It's on the short list, for sure, at least in the context of this particular board recording. Bobby has some killer delay on his guitar during Scarlet and during the segue you can hear experimenting to determine just how many overtones he can milk out of it. There are a few stunning moments shortly before Jerry fires up the octaplex that leads in FOTM where it's quite clear that the music is playing the band.

This is yet another reason why 1985 stands out. There are a lot of shows with moments likes this(entire songs even!) that are instantly recognizable, even after a couple listens.

I agree the first set is week, but the 2nd is on fire

Amazing Space...Get it for the 2nd Set alone!!!

Space Could be long and tedious at times even if the sheets were praticularly wet. This is especially true of the 90s in my mind -

So why recommend this space ... ? Its a hilarious ?MindF^ck at Weirs expense...
Listen and you'll know why...
My cousin was at this show and I WISH I Had been THere. He Said it was the furthest he ever did swum from the shore. This space is why ... little birdies and buzzing insects...

The Quality of this portion is amazing...

I have had the Second Set SB since 86 and I always wanted to hear as fun a second set.

Techincally - this SBD is crisp but the levels needed adjusting during recording. First Set is Sad - what would be a studio quality sound is marred at times- Jerry is missing from a great sounding band at times. The base line sounds wonderful but the other instruments are to low in the mix.

Second set is better -

Scarlet Begonias - nice colorful touches

Fire On The Mountain - Great reverb- perfect note end

Samson And Delilah - "Case youall forgot its Sunday"... that Bobby. Its got a Little Feat Hustle to it courtesy of Brent - flashes of the 70's. Love the way Bobby drops the last word every time and Jerry NAILS the "Dooownn" with a great beary Jer growl. "Thats Right"

Cryptical Envelopment - Good Oddity

The Other One
"coming around ya all now"

DrumzzzzzSpaaacceee "Bobby..BahBobby"

Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad

I Need A Miracle

Wharf Rat
Turn On Your Love Light
Encore:
Brokedown Palace

Really nice touches - guitar work during Scarlets Jam - yes there are quirks but this was a trippy set all the same. Some really good snappy licks and chops. If you find yourself in an altered state some night Get a really good sound set up and lay back and listen to this second set. Computer speakers and MP3 do NOT do this any Justice.

You can hear during spaceeeee that the band is having fun - Buahhhaahahha ...Blowing Little Electric Bobby smooch Kisses in the back ground. Second Set is an A - 4.5 stars.

Overall only a three due to some level imperfections in first set. Take a listen.

I agree with the first review poster regarding the mix. Although this is indeed a very crisp sbd, Phil sounds like he is playing lead (bass) in certain tracks (its real pronounced in the beginning of the show, esp. Midnight Hour and Bertha) and the lead guitar level is either very low or just overwhelmed by the bass - more likely the former as you can barely hear Jerry's solo during Bertha. For performance, if you like speedy '85 (which I do), you'll like this show.

I have had this show as a second generation SBD tape since 1988. This SHN version is very close to what my tape sounds like - which is great.

For me and all of my friends, this has always been the tape of "all-time" due to its incredible resolution and unique "studio" sound. There is some crowd noise between songs, but you cannot hear any during the songs. Despite the great sound, the mix does vary slightly as you go and sometime Jerry is deeper in the mix and other times more upfront. First set issues aside, the only real flaw in the second set is the Cryptical which is almost inaudible vocally - not sure if Jerry was just forgetting the words or if the mix was off - but a super hot seque leading up to the first verse of the other one more than makes up for it!

The drums and bass are simply fantastic because they are very clear in the mix most of the time. Drums in particular is the most studio-like sound of the show here. I never knew that there was an alternate soundboard outside the Greek, which expalins this unique sounding show I guess.

Sure, there are times when you want the "feel" of the live show, as in a taper section recording. But, this show (which is hot and has many cool sounds and voices tossed in at times) is an amazing recording to play in an enhanced state of mind. Played on a high-end system, the sonic characteristics are like hearing the Dead with the clarity of a studio Steely Dan album.

In my opinion it is unique and therefore to be cherished. This will always be my favorite tape for this reason. Heck we all have favorite shows/songs, etc for personal reasons, so this is just mine. I have tons of shows with the traditional feel and sound of a live Dead show. This one always blows the minds of people who have never heard it.

It is also a great tape for newbies! People who have little or no Dead knowledge are always blown away (if they have any inclination to like the Dead at all) at this recording. Sure there are others that would do the same thing - I know.

Thank you for posting it for everyone to enjoy. I am curious to hear the AUD tape. I think people should have both the SBD and AUD versions on hand for comparisson and use both depending on their feeling at the moment!

I can't say that I entirely recommend this SBD source over the Oade AUD. I don't know if it stems from the VHS generation, but the vocals and bass on this show are extremely high for most of the tracks, and Jerry's guitar sounds washed out and is nearly inaudible on these same tracks. There's no crowd noise present at all, it sounds closer to a studio recording. Jerry's guitar does come through on some tracks, but all in all I don't think it's the nice crispy SBD people are accustomed to. I prefer the Oade here, it provides a definite "at the show" feeling that the SBD lacks.