• 2,627 replies
    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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  • Shadeyguy
    Joined:
    Got mine as well

    Got the shipping notice last night, due on Friday! Woo hoo!! The email said it could be delivered in multiple packages, I sure hope not!

  • Roguedeadguy
    Joined:
    SlowDogNoodle

    Good stuff man. "Stuffed me into a hockey jersey and telling one liners about my mother" 😂😂😂😂

    You should put those up on a blog. Probably no one would read it except us, but at least we could get to it without scrolling back through hundreds of old comments.

  • hbob1995
    Joined:
    Shipping notice

    I received my shipping notice yesterday. Delivery due next Monday 3/23. My birthday is 3/22 so what better present could there be? I was surprised to see that it was going to take 1 week when usually it is 2-3 days. But when I used the UPS tracking no. I saw it is coming from Cali so that explains it. I am very happy that hopefully they will now ship everything from Cali and control things better. After all, they could not have gotten much worse then the past couple of year's cluster fucks! I am VERY pumped for this one. Should be awesome.
    Rock on

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Be Well, Beer, and kindness

    Kid, be well mi amigo, hope it’s just a cold, watch your temperature!
    Beer, remember folks you can never have too much, but you can have not enough!

    Saw a waitress a few weeks ago wearing a shirt that said “kindness is cool” believe it was her uniform.

    Slow Dog, careful, the basterds are everywhere! Sounds like you need some high powered weapons. I mean good god man, if their taking your TP that’s bad enough, but your personal Rum stash! There’s not a jury in this land would convict a man for defending that!

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Ha..

    I have returned all the rum and parked a recently borrowed, fully stocked, refrigerated beer truck where the Benz and Beamer were parked.

    Well done Sir.

    Get better Cone Kid. Best of luck to all. Was watching the news in between calls today and a t-shirt caught my eye. "Don't Forget Kindness."

  • Sixtus_
    Joined:
    Beer Store Run

    ...also just got back from a beer store run. Seeing stuff about some cities closing down completely, i wanted to ensure I had the most important items ha ha. No, seriously. I'd cry if all of the beer stores were suddenly shuttered - it's not that far off people. Seeing mentions of potentially June/July/August until this darkness gives? That seems crazy at this point, but altruism is necessary and I will do my part.

    Bring on the box - similar to others, I am seeing a Friday delivery. Will make for a solid weekend of entrenchment.
    Hope folks are faring well and have a quasi-positive outlook.

    Sixtus

    P.S. Looks like Amazon has begun to limit shipments of only essential items in the wake of the wold events unfolding. $hit is getting real if it wudn't already!

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    I’m in real quarantine

    I have what appears to be a standard wintertime cold/flu (been sneezing for 2 weeks, so I knew it was coming). I don’t currently meet the criteria for Covid-19, but what bad timing.
    Now I’m really not allowed out in public.

    I slept for 12 hours last night, and woke up to dog puke on the floor.....but he’s good now, just ate a bowl of dog food. Now he’s harassing me to play outside but it’s cloudy and wet outside. This wouldn’t be all bad if it was sunny and warm, I could kick back in the sun and roast coffee beans.

    Fired up some quarantine tunes - 5-19-74 vinyl.

    Looks like my Box has departed Los Angeles with arrival scheduled for the 20th. Hope it gets here early, I have a lot of spare time on my hands.

    Fortunately I went to Sam’s Club about a month ago and have a pretty good stash of TP, and went to the grocery store on Friday and got 2 gallons of milk with 14 days to go on the date.

    Was going to stop at the beer store yesterday but there was a line in the parking lot because they were limiting how many people could be in the store at a time.
    I have 2 cases of various barrel aged stouts aging in the basement, and about 2 cases of various IPA’s, but really wanted another case.
    As a back up plan there is vodka, tequila, and rum (not yours Slow Dog) in the cabinet. My neighbor said he has 8 cases of beer so he could help me out if needed.

    Bring on the 76 marathon!

  • daverock
    Joined:
    This town...Ghost town

    I've just had notification that Faust's gig in London on 8th May has been postponed. I'm waiting now for similar notifications concerning shows by Live Dead 69, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets and the North Mississippi Allstars. Hopefully we will be back to normal by October when we have Deep Purple/Blue Oyster Cult and Patti Smith.

    But if you are healthy and not running out of money, social isolation isn't actually that bad. Just needs a change of gears.

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    A man walks into a bank wearing a mask....

    ....Everyone freaks out. "Relax" he says. "I'm just hear to rob the place."
    Sorry for your "loss" Slow Dog.

  • Slow Dog Noodle
    Joined:
    Quarantine - Day 2

    Dear Diary,

    Things have taken an unexpected turn for the worse here. Despite being well stocked with the absolute essentials, a note of despair has crept into the proceedings. I "awoke" to find a substantial portion of the rum stock missing, and a solitary bottle of hand sanitizer in the icebox behind two heads of cabbage and a grapefruit. I immediately deposited the sanitizer into the bathtub, cursing my own careless oversight.

    It was bit of a haze, but somewhere around the 13th or 14th mai tai - I believe in the middle of When Push Comes to Shove of that lovely '87 Giants Stadium show - I only remember fragments, but there was a hockey jersey being pulled over my head and someone was telling one-liners about my mother. I lunged towards the intruder, mai tai in hand, but age and idleness may have finally had their best of me. I was lying there on the floor, my bearskin cap barely perched atop my head, my only solace was the wad of toliet paper affixed to the ruffian's heel as he wheeled and flashed a wicked grin, pulling a sack of my hard-won 4-ply behind him. When i came to I was wearing a vegas jersey and my mai tai had spilled over the horribly rendered logo.

    As things stand my stocks have been severely damaged, but hope remains. We're just staring this journey, and having more hand sanitizer and toliet paper out amongst the proletariat must only serve the greater good of mankind.

    A hopeful message has arrived in the post and the wells fargo wagon is now expected to bring round a package any day containing a much anticipated boxed set. To rebalance my humors i put on 7-5-78. Thats all for now.

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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

 

Thanks! I was reading about this new Jimi box set release last fall and wondering if I should get it? I do have that Band Of Gypsies cd. With all of the Jimi live releases available it is hard to decide which ones to get? Yes the title: Songs for Groovy Children is kind of silly but for the others reading it is JH quote from these concerts and can be heard during one of the shows. It is cool looking box set. One of these days I will buy it and report back.

Stay safe everyone!!!!

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The mastering is the best I've heard and I've been listening to those shows since Band of Gypsys came out. The tapes do have a bit of buzzing during the quiet parts between songs, I'm guessing it's the amps buzzing. The thing that's great is you can really hear Buddy and Billy. On the "big" stereo you can hear each instrument and it has real depth.
That being said, there are some tracks missing. I've heard various reasons why. I guess some weren't recorded, some were mono, but I don't know for sure. Personally I think it's about time these recording got some TLC.

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Put on 6/10/76 and sat back and enjoyed. Song 11 is my favorite Mission In the Rain and it was perfect. You guys take care and try and be safe. We will ride this out. I am still working as deemed essential by the Air Force. Lots of controls in place for protection.
Good Luck
Drp Out

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Yes - if you dig live Jimi this is a must have box. Ignore the dumb title, the sound is magnificent. Ditto for the new Cream box. It's amazing that they waited until now to release both of these but both were worth waiting for. Like all this fantastic Dead coming out, analog to digital remastering techniques have never been better. In this sense, classic rock audiophiles have never been more fortunate.

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Hey Kids!!

Anyone have scans of the individual show covers from the June 1976 Box Set?

Mahalo

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8 years 4 months
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... absolute lay beautiful, just so beautiful!
I’ve been listening to 6/14/76 on repeat for days ; love it! Time to put on another show today! 🙏❤️😎💀🌹

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In reply to by LedDed

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The new Live Cream cds is another purchase that I've been eyeballin'? I have both Vol. 1 & 2 plus some bootlegs from DimeaDozen but the deluxe treatment with this official release is tempting.

And yes -- what took them so long?

Another band that I would love to see release more official live cds from the past would be Hot Tuna. I still can not believe that Hot Tuna does not allow on line tape/cd sharing of their concerts at DimeaDozen or anywhere. Please Jack and Jorma were only fans trying to scratch an itch!

Thank you! This website is amazing! Gary Larson, the Pynchon of comics, gets it.

Peace

Edit: That Pynchon reference was too good to pass up. Also, 76 "Let it Grows" with the drum solo?!?! Fuggin tight, bro!

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9 years 10 months
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...just ordered beer online for the first time ever...they deliver.
I don't know whether to be happy or sad.
Prolly both.

Gotta make due; the Soundtrack Beckons.
Up to 6/15 at this point...loving the vibe and *Oozy Groove.

*That would be a cool band name.

Sixtus

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In reply to by Sixtus_

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.....has a ton on live recordings on Spotify.

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8 years 11 months

In reply to by Vguy72

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Got this email from UPS which confirms that you can reroute a package if you have a My Choice account.

—————-

In these unpredictable times, you still have control of your package deliveries. With UPS My Choice®, you can tell your UPS Driver where to leave your deliveries, redirect your deliveries to another address, and receive notifications on when to expect your deliveries from UPS.

If you have a delivery location preference already set for somewhere other than your home, you can update it at any time by logging in to your UPS My Choice account using this link.

Link:
https://www.ups.com/lasso/login?returnto=https%3a//wwwapps.ups.com/ppc/…

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Got the June 76 today and so far it sounds great. Very Nice packaging but I have only one complaint. The book that came with it has no spine and will fall apart. It looks like this is a defect and hopefully not the way they designed it to be. Anyone else have this issue ?

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In reply to by Vguy72

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If you type 'Jimi Hendrix Songs For Groovy Children Missing Songs' into your search bar, you'll see the missing songs. I recall reading that upon listening back to the tapes at Electric Ladyland Studios, Hendrix was furious with Buddy Miles for his 'vocalizing' during the shows, and was the reason most of the songs were left off.

A quick listing: 10 songs total if you count 'Auld Land Syne'. 2 for each of the first 3 shows and 4 for the last show. All the shows were sequenced/re-sequenced in the correct running order according to 'Super Deluxe Edition', a Box Set website.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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So far I have not heard annoying “ya ya ya” guy.
I thought I did hear him very faintly in the background once. Maybe he is only on the FM copy which might have had some AUD mixed in, or maybe Norman did is a favor and removed the guy.

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In reply to by BennyBlack

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The subject has already been discussed below.
It’s designed that way so that it will lay flat when open.

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I've only listened to the first two shows, but had to post how impressed I am with the sound quality. It's amazing that a two-track tape from 44 years ago, stored in really bad circumstances, could be brought to life like this. Congratulations to the whole tech team and, of course, Betty.

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In reply to by Sixtus_

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Remember this moment.. March 21st, 2020. Thanks to Sixtus, this day marks the exact moment we realized we never have to leave the house again..

Great to hear about the sound quality. I knew three things when this release was announced.
1) I was going to get it.
2) Another 76 was not going to be universally accepted (the 76 groove thing).
3) I suspected the sound would be exceptional.

Happy Spring.

Listening to No Box Blues by Willie Poor Boy Jameson. Such a sad, sad song.

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Very nice show with excellent sound.

https://archive.org/details/gd1981-03-21.sbd.walker-scotton.miller.1067…

Set 1

Alabama Getaway-> Promised Land, Peggy-O, Me & My Uncle-> Big River, Tennessee Jed-> Little Red Rooster, Althea, Let It Grow-> China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider

Set 2

Jack Straw, Ship of Fools, Estimated Prophet-> Eyes Of The World-> Drums-> Not Fade Away-> Black Peter-> One More Saturday Night, E: Don't Ease Me In

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The spine on the book looks like a Coptic binding or some similar method (stitch-based, non adhesive). I think it was an aesthetic choice and not a defect.

Though I could be wrong. I have been before.

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In reply to by SkullTrip

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I must be one of the lucky few, my book has a beautiful hard cover, over the binding; inside the front cover is a bonus CD, and the back cover has a dvd of 6/19. Also included, a never published before recipe for head-cheese souffle.
S/N 04412

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Hi-dee-ho there Deadhead-o-roonies!

Sheesh Louise strange times! Love all the positiveness I’m reading here. Holy shit we are in the Matrix. I feel like we’re all reduced to ones and zeros. Anywho, more important digits: 09992 arrived yesterday. Numerology speaks to me and the triple nines say I will survive, and you two.

Giving it a proper listen this morning. I’ve had a penchant for ‘76 for a long time. Well, ever since the archive dot org opened. Sublimely recorded and oh so tight. It’s tingly to me. Fits like a warm hug. A well rested Grateful Dead, music halls, Betty, new material, what could go wrong? Nothing; well, except for the missing spine of the book. I overlook it. I’m in love with how it’s packaged. Neat; easy to get the discs in and out. Just like the (first) May ‘77 box. Ahhh, that May ‘77 box. So good! This box is fast moving up the ranks and contending with the top box(es). I know I know. We say that after each release (well at least I do). Gots me to thinking: hmmm, how would I rank thy boxes? Here is my top 10 list of Grateful Dead boxes and a drip of what I love about them. I only put what impressions came to mind first now that I’m reflecting on them. If I put in all my impressions, we’d be here for a while.

1. Thirty Trips- the sound is phenomenal; it's immense; covers a lot of ground...still taking it all in

2. Europe ‘72 - pretty much the gold standard

3. June ‘76 - made the top 3...I think it has staying power!

4. First May ‘77 - Jack a roe, my favorite two versions

5. Get Shown the Light - I like the mix...not at first, but it grew on me. Amazing shows!

6. Pacific Northwest - sound quality- I closed my eyes and I thought they were in my living room - long groovy jams

7. Giants Stadium - it’s the pinnacle of sound quality; I feel like I’m standing in the mouth of the beast

8. Fillmore West - sound quality and intimacy feel. Pigpen. Jerry’s voice quiver; Death Have No Mercy

9. Winterland ‘73 - 11-11-73 Black Throated Wind..bobby is just so soulful

10. Spring 1990 The Other One - Branford; sound quality is superb

Honorable mention: Warlocks cigar box - Darkstar, and some awesome Space

Cheers All!

....reminds me. I need to hug my wife. Off the next few days. On a rotational schedule at work. Long story, but when this is over, my grip on your hand, should you shake it, will be as if you're shaking Thanos's gauntlet. Look out.
Nice list.

I began ranking box sets and my mind imploded and my body was simultaneously transported to another dimension. Fortunately there's an internet here allowing me to post this warning:

Resist the temptation of trying to rank box sets. Much like time travel and nuclear weapons, it simply should not be attempted...

The sun has set, my front porch barren, the mailbox is empty. How dry I am.. how dry I'll be.. I checked my mail, no box for me.

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Play it as loud as you can!! It is basically a Jerry vocal solo. Holly shit... Minimal backing on first refrain, non on the second.. Wow.....

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Listened to the 6/11/76 show this morning, Bob T is right, that is an awesome Stella Blue, fantastic Eyes, the whole show was great. Listened to the 6/14/76 show this evening and wow, I like this one even better than the first two shows in the box. Great PIB, the High Time was sublime, the Crazy Fingers was all I'd hoped, those Dancing in the Streets have all been fantastic in this box and the one on 6/14 was no exception. The Help-Slip-Franklin's was stellar. I'm easy to please, but this box is proving to be one of my most gratifying purchases in a while. Really dig the laid back, mellow vibe to these shows and the sound is phenomenal. I guess I should wrap this up before I use all of the superlative adjectives that I can think of.

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Just got to Beacon Night 1 and my take through the 2 Garden shows is just THANK YOU. The sound quality is exceptional. You hear everyone right where they need to be in the mix. And the music throughout speaks for itself. Everyone is on point. And Dave might be right that Donna never sounded better. The Mission in the Rain from 6/10 had me in tears. This is straight up medicine while were all sheltering in place in Cali. Thanks to all involved. Its also a beautiful case. Stay healthy friends!!!!

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"8. Fillmore West"

I feel the need to counterbalance a sudden shift in the earth's axial spin:
1. Complete Fillmore West

Really, things are quite mad enough already!

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I agree with you Kate C, I would definitely put that Fillmore West box set at #1. I would also put that Winterland 73 box set in the top 3, it is fantastic!

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In reply to by Kate_C.

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Eight sided whispering hallelujah hatrack
Balance restored

Edit: I'd put FW high in the list. Nothing wrong with ranking box sets and releases, I just have a hard time doing it myself. ..There is one factor that comes into play, not everyone has the FW Complete Recordings Boxset.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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It is even worse than it appears but it is alright.......

30 years of the best live band ever. No contest.

Still no box, but don't forget the Winterland 77 Box!

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to see what condition my condition was in

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While being at home, apart from any essential food buying and medical needs, I thought it would be interesting to re-listen to ‘I am sitting in a room’ by Alvin Lucier. This is a fascinating piece where a simple set of words are slowly converted to an unintelligible drone by multiple recordings of the interaction of the sounds and the resonances of the room. Well worth a listen.
I’m also passing the time by reading a recent biography of the composer Michael Tippett by Oliver Soden. I haven’t finished it yet but so far it is very good. I also just finished re-reading ‘Beyond Jazz’ by Trevor Barre. This is history of the free music played in London 1966 - 1972. On first reading it got me back into listening to AMM, Spontaneous Music Ensemble and ISKRA 1903. Some stunning pieces of improvisation.
I look forward to the arrival of the boxset this side of the Atlantic soon. Keep well.

Seeing the reference to the book "Beyond Jazz" reminds me that the free music played in England between 1966 and 1972 is something I have always intended to investigate further, and so far haven't got round to. I believe early Pink Floyd and Soft Machine were influenced by this approach. The only cds, apart from the ones by the aforementioned bands, that I have got are by the guitarist Ray Russell...assuming he was part of this style.

I am re-reading Greil Marcus's "Mystery Train" recently re-released with beautiful black and white photographs by the Folio Society. Each chapter is focussed on an artist or band. It doesn't seem necessary to actually be familiar with the band in question to enjoy the book, as Marcus seems to be trying to identify and describe the moment when music bursts free from societal and formulaic constraints, to voice something new, exciting and slightly dangerous. Of the individual chapters, I am not sure how "The Band" fit into this paradigm...and I've never even heard anything by Randy Newman - apart from "Gone Dead Train" from the film "Performance". But its a good book.

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Yup, I m digging this box set too. The sound quality is top notch so much so that there are many nuances in the playing that I am hearing. So far 6/15 is my favorite show - I have listened to all but 6/19. I am partial to 6/19 as I have a lot of familiarity with it so it may still win out for me. Overall every show is good and there are highlights throughout.

Not to jump to far ahead, but I am really curious as to what the next box will be. I say this not out of impatience but because looking at those lists of box sets got me thinking. We have really been given many great box sets of peak eras that have excellent sound quality. Certainly there are more shows to pull from. I think the big question is that I wonder if they will stick with Betty Board sources or go another route. However this is just fun speculation as I am way too invested in the current box set.

Stay healthy and safe everyone.

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In reply to by daverock

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My own favourite album by Randy Newman is ‘Sail Away’. The song ‘Political Science’ is a very funny take on the Americanisation of the world with nuclear weapons. It also has the songs ‘Simon Smith and his amazing dancing bear’ and one I’d like played at my funeral (in the distant future obviously) ‘Old Man’ some of the lyrics are ‘Won’t be no god to comfort you, taught me not to believe that lie. you don’t need anybody, nobody needs you. don’t cry old man don’t cry. everybody dies’ That should go down well.
There is an anecdote in ‘Beyond Jazz’ about The People’s Band. They were asked to stop playing at a night organised by anarchists because they were too anarchic :-).

Very hard to do - but agree with Kate C as well -- Complete Fillmore West is at the top (or close to it) for me
I really like this June 76 box, so it may rise up the list a bit

My top 5 is probably:
1. Complete Fillmore West
2. Europe 72
3. Get Shown the Light/May 77 (tie)
4. Winterland 73
5. winterland 77

After that, I'd probably go July 78, June 76, 30 Trips, Spring 90 (first one), Pacific Northwest.
I think July 78 is really underrated

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I’d probably go for:
1 Winterland 73
2 Complete Fillmore
3 Europe 72
4 May 77
5 Europe 90 (first)

This may change according to mood and when June 76 arrives!

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Top one or two for me. The 1978 box would be way up on my list, as would Giants. PNW would be lower on my list.

Jim, please check your PM. I, too, have been listening to the "No Box Blues" you speak of. :)

Love Randy Newman.

I'll have to check out that jazz book. I've picked up a bunch of free jazz and British jazz of late.

A few days back, while extolling the virtues of 3/17/93, I mentioned that the next two nights were supposedly quite good as well. In checking my DeadBase, I meant to say that the 3/17-19 run from 1995 was the highly-regarded three-pack. I apologize for any confusion my error might have caused. :)

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That's easy, 1) Fillmore West the Complete recordings, 2)Europe 72 box, 3) Winterland 1973 box. If anyone doesn't have the Winterland 1973 box set, get it, it's fantastic! This order of course will change, when the complete recordings of April 1971 comes out.

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I can heartily recommend the Cream box. I've listened to the first three shows, at a generous volume, though not really loud. Similar setlists. But they stretch this way and that and at nearly anytime in any song, those boys are careening off each other in style. It is said, and probably true, that spring '67 might ultimately be their peak. But fall '68 is no slouch. The RAH show is said to be a major step down in SQ, but great playing. Probably hear it today.

As for live Hot Tuna, I recommend the recently released "Before We Were Them" by the Owsley Foundation. It's Jack and Jorma in summer '69 blasting away (and, I believe, opening for the GD), months before they went out as HT.

Crazy, just saw Jack and Jorma electric at Boulder Theater and they killed it. Jack in particular was rock solid, so when Jorma (about to turn 80 -- the new 50) flagged just a tad, Jack kept everything rolling and Jorma brought himself back up to stride. That was Feb. 29 and we were all aware of the virus but still oblivious on some level.

Well, two weeks later, I'm ticketed to see Los Lobos at Boulder Theater (Sat, Mar. 14) and by Wednesday prior I had made the executive decision not to go. The next day the band cancelled and rescheduled for October.

Tuesday, March 10, we were doing our weekly open mic at a local bar and the last song played (the bar shuttered afterwards) was "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett (1962). Everyone joined in the line "It was a graveyard smash" in our best ghoulish voices, while the women behind the bar did the high refrain of "the monster mash" over and over. The last real fun before things went to hell.

I recommend hitting YouTube for this song -- it might make ya smile.

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This box set is really good. The sound quality is incredible. In my opinion, the best sound of any of the releases. Everyone talks about 77. I think there's a better groove in 76. The band is tighter and in my opinion everyone is playing with more creativity.

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anyone else notice a lack of metadata on these 76 discs? seems previous releases had way more metadata. i put these in my laptop and the descriptions are minimal metadatawise. anyone else???

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In reply to by jamgol

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30 Trips and Europe are just so much larger, that is almost a different category. Even the difference between the 2-3 show (6-10 discs) boxes (Warlocks, RFK, Winterland '73 & '77) and the 5+ show (14-15+ disc) ones is pretty substantial for me (May '77, July '78, Spring '90s, Giants, PNW, this one).

For me, at some point, it just comes down to more awesome beating less awesome. It is why the White Album is my favorite Beatles album & Physical Graffiti my favorite Led Zep & Exile my favorite Stones.

So, Europe '72 and 30 Trips will always be tops for me. And Warlocks/RFK will always be bottom (RFK).

As for the middle. Fillmore '69 Complete or Get Shown the Light for me. Really a jumble for 3rd. Better sound with the earlier boxes and better variety with the latter ones.

I think I'd go "outside the box" (sorry, could not resist) and choose All the Years Combine. Is that off limits?

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For me it really depends on my mood at the time. Different box sets fit different moods. Having said that, FW '69 would be at the top of the list for that 2/27/69 Dark Star, just like Live Dead will always be at my favorite original album. That 2/27/69 Dark Star was instrumental in turning me on to the Dead in the first place, that whole Dark Star - St. Stephen - Eleven - Lovelight sequence was unlike anything that I had heard before. Once I discovered Live Dead it replaced most of the classic rock that I had been listening to on my morning ride to school on the bus.
Looking back it surprises me sometimes that the school bus driver didn't just drop a few of us off at the police station. There were about 5 or 6 of us that would just sit in the back portion of the bus and smoke bowls, carefully covering the bowl and discretely passing it around. I mean, we thought we were slick, we'd hold our hits for as long as possible to minimize the smoke, but it obviously must have reeked. Everyone else in the back of the bus knew, and in fact pointed it out on one or two occasions. And yet, nothing was ever said. But I digress, I was talking about box set rankings...

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There’s a lot of song repetition in FW69.
I don’t have the physical box, but do have a copy made out of digital ether. Also have 27,28 on vinyl which are made from Plangentized remasters. Thus, those who don’t want the FW Box rereleased are denying themselves a better sounding copy.
Personally, I think I like 11-10-67 and 2-14-68 better than the shows in FW69 (not that I don’t like FW69).
So Dave, bring on a 67/68 Box (after the 71 Box).

Don’t forget about the From The Vault Box which contains a remastered 8-13-75 and a third disc with FTV2.

Box speculation is fun. I agree with what others have said in the past, that ABCD Enterprises may have stipulated that the returned reels get priority treatment for release within a set time frame. ABCD is run by Deadheads, and they want the reels released just as badly was we do. I wonder how many copies of each release ABCD gets, and if they are unnumbered.

Jamming to 6-15 set 2 right now.
Sound quality on this release is spectacular.

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So one of the few Dead.net musical releases I do not have is the FW box. My embarrassing admission is that at the time when it came out, I was more into shows from 72-74 and 77. Because of that and my cashflow at that time to a somewhat lesser extent I passsed on it. I was wise enough to get the 3 CD compilation which surprisingly came with the bonus disc.

I had 3/1/69 on tape back in the day and the 3 disc compilation set so I am familiar with the shows. However seeing how highly regarded the FW box is on these lists has compelled me to make acquiring it my next conquest.

Looking at the secondary market the 2 most expensive releases to acquire are: the FW box aand Dave's Picks Vol. 1. Spring 1990. TOO, the Warlocks, Dave's 2-4 get up there on prices as well. Right now on ebay there are a few FW boxes sitting at about $500. Recently a complete FW with discs only (no box no sleeves, just the loose CDs) on an auction went for $200. A cheap price for Dave's Vol. 1 is $250. It would be hard for me to shell out 500 big ones for the FW box. Similarly I am not keen on paying $250 for Dave's Vol. 1. However if I could get the complete FW box for $250 (discs, box sleeves) I would do that. I might have to wait for a while as I am not sure when or even if I will find it at that price. It just seems like that box is the "missing link" for me.

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