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!
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Thanks Marye
Thanks Marye.
I have just sent another email off to Drrhino. Fingers crossed that I get that Disc Two soon. I need that Terrapin> Playing and NFA> Dew!!!!!
And, for the record, I've really enjoyed what I've heard of this release so far - Disc One and half of the bonus Disc.
It works for me that it's not a complete show - I don't feel so aggrieved if I am interrupted or have to do something for half an hour. Plus the music is great so I can't really see any reason for complaining (except that I only got half the set!)
AK
Awful AWFUL service at dead net
I ordered Road Trips Vol. 1 the first day it was available on the dead store ... before the mass email even went out. I got my package about 2 weeks later and no bonus disc. After many phone calls, I finally spoke with someone who promised to send a replacement including the bonus disc.
I've received nothing. My emails go unanswered! Phone calls go unanswered and unreturned! My email to Dr. Rhino went unanswered! I can't overemphasize how disappointed I am with gladly shelling out my money for this release and then getting STIFFED!
BUYER BEWARE - if you think you're going to be getting the bonus disc, you probably are NOT! This is not the first screwup at dead net (there have been pressing snafus, etc.) but this is the first one where they REFUSED to make good. They have my money and I don't have what I paid for!!!
Sincerely,
Disappointed Dead Fan.
Dr. Rhino
Well, we all hope to at some point get our discs. It is kind of amazing that USPS continues to up the cost of postage, but seems to take longer and longer to get packages. I find it amazing how with the advent of the Internet, less and less mail is being used, but more and more problems occur. For me ... I'm pushing 20 days now to deliver my package.
I guess that puts the exclamation point on the call for "downloads for these new releases." Enough said.
Greg SC
New Ransom Demands
Now that I have all of your attention, I want you to know that I have each and every one of your missing CD's safe and sound in my underground lair. I will "release" these discs when I receive my ransom demand of... 100 million billion dollars! (or Vanessa Kensington's cell phone number, whichever you can produce quickest - I'd kinda' like to see Vanessa again but if the money is easier to print then so be it - I'm easy to please)If I do not receive the money (or phone number), within 5 working daze, I will burn your precious CD's in my newly constructed gasification device which is fed by a painfully slow moving conveyor.
(From some distance, a voice yells, "They won't fit in the gasification machine! I keep telling you that same thing, over and over again, you lazy eyed psycho!)
Yes, well then, if that won't work, I'll run them over with a steam roller, instead. Oh, and I do accept British pounds. So for you guys on the other side of the pond (with the currency exhange rate at present), I'll need about $3.50. Toodleloo.
GRTUDFrom the sounds of it,
GRTUD
From the sounds of it, "Disappointed" has a few more discs for you to pifer. Hey, if the ransom doesn't come quickly, you can rest assured that Fido would be willing to play frisbee catch with the discs, or you could possibly do some skeet shooting with them.
Greg SC
Missing/Bad Discs/Service/Corporate Distribution
I actually got a fairly quick response to my issue of bad discs resulting from manufactoring defects. Dr Rhino sent me a response within 48 hours and notified me again this past Tuesday (11/20) that he had just sent them out. I should recieve them sometime next week.
My issues were that there was a glitch on disc 2 at the 2:25 mark during Morning Dew where it skips and does'nt play the rest of the disc. They're also correcting a similar issue with my copy of Rockin on the Rhein where 0:25 into Playin' on disc one does the same thing. I bought that disc at a The Dead concert paying cash back in '04. I tried to get a replacement back then with no luck and finally gave up.
I'm glad that they are sending me replacements for both releases but hope that they can figure out for future releases how to avoid manufacturing defects and missing discs. Theres a lot to say about bands that are self sufficiant and independant from the big corporate music producers and distributors not too mention why the industry as a whole is in a major slump. I know big players like Warner Brothers (Rhino being a subsidiary) and Sony (Epic ect) put their priorities into the mega selling market (10 million or more units sold) over targeted audience demographics. Why people like Britney, Hannah Montana and Carrie Underwood outsell the Dead, Zappa and Primus is beyond me. Bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd seem to be the exception to this rule. Point being that the corporate machine puts top priority into the mega commercial acts over the independants hence oversight in manufactoring and order filling for the not-so-huge market sellers.
I'd be hard pressed to believe that Grateful Dead CDs are selling 1.5 million copies per release and likely much less, even for worldwide distribution.
All three discs of Road Trips Vol. 1 are below concert pitch
Excuse me if this has been noted and discussed already, I didn't read through all the comments. I noticed as I was tuning my guitar and playing along with the bonus disc that the music is slightly below concert pitch. I compared all the tracks on all three Road Trips discs to studio versions and other commercial releases, which are normally spot on. Road Trips runs slow and/or below concert pitch. It's extremely unlikely that the Dead, with all of their technology, played an entire tour slightly out of pitch. This is really frustrating because it suggests to me a certain lack of care and attention that I normally associate with the Grateful Dead.
And on top of that, I got one of the defective discs.
Great
I m happy for the excellent planning on this Road trip series . 1979 is an excellent , and very well thought year [ fall ) tour to start . It s very attractive to draw material from certain tours , also and not just a specific night
Summer 1994 would be a request for you respectful folks in GD planning . Really . I have most of that tour on tape , audience tapes . a couple of Sbds . But it d be nice to hear such stuff , say , from 7 23 94 at soldier field . That was one of the most potent shows ever played i think. And the best form that tour , along with the last two nights in noblesville IN , and one of the RFK shows .
I d also recommend such neglected time spaces like Summer 1988 . And summer 1987 .
Thanks for the great music
From far away Arica , Chile
J G
R U KIND?
I know a lot has already been said but I just wanted to put in my two cents... forgive me if I repeat some stuff others have already said.
I think some are being a bit too picky about the compilation vs. full show thing. I enjoy listening to full shows like Dick's Picks, but I get almost equal listening pleasure from releases like Without a Net, Live/Dead, and the Fillmore West 1969 3-cd release, all of which were compilations. There are definitely shows out there that suffer from mediocre first sets but have a few tracks that are ungodly smokers. This could be a very good format for picking out little known gems from shows that are otherwise fairly unremarkable.
Also, compare this to the Three From the Vault release from earlier this year. I was a little dissapointed by this release, especially because I had heard there was great material from the whole week, especially the night before (2/18) I think a compilation of the "best of" this Port Chester run would've made for a much better release than what we got, which, except for a few cuts, bored me after repeated listens. Not only that, but the whole thing seemed like it took about a week to put together. Not sure if that's worth all the money, while the Road Trips release looks like it was very carefully sequenced and planned.
Overall, any Dead release is better than no Dead release, so I'm grateful for comps or full shows. I look forward to hearing this release. I've heard the Shakedown and the Dancin>Franklin's and both were very hot with some very funky keyboard from Brent. The one thing I would like is MORE releases. Also, I agree with what somy of my fellow heads are saying about video releases. The compilation format may be even better suited for video treatment, where I'm sure there are lots of fragments of good shows lying around (i.e. Valentine's Day 1970.) Maybe something like the Led Zeppeln DVD that came out a few years ago.
Replacement Discs
I received my replacement discs a couple hours after my last post yesterday. It took under 2 weeks from the time I emailed Dr Rhino about my bad discs through yesterday.
Yes, we need more '88 releases.How about both Oxford Plains, all three Greek and all three Laguna Seca shows in their entirety?!!!
Not much of the '90s overly appeals to me but I think the 3/9-11/93 Rosemont Horizon shows were mostly good. The Terrapin>Jam>Drums>Miracle>Stella Blue from 3/14/93 Richfield is definitely Road Trip material.
Spacebrother
thanks for the update and here's to an aggravation-free future in this regard.
Fill in the blanks
Perhaps you could fill in a few blanks from the existing live albums. For example, I've always wanted to hear the Wharf Rat that followed The Other One on the Skull&Roses album (as well as the Cryptical that preceded it) and The Other One that is between Truckin' and Morning Dew on the Europe '72 album.
Finally got it
My copy of Road Trips came today of coarse it comes on the day I mention in my tapers section comments that I had not recieved mine yet. I came home from work to find in the mail. I got my bonus disk which is great. I really like the whole set great song selections that I thought flowed pretty well. I think the sound is also great. The only thing I don't like a whole lot is the packaging. I really do not like the sleeve jewel case. I am scared of marking up the disks when taking them out or puting them in to the case. I would have been much more happy if the case was like three from the vault or cow palace. Anyway I dont need to complain I am happy with the release and am now just waiting for Road Trips No.2 to be released. A complete show from this tour would be cool I think. Maybe Cape Cod?
BONE-US disc
I ordered Road Trips and got it...great music...but STILL no bonus disc. Emails have gone unanswered.
DO NOT BUY Road Trips until they get their heads out their collective arse and make good on the promise of a "bonus (bone-us) disc."
I love the Road Trips idea but WILL NOT be a victim of a scam. Who is running the show there? Some yutz with a copy of Barely Legal?
The Grateful Dead operation has become den of shizzle heads.
harry blotter
Road Trips cover
I do not like the cardboard sleeve for RT but the So Many Roads box set has cardboard sleeves as has The Golden Road box set and nobody has complained about them.
The card on RT does seem rougher though
Bob W
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Spanish Jam
you guys are the worst
I placed my order for this over three weeks ago and started contacting customer service about a week ago. I have received nothing except order confirmation and automatic replies that don't say anything. Don't bother to pull your heads out, I'm done. After buying virtually everything the band ever released I'm being driven off by Rhino. You guys are morons.
Thanks to Marye and customer service
A big thank you to Marye for directing me to DrRhino. It sounds like others have not had great experiences with customer service but (so far) I have. I contacted both Customer Service and DrRhino a few days ago and had a response waiting for me this morning (it's currently 9:30am in Australia) ensuring me that a disc two was on its way.
I haven't been listening to disc one after the initial listen last week. I thought I should just check out the bonus disc and leave the proper release for when I have the whole thing. It's not amazing but it has some great moments. China> Rider is nice, the pre Drums jam out of Saint Of Circumstance is strange and enjoyable and Estimated> He's Gone> Gloria Jam has some cool moments. I'm a sucker for a nice and slow He's Gone.
So, once again, thanks Marye for pointing me in the right direction. It'll be a long couple of weeks waiting for this disc but I think I can handle it!
cool, Ben!
glad to hear it. Fingers crossed for extra fast delivery.
Thanks again Marye
You are very helpful and I fully appreciate your efforts.
Cheers and one mo' Thank you!!!!!!
in case you're actually still reading these...
hi again,got my RT volume 1, #1, and bought one for my bro, as well. Good stuff!
It was very thoughtful of you to anticipate our questions...and I'm excited about
>>"what we promise will be a tidal wave of releases..."<<
So are we in for some good news on December 4th?
as you might have heard...ONE good TRIP deserves another...or is it more like "have a good trip, see ya next fall"?
so give us some clues, lay down some teaser notes, now's not the time to make us...1,2,3...TAKE A STEP BACK!
Postage and packing
I have just written to customer services complaining about the levels of P&P to Europe, I know other people have done this and have been fobbed off by customer services, but it would appear a couple of people are being refunded some of their postage costs, i hope this means a change of policy for Rhino.
I will have towait and see what reaction i get from Customer Services
Bob W
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Spanish Jam
change of policy?
"i hope this means a change of policy for Rhino."
I hope some other of their policy changes includes sending us the discs that we paid for and responding to emails and phone calls rather than just ignoring the problem in hopes that we go away.
Still waiting for my replacement set here.....
Not worth it
The good news: my order included the bonus disc.The bad news: Road Trips is not worth buying.
I should have gone with my first impression and not ordered this. But I was jonesing for more Dead and I let my habit get the best of me. Like others have expressed here, I would rather have full concerts, blemishes and all, than tunes selected for me. But I will admit that this compilation contains a great list of songs. But the quality is definitely lacking. While the audio quality is good, the playing and singing is below par. Out of tune in places, out of sync with each other, missed notes...all things you come to expect in full concerts, knowing it's worth it for the gems included. But these are selections from an entire tour. Does that mean the whole fall tour was mediocre at best?
If this is any indication of what's to follow then I guess I'll start putting my money into Dark Star Orchestra, Widespread Panic and Railroad Earth.
thanks
yes indeed..after a concerted campaign by EuroDeadHeads the folks at GD Customer Support have had the good grace to admit that the postage charges to here are 'extravagant' , to make peace offerings to complainants and to reduce the charges.
After dishing it out to the Store folks in spades for some time now on these pages, I am only too happy now to say thanks to the customer support team for listening and for taking positive remedial action. Sorry for those out there still trying to deal with unresolved issues, I hope this gives you some encouragement.
gratefulbadger
Disappointed...
send me a PM with the particulars and I'll follow up on this.
Bob and Badger, woo hoo! Good for the Euroheads and Rhino.
each to his own...
Couldn't disagree with you more, gratefuldaddy, but hey, everyone has favorite years and periods. Maybe other stuff up the road will be more to your liking...
On the record
Re: Road series vol 1.
Now well overdue.
$15 paid for postage.
Not for the first time my credit card payment for postage has, effectively, been stolen.
3 emails sent.
No response.
Get it: The GD and associated bands may never have played above the equator, in the southern hemisphere, up here, but the band has fans here. GD merchandising is disenfranchising us. I am not alone.
marye ...
... it's weirk@heraldsun.com.au
Order number: 0011521
Thanks for caring, but really the damage is done and won't be undone. Even if the album's in my mailbox when I get home from work tonight, that $15 is out there in the ether, as invisble as the service it was mean to buy.
Besides which, in my eagerness to snag the bonus disc, I didn't even think about the rates. $15 IS scandalous.
communicating with the Rhino
this may or may not help
After one false start I have been communicating with the Rhino with some success by clicking on 'Customer Service' at the bottom of the page in the Store. This generates a little message box (but ONLY if you are logged on to the store) and I have normally received a reply via the same system within 24 hours, however rude I have been ;-)
It is a bit clunky you may have to log on the store again to check if you have received a reply, but their system does now seem to be generating emails telling you that your message has been replied to, and sometimes actually emailing you the reply. It would appear that the first reply you receive is from a junior person and not that helpful, but if you refuse to back down problems are passed up the line to a manager for review
Customer Services
Have offered to refund the difference with the old and new postage costs, no quibbles.
Seems like Mike ( and Others) have prepared the ground
Bob
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Spanish Jam
Check This Out
I mentioned previously about having bad discs in my copies of Road Trips and Rockin' on the Rhein and requested/recieved replacements of the respective CDs.
So yesterday I get home from work and to my surprise recieved a package with brand new sealed copies of Road Trips (including bonus disc) and Rockin' On The Rhein. So now I have 2 copies of each of these releases. So now some of my Christmas shopping is done.
Thanks
I'm screwed ...
Well, it seems there's no legitmate complaint I can have.
I got this overnight:
"Kenny - This item shipped on the 6th of November via the United States Postal Service. International orders can take up to two months for arrival after the ship date.
Sincerely - Grateful Dead Customer Support"
My bad for assuming that I was paying for airmail.
BUT BUT BUT why, then, am I paying $15 - 75% of the cost of the album - for surface mail?
Finally Got The Bonus Disc
I ordered this bad boy on 11/5, and finally got my bonus disc today, 11/30, but not before:- my email to deadnet went unanswered.
- my email to DrRhino went unanswered.
- A kind soul told me to call Mac Dunlop at Rhino. At Mac's request, I spelled out my name and address on his voicemail so he could send me a copy of the bonus disc.
- Several days passed and it never came. I then emailed Mac Dunlop and Rhino customer service jointly and received an email from Mac stating he would put it in the mail that day.
This was all very frustrating.
All that being said, Road Trips is a solid, enjoyable release. Let me also add to the banter by saying that I prefer live shows, but I wish everyone would take a step back and look at HOW MUCH GREAT STUFF the Dead have released (and are continuing to release) - whether it be compilations or complete shows - before complaining about this being a compilation. I am a huge Floyd fan as well, and each of their TINY HANDFUL of live releases is a HEAVILY EDITED compilation. Sometimes David Gilmour even wents as far as creating a track by combining multiple live recordings of a particular song from several performance to get the "best version." In short, be grateful. We have it pretty good.
Tony W.
Surface mail??
Like Kennyw, I also go an email today saying my copy was posted on 6th November and can take up to 2 months to get to UK. This is such a rip-off. Orders for CDs (including box sets) to amazon market place sellers in the US charge £1.24 (about $2.40) for airmail to the UK and usually arrive here within a week.
odd
this is so strange. Some in Europe received their copies a few days after ordering. I ordered on the first day it was available and do not have mine yet. Maybe when there is an order from Yurp or Oz they send the janitor down to the post office with $15 and tell him/her to keep the change!
you reap what you sow
All of these mail issues (including mine) could all have been avoided if the Dead Net moved into the 21st century, and sold predominantly by download, with printable cd covers and liner notes. CD's should still be available, but they should only be done by request. And those who wish to utilize that medium, should pay the premium. The rest of us would have our music the day we ordered it.
Greg SC
Road Trips Shipping Dilemma
Well I thought I'd give it to the end of the month before I mentioned anything. I placed my order on Nov. 3rd and recieved an e-mail stating it shipped on the 6th. Still nothing.
I should mention that I live in Canada, but that's still a lot closer than England or Australia...
But really all I'm concerned about is the bonus disc.
If and when my package shows up (possibly without a bonus disc) will I be able to get one seeing as it's taking so long?
Have you put some aside for these situations?
I don't want to come off as a bitcher but I'm a bit nervous after reading about all the shipping issues people have had.
Thanks,
banging head on keyboard
So sorry you guys. I will pass this along. I join you in saying WTF? on the surface mail business. That's beyond weird.
Postage to Australia
I got my Road Trips disc over here in Australia (albeit without a disc two) really quickly so I suppose the $15 was worth it, in principle, although it'll be a few weeks until I get my disc two so perhaps it hasn't been worth it.
That's not my complaint - what I don't understand is that postage was $15 but very clearly, on the package there is a USA postal sticker thing saying postage was $6. Perhaps we Australia dead fans should "campaign" like the Euro heads????
I guess though, as long as one receives the bonus disc, it's misguided to view it as a double disc set - it's a triple disc set. Hence why people are furious that their bonus disc didn't arrive.
road trip vol 1
tj crowley
tho listening to an occassional 'big river' or such, i wasn't always spinning the complete cd(s) from previous releases..this is a good idea with particular gems that most agree on. the clarity and seperation is unbelievable....thnakyou 'six strings..more or Lesh
fried-days 6pm - midnite (e.s.t.) 90.3fm w e s s
www.esu.edu/wess pocono mts n.e.Pa.
My understanding is ...
... that there's no longer any such thing as surface mail. Just different kinds of air mail.
I reckon this very bad look for the band might be caused by packages/goods being parked somewhere for weeks on end AFTER they have left the GD agents' hands. How else to explain it?
By contrast, last week I ordered two copies of the Grayfolded double CD from CDBaby.com. And for $4 postage I know I'll have my stuff in 7-8 days guaranteed.
If this is a procedural problem, it's a bad one.