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    Friend of The Devils: April 1978 (Dead.net Exclusive) [19 CD]

     

    WHAT'S INSIDE:
    Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, FL 4/6/78
    Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, FL 4/7/78
    Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL 4/8/78
    Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA 4/10/78
    Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA 4/11/78
    Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC 4/12/78
    Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 4/14/78
    Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV 4/16/78

    Recorded By Betty Cantor-Jackson
    Newly restored and speed-corrected audio by Plangent Processes
    Mastered by Jeffrey Norman
    Liners By Author Steve Silberman
    Artwork By Acclaimed Artist Matthew Brannon

    Limited To 10,000 Individually Numbered Copies
    Dead.net Exclusive

    It’s been said before but April ‘78 was an incredible month for the Dead. Like May ‘77, you could throw a dart and guarantee you hit a stellar show. - KyloRensPecs, r/gratefuldead, Reddit

    .... April/May '78 has a lot of the same qualities of Spring '77 but with some extra edge and a much bigger sound from the Rhythm Devils. A really special era that often gets neglected. - viewtiful_alan, r/gratefuldead, Reddit

    Sportatorium - April 7, 1989

    when drums started I thought, oh s*#!, i hate drum solos and Billy and Mickey stopped me in my tracks. Wow, these guys are really good. Little did I know the pervasive influence this phenomena would have on my life. - pearlybakerbest, Dead.net

    Huntington Civic Centre, West Virginia – 16 April 1978

    This is another must-hear concert by The Grateful Dead. The sound and mix are almost ‘absolutely perfect'... It’s difficult to pick out highlights because everything is played so well; the band are tight, Donna is great and the set list is strong. - Grateful Ted, gratefulted.co.uk

    We're hitting the bullseye with the eight previously unreleased stellar shows that make up FRIEND OF THE DEVILS: APRIL 1978. Filled to the brim with peak performances from the Grateful Dead's post-hiatus period, this collection captures the historic tour where "Drums" begat "Space," morphed into "Drums">"Space" and cemented the Rhythm Devils' second-set power move from the music business to the "transportation business."

    Spring 1978 finds the Dead consistently weaving spontaneous magic, showing signs of great promise and potential - from the no-nonsense rock'n'roll in Tampa, where scholars cite the first "Drumz" leading into "Space," to the lengthy communal get down in Pembroke Pines to Jacksonville where the twain emerge fully formed, offering the primordial opportunity for "soul retrieval." It's evident in the dynamic range delivered on back-to-back nights at the intimate Fox Theatre and through the laid-back unity of the band's performance in Durham at Duke, a comfort that carries over to Virginia and West Virginia where the playing is unbridled, bursting with momentum, threatening to carry itself away. And nowhere can you hear that more clearly than through Betty Cantor-Jackson's original recordings, reliably crisp, bright, and vivid.

    Individually numbered to 10,000 copies and exclusive to Dead.net, FRIEND OF THE DEVILS: APRIL 1978 has been mastered by Audio Engineer Jeffrey Norman using Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. Steve Vance designed the collection’s custom box, which features a removable wave drum. (We invite you to unleash your inner Rhythm Devil.) Acclaimed artist Matthew Brannon created the set’s original artwork. The collection also includes a 48-page book with original liner notes by author Steve Silberman and photos by James Anderson, Bob Minkin, and more.

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  • #111
    Vguy72
    Joined:
    Just finished Blackburgs second set...

    ....the Dancin' was very nice. As was the Black Peter segue into Sugar Mags. All three of our dogs tails were wagging in the beat.

  • #112
    Deadheadbrewer
    Joined:
    Birchwood

    I had the same Buddy Rich idea/joke running through MY mind! :)

  • #113
    JimInMD
    Joined:
    Spectrum

    Pre GPS, driving in Philly always scared me a bit, which curtailed my visits to the Spectrum. Jerry's voice in '85? Goodness..

    Thankfully, there was an explosion of new material and a focus on his playing. True, it's not for everyone and even for me, an avid '85 fan, I have to be in the mood. But it works.

    I listened to 4/8 on my PC while working today. I had this on tape way back when but my recording sucked. This was much better. The things you are exposed to here.. every once in a while it's amazing Grateful Dead music you never really listened to before, especially when the only exposure you had was a raunchy, generation X cassette you had 35 years ago. Once in a while you get shown the light..

    I guess that's what these forums are all about. Thanks to you all.

  • #114
    wharfrat6969
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Philly GA

    My 3rd show was one of the 86' shows. At 15 I made the mistake for a moment down on floor before show started and thank God exited before 1st set. Way bad scene in my opinion.

  • #115
    daverock
    Joined:
    kalamazoo kazoo

    Oro - it was expensive, but nowhere near as pricey as all the others I have seen for sale online. Something of a bargain off a chap who also sent it in one of the most beautiful leather guitar cases I have ever seen. He wanted to talk to me on the phone before he sold it - which really added to the experience of buying it.
    Not a bad idea, that one man band thing. Apart from the inclusion of a kazoo. No way was that a musical instrument !

    I think I'll skip a day before I play the next show in the box - do one every other day. So far so good.

  • #116
    Birchwood
    Joined:
    Buddy Rich was a Deadhead?

    Buddy Rich was a Deadhead? Who knew?!!! ; ^ )

  • #117
    Birchwood
    Joined:
    Harding Theatre November 1971

    Does anyone know if the Harding shows are in the Vault? If so, does their having been radio broadcasts in any way limit their chance at ever being an official release? Or because the shows already circulate in good quality audio?

    Also, anyway to acquire the music on DP23?

    Peace!

  • #118
    Oroborous
    Joined:
    Philly 85

    I had a great time at those shows and always have dug em.
    Last GA? Or was that 86?
    The “voice” doesn’t bother me so much, but I understand why some folks can’t get past it.
    Too bad, that Easter Sunday show is a short but sweet monster…except for the voice : (
    Thought it was better by the 8? Maybe not, been awhile…I think I recall an interesting set list?
    Yeah Philly, crazy energy! Some how saw more shows there than any other venue. What was that Mick Jagger quote? Lol

    So Glad ya made it…awesome our friends across the pond are getting their boxes and digging on em! Woah Daverock, that sounds like a interesting axe, sounds expensive too lol You need one of those one man band set ups with the kazoo, harmonica, cymbals and kick drum etc ; )

  • #119
    gratefulgerd
    Joined:
    Scarlet/Fire 4/8/78

    is divine!!

    Just listening 2nd time. What a beauty!
    ---
    Gerhard,
    morgen ist (leider) Kellerschluss und: we're preparing for the last ride to OFR in this season.

    Cheers G.

  • #120
    daverock
    Joined:
    A box and a kalamazoo

    Like Christmas Day here today. I am very impressed with the box - very snazzy. Excellent article by Steve Silberman, and the whole book looks very attractive. Ominous how drums....sorry, drumz... expands exponentially during the first 6 shows from a modest 7 minutes to a jaw dropping 25.
    A few gimmicks - it took me a moment to work out the existence of the draws, and for all the flamboyance the cds are still just housed in bog standard card board sleeves. I will put them in paper sleeves back in the draw and put the empty cardboard covers on top, where the drum was.
    I like the first show I have listened to - Estimated really developed in 78 compared to the previous year. Because it's all on 2 cds I though of it as a short show - but it is still about 2 hours 20 minutes long.

    Weird sounds you can get on that drum. Today I got my Kalamazoo guitar delivered too. Made in 1937, it's in amazing condition for an 87 year old instrument. and sounds much louder than you expect looking at it's diminutive size. This was the guitar that Robert Johnson played, according to his contemporaries, and he can be seen holding one in that photo of him taken in a photograph booth.
    I am wondering if I can use this drum as accompaniment to my guitar playing - get a bit of Hill Country/John Lee Hooker groove going. Though I don't want to put my foot through the drum by mistake.

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Dead Store Products

Friend of The Devils: April 1978 (Dead.net Exclusive) [19 CD]

 

WHAT'S INSIDE:
Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, FL 4/6/78
Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, FL 4/7/78
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL 4/8/78
Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA 4/10/78
Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA 4/11/78
Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC 4/12/78
Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 4/14/78
Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV 4/16/78

Recorded By Betty Cantor-Jackson
Newly restored and speed-corrected audio by Plangent Processes
Mastered by Jeffrey Norman
Liners By Author Steve Silberman
Artwork By Acclaimed Artist Matthew Brannon

Limited To 10,000 Individually Numbered Copies
Dead.net Exclusive

It’s been said before but April ‘78 was an incredible month for the Dead. Like May ‘77, you could throw a dart and guarantee you hit a stellar show. - KyloRensPecs, r/gratefuldead, Reddit

.... April/May '78 has a lot of the same qualities of Spring '77 but with some extra edge and a much bigger sound from the Rhythm Devils. A really special era that often gets neglected. - viewtiful_alan, r/gratefuldead, Reddit

Sportatorium - April 7, 1989

when drums started I thought, oh s*#!, i hate drum solos and Billy and Mickey stopped me in my tracks. Wow, these guys are really good. Little did I know the pervasive influence this phenomena would have on my life. - pearlybakerbest, Dead.net

Huntington Civic Centre, West Virginia – 16 April 1978

This is another must-hear concert by The Grateful Dead. The sound and mix are almost ‘absolutely perfect'... It’s difficult to pick out highlights because everything is played so well; the band are tight, Donna is great and the set list is strong. - Grateful Ted, gratefulted.co.uk

We're hitting the bullseye with the eight previously unreleased stellar shows that make up FRIEND OF THE DEVILS: APRIL 1978. Filled to the brim with peak performances from the Grateful Dead's post-hiatus period, this collection captures the historic tour where "Drums" begat "Space," morphed into "Drums">"Space" and cemented the Rhythm Devils' second-set power move from the music business to the "transportation business."

Spring 1978 finds the Dead consistently weaving spontaneous magic, showing signs of great promise and potential - from the no-nonsense rock'n'roll in Tampa, where scholars cite the first "Drumz" leading into "Space," to the lengthy communal get down in Pembroke Pines to Jacksonville where the twain emerge fully formed, offering the primordial opportunity for "soul retrieval." It's evident in the dynamic range delivered on back-to-back nights at the intimate Fox Theatre and through the laid-back unity of the band's performance in Durham at Duke, a comfort that carries over to Virginia and West Virginia where the playing is unbridled, bursting with momentum, threatening to carry itself away. And nowhere can you hear that more clearly than through Betty Cantor-Jackson's original recordings, reliably crisp, bright, and vivid.

Individually numbered to 10,000 copies and exclusive to Dead.net, FRIEND OF THE DEVILS: APRIL 1978 has been mastered by Audio Engineer Jeffrey Norman using Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. Steve Vance designed the collection’s custom box, which features a removable wave drum. (We invite you to unleash your inner Rhythm Devil.) Acclaimed artist Matthew Brannon created the set’s original artwork. The collection also includes a 48-page book with original liner notes by author Steve Silberman and photos by James Anderson, Bob Minkin, and more.

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Submitted by MadDoc on Sun, 11/17/2024 - 13:00

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@CmdrDarklighter

The flac files for this box are corrupt. For whatever reason, they're still for sale. Some of us have tried slugging it out with support, the higher ups, and whatnot. Nothing has changed.
The flac files are still full of drop outs and digital stuttering. The alac files, I believe, are ok.

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Submitted by On the Bus… on Thu, 11/21/2024 - 10:22

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Just got done listening to the Box set in order, plus threw William and Mary in there to make it like I was on tour. I have to say that it was a very enjoyable experience. All the Box sets are excellent, but this one really brought a smile to my face. There's a looseness to the playing that makes it incredibly easy to enjoy - plus the sound is killer!! Going to need to relisten to July '78 now.

Now, let's scrape up anything listenable for that Fall 1970 Box set.

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081227816759
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https://store.dead.net/en/grateful-dead/special-collections/friend-of-the-devils/friend-of-the-devils-april-1978-dead.net-exclusive-%5B19-cd%5D/081227816759.html