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    lilgoldie
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    Joined:

    What's Inside:
    • Five Complete Shows
    • 5/11/77 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN
    • 5/12/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
    • 5/13/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
    • 5/15/77 St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO
    • 5/17/77 University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
    •14 Discs, 111 tracks
    •Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman, Plangent Processes playback system for maximum sonic accuracy
    •Artwork by Grammy Award-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike
    •Period Photos by James R Anderson
    •Historical Essay by Steve Silberman
    •Individual show liner notes

    MAGICAL, MYTHICAL MAY 1977!

    If you're a Dead Head, chances are you've spent many an hour expounding upon the distinction of May 8, 1977, Cornell University, Barton Hall. Well, at the risk of preaching to the choir, we'd like to reintroduce you to a series of shows that matches said greatness from that same gloriously fertile season. While Barton Hall is well known, the astounding tour that surrounded it has occasionally flown under the radar due to the uneven quality of tapes in circulation. May 1977 is set to change all of that with a boxed set that zeroes in on this high-water mark in the Grateful Dead's long strange trip.

    For a band resurrecting itself after a 20-month hiatus, there was a great frenzy of expectancy that surrounded the Spring of 1977. We anticipate a grand reoccurrence of this fervor with the release of May 1977, a 14-disc boxed set featuring five complete shows from consecutive stops on that magical tour. Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, the "psychoacoustic phenomena" as Jerry once put it, of St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN (5/11) Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL (5/12, 5/13), St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO (5/15) and Coliseum at the University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (5/17) can now finally be appreciated. Each of these shows finds the Dead delivering punchier, more focused sets, tightening up the framework; each night turning out first-ever renditions ("Passenger,""Iko Iko,""Jack-A-Roe"), unloading potent new pairings ("Scarlet Begonias">"Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet">"Eyes Of The World"), classic covers ("Dancing In The Street") and soon-to-be staples ("Estimated Prophet," "Samson and Delilah"), and ultimately rising up to paradise.

    And now for the nitty-gritty...

    Due June 11, May 1977 is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies. Presented in a psychedelic box that boasts an intricate die-cut design created by Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike, the set also includes a book filled with stories about each show, as well as an in-depth essay by Dead historian Steve Silberman, who delves deep into the history behind the tour and the band’s return from its extended hiatus.

    Once these 15,000 boxes are gone, May 1977 and its shows will never be available again on CD. However, the 111 tracks will be made available on release date as FLAC and Apple lossless full-set-only downloads for $99.98.

    Like its predecessors Europe '72: The Complete Recordings and Spring 1990, we expect May 1977 to sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here and on Facebook.com/GratefulDead and Youtube.com/gratefuldead.

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  • #751
    CHebel
    Joined:
    Next Box...
    I would love to see Summer 1985 considered for potential release. The band was very 'on' and having attended the Hershey PA shpw I can attest for the uniqueness and quality of that particular show. The tapes of the Cincinnatti, OH and Columbia, MD shows around it were also excellent. Check the set lists for some surprises which were being included in the shows on almost a nightly basis.
  • #752
    deadegad
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    Joined:
    Time period Box Sets
    Time period box sets do make more sense. It is time for the 1980s.
  • #753
    Star Dark
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Venue Madness
    At the risk of sounding like a complete jerk, I've gotta ask: What's the appeal of a venue-specific box set? Maybe I'm just a bit slow, but that seems almost as arbitrary as a "Best of April" or "Thursday Highlights" collection. Focusing on chronological periods (May '77, April-May '72, Spring '90, etc.) makes sense from a musical standpoint - stylistic consistency and all. But why restrict a collection to specific geographic coordinates (assuming the featured shows are from all over the calendar, or even multiple eras)? OK, all that said... if I were forced to buy a venue box, I'd cross my fingers for Alpine Valley(!) Chunks of those 20 gigs would also qualify as an '80s set, but not necessarily the optimal one...
  • #754
    Moses Quasar
    Joined:
    How about....
    .....Springfield,MA?.......The Dead played there every tour until at least the late eighties,early nineties. My hometown(kind of) venue! Dick's Picks 25 or Dead Downloads 7 anyone?! Also, did you know the Dead gave up one of their travel days to help Springfield with their sound system? I believe it was in the late 70s but dont hold me to that. Thats how much they liked the venue ( or hated it, depending on how you look at it!) I'm listening to 4/23/77 right now getting ready for this box set. Palladium next. I think that Dead Downloads show is excellent and I always go for that when I'm in a '77 mood, along with the usual other stuff of course( DP 3 & 29) ! Take care folks!
  • #755
    Chuck
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    Joined:
    Spectrum Box
    A Philadelphia Spectrum Box set..........Where they played more than ANY other Venue
  • #756
    Vguy72
    Joined:
    good choice
    I've had St. Louis and Tuscaloosa on tape for quite some time. (Duh). Have never heard St. Paul or the Chicago shows. Excited. St. Louis was a pretty incredible show if my mind serves me correctly. I need to dust that one off.
  • #757
    deadegad
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Madison Square Garden Box or maybe even a "Dead Belt' Box!
    An MSG box set would fit very well. I think Bob refereed to the area from Philly through Jersey, New York City and Long island as the Dead Belt. Maybe a Dead Belt box set? Yet, come to think of it, that would be much, much bigger than Europe 72. That is too big of a project. The 1980s need box set.
  • #758
    Underthevolcano
    Joined:
    FANTASY BOX
    Pick a venue and put out all shows played there over the career of the Dead(excepting previously released shows).
  • #759
    Star Dark
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    The Next Set
    Too early to speculate on next year's Big Box? What the heck... You can't get more "just exactly perfect" than May '77, so I think we'll see the polar opposite next time: warts-and-all experimental beauty circa long-lost '85. Maybe not even complete shows (as few from that era were consistently spectacular start-to-finish), but mid-80's nonetheless. Just a feeling..!
  • #760
    Katapultable
    Joined:
    Go To Nassau / Jack-A-Roe
    @Mustin321My point exactly. Seems like they wasted very little time on that one. As for Jack-A-Roe, I prefer the less-slick-mo'-folk versions from the Brent-era. These (electric) versions have more pronounced folk accent, like the ones from the anniversary shows. Am I the only one?
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15 years 7 months
Submitted by lilgoldie on
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Dead Store Products

What's Inside:
• Five Complete Shows
• 5/11/77 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN
• 5/12/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/13/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/15/77 St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO
• 5/17/77 University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
•14 Discs, 111 tracks
•Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman, Plangent Processes playback system for maximum sonic accuracy
•Artwork by Grammy Award-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike
•Period Photos by James R Anderson
•Historical Essay by Steve Silberman
•Individual show liner notes

MAGICAL, MYTHICAL MAY 1977!

If you're a Dead Head, chances are you've spent many an hour expounding upon the distinction of May 8, 1977, Cornell University, Barton Hall. Well, at the risk of preaching to the choir, we'd like to reintroduce you to a series of shows that matches said greatness from that same gloriously fertile season. While Barton Hall is well known, the astounding tour that surrounded it has occasionally flown under the radar due to the uneven quality of tapes in circulation. May 1977 is set to change all of that with a boxed set that zeroes in on this high-water mark in the Grateful Dead's long strange trip.

For a band resurrecting itself after a 20-month hiatus, there was a great frenzy of expectancy that surrounded the Spring of 1977. We anticipate a grand reoccurrence of this fervor with the release of May 1977, a 14-disc boxed set featuring five complete shows from consecutive stops on that magical tour. Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, the "psychoacoustic phenomena" as Jerry once put it, of St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN (5/11) Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL (5/12, 5/13), St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO (5/15) and Coliseum at the University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (5/17) can now finally be appreciated. Each of these shows finds the Dead delivering punchier, more focused sets, tightening up the framework; each night turning out first-ever renditions ("Passenger,""Iko Iko,""Jack-A-Roe"), unloading potent new pairings ("Scarlet Begonias">"Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet">"Eyes Of The World"), classic covers ("Dancing In The Street") and soon-to-be staples ("Estimated Prophet," "Samson and Delilah"), and ultimately rising up to paradise.

And now for the nitty-gritty...

Due June 11, May 1977 is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies. Presented in a psychedelic box that boasts an intricate die-cut design created by Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike, the set also includes a book filled with stories about each show, as well as an in-depth essay by Dead historian Steve Silberman, who delves deep into the history behind the tour and the band’s return from its extended hiatus.

Once these 15,000 boxes are gone, May 1977 and its shows will never be available again on CD. However, the 111 tracks will be made available on release date as FLAC and Apple lossless full-set-only downloads for $99.98.

Like its predecessors Europe '72: The Complete Recordings and Spring 1990, we expect May 1977 to sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here and on Facebook.com/GratefulDead and Youtube.com/gratefuldead.

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7 years 4 months

Submitted by icenine2 on Wed, 01/31/2018 - 14:07

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When will this be available as downloads again? I own the high-res digital download of Get Shown the Light and it is spectacular.
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7 years 9 months

Submitted by Sawwwn on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 07:03

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Oh man! Still waiting for these (May 77 and July 78) to be available for download! Please open this up or at least stop listing them as available. Killing me.
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7 years 9 months

Submitted by Sawwwn on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 07:04

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Oh man! Still waiting for these (May 77 and July 78) to be available for download! Please open this up or at least stop listing them as available. Killing me.
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6 years 3 months

Submitted by DanielSpace on Mon, 08/13/2018 - 13:02

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I think a fundraiser for the tapes is the dumbest idea Ive ever heard.
product sku
081227965365