux's Pix)---title them by date and venue! Dick's Pix 42? Road Trips 1? Who knows what those are? The reviews of most of the Road Trips sound like they were written by the same person, promoting ther "mixes are OK" story. Yes, we know tour selections are fine--we make them on our iPods all the time.

• Road Trips Vol. 1, No. 3 great summer

  Reviewed By: Francesco Banterle

  Hello cd arrived today 11.07.2008. Great excellent recording. There is a monumental Dark Star of 22 minutes, beautiful versions of China Cat Sunflower, Me and My Uncle, Hard to Handle, the suite The Other One, Sing Me Back Home by almost ten and Turn On Your Lovelight, spectacular, almost 15. In bomus cd version of the best ever Hard to Handle. Thanks Francesco from Italy

• Rated PG

  Reviewed By: Star Dark

  I would rate these CDs PG: phenomenally great! I'm a collector of Dark Stars, so that's the reason I bought it...but overall, every cut demonstrates a lean, mean Grateful Dead with Jerry's guitar RED HOT!!!

• road trips 1971 tour

  Reviewed By: bill maloney

  i love this configuration of the dead,just 5 of them,this cd has been a long time coming,as was mentioned above phil's bass reverberates throughout,keep the road trips coming,i was jonesing for awhile after the dicks picks stopped

• Best Live "Truckin'" Yet...

  Reviewed By: John McCarthy

  Worth it just for "Truckin'", it just SMOKES! like hearing it for the first time...rolls right along like a 18-wheeler, Phil pushes and pulls, Bill is rock solid, the harmonies (probably because Pigpen is in the mix) give me the chills (yes, a positive remark about the vocals!, and Pig's organ is the icing on the cake. At the end Jerry drives it home, and the boys sing the refrain, not once , but twice, just to show you that they've "got it" and know it! Every time I think I have enough live Dead CD's, it's moments like this that keep me coming back for more...OUTSTANDING!

Add Your Review »

Click here to log on and add a review.