Grateful Dead

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I agree that listening to this release on headphones is a joy. The nuance in sound is amazing, I got used to the louder drum kit and yes who ever mentioned this was a philfest, I agree. Have not had a chance to crank it on the big boy stereo yet,

disc skips 6.26.73 damn it. That sunshine Daydream Sugar Mag was rockin just a few minutes ago !!!!

I gotta make that dreaded call to customers services line. F%!Ck need replacement disc

On to the Wall of Sound shows finally ! Slowly marinating in this box set. The 1973 shows each had their own flavor and something to offer.

Box of Rain Bird Song

Looks Like Rain Box of Rain

Jack Straw Box of Rain

The next session begins with beat it on down the line. Dire Wolf ~ 5.17.74 ! Super treat !!!!!!

Get 'em while they're hot! This new site, for whatever it is worth, made the process quick and easy!

Whoever guessed it, was right - was that you Jim?

Subscribe now for $100 + tax - no worries day al a carte goes on sale and you get the bonus disc. Can't beat $25 / show.

I was guessing either 10/18/72 Fox Theatre (an all timer!) or the Swing.. solely based on Lemieux's SiriusXM roll-out hype for Dave's Picks 28 when he eluded that #29 was one of the all time great shows and will likely be viewed as the best of the series so far.

But I was not the only one calling for the Swing, I think Keithfan was plugging it not too long ago among others.. It is an all-time great show and one of my favorites from all of 1977.

Alright, goddammit. I'm back but only because this is one of my top three.

I'm not taking any credit, but I did enjoin a very polite refrain requesting 2/26/77 very, very recently. Right around the time they would have been making the final call. Bless 'em!

Deepest, sincerest "Thank you!!!" to Dave, Mac, and TPTB.

God Bless the GOGD!

I consider myself an expert on the live performances of Money Money. I have listened to every version repeatedly. I am confident in saying the 5/19/74 Money Money is the greatest ever. At the very least it's in the top three.

I've been marveling at the Grammy-worthy box packaging for weeks now, and have not had one spare minute to digest the music. I see some comments regarding the mix. I'll reach my own conclusions of course. I'm hoping it's not all that bad, just spotty like so many ancient tapes.

Gathers what another man spills.
Good to see you, sir!

The mix is spotty, that is all. You will be blown away by the sound stage and presence of these Plangent-processed SBD tapes. Truly magnificent what has been done with these ancient dusty reels!!

Glad to hear that Guss. Kinda weird navigating this new site. Where is my IN box?

Hi Unkle, Thanks for your response! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who was having trouble hearing Garcia's guitar. There's been some more comments about this issue, and Marye even posted that Dr. Rhino's looking into it, so we''l see what happens. I agree that McIntosh is the way to go when listening to the Dead--especially since it's Owsley-approved, and Garcia always had the glow of blue meters in his rack until very late in his career. I like to think it gets you a little closer to the original sound. It sounds like you have a nice setup, too. Good ol'-fashioned, two-channel systems beat the hell out of a cell phone, crappy earbuds, and lossy mp3s.

Hi MDJim, Thanks for your response! I also thought that if I was getting sound at all, it had to be a problem with the mix. There have been some other recent posts that mention the same Garcia guitar issues, and Marye said that Dr. Rhino is looking into it, so we'll see what happens. While the Dead is truly a group effort whose sum is greater than its parts, and while Garcia was a reluctant leader, without his guitar at least a little bit out front driving and steering the band, some of the magic is inevitably lost.

Please send me a replacement disc for disc 5 of the boxed set. Mine is defective during China Cat - Rider.

When I say defective, I'm not talking about the mix or missing vocals. The CD skips, gets hung up repeating, stops playing.

Yes, particularly earlier in the box, the 1973 shows are plagued in spots with strange mixing issues. Whatever is printed on the cd is not "defective," in the disc itself; they chose to burn these shows which undoubtedly had recording issues at the source - loose cable jack into the board/recorder, maybe someone inattentively bumping the faders up and down on the board... at one point, for a few seconds all you hear during one of the "Promised Lands," is Billy's drum track. The vocals and guitar fade in and out and some times the rhythm section is prominent, other times tinny. There is a there there, but I wouldn't allow it to detract from a great box. It's interesting to listen to it like that as much as it is annoying.

Klay Thompson set the record for most 3-pointers in a game tonight.

Post-game attire? Green sweatshirt with a tasteful Stealie! No doubt influenced by his previous coach, Luke Walton.

Represent!

What can be done? What will be done? Will they remaster the entire box? Will they send us an "update" that adds Jerry's contribution to the sound? I think not. Nice thought tho, but I highly doubt that anything will be done, take it as it is, or leave it if you dare. I will hold on with my final review until next year, if they haven't done anything by then, nothing will be done. Sad really, no more preorders for me on box sets, listen first, then purchase will be my new coda.

Perhaps I am behind in reading all these posts.. but the mix issues on my CDs seem to match up with the mix issues on the soundboards in the Archive. This means either the problems with the mix exist on the source master reels or all these sound engineers are hitting off the same crack pipe (which I guess is a possibility albeit a slim one). So remixing the entire box would likely yield the same result, but at great expense and causing much confusion for all.

Just to make sure I was not seeing double (hey.. it happens), I took some time to compare the PNW box to my source soundboards that I pulled down from the archive long, long ago. The issues with the mix are consistent comparing one show to the next.

Is this another poke to make sure we have maintained our sense of humor? ….remixing the entire box seems a bit silly perhaps, but not very much fun.

Again, I could be missing something..

One thing comparing my recordings to these did yield.. the PNW box sounds better than what I pulled down. Even the 73 shows sound quite good to me and my system with and without headphones.

I totally understand there may be sound issues with recording sources that are 30-50 years old. Recently we've had the heavy 'reverb' on the GSTL from '77, the splice in Dave's 27, Eyes of the World, which seemed to enrage so many, and now the various issues with PNW. Bill and Donna are high in the mix at times and some say Jerry is too low.
My complaint is on disc 1 of Portland '74. From about halfway into Sugaree thru El Paso the vocals are practically inaudible. Like karaoke versions. Which admittedly is kinda fun in a weird sorta way. But c'mon.
Maybe there should be a page or paragraph or Something in the already included literature by the producer/engineer where they could address and acknowledge some of the issues with a particular release.

What's the old saying? "Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining". And don't say nothing and pretend that everything is just exactlty perfect. By saying Nothing it only makes people wonder if it's only their disc/equipment/ears/delusion.

They should really put these chats right under the product page the way it was previously. There are now less and less posts cause it's simply a headache to find these threads. I think the community is thinning out because of this. Steve Hoffman Forums is a great alternative community for GD superfans who want to chat up these releases or anything else.

I think Reijo has a point.

Drifters, I see your point too. But I like that show and am still glad it got released. The China>Rider, WRS and Jam after Truckin' are very nice and I really like the young Peggy-O's which are somewhat special and rare. The fade is on the source recording so the choice is whether to release the show or not.. all the remastering in the world is not going to bring the vocals up in the mix.

Dicks Picks used to place a caveat emptor on the back of the jewel case regarding sonic anomalies and the ravages of time, etc. The other point to make about some of these box sets is the tendency to make something very good and slip in a show that might not have made it as a Dave's Picks. Sort of slip one in on is. I don't think this is the case for this box, but 30 Trips had a couple of these. For $30 a show, and being a bit of a completist myself I am ok with it.. but I see the other side of things. I am sympathetic but happy to see these old tapes get special treatment. I appreciate the efforts they went through making this sound as good as it can.. but that's just me. One opinion.

Love the latest Dave's Picks.. but a topic for another thread. Talk about exceeding expectations...

I would agree with the points below, but it may also be the fact that there are multiple recent release threads - e.g. this PNW box thread, the DaP 28 thread and the DaP 2019 Subscription threads. Who knows, hopefully it will pick up again.

I see this too, but there is a silver lining.. I am seeing lots of new folks step up and post positive comments, reviews and keep the vibe alive. The yang is there too.. a bit of complaining and the blem CDs and manufacturing error rate provides more than a valid reason to complain. I would consider providing CDs that play a core competency.

Still we get some good with the bad and new inputs and perspective is a good thing. I hope we didn't lose more than we gained.. there are a few I have not seen in a while that consistently added to the mix.

Hey I just saw your message in thread, I think I got it all sorted out with email to customer service. They replied with replacement disc on the way.

I appreciate the speedy response and help.

Time to rock out !!!

Spinning some 1985 Grateful Dead

My big beautiful insane Pacific Northwest box arrived on Thursday afternoon, September 13. I opened it up, examined it for damage or weirdness. I found lots of weirdness, but no damage at all. It was (and is) perfect, but I was busy so I put it away on my living room bookshelf. Yesterday, November 4, I took the box into my office and started ripping and listening to the CDs. This is astonishingly beautiful music. The playing is intense, inspired, and precise, and the clarity and detail of the recordings (as rendered here) are breathtaking. There are some flaws scattered about – dropouts and balance issues – but for me these flaws do not detract at all from the immensity of the greatness of this box of beauty. These are among the greatest Grateful Dead recordings I’ve ever heard (and I have 288 hours of Grateful Dead recordings ripped so far). So thank you for this fantastic effort. A lot of work and care went into this, obviously. Similar to some of the Mosaic boxes of classic jazz recordings, this one is for people who want to hear all of it, not just curated highlights.

I too have had 2 issues with this box set. 1 - my booklet had been bent during packing and I have 1 defective disc Disc 17 (disc 1 of 5/21/73 Seatle. Big scuff mark and skips on track 9 and fails to pick up on track 10 /11 / 12 after skipping.)

Got the standard response from Rhino - filled in the forms and nothing back from them yet. Both complaints now over 30 day s outstanding - any advice on how to proceed.

BTW -- a lot of fantastic music on this set -- but also a lot of recordng issues -- most of which have been already mentioned. This too is making me question whether to buy complete boxes in future ??

If you need replacements just reply to the email you received with your shipping tracking number.
Within a few hours you will get an automated response (from a robot) and within about 2 days you will get an email telling you that it will take at least 2 weeks due to the high volume of replacements that they have to send out.
That email comes from Eric, who may be a robot, I don’t know because I wasn’t able to see the results of his reCAPTCHA exam.

Speaking of which......

Just to give credit where credit is due, I had a defective disc in this PNW box and have received a replacement without any real hassle after contacting Dr. Rhino via email. If you got a defective disc, I can reassure you that they seem to be making it right. Had defective discs on DaP 28 as well and for that they emailed back an automated form to fill out after I sent Dr. Rhino my initial email. It took about a month for me to receive the PNW replacement disc.

This box is well worth any hassle of replacing defective discs, there is really not a weak show in the box from my point of view. Currently spinning the Portland '73 show and it really hits the spot for me.

I have now purchased 2 box sets in hopes on having one be completed. I have been in contact with Doc Rhino and now with Daniel, been since September, now I'm told it could be another 2 to 4 weeks... One box is being returned and now I have to submit a form to replace 2 discs on the second box.
So not happy with all the hoops I have had to jump through.

Yes I am still waiting on replacements. Quite frankly, I needed a break for this hassle. I volunteer, with the rehab of injured Dolphins and have not had the time, due to a current visitor.
Maybe people are also strugglin' with new web site.

Sorry you are having trouble.. nobody likes a hassle. Check your PM.

So Im finally getting around to listening to and burning these discs and have found at least one defective one. Disc 1 from 6/22/73 skips on jack straw...

Is Rhino issuing replacements for these?

If anyone is looking for this boxset, shoot me a PM. Mine is mint and I'm selling it for $125 plus shipping and insurance.

Hello Glocke12

In my box, disc 2 of 6/22/73 is defective. I wrote to Rhino on October 17th. I received an e-mail on November 8th informing me of the shipment of the replacement disk. Today, November 20, I still have not received it.

I am very disappointed.

I purchased the digital download. After successfully solving an initial issue with the PITB download, I’m now noticing the complete loss of vocal tracks, specifically on Sugaree, Jack Straw and IMHBTR on 5/19. There could be others. Is this normal or a digital glitch?

Hey Sincie.. you are not hallucinating, the vocal dropouts you mention exist on the source master reels.. there are a few more on the first couple songs of a few shows.

Since they exist on the source tapes, there is nothing the digital wizards can do to correct it, short of bringing Jerry back from the dead and have him do a few vocal overdubs.

Happy Thanksgiving all.. I'm thankful someone remember to hit the Record button all those years ago.

I think it was 80sfan that was hyping the China Riders on this box.. Just listened to the PNE 74 version. Wow, smokin'..

I raise enough ticket referring back to my 2 original tickets re defects and sorted within the week :)

Enjoy the holiday, be kind.

One of my more liked bumper stickers back in the day, "At Least I'm Enjoying The Kind"

Yes.. be thankful, be grateful, be kind. Happy Thanksgiving all.

Finally listening to 6/22/73 from the Northwest box set. Disc 2 has flaw. I notice there are other comments to the same. Is anyone getting replacement discs?? I remember back when that happened to a Dick’s Picks and a replacement disc was sent out without asking.

It took awhile, but I did get a replacement for a defective disc in this box. Probably worth giving the whole box a listen before contacting customer service or Dr. Rhino, as different people seemed to have different defective discs, and sometimes more than one.

This might be a dumb question but do I get an actual box set by the artist even though I got the digital download?

No, you just get the digital files when you get the download. No box..

...but the '74 Eyes within are priceless.

ahh, yes. 74 Eyes of the World are one of the first things that really got me hooked. It was an early boot I had (Louisville '74) and it has never gotten old.

I keep trying to move on from this box.. (ok, not trying all that hard to do this..), but the way my life is, I have all these little digital compartments to listen to music on. ..and they are all currently loaded with some portion of this box. So without thinking I the handy device I reached for (tonight) happened to have Portland loaded and I listened to the China Rider through WRS>Let It Grow.

Sometimes I think we live in the Garden of Eden.. what a great era, warts and all.

..really digging the Weather Report Suites too.. they were only around for something like 13 months.

The enthusiasm you all have for this music is awesome. May you never lose it. I found an incredible 1976 box with 5 shows on 12 discs for a great price and the sound is excellent. I'm totally digging in.

Got my Rolling Stones tickets. Taking our sons, it will be their first concert. And Grandma is going, too, so there will be three generations there.

I would like it to be the Dead, as well, but the boys are always telling me to turn it off - that and jazz. Their little ears haven't quite gotten wrapped around it all yet, but, Jumpin' Jack Flash gets them going every time.

Hey, it could be worse. At least no one listens to rap in my house.

I've noticed that the first set of 5/19/74 Portland, that's disk 14 in the Pacific Northwest Box, has three or four songs in which it's very hard to hear the vocals, especially Jack Straw and the next three or four songs. Anybody else notice this? I've tested the disk on different devices so I don't think it's my devices that are causing the problem. Disk 15 is okay, so I think the problem is not with the original recording, it's with the mixing on Disk 14 ?????