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
Charlie3, “The Friday Song”
WLAV 97 in Grand Rapids, MI used to play that song at 5 pm every Friday.
Don’t know if they still do.
Icecrmcnkd
That's funny, I first heard the Shanty song by Jonathan Edwards when I lived in Syracuse and they used to play it on the radio every Friday afternoon. I'm a day early.
Charlie3 & Hendrixfreak
WRKI 95.1 in Brookfield has been playing the Friday Song at 5:00 pm every Friday for as long as I can remember
Hendrixfreak, I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about the size of the theatres and the sound. Donna sounds great in this box! She always said the problem for her in the stadiums was that she could not hear herself. After all, this girl backed Elvis and many other stars at Muscle Shoals so you know she could sing well.
Rock on
Perithecat
Dicks Picks 19? Peritheperhaps my favorite release so far. It speaks to me.
Man.. not to digress, but the hardest thing about sheltering in place is I can't just scratch my face. Am I the only one that gets a gdamned itch on my face about once every hour..
Deep breaths.. pick a show Stella Blue or To Lay Me Down (scratch that last one).. a great Stella Blue. 6/18/74 is tasty.
My God
I touch my face.. like 19 times an hour. And the more I think about it... well, if I never post again it's because my nose or eye itched.
The funny part is, I do wash my hands a lot, but my son doesn't and never will (honestly he's much better, but what can one expect from an 11 year old). The best I can say is we are all in this together. Peace and best wishes to all. This space is a salvation for many, music heals.. as does kindness and compassion.
Does anyone on this thread like smoking hot 1984 GD? Doing a palate cleanse with Augusta. Twisted I am..
Tomorrow is perhaps the last day of paid work I have until well, we break on through to the other side. I'm fine as is my family, so long as no one gets sick... be safe all, follow the rules and wash your hands.
Play dead, don't panic, be careful, follow the rules and be safe...
Well the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry anymore.
JIMINMD/ smoking hot 1984 Dead
I think when you talk 1984 Dead, you start at 7/13/84 and work back from there. I was there and it was cool, also I remember the Ventura shows being pretty good that year , if my memory serves me well.
Ventura 1984
I remember now, we rented a car and drove down to Ventura. Someone put a sign in the back window of the car that read Ventura or bust with a little Dead sticker on it. Sure enough, just after passing through Salinas or Santa Maria we were pulled over by the police. Bird, who was driving got out and talked to the policeman, she was a real charmer . The officer never came up and looked in the car, if he would've, we would have been in a world of trouble.
BB Boogie - Spring 72
Hendrixfreak...can't stop with the stories? Why even try ? I don't hear anyone complaining. I also saw B.B King in 1980, and several times throughout that decade. He was the first real bluesman I saw, and it was immediately apparent how different he was from the flashy, white, guitar driven blues rock bands I had seen up to that point. Apart from the Stones, I had never seen a band with a horn section before, and the whole presentation was completely different from what I was used to. I also remember the rapport he had with the women in the audience, shouting out comments to them, and getting back as good as he gave. It also became apparent quite early on that he was infinitely better live than his 1970s studio albums suggested he was going to be. A great personality, too. I was sitting at the front, and I can still see him in my minds eye, roaring, with no musical backing at all, "I've got a mind to stop living,"...the hall was completely silent...and he followed it with a quieter.."...and go shopping instead" , and there were a few chuckles round the hall. I had never heard this before, and I was spellbound.
Grateful Dead...who are they? Tumbling out of my speakers at this very moment, since you ask. If there is a better way to start the day than with a first set from Europe 72, and a better way to end it than with the second, I haven't found it yet. Newcastle 4/11/72 playing now. Last night the set ending Dark Star through to Saturday Night at Wembley 4/8/72. That 3rd cd of the show must be one of the best cds of live Dead I have.
1984
10/14/84
Hartford Civic Center - Hartford, CT
Set 1: Disc 1
Alabama Getaway
Greatest Story Ever Told
Dire Wolf
Little Red Rooster
Dupree's Diamond Blues
My Brother Esau
Loser
New Minglewood Blues
Row Jimmy
I Need A Miracle
Might As Well
Set 2: Disc 2
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider
Samson And Delilah
High Time
Filler from 10/15/84
Set 2 Cont: Disc 3
Estimated Prophet
Eyes Of The World
Drums
China Doll
Throwin' Stones
Not Fade Away
Turn On Your Love Light
Dave played this show on the GD channel a while ago. One day this will be a Dave's picks.
Getting closer.
Tracking update - 2 April: Package arrived at international carrier in the Netherlands.
So it has made it across the pond. Next onto the customs shed, I guess.
1984.. I agree with Billy re 7/13/84
When i think of that year 7/13/84 jumps up first in my head. Big fan of the Scarlet>Touch>Fire combo!!! I also have to say for me that is an underplayed year in my rotation.... and honestly I don't know why. still raining in Rhode Island!!! bob t
Russia
Someone brought up a Russian documentary earlier in the week. Have not seen it, but I did just finish The Brothers Karamazov last night. The absurdly difficult names and rambling prose made it a challenging read for me. Nevertheless, it was an outstanding book and well worth the effort. Right up there with Crime and Punishment in my top five books, although I give a slight edge to the latter.
With our new normal and all the extra free time, my next project is to finally read Catch 22. Any thoughts from those who have read it? I bailed on Moby Dick given so much negative feedback from people.
On a similar topic to Catch 22, M*A*S*H was also brought up. One of my all time favorite sitcoms. At least the first three seasons until Henry and Trapper left. After that, Alan Alda took on too big of a role. Was never a fan of his. He is part of the reason Henry and Trapper left.
Regardless, Five O’clock Charlie and the Army Navy Game are superb. The unexploded bomb in the compound is one of my all time favorite sitcom scenes. Right up there with the Thanksgiving Day turkey drop from WKRP. As god as my witness . . .
GD84
please Dave...there must be another SOMETHING from that year that is a candidate for release
7/13/84: a _very_ significant day in my life. Me, my friend Mike who turned me on to the GD in 82, and another guy drove up through the Central Valley from LA during the day, and...:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
after that, 7/14 and 15 were let downs. Plus, my friend wanted to leave before the JBG encore. Me being the pu$$4 I was at the time, left. Wish I woulda stayed. At least he didn't want to leave before the encore on 7/13.
Ventura was fun, but I didn't truly appreciate the shows until I heard the recordings later on.
C'mon Dave...GD84!!!
Shanty
I know I didn't begin hanging with the properly "cool" kids until later in my college years, but how have I made it the 28 years since without hearing this song?! And I even play Edwards' "Sunshine" on my guitar . . .
My first listen to "Shanty" sounded good on the Vanatoo Transparent Zero computer speakers that arrived yesterday. I usually have the computer running through the very decent stereo, but thought I would try these deluxe self-powered speakers for when I want to take the laptop or Cowon portable music player around the house or out to the patio. After running "While You See a Chance" through the Vanatoos (that's my first-ever favorite song, so I've always played that first through any new audio equipment (Arc of a Diver is a lost classic album . . . )), I next put on "Mission In the Rain" from the first disc of the new box. Pretty sweet . . . LOVING this box; the design, the book, the sound, the music . . .
“The Friday Song”
Happy Friday Deadland.
4/20/84
It's fantastic - just sayin'
https://archive.org/details/gd84-04-20.sbd.miller.27775.sbeok.flacf
A Scarlet > Fire for the AGES; rollicking Cumberland, a One-Two gut punch opener of Stranger/Cold Rain & Snow, MAssive Let it Grow; killer Dew.
C'mon Dave
Be Well on this umpteenth day in the 'teen
Sixtus
Arc of a Diver
Good album, great song, Spanish Dancer always clicked for me on that album too. And yeah, Sunshine is a great tune by Jonathan Edwards also, knew that one from the radio long before I heard Shanty. I picked up his self titled album recently just for Sunshine and Shanty but the whole album was pretty pleasant on a first listen.
Rosey Red and Electric Blue
Absolutely lovin' this box! Wonderful sound and beautiful box! Love me some '76. Stay safe all you beautiful heads!
*Re/ Deadvikes
... greetings my brother wishing you and everyone else a grateful day and weekend peace be with you all be safe don’t forget to smile smile smile , the best meds ever made; love!❤️🙏😎💀🌹💀🌹
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR1hmRF1RNqCWwiMI1_j4YhDPKkff3xlU_…
Catch-22
Fine choice, AJS. Catch-22 is one of the greatest works written by an American. Its hilarious, and brutal; ridiculous,and all too real. Its hard to top for spotlighting modern institutions and bureaucratic nuttiness. M*A*S*H borrowed from it heavily.
7/13/84 and 4/20/84 are both killer shows. I've got a nice soundboard of 4-20 if anyone needs it for a special occasion coming up in about 17 days. I think we need a "4 seasons box" -- a winter, spring, summer and fall show from the same year. Those two have 84 half-covered.
Two tough RIPs in the music world this week. Ellis Marsalis, and Bill Withers. They're doing a Bill Withers tribute on WXPN's Funky Friday right now. Lots of great tunes that I didn't know were his.
One More Saturday Streams
Man have I been enjoying the One More Saturday Night free streams from mugs, https://nugs.tv/free/?showID=231
Big Dead & Co fan, and tomorrow night they are playin' Eugene from 2018. This was not only the best show of the tour, it is the best show of the entire Dead & Co catalog, trust me on this. Get a pizza, some nugs, and stay home and watch people, you won't regret it.
He's The Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge
This is where Will Smith got the sample for Gettin' Jiggy Wit It. I know everyone was very concerned about this so I wanted to pass this important information along.
Phil's DS tease?
About 7:58 into the awesome NFA from 6/15?
Love this box with headphones! Perfect to block the noise from my wife's constant online meetings, too.
RIP Bill Withers
Dude was one of the greatest songwriters and singers of all times. Dicked over by the record industry that wanted to tell him what to record, and his first record company went under which prevented him from releasing anything until he signed with Columbia, who were telling him what to record and not approving songs he had written. The guy wrote great songs that have remained classics, and yet these A & R men tried to tell him his songs weren't good enough, and he should cover Elvis. Think of how many songs he would have written if not for idiots in suits. He retired in 1985. 35 years of life experience that he could've put to music...
Ellis Marsalis I know through his children and many of his students, and his appearance in documentaries. Amazing what kind of outgrowth one person can have through the joy of music.
And in the joy of literature as well as I see references to the brilliant Catch-22. Yossarian lives!
Boston Disc 2 is pure magic…
Boston Disc 2 is pure magic. In this time of great uncertainty, a front porch listen on a cloudless South Carolina evening is just what the doctor ordered. It’s so tight, it’s practically orchestral. Good stuff!
Bill Withers, Phish & TTPA
Bill Withers one of my earliest music influences. I can still remember singing Lean On Me in grade school music classes. I don’t play piano but that is one tune that I can still finger pluck on a keyboard. Spinning Just As I Am Now....what a beautiful record all the way thru! RIP Mr Withers, just do what you do, and do it good!
Ironically, I thought I heard some of Bill Wither’s soul in Phish’s new album Sigma Oasis. Had my first listen this mornin and couldn’t help but to listen two more times. Love it!....check it out if you haven’t had the chance!!!
Hope all you Dead people are doing well and staying safe! Doing our best here!!! Toilet paper is low but everything else seems to be holding out ok with the occasional visit to grocery or liquor store. I did manage to get 4 rolls of the sandpaper variety yesterday which made me feel very lucky. Mrs KC has officially named this pandemic “The Toilet Paper Apocalypse”.
Keep Clean and Carry On
KCJ
Groovin’ on the couch
3-25-72% part of DP30
Bo Diddley backed up by Grateful Dead......
6/14/76 set II was my favorite and still is
After this box set... Disc 8 and 9 for me will be like 11/11/73 disc 3... The Wheel... High Time... Crazy Fingers.. Cosmic Charlie... Help>Slipknot Franklins... and the end of the first set Playing in the Band thrown in for good measures.. I like the other shows but I can tell which show I will play many times through out the years... bob t
Jerry and Bill Graham
Crazy times and very tough times. Hope you all are well. Had to put on The Grateful Dead Movie tonight. Needed to see Jerry and large crowds! How cool was
Jerry, the Dead and Billl Graham. I just loved hearing Jerry talk. He was the best, so cool. "Hey, I know man, that would be the hippest." I remember in the late 80s, early 90s, the band and McNally wanted Jerry to issue statements to us, telling us to stop camping and partying. He would not do it. Stayed that way until the end.
I hope when we come through the end of this crap that Dave and Rhino rethinks their 40 year release schedule.
We are so fortunate to have all this unbelievable music.
"Bottom line of the whole scene, there is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert".
Stay well folks and I hope the Dead can get us all through this tough time.
Last Five movies....
....i have one. The Thing. 1982. There are very few scenes that still make me cringe. But when Doc gets his arms bitten off still gets me. Great movie. Almost perfect. Currently watching. Fuchs is about to get assimulated. Nice.
Europe 72 (again) Black Mirror
There are so many epic moments in every show that its easy to overlook the great way the band feed off each other during the blues and country inflected first sets. Keith's piano solos in Chinatown Shuffle-4/14/72 - on the go now -were great. The music starts opening up during the first sets too - these Playing in the Bands are among the best ever played.
"Black Mirror" is another TV series worth looking out for. Science fiction set about 5 days in the future.
Stay Healthy
I’m not a regular blogger, but since #4941 just made it across the threshold this week, much gratitude to all who got this to me in these trying times, with so many more important things on the front burner. I’m only just wading into it for a bit, but thanks to all on this blog who have posted their thoughts on the box set, including the extraordinary sound. I don’t know what it is about the Dead, how you can hear these songs a million times plus one, but that new version you have never heard before just adds that little nuance to the overall enjoyment!
A shout out to Jeff Smith too who kindly posted great reproductions of the covers, for all of us that load these to computers and devices.
This is perfect to help sooth “The Shining”-like moments we all must feel as we self-isolate. I’m grateful too that the weather has turned to biking, and I was smart enough to get mine tuned up before the cold rain and snow left. I’m grateful, too, my sons - one 2,800 miles to the west - are still working, as is my wife, albeit in an empty Toronto office, which she says is surreal.
I was in a large hospital for a semi-annual MRI for my cancer very recently, and I have been in this place at all hours of the day and night, and it is usually like Times Square at it’s quietest, but this time it had an eerie atmosphere. Waiting rooms, usually bustling, had seating alternately taped off to allow social distancing, were virtually empty. Most folks ambling through the hallways had masks and gloves, and it had a distinct pallor through the place. To call it Twilight Zone-like doesn’t do it justice. More like the world portrayed in On The Beach.
Regardless if we bow our heads to the Almighty, Buddha, Jerry Garcia, or no one at all, special thanks to all the front line health workers and essential staff (and this includes all the folks in trucking and cargo getting the vitals from A to B) who have given a new meaning to The Greatest Generation, 2020 Edition.
Stay well, everyone, and again, how great to have this amazing music still ringing in our ears. Long live the Dead!
About that 40-year schedule, DeadVikes
I must have heard it wrong, but I thought Dave L referred to a 20-year schedule for DaPs and boxes. Even 20 years, at my age, is a losing proposition. Allah willing, I'll be 63 this summer. I'm constantly amazed at how much of my favorite archival music is being released -- the GD, Jer, ABB, Jimi, Cream, The Band... My coffee table is loaded with ~30 recent releases. And I'm still rocking out. Granted, my big show days are dwindling. It's gotten harder to handle large crowds and the ticket prices (and effin' fees) have gotten unaffordable. I'd rather play my guitar at home or in the local brewery or go to casual bar shows than jostle with thousands in a big venue. Still, I go to Red Rocks at least once per year, though perhaps this year's schedule may get canceled. Or I won't go, if it looks hairy. But my experience of aging is a bit surprising to me, as I turn corners and feel differently about things.
Which is a WAY wordy approach to my question, DeadVikes and everyone. Whether Dave L said 20 or 40, do I assume correctly that your comment suggests that Dave L speed it up? If so, I'd agree, up to a point. But let's look at what that might mean.
So right now I spend $100 for four-plus shows each year. $150 for the '76 box. (The porch crusher, 30 Trips, was too expensive and I didn't want more than 1967-1979, so I kicked in on a friend's box and he shared the 67-79 shows with me.) $250 this year is a freakin' bargain, considering the quality of the music. But there will be an expanded Workingman's and American Beauty at, say, $25 a pop (including shipping). So that's $300 for the year. And it's quite possible that, given this '76 box's popularity, Dave could drop another five '76 shows on us in the fall. Theoretically, only, that brings me to $450 for the year. (I'm single now, so no oversight from a loved one.)
Particularly as the CV crisis makes the macroeconomic scene unpredictable and certainly my own financial picture nearly opaque, how much more could I spend on GD and still sleep at night? (Okay, y'all don't have to leap out of your seats with hands raised, yelling "MORE!")
No doubt the current model makes Dave L and Rhino look like money-making geniuses. But let's say they accelerated the schedule. They did a lot of those Download Series (I think) for shows that wouldn't hold up as physical releases, due to tape quality. But they stopped for a reason, I'm sure.
So, friends, what is the option? Downloads only of select shows that aren't in the physical release schedule? No more physical releases? Etc.
My thought takes two tacks: if they spend time and money to prep shows for download, will the price enable a profit? With 2,000+ shows still in the vault, at what speed could they prep and release them? We'll all differ on this, but I'd guess one-third of those shows are especially worthy. So, just ~700 shows to go(!) cIn a 20-year schedule, we'd get 100 shows in the DaP series and, say, another 10-15 shows in boxes (that's 200-300 in 20 years). So over 20 years we'd get, say, 400 shows, about 20% of the vault's holdings. Jesus, that's a lot of fine beer and reefer....
Personally, I caught ~80 shows between 1972 and 1992, with the bulk in the first ten years. I'd love to hear 'em all, although about 6-7 have thankfully been released. And there are many shows I missed that I know are worth hearing. (Hello, 6-10-73!)
All kinds of questions/issues arise. If they did a "dump" of dozens, even hundreds of shows, would that flatten demand? We know there are a few thousand GD tape fanatics out there (and in here), who would go apeshit (a technical term). But would that sustain the financial model or would it deflate the demand?
Anyone? (With apologies for length, starting Saturday mighty slowly...)
Re: 40 Year Schedule and Demand
I suspect if they dumped a lot of shows via a download format, it would flatten demand. I purchased all the download series shows, and had them in lossless formats, but lost them due to hardware failures.. I think I have them all back now, some in mp3, some lossless.
I never really gave this much thought, but I'm not sure they put as much into cleaning them up, they seem to sound about the same as the shows that circulate. ..so that's what they are really competing against. You are buying a bunch of 0's and 1's that are almost identical to the 0's and 1's you can get from your buddy for free. The physical product plus the wizardry of Mr. Norman et. al, add in some art and liner notes and you get a much higher quality product worth buying.
So I don't see a big digital dump.. maybe with videos if enough people watch them and they get some advertising revenue as a result..
I bet Vegas odds are they keep doing what they are doing for a while.. it makes sense. Through the subscription process and numbered, limited production runs they have done a decent job of stabilizing demand. Next year will be interesting, however, depending on how the global economy is doing...
Hendrix
I am not so sure that demand would sustain a flood of releases like that.
From my perspective, I already have as many releases as I need. I can’t even listen to all of those. The existing releases also have been hand picked as the best shows.
You also need to consider that a significant percentage of people will only purchase from a certain era. Put me solidly in that camp. Sure, I subscribe every year and will be happy with whatever I get. If only one show in four is worthwhile, I’m good with that. But, no way am I spending any more money on a box set after 1974. Simple as that.
I would rather donate to the archive, which I do annually, and listen to an occasional show (more likely a song or two) should I get the urge.
A few things
7 28 73 yes
5 10 80 yes
4 24 71 yes
5 2 70 yes
Black Mirror yes
Living in the Evergreen State yes
Covid fuck off