More Details
Track listing for both CDs and
the bonus disc as well.
::Click Here
Archives
Browse Vol 1, No 1 Archives
Shows
New Haven, CT - 10/25/79
Uniondale, NY - 10/31/79
Philadelphia, PA - 11/6/79
Landover,MD - 11/8/79
Buffalo, NY - 11/9/79
Ann Arbor, MI - 11/10/79
It’s time to put a little gas-gas-gas back into the ol’ Tour Bus and give it another spin, because Grateful Dead is very pleased to announce the debut of a new series of archival releases called Road Trips!
Here’s the deal: We all loved the Dicks Picks series. Over the course of 36 amazing releases between 1993 and 2005, GD archivists Dick Latvala (R.I.P.) and David Lemieux continually blew our little minds plucking one righteous show after another from the vaults, from classics like the February ’70 Fillmore East run (DP4) and Englishtown ’77 (DP 15), to overlooked masterpieces like 9/28/76 (DP 20) and 9/21/72 (DP 36), and shows not in general circulation among traders at the time, such as the February ’68 shows of DP 22 and the superb “Houseboat Tapes” from August 1971 that made up DP 35. Coupled with the many exceptional releases culled from multitrack tapes (the Fillmore West box, Steppin’ Out, The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack, Nightfall of Diamonds, et al) and the popular Download Series, there’s been a lot of musical territory covered over the years… but not all of it, of course—not even close!
With Road Trips we’re going to try something a little different. We want to plug in a few more pieces of the Grateful Dead puzzle by putting the spotlight on different tours and series of shows that have been neglected through the years. Take Road Trips Volume 1, Number 1, for instance. This two-disc set (plus a special Bonus Disc - now sold out) was culled from the Dead’s blazing fall 1979 East Coast swing, when the band was just hitting its stride with new keyboardist Brent Mydland. You’ll find killer versions of “Dancing in the Street” > “Franklin’s Tower,” long exploratory jams on “Playing in the Band” and “Terrapin,” a rattle-your-brain “Shakedown,” and lots more, all pulled from the master tapes in the vault and expertly mastered in HDCD for maximum power and clarity by Jeffrey Norman. The sold out Bonus Disc offers another hour-and-a-quarter of highlights from the tour. (You can find the complete track listings for all three discs here.)
Every Road Trips release will come with a beautifully designed booklet containing an essay about how the music on the discs fits into the Dead’s long history, plus many rare and never-before-seen photographs. We think you’ll agree it’s a pretty cool package. But wait, there’s more (as they say)! When each “edition” of Road Trips is announced on this site, we will also give you a link to an affiliated site devoted to the series which will include such goodies as articles and reviews from the tour (See one reviewer after another mess up Grateful Dead song titles! See the band savaged by cretinous critics!); additional photos; and any other weird/cool stuff we come across. Together we can paint a really rich and vibrant audio-visual picture of different stops along the Grateful Dead highway!
And this is just the BEGINNING of what we promise will be a tidal wave of releases, which will include more rarities from the deepest corners of the vault, multitrack releases, box sets (the patient will be rewarded; nudge-nudge, wink-wink, say no more), DVDs, downloads and who-knows-what-else. So keep your Third Eye tuned into this space for more in the coming weeks and months!
--Blair Jackson
A Few AFAQ’s (Anticipated Frequently Asked Questions) About Road Trips
Sounds pretty interesting, but what took you guys so frickin’ long? We thought you’d forgotten us.
Naw, we never forgot you. It’s just taken a little longer than expected to get the ball rolling again and to figure out how to move forward in a way that will satisfy and hopefully also expand the fan base. As a certain sage known to all of us once wrote: “It takes time to pick a place to go…”
Is Dicks Picks over, done, kaput?
Yes, that series of releases ended with Volume 36. It will continue to be available, however. Road Trips will have a little more flexibility than Dicks Picks, in that we are not limited to full-show releases, or even 2-track tapes…or anything for that matter—we haven’t made any rules about what IT is. I guarantee we’ll surprise you from time to time.
But we want to hear full shows, too!
Don’t worry, there will definitely still be full-show releases. We’ll have more on that soon.
OK, I guess it might be pretty cool. I’ll check it out. In fact I’ve got a ton of ideas of shows and tours you guys should be releasing…
Well, let’s hear it. Of course we want your well-reasoned insights and input! The Dead have always looked to Dead Heads for inspiration and ideas, and you’re needed now more than ever!
Display on homepage featured list
Off
Feature type
dead comment
Response To Blair Jackson....
I can understand that what may considered oversaturation for some people is undersaturation for others. Admittendly I have passed on a few releases after the Dicks Picks series demise (like some of the solo Jerry releases and to my regret for lack of prompt funds for the Fillmore Box-man paying bills sucks-when it was available for pre-order) but picked up most all releases, especially the Brent era stuff. I realise that it's impossible and not practical to release everything all at once but I think the idea of offering a preorder for future releases to gauge demand for specific material is a good way to go not to mention the money can fund the release. This way seems good to gauge the demographic and market for releases.
I for one love the Road Trips disc now that I have a chance to listen to it all.
Ps. I really really really wish the Fillmore Box would be put into wider production. That particular run of shows is way to important for only 10,000 people to enjoy.
Volume 1 # 2
Someone mentioned that Volume 1 Number 2 might be Cape Cod - this would be a fantastic idea!! Hopefully both shows will be included.
It must be tough deciding on releases to represent the bands entire career knowing that certain years are more likely to sell. This is one reason why Road Trips might work - it will allow less consistent years to be packaged in a more appealing way (spring 92 anyone?).
What's become of the Pure Jerry series?
Pre-orders
I agree spaCEbrother on the subject of too many releases, i have almost everything released so far but missed on the Fillmore Boxset because i waited too long, i was going to preorder when the announcement came that it had sold out.
I was expecting it to be like the Terrapin Station limited edition and take ages to sell out, so i have to be content with the 3 cd set
Money is limited as i am retired on a pension so if there are too many releases i will have to pick and choose.Also with postage to Europe almost doubling the cost that makes it more difficult
Bob
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Spanish Jam
Volume 1 number 2...
Someone mentioned that Volume 1 Number 2 might be Cape CodThat's a fine idea! I mean, if "Volume 1" is the Fall '79 tour, then numbers 2 et seq. could be complete show, other selections, etc. Then Volume 2 would be another tour or era. I hope that's the way it plays out. GD Hour blog Station list
Disc 2 Glitch
My second disc has a major glitch. At 2:45 into the Morning Dew my disc skips and does'nt play from that point on. I tried it on 3 different CD players with the exact same result.
How can I get a replacement? Do I contact music today?
Also now that I'm thinking about it, my disc 2 of Rockin' On The Rhine has a similar problem. I bought that copy at a The Dead concert in '04 at DTE Music Theatre and everytime I tried to contact someone for a replacement at Dead.net, I left my name and address but never recieved a replacement and I've been stuck with a $25.00 3 disc set where only two discs play.
cosmic badger...oh great judge of whinning
cosmic badger--- thanks for your concern.....--- obviously you didnt pay EXTRA for shipping..i think that when you pay $18.95 for a disc...then when you have the option to pay either $4 dollars for shipping or $15 for shipping....dosen't that mean that the people who paid $15 for shipping should get their discs before the people who paid $4? clearly the higher shipping is just a cleverly worded rip-off...
this is not whining....(see taper's section/people who wrote why they arn't ordering road trips for extended whining).....this is anger/confusion.....i think that when you actually shell out the $$ for a release you are entitled to ask questions why your merchandise hasn't arrived....is that whining cosmic badger? i dont think so....
whining would be me saying "i won't buy it because it dosent have every possible second of every possible show" or "compilations don't do it for me" that is whining....i'm just confused/angered by how this paying extra for shipping actually works? could you explain it to me cosmic badger? or do you think that paying extra to ensure fast arrival, only to have people who obviously paid only the minimum amount getting theirs first makes any sense?
the option to download these would erase all of this confusion about whether it is worth it to shell out $15 for shipping that obviously isn't as good as the $4 shipping.
Asking for downloads is not whining.
It is the latest technology
Greg SC
Cool down Butterbean
I am on your side on this one...didn't mean to raise your blood pressure so...just having a little tease. In Europe we have no choice but to pay $15 for ordinary mail (nearly 3 times the real cost) and based on experience delivery can take months! I had my own 'whine' about this a while back. And hey..at least you are able to listen to streams while you wait ;-)
In fact I sent a message to customer service asking for an explanation of the absurd shipping costs and this is the reply I received
Yup, a blank email
Now some may see the essential Zen qualities in the simplicity of this but I have not yet reached that stage of enlightenment.
thank goodness for the Vines: great music, excellent service, quick delivery and a friendly explanation if something goes wrong!
Apologies for disrupting the serious debate here..really enjoying it
Yup, a blank email
Now some may see the essential Zen qualities in the simplicity of this but I have not yet reached that stage of enlightenment.
thank goodness for the Vines: great music, excellent service, quick delivery and a friendly explanation if something goes wrong!
Apologies for disrupting the serious debate here..really enjoying itNo Bonus Disc
Got mine yesterday, quickly ripped open the packaging to find that there was no 'bonus' disc. I've got an email in to cust srvice, and I hope I get a better response than you did, CosmicBadger. Kinda bush-league, if you ask me.
His job is to shed light, not to master...
Road Trips? - not sure...
I think the Road Trips set sounds interesting and I'll order it up but I feel that the Dick's Picks series should continue. To discontinue this series seems to diminish his vision of bringing forth complete shows. I much, MUCH prefer the complete show format. If this series is run as an aside to a complete show series, perhaps for those who don't mind tour compilations, then I think it will be worthwhile.
On another note, I was wondering. Were the 1978 shows at the pyramids filmed? That would make a cool DVD release.
Inspiration and ideas
It's been a long time coming but finally there's some new Live archive action on the horizon. Great news for someone who's just stepped on board.
As i'm relatively new to the live Dead scene i missed out on the Fillmore 10 cd box set, i'd like to see that one re-released.Where the Dead any more cutting edge than in '69? I think not. Furthermore i've read a lot about a proposed Winterland 1973 box set, come on guys/ladies at Rhino: put the mother out! From what i know, '73 was one of the most intresting era's in Grateful history, being on the crossroads between the more downhome style from '71/'72 and the more Jazz influenced leanings from '74/'75.
To cap this one off i'd like to see the Egypt '78 sets getting released in one form or another. I think this is historic Dead stuff which will make a lotta people real happy.
Hope this gets read.
diamondhead
An Interesting Take
I thought that a couple of posters here had some interesting ideas about where the Road Trips releases might be heading, and they bear repeating. It's what I would like to see in any case.
First, pick a spring or fall run from an under represented year. From shows with weaker stretches (yes, sadly, there are many), cull the tracks that really smoked, and release them as a "tour highlights" CD. I don't know, call it Vol 1 No.1 or somesuch. Then take a couple of strong shows from the run and release them as "complete shows" CDs. Say, Vol 1 No 2 & Vol 1 No 3.
Then pick another run and repeat. Seems like a plan to me.
trouble ahead, trouble behind
Folks, I'm really sorry for all the aggravation many of you are suffering with your orders, and I'm steering the Rhinos who are in a position to actually do something to read your comments. Please note that today is a holiday for a lot of folks so response might not be instantaneous, but please also note that what you're experiencing is definitely not okay and we want to hear about it. Thanks and sorry.
Compilations
I am not against tour compilations, in fact the 2 Dead sets i play most are Ladies and Gentlemen and Steppin Out
But i would love to see the Complete shows from the Engliosh part of the Europe tour released, i don't suppose it is likely
Bob
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Spanish Jam
One Calendar Year
If someone were to ask me to fill out a schedule for Dead show listening for one year with just one show per day with the show's anniversary being observed on the given date, it would be a fairlly simple task. May I buy this year, please? Road Trips, Vol.1, January, Road Trips, Vol.2, February, etc. Whoa, that would be a lot of discs!!! 1,000+!!! $20,000!!! I'll come get it to save on shipping. Let's see ... January...
"From day to day, just lettin' it ride,
You get so far away from how it feels inside,
You can't let go, 'cause you're afraid to fall,
But the day may come when you can't feel at all."
bad discs, no discs, etc.
Okay, the Rhinos say that a box of no-bonus-CD sets got mixed in with the bonus-CD ones and they are scrambling to make it right.
To reach an actual human who can help you, email
drrhino (at) rhino.com
the Doctor is unfortunately out sick today, but he WILL respond, TMOT.
butterbean...
I'd say emailing the good Dr. would be a swell idea also.
Disc 2 Glitch
I sent an email to drrhino@rhino.com in regards to my bad disc 2 of Road Trips Volume 1.
I also had a similar issue with my copy of Rockin' On The Rhein where disc 1 had a glitch at the 00:25 mark During "Playing In The Band" and after numerous emails and phone calls, still have never recieved a replacement. I purchased this set at a The Dead concert at DTE Music Theatre souvenier booth in 2004 and paid cash with no reciept issed.
not enough representation
I saw shows from 1983 to 1991. Aside from MSG 90' or 91' with Hornsby, the best shows I saw were: Summer Tour 1985 - Fall Tour 1989 - Fall Tour 1985 - Spring Tour 1985. Other than Richmond 1985, I have seen no representation of this era.
Blair J. and David G.
Thank you for getting on the site more, I think it breaks down a barrier between those inside the organization and the larger world of Deadheads. There is so much music available right now on this site between the new release, old releases, tapers section, Grateful Dead Hour, Sirius and the vines, it is hard for me to believe that everyone isn't just overjoyed. I know I am.
If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
Wiliam Blake
nightfall of diamonds
is from the fall 89 tour as is stuff from Without a net
Bob W
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Spanish Jam
30 favorite years
I really try to keep very open minded about various Grateful Dead years, tours and eras. David Gans and others have had the "work in progress" fascination view which makes it all cool and fun to embrace.There is so much amazing material and listening to the constant ability of this phenomenon recreate itself but stay true to the music over 30 years is amazing. A lot of times, I like to surprise myself and I reach into a box with all my discs and blindly take a disc on the fly. I noticed a few times I had ...well yes...cheated and peeked so as I would get hold of Dick's Pick 5 from '79. The store notes just about sum it up. It'is a brilliant exploding cohesion of reckless abandon and tight harmonic melody and oh yes...it does get scary but there is beautiful resolution. When David Lemieux rolled this tour bus out I was seated immediately. I'm on the '79 tour! What a freakin' blast. I don't know where we are going next but this is turning into a hell of a ride!*!
Kind Regards,
~Marshun~
Greek / Ventura shows
ever since i read Blairs Book "The Music never stopped" i have had a soft spot for The summer Greek and Ventura shows in the 80's
They always seemed to be in good quality cassettes way back when it was difficult to get low gen tapes, especially in England
Bob
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Spanish Jam
Now That I Have Your Attention: HAMPTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't really pay attention that Blair was in charge of this thing. So I guess it stands to reason that the 80's will be represented. A distinctly different sound for the Dead. Hence the term "crunchy" was used then. The Betty Boards of the 70's for example were not crunchy. Distinctly different with thier honey coated velvety Late 70's Dead sound. Well represented. And the distinctly different raw powerful Late 60's Dead sound has been well represented. The distinctly different Early 70's CLASSIC DEAD has been well represented. And the WALL OF SOUND 73-74 sound has been well represented. I love it all. If you are talking about road trips though, I think of the 80's. From what I hear from the old heads is that tour itself was distinctly different in the 80's. I'm sure you are right with me so far Blair. So lets get some crunchy 80's Dead action!!!! Aside from what I mentioned in my previouse post of favorite 80's tours, I did see some posts with great ideas. Somebody said the Greek 85' run was a no-brainer. Just in-case it isn't a no-brainer I will second that emotion. Somebody also recomended a look at venues over the years. The Greeks 84' and 86' had stuff to cull from also, but they do not stand out like that 85' run though. How about a look at Alpine Valley over the years? What 80's Tour Head doesn't have multiple memories from Alpine over the years? Or the Greeks, or the Frost,or Sacromento (maybe those last two are more personal than musical). Alpine and the Greek really stand out though.
Keeping with the idea of venues over the 80's, I think there is one East Coast venue that stands out more than all (East or West coast). HAMPTON!!!! Everybody who has been to a show at the "Mothership" knows what I mean. There is some mojo in that venue. Even those guys from Phish acknowledged that with thier Hampton Comes Alive release. Blair please!!!!
HAMPTON! Spring 83' to Fall 89'! HAMPTON! "THE MOTHERSHIP COLLECTION" HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON HAMPTON
clarification and question
In my last post I stated that from what I hear from the old heads is that tour itself was distinctly different in the 80's. I was there in the 80's. I was not in the 70's. I meant the old heads told me then that tour was distinctly different from the 70's. Less "Tour Heads" in the 70's for one thing. A lot of things evolved though. A tapers section (84?). The formation of the modern Dead set format. Drums-Space and songs that were distincly first or second set material. When did ticket mail order start? I always remember it and really didn't understand the Pearl Jam-Ticketron thing in the 90's. Anyways I think the Dead started that in the 80's. Shakedown Street in the lot certainly grew and grew and grew. I remember when it was possible to know or know of most people on tour and not really be too leary of the people you didn't know. That changed. In the past, if some-one was a Dead Head you were glad to meet them and they got the benifit of the doubt. My experience on tour towards the end of my 83' to 91' run led me to realize that somebody just being a Dead Head or on tour was not enough for them to deserve my or anybody elses trust. Is that just human nature and the law of averages, or did a bunch of energy vampires pick up our vibe and show up to exploit while we 80's Heads were too self absorbed to police our own scene? Anyways I really would like to know about tours past and see how things evolved. I have definately heard how the music evolved. It could be interesting to see the two tied together. Is that part of the ROAD TRIP idea?
Just to be perfectly clear,
Just to be perfectly clear, I'm not "in charge." I'm helping out; I have a voice and some influence, as do several others. Sort of the blind leading the lame...just kidding! I also wouldn't say I'm any more predisposed to the '80s than any other era, though I will say that I DO understand that many, many Dead Heads got their first taste of the band during that decade (and the '90s!) and feel that the group's post-'70s work has been under-represented.True enough, though who can dispute the magnificence of all those great late 60s and 70s shows? Sonically, too, a lot of '80s tapes are somewhat lacking--part of it is that they were mostly cassette masters (though Road Trips 1 is from that media and it sounds fantastic IMO), but a lot of it is Dan Healy's mixes, which were not consistent; not to mention his experimenting with the "ultra-matrix" mixes that combined SBD and aud. mics with varying degrees of balance and clarity. Still, there are plenty of good-sounding tapes from that era, as we all know...
Wave That Flag!!
this is really exciting! the grateful dead, other ones, the dead, and family are church for me. i own EVERY peice of recorded material from them and dicks picks plus a pretty impressive thousand hours or so of my own recordings. the idea of the focus being on years is really great beacuse we all have our favs! ive got my ticket and headed for the bus!
James M
tidal wave?
Go my Cds today, been jammng, I hope this is the real deal, " a tidal wave of releases" this is what Rhino says, bring it on, I 'm ready to jam.Coconut Phil.
i got mine today too!
it was waiting for me in the mailbox when i got home from school! i even left the building early so i could listen that much sooner (10 minutes is 10 minutes!!!).
i am really pleased with what i heard and with what i read.
well done! bravo! thank you!
when's #2 coming?
caroline
Hampton Shows
Obviously the Hampton Shows must be "lacking sonically" or we would have had something from this great venue by now..............right?
hampton '89
wrong. if I'm not mistaken, the hampton shows exist on sparkling multi-track. You'll recall that "Nightfall of Diamonds," from a few nights later at the meadowlands, was released...
Digging It
Just got my copy today and have been playing it non-stop. Excellent tunes, and the sound quality is stunning. Kudo's to all who were involved with this one.
Looking forward to number 2 and whatever else Rhino is ready to throw at us.
Bring it on suits!!!!!
The Rhino crew...
Those guys are definitely not "suits." Music lovers from top to bottom, who happen to be in an increasingly bizarre and difficult-to-fathom business. If you know anything about the history of the company, you'd know their roots are in indie record retail, collecting, music esoterica and all that. They're nice people and trying hard to do right by Dead Heads. You might find that hard to believe, but it's true...
Listening Now to Passenger
Great job Blair, David and Jeffrey, thanks. Can't forget Healy. Even though I made fun of the silent Rhino and still may I expect the same high quaility from them that they have given to, well let me see, both Grateful Dead box sets, the Doors, Nuggets, Troubadours of the Folk Era, the several blues series, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Gram Parsons and more. As a Deadhead and a past Rhino customer, as you see, I have high expectations, they have been met..
I don't need a copy of every show, I have several hundred and almost every GD release, I would rather listen to highlights at times, then listen to a so-so show. I still have all those Allman Brothers, Miles, Coltrane and Phish to listen to. I don't limit myself to just one band, and I don't want to sift through everything to find highlights. Too much else to do in life. There is so much to explore.This is just me and my opinion, I know others have theirs. I will buy full shows and box sets too.
Great sound quality and Brent is really pushing as a newbie, nice to hear the keyboards so clear. I could go on, but I have emails waiting for me from friends who got their discs today too.
If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
Wiliam Blake
Thank You - 80s Dead
First off I'd like to thank Marye, Rhino and the wonderful person I talked to from customer service who were all very helpful with me in regards to not only my bad Road Trips disc 2, but also my copy of Rockin' On The Rhein disc one (which I purchased in 2004). They all went out of their way to be as helpful and openly communicate to make me happy as a customer. My faith in the current situation has been fully restored and some.
Sincerely Thank you.
In regards to BlairJ and a couple personal messages to David Lemeiux about the sonic quality of the Healy tapes (matrix/straight board), I don't mind if recordings are sonically lacking in some ways. I would gladly pay for matrix recordings of shows like Alpine '86 and especially '87. '88 is another under represented year for releases. Especially from summer and fall.
Heres my short wish list.....
Alpine '86 and '87 (as mentioned above)
Laguna Seca '88
Miami '89 (especially 10-26)
Oakland New Years '89 (both 12-30 and 12-31)
Nassau '89 (especially 3-29 and 3-30)
Carson '90
Cal Expo '90
Eugene '90
Tinley Park '90
Denver '90
New Years '90
There are dozens of other shows I'd like to see released.
Mixed format releases
It would be cool to see a Road Trips mixed format release. Maybe the Sullivan Stadium 89 DVD with 3 or 4 CDs of highlights from the same tour.
In the past I never went for buying the CD of the same show they released on DVD (unless there were extra tracks of course).
New Years 89
I will second the suggestion of Road Trippin' the New Years 89 run. The show on the 30th was great. The Eyes on the 28th is worth mentioning as well.
Rhino
Blair - the 'suits' comment was made with tongue planted firmly in cheek...I've been a regular visitor to Rhino's site for years, they've been putting out some awesome Door's music for a while now...I recall when this decision was made by the Dead to go with Rhino was one of the deciding factors was that the folks at Rhino were big into the tunes and very un-suit like.
This new release has me pumped and looking forward to more.
Road Trips
The Packaging for the new Road Trips release reminds me of when I was in preschool. It is no better than the paste and construction paper projects us little kiddies would put together. I do not think it is possible to put assemble a cheaper and lesser quality package. I listened to the 1st CD once and already the seams are split. I see this crap lasting maybe a year at best. Before you know it the whole cover and inside will be falling apart and worn out. The whole thing is really a huge disappointment. What the hell are you people thinking? My God improve this crap.
Now for the Music, It's good. There are some tunes that are not worth a second listen Alabama and Circumstance are too new and lacking anything interesting. Why split up the 2nd set of Buffalo into three disks? Seems childish and like they are playing a game. The 2nd disk does blaze away. Good stuff there. Phil and Jerry are on top of their game, Phil bombs a plenty and Jerry well, he is Jerry G my favorite all time musician, he rips like a lion and sings so good.
Over all let’s hope this improves though. The musicians are not to blame, but the clowns putting it together need help and plenty of it. So we stay positive and hope to get better than this release overall.
me likey
Overall, I think the release is a success. Just got it yesterday and listened to it through, including bonus disc. The music on it is exceptionally good and good-sounding/well-mixed. I don't mind the recycled paper packaging. Pearl Jam did it with their bootleg series of concert releases from their 2000 tour. I ended up buying a couple of those, and the discs, as well as the packaging, have stood the test of time over the last 6 years. To me, the plastic CD cases are no better - half the time, they're already broken or cracked in the mail when I get them!
Oh, and another thing: Dancin' -> Franklin's = wow!!! super-smooth segue right there.
pulling out the discs from the package
I agree that the packaging leaves much to be desired. It is environmentally friendly and I sure do appreciate that but it is not consumer friendly at all. Surely some way can found to meld the two. You have to have the precision of a dentist to remove this thing without rubbing the surface of the disc or ripping the cardboard. I will probably end up using another form of storage for this disc, which defeats the whole purpose of being environmentally friendly; I will have two cd packages for these discs instead of one. I do not like sliding discs in and out, that can’t be good for them. I prefer a plastic holder inside of a cardboard disc. I think it is the best compromise I have seen so far. Like the Cow Palace discs. Please keep on thinking about packaging that uses the least recourses but this just does not work.
I am loving the music and great liner notes as usual.
If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
Wiliam Blake
** Profit on S&H?? **
Perhaps one of you Rhino folks can explain why you choose to profit not only on the music (which is appropriate), but also on the S&H (which is NOT appropriate)?
This according to the following recent post from 'The PhilZone.' Thanks.
==================
## By kk (Osorojo) on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 02:05 pm ##
I started a different thread about the tax they are trying to charge me when I order, I have held off ordering until I hear back from dead.net.
*****
Zoners,
I just sent this e-mail to the dead.net folks. anyone ever notice this or and/or know if it's actually legal to charge tax on shipping and handling charges? I live in CA so I do have to pay tax on purchases from their store, but on S&H charges????
****
'Hey Folks:
just went to order the new Road Trips CD. I noticed that the tax is based on the total of the product PLUS the shipping and handling charges. I noticed when I tried a 2nd shipping option, the tax is lower when you choose USPS over UPS.
I've never seen this before, ever. I don't think it's actual legal to tax the shipping and handling charges, is it?
I want to order the CD but I want to hear your reply first.
thanks!' - KK in San Clemente, CA
==================
## By kk (Osorojo) on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 06:10 pm ##
TAX on S&H follow-up:
I finally received a respnse to my question on the tax, from the people that run the online GD store. they sent a page from the CA tax code to show me...that YES INDEED they can charge tax on the shipping and handling charges, because they are making a profit on those charges they HAVE to tax us!
yep, profit on the product then more profit on the shipping & handling charges... so I'm gonna try and buy it online through a different source.
what a sham!
KK
==================
...just some food for thought...
Missing Disc
I'm missing the bonus disc. Emails to orders@dead.net and drrhino@rhino.com have gone unanswered. Can anyone help me on this one? I'd really appreciate it.
Missing Bonus Disc
I, too got my package missing the 'bonus' disc. My emails have gone unanswered as well. I called the Deadstore helpline and they said they would send the disc out to me. This was a week ago, still nothing. At this point, I am near regretting purchasing the package at all. I know plenty of people who would gladly burn me a copy for free, but I thought I'd 'do the right thing' and pay for it all legal-like. This could very well be the last commercially released product that I pay for. Good job.
His job is to shed light, not to master...
HAMPTON
Nice to hear that Hampton 89' was recorded in multitrack. I'm not opposed to the Healy matrix recordings though. Hampton 89' was fun and all with bringing back the Help-Slip-Franklins and then the Darkstar, but rarities aren't the only thing to make a show special. There were other good Hampton shows. I'll take a Black Peter-Wharf Rat-Throwin Stones-Not Fade Away out of space for the hundredth time if it's played well. And that's what I remember about Hampton. Not neccessarily that group of songs. Just that the old workhorses even had that mojo. Plus there were some other rarities in other years. Bringing back the Box of Rain in 86' maybe it was? And going back a little further didn't we get a second set sandwiched between Scarlet-Fire? And one other year the classic second set sandwich between Sugar Mag and Sunshine Daydreem. The Spring shows you can just tell it's the first shows of Spring tour. I still don't understand why that spaceship never lifted off. Going back to 83' there were a bunch of great shows at Hampton. Lets' not just stop with 89'. Back when this was going on everybody I met on tour agreed that Hampton stood out. I would imagine that there would be interest in a Hampton "package". The mothership collection!
shipping costs
this is the reply I received to my enquiry about excessive Shipping Costs of nearly 3x the real postage cost to Europe
"Shipping and Handling are put together as one unit in our system, this is why the price appears higher then usual. If you have further questions or concerns regarding this matter or any other please do not hesitate to get in touch. Many thanks for your patience and understanding regarding this matter. Sincerely- Grateful Dead Customer Support"
So the excess is a charge for the disks to be handled: around $10 to put it in a box, print a label and stick it on. Lets say 4 minutes per CD = $150 per hour. Hmm, wonder what those who do the work get paid? And we have now been officially informed that this is a profitable activity.
Compare the following costs for 3 From the Vault at the moment
GD store: $22 plus $15 postage
Amazon France : $19. Shipping free of charge!
Well as they say 'You pays your money and you takes your choice", but if the promised tidal wave of releases appears its gonna get really expensive to keep buying thru the GD store.. The tempting choice may be to wait a bit, buy thru Amazon and bootleg the bonus disks. Hmmm ... I wonder if they'll set up a vine for them
Yes this is a whine, no I do not much want to be talking about it, but what they are doing here is out of order grrrrrrr
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes" (Jack Handey)