FROM THE MARS HOTEL (50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION) features remastered audio by GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer David Glaser, with Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. Produced for release by Grateful Dead Legacy Manager and Audio Archivist, David Lemieux, the DELUXE EDITION also includes demos of “China Doll” and “Wave That Flag” – the song that became “U.S. Blues” – as well as a previously unreleased live performance of the Grateful Dead at University of Nevada-Reno on 5/12/1974. As the band filled an outdoor football stadium with epic highs like huge “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider,” Mars Hotel cuts including “U.S. Blues” and classics such as “Brown-Eyed Women,” “Tennessee Jed,” “Mississippi Half-Step,” “Truckin',” “Sugar Magnolia,” a massive wind storm was no match for the Wall of Sound. Designed to improve the listening and performance experience at what were becoming larger gigs and longer, more dynamic and varied sets, the Wall of Sound required 21 stage hands, and underlined the resounding effect the Grateful Dead were having on American audiences and culture at the time, even as the entire operation remained homespun and humble.
Recorded in San Francisco’s Coast Recorders studio, FROM THE MARS HOTEL finds Keith Godchaux particularly shining across a variety of keys, from the “China Doll” harpsichord to the pounding piano on Bob Weir’s “Money Money,” to the churchy organ that elevates “Ship Of Fools.” Lyricist Robert Hunter packs “U.S. Blues” with a barrage of imagery, pop-culture references and sardonic asides – as Canadian author Ray Robertson writes in the 50th Anniversary Edition’s liner notes, it “carries an undeniable whiff of late-capitalism ennui…it’s the most fun you’ll ever have dancing to the end of the American Empire.” Jerry Garcia’s jaunty lead guitar drives bouncing melodies across the LP, while guests include Ned Lagin’s unnerving synth effects on “Unbroken Chain,” Clover member John McFee’s country-rock pedal steel on “Pride Of Cucamonga,” and more.
Conjecture for those of us who think this deeply
2025
60th anniversary of Magoo's
Big event with big releases question mark
2024 Box
I would love a Dark Star themed box set, with at least 15 shows. If not that....I wouldn't like anything more than '69 - '70. Except maybe those leftover multi-tracks from '71. I've been revisiting those on headphones lately - the audio is really as good as it gets.
BOXSET...
FANTASIES...? since y'all are sharing...how's about a box from JUST one day in GOGD history...like maybe...
MARCH 31st 1968 / 1973 / 1980 / 1985 / 1989 / 1991 / 1993 / 1994
lots of different tunes, covers all the band iterations & players except TC
awesome shows.. aims to keep the DH's smiling
hahaha!
I couldn't resist...
looking back to see when the last five boxes dropped. Calculate in 90 days prior for an announcement... They're all over the map:
Giants Stadium, Sept. 27, 2029
June '76, March 20, 2020
Listen to River, Oct. 8, 2021
In and Out MSG, Sept. 23, 2022
Sunshine, June 30, 2023
We know Dave & Co. have got the selections made and this project is well underway. I'd put a nickel down on an announcement in June, around when Mars 50 drops. Well, I'm not hurrying through April and May but news of the tsunami coming out the Vault is always welcome.
Great ideas on the box. I'll leave you with one last plea: BRING ON THE GREASE!
Cucamonga
I love Pride of Cucamonga, my favorite tune on Mars. That's the only song that I am aware of, as I search through my 68 yo brain cells, that was on a studio album that was never performed live. I could be wrong, and probably am. Anyone have any clues on why they never performed it live? Heck, they even did "Money, Money" three times!!! Really looking forward to the Bonus and Live stuff on this release.
Hendrixfreak
The one thing we know for sure at this point is it will not be a Spring release. Looking more and more like a fall release.
I am sticking with my earlier prediction of October 74, in spite of the zero chance comments from Doc.
They have the multi track reels. Why not?
Unfortunately, the big zero change box is the Warfield/RCMH 1980 run. My dreams went down in flames on that one a few years ago per Dave's comments.
HF wants the grease
I read that as I listen to a random you t u b e pop-up of 11/29/66
The Same Thing
How about a dead.net KTN?
Can't they pre-clear their customers to participate in the Forum?
I make a thoughtful post - as always... - and get Now Hay'd.
Dammit!
Edit: a post DP 50 drop pre-order announcement for a September box. If they can't do primal, let's hope they do a DP of 2-3 CDs of newly discovered 68 tapes.
Box predictions
Dave,
Stop making us prognosticate about this year’s Box.
Just tell us already.
What I say is this.
The more you think about your post, the more likely it is to get hey now'd. Talk bollocks, and your in. A bit like in real life. That's my posts I'm talking about, incidentally, not anyone else's.
If the next box is going to be from 1977, then the anticipation of what it could be might be more pleasurable than the actual announcement.
4/4,5,&6/ 69 Avalon Ballroom
This would make a nice little box set.
Box set
I'm plenty excited about what this years offering might be. As much as I love the "best years" I hope they branch out and bring something different, pretty much like they have been doing. Me thinks a lot of folks won't give a paricular era a chance because they've simply been told it's no good.
I hope the DaP series finally taps the Vince Welnick era soon, and folks give it a chance! I know i'm ready!!
rock on, gang!
well...
...Dave gives us the lowdown on planning boxsets in this interview
jambands.com/features/2020/01/07/ready-or-not-david-lemieux [copy and paste]
...so I gotta believe...it's complete, and now the assembly team are just testing which GLUE gun works best...couldn't resist, sorry
Uh-oh, icecrmnckd (sp?) is cracking
Un-duh presh-uh...
I think the interest exhibited by the preorder suggests to "them" how many boxes to make. we got months to go. Still, it's fun kicking the hornets nest...
The Dave interview
Thanks Uncle Tripel!
Edit: Hey Now'd!!
Edit testing: "Nonsense"
What Oro sez
Bollocks! testing...
Testing: Double Bollocks!
Edit: proof that Daverock is correct.
Do the math
Avalon + Ark = Box
Got Hey Now'ed on my wonderfully written post, so you get this instead.........
Can I even say Rock On any more?
Doc
To appreciate nonsense requires a serious interest in life.......
POSTERS
Just an FYI........Heritage Auctions is auctioning off lots of vintage posters starting 04/11...........Skull & Roses poster is up to $41K................check it out.........Acid Test advertisements/posters also available............I know most of us on this site have money to burn, and not just in a bowl, so enjoy the browsing............lots of cool, expensive stuff.
this word...
...is a Hey now word!
w
i
n
t
e
r
l
a
n
d
hahaha
give me a fah king break
Testing (again)
Test me, test me....
Edit: then you add a real message through the edit function.
Edit II: I have nothing to say. Just ****ing around!
4/5/69. 10/31/69. 6/27,& 28/69. Building a 1969 Box set
What would you add to the 1969 box set?
'69 additions
I can't remember the exact date but its a Feb show in Philadelphia
6 14 69
Another date I can't remember exactly Portland or Eugene maybe May
there are many
please hop to it Dave and pals
1969 ok
My preference for 1969 shows are the ones played during the first 6 months. Before they started branching out into a more country based direction. It always feels as though that style was better served a few years later on - understandably, as they got better at it - to my ears - with experience.
89-90 multi tracks
Thanks to whoever mentioned the interview with Dave from a few years ago when he was excited about the Giants Stadium box. I found it surprising that he revealed the Dead had recorded in multi track three tours over the 89- 90 period. I know the Spring 1990 boxes covered that tour, but what is left unreleased?
I wanna know....
....if they recorded the Cal Expo '89 run in multitrack. Solid shows. Solid venue.
Cal Expo 89
Wanted to go A LOT
but wife's cousin got married that weekend in Missoula MT
"Yes, dear"
I did get a trip to glacier national park out of the deal
Cest la vie
The marriage didn't last, btw
Death Don't Have No Mercy. 4/6/69.
Worth the price of admission.
Eclipse in Goleta, CA
Caught our 50% worth in a parking lot to the tune of Estimated>Eyes>Drums>Space>NFA from Paris 10/17/81.
Proudfoot is 'dead on'
Why bother with our outrageously witty banter if we get stymied by HN?
It's too bad, because many of us met up at shows, traded music, and hyped the releases amongst ourselves. That's got to be good for business. I think a clumsy coder must be doing 'security' for the site and can't write code to block fraudsters without turning everyone else away. HF
Odd Selection
I've been listening to every show from 1974 this month. So far Reno 5/12 and Munich 9/14 are the only sub-par performances of the year. The band was a bit rusty after a long time off. No idea what went into the decision to select this date. Maybe no better alternatives for the 50th anniversary release.
5-12-74 subpar
74 has a high bar.
What’s being released from 5-12-74 fits on 2 CD’s, so it works for a 3-CD release. I had the show on cassette in the late 90’s, and have had several digital versions since. Got an upgrade last year. This release should be the best sounding version and is a good choice for the bonus discs because it doesn’t qualify to be a DaP or in a Box. But still needs to be released.
Interesting
Some of the more interesting posts on this thread are the deceptively clever criticisms regarding the posts that would not through to the heycow police
yes, I'm pretty sure even
he y n o w
is a restricted word, or so it appears.
The good people here trying to honestly comment on the music, culture, stories, shows etc. but were denied and ended up whimsically complaining about the system that snuffed their posts into oblivion. All that remains are comically interesting posts regarding the stupid rhino censorship system they probably spent as much money on as it would be to produce CDs that actually played without skipping, having glue smears, not playing at all after ten years etc. Ok rant over.
So my suggestion to senor pinkus et al, take the money spent on your wordsmith gestapo crack web design team and us it to make better cds that play well.
(how'd I do?)
btw, Reno was ok, agree 74 established a high bar but even the sleepers sound better than the average bear. Even Roanake, Palis des Sports and some of the others deserve some listening love.
MONEY MONEY...
...jiminmd, yup takin' it to the house! rhino, owned by wmg, large us corporation; new ceo makes mark with successive year layoffs, yup public awareness profits up, . .impacting tech? wmg = warner music group . . can you squeeze some more...
it's only bucks, you don't need no jack
so won't you please relax and lay way back