Grateful Dead

Yes, just so you know, thanks for sharing...for me, it's like getting a prize in the cereal box. Since 1984 I've purchased over 100 various Rhino products at retail outlets, including record lps on vinyl such as the Nuggets series, Best of - The Standells, Easybeats, Chocolate Watchband, etc. Video tapes - the entire Shindig! series, etc. and on cd, the Nuggets I and II box sets plus many of the Rhino vinyl records all over again in the new format... It's good public relations when a company such as General Mills or Procter & Gamble gives it's customers a little premium in return for their continued support and loyalty to the name brand products. Popcorn, peanuts, candy and a prize... that's what you get with Cracker-Jacks... altho, the prizes aren't what they used to be, now made of paper instead of more durable (and no doubt dangerous) bakelite or pewter. I think in the short run today's corporations are making as much profit as they can before the bottom line sinks even further away... It must be hard sleeping regular hours, worrying as computer savvy consumers continue to collect whatever free samples or giveaways that somehow you could have made them pay for. The solution,you say, is let them sample it but in less valuable format, a bit like letting it be played on the radio, so we'll have to hook up all kinds of wires and recording decks or at least additional software in order to play sample selections at our leisure, and perhaps be enticed to purchase the whole set... Just as earlier generations enjoyed making home tapes so they could feel they were a part of the creative process, though the truth is, we've always been little more than consumers, buying back what we made trendy and popular to begin with. Green Stamps, box tops, transistors, vcrs... I remember sunny Jim, when we could just tape whatever movies and tv shows we wanted - that was so much fun when it first became possible in the home, circa 1982. People taped hours on end of MTV which was also new at the time. Before that, if we wanted to see a movie any old time, and pretend we had our very own theatre - we'd get those little 8mm reels and tiny little projectors - or we'dmake low-fi cassette tapes off the radio, etc. The only thing that's really changed, and apparently this is what has you congloerates nervous - is that the home consumer can make copies of a much better quality now. Yeah, but it's still a home-made amateur assembly, and still can't compete with the real thing. No used record store would give a dime for a CD-R, no matter how nice the scan is. Stop worrying about the few books that get borrowed from the library. Even John D. Rockerfeller took his PR man's advice - when the public increasingly expressed anger resenting his colossal greed Rocky bit the bullet and gave away dimes to children of all ages in public. While no great loss to his fortune, coughing up thousands of dimes was a business expense that nevertheless made the old man sweat bullets... and it actually worked wonders to stem the tide of ill will. Would that Rhino learn from their forebear and loosen up on the thousands upon thousands of Grateful Dead recordings instead of clutching at straws. The motivations to withhold at this late date are transparent. The not-so-dumb kids of today can see right through the emperor's new clothes. Brother, can you spare a dime? all the endless runes of the past

http://www.archive.org/details/gd71-08-06.aud.bertrando.yerys.129.sbeok… David refers to the Hard to Handle from the Palladium. This is one of my all time favorites. The link above is to the Rob Bertrando audience recording of this show. It is superb, best audience I have ever heard. The Hard to Handle is a mind blower. BTW, the sbd of this song is on the fantastic Fallout From the Phil Zone. If you don't have that one, I highly recommend it.

Phil mentions in his book that the GD fans are passionate about their feelings and can, therefore, be very harsh in their criticism. What is happening here is the perfect example. So, my suggestion to everyone involved is, don't take it personal. I agree with Charlie Miller that David is a good guy. Before the new website was initiated, I sent David numerous emails with comments and questions. He always answered them personally and in a timely fashion. I am truly grateful to him for all the great music he provides, even though I am also disappointed it cannot be downloaded anymore. As I stated last week, the GD's generosity has always encouraged me to buy more, not less. I would suggest that as David and company take a step back, evaluate the situation, and get back to us, the most important thing is communication. It seems to me that Rhino are doing a good job getting out music, and the quality, which is their real forte, is superb. The 76 NYE show and Vault 3 both came out over the last year. If this is not quick enough for some fans, maybe Rhino could explain why it is not possible to expedite the process. Also, do the downloadable shows not sell well enough due to the lack of exposure? If not, why not do more? Phil also mentions in his book that allowing tapers was the best thing the dead ever did. So why has the philosphy changed? I think providing answers to these and other questions posted on this site would help tremendously.