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Poster: ChronaldMcDonald Date: Nov 3, 2009 9:22am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Greetings all,

I myself have been a huge dead fan since my dad played me some of their recordings when I was a wee lad. I was lucky enough to get to see them not only at the Hartford Civic Center, but also at Rothbury and I am so glad that I forked over all that cash to do it!

But now I'm back at school and am doing a research paper on music taping and recording. Since the Dead clearly have the most dedicated tapers around, I thought I would ask around and see if any of them are trolling on these forums. If you are, and wouldn't mind having a little e-mail interview with me I would REALLY REALLY appreciate it.

My email is gordon117@gmail.com.

Much love.

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Poster: Mosquito Date: Nov 4, 2009 10:15am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

FWIW, I wouldn't mind hearing the questions and the responses. Could be pretty interesting.

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Poster: jglynn1.2 Date: Nov 4, 2009 5:01am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview

Chronold

Your inquiry got me curious so I did a search on Barry Glassberg (a taper with lots of material on the archive) and I found this interview.

http://www.gdhour.com/music/tapers.html

Pretty neat

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Poster: ChronaldMcDonald Date: Nov 4, 2009 8:09am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview

Wow guys, I can't even express how much you have helped me out. I was not expecting nearly as awesome of a response. The paper is coming together very nicely thanks to the help of Monte for now. I'm going to be putting together more from the interviews that I have just been linked to.

Let me just say that I cannot thank you guys enough, I was sure this paper was going to be very difficult because I don't really know any tapers very well. I have done a few shitty bootlegs but besides that nothing special at all.

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Poster: arkstar Date: Nov 4, 2009 8:48am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview

ChronaldMcDonald,

This crowd is amazing, isn't it. Deadheads. A wonderful bunch.

If you do need any other rambling insights certainly feel free to drop me a line as you need. I've actually been interviewed and used for a couple other papers along this line in the past.

Wish I could have majored in the Dead back in school. Gosh, maybe I did after all? :-)

And thanks you other guys for all the kind words, as always.

Noah (www.deadlistening.com)
noahbw_AT_gmail_DOT_com

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Poster: jglynn1.2 Date: Nov 4, 2009 8:57am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview

Thank You Noah.

Greatly enjoy your work as well as many of your fellow tapers works.

Nice to be able to thank you directly.

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Nov 4, 2009 10:20am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

Here's a contemporary Taper Story. A great kid named Brian Porter is a very successful Taper today. He's probably about your age. You can catch his recordings of shows, usually within a couple-hundred-mile radius of Louisville, being seeded at bt-eTree from time to time. He looked me up a couple of months before our Reunion gig in Louisville last year.

Harry Bickel's place in Louisville - Dec 14, 2008 Reunion
bgh-cover-bickels.jpg
Tony Rice, Curtis Burch, Dan Crary, J.D. Crowe, John Cowan, Sam Bush

Brian was just like me, when I was a Taper. He was taking care of business, and getting "it" done. Brian shared his love of the music with me, and told me about his Taping of shows. He wanted me to provide him SBD feeds for all the music that was going to be played. This involved jamming at Bickel's place, a concert at Rudyard Kipling, and a Festival with a blockbuster concert.

Rudyard Kipling [club] - Louisville, KY Dec 14, 2008
l_6c2bde47c92a4e41b99d98471ceefd7e.jpg
Dan Crary, Sam Bush, John Cowan, J. D. Crowe, Tony Rice [Curtis Burch is off-camera]

Brian was at the show at Rudyard Kipling. He Taped it — a pretty decent AUD. We smoked a joint outside after the show. We had a great time talking about GD. Brian is a huge DeadHead. This whole thing is Earl Powell's fault, since he helped my out with the contact info I was asking for on here 2 years ago. I contacted Bill Millet and John Jump after that, making sure it was okay w/ them for me to circulate Tapes of them. Then they started talking to each other after more than 30 years. Once I circulated some of my Tapes from the good-old Louisville days, Bill "created" this reunion thing from scratch. It eventually turned into a promoter's mismanaged flop. Many Festivarians were disappointed. For the most part, once Arb and a few others here talked me into sharing some of my recordings from my live music Taper's collection, I was determined to circulate the most unique and fantastic live music I could share, while trying to be very considerate and protective of all the musicians. Not to mention, all of this was quite emotional for me. The story ends with Brian, at my request, sending me the blockbuster track from his tapes of Dec 14, 2008. It features John Cowan's fanastic vocal power - at age 55 - singing this hugely impressive Newgrass Revival classic, Good Woman's Love. Thanks Brian! Here's Good Woman's Love from my SBD recording of Newgrass Revival in 1975.

Newgrass Revival - 1975
band-ngr.jpg
Courtney Johnson, Curtis Burch, Sam Bush, John Cowan

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Nov 5, 2009 12:06pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

July 23, 2009

Sam Bush receives
2009 AMA Lifetime Achievement Award
dead-head_Monte-sam-bush-ama-award.jpg

YouTube clip of Sam backstage after

Sam Bush receives State of Kentucky Honor - March, 2008
l_edbcdb67e8355d80bfc499721d9b10eb.jpg

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Poster: bbbrew Date: Nov 5, 2009 1:11pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

Hey Monte, do you know if Sam Bush is related to bassist Roger Bush from the shortlived Kentucky Colonels?

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Nov 5, 2009 2:42pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

never heard that before - Clarence White was brilliant w/ them
Clarence White's electric guitar playing on The Muleskinner album was incredible inno - va - tion Sam Bush, Ebo Walker & Courtney Johnson - Hamilton, Ontario 1973
l_95f12bd1e347cd31aea6e96c0d89886c.jpg

"brothers" - Sam and Curtis
l_ede59616b652b5c5d78469936552b82b.jpg

Béla Fleck
l_d873177696024834d1ce9de74e937af0.jpg

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Poster: bbbrew Date: Nov 5, 2009 9:35pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

Upon further investigation, no relation.

Ive been listening to recordings of KC at The Cabale Berkeley, Ca. and the Newport Folk Festival, which includes a fun intro by Jerry Garcia. Seems he was a big fan at the time.

Clarence White was incredible. Flatpickin inno-va-tor.

Thanks for all your efforts and sharing.




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Poster: Misty Eastwood Date: Nov 5, 2009 1:09pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

Looks fun...here is Salem the meth-free Bear with some friend's, family, and his dad in the last photo. We all have fun too. Dolly has her own bear! Isnt she cute?Salem with Jorma Kaukonen.Salem with Spencer BohrenSalem with Jack Cassidy John Cowan BandSalem with Warren Haynes.Bellski! Whew! I was pooped, so I took a little rest stop.Here I am with my Dad, Randy.
This post was modified by deadski on 2009-11-05 21:09:58

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Poster: Pete Bardo Date: Nov 5, 2009 1:58pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

Ok, from the top left to right:
Salem and Dolly Parton
Salem and Jorma Kaukonen
Salem and Spencer Bohren
Salem with Jack Cassidy (this one's my favorite)
Salem with John Cowan Band
Salem with Warren Haynes
Salem with Bellski
Salem at White Sands
Salem with Dad (that's me) at Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

For more fun with Salem see myspace.com/SalemTheBear and be his meth-free friend!

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Poster: bluedevil Date: Nov 5, 2009 2:44pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

Good bear doing good work; meth may be the most insidious drug of all.

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Poster: bluedevil Date: Nov 5, 2009 1:08pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Good taper interview - thanks Arb and Earl

Nice pic of Bellski!

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Poster: Misty Eastwood Date: Nov 3, 2009 2:43pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Last time I hung with my friends from college it was short, but on a good note (I think). Around the very early 1980s. One was taping (GBY Muletaper) and the rest of us doubled shroomed to a 4way of Spinyta. We all laughed at the unisexual (buddy guy) attire, but she was soon a foxy lady....lol.

RIP BOBO

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Jan 16, 2011 2:31pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: the first portable cassette taping gear

portable cassette recorders

Here are some facts about early Taper equipment, including my own Taping gear. I did NOT use a Sony TC-110 portable cassette recorder to tape the RFK Stadium GD shows in 1973. I taped these shows on my Sony TC-2850SD portable stereo cassette recorder. It was brand new when I taped both shows there.

portable cassette recorders were monaural at first

Sony TC-100
sony-tc-100.jpg
dead-head_Monte-white-dot-2x2.gifSony TC-110 w/ built-in mic
sony-tc-110.jpg

I never owned a Sony TC-110, and I never taped with one - even though earlier I have said I did. Looking back, it was my mistake, based on confusion, bad recollection, and the fact that others have claimed to have recorded with these decks. The TC-2850SD, as I understand it, was the first portable STEREO cassette recorder in the world. It became available in 1973. Features include peak limiter, manual or automatic recording levels, VU meter lighting, stereo headphone monitor, and tape counter. However, there was no Dolby NR, and no Chromium Tape bias/EQ circuits.

Sony TC-2850SD portable stereo cassette recorder

sony-my-deck.jpgdead-head_Monte-white-dot-2x2.gifsony-tc-2850sd.jpg

I purchased my Sony TC-2850SD stereo cassette recorder and ECM-99 stereo mic together. My Taping kit that I put together included extendable external portable speakers, AC power supply, rechargeable battery pack, and a shoulder strap. The tape deck operated on 4 C-cell batteries. The ECM-99 was a condensor mic, and it required a battery. The TC-2850SD offered exceptional recording fidelity to go, in a brown and silver metal case. Controls were designed to more professional standards, and this is apparent in the buttons and level meters. Operating the switches felt like toggling high-end levers. What made this recorder a hit was its combination of durable construction and great usability. The kit displayed below shows the ECM-99 mic (left of deck) with the recorder, in the left pic. ECM-99 stereo mic is shown in the right pic.

sony-portable-kit.jpgdead-head_Monte-white-dot-2x2.gifsony-ecm-99.gif

I never heard the name "Densuke" before. Sony's TC-2850SD "Cassette Densuke" - the "Densuke" name comes from Sony's professional-level portable tape recorder. A popular magazine strip featured a reporter named Densuke who wore Sony's tape recorder to sample public opinion. From then on it became widely known as "Densuke". Broadcasters ended up referring to all portable cassette players as "Densuke" hence why you see the name in 1973 for the TC-2850SD.

Nakamichi 550
dead-head_Monte-nak_550.gif

Then I purchased my Nakamichi 550 portable stereo cassette recorder in June, 1973. It was state-of-the-art and its quality was superior to my Sony TC-2850SD. The Nakmichi 550 was the first portable stereo cassette recorder in the world to feature Dobly NR and Chromium Tape bias/EQ circuitry. It also featured a 3rd mic input that blended into both L and R channels. So you had a built-in mic mixer for 3 mics. This Nak was a heavy device to haul around. This portable deck weighed 11¼ pounds without batteries. It required 8 D-cell batteries to operate in the field. But you had extended battery life, several hours longer than my Sony TC-2850SD had, without changing batteries. I believe I had the first Nakamichi 550 deck on the East Coast in 1973. I bought it from a very high-end audio dealer in NJ, named Roger Iselle. At his insistence, I had to pay him $500 cash up-front. I waited one month for my new deck to arrive. It was brand new when I taped GD at Roosevelt Stadium, July 31 and Aug 1. We have Jerry Moore's AUD beauty on The Archive for July 31, thanks to Noah Weiner's transfer. It was recorded on Sony TC-110.

nak550broch01.jpg
nak550broch02.jpg


This post was modified by dead-head_Monte on 2011-01-16 22:31:01

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Poster: Da Red Rooster Date: Mar 8, 2012 3:33pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: the first portable cassette taping gear

Hey now, Actually the Sony 2850-SD was NOT the first portable stereo cassette recorder. In 1969 my friend's dad brought him a Sony 124-SD from a trip to Japan. It came with a one-point stereo mic and two detachable plastic speakers. I was so impressed I got one for myself sometime in 1970. I used it to record the Grateful Dead at Georgetown University on Oct. 23 of that year. You can listen to it at http://www.archive.org/details/gd1970-10-23.aud.wolfson.motb-0004.85071.flac16 The same machine was used to record the 11-20 and 11-21-73 shows at the Denver Coliseum. http://www.archive.org/details/gd73-11-20.wolfson.warner.22879.sbeok.shnf http://www.archive.org/details/gd73-11-21.finley.warner.22096.sbeok.shnf The 124-SD was followed by the 126-SD and then the much more substantial 152SD, which looked a lot like the 2850-SD. Cary
This post was modified by Da Red Rooster on 2012-03-08 23:33:43

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Mar 8, 2012 3:50pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: the first portable cassette taping gear

Thanks Cary! I really appreciate your input. I am going from my memory, and searches in the Sony archives. That's how I came up with the Sony model number I used for taping RFK Stadium in 1973. But that is the deck I taped with there (no Dolby NR, no Chrome Tape bias). I'm not exactly sure of the "official model number" but, I can tell you I paid cash for it at Sam Goodys on Route 17, in Paramus, NJ. I purchased the Sony ECM-99 single-point stereo mic there at the same time. That's what I meant when I said, "first one out that was widely available."

I didn't have any overseas connections. But I think the guy I purchased my Nak 550 from had excellent connections. I'm pretty sure he developed reliable European and Japanese connections for his business. He was the only "exclusively high-end" Audio Dealer in my area. Me and my friends went to his place several times. After that I felt comfortable fronting him $500 and waiting one month for my Nak to arrive.

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Poster: Da Red Rooster Date: Mar 8, 2012 4:32pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: the first portable cassette taping gear

Hey Monte,
This all got stimulated by finding your 8-1-73 recording on Dime. I worked at a stereo shop in Boulder in the mid-'70s and had access to some pretty good equipment. I borrowed their Sony 152-SD to record Emmylou Harris in a small club in 1976 (just after her first album came out). I still have the AKG-1000E mics I used. I eventually had a Nak 500 and 550, and later a couple different home decks. Eventually unloaded them when they broke down and Nak parts were hard to come by after the company went under. I taped several Colorado Dead shows with the 550. It was a great unit, but so large and clunky compared to the Zoom H4n digital recorder I have now.

BTW, the RFK 6-10-73 show was my last Dead show on the East Coast before we moved out West. It was a memorable one!

All the best to ya from one old taper to another.

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Mar 8, 2012 5:14pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: the first portable cassette taping gear

I'm listening to your China > Rider tapes, and Sugar Magnolia. It sounds very good. It's very clear. I just read your taping story for taping GD at Georgetown U in 1970. Good story, and similar to the rest of us. Thanks for sharing it. I also taped GD with crappy cassettes tapes my first time taping them, and I had problems taking on the crowd and getting into FOB position. Instead, my friend pierced through the crowd for me, and I followed him into FOB heaven.

My old Sony recorder also had the two detachable plastic speakers that you mentioned came with the Sony 124-SD your friend's dad had. Without searching this out, you are probably the first audience GD taper to use a stereo portable cassette recorder. Wow, no Pause Button on the TC-124? My Sony deck had one.

btw, you are definitely welcome to join us if Charlie Miller, me, and some of the other early-era Tapers ever get an online Compendium going.

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Poster: GerryO Date: Jun 4, 2014 9:27am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: the first portable cassette taping gear

Memory tells me that it took me a while to determine that keeping the Record button held down, while using only the Play button to start and stop tape movement, was a good method to Pause things. That way at least the electronics portion of recording was always ready to go. Using the On/Off button on the microphone certainly was NOT the best thing to do. BIG WOOSH! photo Handbillsfront.jpg photo Microphone.jpg
This post was modified by GerryO on 2013-04-30 19:43:41
This post was modified by GerryO on 2014-06-04 16:27:50

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Poster: GerryO Date: Apr 30, 2013 12:53pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: the first portable cassette taping gear

A few specs and some literature: photo Specifications.jpg photo Paperwork.jpg
This post was modified by GerryO on 2013-04-30 19:53:51

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Poster: Da Red Rooster Date: Mar 8, 2012 8:53pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: the first portable cassette taping gear

The next iteration, the 126-SD, had the speakers and a pause button. Of course there's a YouTube video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqujSWHeFY4.
Also the TC-124: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTr8kh-A7wE&feature=related. I drove across country in 1971 with the 124 in the front seat and a small bookshelf speaker jacked into it in the back seat.

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Poster: wineland Date: Nov 3, 2009 5:15pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

I have enjoyed the Grateful Dead Listening Guide blog. Noah focuses on audience tapes. I bet if you sent him an email he could help point you in new directions to gather info for your research project. Here are a couple of his articles you might want to read. "The Quiet Allure of Audience Tapes" http://deadlistening.blogspot.com/2009/06/quiet-allure-of-audience-tapes.html Jerry Moore was a legendary taper of the Dead. Jerry passed this year. Noah had a nice write up about his contributions. http://deadlistening.blogspot.com/2009/06/stories-of-jerry-moore.html Here Noah talks about taping the Grateful Dead's 1974 concert speaker system called The Wall of Sound. It was the most advanced audio engineering feat of the time. He claims that the soundboard recordings of the time couldn't fully capture the depth and breadth of the Wall like the audience tapes did. He points to a Jerry Moore recording and another legendary audience taper - Rob Bertrando. http://deadlistening.blogspot.com/2009/04/listening-trail-call-of-wall.html Info on The Wall of Sound http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_of_Sound_(Grateful_Dead)
This post was modified by wineland on 2009-11-04 01:15:26

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Poster: Mosquito Date: Nov 4, 2009 10:18am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Cool. FWIW, I wouldn't mind hearing the questions and the responses. Could be pretty interesting.

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Poster: ChronaldMcDonald Date: Nov 5, 2009 7:37am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Basically I just need to get the ball rolling now, I have so much info its astounding.

I was planning on posting the interviews that I conduct somewhere on the interweb, why not here?

Even better, maybe I'll post the paper when it is done as well, as a kind of thank you for everyone who has given me soooo much to work with.

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Poster: high flow Date: Nov 3, 2009 9:51am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Heeeeeeeeere's Monte!

- OR -

Monte Barry! COME ON DOWN!!!

Seriously, Monte is our resident taper/taping veteran. I'm sure he'd be happy to offer his unique insight.

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Poster: William Tell Date: Nov 3, 2009 2:18pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

You know, HF, that was like the post of the year...well, I guess only if you grew up with LetsMakeadeal...

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Nov 3, 2009 11:09am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

What can we help you with? Most Heads here know me for my GD AUD tapes I recorded on June 10, 1973. I just made some good points for June 9 and 10. I think that Bill Gadsden's story is fascinating. Here, I put this post below on here 2 months ago on Sept 7.


I'm trying to tell "their story" about some of the greatest music I ever heard played — but in this case, for the time being — I can only do it from my point of view. Sure, I could tell you some of the fly-on-the-wall stories... oh my. I could tell you stories about me being roommates w/ Vince Gill, or going to the original Grand Ole Opry w/ Bluegrass Alliance as their soundman and hanging out with Lorretta Lynn on her bus there, and meeting everyone. At the Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole, I discreetly put Lonnie's fiddle playing through a phase-shifter one night during a massive band rebellion. The band revolted on-stage against him. He was the band leader. I also cut his vocal mic between songs and we had Vince Gill stealing the coveted MC spot from him. And then the band went on to play some unknown material that Lonnie Peerce never heard before, and I cut all his mics off completely.

Bluegrass Alliance
Lonnie Peerce, Robert Pool, John Jump, Vince Gill, Bob Briedenbach, Bill Millet

Million Dollar Cowboy Bar - Jackson Hole, Wyoming - July, 1976

l_94d73967b4ca71b9a435cb86d1bf29f5.jpg

A lot of other people heard the same music played that I heard. Many of them have tapes of some of it, as well as tapes of other stuff played. And many others also have tapes. My thinking was, maybe I could put something together like a "music book" on the internet. So I tried to tell "their story" in a "music book" format on the internet. I could only do it from my point of view. No one is telling me how to do this or what to say. Sure, I want to be a Digital Archivist here, and I've worked at this for 2 years. It's one long learning-curve. I enjoy it. Point is, the musicians and artists should be telling their histories to you. I'd like to be their archivist and put it on the internet for them. What about these people hoarding some of these huge live music tape libraries to themselves, and not sharing? For what? Not just DK and her Jer tapes, but lots of people holding out on lots of artists playing and performing. You can't take any of this art to the grave with you. What should be done? So I thought I'd try and set the bar, for example, with my website. So I built up the Monte the Taper section, and made a Taper's Catalog, so to speak. I've told you a few GD stories, like the one about Jerry Moore's AUD beauty on July 31, 1973 -- no SBD exists. I was there taping w/ my brand new Nakamichi 550 and an ElectroVoice RE-15 studio mic strapped to a 10-foot pole - rigging that I improvised at the show. I was 25 feet from the stage, FOB / dfc. I was just a little 130-pound punk from NJ when a 280-pound, 6' 8" Hell's Angels security gorilla parted the crowd from backstage, and walked right up to me to take my tape away. I once mentioned here that in spring 1974, the best security detail I ever saw caught me red-handed "in the act" secretly taping at Carnegie Hall in NYC with my ultra-stealth taping kit. It still took the 2 of them about 30 to 45 seconds of intimate scanning the darkness of my booth w/ their flashlights beaming, to finally know for certain they caught me taping. I was politely escorted out the front door after my tapes were confiscated. I never told you this. I was at Dave Epstein's house one day. He was a part time Kay guitar dealer then. He whipped out a brand new cheapo guitar and proceeded to retrieve a $40 bag of weed out of the $20 guitar. Problem was, Dave couldn't get the ounce bag back out of the porthole while the guitar was still strung up. So Dave says, "fuck this, that weed is worth more than this fucking guitar," and he starts breaking into the back of it. I convinced him to carefully remove just the back of it. I kept this guitar for my taping kit. Inside a guitar case, that guitar with the back removed fit perfectly over my Nakamichi 550.

Nakamichi 550
dead-head_Monte-nak_550.gif

The guitar case didn't hang well by the handle because the center of gravity was way out when I had my Nak inside. It hung on an unnatural angle with a noticeable slant. I got into a lot of clubs with that taping kit by saying I was a musician and I couldn't leave my axe outside in the car. The 2 security pros at Carnegie Hall are the only dudes who ever noticed that. I was too lazy to install a counter-balancing weight to correct this. If I had, no one would have noticed anything wrong. I would re-emphasize that both these 2 guys, and the Hell's Angels security dude, were amazingly very polite to me. The most important story I have for my own music book story is the one I've already told you about — it's about Jimmy Watson and Jay Delia and my GD roots. All of us can talk about the wild times too. Or the women. I was tripping at every GD show I went to in 1973. On the other hand, a bunch of us got together this past December after 30-plus years, for a reunion. You can't see me in this pic, but I'm standing just inside the front door of The Bluegrass Hotel. I lived in this housefull of musicians 1975 - 1977. It was the epitomy of a 24/7 jamming house.

Friend of the Devil > Blackberry Blossom taped by Monte in 1976
performed by a few of these boys
featuring 15-year-old Mark O'Connor on violin

Harry Bickel's place in Louisville - The Bluegrass Hotel - Dec 14, 2008

TheBluegrassAlliancealumni.jpg.w560h394.jpg

Tony Rice, Curtis Burch, Dan Crary, J.D. Crowe, John Cowan, Sam Bush

Reply [edit]

Poster: ChronaldMcDonald Date: Nov 3, 2009 12:25pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Wow, that will really help me. Also, I was hoping to have someone answer a few questions for me once I get a little farther into the paper.

@Monte - if you wouldn't mind, could I get your e-mail so that I could contact you with a larger list of questions for the paper? I wasn't quite so prepared to get great responses so quickly!

Thanks a million guys, and keep the tunes coming!

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Poster: jglynn1.2 Date: Nov 3, 2009 2:03pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Oh and don't forget to check Mouth of The Beast (MOTB)

http://www.motb.org/

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Poster: high flow Date: Nov 3, 2009 2:40pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Let this thread be a lesson to all the heads(Dead, knuckle, trumpet, air, lemon, fish....whatever) out there. While this may not be "the kindest place on the internet", it certainly ain't cruel.

Best of luck with your project. Tapers rule. Don't forget, there are still many brilliant tapers who are active in the craft. Browsing the thousands of audience recordings here at LMA is probably the best way to familiarize yourself with the most dedicated and talented among them.

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Poster: Earl B. Powell Date: Nov 3, 2009 3:42pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

What Flow sez. Conduct yourself with just a touch of humility when you enter the Lion's Den and you might not get bit. Or in the alternative make me call out Uncle Grover Bohemian for backup.

To take it a step further, I've had some real issues to deal with over that past couple of months. Although I haven't always been the sweetest of people, everyone here has been supportive to a fault. I count you folks as a blessing...

(Group Hugs)

I love youz guys.

Reply [edit]

Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Nov 3, 2009 1:25pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

"you have mail." A few people whom I urge you to contact, for any College project regarding notable Tapers - spanning the gamut, would include: Charlie Miller, Chris Chappell, Kevin Tobin, Hunter Seamons, Sir Mick, Rob Berger, and The_Bus (his name is Salah). There are too many important names to mention. These people have spent countless hours on The Archive and eTree. They have professionally collected and/or rendered some fantastic remasters of Tapers' AUDs and SBDs of recordings of our favorite live music recordings. They have spent an enormous amount of time listening to live Tapes, ranking them, and in many cases they are talking with The Tapers. Their insights surely include valuable commentary about many of The Sources and The Tapers. Garcia answers the "taping" question — this material is pure gold Raddison Hotel, room 1503 St. Paul, Mn. July 10, 1981 — the "taping" question — journalist Greg Harrington asks, "Jerry, not many bands - if any, aside from The Dead, allow people in to tape record their concerts, and it's something that The Dead have always done. And, what are your feelings along this line? It brings alot of joy to alot of people." Jerry Garcia, "Well, my feelings are the music is for the people. You know it's like, ahh, I mean after it leaves our instruments, it's of no value to us, you know what I mean? It's like what good is it? So it might as well be taped, my feeling is. And if people enjoy taping it, and enjoy having the tapes to listen to, that's real great. I can sympathize with it, because I used to do alot of taping myself when I was in bluegrass band. I went out of my way to tape shows and I know what that's like. And since what we do is live music, I mean thats ahhh..." Greg, "Well I think the tapes really capture the magic of the band." Jerry, "Well that's what everybody says. That's why people tape, you know. I certainly can't ... you can't fight with that, you know. I don't understand why people would object, you know. That's the way I feel about it."
This post was modified by dead-head_Monte on 2009-11-03 21:25:37

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Poster: veblen Date: Nov 5, 2009 1:20pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

you might want to join and post the same request at some of the torrent sites, since a number of the folks monte mentioned are more frequent contributors to those site's forums.

http://www.shnflac.net/torrents.php

http://gdvault.com/tracker/

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Poster: Ken Lee NYC Date: May 22, 2015 10:59pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Some good tales there, we were a few years earlier, no stealth really needed. At the Capitol Theatre, I installed a wiring harness and left it in place from show to show. Got Pink Floyd's Roger Waters asking people in the balcony to c'mon down and make a group, assuring us that we would all have a better time of it, & we did.
Two years later they were at Carnegie Hall, where we took a whole box for Judy & I taped power down, positioned mic extension lines and placed the mics. Then I headed down to the bar to hang with the roadies. I had been with ELP for a while and it was quasi-professional schmoozing. We all had our gear in place & it was time to chill, pre-chill. Judy stayed with the deck, nobody messed with Judy, still true.
I was still at the bar finishing my drink when they blew up the stage with overloaded flash pots. When I looked through the bar doors, I saw this giant cloud of smoke roll out from the stage and engulf the entire audience.

May 2, 1972. I remember it well

Ken Lee

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Nov 3, 2009 2:53pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

When all of us got together at Bickel's place in Louisville this past December 2008, I was fixated on being sure to ask Sam Bush and Tony Rice one simple question. And I did. I asked each of them, "Did you ever play with The Grateful Dead?" Sam told me he never did. But Tony told me he played with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman together on a recording project. It has been rumored numerous times by many Dead Heads that some of Jer's fav and most happy experiences were while he was playing with The Dawg. I never taped Tony (I saw him play many times), or The Dawg, or Peter Rowan, or Jer playing pedal steel w/ NRPS. I have taped lots of Vassar Clements. I taped Sam Bush and Newgrass Revival. But first, I taped about 8 or 10 GD shows on the east coast in 1973. The 1974 Marin County Bluegrass Festival SBD tapes have many of these artists playing w/ Jer. There is NO surprise to me that GD arranged and played some of the best sounding cowboy songs I ever heard played. Beginning w/ Sittin' on Top of The World, and then later on there's Big River, Jack Straw, Me and My Uncle, Me and Bobby McGee, Mexicali Blues, El Paso... among my favorites.

Old_and_in_the_Way.jpg

I view Sam Bush's countless on-stage live performances as simply as I view Jerry Garcia's. These 2 guys are my favorite musicians when it comes to brilliant energy, incredible jams and improvisations, singing souful vocals, and playing sweet music. Not to mention, both men are legendary pioneers. They both have a "main" band, side bands and side gigs, several notable "periods" during their long and distinguished musical careers, and they are best known for their many on-stage appearances with all kinds of bands. I look at the whole body of their work. Both artists have countless recordings that circulate on the internet — recordings of them performing live on-stage — over a 30 to 40 year era.

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Poster: wineland Date: Nov 3, 2009 10:51am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

I had the same thought as High Flow, sans game show host voices. Monte is the guy to talk to. Here are a couple little shows he taped:

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1973-06-09.sonytc.monte-barry.91236.flac16

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1973-06-10.aud.barry-gadsden.tobin.90796.flac16

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Poster: Bob Gnarley Date: Nov 3, 2009 11:01am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

Here's a link to Monte's site.

http://designsbymonte.com/monte/

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Poster: staggerleib Date: Nov 3, 2009 6:35pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with tapers for a college project

I would also recommend that you speak with Noah Winer, the practitioner of the Deadlistening.com web site. He's a treasure trove of information, and a stated preference for the beauty of the Aud Tape.

He's also stated a preference for early seventies, specifically.

Give it a shot.