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    lilgoldie
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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.

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  • #551
    darkstartheoth…
    Joined:
    Bacon Bacon Bacon
    What, no love for sausage? -:)
  • #552
    deadegad
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    . . . And the next release
    These various box set releases sound good to me but I am no audio expert. Tuesday is coming -- and I cannot wait to unwrap this one. Christmas, Hanukkah, your birthday in June!!!!!!!!! Gravy, Baby, Gravy, with Bacon!!!!! A good early 80s box would be welcomed by me. Maybe a 79 box, you know, early Brent. Spring 80 from in and around "Going to Nassau."
  • #553
    Coconut Phil
    Joined:
    The Big Picture
    Seems like a lot of negative vibes have crept back up on this upcoming release. We should all be grateful that these releases keep coming. No other band has an archive like the Dead. They had the foresight to tape and archive their shows. We as fans are treated to many releasees a year, nice quality CD's, made to sound the best they possibly can. I just don't see why so many attack Dave for his choices, or fuss over the sound quality. We will continue to receive these releases for many more years. I for one am grateful for anything released. Some I like better then others, but we all have our favorite periods and songs. Lighten up folks and just take it as it comes. Peace
  • #554
    Seth Hollander
    Joined:
    UnkleSam, here's a reason
    "why would the powers that be authorize a release if it is 43 years old and has been sitting on a roof or wherever for this long?" 1- How many times have commenters in these threads claimed they were not going to purchase an upcoming purchase because they already have high-qual copies of those shows? Almost every thread has one or more of us, the very-interested-in-new-releases community members, taking this stand. The internet has delivered unto GDM/Rhino both a blessing, the means to efficiently market to and interact with the customer-base, and a curse, the means for that same audience to get widely-available high-qual recordings of many of the Dead's shows. Newly discovered tapes means these recordings were never torrented, treed, or LiveMusicArchived. 2- Ever decide to not buy a new GDM release because you have high-quals already?.... It isn't very pleasing. Some of us have collected A LOT OF DEAD over the years, tape-trading in the 80's/90's and internet harvesting in the later years... People in that position tend to like new-to-them shows! They're fun! Personally, my perfect DaP year would be two new-to-me releases and two upgrades-of-shows-I-have releases. So far DiPs , Road Trips, and DaPs have provided me with many more new-to-mes than upgrades (and, as for 5/15/70, a brutal downgrade!), but I do enjoy first listening as much as when I was a young'un! Your experience may vary...
  • #555
    Star Dark
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    Unkle Sam
    Unkle Sam: “As far as a sound system, had it for years, some parts over 40 years and there ain't too much better out there, it ain't new, but it kicks butt, I won't discribe it lets just say ‘top of the line’.”Translation: My equipment is better than yours, so shut up. Unkle Sam: “I'm not tone deaf so I can hear and what I hear is sub par.” Translation: My opinion is not subjective. Those who disagree should see an audiologist. Unkle Sam: “Now the real argument is will you pay for better sounding releases? I doubt it.” Translation: Y’all just don’t care much about sound quality. Unkle Sam: “I really have no beef with Norman, he just does what seems to be the norm today, just get it done and collect the cash.” Translation: Norman is a greedy hack. Of course, I’m fine with that. Unkle Sam: “Why the beef with ebay sellers? For those of you who think that capitalism ain't all bad, it's a great way to make some cash from yourold worn out cd's and lp's. It's the system that makes these recordings valuable for resale, not the individual.” Translation: I’ll conveniently ignore the fact that – much like mail order ticket scalpers of days past – unsavory characters are sucking up limited releases before they can be purchased by actual music lovers, and flipping them for 100%-200% markups on eBay. Of course, this translation is NOT intended as a personal attack - just my own personal, highly subjective and agitated take on Mr. Sam's antagonistic tone. Why can't we all just enjoy the music?
  • #556
    simonrob
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    Those were the days...
    I remember when almost every release was greeted with almost universal approval. Most notably, Jeffrey Norman was regularly singled out for praise, and quite rightly so I reckon. Lately things have changed which could be due to any number of things. It is possible that the best sounding shows have all been released. It is also possible that Rhino have reduced the budget for each release with the result that Mr. Norman no longer has the time to make them sound "just exactly perfect" It is also possible that some people have set their expectations just too high and when these expectations are not met they become overly critical. I have not had a real problem with any of the releases to date. I will be the first to admit that a few have been less than perfect, but none have been so much below par that I feel the need to complain. I would much rather have the chance to listen to these shows (which have, after all, been deemed fit for release) than be denied that opportunity. I doubt that a poor performance will ever be put up for release by Dave, but there will undoubtedly be a few where the performance is great but the sound quality falls a bit short. I would still be grateful for the chance to hear such shows and would settle for "that is just how it is" rather than blame the engineer for being incompetent - which in the case of Jeffry Norman is clearly not the case. I listen to my music on a pretty good system (including HDCD) which can be a double-edged sword - if the recording is good, it sounds great, if it is not so good, the problems are obvious to hear. Even bearing that in mind, I still haven't heard a GD release where I think "this is crap. They shouldn't have released this". Ultimately, the whole listening experience is very personal and subjective so most opinions have some degree of validity.
  • #557
    Chitown rider
    Joined:
    this double post needs to be fixed.
    sorry for the double post.
  • #558
    Chitown rider
    Joined:
    ..personal attack
    Unkle sam re-read your original post and tell us how that is not a personal attack on J. Norman, Rhino and "the powers that be" while you were at it why didn't you throw DL under the bus as well for his choices for the releases? Here is a little info for you. perhaps it will change your "opinion" •Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman, Plangent Processes playback system for maximum sonic accuracy. PROMachine speed instability in the motion picture and music recording industries is a well-known and often unavoidable phenomenon due to the mechanical nature of analog recording. Two artifacts commonly known as wow and flutter result from mechanical speed inconsistencies and can conspire to ruin a soundtrack. Traditionally, wow and flutter anomalies have been considered unsolvable audio problems without the availability of an alternate, unflawed source. The correction of wow and flutter is now possible thanks to a few unique technologies including Clarity™ Audio Restoration by Plangent Processes. Clarity is a combination of proprietary DSP (digital signal processing) software and hardware for the playback of 35mm magnetic sound film and audiotape that corrects the anomalies generated by both gross and subtle speed instability. Using the ultra high frequency bias signal recorded onto magnetic film or audiotape, the Clarity process “re-times” the audio as if it had been recorded on a machine running at a perfect, constant speed. The result is a soundtrack with stability similar to that of a high resolution digital recording. Additional audio restoration processes are also more effective once the track has been stabilized with Clarity. Restoration engineers can more effectively target sonic anomalies like hum and hiss, which become more stable due to the Clarity process. Plangent’s proprietary signal processing which eliminates wow, flutter and other speed aberrations present on even the finest analog tape recordings, revealing previously unheard clarity and increased image depth and focus. Record labels, film studios, producers, artists and archivists turn to Jamie Howarth, founder of Plangent Processes, and authorized provider Airshow to restore their back catalog of high-profile works. Satisfied Plangent clients include Grateful Dead Productions, Neil Young, Pete Seeger, Queen, Sony Pictures, Fox Video, and many others. as far as "who is this guy" Jeffery Norman If you would like to know more about him you can visit his website at www.mockingbirdmastering.com please spend a little time there and read all about him and what he does and who he has done it for. I think you will find a new appreciation for him, and probably glad that GD productions picked him to work on the music that all of us love. peace-
  • #559
    hbob1995
    Joined:
    DP6 Sound
    I also agree with Little Ben. While the time period of this release is not my favorite GD era, I think the sound is phenomenal! Considering these tapes are over 40 years old, and they were certainly not stored in any way that would have protected their integrity, I was amazed at the sound quality. Crisp & clear. I think Jeff Norman is a magician with the highest standards and is always trying to give us the best quality based on the tapes he is given to work with. Bravo I say!
  • #560
    unkle sam
    Joined:
    personal attack?
    not hardly, just a question, which it seems there is no answer to. How about answering the question? I was not out to attack anyone, just want to know what Mr. Norman's qualifications are, and to assume that I would attack anyone is just that, an assumption. you did't like the tone of my post or you didn't like what I had to say or you think Mr. norman's work is great, that's cool, but try and look at it from another point of view. why would the powers that be authorize a release if it is 43 years old and has been sitting on a roof or wherever for this long? Because we asked for it? Perhaps someone could explain what it is that norman does, ben, you seem to know, enlighten us would you?This is an OPINION, if you don't like it, that's cool, you have that right, but to assume that some don't know what an engineer does or that we should all just love what we hear because Mr. Norman did it is blind faith. I'm glad that some think that certain releases sound good, more power to you, I'm not impressed and will not blindly follow some down the path of " it's all good" I would love to hear what Norman had to do to make these tapes releasable, did he have to scrape dust and cobwebs off of the tapes? or pick them out of a dumpster? if so, why are they deemed worthy of release. If one doesn't think that money is involved in all of these decisions, then I have some high and dry land in the everglades up for sale.
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Submitted by lilgoldie on
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Dead Store Products

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.

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Submitted by frankparry on Wed, 05/29/2013 - 01:01

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...that I really enjoy David's videos. I like the spontaneity and the fact that he doesn't have to read from notes or sound like a marketing salesman. This is a man who loves his job and wants to share that sense of wonder he gets when he finds those nuggets to release to the world. The baseball cap? Why would anyone care? I wear clothes I like and after 59 years on this earth have gone past the point of taking any notice of the style police. Wear what you want.
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Submitted by Underthevolcano on Wed, 05/29/2013 - 04:45

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is infectious. He brings a lot of inside info to the process and usually has some take on the release that is connected to the evolution of the music or the band, etc. I think he is doing a great job-baseball cap and all. BTW, who wouldn't be distracted by that coastline?
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Submitted by simonrob on Wed, 05/29/2013 - 07:52

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I don't have a problem with people wearing baseball caps - unless they wear them backwards, which Dave doesn't.
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Submitted by marshking710 on Wed, 05/29/2013 - 12:36

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What does how someone wears their hat have anything to do with this box set? And why would you bother having a problem with how people wear a hat?
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Submitted by borncrosseyed56 on Wed, 05/29/2013 - 17:08

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At first I didn't like them, he seemed way too distracted for my tastes, and for many other people, too. They were very informative but distracting. I would guess there was enough feedback for Dave to improve himself, and he does with every video. He always seems GENUINELY SINCERELY ENTHUSIASTIC and that is part of the sales pitch, in my opinion. That is part of his style and that is fine by me. Dave is a good egg. The videos are always entertaining and I look forward to seeing the one(s) for Dave's Picks 7 in July. I just wonder if there is another box set or a special release in the works for later this year.
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Submitted by PalmerEldritch on Wed, 05/29/2013 - 17:50

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Yeah I totally agree Dave Lemieux has been doing a good job. His videos and occasional on-line chats are part of the fun of having a subscription. Each new release is now like a seasonal ritual: the "teasing" of upcoming releases, Dave's videos and chats, reading the message boards as people start to receive their packages, etc Feels like being part of an active Deadhead community again.
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Submitted by mustin321 on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 04:09

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I dont know whats not to like about his seaside chats. They are usually very informative and he speaks objectively about the music a lot of the time. If you dont like them then dont watch. Go back to watching the Jersey Shore or whatever entertains you...
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Submitted by Bach 2 Bach on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 06:29

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I look forward to Dave's chats. They get me primed for each release. He is very knowledgable and enthusiastic. You can easily tell that he really, really, really likes licorice! He also strikes me as the kind of guy you can go on tour with.... won't drink your last beer, or bogart the doob. Call me old-fashioned but I think the only time anyone should wear a baseball cap backwards is if they have a catcher's mask on. borncrosseyed56, I also suspect there might be another box release coming in the fall... something to put under the Xmas tree perhaps...?
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Submitted by direwulf on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 04:57

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"I have a dream that one day our children will be judged by the content of their character and not what they choose to put on their head". So many of these comments are speculation and stupid grumbling that i feel like im sitting in on my grandma's sewing circle. Get a life people and enjoy the music. "The only time i dont like someone is when i use preformed opinions about someones character based on their outward appearance and clothing choices." Man some of you guys must have some boring friends and familys, the only online community ive noticed that deadheads have retained since 1995 is the community based on judgmental and unfounded assumptions of other people they will probably never meet. Way to grow up and learn from your experiences, sometimes it seems like all those great shows and acid were wasted on generations of confused children.
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Submitted by direwulf on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 05:01

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Double posting sorry
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Submitted by deadboss on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 06:48

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Well, i certainly love the informative and personal experience comments that Dave offers in his conversations. The guy is obviously well into the music as the enthusiasm is well conveyed through the videos....keep 'em coming Dave !. On the subject of forthcoming releases, i'd love to see the following; Box Sets; Berkeley Community Theater (October/November 1984) Radio City Music Hall (1980) 10/17/72 > 11/26/72 (Complete....yeah, i know this is one major long shot, but Christ, that'd be out of this world !) Individual ShowS; 07/18/72 09/23/72 08/01/73 10/21/73 05/21/74 That'll keep me going for a month or two...get to it Dave !.
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Submitted by deadegad on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 07:42

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I too wear a base ball hat. Sometimes I wear it backwards. Wait, wait, wait. I have very curly/wavy hair and the hat-backwards tames it after washing. So I don't mind Dave wearing a baseball hat. How could I? Yet I do wonder if Dave likes bacon? I saw a great t-shirt which had three strips of sizzling bacon drawn on it and it said: You either like bacon or your wrong! So I hope Dave likes bacon, or did, at some point in his life. I'll bet Jerry liked bacon,LOL, and god bless'em. Dear Dave the only thing that could make Dave's picks better would be if they came wrapped in bacon! Seriously, man, think about it. If the last 5,000 May 77 sales are slowing then throw in a pound of bacon with every order and watch May 77 fly out everywhere! If I can find a baseball hat with bacon on it would you wear it?
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Submitted by rne on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 08:37

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I wish the rest of the bands I like could offer so much previous information, comments and videos the way the Dead does it. A box-set plus four archival releases per year (most of them in very good to pristine sound). What else can you ask for? Of course we could ask for more, but we could also have so much LESS! Dave's doing a great job here trying to keep every Dead fan satisfied.
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Submitted by bliss on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 11:16

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yo - that's not california shoreline, that's some sweet canadian gulf island scenery ...
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Submitted by reijo29 on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 11:48

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I never knew there was a backlash against baseball caps. Even though I have crossed 40, I sometimes leave the house with one on (usually with a NY Rangers or St. Louis Blues logo). I have never thought about it fashion wise, just want to keep my scraggly longish hair in place when I have not yet showered or have a case of bedhead. By THE WAy I believe the videos are from lovely Vancouver Island not California. So we probably have a French Canadian baseball hat wearing guy selling us GD music from some island outside of our country. I could not care if DL was from Mars, he seems way sincere to me & is definitely doing a terrific job!!!
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Submitted by reijo29 on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 11:49

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I never knew there was a backlash against baseball caps. Even though I have crossed 40, I sometimes leave the house with one on (usually with a NY Rangers or St. Louis Blues logo). I have never thought about it fashion wise, just want to keep my scraggly longish hair in place when I have not yet showered or have a case of bedhead. By THE WAy I believe the videos are from lovely Vancouver Island not California. So we probably have a French Canadian baseball hat wearing guy selling us GD music from some island outside of our country. I could not care if DL was from Mars, he seems way sincere to me & is definitely doing a terrific job!!!
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Submitted by PalmerEldritch on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 13:10

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I'm sorry if I offended anyone with my anti-baseball cap remarks. Just becoming a grouchy old guy, I guess. I remember some great George Carlin rants against people wearing baseball caps and cowboy hats. Maybe that's where it came from. Also, against men wearing earrings ("guys, the earring thing?- it's over! We used to wear them to piss off the squares- now the squares are wearing them!")
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Submitted by deadegad on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 15:56

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Hey PalmerEldrich . . .. No worries about the baseball hat thing. . .. We all get cranky. . .. But, just one thing, do you like Bacon? It's important.
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Submitted by PalmerEldritch on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 18:25

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thanks deadeged, sure I like bacon- the real kind not that vegan crap, right? but hey man, I never paid much attention to the backward cap thing until my father asked me about it one day. The whole business really seemed to piss him off (seriously). SInce then its always confused me too (maybe that's the whole point). At least you seem to have a real excuse: taming unruly hair. That's at least plausible :/
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Submitted by thepeacesignguy on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 18:27

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I haven't eaten meat since 1978 and thought I was doing the right thing! I also have been known to wear a GD baseball cap. It seems that my grandfather was right when he fortold that I would go very wrong. From now on it's an unadorned head, and bacon 3x a day. Thanks for setting me on the right path. If I haven't read this thread, who knows where I might have ended up (smile)! Cap or not, Dave please them coming. Peace
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Submitted by deadegad on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 19:15

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Bacon, Baby, Bacon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sing it out loud!
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Submitted by PalmerEldritch on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 23:18

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Anyone else notice DL is starting to dress more and more like the unabomber? I wonder if he's been reading these message boards and doesn't want to be recognized by some of us in public? Hehe! Shouldn't this dang box be shipping soon?
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Submitted by stoltzfus on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 08:55

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listen to Live Dead's St. Stephen...somewhere in there is someone saying "bacon, I smell bacon". I think it's after "one man gathers..." anyway, bacon = yummy.
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Submitted by deadegad on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 09:12

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Awesome clip on Bacon Burger Dawgs which I hope to see in the ShakeDown Street lot someday. We can talk about music, May 77 specifically, and bacon at the same time. They are compatible. I'll have to listen to St. Stephen again and see if I can get a bacon reference. Dave as the Unabomber? OMG!!
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Submitted by One Man on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 15:46

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I love that Bambini wanted to talk about the music and everyone went for bacon instead. But where does this leave our Jewish and Muslim friends?
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Submitted by deadegad on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 15:52

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Turkey Bacon. Whole Foods has a beef bacon which is the best pork-bcon substitute I ever tasted. Hey Dave please send us some Bacon with May 77. Please.
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Submitted by PalmerEldritch on Sat, 06/01/2013 - 01:42

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bambini is right of course, we should be talking about the May 77 box and its music. but after 70+ posts maybe the discussion has run out of steam. We've discussed the artwork, the show selections, the inevitable "era" controversy. What's left? at least until the box starts being received. Ergo, posts about hatwear fashion and cured meat.
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Submitted by Nottwo on Sat, 06/01/2013 - 04:55

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Oh, well, looking forward to this box; overwhelming though it shall be.Listening to Dick's Picks 8, after and during a few deep breaths... Wow Endless options after this... So many amazing shows/so many amazing years. Shall I dare to play other than The Dead? It could be good to listen to... But I haven't given Dave's Picks 6 too much time... Oh, wait Harpur College is still Groovin' Sit and listen.
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Submitted by Zuckfun on Sat, 06/01/2013 - 21:47

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Is it just me, or does the sound quality of The Warlocks box blow away the sound of Spring 1990? I listened to 3/30/90 and then popped in 10/9/89, and it's really no comparison. The moral of the story- If shows are recorded on multi-track, please seize this opportunity. Here's to the May '77 Box sounding amazing!
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Submitted by Star Dark on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 09:48

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I don't think anyone would disagree about the merits of multi-track recording. With regard to Fall '89: cool "breakouts," but sloppy playing compared to Summer '89 and Spring '90. (I suppose that assessment puts me in the minority, but the Warlocks shows were - to my ears - a bit disappointing versus gigs from the other two periods.)
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Submitted by reijo29 on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 12:05

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I think the Warlocks recording has a bit more presence in the sound but I too was always a bit disappointed with the performance. I think Spring 90 is better & Nightfall of Diamonds from Oct 89 also. The drums sound on Warlocks & Spring 90 is a bit too boomy for my tastes. Nightfall drums sounds crispier to me.
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Submitted by reijo29 on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 12:16

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One thing that is most definitely a certainty: Betty Boards always and I mean always sound so sweet.
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Submitted by Star Dark on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 18:36

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Betty certainly had the magic touch - in part b/c her mixes were - as I understand it - "off board" and thus much more malleable than the typical SB recording. Owsley's belt buckles and steaks put both his mixes and aggressively egotistical personality to shame - but I digress. If we could only know how a "Betty Board" of 1989-90 would have sounded... :o)
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Submitted by Underthevolcano on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 07:28

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I like the Spring 90 sound better than the Warlocks box which I find rough and boomy to my ears. Of course, all this is highly subjective and probably system dependent. I'll keep both of them and happy to do so.
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Submitted by SPACEBROTHER on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 10:16

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...both sound great on my home system, my computer, my iPod and my car stereo. As of yet, I still haven't ordered the May '77 box. I really want to, but for the last several weeks and through at least the next couple of weeks am financially strapped. I've hit a point of being between jobs and actually hope to keep my home. Bummer. :(
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Submitted by Zuckfun on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 10:57

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Spring of '90 sounds great- Every release sounds amazing to me. Such a huge improvement from the sound quality I grew up with. Lucky time to be a fan, that's for sure. Hope things pick up quick for you Spacebro
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Submitted by One Man on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 15:38

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I find the Warlocks box almost unlistenable because of edgy, digital harshness, among other things. The Spring '90 box is much warmer, but suffers from on-the-fly mixing decisions and therefore unbalanced instrument levels at times. The last release that sounded professionally mixed was (gasp) the Fillmore 1969 box. That one has some ill-matched patches, but that's better than missing parts of the shows. I do like the Betty Boards in general because she obviously paid a lot of attention to making a nice reference tape, even though they were not designed for release. I dare say we will never see another professionally-mixed release from multi-track. The budget has been drastically slashed (hear the Europe box for example) and I think that is a travesty. By cutting corners now, the multi-track archives will never be professionally mixed in our lifetime because profit rules the day and no one cares that the audio quality is getting short-changed when it could in many cases be much, much better. I'm glad I'm not Jeff Norman. That would be painful.
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Submitted by cub on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 16:34

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I too want ALL THE WARLOCKS 1989 Shows released as a box, please. I have "American Beauty and Workingman's Dead" dolbyD DVD Audio and so far nothing touches those mixes. But of course those were mixed by band members too. I gladly went furthur and purchased my 77 box over tickets.
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Submitted by Zuckfun on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 19:46

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How everyone hears different things. Spring of 90 is the first release (with maybe some 80's releases) where I wasn't thrilled with the sound quality. It still sounds great, it's just bass shy. Check out the bottom end of the Warlocks Box- that is very absent from most of Spring of 90. They're both great recordings, just very different flavors, at least to me. Maybe I'm in the minority, but most of Europe 72 sounds fantastic to me. Is it perfect- of course not, they're not modern professional recordings. Winterland 73 and 77- the sound is about just exactly perfect for me. Maybe it's my memory of hissy distorted cassettes, but I'm consistently thrilled with the sound quality year after year.
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Submitted by deadegad on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 20:13

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I am not sure about Warlocks vs. Sprig 90 but I concur that Winterland 73 & 77 sound great to me. The Closing of Winterland release sounds equally great. What do you guys think of the 180 gram Dicks Pick's releases? I have heard these 'albums' being 'in living color' sound-wise as opposed to to 'black and white' cd Dick's. Just wondering if when I have the money for a turntable and albums,, etc.. Is it worth the investment? Is the sound that good?
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Submitted by One Man on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 03:45

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I am willing to bet the Dick's Picks vinyl sounds much better than the CDs, just like Jeff Norman says. It's hard to imagine the superiority of vinyl until you listen to the same recording back to back on both formats. Even mp3s sound okay until you compare them to a lossless format -- then you realize what you are missing. Zuckfun, that is a good point about the upgrade from hissy cassette bootlegs. I had about a hundred of them back in the day, and now my memory of them is dim. I also spent a lot of time zeroing in on good audio from other sources, and that is where I am coming from these days. I'm an amateur recording engineer, so I know specifically how some of these releases could be better. But as you said, everyone hears something a little different. Besides the original albums (which all sound great to me each in their own way), my favorites are the Fillmore 1969 box, the movie soundtrack, and the Closing of Winterland -- all multi-track recordings professionally mixed by Jeff Norman before he was required by Rhino to cut corners.
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Submitted by frankparry on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 04:00

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This wasn't my favourite release - and in fact I thought Spring 1993 ran it close for the being the last great run - but I did love the sound. I was playing a couple of the shows just this weekend and I thought it sounded deep, rich and very clear, especially the drums.
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Submitted by Little Ben Clock on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 04:05

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I've seen lots of comments in various places about the Europe '72 box sounding bad but very few examples. What I've heard of it sounds pretty good. I actually don't think the recordings are that fantastic - some are better than others. What are some examples of the rough/bad mixing though?
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Submitted by One Man on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 04:31

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Little Ben, the best example of the E72 box audio issues is on the 4/24/72 show. The "old" mix released on Rockin' the Rhein sounds rich and warm, with little distortion. The version of this show released with the box set uses a new mix for the first two discs, and they sound grossly distorted to me, as if a bad analog-to-digital transfer was made. They also suffer from lack of attention to details like instrument levels, reverb, compression, etc. Now listen to the second two discs from the newer (box set) version. Those two (for some reason -- I guess to save time) are the nice "old" mix. It's like night and day to me. This problem starts at the first show and continues up to the Paris shows, where apparently some improvement was made in the new A-D conversion (or other change of procedure). The sound improves noticeably for the rest of the shows, but still suffers from "rush mixing" where the levels are apparently adjusted on the fly and details are ignored. It ends up sounding like a live-to-2-track mix, which is a travesty considering the multi-tracks will now never be heard in their full glory.
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Submitted by unkle sam on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 04:58

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I think I was the first one to say that e72 sounded like crap, the first 3 shows are almost unlistenable, I thought it was the disc, so asked for replacements, got them a year later and they sound the same, thin, shallow and crappy. The mix does get better down the road in the tour, but not much, then, we come to Dave's picks 6, what's up with the pitch? why so shallow, no depth, can't hear certain players during the tunes, sometimes they come up, sometimes they disappear, what the hell is going on? I haven't heard warlocks or sping 90 but if these others that I have mentioned are any indication of the mixing, then they proubly sound thin and shitty too. Dare I say it, who is this Jeff Norman guy? where did he come from? Hired by Rhino or the dead? I mean they remixed the e72 box in 3 months, right then I knew that it was a rush job, you know, we all love this music and this band, yet we get rushed mixes, bad pitch and just crappy sounding cd's, maybe that's why they are cheaper than say the rolling stones box set or any other box set, they are rushed, with no soul. I have said it from the getgo, Rhino is a ripoff, all they care about is the money. Mr Norman, how about doing a mix right for once, tell the powers that be that you won't do it if it ain't right. I agree with one man, Rockin the rhein is a way superior mix than the rushed mix by norman. I sold my e72 box due to this fact, I want the real deal, not this plastic crap that norman puts out. Most of my old tapes sound better than these releases. As far as vinyl, I heard they cut these dick's picks vinyl from the cd, so how could it sound any better? The source is fucked up, so even putting it on vinyl can't make it sound any better, if they wanted to do it right, a total remix from the master tapes would have been in order, not a copy from the cd, I love vinyl and most of my listening pleasure is found in vinyl recordings, but I ain't gonna pay a hundred bucks for a copy of the cd on vinyl. As far as Mr Norman's comments, he works for rhino so he will say anything to sell a product, even if it ain't all it's cracked up to be. The business of selling the dead's vault is just that, a business, let the buyer beware.
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Submitted by rne on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 07:54

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I can't tell if the E72 box mix was rushed or not. It is true -because Jeffrey Norman said it on an interview featured on this site- that his usual way of working had to be accelerated in order to meet the deadline. Anyway, I think he made a great job. Could have he done it better if given more time? We'll never know, but we have to take into account the limitations of the tapes themselves too. The 1969 Fillmore West box sounds great, but I sense more space between instruments on E72, and, in addition, you can listen to each hall (or field, it depends), which is really nice. I think, though, that the E72 box could have been done better, with more memorabilia, more technical details about the mixing process, etc etc. But it is an OUTSTANDING set anyway. It's really unfair to attack Norman in the way some people are doing it here. "Crappy sounding CDs"? C'mon, give me a break!Winterland 1973 features some of the nicest, warmest and highly-enjoyable 2-track recordings you will ever hear, period. Winterland 1977 is made of Betty recordings, ergo, it sounds wonderful. I can't say anything about the Warlocks or Spring '90, I'm not interested in that era. However, I bought "So Glad You Made It", and I remember not feeling very enthusiastic about the mix.
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