Rating: 
Summary: This Is Why We Need to Have So Many Tapes
Review: Much like the phenomenon it documents, this book is a sprawling, expansive joy. Page after page reveals the depth, breadth and beauty of the first decade of the Dead in concert. The book's diversity in authorship is its greatest strength. Just as no one Dead tape reveals fully the wonder of their music, no one review(er) in this book stands on its own as an archetype. Taken as a whole, the tapestry formed by the writing stands as a testament to something that meant, and continues to mean, a great deal to a good many people. Read it for yourself and find out why.
Rating:
Summary: It's like DeadBase, only better
Review: Okay, it doesn't have information on EVERY show like DeadBase (important shows like 6/27/69(Where Weir sings Dire Wolf while Jerry plays steel. WHOA!! Then theres... well you get the point), but it does contain a plethora of information on most of the shows from the 60's and Early 70's, as well as reviews and information on early pre-Dead material such as a show with Phil on trumpet in 1959!!! As necessary as DeadBase for any person truly SERIOUS about the music of the Grateful Dead. NOT for the casual or beginning DeadHead. This is HEAVY STUFF. If you are somewhere between SERIOUS and beginning, though, you'll love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: what is in the book
Review: Personal statement from co-author/editor John Dwork (publisher of Dupree's Diamond News):For the past two years my partner Michael and I, with the help of almost 100 fellow Deadheads, have busted our butts, putting in literally thousands of hours to bring you a book we feel confident will re-ignite and preserve the excitement and adventure of collecting Grateful Dead music on tape. Our goal was (and continues with the crafting of Volumes Two and Three) to provide a quantum shift in the evolution of this shared experience, to legitimize and document thsi experience in an academic sense, and to provide a good, fun, enlightening read. Thank you...and enjoy the music!! John Dwork For those of you not yet familiar with The Deadhead's Taping Compendium Volume One herein lies a table of contents with explanations of what each chapter includes. Preface and Introductions Co-authors/editors John Dwork and Michael Getz introduce the book. They talk of their own introductions to the Grateful Dead and the world of tape recording/trading. John discusses the different ways in which the recording and trading of the music has transformed culture, consciousness and our lifestyles. He discusses the philosophy of recordists and traders, the ramifications of personal power gained by disseminating versus witholding information (in this case music on tape) and the shadowy world of secret tapes. He goes on to discuss both the joy of this pastime and the obsession. A brief explanation is provided of how this project has come to be and how it is proceeding. PART ONE: Recording and Trading the Grateful Dead's Music - A Historical Overview Since the history of recording and trading the Dead's music is a colorful one John decided to make this an oral history. Therefore these chapters are filled with firsthand accounts of the people who made and traded the tapes. The idea behind this approach was to capture the spirit, the niavete, the wisdom of these protagonists as they pushed the evelope of music re! cording, collecting, and trading. 1) "Inside" the System - the Soundmen Cometh This chapter documents the role of the professional recordists hired by the band, the venues, and the recording studios. Interviews include: • Ken Babbs on the recording of the Acid Tests (with a photo of the actual reel to reel deck used to record these infamous parties!) • Bear (Owsley) on his techniques used to mike the stage, record the band, mix the PA • Healy on his entrance to the organization and the development of his mixing and engineering techniques • Bob Matthews on his role as the earliest official recordist and the recording of all the Dead's early albums including the technically groundbreaking Anthem of the Sun sessions • Gene Estribou on the recording of the Dead's first 45 single • Bob Cohen, the soundman at the Avalon Ballroom shares an enlightening story on his interactions with Dan Healy • Peter Abram, owner of and recordist at the Matrix coffeehouse on the recording of the legendary Mickey Hart and the Hartbeats tapes • Alan Mande on the stealth recording of the Fillmore East shows, without which we might never had have enjoyed these essential soundboard tapes • Kidd Candelario, Grateful Dead roadie extraordinaire, on the recording of live shows in the 1970's 2) "Outside" the System - Deadheads Hear the Call Includes many interviews with most of the seminal patriarchs in Deadhead recording culture. David Cooks, Les Kippel, Jerry Moore, Eddie Claridge, Barry Glassberg, Harvey Lubar, R.T. Carlyle, Harry Ely, Ed Perlstein, Steve Brown, Rob Bertrando, and Louis Falanga discuss their experiences with learning how to properly record the Dead in concert, the evolution of home and field recording equipment, the development of trading clubs and community, struggles with security and the roadies, and the key developments which moved this phenomenon up and out into larger circles. 3) Exclusive, Extended Interviews with Bear and Latvala • Bear talks at length, for ! perhaps only the third or fourth time ever, about his philosophy and approach to sound engineering. He discusses his specific techniques for recording 2/11, 13, 14/70. • Dick talks at length about the tapes, tape trading, his methods for archiving, his often challenging relationship with obsessed Deadheads and his role in the Dick's Picks series of official releases. PART TWO: The Reviews Open system thinking was essential to the success of this project. The deliberate choice was made to include as many different voices as possible. You will therefore find tape reviews in this book from upwards of 50 veteran Deadheads. 4) How to Read the Reviews - a clear, concise guide to reading the technical database included with each review. This includes event date, venue, city, state, show title (if any), type of set (acoustic or electric), set number, set or play list, cuts/tape flips/damage in master recordings. source of tape (sbd, aud, fm), quality of tape, length, genealogy (in many circumstances the researchers tracked down who made master recording and with what equipment), aesthetic highlights, technical comments, and finally, the reviews themselves. 5) Grateful Jams - Grateful Dead scholar Wiiliam Polits did a marvelous job in naming, documenting and describing the musical aspects of the "jams" of the band (Spanish Jam, Mind Left Body, etc.) 6) Commonly Mislabeled Tapes - Grateful Dead scholar Darren Mason documented in great detail those tapes commonly mislabeled over the years, correcting many mistakes,, both common and obscure. 7) The Reviews- Reviews of approximately 500 shows/rehearsals/outtakes are included here along with many ticket stubs, programs and newspaper ads from classic shows. Also, 80 ultra-rare, never-before-seen photos of the Dead performing both in-concert and in the studio are included. Reviewers include Steve Silberman and Blair Jackson. PART THREE - Resources 8) Recommended Listening - Fifty Grateful Dead music scholars put their heads together and! developed a list of their favorite, most awe-inspiring versions of every Grateful Dead song performed during this period. A best of the best list. 9) Video and Film Guide; 1959-1974 - Grateful Dead film and video scholar Rich Petlock joined forces with John Dwork to craft a detailed guide to the Grateful Dead on film and video. Additionally, master documentary film archivist/curator/researcher John Platt may surprise you with his exhaustive knowledge of the most obscure footage ever. The stories behind the films, where they lie hidden in vaults, what has been destroyed, and what may still be released 10) The Compleat Guide To Collecting and Trading Tapes - Tape trader extraordinaire Jeff Tiedrich provides a smart, funny, in-depth guide to collecting and trading tapes. The do's and don'ts, ettiquette, style, and preferred techniques, of list making, recording, trading, and advertising your collection. Finally, a Robert's Rules of Order for the tape trading world. 11) Resource Guide - Where to go to find out more about our world of tape trading.
Rating:
Summary: *THE* essential resource for any Dead tape collector!!
Review: Taping Compendium is absolutely indispensable to anyone collecting Dead tapes. Want to decide whether to trade for a tape? Read the review (of *every* show), and the recommendations by year and by song. Also an essential resource for Dead history, and for anyone wondering why we have to have so many tapes!
Rating:
Summary: Fun to read and a great resource for Dead tape collectors!
Review: Taping Compendium is another terrific addition to the Grateful Dead library and a must for the serious collector of Dead tapes. It features some wonderful never-before-seen photos from the early years including color photos of my first show in Des Moines, 6-16-74! I love the section on the history of taping Dead concerts both from the professional side and the Deadhead perspective. It helps me see how lucky I had it when I started taping shows myself in the late '70s. The reviews themselves are a goldmine of information. While I don't agree with all of them, they certainly have pointed me to some shows that are real gems, and that I didn't even realize existed on tape. And besides, the reviews are great fun to read!
Rating:
Summary: A far better resource than Deadbase, and fun to read!
Review: The Compendium finally delivers what all Deadheads really need--a comprehensive resource for tapers and well-written reviews of each show, often from someone who was actually there. The contributers are all enthusiastic, knowledgeable tapers who obviously put a lot of work and love into the project. Now you can find out what shows circulate, as well as the sources and sound quality. The history of Dead taping is excellent (including some thoughts by Owsley himself), and there are lists of "best shows", best versions of songs and the like to help you choose what to trade for. I can't wait for the next volumes! Go Getz!
Rating:
Summary: Captures what doesn't show up in the boxscores.
Review: The Deadhead's Taping Compendium does for Grateful Dead tape collecting what the sports pages do for sporting events. So much of what happened musically just doesn't show up in the setlists and timings of a particular performance. The reader is taken for a journey back to the show. The reviewer, who many times attended the show, is the tour guide. This work is indispensable for the serious collector, one who's interested in more than just accumulating dates to put on a shelf. Folks who enjoy getting intimate with their tapes (and perspective tapes) will enjoy reading the reviewer's thoughts.
Rating:
Summary: A necessity for all Grateful Dead tapers and the inquisitive
Review: the taper's compendium fills the empty spaces left by deadbase. the compendium lists all the shows that are in the trading domain, and gives you a very good idea of provenance, quality, and what is available for any grateful dead show - if they don't list it, then it ain't available, honey! these guys are thorough! i have updated several shows in my collection based on what the book told me was available! and, it turned out that i have a rare shows or two as well!!! so, guys, when are volumes two and three coming out - i can't wait!!!
Rating: 
Summary: a deadhead's book of tales should be the title
Review: This book has mis-directed focus. It proclaims to be a 'compendium' of recordings, set lists and reviews, but it is certainly unrealistic and virtually impossible to create a printed volume that doesn't become wildly inaccurate in a very short period of time. The advent of electronic media over the internet makes the print medium obsolete for this. And there are at least half a dozen different consistently updated online resources out there already for set lists and recordings. So, if you leave out the set lists and notations of a relatively small group's collections, you are left with reviews. This part is an anecdotal amusement park. Absolute fun but in no uncertain terms should it be used as a reference for whether the 'tire-kickin' collector should check it out. Very rarely would a serious or knowledgeable deadhead concur with even their closest and dearest friend on each other's unique and personal experience with the music. I'm paraphrasing, but even Jerry Garcia once said that he pushed Phil Lesh down a flight of stairs following a performance he thought was aweful, only to discover later while listening to the tapes that the show was "crackling with energy". So, the title should be "an in-depth guide to the fiction known as 'deadheads opinion's of grateful dead on tape'"
Rating:
Summary: Essential for all tapers and traders
Review: This book is an essential in my home. Whenever I anticipate a trade for shows from 1965-1975, now, I first review the entry in "The Deadhead's Taping Compedium." It offers me a better chance to find high quality shows than the standard A+++/A/B/C tape quality that we all have in our printed tape lists. Now I can review highlights and search for that most magical copy of MLB Jam or the most thunderous WRS. It is not a perfect record of the 10 year period. One does not exist. It is, to me, an invaluable tool in expanding and improving my tape collection. The authors and contributors wear the same ears I wear. Well done, Lads! Bring on volumes 2 & 3. I recommend this book to everyone with whom I trade.
| 
