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    clayv
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    During the mid-1970s, the Grateful Dead saga was unfolding like a Greek classic. The Sisyphean Wall Of Sound had nearly broken the band. From it spawned a Medusa head of countless side projects, all deliciously fruitful but woefully not the same as the whole. The chorus lay in wait, pondering the reemergence of their heroes, and wondering if "THE LAST ONE" had really been it...

    But in early 1976, Apollonian light and healing would shine upon our intrepid wanderers once again. No more epic battles for the people with cops and lines and tightness, the Dead would return triumphant in smallness, playing intimate theaters and renting equipment along the way. No more ticket scams and greedy promoters, they'd give back with first ever mail-order ticket program, one that had a few kinks to work out but eventually served the fans well.

    Musically, June 1976 signaled a Golden Age of harmony and prosperity for the Dead. It marked an Odysseusian-like return for Mickey Hart. Donna Jean was in lock-step with the sirens' call. Jerry and Bob delivered orphic delight with solo musings like "Mission In The Rain" (the only tour they ever played it on), "The Wheel," and "Cassidy," emboldened by group effort. There was fresh repertoire from Blues For Allah, breathing new life to the Dead's continually morphing sound - as Weir once said of the '76 tour, they wanted to play "a little bit of all of it." Old favorites were re-envisioned with cascading tempos and unique sequencing, making the crowd question if they'd ever heard these songs before. And there was comfort and joy in the familiarity of watching the band make it up as they went along. By all means, it was clear that the bacchanalia of live Dead would reign on.

    And now the revelry from this epoch, evidenced by the near-studio quality sound captured on two-track live recordings by Betty Cantor-Jackson, lives on, bolstered by Jeffrey Norman's HDCD mastering. It's housed for posterity in a handsome box featuring original art work by Justin Helton. It’s documented in liners by Jesse Jarnow and photos by Grant Gouldon. And it’s ready for a spot on your shelf. 

    As part of our pre-order for this Dead.net exclusive boxed set, we'll be delivering downloads of each listening party - one for each show included in JUNE 1976 - to purchasers from now until the March 20th release. Order at any time before release and you'll receive all the listening parties to date.

    Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 12,000

    What's Inside:

    • 5 Previously Unreleased Complete Shows On 15 Discs
    • Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA 6/10/76
    • Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA 6/11/76
    • Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/14/76
    • Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/15/76
    • Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ 6/19/76
    • Sourced from Two-Track Master Tapes, Recorded By Betty Cantor-Jackson
    • Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
    • Restoration and Speed Correction by Plangent Processes

     

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  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Re:

    Fivebranch.. well said.

    Sixtus, we are mutual fans of 4/16/78, Huntington WV. One of two times played the Mountain State.

    Ha.. if I had to keep just six Europe shows. Well.. I'd opt for the cyanide pill and be grateful for a life well lived. You can't limit yourself to just six shows from that tour, it's simply not possible.

  • FiveBranch
    Joined:
    my two cents

    So I’m finally getting around to throw out a few thoughts on June 1976 (Michigan's Stay at Home Order has made me oddly withdrawn from internet life as well... I guess I feed of external stimulus in ways I don't even realize). Hopefully I'm not repeating what has already been said!

    For the first set material, at times I found myself so absorbed by the nuances that I would briefly ‘forget’ what song they were actually on (jams in 6/19th’s Franklin’s and Tennessee Jed being memorable examples). And then some renditions are just executed masterfully, finding that perfect balance between structure and looseness (try 6/10th’s Cassidy, which is the first track in the box that I had to immediately listen to again). No doubt the clarity of the recordings helps tremendously to pick up the subtleties. Samson though took a few attempts before getting the groove dialed in (the 16th finally pulls it off but the previous are fledglings).

    For the second sets, my favorite GD shows are those where once the band steps up on stage, everything that follows rolls together as a complete performance and you would never want to skip or add anything. And you are starting to hear that in 1976 second sets. Perhaps it was the new momentum from Hart being back. I don’t think its coincidence that the last time they had this approach was back in the late 60’s. I honestly find ’72 – ’74 shows to be too long and I rarely listen to any front to back, as I do for shows from 1976 onward. Instead I look for great segments that can be lifted out for a splendid 80 minute sit-down.

    I was really looking forward to this release and its everything I hoped for. It captures such a distinct year for GD with Jerry’s new tone, the new songs, Hart being back, the fresh approaches after the hiatus. I’ll be returning to it a lot. If there was one song I wish they had in rotation though it would have been Bird Song. I’d love to know how that could have sounded seventy-sixed! I guess Crazy Fingers kind of filled that slot.

    [Side note: I’m a big fan of Aarhus, the jam after Truckin’ that eventually lands down into TOO is sublime, the entire Disc 3 is a great example for what I’m talking about above]

  • Sixtus_
    Joined:
    April Sixteenth

    As I am wont to do on this date, I've taken-in this bad boy today and I would like to encourage others to do the same. Would love to see this one some day, officially; it's among my personal favorites for a '78:

    https://archive.org/details/gd1978-04-16.sbd.miller.82273.sbeok.flac16

    Be Safe and Well, All

    Sixtus

    P.S. Aarhus ain't too shabby either, for a Sixteenth.
    Good one, Stoltzfus. I see what you did there.

  • stoltzfus
    Joined:
    Aarhus is very very very fine hus

    with two tour buses in the yard

  • sheik yerbones
    Joined:
    Hi Keith Fan

    I did exactly the same for Aarhus 16/04...and I love this show; I bought E72 à la carte, so a few shows are missing.
    if I had to save 6 lyceum 05/26 -Frankfurt 04/26 Tivoli 04/14 Paris 05/3or4 Amsterdam10/05 and Wembley 04/8
    (with good mention Rotterdam, Newcastle, Aarhus and underestimated Luxembourg)
    I found this interesting blog for Europe 72 ,
    http://bozosandbolos.blogspot.com/
    Now I am relistening the "small shows" Newcastle, and soon Hambourg, & Munich
    For June 76 Nothing on the shoreline...

  • fourwindsblow
    Joined:
    HDCD CD Player

    I use a Laptop with Foobar HDCD decoder witch allows me to cut the output volume even if peak extension is not enabled. This allows for more headroom and not brickwalled. Newer releases do not have peak extension enabled so it's good I still have the option to cut the output volume.

    Foobar HDCD decoded(halve output volume)to a USB SPDIF 24bit converter to a Marantz sr7005 DAC

    4/16/72 sounds pretty good I like these shorter PITB's they go far-out fast.

  • Lovemygirl
    Joined:
    1978

    Would Always welcome more 1978! 💀🌹

  • stoltzfus
    Joined:
    "Most of the time...

    ...we do songs to _death_."

    - Jerry Garcia

  • KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    The Dead in Denmark

    I am starting my walk through the woods with 4/16/72. This was the first Europe 72 CD I bought. I read it in the Rolling Stone top 20 list where it was noted that Donna was absent. This was a few weeks after I discovered Sunshine Daydream / Veneta and graduated from casual listener to hardcore DeadHead. In those days I didn't like the Donna vocals on Playing in the Band so I had two reasons to get this one first. I've done a 180 with Donna since then.

    This box that really is the gold standard. It was the perfect merging of excellent sound quality in excellent playing (not to mention great setlists). I really wish they had some multi-tracks from 1973, but I guess the closest we get is Winterland '73 box set. I always forget what the recording difference was on this one, but it's stated the liner notes - I believe it was wider tape at a faster speed + Plangent. Sometimes the mid-range comes through a little high, but that's what the equalizer is for.

    I really like Pigpen's organ chops on Sugaree. The whole Hammond / grand piano combination of PigPen pen and Keith is just sublime. Add Jerry's Stratocaster and Billy - I mean really, has anyone gotten more out of three drums than Billy? Okay maybe four drums. Donna was used just the perfect amount in my humble opinion. I think she was a little over involved in some of the post hiatus classics, but she's pretty much always right where she needs to be on this tour ( indeed, it's the last time you can hear Sunshine Daydream without her until 1979, boring that shows she missed during pregnancy oh, but you get my point). When Bobby was able to get his own screams down that song sounded incredible in 1971 and 72. This is actually the only show they didn't play it, come to think of it.

    This April 16th show is actually kind of an odd one for Rolling Stone to pick, considering there is no Dark Star and a very abbreviated The Other One. They really could have picked any show from this tour (I think they did pick Bickershaw as well in their list).

    My June 1976 t-shirt arrived. It's as good as it looks. It's cut and stitched like the Pacific Northwest t-shirt, which is a good thing. Excellent quality.

    I'm doing my Europe 72 run a little bit differently this year. After the full listen, I'm going back and replaying the highlights, which inevitably includes all of the Dark Stars and The Other Ones.

    I also have one of Doc's April '71 favorites queued up next - 4/8 at the Boston Music Hall. This is a great 15-minute Dark Star that goes into St. Stephen. My PhD is not in Dead '71, but I have noticed that the St. Stephens started rocking out after they dropped the William Tell section and the Mickey Hart. The instrumental outro that leads up to the "answer man" vocal is kick-ass, and some of Bobby's best chord playing. The first rule of 1971 is 1971 St. Stephens are not to be missed!

    Well it's almost time to work so I have to wrap up this walk which was all too short. Fortunately I don't live in the city or anything so I have not seen a single person. It's 45 degrees sunny and no wind. I'm surrounded by huge pine trees (which only fall occasionally) and the 4/16/72 China Rider is playing on my headphones. This is one of the best of the tour. Jerry and Keith are extra busy.

    June 1976 t shirt. You're going to want that cowbell. I feel like I'm on the Oakland A's or at least part of the Dick's Picks 33 album cover. Speaking of the Dick's Picks 33 album cover - do the last 5 seconds of the Breaking Bad opening credits evoke that album cover image in anyone else's head besides mine? There's something about the color and the drifting smoke the triggers the DP 33 imagery. Every time. Kind of like every time Jack Straw ends, I expect the opening chords of Franklin's Tower to start up; this is because Grateful Dead go to Nassau was one of my first Dead CDs.

    Strider88 - I saw your comment about the Gibson SG. It sounded like you actually saw the February 18th 1971 show at Port Chester? Did I catch that right? If so... I'd love to hear some stories about that one.

    With all the tape they use throughout their career to record the shows, it would have been cool if they had spent 60 Seconds after each set to comment about how things went. Okay maybe I'll just stop being greedy and be satisfied they recorded the shows at all. This was just an unheard-of practice. We're so blessed.

  • Deadheadbrewer
    Joined:
    HDCD

    Vikes, et al. Interestingly enough, the Marantz HD-CD1 does NOT decode discs encoded with HDCD format. Finding HDCD players is getting more and more difficult, unless one searches the used market for older equipment, or unless one spends boku bucks.

    After doing some research and trying some listening experiments on a Cambridge Blu-Ray player I purchased on EBay (ended up coming from a Head, who kindly hooked me up with stickers and shows when he saw he was shipping to "DeadheadBrewer"), I determined that I no longer care about HDCD. On the Cambridge one can choose whether the HDCD decoding is on or off, and I used the RFK box with its immaculate sound as a test to go back and forth. I'll be darned if my 50-year old ears can tell one iota of difference.

    So I learned to quit worrying about HDCD, and now just enjoy the music coming through the Maverick tube DAC (no HDCD decoding), which has a DAC that is much newer/better(?) than most DACs in older players that DO decode HDCD. A guy at a boutique audio shop told me that the new DACs are so improved as to render older "tricks" like HDCD meaningless. Your mileage may vary.

    As I mentioned previously, I also could not discern any difference between the SACD layer and Redbook layer on a DVD player that allows me to choose which version to listen to. And I "failed" a blind listening test I set up, whereby my wife randomly played me Mp3 and WAV files of the same song. I guessed which file it was five times out of ten.

    If HDCD makes a difference and someone can appreciate it, then more power to her/him. I've decided to never give another thought as to whether my equipment decodes it or not. Buy better headphones and speakers, and ignore nearly everything else is my new audio mantra.

    Be kind, rewind.

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6 years 9 months

During the mid-1970s, the Grateful Dead saga was unfolding like a Greek classic. The Sisyphean Wall Of Sound had nearly broken the band. From it spawned a Medusa head of countless side projects, all deliciously fruitful but woefully not the same as the whole. The chorus lay in wait, pondering the reemergence of their heroes, and wondering if "THE LAST ONE" had really been it...

But in early 1976, Apollonian light and healing would shine upon our intrepid wanderers once again. No more epic battles for the people with cops and lines and tightness, the Dead would return triumphant in smallness, playing intimate theaters and renting equipment along the way. No more ticket scams and greedy promoters, they'd give back with first ever mail-order ticket program, one that had a few kinks to work out but eventually served the fans well.

Musically, June 1976 signaled a Golden Age of harmony and prosperity for the Dead. It marked an Odysseusian-like return for Mickey Hart. Donna Jean was in lock-step with the sirens' call. Jerry and Bob delivered orphic delight with solo musings like "Mission In The Rain" (the only tour they ever played it on), "The Wheel," and "Cassidy," emboldened by group effort. There was fresh repertoire from Blues For Allah, breathing new life to the Dead's continually morphing sound - as Weir once said of the '76 tour, they wanted to play "a little bit of all of it." Old favorites were re-envisioned with cascading tempos and unique sequencing, making the crowd question if they'd ever heard these songs before. And there was comfort and joy in the familiarity of watching the band make it up as they went along. By all means, it was clear that the bacchanalia of live Dead would reign on.

And now the revelry from this epoch, evidenced by the near-studio quality sound captured on two-track live recordings by Betty Cantor-Jackson, lives on, bolstered by Jeffrey Norman's HDCD mastering. It's housed for posterity in a handsome box featuring original art work by Justin Helton. It’s documented in liners by Jesse Jarnow and photos by Grant Gouldon. And it’s ready for a spot on your shelf. 

As part of our pre-order for this Dead.net exclusive boxed set, we'll be delivering downloads of each listening party - one for each show included in JUNE 1976 - to purchasers from now until the March 20th release. Order at any time before release and you'll receive all the listening parties to date.

Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 12,000

What's Inside:

  • 5 Previously Unreleased Complete Shows On 15 Discs
  • Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA 6/10/76
  • Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA 6/11/76
  • Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/14/76
  • Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/15/76
  • Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ 6/19/76
  • Sourced from Two-Track Master Tapes, Recorded By Betty Cantor-Jackson
  • Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
  • Restoration and Speed Correction by Plangent Processes

 

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4 years 9 months

In reply to by Charlie3

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"Packaging for the individual shows is essentially the same as the first May '77 box and the July '78 box, again, nice colors on the packaging for the individual shows, and more detailed art on each one. "

Do the CD sleeves have the same layout like the May 1977 boxset? You have to be very careful how you remove the CDs out of the sleeves. I tore the edges on the sleeves slightly due to the tight fit.

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7 years 7 months
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The other spectrum from #00069. The binding is made this way to allow the book to lay flat as you read.

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17 years 6 months
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Mine came in today WOOT! I still havent listened to 2 shows from Giant's Stadium or the Dave's Picks yet

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5 years 2 months
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The Brown Truck just delivered my set. Can't wait to start listening! No: 10995

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Sounds great so far. Nice Sugaree on 6/10/76.
Nassau1985, the CD sleeves look like exactly the same layout as the May '77 box (and July '78 box), the only difference is the artwork on the sleeves.
JRF68, nice catch on the Dune reference.

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9 years 2 months

In reply to by caniol

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Traded in brewing for roasting.
Good decision, there’s a lot of good beer available out there.
Roasting your own beans also affords better coffee for a significantly lower price.

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7 years 8 months
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Lazer cat imperial ipa from medusa brewing co. Hudson,MA. Just starting the first disk.

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17 years 5 months
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Outstanding job. Binding of the book was an unexpected luxe touch. Sets the bar pretty high for the Live/Dead reissue. Can we hope for a 5.1 iteration?

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17 years 6 months
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north east ohio...digging some lazy lightning on a rainy day, and you can tell all smiles on the dancin' on the second boston show into nice music never stopped..ship oh and now this late set sugaree!!!

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15 years 1 month
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This kind of thing happens to me on a fairly regular basis, and I absolutely LOVE it!

Was listening to "Help On The Way" from 6/14/76 a few minutes ago. My dog was bugging me, so I got up to let her out, and noticed my wife watching news coverage of the coronavirus.

On the screen: a picture of one of our hospital ships with the words "Help On The Way" boldly emblazoned in red next to the picture. Chills, man!

I choose to take that as a sign of hope. Stay healthy, y'all.

....it does smell good. #2732 in my soap rubbed raw hands. I really, really needed this today. Thank you dead.net/rhino.
Will listen later. Watching hockey games on YouTube.

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10 years 11 months
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Upsman dropped it off at 8:15. Have hardly dug into it. Got one cd ripped and my Internet went out, have spent a couple hours on that, as I was watching a free String Cheese webcast of 12/28/18 with Sam Bush and Darol Anger, and wanted that to resume. The contents are gorgeous. Will check out the sound tomorrow. About to read the book. Hope everybody gets theirs in a timely fashion, especially with all that's going on, I know a little music would help salve the soul in these times. I hope Bolo's synchronicity moment is true and that it will get better soon. I fear the response was too slow and that the numbers will only increase as the numbers of people who are tested increases. I hope I'm wrong, and everyone stay safe.

I can't believe I sprayed the box with Lysol. What a different world we're in now...

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9 years 3 months
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Finishing up a first listen to 6/10/76 and my first impressions are all positive. The sound is great, hard to believe what they can coax out of decades old tape, and a testament to Betty's recording skills. Everything sounds nicely balanced, there is nothing that seems low in the mix or too prominent. The show itself is sweet, mellow, goo. It's nice and mellow without being at all low energy. While there are no super-long jams, everything has a nice jammy flow and everything sounded so good it's hard for me to say exactly what stood out more than the rest. This is probably something that would serve as a nice introduction to the Dead for folks. And did I say it sounds fantastic?

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In reply to by alvarhanso

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No Box For Me.
No box for me, god only knows where my box be...

You have to wonder if whoever painted help on the way on that mercy first aid boat was enlightened, or at the very least a deadhead. I say yes. Collectively, we do make a difference.

I used to hate the term deadhead, because.. of course.. there's lot's going on in between our ears, almost the exact opposite of dead.. I have grown to accept the term though and now view it as a compliment. More a token of intelligence and certainly not lack thereof.

Help on the Way on the Maiden Ship bringing first aid to those in need? Right on, prove to me a deadhead wasn't responsible.. and good luck with that.

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7 years 4 months
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One thing that is very unusual about this group of shows is that it's almost the same songs every night. There are way more repeats than any other box I've heard. I think they were easing into it after the long layoff and new approach to the music. Where is Bertha??? She really didn't come around no more!

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13 years 3 months

In reply to by okiedoke13

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on the packaging.

Did I miss the notice on Live/Dead? I thought they were just doing the studio albums?

Anywho, just got done with the first set. Sound is amazing. Show is sweet. I like '76. Weird sets. Kind of loping. They are figuring stuff out with Mickey back.

Also kind of cool that they are starting to release some of the FM shows. I THINK most of these shows were broadcast. In the past, they seemed reluctant to me. Perhaps this opens the floodgates ('71 late fall).

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In reply to by Butch

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The faster we go the rounder we get.. go back to 67, 68 or 69.. but I agree. They hadn't played together in a couple years and were rusty. The repeats were as much to get what they had rehearsed almost exactly perfect before they added new songs as anything else.

I think they played Sampson every night that year except once or twice. But look at the song selection from the Live Dead era. Much less diverse, but kicked extra ass to make up for it.

No Box For Me. :(

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13 years 3 months

In reply to by Butch

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There are some shows missing. That contributes some. The 12th, 17th, and 18th are missing. But even the back to backs have a lot if repeats.

Agree they are figuring stuff out, but also a lot of new material. New stuff got played nearly every night (Estimated in '77), and there is Blues For Allah stuff, Kingfish stuff, and JGB stuff all debuting at the same time.

Edit: 00744. I have the exposed binding thing as well. If it is not on purpose, it seems universal. Does anyone NOT have it? All discs save one firmly in place upon arrival. And that one looked pretty good. Hope it plays OK.

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8 years 1 month

In reply to by Jason Wilder

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Jim, sounds like you and I are in the same boat. Maybe Monday.

On a brighter note, and I don't often comment about too much outside the Dead, but here it goes, my brother was diagnosed with the virsus last week and had already recoverd on his own. Great news!
Stay well people and enjoy this music that sat in a storage locker, auctioned off to three different parties and saved by multiple unsung heroes. This one is to you!
Can't wait to get mine.

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13 years 5 months

In reply to by DeadVikes

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Great news. Glad to hear. Heavy shit.. glad he escaped, that's really lucky and great news. Eventually calamity from this monster will affect most here.

Still, great news.. worthy of celebration. What are we listening to or smoking/drinking? hehe.

Red Fox, Blue Sox, No Box for Mox.

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17 years 5 months

In reply to by DeadVikes

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....Candyman. Highlight. re; only made it through Candyman so far.
I started with this show first, because I heard it was pretty good.
And I'm feeling fine 🤞

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Thanks Jim. We have to get through this and we will.
Just really crazy times......

Aged rum tonight. Not the cheap stuff, bit not crazy either. Just good.

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13 years 2 months
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In these days of self-isolation it is great to take a break from the news and telecommuting (which is for the birds!) and scroll through the comments. I especially enjoy reading what you are all spinning.

As I write I am listening to Pat Metheny's latest, "From This Place", for the umpteenth time since I picked it up a few weeks back. The players he has assembled here—Linda May Han Oh (bass), Gwilym Simcock (drums), and the amazing Antonio Sánchez (drums)⁠—are unmatched in their ability to listen and respond to each other and their leader. (Little wonder as they had been touring together for a few years before stepping into the studio.) While the orchestrations may put off some of the jazz purists out there, to my ears this is one of Metheny's best since the height of the Pat Metheny Group.

But enough preaching! Here are the other 4 of my last 5:

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis: "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" soundtrack
Bob Dylan: "Good As I Been to You"
Good Old GD: "The Warfield: October 9th and 10th, 1980"
Patti Smith: "Peace and Noise"

Stay safe everybody. "We will get by!"

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7 years 10 months
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I arrived home from work yesterday to find #2266 waiting for me in its precious little box. Beautiful packaging. The folks in Rhino's art department continue to stun with their brilliantly executed concepts.

The slower tempos remind me of Dead & Company. The band are clearly listening to each other throughout these shows, something that would sadly disappear soon enough.

Anyway it's all burned into the master hard drive now and will inform the rest of the weekend. Thank you, Dave, Rhino, UPS, and... the Good ol' Grateful Dead!

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13 years 7 months
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76 is some damn fine drinking coffee, making bacon, chillin' at home on a Saturday morning Dead! Almost through 6/10 (in the DEEP of Playin') and I have to say, this box tickles my fancy both song-wise and sound-wise. Sure, there are a lot of repeats, but thankfully, I am a fan of all the songs! Now, a late 90s box with multiple "Wave to the Winds" and "Libertys" - not so much. Still, I'd probably buy it :)

Wash yer hands, ya filthy animals, and stay safe!

Peace

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12 years 1 month
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Kenny Rogers dead at 81. Not really of fan, but you got to know his songs AND if you're old enough you'll remember his Quick-Pickin' & Fun Strummin' Home Guitar Course!

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Vikes--good to hear about your brother! Maybe today is the day us Mini-Sotans get our box?

Kenny Rogers--Double bummer. Today is the day a bunch of us were to gather in person for the 32nd year of drafting our fantasy baseball teams. Long story, but the gist of it is that we have a tradition of singing "The Gambler" each year as part of the silly fun. Can't believe that I woke up feeling cruddy about not having Draft Day, then hear about Kenny. Okay. You needed a diversion, so here's the long part. There used to be a major-league pitcher by the name of Kenny Rogers. He was a real decent pitcher for quite a while, and one year, as we auctioned off this pitcher, someone started singing "The Gambler." One by one, we all joined in. Each year thereafter we would intentionally sing that song when we auctioned off that pitcher. After Rogers retired, we named the draft portion of the day "Kenny Rogers Ultimate Draft" (KRUD), so that we could invoke that name and sing the song. We have had a lot of odd looks from servers over the years as they walk into our party room while we are singing. By the time we're simply drafting players, we have reached the crud of MLB. (still fine players and human beings . . . )

Jim--sounds like we've gone opposite ways with our brewing! I did all-grain forever, then quit brewing when my sons were young. When I returned to brewing a while back, I did mostly steeped grains with extract. The secret is--DON'T BOIL THE EXTRACT!! My first batch back (E.S.B.) was done that way, and it took Best in Show at the MN State Fair competition (700 entries!). Shortly thereafter my wife and I cut way back on our alcohol consumption, so I decided to start making 1/3 batches--1.75 gallons. So now I usually bottle, given that there are only about 16 bottles per batch.

Carlo--kegs are expensive, and I have too many. Maybe with some donations by you to some funds set up recently to keep musicians and bartenders solvent in these trying times I would just send you some . . . Let's think about that, eh?

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In reply to by Deadheadbrewer

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Uuuuugggghhhhh, Box was “out for delivery” at 10:30 at the local UPS just a mere 5 miles away.....then log said “delivered at 7:24 pm”.....NOT!, no box! WTF? All vey strange as we get all our stuff at the PO, that’s how it was addressed? UPS tracking did have a weird log before “out for delivery”: “apartment or address changed”? WTF?
Funny thing is a truck did stop across the street at about that stated delivery time, but we asked them if they received the wrong package, but alas no.
Also went to the ole ladies place of business because once they somehow delivered something there that was supposed to be PO. Not sure how they figured that, perhaps because she receives a ton of packages for work they just knew.? It is a pretty small town.
Spent hours on the phone last night on hold, never even got a person!
Of course it’s saturday, or I’d go to the local place. Went there last night after the first round of waiting on the phone, said fug it and drive over....”it’s on a truck, they haven’t been to the post office yet, so it will either be dropped there, or it will get delivered, but not sure which”? Huh? I should have asked about the “address change”....idiot!
So yeah, not to be a bummer, but looks like this lil buckeroo is not getting a box, at least not anytime soon. And of course there’s talk the Governor is going to shut the state down Monday so that means no going to the local shop,
Uuuuugggghhhhh! I’m really starting to freak out, it’s like everyday it’s something else. Am I cursed? Am I the victim or the crime? Yee-gads.
Anyway, don’t mean to let my shit wind foul all yalls parade. Sounds like a real Bobbie Dazzler! Enjoy Onward Mates! Through the fog...

DEADVIKES: glad to hear your Bros ok! On top of feeling so shitty, psychologically it has to be brutal.

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This is how I prefer to remember Kenny Rogers. Not much on country, hate it, in fact. Plus, the dearly departed Mickey Jones was on drums for New Edition. When Levon Helm quit touring with Bob Dylan and The Band due to the boos, Mickey was the replacement, and became a great character actor. Kenny was a decent actor. Never got to try his fried chicken, but it made for a helluva Seinfeld. Sail on to your Island in the Stream, Kenny.

https://youtu.be/AULOC--qUOI

https://youtu.be/K3z6qjM4chw

Also, thank you to the Coen Brothers for using this song so perfectly in The Big Lebowski.

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Got lost in that very deep and Spacey Playing in the Band, only to have it aided out of the cosmos and to a very interesting transition into Dancing in the Street. Love me some disco Dancin. Especially these early nuggets, before the Wawa, having tons of fun with the two drummers. Super-solid show out of the gate for this box. And I can actually finally hear Jerry beautifully. Prior copies of mine of this had Jerry way down, almost inaudible in the mix.

Peace and resilience to everyone out there and hang in there, those who have delivery woes.

Tomorrow will be Sunday
Born of rainy Saturday.

Sixtus

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Just reported for duty.

I had a panic for moment when I thought the 1st disc was defective. My laptop CD drive wasn't reading it. But I think its more a problem with my CD drive --- its taking forever to read and spin up the discs. But they work eventually.

Spinning a Chuck Berry record while ripping the discs. 6-10 is on deck.

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Are the individual CD covers available somewhere? Would like to use them for iTunes but haven't found them.

noticed the cover of the last show is different, with hands...

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15 years 10 months
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The booklet that came with the June 1976 box set says the Boston Music Hall shows had intense security. Pat downs, dogs, "the tightest security this side of Los Alamos". Seriously? I was there for two of the shows and so ZERO cops. People running around shouting "acid for sale, acid, get your acid" and waiving sheets of acid. Literally the LEAST security I have EVER seen at a concert. Why the odd discrepancy? Weird.

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Started the box with 6/11, since it's someone here's favorite show(Sixtus? Stoltzfus?? I forgot...ends in "us")
Fantastic sound right off the bat, and great, dreamy playing; LL/Supplication on right now, everybody's dialed in and
at the top of their game.

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Nothing like a global pandemic to enable me to laugh off the "next week" expected arrival of the '76 box...

And I do have quite the pile to get through before then:
Cream '68 Farewell box
Dylan '66 box (yes, STILL WORKING THRU IT)
Dylan, Travelin' Through (w/Johnny Cash tracks)
GarciaLive #12
Hendrix BoG (takin' my time)

And, let's face it, major re-listening opportunities: PNW '73, ABB '71 & '73, The Band (and excellent Woodstock set) and a few hundred officially released GD shows, not to mention the hard drive with hundreds more Charlie Millers from ForensicDoc ...

My M.O. for new material, as in DPs etc, is one good listen, then onto the shelf they go. That way, when I pull them out for the long-delayed second listen, they're really fresh -- I get two good jolts from each release. Alternatively, I copy my favorite songs for the long drives into the backcountry. Typically that starts in ~2 weeks but is certain to be delayed this year. Although, talk about social distancing...

Also, I am fortunate to own (and know how to play) three really nice acoustic guitars (a flawless 15-year-old Martin D35, a battered 45-year-old Mossman and a new-ish acoustic-electric Taylor) and, on the electric front, a Strat, an SG, a 1964 Gretsch 6120, etc etc. (meaning, I'm not listing the other five).

So on the last two days of snow and cold here in dear old Colorado, I'd build a fire (in the wood stove, but that may change) and sit down with a healthy serving of Jameson and an extra large spleef (early: Sativa, later: Indica -- JimMD DID ASK! a few pages back) and my how the time flies! Then it's on to the super-terrific "The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen," who was -- to those of you who don't know -- an early expert at delightfully cheesy science fiction animation/special effects. (More Indica indicated here, towards midnight). Edit: only a matter of time til I turn to the stash of Rolling Stones vault videos, except the ones in which Mick wears too much makeup...

Rest assured that I know no one could possibly give a hoot what I'm doing but as I live alone

I HAVE TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE MYSELF FROM MYSELF. So here I am, reporting in! Note: just a tad early to hit the pipe just yet....

More bad news: the longer this shut-down goes, the more likely you will be subjected to more GD concert reminiscences......... so the worst is still ahead!

Seriously now (*rimshot*) stay safe, check on your neighbors (but carefully), be patient. It's good to know this twisted little community is out there, somewhere..............

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What a great day! It sounds like everyone is really digging this new box set. I glad, but not at all suprised, 1976 is one of my favorite years for the Dead. My box set may come on 3/25/20, but no rush, all good things in all good time.

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Don't know how many here are fans of The Far Side, but Gary Larson started putting them online back in December, and he does a Daily Dose of a couple to several cartoons from across the years, as well as special features of several grouped together. As I'm about to rip 6/11/76 disc 3, I pop the disc in and go to thefarside.com for my Daily Dose, and the first cartoon matches up with the Samson & Delilah that's now emanating from my speakers.

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Yep, 6/11 takes My Cake and has been a long-sought after relic; I had even emailed Dave at one point many years ago to which he confirmed that it was among the missing Betty's at the time. But how happy he would be if one day it was able to be released.
Here we are, folks.
Super awesome special in my eyes. Any of those Betty's seeing the light of day again is A Miracle.

Sixtus

P.S. This Eyes. The first 6 minutes are pure Bliss. Who's playing lead? Phil and Jerry contend and spiral for position; there are various movements, dips and cresendos. The groove Moves In and Out until utter coalesceance.

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Thanks! Ya can't be too careful.

If I got this virus I would be opening a vastly different box.
The upper respiratory is bad all I have left is the lower.

Along with Calvin and Hobbes, arguably the two best comic strips ever created.

I purchased the complete collection of Calvin and Hobbes. Read it to the kids every night when they were younger. The Far Side was a but too advanced for them. Both are classics.

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I bought the flac high def download. One 27.3 GB file. As far as I can tell, it's complete and sounds fantastic. It's going to take a while to listen to all five shows. No electronic booklet. The box set looks great, but I don't need no more physical CDs!

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So here we have the most complete (still lacking two songs, I believe) version of the two-night, four-show BoG over New Year's '69-70. It was created from the master reels that Paul Allen owned, so I believe the SQ will never get better. There seems to be some controversy over the song sequencing. Add in the fact that the shows were decidedly uneven -- despite massive rehearsing, Jimi went for songs they hadn't mastered, displaying his willingness to take risks and fail. But at least two-thirds of this box is mind-blowing Jimi, with soul backing of Buddy and Billy. It has all kinds of warts (Buddy getting too vocal at times) but you cannot beat Jimi Hendrix at the Fillmore East.

So if you dig Jimi, get it! My opinion is highly personal ("hendrixfreak," right?), but based on purchasing the BoG LP when it came out in '70, then literally about 25 discs of BoG boots and all official releases over the years of the shows and the rehearsals. The new box, Songs for Groovy Children (horrible title), is the version to end the collecting saga in this particular instance.

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