Listen: Dupree’s Diamond Blues / The Grateful Dead
GratefulDeadDupree's.mp3

Ever hear worse mixes than these early Grateful Dead records? They are also hard to surpass in the wretched drum sound department. In the case of ‘Dupree’s Diamond Blues’, they’re thankfully non existent.

While I’m at it, none of the records were ever cut loud enough. Not only The Grateful Dead’s, Jefferson Airplane’s and Quicksilver Messenger Service’s qualify too. You just can not make these records sound comfortably loud, at least I can’t.

But…if you want an innocent snapshot of wandering around Haight Ashbury, loving the police as they kicked the shit out of you, look no further than one of these singles. ‘Dupree’s Diamond Blues’ will do just fine. Like a travel guide to the San Francisco summer of love sound, and one that has no sell by date. I slap this on the turntable, and boom, instantly envision the bong drenched, head shop busy streets of the 60′s beat movement. Oh what it must have been like, sitting around all day, playing records or listening to Tom Donahue on KMPX, just waiting for The Fillmore West to open.