Listening to the another gem from the Year of the Wall: July 31st, 1974, Dave’s Pick 2. (Which, for some reason, is still available on the Archive. Here it is.)

Tremendous Eyes, tremendously funny China Doll with Garcia and Billy musically bickering about the tempo, tremendous work on the Rhodes piano from Keith throughout the show.

but, as I said, this show has been released as a Dave’s Pick, so I cruised over to Amazon to read some reviews and came upon this offering:

Like most archival releases from 1974, this release omits “Phil and Ned”, aka “Seastones,” the electronic jams involving Phil, synthesist Ned Lagin and sometimes Garcia and Kreutzmann, which regularly took place between the 1st and 2nd set during the period June 1974 to October 1974. “Phil and Ned” was an integral part of the “Wall of Sound” show.

Why is it not included? One main reason: “Deadheads” for all their self-proclaimed openness, are just not that open to experimental electronic music that doesn’t have a “spacey” vibe, and actually they would often boo Phil and Ned’s experiments in concert. For some reason they never seem to complain about “feedback” from side 4 of live dead, which really is kind of boring.

If everyone who appreciates Seastones gives this release one star, maybe the troglodytes at Rhino will get the message for future 1974 releases.

The only reason–not an excuse, a reason–for writing this sort of thing is that one has contracted rabies. Also, scabies. ONLY SOMEONE WITH RABIES/SCABIES COULD BELIEVE THIS.

This is like going to a summer action movie and getting upset because there were no chest-pooping scenes: it’s fine to have weird, creepy fetishes (and Seastones qualifies), but realize you’re in the minority.

And, yes: Seastones was an integral part of the Wall of Sound show in the same way that Zyklon B was an integral part of Dachau’s hygiene program.

DUDE!

WHAT THE FUCK, BRO?

We JUST had the meeting about this.

You KNOW how offensive that is to me!

…

Please don’t–

What? Dude, I’m proud of my heritage.

—start with this again. Four hours in the car with this.

Germans can’t be proud?

Within the timeframe of the 1940’s, no: not really.

Y’know, it’s all about tolerance with you up to a point. “When they came for the Jews, I said nothing–“

The ‘they’ that poem refers to are the Germans, you do understand that?

…

We all have equal claims to our victimhood.