Spring 1990, Volume One Box

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August 8, 2012 - 10:43am

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What's Inside:
• 60 page hardcover Smyth-Sewn book featuring essays by Dennis McNally, David Lemieux, and Blair Jackson and photos by Jim Anderson & Mike Laurentis
• 25th Anniversary Tour Program
• Official Band Letters
• 6 Ticket Stubs
• 6 Cloth Sticker Backstage Passes
• 1 Tour Laminate
• Official 1990 Band publicity shot
• 6 complete shows on 18 discs
      • 3/16/90 Capital Center, Landover, MD
      • 3/19/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
      • 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON, Canada
      • 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
      • 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
      • 4/2/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA

Box Dimensions: 12-1/8" x 3-1/8" x 12-1/8"
Recorded and Mixed Live by John Cutler
Mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD
Original art by Wes Lang
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

Introducing The Next Box: Spring 1990!

And now for something a little different. This year's box set - Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 - offers six complete shows from the epic spring '90 tour, one concert from each city the band played, personally selected by Dead vaultmeister and archival release producer David Lemieux. The sizzling six are: 3/16/90 Capital Centre (Landover , MD), 3/19/90 Hartford Civic Center, 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum (Hamilton, Ontario), 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, NY), 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) and 4/2/90 The Omni (Atlanta, GA).

In his "Producer's Note" in the beautiful book that is part of the box, Lemieux, who attended the first 10 shows on the tour, states, "To my ears this was the last tour that was consistently great, where every show is excellent, not a dud in the bunch." And Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally's comprehensive and informative insider's essay in the box is titled "The Last Great Dead Tour." These guys know what they're talking about.

Basically, the band had been on an upward trajectory since Garcia's return to the road in the spring of '87, following his near-death the previous summer. Of course, 1987 was a trip in itself, what with the unexpected mega-success of In the Dark and their first hit single, "Touch of Grey." But the momentum just kept building with each subsequent tour, as Garcia got back up to full speed (and then some!) and the group as a whole was as unified as they had ever been since Brent joined the band in the spring of '79. New original tunes were popping up and the old favorites were imbued with a freshness and spirit that was so uplifting and inspiring. The band was having fun again, and it was downright infectious.

The group's fall 1989 shows-as documented two years ago on the Formerly the Warlocks box (two shows from Hampton, VA, 10/8-9/89) and on the 2001 release Nightfall of Diamonds (a single night in NJ, 10/16/89)- kicked the energy level up another couple of notches, as the band reintroduced such loved classics as "Help on the Way" > "Slipknot!," "Attics of My Life," "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Dark Star."

And when the band hit the road in mid-March 1990, they had a bunch of other cool tunes to lay on their unsuspecting crowds, including the return of "Loose Lucy" (last played in 1974; it's not on this box), Brent's "Easy to Love You" (missing since 1980), a rollicking cover of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," The Band's "The Weight" (with all four singers taking a verse each) and a lyrically retooled "Black-Throated Wind" (absent since 1974), which elicited huge cheers every time it was played.

Over these six shows, most of the cornerstones of the Dead's repertoire from the era appear-splendid versions of "Scarlet Begonias" > "Fire on the Mountain," "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider," "Playing in the Band," "Uncle John's Band," "Eyes of the World," "Estimated Prophet," "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "The Other One," "Terrapin," "Stella Blue," "Feel Like a Stranger," "Bird Song," "Let It Grow," "China Doll," "Box of Rain," "Morning Dew"; you name it. From the fall '89 breakouts come "Help-Slip-Frank," "Attics of My Life" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy." Among the still newish tunes are "Picasso Moon," "Blow Away," "Foolish Heart," "Just a Little Light," "Victim or the Crime," "Standing on the Moon," "We Can Run" and a couple that would get their final plays from the Grateful Dead on this tour-"Built to Last" and "Believe It or Not." There are stirring renditions of "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Black Muddy River," rockin' takes on "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "Iko Iko" and the only version of the full "Hey Jude" the band attempted in the modern era. And the "Rhythm Devils" and "Space" jams at the heart of each second set are as noisy-beautiful-scary-funny-intense-mysterious-wild as you'd expect/hope for.

Of course, we understand that some of you may have other favorite shows from this tour you wish were included on this box. Really, you can't go wrong with any of them. But at 18 discs, this is still the second largest Grateful Dead box (after Europe '72: The Complete Recordings) that's been released, and the non-inclusion of any other shows from the tour definitely does not preclude their future release! But this seemed like a more manageable way to go, while still giving a sense of the tour's amazing depth and breadth.

Besides the discs themselves, Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 has much to offer, including: a gorgeous 60-page hardcover book containing copious color photos by Jim Anderson and Michael Laurentus, unique artwork by Brooklyn-based fine artist Wes Lang, fascinating business letters and communications related to the tour, a detailed historical essay by Dennis McNally, a Producer's Note by David Lemieux and individual show descriptions by Blair Jackson; a reproduction of the Dead's 1990 tour program (printed and sold later in '90, for the fall and Europe '90 tours); tickets and backstage passes of all six shows; a band publicity photo from 1990 by Ken Friedman; Dennis McNally's tour laminate; and reproductions of the colored 8x10 sheets GDTS sent out with hotel, food and other information for each city on the tour.

With recordings made by longtime Grateful Dead recordist and producer John Cutler, mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD, you just know it's gonna sound great-and it does!

So, that's the skinny this time 'round. This box is limited to just 9,000 numbered copies - please note, this is the only time these shows will ever be officially available on CD. There will not be an All Music Edition and single shows will not be available physically. Due to ship out August 31st, we anticipate that this extraordinary set will sell-out, so order your copy today!

If you're looking for more of a bite-sized taste of the '90s, Spring 1990: So Glad You Made It, a 2-CD set featuring a handful of favorites, will be in stores on September 18th.

-Blair Jackson

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August 6, 2012 - 1:48pm

#901

SPACEBROTHER

Joined:
June 4, 2007

Interview transcript of Davd Gans, Phil Lesh and John Cutler...

""Gans: The "Dick's Picks" stuff is stereo master recordings that were made at shows on reels, or DATs, or whatever. The stuff in *this* series is from multi-track material, and it's from a much more limited collection of possibilities, obviously -- Lesh: That's right. Gans: -- but there was some stuff from 1971 that became the "Skull and Roses" record; there was a bunch of recording in 1980 of acoustic and electric material; '89 and '90 was the stuff for. . . Cutler: "Without a Net." Gans: "Without a Net," and from which you took this. Are you, every time you go for one of these, are you examining the entire body of stuff, and choosing something, or were you -- Cutler: Well, again, it depends on who the "we" is, because now Phil is hopefully coming in with a couple of choices we have to decide between, to get going and mix; Dick listens constantly to everything, he starts filtering stuff through Jeff and myself; or I, who was lucky enough to have recorded a lot of this multi-track stuff, at least since the '80s, kinda know what's there anyway, and so we go through it. We don't necessarily -- we couldn't have listened to everything from "Without a Net," that was like 50 shows I recorded for that, so there's lots of stuff there to come out. I think now, we're always faced with the fact of, if a "Dick's Picks" comes out, and there was five songs on there that are also gonna be on the Vault release, that are *also* on the video -- I mean, it gets very difficult. We try to orchestrate it so we're not putting out the same stuff at the same time, from various eras. We'd rather put out --"" the rest of the interview can be found here... http://www.well.com/conf/gdhour/gdh.logs/Lesh-Cutler.html
August 6, 2012 - 1:39pm

#902

mstaggerlee

Joined:
June 30, 2007

The NEXT next box set

OK - here's MY totally unrealistic choice for the next box set ... ALL of 5/15/70.On this day, there were Early and Late shows at the Fillmore East, each of which featured and Acoustic GD set, followed by a New Riders set (this is Pre-Buddy Cage - Jerry's on Steel!) and then an Electric GD set. Truth be known, I've already put this together for myself, from the LMA, and it's a GREAT listen - around 8 hours worth! I say it's unrealistic, because Rhino does not have a deal in place with the New Riders, but maybe they could get it together with the "co-operation" of Kufala, the outfit that DOES have the Riders archival franchise. So ... No prayer, right, Dave?
August 6, 2012 - 11:50am

#903

fourwindsblow

Joined:
October 13, 2008

I agree...

The E72 box and Warlocks box could have sounded a lot better .
August 6, 2012 - 11:39am

#904

One Man

Joined:
May 17, 2011

Audio Source

Seems like a reasonable response that the 2-track reference tapes (DAT) sounded great and thus were used. I do think this could have been made clearer from the start. I'd rather this result than the rush-mix we got with the E72 box and the Warlocks box. (And anyway, no one seems to agree with me that those two releases could have sounded MUCH better.) So production costs were low this time, and Rhino will increase its profit margin, and that is the American Way. A cool $1.8 million gross. No beef with that. The same thing happened with the Winterland boxes and no one complained ($11.11/CD with no mixing costs). We'll never again see a value like the Fillmore West Complete Recordings box, obviously ($7.50/CD and newly mixed extremely well).
August 6, 2012 - 11:32am

#905

fourwindsblow

Joined:
October 13, 2008

Thank You!

"We are using the live John Cutler mixes for this box set, owing to the fact that we feel that sound is as good or better than anything we could have replicated in the studio by remixing the multi-tracks. The Grateful Dead's longtime engineers, John Cutler and Jeffrey Norman, spent considerable time checking out these live mix tapes, and they decided that these recordings are as good or better than can be reproduced with a remix." This was the best decision on which recordings to release.
August 6, 2012 - 9:42am

#906

simonrob

Joined:
June 7, 2007

Yes, thanks for passing that on.

DL's answer is as complete as one could wish for and also revealing. I can well believe that the live mix was to DAT. I don't know when they finished recording shows on 24 tr. for "Without a net" and making simultaneous 2 tr. live mixes, but "View from the vault I soundtrack" (July 8 1990) was produced using 2 tr. digital tapes. However "View from the vault III soundtrack" (June 16 1990) was produced using 2 tr. analog tapes, so that clarifies nothing about the storage medium - but the medium is insignificant compared to the sound quality.
August 6, 2012 - 9:23am

#907

stoltzfus

Joined:
January 13, 2010

Thank you, Dave!

"To clarify, these are not stereo PA mixes; these are the live mixes John was producing in the recording truck." IMO, that is as close to actually "being there" as is possible in 2012. Truth be told, the DaP system works better for me ($32 from time to time vs. several hundred $$$ all at once). HOWEVER, box sets like this are extremely welcome. The day will come when I can realistically consider purchasing them (as I could BC...before children.) Whatever...keep them coming!!! I remember a day when live releases like this was the stuff of fantasy. Blair, I remember, directly in Golden Road, you wrote a blurb along the lines of "can you imagine Buffalo 77 on CD?" Releases like this at the time would have been a happy foos-ro-DAH! 8/27/72!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Summer 85 box!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREEK BOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 6, 2012 - 8:59am

#908

cosmicbadger

Joined:
June 13, 2007

thanks

wellt that anwers that very nicely thanks Dr Lunchbox and David L. Nice explanation, but it could perhaps have been provided in the first place. One thing not mentioned, but which I believe to be true, is that the live mixdown was made onto Digital Audio Tape (not cassette as claimed by someone earlier).
August 6, 2012 - 8:40am

#909

Dr. Lunchbox

Joined:
March 8, 2009

Source

I emailed Dave inquiring about the source for these and this was his response: "We are using the live John Cutler mixes for this box set, owing to the fact that we feel that sound is as good or better than anything we could have replicated in the studio by remixing the multi-tracks. The Grateful Dead's longtime engineers, John Cutler and Jeffrey Norman, spent considerable time checking out these live mix tapes, and they decided that these recordings are as good or better than can be reproduced with a remix. There is an aliveness and a clarity to John's live mixes that would be lost in the remixing process. This decision was the same decision Phil and John made in 1997 when they released the Terrapin Limited (3/15/90), for which the live mixes were used. John's live mixes were always great, but the Spring 1990 mixes are virtually flawless. Believe me, John and Jeffrey have huge amounts of audio integrity and they wouldn't have put their names on this project if they didn't feel these mixes are excellent. Personally, I think they sound phenomenal, as does everyone involved who's heard them. I gather Rhino will be putting up some sample clips (one might be up now?), and that will give you an indication of the quality. To clarify, these are not stereo PA mixes; these are the live mixes John was producing in the recording truck." Hope this helps!
August 6, 2012 - 8:13am

#910

bambini

Joined:
January 3, 2011

spring 90

I'm on board for this one but not thrilled by the choice. I know David L and the others have made outstanding choices in the past releases. I hope this release will change my mind. and I 'm wrong. I know those who make the choice are very excited by this tour. As for the whole package no real problem, I just wish the powers that be gave us a little warning about the price. I am glad to see six shows instead of 3 and that the shows were picked from the tout. I was hoping for a 79 box but did not expect it. I see the spring 90 tour as technically perfect. Although tecnically almost perfect I don't see the band taking risks. In the video by David L he talks how Brent is the Mvp in Many ways for this box and tour. The thing is if jerry was where he should have been there would be no such talk. Jerry Garcia leading the band made the gd into something transendental. When he was on it was like a jazz great like coltrane or dexter gordon. I read somewhere when bruce hornsby came into the band he was yelling at jerry to play. I think in the later brent years jerry got lazy and let brent have the space to dominate with his keyboards. Jerry's playing seems more adventuous with his solo stuff at the time and post brent dead. I hope the box blows me away but can't believe it will compare with the fillmore 69 , winterland 77 and 73 or europe72 box in music quality.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

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What's Inside:
• 60 page hardcover Smyth-Sewn book featuring essays by Dennis McNally, David Lemieux, and Blair Jackson and photos by Jim Anderson & Mike Laurentis
• 25th Anniversary Tour Program
• Official Band Letters
• 6 Ticket Stubs
• 6 Cloth Sticker Backstage Passes
• 1 Tour Laminate
• Official 1990 Band publicity shot
• 6 complete shows on 18 discs
      • 3/16/90 Capital Center, Landover, MD
      • 3/19/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
      • 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON, Canada
      • 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
      • 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
      • 4/2/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA

Box Dimensions: 12-1/8" x 3-1/8" x 12-1/8"
Recorded and Mixed Live by John Cutler
Mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD
Original art by Wes Lang
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

Introducing The Next Box: Spring 1990!

And now for something a little different. This year's box set - Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 - offers six complete shows from the epic spring '90 tour, one concert from each city the band played, personally selected by Dead vaultmeister and archival release producer David Lemieux. The sizzling six are: 3/16/90 Capital Centre (Landover , MD), 3/19/90 Hartford Civic Center, 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum (Hamilton, Ontario), 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, NY), 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) and 4/2/90 The Omni (Atlanta, GA).

In his "Producer's Note" in the beautiful book that is part of the box, Lemieux, who attended the first 10 shows on the tour, states, "To my ears this was the last tour that was consistently great, where every show is excellent, not a dud in the bunch." And Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally's comprehensive and informative insider's essay in the box is titled "The Last Great Dead Tour." These guys know what they're talking about.

Basically, the band had been on an upward trajectory since Garcia's return to the road in the spring of '87, following his near-death the previous summer. Of course, 1987 was a trip in itself, what with the unexpected mega-success of In the Dark and their first hit single, "Touch of Grey." But the momentum just kept building with each subsequent tour, as Garcia got back up to full speed (and then some!) and the group as a whole was as unified as they had ever been since Brent joined the band in the spring of '79. New original tunes were popping up and the old favorites were imbued with a freshness and spirit that was so uplifting and inspiring. The band was having fun again, and it was downright infectious.

The group's fall 1989 shows-as documented two years ago on the Formerly the Warlocks box (two shows from Hampton, VA, 10/8-9/89) and on the 2001 release Nightfall of Diamonds (a single night in NJ, 10/16/89)- kicked the energy level up another couple of notches, as the band reintroduced such loved classics as "Help on the Way" > "Slipknot!," "Attics of My Life," "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Dark Star."

And when the band hit the road in mid-March 1990, they had a bunch of other cool tunes to lay on their unsuspecting crowds, including the return of "Loose Lucy" (last played in 1974; it's not on this box), Brent's "Easy to Love You" (missing since 1980), a rollicking cover of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," The Band's "The Weight" (with all four singers taking a verse each) and a lyrically retooled "Black-Throated Wind" (absent since 1974), which elicited huge cheers every time it was played.

Over these six shows, most of the cornerstones of the Dead's repertoire from the era appear-splendid versions of "Scarlet Begonias" > "Fire on the Mountain," "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider," "Playing in the Band," "Uncle John's Band," "Eyes of the World," "Estimated Prophet," "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "The Other One," "Terrapin," "Stella Blue," "Feel Like a Stranger," "Bird Song," "Let It Grow," "China Doll," "Box of Rain," "Morning Dew"; you name it. From the fall '89 breakouts come "Help-Slip-Frank," "Attics of My Life" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy." Among the still newish tunes are "Picasso Moon," "Blow Away," "Foolish Heart," "Just a Little Light," "Victim or the Crime," "Standing on the Moon," "We Can Run" and a couple that would get their final plays from the Grateful Dead on this tour-"Built to Last" and "Believe It or Not." There are stirring renditions of "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Black Muddy River," rockin' takes on "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "Iko Iko" and the only version of the full "Hey Jude" the band attempted in the modern era. And the "Rhythm Devils" and "Space" jams at the heart of each second set are as noisy-beautiful-scary-funny-intense-mysterious-wild as you'd expect/hope for.

Of course, we understand that some of you may have other favorite shows from this tour you wish were included on this box. Really, you can't go wrong with any of them. But at 18 discs, this is still the second largest Grateful Dead box (after Europe '72: The Complete Recordings) that's been released, and the non-inclusion of any other shows from the tour definitely does not preclude their future release! But this seemed like a more manageable way to go, while still giving a sense of the tour's amazing depth and breadth.

Besides the discs themselves, Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 has much to offer, including: a gorgeous 60-page hardcover book containing copious color photos by Jim Anderson and Michael Laurentus, unique artwork by Brooklyn-based fine artist Wes Lang, fascinating business letters and communications related to the tour, a detailed historical essay by Dennis McNally, a Producer's Note by David Lemieux and individual show descriptions by Blair Jackson; a reproduction of the Dead's 1990 tour program (printed and sold later in '90, for the fall and Europe '90 tours); tickets and backstage passes of all six shows; a band publicity photo from 1990 by Ken Friedman; Dennis McNally's tour laminate; and reproductions of the colored 8x10 sheets GDTS sent out with hotel, food and other information for each city on the tour.

With recordings made by longtime Grateful Dead recordist and producer John Cutler, mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD, you just know it's gonna sound great-and it does!

So, that's the skinny this time 'round. This box is limited to just 9,000 numbered copies - please note, this is the only time these shows will ever be officially available on CD. There will not be an All Music Edition and single shows will not be available physically. Due to ship out August 31st, we anticipate that this extraordinary set will sell-out, so order your copy today!

If you're looking for more of a bite-sized taste of the '90s, Spring 1990: So Glad You Made It, a 2-CD set featuring a handful of favorites, will be in stores on September 18th.

-Blair Jackson

Good news

let's just hope the ordering process is not the nightmare that was Europe '72!

-

I learned from the '72 box, which I almost missed out on. Been hitting refresh all morning, got mine. *whew*

c'mon

No shipping option to Canada?!? C'mon - you think you'd have it together by now ...

How About Less Merch And More Shows

This Whole Tour Is Worthy Of A Box Set !! And you're putting out the 30th from Nassau!?!?! Not the 29th !?!?!?!?

fingers crossed

ordered without a hitch...hoping that it will be OK. No foul ups pleeeeeease. If you order make sure you print or save the orrder confirmation....

Also without a hitch

And order confirmation email received...

5 out of 6

Overall, a pretty nice set! I would've included BOTH Copps Coliseum shows and left out Hartford, but otherwise great choices! 2/25-7/23/90 all circulate in SBD, but 3/21 and 3/22 are the two shows most in need of an upgrade and this was the chance to hear both night's in all their glory (I know, I hear it coming, "That's not really a consideration..."), but maybe it could be once in a while, like once a year. 5 out of 6 is pretty good though!

now thats what i'm talking about.

very happy to get a run of brent shows. my only real complaint is the one 'blow away' has already been released as part of the 'dozin' at the knick' compilation. i think i'll let it slide though. big thumbs up for the killer artwork!

order confirmation in!

This is not my favorite era. I did not order the Warlocks (together with Terrapin the only official cd I do not have). But I have to have THIS and now I will, at least it looks like it. $28 for shipping is still way more than Amazon would charge, so the box better be big and clunky...

.

You guys have lost me.

Limited edition, box set. Fancy packageing, basically a $200.00 price tag, thats over $30.00 a show. I just can't seem to wrap my head around this one. I've got several of these shows in audience, soundboard and matrix versions and I almost never listen to them. The 90's were never my favorite shows even though I did go see the boys when they swung down to South Florida in that period. All this just seems like a bunch of hype to extract the maximum amount of money out of the fans. I think I'm done with GD Merchandising, Rhino Records and the whole slick corporate game you guys have been playing here the last few years. I'll keep collecting shows via trades, downloads, and kind gifts from the other like minded Deadheads out there. Ya'll have a really nice day.

I about fell out of my chair

I about fell out of my chair when I checked the site today. Thanks so much all!

Wonderful choice

I do wish they would release on vinyl. I won't buy any new stuff on CD. CDs unless it is something that I just have to have are history for me.

BEAUTIFUL PACKAGE!

I don't like this Dead era, so I won´t order it, but the package is really breath-taking! Delicate and beautiful! For those who are into 1990 Dead, enjoy it!!!

WOOOOT!

Life is Good! I miss you Jerry & Brent...

Meh...

...more stuff that I've had in fantastic quality for years. SURPRISE US !!!! You folks that don't know what etree is will enjoy it though.

Ordered it, but wow....almost half the price of '72 Europe Box

I wish Dead.net folks would respond to valid questions about why things like this are so expensive. The Europe '72 Suitcase was $450.00, but at least it has 22 full shows....this has similar contents (book, etc.), but only 6 shows...I'm sure it will be cool, but this is way overpriced! Sure, to some extent I should shut up since I was willing to order it, but still...

Good and Bad

It's awesome that this is being released! I even attended the three Omni shows, and this release marks the first official one that I was at, to come out. Sadly, the $200 price tag is currently out of my budget and seeing as it's limited to 9000 units, I'll likly miss out on it. :(

No 3-25-90?! ;)

3-25-90 was my first show and it was probably the best I saw in about the 40+ or so I managed to see before Jerry died. The Bird Song, Eyes, Crazy Fingers - the entire show was great. Hell, even Touch was perfect that night. Anyway, I've ordered this and can't wait to get it. Thanks Dave & co. for all your work. Now how about 11-30-80!

I wish I could afford it...

...but I can't and I won't.Why do they have to include all the doo-dads and the fancy packaging? Is it really in the GD spirit to make something like this so expensive, available only to those with too much disposable income? There is no way they can do this and then say, "It's all about the music." I'd like to hear these discs and if they were available individually or in a package that kept the cost down I'd consider it. But this is not my favorite Epoch (not to say overrated, but it is) and one or two of these might have represented the tour just fine, considering we already have "Without a Net" and "Dozin' at the Knick." It would have made a superior Road Trips release (in the original spirit of the series). It could be a 4 to 8 disc compilation that would include every song's best performance and tell the story of Spring 1990 just fine. But where's the profit in that, eh Dave? Too bad that just being a Head who loves the music isn't enough to get me into the exclusive club that Dave and his enablers at Rhino have built. I guess I'm just supposed to kiss their asses and thank them for letting me peek in the window. But I can't hear a thing.

I wish I could afford it...

I guess I'll just listen to "Without a Net" and dream about being worthy of Dave's and Rhino's attention.

who's steering this ship o' fools?

1990? $200? while i agree w/ Lemieux - "....the last tour that was consistently great....", with more than two decades of gems available prior to '90, this selection stymies me a bit. yes, i did the tour, yes, i have the boards...i just can't justify shelling out the cash for what is basically a pedestrian year in GD concert history. guess it's a case of different strokes. enjoy the music! peace,love, jerry.

Silver discs at $11.33 each

For good, not great, shows. I'll wait until this is offered at 20% off, since it won't sell out. I *might* be tempted then, but will probably still pass. Yawn.

doo-dads

I remember all the complaints about not enough "swag" with the Europe 72 release and now there is to many doo-dads. Give the listening party a listen. Sounds good to my ears. Keep in mind there were two previous box sets that were nine discs (ten with the bonus disc) that were released at close to $100.00.

2 cents

I tell myself everytime a new release is announced not to do it, but I can't resist commenting, even though I know I will be attacked by the Deadheads with unlimited income who are happy to fork over $$$ for anything that the Dead release. The Europe '72 box was $450, AND very expensive when you just look at that big number, but only $6.25 per disc, a very fair price when looked at like that. This release, with shipping factored in (there was no extra shipping charge for Europe 72 for US customers at least) is $11.85 per disc. That's more than $5.50 more per disc! That's insane. Is it that much more expensive to remaster these shows? Have costs gone up that much? Does Deborah Koons need a new 8-series BMW? We'll never know. I certaiinly am not making as much money as I did before the recession and, while $214 will not affect my life one way or another, I am very grateful to say, I just can't spend it on this. It seems wrong. Not to mention the fact that as I grow older I am becoming less and less interested in material possessions and all the bells and whistles added on to these releases just seems like waste. So I agree with at least one or two previous posters here re: the high price. I'll have to make do with what I have, and hope that my purchases of 30 of 36 Dick's Picks, the Fillmore West '69 box, the Europe '72 box, both Winterland boxes, and numerous other releases will be considered sufficient to pay off the debt I owe the Dead for allowing the free circulation of their music (only being a little facetious there, I am grateful that the Dead have allowed the free circulation of their music). This despite the fact that I am not a real Deadhead since I only saw 9 shows, and was born much too late to have enjoyed them in their prime. Let the attacks begin.

2 cents

sorry again

eee

oops, sorry

PEOPLE...

If you have a decent internet connection and a little time you can get all these shows for free, in soundboard quality that is 90% of what these remasters are. Stop whining about dave and rhino screwing you. Learn about torrents, download traders little helper and go to etree.org.

Sorry but I'm going to pass this one up!!

I own every release (yes inded, absolutely every one ever put out by the GD!) but I won't own this one!! A whopping $33 per show for 1990 era Grateful Dead? YAWN!! No wonder they decided to dress-up the packaging. Just like putting lip-stick on a pig! Just not good enough. I'll grab one 1/2 price on E-Bay come the end of September! Sorry GD/Rhino, I work for my money! Maybe you should too!

If you don't have anything nice to say...

This isn't Dead Flames, guys (rec.music.gdead)! To the person who complained that the one Blow Away was already released on Dozin at the Knick: Check the song lists again -- there are 2 Blow Aways. To each their own. I didn't buy the Europe '72 box, but I am buying this one (even though I already have the 25th anniversary program.) Thanks to David Lemieux & everyone else involved in getting this out.

lessons learned

Even though I STILL have not listened to all of the Euro '72 box, I'll probably pull the trigger on this one too -- I agree with David's opinion that this tour was the band's last hurrah...In the meantime, I'm glad to see that the folks responsible for these releases appear to have learned some lessons from the less-than-smooth roll out of E72: -Taking the "build it and they will come" approach rather than the "get 'em in line and we'll decide whether (and how) to serve them then"; -A normal ordering process -- if you want it, buy it; -A ton more memorabilia than was included with E72, not really my priority, but I did like the little stuff they used to include with the Pure Jerry releases and lots of people were disappointed with what little came with E72 box; -Making their intentions unmistakably clear insofar as future releases goes (no all music addition, and no single-show physical releases, implying that download releases are a distinct possibility). So, all in all, and even if this release doesn't float your boat musically, I think we should all be pleased with the way in which it was handled. Hats off to everyone involved!!!

Nice Package...well

Looks like a nice package, but it's a bit more than I can afford right now. I'll be looking forward to the "little sampler" available on 16 September. Peace

Listening party does not work on Ubuntu :-(

I would love to listen to the Listening Party, but it does not work on Ubuntu. In the past, I could listen to the Listening Parties by selecting the Microsoft format. Can anyone help?

Sorry but the hype and the

Sorry but the hype and the price and all the other silly extras just are not enough to pull the trigger on this price tag. it's a lot of dough for six shows. and then the revelation that these will NEVER be released as single shows.. it feels like extortion. enough..!!! this is where the frustration comes from and people rely on "alternate' means of obtaining recorded music. i just want value not smoke and mirrors.

Yes, "doo-dads"

I was not among those who complained about the lack of extraneous dreck in the E 72 release. But I did question the price and the needless "doo-dads" driving up the price of this latest profit-taker.If "It's all about the music" then just give us that, keep it affordable to Heads with jobs (not investment portfolios with Bain Capital) and we'll but it.

Another intimidating/overkill set that should be scaled-down

Honestly, I would rather have a two-show release from this tour, maybe Cap (16th) and Hartford (19th) in the same vein as the Formerly the Warlock release. No doubt these are all killer shows. I am so glad to see my favorite 1990 Grateful Dead show (3/16) finally getting released, however, for those of us who own the boards to most or all of these already circulating shows, 200 bucks for 6 shows is WAY too much. Even with the fancy packaging and the essays, to me its not worth it since I've already heard and can listen to the boards of these shows, even if the HDCD sounds a little more polished, I still won't drop 200 bucks. Many people who would probably buy a smaller scale set will probably be discouraged from spending that much, though I'm sure there are enough millionaire Dead-Heads to buy and sell out this set. Let's face it, most of the heads that were touring 70s and 80s are pretty wealthy by now and this seems like the target market that Dead.net is selling to. I love supporting the remastering and releasing of classic Dead shows, especially if it involves 87-91 Grateful Dead, but this is too overkill for my working-class wages.

doo-dads

I agree that the doo-dads are not really required but my point was there was enough complaining on the last box set about lack of swag that on this release the swag was overdone. They do listen and sometimes react. Be careful what you complain about. I would have preferred an all music edition with a bonus disc thrown in. Most likely the Dave's Picks will see a price increase next year also to around $30-$33 per show (release). This is just an indicator.

Suh-weet.

Hey, Nice surprise. I did not see this coming. Already placed my order. The bitching has already started. If you don't want it, simply do not order it. I'm very happy with the release and will play it all when it arrives. I have read so many comments from those bitching that we never see a 90's release. Well here it is in amazing box. I grabbed a poster too. Thanks David, looking forward to listening to GD all week. Happy Birthday Jerry, thanks to all involved in bringing another great historical archive release to us fans. All you whiners, need to move on. Coconut Phil

single shows will not be available physically

well that is not very comforting... if it is truly limited should these not be available at all as single shows??? I take it this means there WILL BE downloads avialable for purchase at what I expect may be a much lower price than $33 per show. Don't be surprised if sales don't fly off the shelves due to this... anyway I am in on this and I do think someone actually took the time to pick shows that may be less widely distributed as SBDs on torrent sites which is a step forward. This was a great tour and really Brent's last great stand... I am psyched to hear waht a remaster of a 24 track recording will sound like and to compare it to the terrapin station 3/15/90 release which is excellent. I will continue to support the band as much as I can... yes there is so much available for free but as a community let's not abuse that and support the commercial releases as much as one can. Good stuff (except for the little marketing gimic of limited "physical" release...)

I Totally Agree with msgsec74

It is the music that is the most important part of the purchases I have made or will ever make from Dead.net. I really appreciate it when I recieve good quality disks that are well packaged. The artwork is nice, but bells and whistles will drive the price up on anything. I would still buy the music if it was only released as a FLAC download. I went to all 3 nights at Nassau and I remember the show on the 30th was an FM broadcast and it just didn't have the energy or the passion of the 2 previous nights, both of which are near the top of my list of favorite show that I attended. It baffles me why the 30th as well! Just my 2cents... none the less I'm in! Kevin

Smiles, and more smiles

Thanks guys. Getting everything "just exactly perfect" before it's announced is the way to do it. I've been waiting for the Hammertown shows for a long time. I hope there are no problems.

i take it...

you take it that there will be downloads?? I wouldn't bet on it. Let history be your guide: were there downloads for the Winterland boxes? E72 shows? The Warlocks box? You are reading too much into the text that isn't there. The message very much looks to be: You Snooze, You Lose; Now Or Never. "most of the heads that were touring 70s and 80s are pretty wealthy by now" Bwahhahha hahaha haaaaaa!!! Yeah, sure they are. Millionaires, mostly.

1990 GD for $215.00?

No thank you. 1990 GD is not my preference and $220.00 for 6 shows of meh 1990 GD is not worth my dukats. Sorry, but either lower the price or do another box of pre-'85 Dead. I'll save the cash.

way off base again rhino

200.00 for six shows, didn't pay anywhere that much to see them live back then, what a ripoff. Once again, rhino shows it's ass. I won't risk the money for this, should have been 10 or 11 shows for that cash, and the best ones left out, why, why do you do this to us on Jerry's birthday? Happy birthday Jerry, I know you would have never have had any part of this crap.

Turn it up!

On this new (very stylish) interface, I can't see the names listed with the comments. I can read all the comments (for good or ill), but can't see who wrote them. So there's no confusion, this is Yoda- the Other One rocks! p.s. A big thanks to marye and the Tech Wizard for their help in fixing the glitch

Wes Lang Indian Skull

I can't decide whether the "Indian Skull" artwork honors the native Americans whose ancestors we slaughtered and whose lands we occupy by force, or whether it's more commercial exploitation of their traditions. I wonder what Wes Lang has to say about it? I wonder what opinions any native Americans out there have? Offensive? Cool? Who gives a flip? The boxed set looks awesome... But that's 2 days pay and we have kids to feed.

Wow!!!

I can't believe what a bunch of winers deadheads have become... No one is telling you that you HAVE to buy this... You don't like it? Don't buy it!

I knew the kvetching would start quickly.

i can much more easily buy a dave's picks ($32 total) When I get a new job, i will get this. i am listening to Dozin'ATN, and after many months of GD70s, 60s, and even 80s, it has a great clean sound. like i said elsewhere, even 30 years into the long, strange trip, the music still surprises. I know getting this pack will surprise me pleasantly. THANK YOU, GD ptb!

Well

I must confess to being a bit surprised by the scale of this - the second biggest box - as the follow-up to the biggest box. In that respect I can understand the dismay of some folks regarding the price. It doesn't really come as a surprise that it is again a limited edition - Rhino know pretty accurately how many they will ship quickly and probably have little interest in how many more they could sell over the next few years. It would appear to be a high-quality production regarding the box itself and the bits 'n' pieces that come with it. It would seem that they will never get this right for everybody (probably an impossible task) as some will want it as cheap as possible without any trimmings and some are happy to have loads of stocking-fillers, knowing that it will bump up the price somewhat. Regarding the price, we are getting twice as many discs and twice as many doo-dads for twice the price of the "Winterland" boxes, and a bigger physical box to boot, so there is surely no grounds for complaint there. It is hard to see exactly what the six 3-disc sleeves are - I hope for "Digipaks" as opposed to the paper sleeves of "Europe '72" which attracted so much criticism. Most box sets of this magnitude have plenty of extras added and this does put the price up. Bearing in mind the extras and the fact that there are 1/4 the number of discs as compared to "Europe '72", one can reasonably expect the price per disc to be higher. If you use the price per disc or show of the Allman Brothers' archival releases as your benchmark, you should be grinning from ear to ear every time something comes out here! Although it is in no way my favourite era of the Dead, as far as I am aware it is all top-notch stuff, probably the best of their later performances and their swansong in my opinion. I am sure many will disagree, particularly the younger listeners (absolutely no offence meant here) who grew up with the Dead in the late '80's and onwards. I was pleased to note that ordering was flawless and problem-free this time around - a big thank you to Rhino for at least trying to avoid the ordering problems that have occurred in the past. I hope they have succeeded and that everything goes smoothly in the ordering and shipping processes and that the end result is of the desired / required quality. I'm really looking forward to getting this in my greasy paws - after the customs man has studied it thoroughly and decided that the economy will be better off if I make a sizeable contribution to the treasury! Thanks in advance to everyone who has laboured to get this out to us.P.S. Canada is a different country to the US so I guess that for shipping to Canada one should choose "International" shipping like all other denizens of the rest of the world. SimonRob

Great late era choice

It's not a fit for my budget and current state of GD addiction-affliction (need some '76 and '78 about now, actually). But I would order it if I thought it would help our collective cause down the road to see this sell out. I take it this will sell out given the high reputation of the tour. I loved the Nassau shows! I am amazed at 9000 though, up near the level of the subscription series run. I would have guessed fewer.

product sku

GRA9900088