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    heatherlew
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    RFK Stadium 1989 Box

    LESS THAN 5000 LEFT

    The Grateful Dead battled the elements in July 1989, enduring drenching rains and stifling humidity during back-to-back shows at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation’s capital. In spite of the bleak weather, the band thrilled the massive crowds both nights with triumphant performances that rank among the very best of a busy year that included 74 shows and the release of the group’s final studio album, BUILT TO LAST.

    ROBERT F. KENNEDY STADIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 12 & 13, 1989 includes two previously unreleased concerts taken from the band’s master 24-track analog recordings, which have been mixed by Jeffrey Norman at TRI Studios and mastered in HDCD by David Glasser. The collection’s colorful slip case features original artwork by Justin Helton and a perfect-bound book with in-depth liner notes written by Dean Budnick, editor-in-chief of Relix magazine. The set will also be available as a digital download in Apple Lossless and FLAC 192/24.

    When Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, and Bob Weir rolled into D.C. in July 1989 for the Dead’s two-night stand at RFK, the band hit the stage running with a stellar rendition of “Touch Of Grey,” the group’s biggest hit from its only Top 10 album In The Dark, which was released in 1987. The following night, the band returned to its double-platinum commercial breakthrough when it opened the show with a fiery version of “Hell In A Bucket.”

    “RFK Stadium '89 fell right in the middle of one of the best tours of the last 15 years of Grateful Dead performances, with these shows being the sixth and seventh of an 11-show tour. This tour is widely considered the start of a nine month period of sustained excellence, which ran from Summer '89 through Spring '90. The RFK shows are as good as any of the more famous shows from this period, including July 4 in Buffalo, July 7 in Philadelphia, and the Alpine run,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead archivist and the set’s producer. “When Bob Weir has asked me to provide copies of Grateful Dead songs to give to his bandmates to learn and rehearse, he almost always requests Summer '89, and I've often drawn upon the RFK shows for this purpose. It's really that good!”

    Both shows feature standout moments, but the July 12 show is notable for a few reasons. Perhaps the biggest is that the first set featured at least one song sung by each of the band’s four lead singers – Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Mydland – something that rarely happened. Another surprise came when the band opened the second set with “Sugaree,” a song that almost always appeared during the first set.

    Pianist Bruce Hornsby — who briefly joined the band between 1990 and 1992 — is featured on both shows. He played accordion during “Sugaree” and “Man Smart (Woman Smarter),” with a touch of keyboard-tinkling, on July 12, and then played more accordion the following night for “Tennessee Jed” and “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.”

    For fans of Mydland’s tenure with the Dead – which began in 1979 and ended in 1990 with the keyboardist’s tragic death – these stellar shows capture that incarnation in peak form. Among the long list of highlights are performances of live staples such as “Eyes Of The World,” “Wharf Rat” and “I Need A Miracle,” along with rarities like “To Lay Me Down,” which was played only a few times in 1989. The July 13 show also features the band road-testing “I Will Take You Home,” a track Mydland wrote with Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow that would appear later that fall on Built To Last.

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  • #1291
    MinasMorgul
    Joined:
    I could be wrong
    Lots of informed opinions, always a good discussion. Who would have thought we all would have studied the Internet CD Sales market. That's what happens when there's not a release a month. We shall see, of course. If they don't sell more than the 5200 left, however, I'm expecting at least a "well thought out essay on Rhino Sales Model Minas, you were right" ;-) Kayak Guy - I'm speaking of physical product only. That is what I am postulating is limited. Jim - your comment confused me, when you said "My guess is once it's gone, it's gone whether it's a limited release or not." Edit: I felt like I wasn't splaining myself good. If it ever gows to "gone" status, and is not made available again at any point after that, then it was a limited release. In other words, if it's gone, then it was indeed a limited release. To elaborate - Clearly it's not numbered and it's not being advertised as "only x number of copies available". What I am saying is that this release will not have multiple pressings, and is not going to be produced in mass quantity. The final number will be determined by pre-sale projections, which at this point in time looks low enough to not warrant any more produced than the 10K presently available in the system. As I said, and you're on the same page with, they most likely have not been manufactured yet, because they're still monitoring the presale. There will come a day during the presale that they have to decide on a number. That number will either be 10K, in which case the number available in the system remains what it is and has been, or they will bump it up or down by a small percentage, depending on the number sold during the presale. Once THAT number is decided on, be it 8K or 15K, that will be all they ever produce of it, and when it's gone it's gone, making it a limited release. Operational definition of "limited release": a set number of copies will be produced and will be decided on by release date (8K, 10K, 12K, 15K, etc, it's irrelevant), and no more copies will be produced once that number is sold. I think we're all getting a little tripped up on the symantics. Agree, this is not labeled "Limited Release". Disagree, it won't be available for an unlimited time. They will produce a number that is fewer than 15K for sure, and as Jim said, once it's gone it's gone. So get em while they're hot folks! I also have mine (2). The real take away here is that if I am correct, then they've "fixed" the issue in which some people do not get an opportunity to obtain a copy at retail price, and that's a positive for all of us! Everyone have an awesome weekend.
  • #1292
    Kayak Guy
    Joined:
    We will find out on Nov 11
    or when they put the "Only 500 left" banner up ;)
  • #1293
    Kayak Guy
    Joined:
    This is a Limited Release?
    I respectfully disagree that any release with a digital download option is limited. In Dave's seaside chat he never mentions limited availability or a need to rush to grab a copy to make sure you don't miss out like he usually does for the limited releases. Dave's our buddy why wouldn't he tell us if he thought we might miss out by waiting? This box seems like the same sort of roll out as the Formerly the Warlocks box, which only recently sold out at the same price point with lots of schwag in a real wood box. This set being taken from the mutitracks requires a lot more copies to make the efforts worthwhile compared to a 2 track release, like July 78. Only the packaging and schwag of the CD and/or Vinyl copies are limited or exclusive in a mutliformat release. The details of the packaging is conspicuously missing in the description of what comes in this box, so there's still hope for the exclusive bonus DVD from the meet up at the movie ;) Once WB/Rhino solve the digital store issue they are having, more people will take the download option and not have to worry about bad disks, poor packaging, where to put it or having it stolen in the mail. To make that choice easier in the future, the CDs are using the same 16/44 mix as the ALAC download version with the "premium" HiDef mix only available as a download in FLAC. I'm not a download fan and want the CDs, but more people out there just want the digital versions all the time, and the digital downloads will never sell out as long as WB has a server online to sell them. The real problem is that server has been unavailable since shortly after Musictoday disappeared last fall, so the digital option is a non option.
  • #1294
    JimInMD
    Joined:
    July 78
    I don't think July 78 was over produced.. keep in mind Music Today went bankrupt right while the drum beat of sales was kicking in.. and it was listed as 'unavailable' for months thereafter. I am sure July 78 will sell out at some point.. Spring 90 too took forever to sell out.. and the warehousing/distribution network was intact the whole time. Spring 90 was also killer, I am glad they did not artificially restrict supply on either... there are enough of us and it is that good. It doesn't look like they are going to limit the # of this release.. but they will surely decide the quantity to print in advance, which determines their unit price per CD. Whether they decide to print more at a later date remains to be seen but doing so will cost them. My guess is once it's gone, it's gone whether it's a limited release or not. I ordered mine, so it matters not to me. Oh.. and I'm sure the #s left in inventory mean nothing at this point.. they haven't even finished re-mastering and mixing yet. Or perhaps I'm full of shit.. but that's my best guess.
  • #1295
    Drifter's Escape
    Joined:
    Limited ? I don't care.
    I ordered my one copy. I'm not seeing this release as an investment opportunity. Yes, $80 (+tax +shipping) for two shows is a bit steep. But 5 years from now I won't care.These two shows definitely wouldn't make my 'Top 100 list' of back-to-back's needing release. But I think they'll be good quality recordings. And I'll play a good quality recording of an average show as often as I'll play an average recording of a good show. Although I'll respect a different opinion there.
  • #1296
    LedDed
    Joined:
    Whole Lotta Dead
    To keep it simple, I plan to stay subscribed and just buy one of everything for my personal consumption. I can't imagine these people putting out a pant load, ever, so even if not my fave year/lineup etc. there's always a nugget or two in there. I don't care how many they sell, if it's in FLAC/KNAC/DUCK, lossless, just plain lost, or numbered. All I care about is listening to the tunes. God bless everyone.
  • #1297
    MinasMorgul
    Joined:
    This is a Limited Release
    This release is limited, it's just a question of what the final number produced is going to be, 10K or less (a few weeks ago, Thin posted an accurate description of the sales model that's in play here). At this point, they've clearly ballparked it at 10K with the door open for more or less, depending on the results of the pre-sale. We know they ballparked it to 10K because of the number that were initially made available. The only way they would have considered producing more than 10K, is if it had exceeded 10K in sales the first couple of weeks, which it obviously did not. This is how we ended up with the Cornell numbered set, and the Cornell all music edition. Initial demand of the Cornell box set far exceeded the number produced, obviously because it sold out so quickly and everyone was pissed they missed out on it. If they had sold 10K in the first week on this RFK mini-box, they would have added more available in the system. They have not added more available at any point, so you can be sure, the pre-sale numbers are fewer than 5K at this point, as wadeocu provided a number remaining of roughly 5200. The reason it's not being marketed as a numbered / limited release is because they did not have a clear idea of the demand, and you have to commit to a number when you market something as a limited / numbered release. Why? Well, if they said it was limited to 15K, they would have to have produced 15K, and then been stuck with the remainder if it didn't come close. But if they announced it as a limited / numbered set of 15K, and then they got the huge turnout they did for Cornell, there's no way to drop back and produce more without pissing people off and losing the power of the "limited edition" sales technique that they rely on very heavily for Dave's Picks and other major box sets. They got away with producing more than the limited 15K for the Cornell box set, because they had the wiggle room to produce an "inferior" set that had no "extras" to differentiate it from the numbered / limited edition. I say "got away with", but I doubt they did. I guarantee the eBay flippers were pissed off at what happened with Cornell, and will be extremely reserved in their future purchases. Because eBay flippers are such a huge percentage of the market, I say Rhino may not have, in the long run, gotten away with it. But this is a tangent, let's talk about why it wasn't a numbered / limited release. By not numbering it and not calling it limited release, they can just sit back and gather pre-sale data to determine how many to order (this is what Thin was saying in his brilliant post a few weeks ago). So that's the real story here - they didn't know the demand for a couple of '89 shows, so they dipped their toes in the water with a 3 month pre-sale to help them figure out if they're going 10K or more (or less - read on). It's feasible that the final number may be fewer than 10K, but now you're talking about contractual commitments with manufacturers, and that sort of thing. For example, does their contract with their manufacturers who actually produce the CDs and cases and booklets require them to order x amount? If not, and if the pre-sale goes horribly bad, they may only decide to have their manufacturers produce 7 or 8K. I think the pre-sale has provided them with sufficient data to guarantee there will not be any more than 10K produced. What this release is not going to be, is a Crimson White and Indigo that is mass marketed and available for 10 years plus. We know this because it's only available on dead.net, and has no widespread distribution plan, like the Long Strange Trip CD, which can be purchased in stores. The only question at this point, is how long it will take them to sell 10K units, or possibly less. That's exactly how limited this release is. Once the initial batch is sold and gone, that's all she wrote. This is guaranteed limited release, just not numbered. I did my part, I bought one for myself and one for my uncle.
  • #1298
    MinasMorgul
    Joined:
    Space
    No, it's not on the other hand, it's exactly the point - July '78 was overproduced and they're stuck with overstock. They should have employed the RFK model. But I appreciate the support nonetheless. I'm just clarifying it's not a converse relationship, it's a parallel one.
  • #1299
    SPACEBROTHER
    Joined:
    limited Edition
    On the other hand, the "July 1978" box was advertised as "limited" and is still available to buy close to a year-and-a-half later.
  • #1300
    boblopes
    Joined:
    In preparation of this release...
    I just picked up Crimson, White and Indigo. Looking forward to checking it out this weekend. BTW, Real Gone is releasing Road Trips 4.4 1982 Philly Spectrum show. I have that pre-ordered from Amazon for a couple bucks more than Real Gone website, but free shipping...
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Submitted by heatherlew on
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Dead Store Products

RFK Stadium 1989 Box

LESS THAN 5000 LEFT

The Grateful Dead battled the elements in July 1989, enduring drenching rains and stifling humidity during back-to-back shows at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation’s capital. In spite of the bleak weather, the band thrilled the massive crowds both nights with triumphant performances that rank among the very best of a busy year that included 74 shows and the release of the group’s final studio album, BUILT TO LAST.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY STADIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 12 & 13, 1989 includes two previously unreleased concerts taken from the band’s master 24-track analog recordings, which have been mixed by Jeffrey Norman at TRI Studios and mastered in HDCD by David Glasser. The collection’s colorful slip case features original artwork by Justin Helton and a perfect-bound book with in-depth liner notes written by Dean Budnick, editor-in-chief of Relix magazine. The set will also be available as a digital download in Apple Lossless and FLAC 192/24.

When Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, and Bob Weir rolled into D.C. in July 1989 for the Dead’s two-night stand at RFK, the band hit the stage running with a stellar rendition of “Touch Of Grey,” the group’s biggest hit from its only Top 10 album In The Dark, which was released in 1987. The following night, the band returned to its double-platinum commercial breakthrough when it opened the show with a fiery version of “Hell In A Bucket.”

“RFK Stadium '89 fell right in the middle of one of the best tours of the last 15 years of Grateful Dead performances, with these shows being the sixth and seventh of an 11-show tour. This tour is widely considered the start of a nine month period of sustained excellence, which ran from Summer '89 through Spring '90. The RFK shows are as good as any of the more famous shows from this period, including July 4 in Buffalo, July 7 in Philadelphia, and the Alpine run,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead archivist and the set’s producer. “When Bob Weir has asked me to provide copies of Grateful Dead songs to give to his bandmates to learn and rehearse, he almost always requests Summer '89, and I've often drawn upon the RFK shows for this purpose. It's really that good!”

Both shows feature standout moments, but the July 12 show is notable for a few reasons. Perhaps the biggest is that the first set featured at least one song sung by each of the band’s four lead singers – Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Mydland – something that rarely happened. Another surprise came when the band opened the second set with “Sugaree,” a song that almost always appeared during the first set.

Pianist Bruce Hornsby — who briefly joined the band between 1990 and 1992 — is featured on both shows. He played accordion during “Sugaree” and “Man Smart (Woman Smarter),” with a touch of keyboard-tinkling, on July 12, and then played more accordion the following night for “Tennessee Jed” and “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.”

For fans of Mydland’s tenure with the Dead – which began in 1979 and ended in 1990 with the keyboardist’s tragic death – these stellar shows capture that incarnation in peak form. Among the long list of highlights are performances of live staples such as “Eyes Of The World,” “Wharf Rat” and “I Need A Miracle,” along with rarities like “To Lay Me Down,” which was played only a few times in 1989. The July 13 show also features the band road-testing “I Will Take You Home,” a track Mydland wrote with Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow that would appear later that fall on Built To Last.

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Submitted by Thin on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 12:13

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agreed - Man Smart is a fun ride. Always good for a jam, and this one rocks. Anyone else notice how the pace on Sugaree in the last verse and chorus is inconsistent, with factions trying unsuccessfully to pull it in different directions? It definitely wobbles, but it works - adds character. Raking leaves with RFK rockin' the headphones. So far I like it a lot - Reminds me of the impressive RT '88 shows (3/30 and 4/1/88) in terms of that late '80's "full-band sound", consistent execution - but in '89 they're a little more polished - especially Jerry. The mix is so uncluttered, and they're playing so well that you can HEAR them responding to each other from moment to moment. Fun listening.
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Submitted by Vguy72 on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 12:20

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....can't argue with that. Perfect mix. Liking the MIDI "clap" effects that Billy/Mickey throw out there during Eyes. Fun indeed. I recall those MIDI "claps" very well live. Who is this band and why do they keep following me, even now?....1989 was my most attended year. I will wait patiently for a Cal Expo box. Grate run worthy of release....
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Submitted by SPACEBROTHER on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 14:00

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Already commented on the high energy renditions of Touch of Grey and an all time great Minglewood from 7/12/89. Here's my song by song take.... Missippi Half-Step - continuation of the high energy from Touch and Minglewood. The band is clearly on and feeling good. Inspired performance. Brent's embellishments are spot on perfect. Tom Thumb Blues - fairly stndard, but well played. Phil was definitely "on" this night, as was everybody. Far From Me - Brent proving himself to be an integral part of the Dead. He was channeling some dark emotions, but keeping it real at the same time. Life isn't always unicorns ands rainbows, and sometimes the most inspired performances come from "real life" emotions. As much as love, happiness and joy evoke inspired music, some of the most effective songs are born out of pain. It doesn't get much more real than that. Mad respect for Brent. Cassidy - Energy level has only increased by this point into this high energy show. Anyone catch the song Weir quotes at the beginning of the main solo section....nah...hah/nah/nah/nah...nah/nah/nah nah...nah-nah-nah...nah-nah-nah...? Cool stuff. A solid performace. The version from Without a Net (12/9/89 Forum) is the definitive electric released performance. FOTD - Despite Bob coming in a little early on the chorus, it's evident that the Dead are performing every song to near perfection. They were like a well oiled machine by '89. You have to go back to May '77 and '72 to find this level of consistency. I like Brent's choice of sound that begins with his solo. Usually he would implement a violin sound. Here he uses a saxophone patch. Cool stuff right there. Jerry's solo shines as well. Also of note, Jerry is in near perfect voice. Promised Land - This song had been such a standard in their setlists, that they usually performed it well, even in their off years. This version is a typically nice capper to what feels like too short of a first set. They were playing so well at this point in their career, that the songs breeze by. So far, I've found nothing to make me feel like they were dragging, or in "dirge" mode. High energy. Onto the second set... Sugaree - Back in the day, I used to say, "Oh no, there's that darn accordian again". I attended the Buckeye Lake show the previous summer in '88, so got to see the first Horsby accordian sit in. Now-a-days, I think the accordian actually added a nice different texture. Suprised Bruce didn't bust it out on Bob's cowboy/polka numbers more often. The '88 Buckeye Lake version still had that brand new accordian smell to it, where this version is executed as if it were pre-recorded, they are so tight. I loved seeing this song live, and this version makes me miss Jerry (and Brent) all that much more. Women Are Smarter - Hearing Bruce on the keys with Brent on the organ together, makes me imagine if Brent had survived, and Bruce were added as a second keyboardist, the two of them together pushed this so far over-the-top, that this becomes definitive by proxy. For this moment in their history, this two-keyboards approach is a true few minutes of magic may be the best "two-keyboardist" bit of music from the Dead's entire 30 year touring career. You'll never find a Pigpen/Constantan, Pigpen/Keith or Vince/Bruce moment that comes remotely close to how awesome this is. I only wish this track would have been mixed with the Key's in the right channel and organ in left channel. If you're not listening in headphones, like I am now, this doesn't matter much. Just my opinion of course. Ship of Fools - For some reason, the dead really seemed to dig deep into this song during the '89 Summer tour. This version is no different. played with precision and emotion. Estimated - Every version performed in '89 was stellar, and this one is no different. Eyes - Much like Estimated, another great version. I think my favorite estimated > Eyes combo from summer '89 might be 6/21/89 Shoreline. Watched the original "pay per view" broadcast, but these are also awesome. Like others, I welcomed the funky versions that began with Knickerbocker 3/25/90, and of course, that all time version with Branford. The uptempo ones from '89 will still quite epic. Another reminder of how much I miss Summer tours with Jerry. Nice little jam at the end of this 7/12 version. Drums - One thing I really liked about the '89 drums segments are how Bill and Mickey would switch up their approaches from show to show. Some shows they would approach with a more traditional drum solo with their trap kits. Other shows would be heavy sonic exploartions with the MIDI trigger pads, while other times they would expore a variet of hand drums that originate from ancient, and even prehisoric cultures. Of course the Beam comes in and we get a "Holy fucking shit!" from Bill. Nice. I remember that from the Meet-up showing. Space - One thing I wish would have translated onto tape were the surround sound effects from the '80s. I remember vididly how sound would bounce around between the front of house p.a. speakers and the repeater towers of speakers further back around the crowd. Dan Healy would control this with joysticks where he could mover any sound around an arena. I saw Pink Floyd do this at the one concert of theirs I caught in '94 (which happened to be the first complete Dark Side of the Moon performance since '76 or '77). I caught the Dead in Spring '89 for what would be among the final pre-MIDI Space segments, then caught them (first on the 6/21 PPV broadcast) at Alpine. '89 through '90 saw some major evolution/changes for the Dead. It was a great time to go to shows (except for Brent dying of course). Miracle - Nice solid version. Short, well played. Average. I really dig the 3/14/90 Cap Center version. Jerry treally digs in deep on that one. Mr. Fantasy - Awesome version. Jerry fully jumps right in on his solos and kills them. Another song that soared in '89, and this one follows suit. Another track that alone makes this set worth the price of admission. Black Peter - I always welcome this song in any setlist. Amazing how well the bands dynamics on this aren't hindered by the fact that it was performed in a massive sports stadium. The subtleties are impeccable. Lovelight - Coming out of Black Peter, it's always nice when a show ends on a bluesy/R&B note. Sure, it's not like the monsters from '70, that could strech for over a half hour, but it still captures some essence from that. Like Goof Lovin', there was ony one Pigpen to sing it. Of course every version that came after would never be the same without him.It's cool that they would still pay a tribute to him by performing these all the way up until the end. Black Muddy River - One of the last of the truly great Garcia/Hunter ballads (along with Standing on the Moon and Days Between), and this one delivers. Overall, the first show is a winner. Sounds awesome. Well performed. Inspired. More of these please! Now onto 7/13/89...
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Submitted by guit30 on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 14:07

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Ok, I pretty much am a member of the 70's mafia, but this show just got put on youtube,and the sound quality is incredible for even a 24 track show. https://youtu.be/FrEjD2w7BdU
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 15:37

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Once again these CD’s were mastered as if they were cassette tapes: Drums ends, Space starts, after about 10 seconds Space fades out, fast forward to the end of side A, flip tape, press play, relisten to end of Drums, Space starts.... Don’t Dave and Jeff realize how stupid that sounds when listening on a portable music player, or even when using a CD changer? Here’s what I did using Toast 15, which is basic compared to something like Audacity, but it works. I didn’t compare waveforms, just listened to it and it sounded good to my ears. 12th Drums stop 09:14:00 Space start 00:18:00 crossfade 00:00:30 13th Drums stop 08:03:00 Space start 00:23:00 crossfade 00:00:30 I don’t have to do that with Charlie Miller shows......
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Submitted by LoveJerry on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 16:26

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Doesn't hold a candle to the 70s Dead, but Space is in wet dreamville with Brent, so we can be happy for that. It's the best ever right Space? Wooopppeee, Spacebrother says that Hammond is all we need!!! Huge line at the Kid Rock store!
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Submitted by possiblyMaybeAnother on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 16:31

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Yeah I'm with you on this. I love the "mini box" format. Like you said, it allows the production to be the best quality and results in a product that's affordable for most. I'd totally be on board for 3-4 of these a year. This sounds INCREDIBLE. I'm so glad I bought this. The booklet is high quality, as is the packaging. Well done, Dead people!
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Submitted by Vguy72 on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 17:10

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....yeah. 80's Dead is a different animal than 70's Dead. We all know that. Then why, lovejerry, do you feel the need to re-stoke the fire? Guess it gets you off somehow. I don't understand....
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 18:01

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That someone who loves Jerry would love all Jerry...Apparently not. He sounds pretty good to me on this release.
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13 years 4 months

Submitted by JimInMD on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 18:12

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Love Jerry and SpaceBro are dating again. I hope I get an invite to the wedding. DSO agreed to do the music, but they are having a difficult time deciding what show they are going to play for such an auspicious occasion...
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Submitted by Thats_Otis on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 20:05

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Nice write up :) 7/13 is even better (In my Humble Opinion..) The 1st set on that one is my favorite of the bunch on first go-through. Who pissed in LoveJerry's Cheerios? C'mon, someone's gotta fess up... Peace
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Submitted by JimInMD on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 20:15

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Space recommended 10/31/80 and the fireworks began. In her defense.. she always dreamed of getting married to 6/10/73. It's going to be a long week.
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Submitted by SPACEBROTHER on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 20:35

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Sign me up for the prenup. ;) If Kid Rock isn't to your liking, there's always Nickleback.
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 04:46

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Someone mentioned the other day about splitting collections during divorce proceedings. In this case it would be an easy split between 78-79.
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Submitted by Kayak Guy on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 09:25

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A very detailed review, thanks for posting.I really like the box, I hope all future "small box" releases follows this format. Those multitracks sound fantastic, they do have overlap fades, like people still listen to CDs and need to be reminded the band didn't stop before the media ran out. It's played well, all of Summer 89 was, but this box has the set lists laggards I find hard to get psyched about. Out of the whole Summer 89 tour this was the 2 shows I wanted released the least. On the good side it means all the other multitrack boxes from the tour will be better from now on, because I will buy them all. The Meet Up at the Movie of the 12th was a lot of fun, mainly due to the interaction of Jerry and Brent captured by the cameras. Without the visuals, it's just a well played and recorded run at the end of the old set lists and before the Fall 89 tour when they broke out a bunch of older stuff to freshen up the stale set lists from summer. I look forward to your review of the 13th.
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Submitted by LoveJerry on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 09:14

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My position is simple. I'm not going to sit back while Spacebrother continues his pattern of abuse toward anyone who doesn't care of the 80s. He did okay for awhile and I was quiet. But then he offered this zinger last week (and I quote Spacebrother): "It's the "Deader than thou" folks who won't pony up for this. It's cheaper than the cost of the Dave's Picks subscription for crying out loud. Great multi-track recordings of a couple of great shows from one of the bands geatest tours. Why would active music purchasing Deadheads pass on such a generous treat? If so-called fans listen to that Let It Grow from the Listening Party, and still pass on this, they might as well quit listening to the Dead all together and sell or trade their collections for Kid Rock albums. That's about as lame as they are." So, in Spacebrother's own words, if you don't like the 80s, he attacks people in mass. He makes it clear that he holds you in contempt, and he speaks to you with condescension. You've been stamped with unflattering labels by Spacebrother: "Deader Than Thou", "so-called fans", "lame", etc. This is unacceptable, because these are personal comments toward a very large group of dead.net participants who don't share Spacebrother's enthusiasm for the 80s. Until Spacebrother apologizes, I will continue to call him out on his social offenses, and demand civilized discourse. I will no longer suppress my personal feelings about the 80s Dead, which I have been doing for many months after a talk with JimInMD. I am sorry to others besides Spacebrother who don't like my commentary on the 80s Dead, but it's just how I feel, and how many others here feel (I have an Inbox full of PMs from people who are also tired of Spacebrother's unchecked behavior, and who support me in my effort to hold him accountable). Spacebrother is finished running amok here. If Space, you apologize to the room for your comments which I've copy/pasted here, I will consider it a fresh start. You almost got there for awhile, but as has been typical for you've reverted to your old ways, which is what happened here with your comment about all of us "lame" people.
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Submitted by Mytime on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 10:12

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Glad he's happy and love his passion. If you don't like the 80s, why are you in a thread about 89 rfk to begin with?
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Submitted by Vguy72 on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 11:00

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....you kinda sound like me when I saw the Dead play Black Muddy River for an encore three shows in a row. Kinda....
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Submitted by David Duryea on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 11:05

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Midnight cafe has a free download of 4/7/85 at the Spectrum. With Why Don't We Do It In The Road and a Keep Your Day Job encore. I'm a woefully stuck in the sixties GD kind of guy, but I'm happy to see others find enjoyment in any Dead year. Grateful Dead April 7, 1985 The Spectrum Philadelphia, PA Download: FLAC/MP3 This is a flac encoded & tagged version of shnid: 3346 SOURCE: CSBD>DAT>CDR>EAC>SHN(non-seekable) Seed Shns by Scott Z — Thanks! Seeded to etree by darrin (dnsacks@usa.net) on 2/14/2001 –Set 1– 101-d1t01 – Why Don’t We Do It in the Road 102-d1t02 – Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo 103-d1t03 – CC Rider 104-d1t04 – Bird Song 105-d1t05 – Dancin’ in the Streets 106-d1t06 – Deal –Set 2– 201-d1t07 – Shakedown Street -> 202-d1t08 – Samson & Delilah 203-d2t01 – She Belongs to Me -> 204-d2t02 – Man Samrt (Woman Are Smarter) -> 205-d2t03 – Drums -> 206-d2t04 – Space -> 207-d2t05 – Gimme Some Lovin’ -> 208-d2t06 – Truckin’ -> 209-d2t07 – Smokestack Lightnin’ -> 210-d2t08 – Morning Dew -> 211-d2t09 – Sugar Magnolia –Encore– 212-d2t10 – Keep Your Day Job Enjoy! https://themidnightcafe.org/2017/11/13/lossless-bootleg-bonanza-gratefu…
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Submitted by possiblyMaybeAnother on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 11:10

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So-and-so needs to apologize? So much drama. I got my popcorn and my foldy chair. This is just too good.
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Submitted by azipple@gmail.com on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 12:07

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This is not my favorite period for the Dead but the RFK concerts are really strong. The cuts with Hornsby are real treats.
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Submitted by Jason Wilder on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 12:17

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Well, for the 3rd time in the last five releases (30 Trips, Get Shown the Light, and now this) I have defective discs. Disc 3 of night one has some yellow crud on it that I cannot get off even with repeated uses of Disc Doctor. Really loving that you can no longer talk to a customer service rep. How is it that I never have issues with any of the Dave's Picks, but all these special archival releases are screwed up? Anyone else or am I just special?
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Submitted by SPACEBROTHER on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 13:16

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Quick review... Hell in a Bucket - Like the previous night, the second show begins with high energy. Phil drops that little Dark Star tease before launching into HIAB, and the crowd erupts. Of course, Jerry's just ripping the solos throughout like he's on a mission. The mix on this is incredible. Every element is perfectly audible and big sounding. Phat. Makes me yearn for the return of summer and cranking this up outdoors. Cold Rain and Snow - Always a welcome song, and in the secong first set slot. A double opener. A good sign of a great show ahead. Again, the B3 sounds awesome in the mix. Always a most natural fit with the Dead's sound, going back to their roots. Soulful. Little Red Rooster - Nice solid version of this. The crowd very audibly erupts when Brent takes his vocal turn and solo. He may have been in a lot of emotional pain, but in turn, his performances come from a very "real" place. Sometimes the most inspired art comes from pain and heartache. The expression of emotion through art is very powerful, and it really pushed the whole band to dig in deeper here. Tennessee Jed - In comes Bruce. Top notch reading of a classic favorite. This is about the point the stereo gets cranked up, and who cares what the neighbors think. Bruce's back-up vocal contributions round out an aleady big vocal harmony. When I first saw Bruce sit in with the Dead at Buckeye Lake in '88, I was familiar with his music, but was somewhat on the fence with him at the time. After that experience at Buckeye Lake, I was sold on him. A natural and great fit with the Dead and perfect successor to Brent. Stuck Inside of Mobile - They did this one at Buckeye Lake with Bruce the previous summer, and it worked well there, as it does here. This is a typically solid version. To Lay Me Down - This song had become increasingly rare in the setlists by this point into their career, so anytime they broke it out was a special treat, and this version is beautifully executed. This recording captures the subtleties and nuances beatifully. No small feat considering this happened in a massive sports stadium in front of a massive crowd. Another case of "this song alone makes the set worth the price of admission". Let It Grow - Epic. The clarity and fullness of this recording blows my mind. This is one of those versions that gradually builds up into this total beast. By the time the get into the solo section out of the "Rise and Fall" line, Jerry just unleases the beast and Brent chases him around nicely. They then settle into a nice groove on the key change for a while before coming in for the last vocals, then the final jam before the set break. "We'll be back in just a little bit." ~ Bob He's Gone - Extremely rare for this as a set opener in any era, and this version jumps right in. Awesome version. Looks Like Rain - Another well performed song where the clarity of the mix reveals the subtleties and nuances nicely. A perfect version of LLR. Terrapin - The perfect song choice to follow He's Gone > LLR, and this performance is typically awesome for '89, where every version was equally epic. The natural direction for this song to evolve into is when they started adding the "jam" to the end of it during the Spring '90 tour. An area where the Dead clearly evolved for the better. Jerry is clearly engaged to the fullest capacity and inspired. His closing solo is a monster. Drums - The first nights Drums started off as a more traditional drum solo leading into the beam. The second night goes into a more sonically explorative percussion jam complete with loops, trigger pad, delay/reverb effects. More of a psychedelic approach. They do add in some hand drums (talking drums) for good measure. Has to be heard. They pull out all the stops. The "Beam" sounds particularly nice on these recordings. Space - Some hints and teases of The Other One leading into Brent doing an almost Bruce Horsby inspired intro into I Will Take You Home, making this a unique performance. I Will Take You Home - Interesting how Brent could go from expressing his pain through sound, then to something as tender as this song. He was a musical genius. The Other One - This performance rolls in like an oncoming thunderstorm that establishes the groove, then explodes into a cataclysmic onslaught. Jerry doesn't hold back one bit either. Awesome. The sonic dance between Jerry and Brent is something to behold. Wharf Rat - A nice reading of a classic favorite. Jerry kills it. Brent on the B3 pours out of the speakers like a ray of gospel flavored sunshine on a summer day. Another powerful moment that benefits from a mix that reveals more subtleties and nuances (words of the day I guess). Throwing Stones - A nice reading of this often played song. A couple of spots where Bob hesitates. The sound of the crowd response eads me to believe something must have been going on in the moment. SAt this point, it's a party. Good Lovin' - A rare choice out of Throwing Stones, which was usually NFA. Like with throwing Stones, at this point it's a party. US Blues - As strong as a version as one could hope for to close out a strong show. Jerry once again kills it. Note - Bob sounded like he had some tuning issues during Hell In a Bucket and the first couple of notes he played on Cold Rain and Snow, which he immediately fixed. All in all, a strong two show run during a peak period for the band. I will get a lot of mileage out of these. Thanks again Dave, Norman and everybody else at Rhino and employed by the Dead to bring these out. When does the full Alpine run get released on CD?! This review has been brought to you courtesy of Kid Rock, Nickleback and Katy Perry's left shark.
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Submitted by Kjohnduff1 on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 13:54

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Thanks for the great write-up... love the great enthusiasm.I’m a fan of all eras - these shows surprised me. Set lists look average but i’m loving them so far - a lot more than I thought I would!
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Submitted by JimInMD on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 14:04

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I'm a fan of all era's too.. I think this set defines the term Full Norman. I really appreciate it when they pull out all the stops restoring this stuff, making it sound as good as it can be. Does anyone remember the liner notes from Two From the Vault? "The concert was recorded on a then-state-of-the-art, one-inch 8-track tape machine that was supplied by the band's record label, Warner Bros. The record company also insisted on supplying engineers who turned out to be unfamiliar with the close miking technique involved in recording rock music. Consequently, each of the eight tracks contained significant leakage from all of the other instruments in the band, resulting in severe phase cancellation problems. Almost twenty-four years later, Don Pearson and producer Dan Healy solved this problem by employing a B&K 2032 Fast Fourier transform (FFT) digital spectrum analyzer to measure the delay in time between the different microphones, using the track of bassist Phil Lesh as the time centerpiece. The delay times were fed into a TC1280 stereo digital delay, which, along with careful mixing, resulted in a nearly perfect stereo image." I get giddy when they go the extra mile. Like the stand-out job on Two From the Vault, This re-master does the music justice, almost exactly perfect.
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Submitted by JimInMD on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 15:46

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ITunes will do it.. it's a free download if you don't have it loaded. To burn.. create a playlist, put a discs worth of songs on the playlist.. right click the playlist and select Burn To Disc. For GD there is a setting that MUST be selected.. it's called something like Gap Between Songs or something similar.. just select None. Oh.. you would have to import the shows into ITunes. For that.. select File / Add Folder to Library and assuming you have one show per folder, it imports the whole show.
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Submitted by Cousins Of The… on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 14:41

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Thanks Jim, I will try that.
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Submitted by MadDoc on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 15:21

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Has anyone tried purchasing/downloading the FLAC files? I plan on buying them but I'm waiting a bit in the hope that the process will be painless. It looks like a nice compact box but I've decided to minimize the physical "stuff" in my life. Edit ... "duh". Someone a few posts ago said they bought the download. I guess I'll go ahead and give it a try.
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:15

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I and many others had a defective CD3 on DaP24.I also had a defective 5-5-77 CD2. So, you are not alone. Best to email Dr. Rhino. drrhino@wmgcustomerservice.com
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:19

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You had me at Fourier Transform.....
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Submitted by Butch on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:20

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I dont appreciate Spacebrother's "if you don't like the 80s then you're a lame ass" attitude around here. He states his opinions as if their facts, and then gets nasty with people who don't agree. No class whatsoever. I believe anyone who makes the kinds of globally offensive remarks reposted by LoveJerry should be moderated off the site.
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:22

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You can’t burn Apple Lossless (ALAC) to CD, you must first convert to WAV (PC) or AIFF (Mac), then burn those to CD.
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Submitted by Cousins Of The… on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:27

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It worked after I installed iTunes as Jim recommended, I assume iTunes did the conversion. Thanks for the tip though.
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Submitted by One Man on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:37

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Have not had time to fully engage as yet, but wife (love her) went out to dinner with a friend and this thing is now filling my living room with immense sound. I agree with an earlier poster that if you just unleash the Full Norman on these ancient tapes, modern glory will result. Give him an impossible deadline (E72 box) and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be squandered. Stop that -- don't get me started! All of the Summer '89 releases thus far have been fab, and this one of course fits right in. I'm not often in the mood for post-70s Dead, but right now I am, and this huge sonic barrage satisfies in every way. Across the Rio Grandeeeeo...
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:50

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Is that I actually know what Fourier Transform means...
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:50

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Is that I actually know what Fourier Transform means...
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 16:50

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Is that I actually know what Fourier Transform means...
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Submitted by JimInMD on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 17:12

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..of course you do. Like the trajectory of the ice cream cone that hit your head is phase offset from the trajectory of a cone that might make it into your mouth. Had you only Fourier Transformed the path of your ice cream, you not be hungry and your hair would not be sticky and rainbow colored. Double and triple posts.. there was a period of time, like a week when I figured out how to get rid of double posts. If you double posted or wrote something then thought better of it.. you used to be able to get rid of it. You could edit the post.. toss in a link, then it asked you to type the secret code to get the post to stick. If you screwed up the secret code three times the entire post would disappear. This lasted for about a week after I figured that out, then they changed their programming and it no longer works.
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Submitted by icecrmcnkd on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 17:28

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Actually, rubbing ice cream on my forehead is what gives me the clairvoyance to comprehend a Fourier Transform.Ice cream headaches are the widow to the universe’s secrets...
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Submitted by BigDeadFan on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 17:32

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are there scans of the cover art available for the two digipacks?
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Submitted by One Man on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 17:48

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Here's something. It's not a Fourier Transform. It is something. Let's say all you have is your portable music playing device (phone, iPod, whatever) and you want a portable way to make it pretty loud. There is a "personal PA" made by Powerwerks (yes, they spell it like that) and it has a 1/8" input on Channel 3 with tone controls. It sums the stereo signal to mono and plays through two 4 inch drivers and a horn tweeter. I'm listening to some Get Shown the Light material right now and it's WAY better and louder than those little bluetooth speaker devices. This rig is designed to amplify, say, an acoustic guitar and vocal on Channels 1 and 2, and it's great at that too. No, I do not own stock in Earthwerks nor do I know anyone who works (werks) there. I just am amazed at this little box playing Grateful Dead music in my house right now. Yes, I went upstairs to the office to pay some bills and I'm very successfully procrastinating by writing this.
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Submitted by One Man on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 17:50

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It has bluetooth too. But don't do that. Use wires.
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