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    "When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band's live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead's live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history." - David Lemieux

    We are more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN. Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions.

    The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.

    The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.

    The USB drive version* will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Digital version of the book also included on USB.

    Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This release is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing a mighty fine selection of music, art, and much, much more right here.

    (Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)

    ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
    Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.

    *Helpful hints for using your USB:

    Running the 30 Trips Player / Reader program:
    On Windows – Navigate to the USB drive and double click the PCStart.exe file to run.
    On MacOS – Open the GD 30 Trips drive, and double click the MacStart to run.

    Viewing the digital book:
    You can either view it within the program that comes on the drive, or by opening the PDF directly.

    To view the PDF, open the PDF folder on the drive and the USB_bk_spreads_08-31 file within. Selecting the option within your PDF reading application to view as a “single page” might be preferable to viewing as a continuous document.

    Importing music into iTunes and other library programs:
    When you import the songs from the USB into your library, the information used to identify the track will likely leave them sorted incorrectly. Please use the song list found here to re-number the songs for each show so that they playback in the correct order.
    PDF
    Text

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  • outpost
    Joined:
    Bolthead UK
    .... same as galvanised and gerd65. I went for this for the Hi-Res music. I've stated previously that I have every official release on CD and loads of live CD-R's, but nowadays, when I get them, I upload them to Apple Lossless, and play through my system, which can handle these files. That way I can also listen in my car, on my bike, without having to take the physical media. I have my music files backed up twice (RAID + separate SDD).Don't get me wrong, I love my box sets, and have even bought Japanese Mini-LP Replicas of the 1st album > Skullfuck for the artwork. Pride of place in my home office is my framed Live Dead album cover. As for the USB, I'm not sure if it's overwritable (I'm not going to try), but have copied the files, to convert, which is no different to ripping the CD's. Not sure if it helped, but after waiting 3 months for the USB, it took only 2 days to get to me in the UK. Previously, box sets and Dave's Picks etc. have taken around 2 weeks to get here. The packaging is small, but cool. Edit: Pretty much same setup as ziffle, but playing back using Apple Lossless rather than WAV (might try that to compare). DAC to B&W Speakers/headphones.
  • Ziffle
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Bolt first impressions etc.
    Transcoded to WAV, on a Mac, streaming to my DAC via iTunes. Started with '81. Audio is superior, communicates the music powerfully. Crystal clear, intense musical presentation. A masterpiece. The audio played back via the built in app is not as good as a transcoded WAV copy of the FLAC file. Perhaps the built in app is using the .mp3 files. Dennis Wilmot - the physical object is a simple and beautiful gold lightening bolt case with a USB part that you remove, stored in a small presentation case. Bummer we didn't get the printed book, but as Galvinized pointed out, this is the future. If you use the bolt directly (or clone it) there is a flash app (for mac, something else for PC) that accesses everything. Efficient, simple. I will certainly save the item, but copy everything over to an HDD for playback, and perhaps print out the book for reading. Others have noted, the files aren't tagged for a batch conversion for iTunes (or similar) music player. GDM omitted the disc # tag on the FLAC files. They are divided into separate disc folders on the USB, and therefore necessary to import disc (folder) by disc (folder) and tag. Same criticism applies to the .mp3 files. A minor inconvenience, in my opinion. Everyone has their own way of organizing and tagging files. File naming is helpful, each song includes the date and venue. Easy to batch remove and convenient to have so as to avoid losing track when making custom tags.
  • gerd65
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Y Bolt
    I agree with galvinized. I thought it would be much more convenient for playing on the go and in the car as well. That said, I thought then and still think now that that the bolt "box" should have included everything in the analog "box" except for the CDs themselves. Disappointing that the book was/is not being provided except as a digital pdf. While the tunes are the most important of course and I'd rather have the Hi Res files, on the bang for buck grid, I think the physical box wins.
  • Galvinized
    Joined:
    Bolt Head
    I can't speak for all who chose " The Bolt" but for myself the choice was an easy one.# 1 The files on Bolt will potentially sound better on a sound system able to reproduce the higher fidelity. This is the future of recorded music. More notes taking up less phiysical space. I can imagine this heirloom being passed down to the children of my children's kids.
  • wilfredtjones
    Joined:
    The Bolt the future?
    Boltheads prove to me that for them it's all about the music. But, I need some reassurance. Personally, I couldn't imagine dropping this kind of coin for something unless it had more there there. With substance, bigger, tangible. Something that commands your attention, says 'I'm in the house' and 'I really mean business'. The wow factor. Something I can pass on down the line as an heirloom as well. I think the box fits that bill. Don't get me wrong, the bolt looks cool, but aren't the goods strictly a metal case, some plastic and digital files? That's something pretty small, slightly understated for the same price. I can't figure it, unless it's a market testing strategy. I personally couldn't fathom going for it. That's why I didn't think twice and went for the mondo box. I suppose for some it was all they had available because the box sold out. Other people probably didn't think twice and immediately went for the mondo bolt. There are going to be people 100% satisfied, completely and utterly stoked and I am glad for them. That's how I want it to be. I want EVERYONE to be happy. I think we all do. I am just trying to wrap my head around the digital only concept. I suppose a lot of cars have USB readers now. I suppose that's the way things are heading? Digital only? Dead.net is getting with the future then. Boltheads, are you happy with the product and value? Can you see I'm confused? Can anyone recommend a good Franklin's Tower? :-)
  • Dennis
    Joined:
    Boltheads....
    .... did the usb stick come in the big box? How was the interior of the box designed to hold it. Did boltheads not get a physical book? Can anyone post a picture? I'm just curious. sidebar - If you have to bolt, will you just copy all the files to a hard drive and put the bolt on the shelf? Will you edit idtag/labels on the hard drive and then copy those to a cheap after market stick for listening? Can bolt be written over? That would suck.
  • outpost
    Joined:
    iTunes
    I'm using XLD to convert FLAC > Apple Lossless, and then directly into iTunes. Album art is in the files, and then I'm just editing the tracks to show as Sets rather than discs.Very Hi Res files avg. 3000kbps. Sound great though ..... Viola Lee from 7/3/66 playing now ! Edit: converting file copies by the way, in case you're wondering !
  • outpost
    Joined:
    hmmm.......
    I do actually recall seeing that email previously, but maybe someone posted it ..... anyhow, my shipping confirmation arrived AFTER my USB !
  • VW3323
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    USB waiting... iTunes question
    Anxious for this baby to arrive. Would appreciate any info for downloading into iTunes. Any and all advice / issues would be appreciated.
  • Galvinized
    Joined:
    Bolt Head
    The ups guy drives around my neighborhood in a cart around Christmas. I knew it was coming today, but could wait no longer. I hopped in my van and headed him off at the pass. This is a thing beauty! Good old #449/1000 Solid, and when the USB slides out the entire 13 point Lightning Bolt remains, as the USB is removed from the lower half of the bolt. Great design Ticket: May 27, 1993 Cal Expo. Backstage pass: March 24, 1993 Chapel Hill North Carolina (Attended) "Some got six months, some got one solid"
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"When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band's live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead's live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history." - David Lemieux

We are more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN. Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions.

The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.

The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.

The USB drive version* will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Digital version of the book also included on USB.

Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This release is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing a mighty fine selection of music, art, and much, much more right here.

(Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)

ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.

*Helpful hints for using your USB:

Running the 30 Trips Player / Reader program:
On Windows – Navigate to the USB drive and double click the PCStart.exe file to run.
On MacOS – Open the GD 30 Trips drive, and double click the MacStart to run.

Viewing the digital book:
You can either view it within the program that comes on the drive, or by opening the PDF directly.

To view the PDF, open the PDF folder on the drive and the USB_bk_spreads_08-31 file within. Selecting the option within your PDF reading application to view as a “single page” might be preferable to viewing as a continuous document.

Importing music into iTunes and other library programs:
When you import the songs from the USB into your library, the information used to identify the track will likely leave them sorted incorrectly. Please use the song list found here to re-number the songs for each show so that they playback in the correct order.
PDF
Text

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