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What's Inside:
• Five Complete Shows
• 5/11/77 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN
• 5/12/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/13/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/15/77 St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO
• 5/17/77 University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
•14 Discs, 111 tracks
•Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman, Plangent Processes playback system for maximum sonic accuracy
•Artwork by Grammy Award-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike
•Period Photos by James R Anderson
•Historical Essay by Steve Silberman
•Individual show liner notes
MAGICAL, MYTHICAL MAY 1977!
If you're a Dead Head, chances are you've spent many an hour expounding upon the distinction of May 8, 1977, Cornell University, Barton Hall. Well, at the risk of preaching to the choir, we'd like to reintroduce you to a series of shows that matches said greatness from that same gloriously fertile season. While Barton Hall is well known, the astounding tour that surrounded it has occasionally flown under the radar due to the uneven quality of tapes in circulation. May 1977 is set to change all of that with a boxed set that zeroes in on this high-water mark in the Grateful Dead's long strange trip.
For a band resurrecting itself after a 20-month hiatus, there was a great frenzy of expectancy that surrounded the Spring of 1977. We anticipate a grand reoccurrence of this fervor with the release of May 1977, a 14-disc boxed set featuring five complete shows from consecutive stops on that magical tour. Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, the "psychoacoustic phenomena" as Jerry once put it, of St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN (5/11) Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL (5/12, 5/13), St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO (5/15) and Coliseum at the University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (5/17) can now finally be appreciated. Each of these shows finds the Dead delivering punchier, more focused sets, tightening up the framework; each night turning out first-ever renditions ("Passenger,""Iko Iko,""Jack-A-Roe"), unloading potent new pairings ("Scarlet Begonias">"Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet">"Eyes Of The World"), classic covers ("Dancing In The Street") and soon-to-be staples ("Estimated Prophet," "Samson and Delilah"), and ultimately rising up to paradise.
And now for the nitty-gritty...
Due June 11, May 1977 is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies. Presented in a psychedelic box that boasts an intricate die-cut design created by Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike, the set also includes a book filled with stories about each show, as well as an in-depth essay by Dead historian Steve Silberman, who delves deep into the history behind the tour and the band’s return from its extended hiatus.
Once these 15,000 boxes are gone, May 1977 and its shows will never be available again on CD. However, the 111 tracks will be made available on release date as FLAC and Apple lossless full-set-only downloads for $99.98.
Like its predecessors Europe '72: The Complete Recordings and Spring 1990, we expect May 1977 to sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here and on Facebook.com/GratefulDead and Youtube.com/gratefuldead.
Spectrum Box
A Philadelphia Spectrum Box set..........Where they played more than ANY other Venue
How about....
.....Springfield,MA?.......The Dead played there every tour until at least the late eighties,early nineties. My hometown(kind of) venue! Dick's Picks 25 or Dead Downloads 7 anyone?! Also, did you know the Dead gave up one of their travel days to help Springfield with their sound system? I believe it was in the late 70s but dont hold me to that. Thats how much they liked the venue ( or hated it, depending on how you look at it!) I'm listening to 4/23/77 right now getting ready for this box set. Palladium next. I think that Dead Downloads show is excellent and I always go for that when I'm in a '77 mood, along with the usual other stuff of course( DP 3 & 29) ! Take care folks!
Venue Madness
At the risk of sounding like a complete jerk, I've gotta ask:
What's the appeal of a venue-specific box set?
Maybe I'm just a bit slow, but that seems almost as arbitrary as a "Best of April" or "Thursday Highlights" collection. Focusing on chronological periods (May '77, April-May '72, Spring '90, etc.) makes sense from a musical standpoint - stylistic consistency and all. But why restrict a collection to specific geographic coordinates (assuming the featured shows are from all over the calendar, or even multiple eras)?
OK, all that said... if I were forced to buy a venue box, I'd cross my fingers for Alpine Valley(!) Chunks of those 20 gigs would also qualify as an '80s set, but not necessarily the optimal one...
Time period Box Sets
Time period box sets do make more sense. It is time for the 1980s.
Next Box...
I would love to see Summer 1985 considered for potential release. The band was very 'on' and having attended the Hershey PA shpw I can attest for the uniqueness and quality of that particular show. The tapes of the Cincinnatti, OH and Columbia, MD shows around it were also excellent. Check the set lists for some surprises which were being included in the shows on almost a nightly basis.
venue
My "Fantasy Boxset" post was offered to spark debate about different ways of considering release criteria. So far there have been compilations,specific runs, tours, or tour portions, one-offs, historical events(Egypt), plain great shows which were well known and plain great shows off the radar and then the recently unearthed shows(where tapes became available). I was thinking that sometimes(not all the time) it would be fun to take a venue and run a time capsule of all or some shows over time at that venue-might be fun to do just like I thought it would be fun to do a box set of college shows from the early days when the Dead did many college campuses. This premise may create some very interesting essays to go along. I also thought another box could be shows which were broadcast over FM radio-I know my buddies and I were appreciative of the FM braodcast of the Dead at Boston's Music Hall show in 1971, I think. But, you know, its all good and whatever they decide to do, I'm in.
the next box...
I can't believe we're actually discussing this topic so soon, but...I believe they ought to revisit the Winterland theme. I tend to want Feb. '74 or March '77, but come to think of it a collection of the unreleased '69-'72 shows could be looked at as well. That's not to say that I'm anti-'80's or anything because I hope some of that stuff will come out eventually, too.
Apologies May 77
Apologies... yes, a bit silly to obsess over releases 12 months out, before the present gem has even been shipped or heard. Very much looking forward to THIS one.
In the photo, it looks like they went back to the all-paper sleeves (which I despise, as they tend to scuff CD playing surfaces). Wonder if the Dead crew tired of all the nasty comments concerning Spring 90's over-tight spindles? Arghh. (Such a whiner...)
Starlight
I agree that it is just a tad premature to discuss the next box, but we are all addicts so why not?
Also agreed that a venue box might be silly, on the other hand, I kinda like this idea:
Starlight Amphitheatre, KC
8/03/82
7/03/84
9/03/85
Excellent shows - the one from 82 is well known (for 82, and my favorite of the year, the one from 85 is one of the best AUDs out there and an interesting setlist, though I suspect some of the sloppiness, such as the Cryptical, might not come across as well on SB. But god, that Oade AUD is perfection. And the 84 show is pretty under the radar I think, but such a cool show, a great standalone jam in the second set, not just Space. Setlists compliment each other nicely, and it would be an early 80s box. And along the lines of Bach's hilarious post, it would be a manageable size. This is from memory, not sure if I'm missing some other shows played there... And SUCH a beautiful venue...
What Do I Know, Not Much
I have no insider info of course, but it is early to be getting the year's box set. Perhaps dead net releases another smaller one around the holidays? Seems to me if they were going to stick to one box this year, it would come out later rather than sooner, but that is probably just wishful thinking.
My vote, Fall of '79. I've been adding all my FLAC files to iTunes (Apple Lossless is a great file type by the way - use that over WAV) and just got through Fall '79, there was sooooo much good music on that tour I'm not sure where to even start. Cape Cod, Pittsburgh of course, basically the entire tour is amazing. It ain't the 80's exactly, but it is the same lineup, and with better Playin' anyhow.
Box Set Speculation
Kind of early to speculate on the next box set, but I thought I'd toss my suggestion in the ring. MSG 88 would be great
Fall '79
I saw 3 shows on the Fall '79 tour and each one was better then the last. I would love to hear the MSG show where Steve Parrish had his motorcycle behind the drums and it blended it amazing well on the drumz solo!
I thought these comments were for the '77 box due out next month? Lol. We certainly are addicts in every sense of the word. Can we ever have enough releases? I guess not! I can't stop buying them until I buy the next one.
Rock on
Fall 79! Brent's Begining. . ..MSG.
Fall 79 would be a good candidate for a box set. It is almost the 80's which is Brent's heyday so Fall 79 is kind of Brent's beginning (not exactly, but).
MSG September 79 would be worthy of consideration but a Fall 79 box set would do more justice perhaps. If not a Spring 1980? The Going to Nassau 80 show might be redundant in this scenario but there was some very strong playing. Have you heard the Jack Straw from Going to Nassau? It is very, very muscular playing. They sound like a metal band.
We'll see.
whiskey tango foxtrot
Hmmm... got sucked into the double post thing, that's a first for me. Oh well.
I would second the idea of a Summer '85 box set also.
2 Box Sets this year???
I would welcome two box sets this year. I do not think that two sets the size of Europe 72 would happen because it may be unrealistic to expect the fans to spend that much. Yet two roughly the size of May 77 seems feasible IMHO. It would still be less money than E72 Complete.
Summer 85 would be a good candidate.
The Radio City/Warfiled Anniversary shows would one for the history books but the tapes may be missing. Bummer.
More than any venue
Someone commented that the Dead played the Spectrum in Philly more than any other venue.Certainly not true.
The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA - 53 shows
Oakland Coliseum Arena - 66 shows
Carousel Ballroom / Fillmore West - 59 shows (same venue)
Winterland, SF - 59 shows
Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium, Oakland - 58 shows
(almost there, but not quite!)
MSG, NYC - 52 shows
more sets this year?
I think not. However, perhaps they allowing us time to save $$$ for next years' bonanza...
Barton Hall
OK I am prepared to be jumped on for this, but in my opinion the Barton Hall show while awesome, is over rated. It was one of the first high quality recordings to get wide distribution which was why it was instantly a legend. Having said that, if the five shows following are indeed in the same vein, I will be more than Grateful. Now if only the master reels for 9/19/70 can be located, a true monster show can be released. And while you're at it, please please please release Sunshine Daydream on DVD along with the entire show on companion CD's. Thank you for all the great music.
Orpheum 1976
I would love it if Dave and company would release the amazing run of shows at the Orpheum in July 1976.
First shows back in San Francisco after their hiatus. Lovely, small, ornate theatre on Market street (still in use,
mostly for Broadway touring shows, though I did see David Byrne & St. Vincent there last fall. First time I'd been
in the room since 7/18/76!).
I was fortunate to see 4 of the 6 shows. When the tickets went on sale, I was traipsing around Europe for several
months, and had no idea they were back together, let alone touring. When I returned, 4 separate friends had gotten
me a ticket to the shows, and amazingly, they were all for different nights! What a lucky man I was!!
The opening of the first show was one of the most memorable entrances of any Dead show ever.
Night 2 was spectacular, the ending of the first set in particular. First SF "St. Stephen" since 1970!
And that insane second set from the final night...
SO many highlights!!
Bob's tone
What effect switch is Bobby using during the early part of '77, including this run? Check out 5-17 Terrapin at the beginning. He uses it on other tunes; I think it was on the Terrapin Station record as well. It sounds kind of like a tremolo effect.
Starlight
{Also agreed that a venue box might be silly, on the other hand, I kinda like this idea:
Starlight Amphitheatre, KC
8/03/82
7/03/84
9/03/85}
So sad 8/3/82 is not in the vault :-(
The KC 79-81 run at Soldiers/Sailors Hall might be an even stronger run, but 8/3/82 was the best- my 3rd show and the one that floored me. Deserving of a stand alone release if the master ever surfaces. Check out the matrix that circulates!
Limited Edition?
It looks like a great set but is it really necessary for every live Dead release to be a limited release? Wasn't the original premise on this site (going back to Dick's Picks) that the shows would always be available? For me at least, I don't want to like the shows more because they will be out of print soon. I want to like them on their own merits. Well, just my thoughts anyway...
Doh!
JohnL, thanks, I should have realized that wasn't in the Vault, darn. I do love my 8/03/82 AUD (I will check out the matrix). And that Starlight 84 show is better than I remember upon revisiting, holy smokes I even listened to promised land all the wan through!
Depressing Thought for the Day: Does it seem that the PTB are giving up on releases aimed at the general public (e.g., NY 1976, Egypt 78, Red White and Indigo). I guess there are the fairly recent 2-disc compiliations from E72 and Spring 90. This would be an understandable move, just keep releasing limited editions to the same 10-15,000 people, but it would imply that the number of new fans has dried up(?). I am still being affected by the post-operative anaesthesia hangover and percocet? :)
Box set design
Exactly what is so great about the artwork with this box set? It may be hard to tell from looking at these pictures on the site but I think I prefer the Emek Winterland 77 & 73 box set designs.
General Public
Post-op narcotics or not, that is a really interesting point. There is usually one "commercial" release per year. I wonder how those sell compared to the captive audience of the limited releases.
I stand Corrected
You are right. The Spectrum was the Venue they played more than any other outside their home (San Francisco/Oakland area)
general public
As far as general public goes, the Grateful Dead never were chart-busters. They were a live concert event draw(traveling circus in the later days) and lets face it-a disc isn't the same to the less-committed fan. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a small potential audience for the releases. That being said-there probably is some general public interest deemed sufficient to allow the release of the 2 disc "highlights" from the big, limited boxes. How much interest I don't know. It did seem however that the Garcia Live, Vol 1 sold fairly briskly out of the box and I would think that the general interest in the Grateful Dead, rather than the solo bands is greater out there among "casual fans". But, lets hope there remains enough commercial interest to keep us rabids stoked.
Next show vote
Someone else said it earlier and I couldnt believe my eyes..........I thought I was alone.06/28/85
Hershey Park Stadium - Hershey, PA
Love the randomness of the setlist...........Birdsong/Comes a Time...............and the Music/Tom Thumbs is ridiculous, one of the coolest opening combos. If you ever see a pic of Jer during that show, he is wearing a blazer....wowser. Love it.
General Public releases, cd store demise and torrents rise.
The lack of public releases is probably due to the decline of stores which sell cds and the rise of free torrent file sharing websites. The fan base, moreover, must be declining as well.
The limited release thing is gimmicky but effective. Please keep them coming.
Pregame Ritual?
Deadagad, I agree with your analysis... hence the part about it being a bit depressing :) I was not being critical of the limited edition approach, but rather reacting to the climate you describe so well.
I'm curious everyone, what do you do when you are waiting for a big new release like this one? Do you listen to, in this case, lots of 77 to get psyched for it? Or do you avoid 77 so as not to get burned out before the box arrives? My ritual is to avoid the time period of the upcoming release so it sounds fresher, so I've been listening to DaP 6, natch, and some early 80s like 7/03/84.
On thing is for sure, no matter what I do before the box comes out, when I'm done listening to it I think it is pretty likely I'll be avoiding Estimated for a while, heh.
EDIT: Even better, I'm taking a little break from the Dead, listenng to John Handy's awesome quintet from Monterey 1965. A 20 minute version of Spanish Lady and 27 minute If Only We Knew. Alto sax, violin, electric guitar, bass, and drums (Terry Clarke holy schnikes!). If you need a Dead break but require some good jams, try out this underrated jazz masterpiece... (Liner notes by Ralph Gleason, guess I can't get away from things that remind me of the Dead ha ha).
downloads for 77 box set
Never done the downloads option on these sets - what's deal? Is it like typical album download ... entire album (show in this case) w/ individual songs as files within album so you can move in and out of playlists and play in iPod? Or is the entire album (show or set) as just 1 file per (show or set)?
John Handy
big two thumbs up-I have old Handy LPS which I break out for a spin every so aften. Another fave is Charles Lloyd-esp. the old lps when he was playing the SF ballrooms. Saw Handy live at the Summer of Love celebrations many years ago in Golden Gate Park-brought my 6 year old to see "Jerry's House" on that trip. Time flies.
Hershey '85....It was a raw night!
I know I was there. I remember a cold, rainy, windy night. Pops from the sound system, an energetic show, a Cold Rain & Snow.
Speaking of Jazz...
The Dead comprise but a minor chunk of my plastic collection, so I spend a lot of time listening to everything from Seldom Scene to Eric Dolphy. One TREMENDOUS live release that I'd recommend to any and all Heads is Miles Davis' "Live in Europe 1967" (aka "Bootleg Series Vol. 1"). Unbeatable, sophisticated improvisation by some of the best musicians on planet earth.
Regarding May '77: I suspect it may be a long long while before this sells out and we're blessed w/ a new huge CD set. Or maybe they call it quits on the "big boxes" after this one. Rationale: Wallet fatigue + download option + decent-sounding versions already in circulation + redundancy with Winterland '77 + history of international shipping snafus + larger run of 15K. We'll see!
Avoiding 77 pending the releas Of May 77 Box Set. . ..
Hey Claney. I am avoiding listening to any 77 shows until this new one arrives too. I'll look into John Handy and Miles 67. I would kind of like some official box set release for every year more or less. That will take a good deal of time to happen though and for us to expend the $$$.
Miles in Europe
Mr Dark, thank you very much, I did not know about the Europe 67 Miles release, listening to it right now on Spotify, holy Moley!
Okay, sorry, back to the Dead in 77 :)
Pregame
After a show is announced for release, the only ritual I have is to avoid listening to that particular show (sorry listening party) until it's released. I'm certainly not avoiding listening to 1977- that seems like asking the people who were at the Buffalo show (5/9) if they'll be avoiding the St. Paul show! Any guesses for Dave's Picks Seven? Maybe Fall of 79, or a 91 show. I met her accidentally in St. Paul, Minnesota- love those little ditties.
Future picks
May of 79 is a great call- there's a couple of releases that mark the beginning of a keyboardist's tenure, not one for Brent though. Fall of 72 will hopefully appear again sometime.
I'd be shocked if DP 7 is
I'd be shocked if DP 7 is from '79 after so many '70s shows including the '77 box. But I went to Binghamton 5/9/79 and it was a lot of fun. 15 minute Sugaree opener. Missing from the Audience tape I got.
I remember it was a General Admission show and I got swept off my feet when they opened the doors. Ended up inching my way to front row, and was so hot and so crowded, that I would have left the show if they had allowed me to climb across the barrier in front of the stage and leave. Can hardly believe I was ready to leave, but I know I was...
At intermission, I was talking to a couple of friends about how much I wanted to hear China Cat>IKYR, and the second set started with it and bolted right back for the front of the floor. Ah, to be young and in college again. lol
miles and 77
yes miles in 67! been diggin in to that for a few months now, and the follow up release... miles in europe 1969 is so differently amazing, it documents miles' new band really in full fusion mode, the shows were from between recording of silent way and bitches brew and i have read it was the only tour to include a mix of standards, 60s hard bop, and newer fusion/rock material, it is the only released recording of the dejohnette/holland/corea/shorter/miles quintet
hey and both those releases come with awesome DVDs in addition to 3 audio discs
definitely been listening to all kinds of 77 lately including shows included in the boxset, i typically lean to pre-hiatus dead but have been totally enjoying these smooth tight "produced" jams, too bad no helpslip in the set, st louis 77 was a very early entry in my collection and maybe because of that has always seemed to be a special 2nd set
Pregame
To get ready for this box, I've been listening to the Winterland 77 box. Its interesting to see the little differences and similarities between the songs/jams.
Of course, I've also been listening to Dave's Picks 6 quite a bit and that'll help keep this box fresh.
I also recently got the Fillmore West 69 (complete) which I love. Now the difference between Dave's 6 and The Fillmore West 69 is very interesting.
4/9-12/70
YES - 69/70 Miles Davis was/is the bomb. Very, very deep (and dark) stuff. Many great live recordings from that era have - fortunately - made it to CD.
Interesting... the gigs where Miles and the Dead shared bills (4/9 through 4/12/70) aren't well-represented in the Archive. Wonder if the always-amiable Miles snagged those tapes? :o)
BTW - Anyone know where one can find a reasonably priced, near-mint copy of the 1st-edition poster from that string of shows? Awesome work by Dr. Singer!
1977 and listening habits before a new vault release
I like to troll my music collection for other music of the time period. Being a fan of Jethro Tull, Fleetwood Mac, Weather Report, Little Feat, John McLaughlin, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, King Crimson, Pre-MTV Genesis, Yes, Pink FLoyd, listening to anything that came out from 1976 to 1978 is just marvelous! Many of my favorite acts from the 60's through the 90's were really at the top of their game in '77 though I must say that CSN did great stuff in '77 but &Y was wandering a little far afield of my preferences! I was only 10 in 1977, but I remember being glued to 102.7 WNEW FM in NYC and loving most everything. THough of course they didn't play much Dead.
Future Box sets or other vault releases
I think to eliminate the panic, they should take pre-sale orders where we put down a deposit, then they would know how many to print up for pre-ordering customers, then print up some number more to keep in the warehouse to sell over the next months or year.
DIfferent compilation box suggestion
Having done most of my touring in the mid-to-late 80's, I acknowledge that there were very few shows that stood out 100% from Tuning to Encore. However, there were many shows that featured new or unusual cover songs, and there were many interesting guests that sat in for a song or two. perhaps gleaning a couple discs worth of those highlights would be a way to release some of that material which rises above the rest of those lackluster shows. I remember LOVING Memphis-Mobile in Hartford spring of '88, but that same night watching Jerry lose it on Black Peter and knock his microphone stand over.
What I think I'll like about May 77 set
I'm glad that it's not quite so overblown as the Spring 90 set. I like a little bit of art and goodies, stuff to read and look at while I'm giving it the first listen. I like that photography, writing, and other visual arts are given the chance to shine along with the music. However, the Spring 90 box is big and full of trinkets, and cost more $ than I was totally comfortable spending
For trinkets, I actually like lots of different little or big stickers. I put them on my coffee thermos or my laptop case, ipod, or portable hardrive, and they often spark friendly conversations with strangers on the bus, or at the store. We are still everywhere.
I also am impressed with the variety of titles. Some repetition, but not too much.
product sku
081227965365