• https://www.dead.net/features/europe-72/holy-s-it%E2%80%99s-complete-europe-%E2%80%9972-box-over-60-discs
    Holy S#%*! It’s the COMPLETE Europe ’72 Box! On Over 60 Discs!

    $450.00
    Europe '72:
    The Complete Recordings


    Hey now! Due to overwhelming demand, surprising even those of us with huge faith in the Europe '72 project, the entire limited edition run of 7,200 boxed sets has sold out in less than 4 days. We thank you beyond words for your support and belief in this unprecedented and wonderful release.

    After lengthy discussions, we've decided we don't want to deprive anyone of this music, some of the finest the Grateful Dead ever performed. Of course, we're keeping to our promise that the boxed set and all of its accouterments will not be made available beyond these 7,200 boxed sets (and wait until you see the case in which the music is housed, the hard-bound coffee-table book, plus all of the other cool surprises we've been unearthing!). But, we're going to offer just the music, all 22 shows, more than 60 CDs, more than 70 hours of music, each show housed in its own packaging, for the same price as the boxed set, $450 including domestic shipping. Although perhaps not as cool as the boxed set, the bottom line is that the most important aspect of Europe '72: The Complete Recordings is going to be made available to all, the music.


    - David Lemieux


    " class="border" style="border: 0pt none;" allowtransparency="true"> --> " class="border" style="border: 0pt none;" allowtransparency="true"> -->

    Because you dared dream this might happen one day… Because you went down to the Gypsy Woman and offered up your first-born to try to make it happen… Because there are enough passionate Dead Heads at Rhino/GD who thought it might be cool for this to happen… It’s happening! Coming in September is a gargantuan, beautifully designed EUROPE ’72 MEGA-BOX SET containing ALL 22 SHOWS of what is arguably the greatest tour the Grateful Dead ever played, on a whopping 60+ DISCS (over 70 hours of music!). Bet you didn’t see that comin’!

    Really, at this point we probably don’t need to lay on too much hype about how wonderful the music is: Chances are, if you’re even considering buying a copy of this stunning box, you already know how amazing the Dead’s tour of Europe in April and May of 1972 was. To review briefly, though, the Dead’s first tour outside of North America took them to all sorts of historic and unusual venues in England, Denmark, West Germany, France, Holland and even tiny Luxembourg. Many members of the Dead “family” came along on what was really an extended working vacation that was designed to both expose the Dead to new audiences and also reward the band for their unlikely conquest of America during the preceding two years. As a hedge against the costs of the nearly two-month trip, the Dead’s label, Warner Bros., paid for the band to lug around a 16-track recorder to capture the entire tour… and we’re glad they did!

    This was a band at the top of its game, still ascending in the wake of three straight hit albums — Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty and the live Grateful Dead (“Skull & Roses”). It had been a year since the lineup had gone to its single-drummer configuration, six months since Keith Godchaux had been broken in as the group’s exceptional pianist, and this marked the first tour to feature Donna Godchaux as a member of the touring band. There was a ton on new, unreleased material that came into the repertoire in the fall of ’71 (after “Skull & Roses” was out) and during the spring of ’72, including “Tennessee Jed,” “Jack Straw,” “Mexicali Blues,” “He’s Gone,” “Comes A Time,” “Ramble on Rose,” “One More Saturday Night,” “Black-Throated Wind,” “Looks Like Rain” and Pigpen’s “Chinatown Shuffle,” “The Stranger (Two Souls in Communion)” and “Mr. Charlie.” (Sadly, this was Pigpen’s final tour.) All those future classics were interspersed with songs from the aforementioned “hit” albums—such as “Uncle John’s Band,” “Brokedown Palace,” “Cumberland Blues,” “Casey Jones,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Bertha,” “Not Fade Away,” et al — and then were topped off by loads of big jamming numbers — the Europe ’72 tour produced spectacular versions of “Dark Star,” “The Other One” “Playing in the Band,” “Truckin’,” “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider,” “Good Lovin’,” “Lovelight” and even the early Pig chestnut “Caution.” And that’s leaving out a truckload of other tunes, too! There wasn’t a clunker show in the bunch, and many are acknowledged today as classics. No doubt you already have some favorites.

    Through the years, there have been a few releases of material from the Europe tour—starting with the 3-album Europe ’72 which knocked our socks off in the fall of that year, and followed many years later by material from a pair of German shows and the fantastic 4-CD Stepping Out, culled from the group’s eight shows in England. Incredibly, though, only one full show from the tour has come out previously: the excellent 4/24 concert in Dusseldorf, Germany, released as Rockin’ the Rhein in 2004.

    Until now, that is. Jeffrey Norman, who has been the primary mixer of Dead archival multi-track material for the past 15 years (Fillmore West ’69, Ladies and Gentlemen…, Rockin’ the Rhein, Nightfall of Diamonds, etc.) has spent many months toiling over the 16-track masters from the tour, and will continue working on the mixes through the Winter and Spring, employing the high-tech Plangent Processes transfer and restoration tools, trying to get every show to sound “just exactly perfect” (as Bob Weir says) for this release. You might think you’ve heard that intense “Dark Star” > “Sugar Mag” > “Caution” from Copenhagen, but I guarantee you’ve never heard it sound this alive! Mastering to HDCD specs is two-time Grammy-winning engineer David Glasser of Airshow Mastering. Needless to say, all the songs that turned up on previous Europe compilations will be appear in their proper show contexts, and in the case of songs from the Europe ’72 album, without overdubs that were added later (where possible).

    The packaging is, as you might expect, first rate. Each show is its own Digipak, with its own liner notes by top Dead scholars (including David Gans, Steve Silberman, and Nicholas Meriwether) and attendees of some of the concerts, and many never-before-seen photos. Additionally, there is an enormous book worthy of coffee table treatment featuring hundreds more photos and a comprehensive essay by yours truly (Blair Jackson). The box will also contain other memorabilia and ephemera from the tour.

    A rough sketch of the potential packaging.
    Check back soon for more product images.

    At $450, this clearly will not be a box for everyone. In fact, this individually numbered boxed set will be limited to orders placed with a maximum of 7,200 boxes produced. As a special bonus, the first 3,000 orders will receive a personalized copy. Due to the huge manufacturing costs (wait 'til you see it! We're doing something unlike any other boxed set release ever! It's exceptional!!), we need to hit 3,000 sales before we even go into production. If we don't reach 3,000 by April 1st, the boxed set won't be able to happen. This isn't a gun-to-your-head sales pitch. Rather, we want to be open with you about the realities of this release's massive scope and ambition.

    -->

    So dig deep, raid the penny jar, take a weekend job at Jack-in-the-Box, beg your kindly ol’ grandma for some of your inheritance early… Yes, it’s an extravagance, but jeez, you (or your loved one) deserve it! This is way cool.

    26589
2824 comments
sort by
Recent
Reset
Items displayed
  • Mike Edwards
    13 years 5 months ago
    Blown Away
    I just got an email from Rhino notifying me that I won a copy of the All Music Edition of Europe 72. Needless to say, I am completely blown away. Thanks GD, dead.net and Rhino. Did I mention that my birthday is in September? Woo-effing-hoo!!!
  • cbs73
    13 years 5 months ago
    cc info
    My CC on file for the E72 ltd ed was compromised in the recent PlayStation Network attack. So I called today to update my info and the gentleman said they would be doing a round on validations on the billing info in July/August and getting in touch with people who need an update. Guess I'll keep an eye out for an email or a phone call about that. At least until mid-August at which time I'll be calling again...
  • Mr. Pid
    13 years 6 months ago
    But
    the faster we go the rounder we get! Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

15 years 8 months

$450.00
Europe '72:
The Complete Recordings


Hey now! Due to overwhelming demand, surprising even those of us with huge faith in the Europe '72 project, the entire limited edition run of 7,200 boxed sets has sold out in less than 4 days. We thank you beyond words for your support and belief in this unprecedented and wonderful release.

After lengthy discussions, we've decided we don't want to deprive anyone of this music, some of the finest the Grateful Dead ever performed. Of course, we're keeping to our promise that the boxed set and all of its accouterments will not be made available beyond these 7,200 boxed sets (and wait until you see the case in which the music is housed, the hard-bound coffee-table book, plus all of the other cool surprises we've been unearthing!). But, we're going to offer just the music, all 22 shows, more than 60 CDs, more than 70 hours of music, each show housed in its own packaging, for the same price as the boxed set, $450 including domestic shipping. Although perhaps not as cool as the boxed set, the bottom line is that the most important aspect of Europe '72: The Complete Recordings is going to be made available to all, the music.


- David Lemieux


Because you dared dream this might happen one day… Because you went down to the Gypsy Woman and offered up your first-born to try to make it happen… Because there are enough passionate Dead Heads at Rhino/GD who thought it might be cool for this to happen… It’s happening! Coming in September is a gargantuan, beautifully designed EUROPE ’72 MEGA-BOX SET containing ALL 22 SHOWS of what is arguably the greatest tour the Grateful Dead ever played, on a whopping 60+ DISCS (over 70 hours of music!). Bet you didn’t see that comin’!

Really, at this point we probably don’t need to lay on too much hype about how wonderful the music is: Chances are, if you’re even considering buying a copy of this stunning box, you already know how amazing the Dead’s tour of Europe in April and May of 1972 was. To review briefly, though, the Dead’s first tour outside of North America took them to all sorts of historic and unusual venues in England, Denmark, West Germany, France, Holland and even tiny Luxembourg. Many members of the Dead “family” came along on what was really an extended working vacation that was designed to both expose the Dead to new audiences and also reward the band for their unlikely conquest of America during the preceding two years. As a hedge against the costs of the nearly two-month trip, the Dead’s label, Warner Bros., paid for the band to lug around a 16-track recorder to capture the entire tour… and we’re glad they did!

This was a band at the top of its game, still ascending in the wake of three straight hit albums — Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty and the live Grateful Dead (“Skull & Roses”). It had been a year since the lineup had gone to its single-drummer configuration, six months since Keith Godchaux had been broken in as the group’s exceptional pianist, and this marked the first tour to feature Donna Godchaux as a member of the touring band. There was a ton on new, unreleased material that came into the repertoire in the fall of ’71 (after “Skull & Roses” was out) and during the spring of ’72, including “Tennessee Jed,” “Jack Straw,” “Mexicali Blues,” “He’s Gone,” “Comes A Time,” “Ramble on Rose,” “One More Saturday Night,” “Black-Throated Wind,” “Looks Like Rain” and Pigpen’s “Chinatown Shuffle,” “The Stranger (Two Souls in Communion)” and “Mr. Charlie.” (Sadly, this was Pigpen’s final tour.) All those future classics were interspersed with songs from the aforementioned “hit” albums—such as “Uncle John’s Band,” “Brokedown Palace,” “Cumberland Blues,” “Casey Jones,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Bertha,” “Not Fade Away,” et al — and then were topped off by loads of big jamming numbers — the Europe ’72 tour produced spectacular versions of “Dark Star,” “The Other One” “Playing in the Band,” “Truckin’,” “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider,” “Good Lovin’,” “Lovelight” and even the early Pig chestnut “Caution.” And that’s leaving out a truckload of other tunes, too! There wasn’t a clunker show in the bunch, and many are acknowledged today as classics. No doubt you already have some favorites.

Through the years, there have been a few releases of material from the Europe tour—starting with the 3-album Europe ’72 which knocked our socks off in the fall of that year, and followed many years later by material from a pair of German shows and the fantastic 4-CD Stepping Out, culled from the group’s eight shows in England. Incredibly, though, only one full show from the tour has come out previously: the excellent 4/24 concert in Dusseldorf, Germany, released as Rockin’ the Rhein in 2004.

Until now, that is. Jeffrey Norman, who has been the primary mixer of Dead archival multi-track material for the past 15 years (Fillmore West ’69, Ladies and Gentlemen…, Rockin’ the Rhein, Nightfall of Diamonds, etc.) has spent many months toiling over the 16-track masters from the tour, and will continue working on the mixes through the Winter and Spring, employing the high-tech Plangent Processes transfer and restoration tools, trying to get every show to sound “just exactly perfect” (as Bob Weir says) for this release. You might think you’ve heard that intense “Dark Star” > “Sugar Mag” > “Caution” from Copenhagen, but I guarantee you’ve never heard it sound this alive! Mastering to HDCD specs is two-time Grammy-winning engineer David Glasser of Airshow Mastering. Needless to say, all the songs that turned up on previous Europe compilations will be appear in their proper show contexts, and in the case of songs from the Europe ’72 album, without overdubs that were added later (where possible).

So dig deep, raid the penny jar, take a weekend job at Jack-in-the-Box, beg your kindly ol’ grandma for some of your inheritance early… Yes, it’s an extravagance, but jeez, you (or your loved one) deserve it! This is way cool.

Display on homepage featured list
Off
Feature type
Tags

dead comment

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

So we have a ton of people on here bitching nonstop over the last few days, let me see, I signed up on Friday, where's my code, this is crap, what the hell is going on, F Rhino, F the band, F David L., this is all crap, the only fair thing is to cancel all of the orders and do a lottery. Now it turns out that the codes were just a little slow going out. Gee, who would have thought that processing the first few thousand orders would take time? But wait, now that I have gotten the code and my order is placed, all is right in the world. Hey, it's been a crazy process, but these guys are doing their best. Really?! Maybe those of you who acted like spoiled fools should start by apologizing for acting like complete asses. Do you still think we should cancel all of the orders and have a lottery? I can agree on one thing, you are lucky as hell. Lucky to have people like David L and Jeffery N, and the rest of the crew with GD, Rhino and beyond that put the time and energy in bringing all of these releases to life. It takes a lot of time and money to just put together a package idea and than to master the music. We get 4-6 releases/year. Name me one other band/company, whatever, that does that. Be thankful for the CS people who are doing the best with the info they are given. Did anyone take the time to notice that the CS people are all American, no more India outsourcing. But wait, those Rhino jerks never listen. For those who say Rhino should have known this was going to sell so well...once again, really!? As many have noted, $450, even if it is a great deal, is still a chunk of change. And this is being sold to a group of people who bitch every time a Road Trips is released that $23 is too much for 3 cds. Wow, why would they be a little cautious about moving 7200 sets at $450. You want sticker shock, go see what the Zappa vault releases sell for. One thing I did think was wrong was allowing no limit purchases, I have no problem with people getting 2 or 3 if they want to gift them, etc. but not 10. Oh wait, those guys at Rhino that never listen fixed that to. For those bitching about Ebay, yes I agree that it does suck. But it doesn't matter if they made 20,000 box sets, they are still going to end up on Ebay. Go check out what people are trying to sell Road Trips for on Amazon. All you have to do to defeat them is not buy it. Which brings me to the girl who spent $900 for a code on Ebay. I don't know you so I can't call you a fool, but that decision was about as foolish as it gets. You just forked out $900 for a code that the seller got for free. On top of that you paid double to get a name tag, a box and book. Really, consider that all of the bitching has been over a nametag, a box and a book. No matter how nice they are, last I checked we are all fans of a great band that made great music. So GD and Rhino do the right thing and make the music available to all, and...you bitch and complain about a nametag, a book, and a box. Wow! Good Times. For ebay girl, I can almost tell you with certainty that your boyfriend would have been just as thrilled for the music only set at $450. Hopefully you guys are still together when this thing is released in September. For those who have gotten on here and stated that they are never buying anthing from the site again. You are only hurting yourselves by missing out on getting the finest quality recordings of the finest band. If your good with that, so be it. Once again, it all reminds me of when my 3 year old little girl is in mid tantrum. For the final piece of my rant. I love the people who get on hear and say we are foolish for wanting copies of music that is already out there. I get that some of you are being sincere, as if you don't have the dough to spend on this, there are many avenues to go and find this great music, and most of it sounds very good. But for most that are posting that, I get the sense either you got shut out or you can't afford (which is ok, we all don't get to afford everything we want, it's called life) it, so you need to put it and the people who are getting it down. To the sound piece, I have boots of most of the official releases, and I'm sorry, the sound quality on the Norman mastered releases is far superior than what's out there in taper land. I love the work Charlie Miller does, and I gladly scoop up whatever he puts out. Heck, I've been amazed at his work since I downloaded one of his Kimock recordings in 2001. But he does not have access to the technology that Rhino and GD do to master these shows. Yes, HDCD does make a difference, even if your CD player doesn't have a decoder. To get the show to HDCD, it is mastered at a much higher level, so it will sound better than any traditional cd. On top of that if you look at db.etree, only 5 of the 22 shows are shown to have come from the 16 track masters, Now the rest of the boards may be from the 16 track, but last I checked tapers and collectors are pretty notorious for wanting very specific source info. I will bet a good chunk of the rest of the boards are from 2 track masters. On top of that, there are 3 of the shows from the run that are available in audience recordings only. The final bit on quality, is a lot of these shows have an EAC or a cassette generation mixed into the chain and both of these (especially cassette) will denigrate the sound. So after all of my mumbo jumbo, the sound upgrade is definitely substantial enough to warrant spending the dough, if you've got it. Throw in the packaging (even for the music only sets) and it's a no brainer. Whooo, that has been building up for a few days. I'm glad people that love the music are getting a chance to order, but please, next time show a little maturity, and try to act like a grown-up. Just, just maybe be thankful for what you have. Just sayin...
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

no i really was dead serious and still am if anyone doesnt want it thats fine...someone may have bought the other set and feels like they can part with it for this new one...its not a crime to ask a question...i wouldve taken burned copies i dont really give a shit...everyones been so uptight about this whole thing
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

I'm kind of enjoying the chaos this release has instigated. So very GD. Well-intentioned but completely disorganized. Dog bless Mary E.and David Lemieux for being the front lines of defense. The inmates are controlling the asylum, with a bit of oversight from The Man, for sure, but this is a Bizarro Universe we inhabit, so what do y'all expect?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years 1 month
Permalink

I attempted to order the boxset last Wednesday/Thursday but was not successful because of the server issues. I then requested a copy of the boxset on Thursday evening. On Friday I received the following e-mail: "Thank you for supporting our very special release Europe ‘72: The Complete Recordings. This confirms that we have received your order. Your credit card WILL NOT BE CHARGED until Europe ‘72: The Complete Recordings ships this September. Please keep this confirmation for your records. Order Information Order Number: xxxxxxxxx Order Total: $450 Quantity 1 Personalization Entries: xxxxxxxxxxxxx" Also on Friday I received another e-mail with a link and code to order a personalized boxset. My question is whether or not that first e-mail that says I successfully completed an order (with an included Order #) is valid. I question the validity because when I check my recent order history it is not listed, only my previous Road Trips Subscription is shown. Also when attempting to place orders on Wed/Thurs I got numerous error screens and no attempts produced a receipt. If my order did indeed go through then I would like to let the link and code lapse to give somebody else a shot. But i don't want to do this until I know for sure I have a confirmed order. Customer Service has not been of help. I have been told by different people that the Order No. is valid even though Rhino does not have record of it in their system and I have also been told that it is not a valid Order No., therefore I do not have a reserved boxset. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

Nor Marye, but I can tell you, your original order went through (I bet your order number begins with a DN), and you have a code to order another. I was in the same boat and gifted my code to a good Head on here that looked like they were not going to bet lucky enough to order, yet still acted with a little class. Maybe you can do the same.
user picture

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

Thanks Marye for clarifying what's going on. I think the ugliness that we've witnessed can be attributed primarily to a lack of transparency. People did what they're supposed to: reserve a set before it was sold out, and then they hear nothing for days. They don't know if they got a set or not, but what they do know is that some unscrupulous people are already selling it on ebay for 2-3 times the original cost. Rumors spread and anger flares. Here's a suggestion for future big sets. (I know, everyone has one.) Forget limited editions, and instead offer those who prepay before a specified pre-production date some sort of bonus, for instance a listing as a sponsor. That's a win-win situation. Those that want the bonus know what they need to do to get it and Rhino/GD gets production money up front. Everybody's happy. Yes?
user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

I received that EXACT same email but found out that it did not mean anything and I had to use my reservation confirmation email to get my copy. The title/subject of the email I received was "Your Europe '72 Pre-order Confirmation."
user picture

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

send me your emails for the original order and your reservation, and I'll make sure they're valid.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Here's a thought. Think of a person you know who likes the Dead but never really collected much music, you all know one. Now, go through your collection of previously releaded Europe '72 releases (Steepin Out, Europe '72, the Germany show, & I believe one of the Dick's Picks). Pull out all the artwork, labels, essay's etc. and make some nice quality copies, grab some old jewel cases, reassemble with the copies of labels ... insert your discs and share the love. You no longer need them since you will now have new copies via this box. I personally love the cover art, essays, pictures, etc. hence the idea of making copies. I will make a collage of the originals and frame them. Just a thought. My friends Rod & Gary will get mine.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

new england dead : "Billboard 200 hit a low water mark for record music sales for two straight weeks with the releases by Cake and Taylor Swift which were number 1 on the list recently. They were somewhere in the range of 40,000 of sales of CD's and downloadsIn general .....I don't think a lot of money is being made in this business except for maybe Itunes Maybe Cake should have put out a super-limited edition CD. ;) Seriously, please clarify what you mean by "a lot of money." I run a record label myself. The cost of pressing CDs in that amount can not be much more than $1/CD (and many many more were pressed). The profit margin is huge for bulk orders. Downloads of course are even cheaper to disseminate. 40,000 * $10 = $400,000 *in one week*. That's about as much as my dad has earned over the past 10 *years*, before taxes. Compared to historical sales numbers, the number sold may not be as great as they were in previous years and from the perspective of Warner's shareholders it may not be the greatest development in the industry, but please let's not pretend that these companies who control the music catalogs of artists with substantial name recognition aren't making "a lot" of money off CDs and even vinyl reissues. They are making "a lot" of money. In fact, other than a handful of A-level musicians and performers, they are the only ones in the music world making "a lot" of money.
user picture

Member for

15 years 5 months
Permalink

To the one that said should they still have lottery, yes they should. I received a code and very grateful for it. The problem is the way this whole thing was run is a joke. Stop defending the people that put this thing together, it was a disaster. If you don't have things in order and the ability to have things run smoothly, wait and do it the right way. As far as price is concerned it's well worth what they're asking. I bought the Genius Of Miles Davis box set for twice the amount and got what I paid for. I can only hope this is just as nice.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years 1 month
Permalink

Thanks for your responses. I got these same two conflicting responses when i called Rhino two seperate times. Very frustrating. I guess since I have two weeks to use the reservation code I'll sit tight for a little while and see what unfolds.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

15 years 11 months
Permalink

I was so pleasantly surprised to find a purchase code in my email tonight. I knew I had registered - but I also knew that nothing like this works perfectly. At the same time, I knew that there were people out there doing what they could. Which does not mean that they can fix everything. Thank you, Marye (and nameless others) for your assistance to everyone who got stuck for a while. Many of us knew you were doing your best all along. Now, how to deal with an eight month wait??? Anything you can do about that, Marye?? lol
user picture

Member for

15 years 8 months
Permalink

Although I am still without the Limited Edition box set, marye was extremely helpful and patient with me. Hopefully everyone that wants in on this somehow, some way gets in on it. Big ups to marye!
user picture

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

I had a nice email conversation with a manager type @ Rhino and he was very gracious and helpful/ they really seem to be interested in straightening out this clusterfuck and referrred to it as "a long strange nightmarish trip" You plant ice you gonna harvest wind
user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

..that the "complainers" are the people complaining about the complainers. This was stressful for a lot of people. Along with the FW69 release, which MANY people who wanted it were unable to get, this is the biggest release the Dead have ever done. People basically stood with their credit card in their hand, but Rhino would not accept it. This should not be like buying tickets for a show. Anyone who wants one, is willing to pay and acts within a reasonable period of time (I think a month would have been ideal) should have been able to order. I was gone for a few days visiting my ailing father and I missed about 30 pages of posts, but I have seen more posts complaing about the idea of a lottery than I have people calling for a lottery. I have also seen more people complaining about people complaining about the price than I have people complaining about the price. If people do complain about the price, let them do so. $450 is a lot of money to shell out at one time. I think the price is fair (I'd rather see it about $5 per disc and without any frills). I used to belong to BMG music club. I would ONLY order when I could get discs for less than $7 per disc. I got a bunch of Miles, Coltrane abd Clifford Brown box sets this way, not to mention single jazz and classic rock CD's. CD's themselves are incredibly cheap. The fact that Bruce and Zappa gauge the fans is no reason for the Dead to do so. And, for the record, I don't think they are doing that here. Again, a fair price. So this PM criticizes the critics of the critics. Now will someone please criticize the criticizer of the critics of the critics.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

wharfrat 1: "Gee, who would have thought that processing the first few thousand orders would take time?" With all due respect to these wonderful and mysterious people out there who are "hand-processing" the orders (???), I think the expectation in 2011 is that when you fill out a computerized order form with your email address, you get a confirmation email of some sort more or less instantaneously (i.e., the product reservation software sends the email automatically). Also, it would seem that where the exact number of in-stock order is known, the same program that handles the orders would be keeping track of the number of orders submitted and would automatically disallow further entries when the purchase limit has been reached OR it would immediately send you an email indicating that the product has sold out (and possibly that you have been placed on a "reserve" list should additional copies come available). This is how ordering stuff over the Internet works nearly 100% of the time in my experience. Maybe I've just been lucky, or I've unconsciously self-selected vendors who provide this experience.
user picture

Member for

14 years 8 months
Permalink

Back in the 90's groups like N'Sync (which most GD fans don't have in their collections) had sales over 2 million in a week. 1 million is not unheard of. Unfortunately sometimes the artists receive only pennies on the dollar. Check the lawsuit ABB had back in 2008 or 2009. I am not saying it isn't good money but it isn't what it used to be.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Ha, Ha, Ha, ha . . . . . . That was funny. Sorry, no critisim
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 4 months
Permalink

So I put in my reservation on Saturday morning. Got an email back tonight (Tuesday) saying the run of 7200 had been reached and I was put on a waiting list if any more became available. It also said that a music only version was going to be available and I made that list. Was I bummed I wouldn't get all the bells and whistles?. Sure I was, it's always nice to have all the extras. Was I pissed off at the Band or Rhino ? Heck no. The band has worked their tails off making this great music available. We should be "grateful" that they still have the desire to turn us all on. I for one am thrilled to be able to get all of the music from that fabulous tour. I can't wait.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I tried to order the original release several times over the weekend, but I never got any response. So I decided I would settle for the music only version. I tried to order that, and I have received no response. I don't know what to do at this point. I just want the music!!!
user picture

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

Well, it's cold comfort for those of us who got shut out entirely, but I'm happy to see that the folks who thought their reservations wouldn't be honored are getting their problems resolved. I'm resigned to not getting the box. It would have been nice, but I won't die if I can't have it! Yes, I could still order the music only. The funny thing is that if that had been the only offer, it wouldn't have looked like a bad deal at all. But to get that only when others are getting for the same money the full personalized set is just not right. You can dismiss it all you want as just "a nametag, a box, and a book," but that doesn't jibe with the tantalizing descriptions on the top half of this page of a lavish, lovingly designed and highly desirable collector's item. I did get a laugh out of this part of the announcement of the music-only set: "and wait until you see the case in which the music is housed, the hard-bound coffee-table book, plus all of the other cool surprises we've been unearthing!" They should have added, "Oh, that's right--you WON'T see that!" Someone mentioned that there was a preliminary announcement sent out last week to subscribers advising us to watch out for "something big." I wondered if I had actually received that and not paid attention, thinking it was just hype for the new Road Trips or something. I checked my old emails, and nope, nothing between January 10 (Road Trips announcement) and January 22 at 7:00 a.m., when I finally got the Europe 72 announcement. What's that about?
user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

Sit tight, the email takes 24 hrs or so I believe. You will be able to get the music only version. They aren't going to close that any time soon.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

At this posting time 118 pages, lots of repeat questions, can we get an update to the announcement post above addressing the most common questions on this board? or a "sticky" post at the top of this thread. You could ask a question on page 63, go to bed, come back and have to search another 100 pages for your answer. Just a thought to help everyone out.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

dstache "Along with the FW69 release, which MANY people who wanted it were unable to get" Just want to second that emotion. The situation with the FW69 box was and is ridiculous. And I'd say the same applies to the "bonus" discs that are "exclusively" sent with the Road Trips CDs (now to season long subscribers only). What is up with that? I understand that I live in a free country and people can do what they want. But if you have the freedom to do certain things -- like press up a number of copies and make them available in numbers that accurately reflect the demand -- then why not do it? This business of treating Deadheads like caged mice who get a shot of cocaine as a reward for checking their fricking email every day is, well, disgusting. Not sure how else to put it. I want Jeff Norman and everyone else to continue to get paid for the work they are doing and the work they did. I'm happy to pay the right people. It feels very wrong to pay some dooshbag on eBay for a disc just because I was on vacation the week it was released, or because I didn't want to spend $100 additional bucks for shows I have no interested in hearing.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

shrewnews "Yes, I could still order the music only. The funny thing is that if that had been the only offer, it wouldn't have looked like a bad deal at all. But to get that only when others are getting for the same money the full personalized set is just not right." Not only is it "just not right" but it's also rather unusual. I buy a fair number of limited "artist reditions" of experimental music (almost always on vinyl) and I can't ever recall a less-limited, non-artist edition being sold for the same price. The non-artist editions are always cheaper, because they are cheaper to produce.
user picture

Member for

14 years
Permalink

Any chance the book is The Grateful Dead : The Illustrated Trip? http://www.dead101.com/1455.htm I already have that so hopefully it's an unreleased item. Also, I see some book stores are selling that for $125 on Amazon, how come noone is lambatsing that? If you think your wife is gonna say no, it's a good idea to still ask first. I just went ahead and ordered and was gonna tell her a few months from now at a time I thought was right. When all of a sudden I thought fate was on my side... Wayne Brady's "Don't forget the Lyric's" was on the kitchen TV and Truckin' was the song. The contestant did her best Bobby impersonation with an epic lyrical flub "Chicago, New York, Detroit, and it's on to New Orleans oooh yahh" Since we rarely get prime time GD appearences in 2011, and I had just received my email conformation for a personalized copy, I thought the four winds were on my side. Riding the adreneline rush of getting the conformation email, AND having the peronalization option submitted I figured I'd piggy back onto the Wayne Brady vibe and tell her I placed the order. Didn't go well. I still have a place to live, but we'll see what happens when the weather warms up. I blame Wayne Brady.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I just received a miracle ticket from a Deadhead who still remembers what this community is all about! Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart!
user picture

Member for

15 years 8 months
Permalink

Awesome Tom Thumb! Hoping my luck is as good as yours!I got the just the jams edition ordered too just in case.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

If this is really stressing people, than I guess their lives are pretty damn easy. I mean, I love the GD music as much as the next guy, and I've made sure to procure as much of it as possible. But in the end, it's a material thing, it's not life and death. As for someone who has an ailing family member, I'm guessing you get that more than most. This will provide some happiness, no doubt, but it will not make the sick well or the poor rich. There are 118 pages in this thread and the vast majority are people complaining. No, it has not been a perfect or easy process, but getting nasty and rude with people, who whether we believe or not, are doing their best, is and always will be, just plain wrong. For the uber stressed, they were given a simple option of getting the music, which again last I checked, is really what this is supposed to be all about. Yes, I'm excited for the book, etc., but I promise you, that as long as I get those 22 remastered shows, I will have all I need. I would much rather these threads revolve around actually discussing the music, but with pretty much every release, it's more of the same. Really, I'd prefer to know which of the 21 Mr. Charlies is considered the best. I'm going with 5/4. Bonus points for who can tell me what was the only show of the run where Mr. Charlie was not played.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 3 months
Permalink

I think it is too bad that they have made the only option for getting any of this music is to purchase the whole box set. Now the price is a great deal for that many discs ... but it is still a lot of dough for some of us. Why not make it so that people can buy a show here, a show there, and enjoy some of the music for a price they can afford? Make each show available in a separate download for $20 or so - if I can afford $40, then I can grab a couple shows of some of the most amazing music ever and smile, smile, smile. I am sure Rhino will still get a lot of people buying the whole thing - and I imagine you would get a lot more people buying individual shows. So it seems like a smart financial move ... and it also seems a bit more true to the wondeful ideal of making this music available to as many people as possible. Just an idea - maybe a plea - a plea to not turn the enjoyment of some of the greatest music ever performed into something experienced only by an exclusive group due to a high price tag ... BREAK UP THE BOX!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

If there's one thing I've learned after 15 years of participating in comment threads with fellow Deadheads is that there will never be a shortage of condescending pseudo-Zen preaching about how this person or that person needs to cool out and get over it. I think it started with Mick Jagger at Altamount. It didn't work with the Angels and they had some of the best seats in the house.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I received my invitational email to reserve this Box Set on Friday night 9PM PST @ which time, probably w/in a few minutes maybe an hour, I responded. On Monday I heard this had sold out & I hadn't been notified via email re:my reservation for one copy. I left some rather scathing comments a few pages back & I copied those comments & emailed them directly to dead.net. I don't know if it helped or not but today I received my confirmation email. This will be for a copy #'s 3001~7200. Before I placed the order I phoned dead.net & the helpful young man w/the same name as mine verified the codes went out today for Box Sets. He also said that MGMT has heard the cries & displeasure & is trying to rectify the situation. I made my tho't known again on the phone that reservations must be held to one, two MAX to which he said they are working at reducing any previous reservations down to those numbers. I really hope that we don't have to police ourselves & that Rhino & Mr Lemeiux will bring the number down to one reservation per order. FYI FWIW
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years
Permalink

WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!! :-) :-) :-)
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years
Permalink

I still haven't received my code for the box set. :-( The Wooooo Hooooos were for the steak knives! :-)
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

Why do they have to go and make this a limited edition? Those of us who didn't have access to the internet last week are now left out.
user picture

Member for

16 years 4 months
Permalink

jIMI Hey Now, you can purchase yourself a set* its the complete 22 shows just not the box with booklet and few items! still the same price but its available. read the full sale page u will see. for legal reasons they couldent come out sell 7300 people a limited edition set, then turn around and break it up for less $$. it would be wrong on to many levels. legal ones included. i think its very nice to offer people these 22 shows. more than fair.
user picture

Member for

16 years 4 months
Permalink

i would say when it comes to September and the cards are charged or even before then some people are going to cancel a box or 2 off there orders, and not order as many because of the big$$ and i would bet that the early people who sign up for the 22 shows at the same price 450$ will be suprised to see a Limited Edition set arrive on there doorsteps.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 7 months
Permalink

Stop the whinning. 1st we all had the same problems and same chances. Do none of you remember the screwups getting New Years tix. The last time they announced the start time a couple hundred thousand people called at once and shut down San Rafael's phone system. The price is very fair. And to those who bemoan them turning it over to Rhino more short memories, when they were doing the business they stopped talking to each other what would we have then. And to those who are going balistic because Rhino is making some money (heavens to betsy) do you work for free. Finally it looks like my user name is especially apprapo for this release. Peace and enjoy the music. P.S. if it's really about the music then everyone should be happy now
user picture

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

Whats with all this personalization stuff? Has anyone here submitted thier order with personalization? What did you personalize with Name etc??
user picture

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

streaming the DS from 5/4/72 at sugarmags right now.... : )
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

snafu: "1st we all had the same problems and same chances." Not true. Those of us who work in front of computers had MUCH better chances. I guarantee you there are legions of Deadheads out there who want this thing and don't know yet that it has even been offered. "Do none of you remember the screwups getting New Years tix. " Like many Deadheads, I haven't been to a show for twenty years, at least. "to those who bemoan them turning it over to Rhino more short memories, when they were doing the business they stopped talking to each other what would we have then" Impossible to say. "those who are going balistic because Rhino is making some money" Examples? I'll say it again: If there's one thing I've learned after 15 years of participating in comment threads with fellow Deadheads is that there will never be a shortage of condescending pseudo-Zen preaching about how this person or that person needs to cool out and get over it.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

DarkStarr1971 "for legal reasons they couldent come out sell 7300 people a limited edition set, then turn around and break it up for less $$. it would be wrong on to many levels." I'm not aware of a single "limited edition set" being sold by Rhino to anyone at the present time. Nor am I aware of any assertion by Rhino that could be reasonably relied on by anyone to the effect that they are never going to release any of the shows individually. Let me guess: you're not a lawyer.
user picture

Member for

16 years 5 months
Permalink

How long does it take to get the email confirmation after checking out?
user picture

Member for

16 years 4 months
Permalink

On page 106 I wondered why I had not heard anything. Now I have. I received teh following email: Roland Bruynesteyn, Due to overwhelming demand, we have had to place your requested reservation for the Europe '72: The Complete Recordings boxed set on our stand-by list. You were placed on the stand-by list in the order that we received your reservation. Should more copies of the boxed set become available, we will let you know - at which point you will have the opportunity to order the number of copies you previously reserved (subject to availability). As a fall-back for you, we've also confirmed a reservation for you for the music only edition. That way, if we run out of the boxed set before we get to your reservation, you will still have the chance to buy the music only edition. We will send you another email with further instructions as soon as we've processed our existing orders for the boxed set - which we expect will take another two to three weeks. Interesting bits: - there's apparently a standby list for box sets - they suggest more box sets may become available, but I assume they refer to the situation where existing orders drop out - at least my music only set is reserved (althought that one does not seem limited, it's nice to get the message) - they need a few weeks to process orders. Hang in there!