Greateful Dead taping culture - awesome concept. but every tape ever handed to me sounded like

[KG]

total shit.

'the greatest show evar'! well, maybe, if you were there, but this tape sounds like was recorded on one of those old handheld cassette players.

[hobbit709]

1. someone must have handed you the bargain versions.

either that or I knew the right people.

[KG]

2. sometimes, I could even hear the music of the ambient audience noises...

[hobbit709]

3. Like I said

I got several versions that were recorded right off the sound board. You have to know the right people.

[KG]

4. not talking bout sound board.

[cyberswede]

5. Sound board tapes are the way to go.

They sound great.

The stuff available on archive.org is good, too.
http://archive.org/details/GratefulDead

[Hassin Bin Sober]

6. I never cared much for most soundboard tapes.

I prefer the crowd noises/reactions. Some soundboards sound too cleaned up for me or highlight the vocal tracks too much.

I had a friend who was a taper. He always had the best audience recordings.

It's all personal preference or maybe what you were weaned on. I had a Poplar Creek 1983 set that was/is, to me, a quintessential audience recording - crowd noises and banter between songs from either the taper or someone sitting nearby. Of course, it was my first show so I could be biased.

Remember all those times you freaked out when the tape deck ate a tape or, in my case, a briefcase full of bootlegs got stolen out of your car? Now I laugh that all those shows are on archive.org.

Now I'm off to climb on the stair machine and listen to a tasty show I down loaded with the Neville Brothers sitting in on an Iko, Man Smart, Banana Boat Song and Knockin'. Audience recording.

[cyberswede]

8. Good audience tapes are great...

and crowd sounds and banter between songs is fun (I love it when the crowd all cheers after a good line or Jerry yummy, or whatever). I have heard audience tapes where someone in the crowd is talking - or worse, singing along - very loudly. I don't dig that too much, I want to hear the band vocals, not some crowd dude.

Load up some May 1977 shows next time you're in the mood - you won't be disappointed.

[Taverner]

7. Thank dog for Dick's Picks

[nomorenomore08]

9. Have to agree with most everybody else. Soundboard is where it's at.

Even there, the quality does vary somewhat, but it's generally pretty good. And the fact that no two Dead setlists - to my knowledge - were exactly the same, makes the shows all the more collectible. But a moot point, I guess, since all this stuff is online now, which is the only form I've ever known since I'm a youngster.