Page 32 - the NOISE February 2015

BIG TRIPS & GRATEFUL DICK >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 >>
the X-factor it was just another concert. The sensibilities of all involved were so opposed that Dick mentally prepared for a long battle.
Other issues arose. All of The Dead’s of- ficial live albums (except their first) had vo- cals and certain instruments sweetened in the studio before release. This was due to the technical shortcomings of the onstage equipment and their label’s desire for profes- sional sounding product.
This process could not be done with the vault tapes. The live albums had been record- ed on 16- and 24-track machines with each in- strument on its own channel, while the vault tapes were all 2-track stereo, with some in mono, making overdubs impossible.
The Grateful Dead did not want to sell substandard product. Phil’s concept of Dick’s Picks was to select the best tracks from certain tours or multi-night stands for each volume. Healy agreed.
Of course, Dick considered this sacrilege. The only way to release the vault tapes was asindividualshows,wartsandall. Dick’sPicks ought to be a reference like the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Goddamnit, they were document- ing history here.
Both arguments had their merit. The Dead often needed to build up steam onstage be- fore hitting the groove. Many concerts had a mediocre first set and an astounding second set. Lesh and Healy’s idea was designed for a more enjoyable listening experience, while Dick’s made sense from the perspective of a fan and archivist.
Three years passed with no results. Phil Lesh became such a pain in the ass that Dan Healy had to kick him off the project so they could get some work done. In order to finish the first installment one of Phil’s demands had to be met: a few minutes of his bass solo was excised from the show.
Dick’s Picks Volume 1 (Tampa December 19, 1973) came out in December 1993. The mail order demand was so great that The Dead released subsequent volumes as official mer- chandise for sale to all.
Another setback came when Healy left The Dead’s organization in 1994. Replacements John Cutler & Jeffrey Norman were, like Healy, engineers with specific opinions about sound quality. Now Dick had to deal with two of these jokers. Dick learned how to be tena- cious and stand his ground.
Latvala was tapped for interviews to stir up publicity for the series that bore his name. The sudden thrust into the public eye made Dick uncomfortable. He sometimes needed a few belts before facing the press.
His deep commitment/open antagonism toward his bosses made great copy. When one reporter asked why each volume was taking so long, Dick responded: “These guys in the band do not have a clue about what we want.”
Although Dick was nervous in the spotlight, he was at home among the fans. He would sit and talk with them for hours, comparing notes on favorite shows. When asked by an interviewer if he had any message for Dead- heads out there, Dick replied: “I love you all. I think you’re the most beautiful people in the history of the planet.”
March 1995 finally brought Dick’s Picks Vol- ume 2 (Columbus OH December 31, 1971.) That summer, The Grateful Dead’s guiding light Jerry Garcia passed away at age 53. Dick’s sadness was tempered by the fact that The Dead could no longer look forward. Look- ing back was all they had now. The Dick’s Picks release schedule was soon up to three a year.
information. music@thenoise.us 32 • FEBRUARY 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us
Binghampton NY, was what Dick referred to as “Primal Dead,” an hour of acoustic songs followed by an explosive two hour electric set. It definitely had the magic. The full concert survived intact in the vault, and Dick pushed heavily for its inclusion in the series.
Cutler & Norman refused on the grounds that, due to a technical malfunction, the elec- tric set had been recorded in mono. There was no way they could sanction an official Grateful Dead CD that wasn’t in stereo. Dick wouldn’t give in. Harpur College was one of the most desired shows among fans and its appearance (in mono or stereo) would be extremely grati- fying to many. The engineers still said no.
Dick felt alone in his struggle until he re- membered he had thousands of Deadheads on his side. Dick’s Picks Volume 3 (Hollywood, FL May 22, 1977) contained a mail-in card ask- ing fans which dates they would like released. Similar polls were posted on several Grateful Dead websites.
May 2, 1970 placed highly on all these lists. Cutler and Norman were forced to accede. The Harpur College show appeared as Dick’s Picks Volume 8, with discs 2 and 3 in glorious mono- phonic sound. Score one for the Deadheads.
The years took their toll on Dick Latvala. Like his hero Jerry Garcia, Dick’s eating, drink- ing and drug habits verged on the self-de- structive. The Dead had quietly paid for Dick’s alcohol rehab. He was still a devoted acid- head. A houseguest once described Latvala’s morning ritual: about a dozen bong hits of his paralyzing Hawaiian bud plus ten cups of cof- fee, each with three sugars.
The constant pressure and frustration at work made Dick jaded and depressed. He vacil- lated between boasting he had the greatest job in the world to complaining he wasn’t getting paid enough. Dick’s insecurity deepened into paranoia. The situation became so bad that he was allowed to borrow one of the vault’s ma- chines and work on the tapes at home.
Most companies would have fired Dick by this point, but The Dead did not. Dick was a brother and families take care of each other.
In the summer of 1999 while working on the So Many Roads box set, Dick Latvala had a heart attack in his sleep and fell into a coma. After 48 hours in the hospital, Dick was dis- connected from the machines keeping him alive and brought home. Over the next few days his family and friends talked to him and played many of his favorite Dead tapes but he never woke up. He died on August 7, 1999. He was 56.
One of Dick’s top ten “Primal Dead” shows was Fillmore West November 8, 1969. The tape surfaced in the vault but a persistent clicking made one of the reels unlistenable. If pre- pared for release, each click would have to be removed digitally. The process was deemed too labor intensive, considering there were dozens of shows on the waiting list. Even Dick had sadly admitted it wasn’t releasable.
After Dick’s passing, John Cutler and Jeffrey Norman pulled November 8, 1969 out of the vault and worked on it for months. It eventu- ally came out as Dick’s Picks Volume 16 in Feb- ruary 2000. The liner notes contain the follow- ing quote, attributed to Dick Latvala:
“Dick’s Picks shall continue in my absence as before. My plans for future releases are well known to my teammates and they have sworn with their blood to remain true to the cause. I hope this release will alleviate any doubts concerning my posthumous powers.”
| Tony Ballz is indebted to the excellent website deadessays. blogspot.com for inspiration &
Cross eyed possum @ Raven 2/21
Cold War Kids @ Orpheum 2/27
The May 2, 1970 show at Harpur College,
Bill Barnes, acoustic rock, 3-6PM, Oak Creek Brewery, Sedona, p. 26, 28.
Keith Jones, acoustic instrumental, 5-9PM, Page Springs Cellars, Page Springs, p. 7.
Our Town, theater, 7PM, Theatrikos, Flagstaff.
Lowell Observatory Presents Alan Stern Talk, 8PM, $6+, Orpheum Theater, Flagstaff, p. 2.
Cross Eyed Possum
original rock, jazz, blues, 8-11PM, Raven Café, Prescott, p. 37.
Fairy Bones CD Release Party, 8PM, The Green Room, Flagstaff, p. 31.
Open Mic, 8PM, Oak Creek Brewery, Sedona, p. 26, 28.
The Retros, 8PM, 10-12 Lounge, Clarkdale,
p. 30.
The Maension, 9-12PM, Spirit Room, Jerome, p. ?.
Bird Cage Burlesque Show, 9PM, $5, Main Stage Theater, Cottonwood, p. 31.
Black Cat Bone Skadoosh, soul rock, 9PM-1AM, Birdcage Saloon, Prescott, p. 30.
sunday 2/22
Bloody Mary Grateful Dead Hour, 9-10AM, Birdcage Saloon, Prescott, p. 30.
Combo Deluxe, rock/ country/soul, 2-6PM, Spirit Room, Jerome, p. ?.
Our Town, theater, 2PM, Theatrikos, Flagstaff.
Open Mic, 5:30PM, The Green Room, Flagstaff, p. 31.
11th Hour Band, rock, 5PM, 10-12 Lounge, Clarkdale, p. 30.
Our Town, theater, 6PM, Theatrikos, Flagstaff.
Karaoke, 8PM, Main Stage Theater, Cottonwood, p. 31.
Karaoke, 8PM, The Green Room, Flagstaff, p. 31.
Karaoke, 9PM-2AM, Olde Sedona Bar & Grill, Sedona, p. ?
TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY PARTY!, Oak Creek Brewery, Sedona, p. 26, 28.
monday 2/23
Open Mic w/ Caleb, 6-8PM, Campus Coffee Bean, Flagstaff, p. 17.
Karaoke, 9PM, The Green Room, Flagstaff, p. 31.
Open Jam w/ Bottom Line, 9PM-2AM, Olde Sedona Bar & Grill, Sedona, p. ?
tuesday 2/24
Drumz & Dance Party!, 8PM, Oak Creek Brewery, Sedona, p. 26, 28.
Honky Tonk Tuesdays, 8PM, The Green Room, Flagstaff, p. 31.
Open Mic, 8PM, Main Stage Theater, Cottonwood, p. 31.
Karaoke, 9PM, Monte Vista, Flagstaff, p. 30.
Karaoke, 9PM-2AM, Olde Sedona Bar & Grill, Sedona, p. ?
wednesday 2/25
YA Author Austin Aslan: “The Islands at the End of the World”, reading/booksigning, 4PM, Peregrine Book Company, Prescott,
p. 37.
Open Mic Poetry, 5:30PM, Peregrine Book Company, Prescott, p. 37.
Live Trivia w/ Daniel, 7:30PM, Birdcage Saloon, Prescott, p. 30.
Open Mic w/Llory McDonald, 8-11PM, Spirit Room, Jerome, p. ?.
Soulective, dj/dance party, 8PM, The Green Room, Flagstaff, p. 31.
thursday 2/26
Acoustic Happy Hour w/Cheap Sunglasses, acoustic, 4-7PM, Main Stage Theater, Cottonwood, p. 31.
Award-winning Authors Tara Ison, and Peter Turchi, reading/ booksigning, 5:30PM, Peregrine Book Company, Prescott,
p. 37.
Open Mic w/ Don Cheek, 7:30-11PM, Birdcage Saloon, Prescott, p. 30.
The Outside Track w/ Socks in the Frying
Pan, celtic/irish, 7-9PM, Coconino Center for the Arts, Flagstaff, p. 22.
Dave Manning, 8-11PM, Raven Café, Prescott,
p. 37.
Gina Machovina, spanish guitar/ contemporary rock, 8-11PM, Spirit Room, Jerome, p. ?.
Gregory Alan Isakov w/ Mandolin Orange, rock, 8PM, The Green Room, Flagstaff, p. 31.
Live DJ, 9PM, Monte Vista, Flagstaff, p. 30.
friday 2/27
Acoustic Happy Hour w/ Nathan Payne, acoustic, 4-7PM, Main Stage Theater, Cottonwood, p. 31.
American Journalist Susan Orlean, reading/ booksigning, 5:30PM, Peregrine Book Company, Prescott,
p. 37.
Zona, acoustic, 5-9PM, Page Springs Cellars, Page Springs, p. 7.
Chris Jamison, folk/ country fusion, 6-9PM, Arizona Stronghold, Cottonwood, p. 6.
Greenhouse Productions Presents Cold War Kids w/
Elliot Moss, 8PM, $20+, Orpheum Theater, Flagstaff, p. 2.
Caelan Perkins Band, 8-11PM, Raven Café, Prescott, p. 37.
decker. CD Release Party, 8PM, The Green Room, Flagstaff, p. 31.
Rewired, 8PM, Oak Creek Brewery, Sedona, p. 26, 28.
Back Stage Crew, 80s/90s/modern rock, 9AM-1AM, Birdcage Saloon, Prescott, p. 30.
DJ Pablonious Funk, dj, 9PM, Main Stage Theater, Cottonwood, p. 31.
saturday 2/28
Bottom Line Band, 2-6PM, Spirit Room, Jerome, p. ?.
2014 OneBookAZ Winner Stephen Hirst’s “Lauren Greasewater’s War”, reading/booksigning, 2PM, Peregrine Book Company, Prescott, p. 37.
Robin Dean Salmon, soulful folk, 3-6PM, Oak Creek Brewery, Sedona, p. 26, 28.
Chris Jamison, folk/ country fusion, 5-9PM, Page Springs Cellars, Page Springs, p. 7.
Hendrix Free Experience, 8PM, $9, Orpheum Theater, Flagstaff, p. 2.
Muskellunge, acoustic bluegrass, 8-11PM, Raven Café, Prescott, p. 37.
Open Mic, 8PM, Oak Creek Brewery, Sedona, p. 26, 28.
Sir Harrison, strong rock, 8PM, 10-12 Lounge, Clarkdale, p. 30.
decker. Patsy CD Release Show w/The Invincible Grins and DJ EcKs, dj/rock, 9PM, Main Stage Theater, Cottonwood, p. 31.
Back Stage Crew, 80s/90s/modern rock, 9PM-1AM, Birdcage Saloon, Prescott, p. 30.
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