Grateful Dead May 1977 Box (Digital)

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May 6, 2013 - 10:22am

955 replies

lilgoldie

Joined:
April 3, 2009

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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June 4, 2013 - 10:22am

#601

deadegad

Joined:
February 2, 2011

Ship 'Em Now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please.

Hey Dead.net. . .. Show us some love. . .. Ship May 77 Now. . .. Today. . ... Please.
June 4, 2013 - 8:36am

#602

adedhed68

Joined:
August 13, 2007

Shipping Soon......

I think if it were sold out, it would've already shipped. The Spring 90 box set sold out quicker and arrived almost 2 weeks early. The E72 box set also arrived earlier than expected.
June 4, 2013 - 8:15am

#603

Zuckfun

Joined:
March 18, 2010

Shipping soon?

Due June 11, and downloads are available on this date, is it reasonable to guess June 11 is when packages will be arriving (and not shipping)? Maybe it's a case of wishful thinking...
June 4, 2013 - 7:54am

#604

rne

Joined:
August 29, 2007

Boxes

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.
June 4, 2013 - 7:35am

#605

Underthevolcano

Joined:
February 6, 2008

BTW, regarding Europe '72

I have not really noticed sound quality issues on the box but given the magnitude of the work and the variation (I would think) of quality of the condition of the original tapes there would be differences on the final product no matter what. I think Jeffrey Norman has consistently done an exemplary job with all of the projects he has been involved with. To be sure there are standouts -I am particularly impressed with the Grateful Dead movie soundtrack-but all in all nothing in the body of work to be embarassed about. To me, the rush of the 72 box was shown more by lack of doodads enclosed-contrary to the implied promise of the promotional pictures. I kept looking for "the secret compartment" which I thought must be in that trunk somewhere holding the stash of teased goodies. The one sticker? Is this it? Oh well. I also like the Plangent process which has been used on some of these, especially the Cow Palace New Year set.
June 4, 2013 - 5:52am

#606

Underthevolcano

Joined:
February 6, 2008

a week to go

and I'm listening to 1977-specifically to the "To Terrapin" to start off.
June 4, 2013 - 4:58am

#607

unkle sam

Joined:
October 3, 2008

e72 sound, daps 6 and all the rest since norman took the job

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.
June 4, 2013 - 4:31am

#608

One Man

Joined:
May 17, 2011

E72

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.
June 4, 2013 - 4:05am

#609

Little Ben Clock

Joined:
June 7, 2007

Europe '72 sounds good...doesn't it?

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?
June 4, 2013 - 4:00am

#610

frankparry

Joined:
June 8, 2007

Spring 1990

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.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

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.

May '77 AAC or Flac

If you've got a decent download speed, then I would go for the FLAC (Lossless) files.This way you can keep them archived in that format, and then convert them (I recommend XLD) to mp3, Apple Lossless, AAC, or whatever, for using in iTunes.

May '77 AAC or Flac

Re CDs

I mostly listen to the CDs in my car and totally agree they sound better than ripping them to mp3 and using my iPod and various docking station options. I have Bose headphones for running but there's still some punch missing. I sort of plan on listening to these everywhere for a while!

thismike

I will listen using HDCD enabled disc player-my Denon 100 year anniversary player. I will probably at some point transfer the data to my Olive server to join other GD data there-its fun to push the artist button and start the GD jukebox but the HDCD part will be gone-it does not translate into the server. With ipod my understanding is that you lose HDCD as well because of the allowed formats recognized by itunes. also with itunes you don't get artwork if you use WAV format-you lose the tab so you can't even capture it and paste it in. MP3 sucks no matter what as far as I am concerned-I can't listen to it-too much nuance missing from the music. I use 160 gig ipod classic so I can use lossless format in my itunes library. All in all though I am with you in preferring hard copy discs and real players with good sound on a decent stereo with efficient-live music friendly speakers-in my case Klipsch LaScala. And yeah, I learned some of this stuff about digital the hard way-screwing up more times than I remember and I'm sure I am still in ignorance about a lot of this stuff-but I will get by, I will survive.

thismike

exhibit a-double post screw-up

ps-thismike

I forget to mention that I am supremely happy that the org. still puts the time and effort into the hard copy CDs and beautiful packaging-these boxes are works of art in every sense. Data is just data-you can't read it, touch it, contemplate it, etc. Think the difference between your e-books and your real books-those old editions waiting on the shelf to be read are reviewed are good for the soul, IMHO. Think of the amazing artwork-posters, etc created around the Dead and the SF ballroom scene over the years-it really adds to the over-all experience to me and to a lot of others, I'm sure. I think the downloads are fine for what they are but I hope they never completely replace the physical format. And, after all, people are going back to LPs as well as they view Cds as lacking in the things that made analog and large-art lps so much fun.

I totally agree w/ thisismike about the art!

I thought the pics of the set looked pretty cool but the box looks like a book of magic spells that Gandalf would whip out to jam with some hobbits, pipe-weed, ale, etc. that's really fitting for the set.

Cleansing the Palate

Quick recommendation for "resetting" after overdosing on '77 (as I have over the past few weeks): Dick's Picks 18. I know, I know... huh??? Trust me: for whatever reason, that spectacular (and criminally underrated) February '78 run lends nice contrast to the almost too-perfect Spring of '77. Give it a whirl, then listen to 5/15/77 (for example) and see whatcha think.

Cleansing the Palate

Wow Star Dark, 9 months ahead from the same band to cleanse the palate? I was thinking old Who or 80's era Robyn Hitchcock... or maybe the last 15 years of Lou Reed.. What does anyone else do when they OD on 77 dead?

This box set will still be available for Christmas

...........and all because they gave people advance notice that it would be available as digital downloads as well. Although I'm not against DD, (I'm actually totally for it), but still prefer CDs, I wouldn't be surprised if the next release size is less than 15k. Also, it would probably help that TPTB, maybe even David L., would pick selection(s) from an era not as easily accessible or overdone. I like '77 Dead as much as the next guy, or gal, but not all of us are sheep that will eat whatever we're fed. It's high time for variety............Also, how's about helping out the heads that don't have $100 to shell out for the entire thing, and make single shows available at least. I really hope this abuse of power comes back to bite someone where the sun don't shine. Anyways, sorry for the rant, but I haven't posted for a while.

Actually they are not

Only one field is tagged. These files as they stand are useless in iTunes or an iPod.

Where is the artwork

The photos, the essay the show notes? For 99 dollars all we get are untagged unorganized files?

is it possible

that you've got the FLAC download rather than the AAC? So far no one else is reporting any issues with playing the download/getting the track info in iTunes, so please supply technical details so we can troubleshoot this. And yes, if you want the art, the liner notes, etc., physical media is the way to go.

Baaaaaa Leno710

Leno 710 I'm always amazed at people who need to insult or call names people who have a different view than they do. I have bought every release the Grateful Dead have released.Anyone who knows me would laugh at your description of me. Not to mention insulting the staff who work so hard to bring us great product to them thank you so much

Sorry snafu

but I truly didn't mean any offense to anyone with the exception of TPTB who get to make all of these decisions that we are ultimately left with. Even I, myself have purchased most of the music made available through the years (including this one). I just think it's rather funny, and somewhat sad at the same time that this set didn't actually sell out by it's release date. They even stated in the bottom of their description of the set that they believed it would sell out like previous releases, and the best way to guarantee getting a copy was to preorder it. Well, that day has come, and now since passed. They sometimes just come off as if they know that whatever they put out will be gobbled up. I think it may be time to revisit that premise. I believe ultimately, the digital downloads, which is great for the consumer when given options, ended up backfiring on them and their plan of not having any inventory shortly after the release date. This also makes me fearful that, in turn, this will result in less and less physical media being made available in the future.

Cleansing - Thismikebenz

thismikebenz - For the sake of civility, I’ll ignore your sarcasm and explain my position with a simple analogy. Drinking a mass-produced lager may reinforce a beer lover’s preference for Guinness, whereas sampling another decent stout will raise an appreciation for Guinness’s subtle nuances. 78 versus 77. As far as The Who is concerned, only three of their albums trip my trigger (Quadrophenia, Who's Next, and The Who By Numbers). More into Robert Earl Keen, Sam Bush, Emmylou Harris et al these days(!)

Palate cleansing Star Dark

Good point. Rather than totally cleansing your palate, you're putting the performences in context by examining where there were just before, or where they went next. In my youth, the Dead and Jerry's various side projects sent me down many other musical contexts by way of their cover songs. Whole genres opened up to me because I wondered who Merle Haggard was, or where Jerry was trying to visit with Nicky Hopkins or Old and in the Way. I totally see your point. I was just thinking that sometimes the Dead sounds really fresh after listening to Coltrane or Brahms. I tell you one thing though, The 33 years I have spent actively listening to the Dead have totally spoiled me for otherwise decent rock and roll music that has really boring drums. A lot of perfectly fine Neil Young or Tom Petty material kind of fails when all I hear is 1-2-3-4.

THISMIKE - HDCD & Digital Downloads

I handle HDCD by converting the FLAC files to 24 bit using DbPowerAmp with its HDCD DSP. (In fact, only 20 bits are used, but...). If your server can handle 24 bit files, then it can handle those. Digital downloads - at last. The crap exchange rate, the extra tax on import items, and the fact that customs now seem to charge me for everything I order from dead net (used to be that single items were never charged) means I can no longer afford to order from you. I'm paying nearly twice as much for a Dave's Picks, even with a subscription. So for the first time I won't be pre-ordering a box set, and I can't see me doing it again. I've good good versions of some of these shows, so may well even not bother at all. I hope Dave's Picks will be available as downloads.

Same here, thismikebenz...

I found Merle, Miles, Grisman, and eventually latched onto newgrass and "hippie folk" (REK, Emmy, and the like) by way of the Dead. On the flipside, it took me three decades too long to discover the genius of obscure Chuck Berry - due in part to the Dead's less-than-inspiring spin on "Around and Around." Go figure! And I agree: studio drummers tend to wring the life out of otherwise great tunes. Warren Zevon, for example, was absolutely ROBBED by poor production/engineering and sterile percussion. BTW - If you want to hear some great Neil Young that sorta kinda taps into the "Dead aesthetic," check out "A Treasure." (Petty's Live Anthology is surprisingly good, too...)

Okay , I'm officially antsy now!

I didn't get impatient until just now.45 years old, and I can't wait to get off work and hurry home to see if the cds came in the mail. I've got hundreds of hours of Dead, Furthur, Mickey Hart, JGB etc .. even have audience recordings of a couple of these shows in my zune, but I feel like I can't wait to dump out the Frosted Flakes and get that toy at the bottom! Kid's back from college, having graduated well, and is about to ship off to her new job, so the rest of the fam and I will look at the slideshow of all her pictures while listening to the new cd set IF IT's DELIVERED. Can't believe I just got hit by this wave of anticipation. Nice.

I have flac but flac works in intunes

With a plug in. But the flac s are also not tagged in Winamp. Where is the PDFs of the packaging? The PDFs of the booklets? The PDFs of the liner notes. You advertised the downloads with the packaging. Now ante up! Fix the tags and include everything that is missing. I could have gotten this in perfect flac with all the artwork from a torrent site tagged perfectly and scans of everything. Instead I paid you for an inferior product and paid 99.99. I feel like a sucker.

downloads with packaging??

Where was it "advertised the downloads with the packaging"Only thing I find on this site states: "However, the 111 tracks will be made available on release date as FLAC and Apple lossless full-set-only downloads for $99.98." Nothing that I can find says anything about packaging or artwork. Caveat Emptor! The artwork and packing come with the physical product.

tracking

any tips on what to do with a 7-digit tracking number for shipment to canada? dhl's website doesn't recognize it ...

bliss

send me a PM with your order info and I'll see what I can find out.

It says so here:

May 1977 sku: GRA9900100Physical Boxed Set price$139.98 quantityADD TO CART Digital Download price$99.98 ADD TO CART For help with digital downloads, please click here. Download the cover art here 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

It says so here:

pm sent

pm sent, though my inbox seems to have disappeared. regardless, i'm sure it'll all sort out in time - i'm just excited the box is somewhere en route.

Tracking

Hi Anyone figured out how to track in the UK. No matter what I try all I get is "search unsuccessful please try again"

Got mine just about 5 minutes

Got mine just about 5 minutes ago. I can't wait to listen. The packaging is nice, however if I had one complaint (and it's a small one) I just wish the individual show cases weren't in DVD sized containers. I'm weird about stuff like that, but I hate when CD's aren't in their normal size cases. It makes for weird storage on my CD shelves. Again, just a small complaint. Can't wait to spend this weekend listening to all the shows.

Tracking for International Orders

I have found that the only way to actually track a DHL Global Mail shipment is here: http://webtrack.dhlglobalmail.com The shipping number provided to us (or at me me in the UK) is not an item specific tracking number, and so the first result I get is something that was delivered last month, but there are other orders in a list on the page, of which mine is one. I can't comment on how up-to-date the tracking is once the item leaves the US since mine has been on 'US Departure' for 2 days now. It may not update until it physically moves out of customs in the UK. Hope this helps some.

Problem with the download

Tracks 88-99 are all Promised land, when they should be Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo> El Paso They Love Each Other Jack Straw Jack-A-Roe Looks Like Rain Tennessee Jed Passenger High Time Big River Sunrise Scarlet Begonias> EDIT-Forget it. it seems like it was just my copy

tracking

that global site does the trick -- thanks.

Valhalla '77

Received mine a while ago, courtesy the sweat-soaked UPS diosito, and engrossed myself for a good 20-plus minutes groking this California-born thing of beauty. I believe the coolest touch is the magnet. The aural stuff is up next. There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert.

9690/15K

I went straight for the 5-13-77 Scarlet>Fire. Everything looks nice!

Just got my box set ...

It's about the size of three + (just a bit over) DVD keep cases, and I prefer regular CD size cases. Other than that, Rhino has learned well from previous releases - the Road Trips series, the Europe 72 Complete Recordings set - and this May 1977 box is great just to look at. It's easy to remove and return the discs, I wished the artwork was more brilliant, more colorful, more vibrant, but Masaki Koike did an absolutely wonderful creation that should be nominated for a Grammy Award. As always, the writings of Blair Jackson & Steve Silberman convey a nessity of really listening to this music.I already had 5/13, 5/15 & 5/17 as soundboard downloads, my original 5/15 cd-r is too bottom heavy and I don't like it - it's trash compared to this official release. My 5/17 is awful sounding after drums, this release restores the brilliance of the remainder of the show. Two thumbs up to Betty Cantor-Jackson way back when for doing a great job recording these shows, FIVE BOLTS to Mark Pinkus and the whole crew of Rhino folks and espcially to John Chester & Jamie Howarth for restoring the tapes and to Jeff Norman for mastering them to cd so brilliantly, and to Dave Lemieux for his GOLDEN EARS. Most importantly to the Grateful Dead who played so well on this tour, and to all the concertgoers, me excluded. I wish I as a 20 year-old young man was able to catch at least one show of the great Spring 1977 Tour. Oh well.

Uhhh....

Who do I contact if there's some damage to my order? Looks like a great set though!

Weir Here Over There

Dave did a great job promoting May '77 in the 15 seconds he was given. Of course, the real stars of The Couch were Parish and Bobby himself. The stream from Phil's place is amazing. The event is still live (and free) and I hope Phil makes an appearance. But that would just be the icing on the cake. Everything else about his broadcast has been welcomed beyond belief. We are truly grateful. Catfish John, anyone?

Oh! Oh!

Just tried tracking my package, here's what came up;Date Time Location Activity 4/13/2013 11:18 AM ET Connellsville, PA DELIVERED 4/13/2013 04:37 AM ET Connellsville, PA ARRIVAL AT POST OFFICE 4/10/2013 05:28 AM ET Hebron, KY TENDERED TO USPS 4/9/2013 07:26 PM ET Hebron, KY PROCESSED 4/9/2013 11:38 AM ET Hebron, KY ARRIVAL DHL GLOBAL MAIL FACILITY 4/8/2013 12:00 PM ET Depew, NY PICKED UP BY SHIPPING PARTNER Problem is I'm in the UK!! Before anyone says, I have used the correct tracking number.

AH HA !!

Tried again, using same number and got this:6/10/2013 03:03 PM CT Des Plaines, IL PROCESSING COMPLETED AT ORIGIN 6/10/2013 06:49 AM CT Des Plaines, IL PROCESSED 6/8/2013 11:23 AM CT Des Plaines, IL ARRIVAL DHL GLOBAL MAIL FACILITY Package Details Shipped To DUNDEE, DD53SW GB Total Weight 2.081 lbs. Service GM Packet Priority DHL GM 2071200654201803 Customer Confirm 2681059 Thanks rattydog_uk. Does this mean we all have the same tracking number ?

Not the same tracking :-)

Hey riggsjr - Good to see the tracking worked for you. Your tracking numbers are all different from mine, but they were sent out at the same time. Mine is headed to Glasgow and was processed at 7:14am on the 10th.

downloads

Mayormarionbarry, nowhere does it suggest that downloads get the entire packaging. It is absolutely silly to think so. I am going to do the downloads once the glitches are worked out and I do not expect anything other than the music. This is what the page has said since day one: "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." The TRACKS will be made available. The What's Inside that you cite in your three posts is what is inside the box set if you order the box set. Not too difficult to understand. Quit complaining and enjoy the music. If you wanted the packaging you should have spent $40 extra dollars for the set.

UPS Tracking, Google Earth, tick-tock, the edge of my seat. . .

I have been checking my email to view the progress of UPS Tracking Details many times per day. Each time I go to Google earth and map out where my May 77 Boxset is and check the time. I hear the tick tock of my clock while doing this and the anticipation has me on the edge of my seat. Meanwhile I live vicariously through those of you who have received it already. While I understand money and cost are important issues, the cost difference between Downloads and getting the physical product made it worth the extra expense for me.

DHL TRACKING NUMER

I was provided with a tracking number so I could follow my package. It turned out it was delivered today in Indianapolis. A pity I live in BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA. I don't mind the band playing high on LSD on stage, but I hope the staff at Dead.net are not following the same procedures to run their business. Why was I given a completely incorrect tracking number???

The artwork link at the top

The artwork link at the top of this page leads to one image. Are there individual images for each show, or is the artwork for this set just the one image? Thanks.

Downloads

While I agree that GDM made it pretty explicit that downloaders only get the tracks, not the artwork or essays, it would not be difficult to provide some CD covers, etc. as PDFs. Phish does it with every LivePhish release and though those shows typically don't have liner notes beyond what you read on the website, it's still a nice gesture and easy to produce through InDesign or whatever page layout program they're using. As for me, I bought the physical box and it's out for delivery here in Austin. Can't wait to get my hands on it!

BS

BS...it says so right at the top of the page. Do you work for Rhino? Physical Boxed Set price$139.98 quantityADD TO CART Digital Download price$99.98 ADD TO CART For help with digital downloads, please click here. Download the cover art here 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

I don't work for Rhino, but

I don't work for Rhino, but the next line that you omitted from your post says that it is limited to 15,000. Do you really think this applies to the download?

tracking

those of you getting weird tracking results: to the right of the tracking history, there's a list of "tracking results" - try each of the results that come up for that number and you may find your package -- mine was in the middle of that list. as mentioned in an earlier post, use webtrack.dhlglobalmail.com i had no luck until following the above.

re: BS

Look, mayor, as nicely as I can put this, I believe you are only seeing what you want to see. And no, I do not work for Rhino. Before the download option appeared yesterday, where was it suggested that downloads would have all the "stuff" associated with the box? Everything on this website indicated that people would be able to download the tracks, but the What's Inside is quite clearly what is inside the box set, not what people would get with downloads. As frunobulax suggests, could they have put more into the available downloadable cover art? Yes, a basic cover and track listing would be nice. But alas, those of us who download will have to create this ourselves. Maybe next time they will put more into the downloadable artwork. For now, enjoy the music and appreciate what is being released at $20/show.

product sku

081227965365