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.
Corrupt 24/192 files
@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.
Great Box Set!
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.
4/10-11/78
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!!!
Still working my way also
Listening to the tour chronologically, I'm up to Duke and enjoying it immensely. This is a grate box!
What's the companion show from this tour already released?
Taking it easy
I'm taking my time with the box too - I played the 1st cd of 4/14 this morning and every song is spot on. Great Tennessee Jed, but there isn't a weak song in the set.
I wasn't aware of a companion show, but as one was mentioned I went and had a look at my Daves Picks. Stone me - number 37 is 4/15/78.
Almost There
Started the 4/16 show today. The lead-off Jack Straw is a ripper!
I’m pleased with the box as well.
Great Box
I took my time going through the shows in this box and found them all enjoyable, but I particularly liked the 4/16/78 show. I listened to it again in the last week or so, and it seemed just about perfect. I seem to recall that 4/14/78 also really hit the spot on the first run through, but I have not given it a second listen yet.
The thing I really liked about this particular run of shows is hearing the evolution of the drums-space interlude at the point it began. All the dead shows that I saw were basically mid to late 1980s and a couple in the '90s, so the drums-space interlude was a part of pretty much every show that I saw, so really cool to hear that show format being established in these shows. It helps that I typically really dig the drums-space interludes, just cool to hear where it goes, and to hear the transition into whatever song came after the interlude. Good stuff.
FOTD's Box Cover Art
Sorry I’ve taken so long. You’ve probably already got this covered, but I finally got around to working on Matthew Brannon’s artwork for the FOTDs Box. I started with images cedartree96 posted on reddit. They are good scans, but needed some serious color correction based on the CD sleeves in my box. Also, the backgrounds aren't exactly the same as what’s on the sleeves in my box – maybe artist’s proofs? Anyway, if you still need ‘em, here’s what I've got:
"3w dot" dropbox "dot" com/scl/fo/1i777b15ncbxwvr70duv3/AMlHEK_DvPU2BqZh0ugjeGM?rlkey=26r5ro33aig037ckir7xtknqs&st=snd7kum7&dl=0
Finished
Took a road trip to southern Ohio yesterday and finished the box set. Looks like it’s against conventional wisdom, but my favorite show is 4/8. The second CD really hits the spot! I’m very happy overall, and will be coming back to these shows often.
PS, I just realized I haven’t gone through the booklet yet! Haha!
RONMARLEY
Nice work man!
I still haven't picked a favorite show from the box yet, but 4/8/78 is a contender for sure
I forget where I read it, but 4/8/78 might have been Dick Latvala pick for best as well. Half Step and Scar>Fire are monster versions!!
Rock on, gang
DV’s Notebook
Hey JONATHAN918@GD…
You are right on about Dick! Thanks for sending me on a hunt. If you Google “dick latvala 4-8-78”, the second link will take you to his notebook pages at GDSets dot com. Pretty cool to see his opinion change over time.
Box Booklet
Just finished reading, and it’s an excellent guide to the shows. It’s always cool when you lean something new about the band. 1STSHOW70878, you were wise to wait; it might have influenced your opinion.
It’s very well written. It’s also sad that it’s one of the last writings by Steve Silberman.
4/8/1978
Just listening to 4/8/1978 Veterans Memorial through my Marantz/Martin Logan ESL9 system and this show sounds fabulous. Drums set is especially awesome . The sound stage places each dum in a space of their own. Can't wait to make it through the other shows. So glad I bought this.
The Duke Lp/CD set was reviewed
in The Absolute Sound January 2025 addition by Jeff Wilson, a self described fan. Decent review, but he blows JGs age lol, and ironically he doesn’t talk much about the audio. The main pic has to be from later in the year as bobs playing an Ibanez Musician Series which he didn’t start trying until May. (at least from all the pics I’ve researched?) But always fun to see the boys get acknowledged.
what happened to comments
on Dave's picks? Not showing up anymore...
Great box!
Finally made it through the whole box, including the Dave's 37 which is part of the tour. Dave's 37 is a little more octane than those shows in the box, but they're all really good. I'm wondering if there were other releases from this tour besides DaP37??
William & Mary + Nashville + Normal, IL
There are 3 other releases from this tour in total - all are DaP, and the first 2 listed are excellent to my ears. I don't listen to the last one nearly as much. Maybe it's just me though ...
Where oh where did the forum go?
Just wanting to stop by to say hello to the group.
HF