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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
    Joined:
    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 guit30 on Sun, 08/11/2013 - 01:54

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wissonoming Deadhead, I agree with you on your list of favorite shows,that's what I like, Jim
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Submitted by guit30 on Sun, 08/11/2013 - 02:18

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They were doing a lot of "Dancing in The Streets " in 76 shows, almost like these, Donna's vocals and the band make this just a fun jam, 77 is like a split year, as the year goes on, these songs keep evolving into new grooves, but this sure is a great part of the journey. For Sound quality, I have never heard music this rich from a live 2 track recording, no glitches, As far as other shows in 77, I would sneak May 28 "To Terrapin" in this box, love those performances and good quality, not quite like here, this just an aural treat. As for one other show, DP15, "Englishtown ,NJ" 9/77,I was there in that peaceful 100,000 people show with the Marshall Tucker Band and it was the last show that I saw the Dead and I remember it so vividly, being out in the country and the Stars at night, They sounded so good, great "Truckin'" and a super version of "Terrapin Station". What a Year, and what a great Box sert of Music!!!
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Submitted by guit30 on Thu, 08/15/2013 - 04:13

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The last I read,all Dead archives are at Warner Brothers Music now, they own Rhino now, I think.
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Submitted by kraven024 on Sat, 08/17/2013 - 20:05

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The Spring 1977 tour begins and ends at Winterland. 25 shows played between the Winterland shows. Tour begins 4/22 in Philly at the Spectrum, ends 5/28 in Hartford, Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center. 5/8 dubbed 'best of' but unreleased due to what must be sound issues(?). 10 shows officially released, exclusive to the 2nd leg of the tour beginning 5/11 St. Paul. 1 of 2 Winterland runs sandwiching the tour released, from June 7-9 (3 shows). Note: * 6/4 show in CA> I don't count as part of the tour, a 'transplant' show if you will, but count as a show. 32 total concerts from Winterland->Winterland + 2 shows before Winterland 3/18-20 on 2/26-27 in CA for a grand total of 34 shows from Jan1-Sept 3 at Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey (Dick's Picks 15). more notes; from 5/11 St. Paul to Winterland on June 7-9 only 2 concerts not released from 15 shows > Fox Theatre on 5/18. and 5/26 Baltimore Civic Center.
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Submitted by Deadheadbrewer on Mon, 08/19/2013 - 13:11

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5/5/77-5/9/77 are not in the vault. 4/30/77 was officially released in the Download Series. Cheers!
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Submitted by ericscho on Fri, 08/23/2013 - 09:50

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Finally got the box in my hands ;). Never thought it would happen. 1st cd is now blasting through the speakers, great stuff !
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Submitted by lbo on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 10:53

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That is kind of disappointing that they slipped a different version in without fessing up to it. It is definitely not the same GDTRFB as what is on the 5-13 SBD transfers at the IA. I give grendelschoice a ton of credit of figuring out which one it is. It would be nice if someone here (DL etc) would comment on this.
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Submitted by philledawg on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 16:20

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This just in! 4 different May '77 'Venue' Stealies. Only 250 avail. per venue. Only $6 a pop and a nice addition to the box set. They are really nice, really unique, and they only printed 250?
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Submitted by grendel4 on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 13:23

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@KatkyIII Thanks for noting my detective work, but really it was just one of those things that was driving me crazy, b/c I have always considered 6/8/77 one of THE best GDTRFB's ever, and when I kept listening to 5/13 on the boxed set it was nagging me how familar it sounded. Thing is, I think it's a GREAT choice to have subbed in 6/8/77 if the existing 5/13 SBD copies all suffered from distortion, which seemed to be the case...but why the subterfuge??? I sincerely hope Dave or someone involved w/the decision can just say "yes, the version on the boxed set from 5/13 is NOT really from that show, and here's why we did what we did." From a customer satisfaction/honesty standpoint it really deserves some explanation.
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Submitted by charles on Wed, 08/28/2013 - 12:51

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Cannot agree that it is great stuff. I got my copy here in the UK a few days ago and have played the first 2 concert sets. This is the first big box I have got that I don't like (I did not get spring 1990).For £136/215 dollars delivered I am not impressed, it seems inferior musically to other sets from that year/tour for example Winterland from June or Hartford from the same tour. Is it me,what am I missing. I have loved the Dead since first hearing them in 1968.
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Submitted by wadeocu on Wed, 08/28/2013 - 08:48

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See post #1 (or #875 if you have it sorted by newest first): "Wonder how they dealt with some issues on the masters like the cut in Wharf Rat on 5/11 and the 5/12 Playing in the Band. The circulating copy of 5/13 has sound issues at the end of the tape which may not have been on the master, but both David Gans and David Lemieux have said in the past that the 5/11 and 12 masters have those issues. Not that this will ruin it for me - just curious. Looking forward to another release!" I'm actually ok with the alternative version patch approach as it allows uninterrupted enjoyment of the flow of the show. I would rather have consistent sounding patches than leaving cuts alone or using drastically different sounding sources such as AUD patches. Disclosure of the fix is, however, another issue ....
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Submitted by reijo29 on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 07:25

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I agree with Charles. I am still somewhat disappointed with the set. It's just sort of ho-hum until the last show 5/17. I am of the opinion that the Dicks vol 29 2 shows & the June Winterland box blow this away. It's just that for $163 cost I expected to really enjoy it. They should have just made it with a simple CD sized box like Dicks 29, charged $100 and then I would not feel like I wasted a lot of hard earned cash.
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Submitted by ashmo2 on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 16:23

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This is easily one of the best box sets the Dead have ever issued. 1977 is pretty much defined by Phil's funky bass lines and he's on fire during this run of shows. The artwork and packaging surpasses anything the Dead have released previously, as it seems they just keep getting better and better with each new one. You can tell they really care about their fans and it hasn't gone unnoticed here. People get on here and just have to say something negative, and I guess you can't please everybody as there's always that tiny group who actually prefer bad vibes over the good ones. I don't see how you can find one negative anywhere with this release, unless you're just pre-disposed to do so. Again, excellent work guys, and thanks for these '77s which are well worth the money, and a very good value in my opinion. And, we can't wait for the next one!
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Submitted by reijo29 on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 19:01

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Hey I'm glad you love it and think its a great value. I just was underwhelmed by it. I've posted many positive opinions about several releases. I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful spring 90 box set, I still love listening to it and reading the awesome book as well as the cool back stage passes and other goodies that weree included. Sorry for the negativity on this one, I just expected it to be better. Regardless I am thankful for all the releases. Sorry to have brought you down, enjoy the music it's all good.
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Submitted by TheeAmazingAce333 on Fri, 08/30/2013 - 22:40

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...give this a chance!!!especially if you dig 5.19, 5.21 & 5.22(!) ...and/or 5.5, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9(!!) it's interesting to hear the 'days between' (sorry, couldn't help it... great tune...) those 2 epic runs of shows... especially straight from the vault... this box is fill with gems to fall in love with... it may take some time/listens... guit30, claney & myself all wrote, imo, very 'helpful' notes about these shows... please read #s 90-100 on this thread & hopefully some of our words/thoughts will inspire your future listens... keep irie... ~ace ps... o.pen vaporizers... insane...
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Submitted by TheeAmazingAce333 on Fri, 08/30/2013 - 23:01

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there is zero justification for releasing 4.24.78on the heels of this killer boxset... a valid arguement could be made that there are better versions in the boxset of EVERY TUNE played on 4.24.78... okay there's no Black Peter, tis a great rendition... make mine the Comes A Time, in this instance... 4.24.78 coulda waited... and, as our BROTHER from SPACE reminded us of Comisky (circa 1979?? was only 3 but...) much to my delight that: DISCO SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! & that s/fire is waaaaaay overrated... so, again, delve away... you will find good t'ings... irie... ~ace pss... our reviews now start @ #102... i&i think...
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Submitted by PalmerEldritch on Sun, 09/01/2013 - 01:33

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Yeah ace, it's a killer box! But personally, I don't think the 5/13/77 FOTD could hold the jock of the 4/24/78 FOTD. Just my opinion.p.s. thanks for changing your profile pic! previous image was disturbing :)
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Submitted by Parkas4Kids on Wed, 09/11/2013 - 11:31

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I bit the bullet last week and spent the $139.98 (shipping & handling not included) for the limited-edition box set. It arrived in the mail yesterday and has been copied over to Ye Olde iPod for my listening pleasure. And I gotta say, I LOVE the artwork on this box set. It's simply gorgeous! Looking forward to the experience!
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Submitted by claney on Thu, 09/12/2013 - 13:22

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I can't get enough of this underrated show. I actually had this show on CDR for years and never gave it much chance after the first listen. But the version on this set just sounds so good... I can listen to the silence between notes and it sounds sweet. You know, the whole "thick air" thing? Just lovely.
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Submitted by drshakedown on Thu, 09/12/2013 - 14:08

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Someone is selling this on Amazon for $299.
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Submitted by danc on Mon, 09/16/2013 - 09:11

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For the past several years I have enjoyed it as much as 5/7, 5/8, 5/9 and 4/23... 5/11 and 5/21 makes it a big six, I don't need much more than that for the April-May boom-boom tour, but I am loving 5/17 too. So a lucky seven it will be.
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Submitted by reijo29 on Tue, 09/17/2013 - 10:18

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Once again I have been knocked out by the 3rd disc from 5/17. Estimated into a really swinging Terrapin (I have never been a big fan of Terrapin but I love the feel of this one). And then a real exploratory Playing. Rising from the ashes of drums comes a fantastic, sweeping Wharf Rat with Jerry leading the opening with tasteful Jazzy guitar flourishes & finally a dynamic spooky transition back into Playing. Magic
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Submitted by franklintower88 on Tue, 09/17/2013 - 14:17

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I agree. 5/17 is currently one of my favorite dead shows in general, and absolutely my favorite from spring 1977. Estimated>Terrapin sounds really cool, and quite frankly, I prefer this night's Scarlet>Fire to the one from Barton Hall. (According to the May 1977 booklet, Donna saved a child from being trampled by the crowd during Fire.)
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Submitted by franklintower88 on Tue, 09/17/2013 - 14:17

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I agree. 5/17 is currently one of my favorite dead shows in general, and absolutely my favorite from spring 1977. Estimated>Terrapin sounds really cool, and quite frankly, I prefer this night's Scarlet>Fire to the one from Barton Hall. (According to the May 1977 booklet, Donna saved a child from being trampled by the crowd during Fire.)
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Submitted by TheDeaDest'72 on Mon, 10/07/2013 - 06:31

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Well I'm new to dead net, I have always liked the dead since I saw furthur live at wanee in Florida along with the allman bros minus Dwayne :(, I feel he is in the top ten best guitar players of all time, and the show blew me away I was to young when Jerry died I was 5 so I never got to see the dead also from Australia and they never came here I think but one day I pulled my head out of my ass and went from liking the dead to loving them I saw Ace with bob Dylan in June and he was excellent doing acoustic did an amazing cover of dear prudence and Dylan was amazing as always even tho he's losing his voice but I came home and got live/dead month later my father who saw the dead at Woodstock in 69 and has followed the most his life bought me the euro dead complete recording which I love cuz pigpen was still alive and I love dark star nd after listening to it all I wanted to here some diff stuff so I started with to terrapin and I loved it disc 3 is my favorite cd cuz I really love there funk music so to the point I just got may 77 and I'm looking forward to hearing 5/17 disc 3 which as I've read is the best but I was reading and " amazing ace " said something bout they replaced a show with a show , and u seem to know your shit so I'm listening , could u tell me more.
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Submitted by TheDeaDest'72 on Mon, 10/07/2013 - 06:53

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Sorry, grendel4 was the person that said that not amazing ace , I misread.
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Submitted by Zuckfun on Tue, 10/08/2013 - 16:12

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The version of Goin' Down The Road from 5/13/77 is replaced with the version from 6/8/77. It seems likely this portion of tape from 5/13 couldn't be salvaged.
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Submitted by Star Dark on Mon, 10/21/2013 - 15:46

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As someone who’s not yet pulled the trigger on May 1977, I’m very curious... Is it the consensus of those who have heard both the Winterland ’77 and May 1977 sets that Winterland wins out in terms of sound and performance quality?
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Submitted by Zuckfun on Wed, 10/23/2013 - 18:43

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In terms of sound quality, both are great. If I had to pick a winner, Winterland wins the sound quality contest slightly, in terms of recording consistency. In terms of performance, May of '77 is too great to pass up. The 3 show run of 5/13-5/15-5/17 atleast equals the performance level of the 3 show Winterland run. And this without even mentioning the first two shows. But May of '77 doesn't have a 6/9- and Winterland doesn't have a 5/17. Whether or not this box is worth it perhaps depends on how much 1977 is desired. For me, this set is essential.
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Submitted by Underthevolcano on Thu, 10/24/2013 - 08:45

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to the May '77 box set for performance quality. Does anyone know why this box wasn't given the two or three disc compilation treatment for general release as was Spring '90 or Europe '72? I just purchased the vinyl 4 record set from Spring '90 even though I have the full box set.
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Submitted by katky111 on Sat, 10/26/2013 - 14:39

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I feel rather strongly that the Winterland box eclipses the May box; while I would not deem it superfluous, it's as close as I've yet felt with a new GOGD acquisition. I think sound quality is a wash and on the subject of performance, to quote Blair Jackson quoting Dave L., "...of these shows (i.e., 6/7-9), the first night is a Top 15, the second is a Top 10 and the third is a Top three". Moreover - and I am a Spring 77 maven - I don't even think the May box contains the best commercially released show of the month...I give that distinction to DiP/3 (5/22). Anyway, just my .02; in retrospect I would have saved for the next DaP subscription or upcoming Fall '73 box (HINT Dave). Though honestly, if you've got the $$$, you can't go wrong buying everything :) /Katie
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Submitted by Star Dark on Sat, 10/26/2013 - 18:39

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Thanks Zuckfun, Underthevolcano, and kakty111 - think I'll pass on the May '77 box. Between the Winterland stuff and other releases, there's plenty of '77 to go around. My next dollar will likely be invested in DaP 2014 - esp. now that he's dipping into fun "warts and all" stuff. (Dave gets a pass on DaP 8 - a deeply crappy choice, IMHO!)
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Submitted by Anna rRxia on Sun, 11/10/2013 - 11:58

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With Rhino you just don't know what you're going to get. It might be aces all around or there may be lots of problems. Usually the source material has to be up to a certain par before they'll let it go. I just listened to the Auditorium Theatre show and was disappointed when Jerry's vocal fell out of the mix on Bertha. So I guess every recording had the same snark in it? They couldn't find a patch for it? That is the point of doing these things up, after all. I do hope there are no other errors like that in the rest of the box. I give high praise for the artwork and graphics decoration for this box. Rhino has definitely outdone themselves and hit a peak on this edition that will not be easily outdone. As good as it was, I find Spring 90 to be the polar opposite. It just seems to be a question of refined vs. unrefined; cerebral vs. crayola. Pardon my analogies. My collection of '77 was not very extensive and I expect to get a lot of hours of listening pleasure out of these discs. For the greatest measure of grading, a very well done (as long as all the discs are in pristine condition w/o need of return)!
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Submitted by easywind1953 on Sat, 11/16/2013 - 22:40

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I did the right thing and got the tour. Each city concert just gets hotter. Sound quality is great. This is a special set. The magic is there in May and goes on and on. wow!!! Love the St.Louis show. Jerry is on fire. I was there for that show. Didn't realize how hot that show was. Oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Submitted by Underthevolcano on Wed, 11/20/2013 - 05:11

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I put these into ipod for listening while exercizing-great shows to focus on. This box is one of the best along with the 90 and 72 boxes.(also the winterland boxes from 77 and 73) Lucky Deadheads!
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Submitted by guit30 on Mon, 02/17/2014 - 23:54

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This is an excellent set, why hasn't it sold out? Wow,listening to this weeks Jam, it is great, "Loose Lucy" , It is so different than I ever heard them perform, real staccato and it rocks,NICE JAM, IT SAYS FROM dp6 , great stuff, I did not get Dave's Pick, the last one out, from Montana,74. Want to look for DP31, I was at one of the 3 shows represented there. The Civic Center 8/4/74, it takes up 2 of the 4 discs. I'm glad,that the Rhino /Dead crew let the DP series live, some of hem are gems, others not so much,Listening to a great China Cat on this DP6.
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Submitted by Underthevolcano on Wed, 11/27/2013 - 04:18

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have competed with physical product I would guess. But, I think this will sell out prior to the end of the holidays with giftgiving. Much more fun to get this glorious physical box set, IMHO. Data is data but the physical set is a thing to behold. I would never part with mine or my other physical sets like Europe 72, Spring 1990,etc.
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Submitted by rajha2 on Fri, 11/29/2013 - 00:01

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Underthevolcano is no doubt right; Downloads will have played their part. But also, I think they got the numbers just about exactly right; I had to pass early on for lack of funds; it was great to get my chance and buy it last month. Doubly nice to see the scalpers caught out on eBay too. I hope it's worked for Rhino and GDP being able to keep some inventory on hand for less than a year to keep printing money AND locking out speculative purchases. I hope for similar numbers in the future, with downloads.
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Submitted by claney on Mon, 12/09/2013 - 07:56

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The May 1977 Box is #6 on the Rolling Stone list of the Top 10 Reissues of the year. So let's see, it's not a "reissue" since the shows have never been released before. If I were at Rolling Stone I'd argue that they should have a "archival release" category, but oh well. Also seems a bit weird that once again they are ignoring Veneta. Good ole Fricke really loves his 77 I guess.
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Submitted by katky111 on Tue, 12/10/2013 - 14:49

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Like the continuing popularity of the core classic composers and exalted religious texts, the great music of rock's seminal acts endures not as antiquated nostalgia, but living, breathing words and sound that still profoundly change lives or simply entertain in a way contemporary artists largely fail. Built largely around mining, exploiting, and disposing of the next young talent, the sustained popularity of 30-40 year old performances by the Dead, Young, The Doors, Jimmy, Janis, et al, defies appropriate classification or constructive recognition by the industry paradigm. "Reissue", indeed./K
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Submitted by AugWest1980 on Thu, 12/19/2013 - 06:46

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I have been enjoying this site since its inception. I'm always curious to read the thoughts on releases and any other news revolving around this community. (I do still miss the days of receiving the almanac in the mail) One thing I'm not interested in is some phony compliment followed by a link to whatever DVD sets you're pushing. You are not adding to this forum. I had never joined or posted a commented before but we don't need this. Thanks to all of you that I have been enjoying for years. Have a safe, healthy, happy, holiday season.
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