• 753 replies
    Dead Admin
    Default Avatar
    Joined:

    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.

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • Gratefulhan
    Joined:
    Yinz did it again.

    Hi All- I have been traveling a lot this summer, but I have been lurking in the comments sections regularly. With this release, I was on the fence. So far the only box set I passed on (not for much longer) is the In and Out of the Garden. With this box, I was going to pass on it too. However I recalled the crew in these comments talking me into getting the July 1978 box before it sold out. I am glad I picked that one up. When I saw the overwhelming positive responses from all of you on this box set, I knew I had to snag it. Thankfully those codes we all got from Dead.net worked which was a nice bonus. I am looking forward to getting this one in my hands n September. Thanks all!

  • billy the kiddd
    Joined:
    Nite Cat

    Yes, it was held at the Santa Cruz County fairgrounds, and what a show it was, one of my favorites.

  • nitecat
    Joined:
    BTK Santa Cruz

    Say, BTK, are you referring to the Watsonville Show?

  • billy the kiddd
    Joined:
    Grass Valley/ Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds 1983

    Nite Cat , 2 cool venues and 2 cool shows back to back. I had a blast at both shows. The Santa Cruz show would make a great release.

  • nitecat
    Joined:
    Grass Valley 83

    On my drive yesterday I passed the Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, where I saw the Dead in 1983. Continuing on, I passed the Boreal Ridge Ski Resort, home of the infamous "worst Dead show ever" in 1985. I attended that one too. It wasn't so bad. What I wouldn't give to see that band again.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Big Thanks to our international panel of experts!

    Been meaning to write more/sooner, but no time…
    But I’ve written all your fine choices down and after I do my initial research, I’ll cross reference with your suggestions (my usual mo).
    Haven’t picked a clunker yet this way and in fact now have many of the fine selections mentioned!
    I’ll report back as soon as uncle Jethro starts selling more round to its, and I git er done…

    Thanks again, and always!

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Dark-Star

    Thanks very much for that tip. I'll have look later and see what I can find online. I do feel I need to access music online more effectively....but I also wonder if I already have more than I can deal with just with albums and cds. Keeps me up until all hours. If I tell anyone what time I go to bed, they express surprise - "what do you find to do?" Answers on a post card. I'm not sure what I would do without music. Go to bed early, I suppose!

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    He lo lo lo, PT?

    Ya in there?
    We’re all thinking bout ya!

    American idiot?
    I have a box set?

  • Colin Gould
    Joined:
    Yet another box

    October sees the release of a 20th anniversary, 4 cd 2 BluRay, box set of ‘American Idiot’ by Green Day. How time flies.

  • JeffSmith
    Joined:
    Hey PT. . .

    Has the fog lifted? All the best for a speedy recovery. And hope any "PT" for PT goes well too. Onward.

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

3 years 6 months

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.

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

@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.

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

9 years 5 months
Permalink

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.

user picture

Member for

5 years 8 months
Permalink

I was able to get in both shows last night. The band is on fire, and there is a looseness to the playing, but also some really focused jamming

Scar>Fire from 4/11/78 almost set my damn house on fire!!!

product sku
081227816759
Product Magento URL
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