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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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  • #581
    Brian2005l
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    Thoughts on sound
    I think sometimes people here talk past each other on sound quality so I thought I'd see if I could inject some clarity. Here are some of the different elements to a good sounding recording that I see folks mentioning (my own terms): 1) Mix - how loud is each musician? The fewer tracks you have, the less you can tweak this. I think this is primarily why people care about the multi-track issue. 2) Balance - how much bass, how much treble, etc. (for all players); too little of one and you lose notes, too much and things sound unnatural. 3) Pitch - changes in how fast the tape plays affect tone (think Alvin and the Chipmunks); people with perfect pitch can detect slight variations apprently. I count myself lucky that I cannot. 4) Zits - tape hiss; skips; scratchy bits. Older tapes have more. 5) Separation - how easy is it to locate each sound spatially when you're listening on headphones/stereo systems? How easy is it to distinguish sounds from different instruments? 6) Other quality factors - do the voices sound tinny? Is the bass muddled? Do you get all the overtones on Phil's bass? Are notes amorphous "blrrrps" or do you hear the sound of a string being struck? It strikes me that the Spring '90s stuff had balance problems - lower bass frequencies were quiet and sort of muddled - listen to how much louder Phil gets as he plays up the neck. And I felt it had some mix issues - Jerry's voice was often low, sometimes his guitar was, cymbals were very high, Phil was relatively low. However, outside of that, they sound fantastic. Brent's keys, in particular sound amazing to me. They're round and full and they shimmer. Older recordings tend to be flatter, tinnier, scratchier, and hissier, but to my ears a lot of them have superior mix and balance. I personally think the Europe 72 stuff sounds great all around. I think Rockin' the Rhein was a multi track release, so that would explain the mix differences.
  • #582
    thismikebenz
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    '80s releases
    In response to two groups of people on this thread, the people complaining about sound quality and the people complaining about the dearth of mid to late '80s releases. I believe I've read and heard several places that aside from the inconsistent performance quality in the mid to late '80s (due in no small part to the ravages of various powdered drugs' effects on men become rich old and famous rather than young, hungry and ambitious), there were not very good recording media in use for sound board recordings. THerefore, a lot of '80s shows will either sound crappy or not be released. Hey, at the time, they weren't always hauling around excellent recording gear with the intent to release these shows, and we're lucky to have what we have. I am amazed that I can have access to the shows that predate my '80 to '88 touring years. Sure, I'd love to see commercial releases of, say, Alpine Valley '88, but if the tapes in the vault aren't the highest quality, well, neither were the performances, and therefore maybe not worthy of the full treatment.
  • #583
    thismikebenz
    Joined:
    what order to listen ?
    I will listen to them all in chronological order, from start to finish. Depending on what day they arrive, of course, I may not get to listen to them all in one day. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to listen to one show per day over the course of a week or so, with various family members enjoying them in the car or in the living room stereo, or on headphones in my computer at work.
  • #584
    cbs73
    Joined:
    oops
    duplicate...
  • #585
    cbs73
    Joined:
    Just speculating...
    RE: Sunshine Daydream. I wonder if this isn't some cross-promotion between the movie owner and the GD. Maybe we will see the movie come out on Blu-ray, but not from the Grateful Dead & Rhino. Hopefully the soundtrack would be available as a physical release or download from dead.net. Would work out well for all parties, I think...
  • #586
    reijo29
    Joined:
    Sunshine Daydream
    Yes, I checked out the teaser China Cat video. Great to see a youngish GD jamming out in the daylight. Not so great seeing a bunch of completely wacked out nude topless & bottomless hippies frolicking about.....
  • #587
    rne
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    SUNSHINE DAYDREAM
    I've just received an e-mail talking about the one-day-only screening of "Sunshine Daydream", restored, with new audio mixes by Jeffrey Norman. I guess this will be released on a CD/DVD set soon, won´t it??
  • #588
    wilfredtjones
    Joined:
    re: vinyl
    I can't bring myself to get the DP vinyl because the flips would kill me. I'm too used to the seamless jams on the cd. I did go with this year's 'Rare Cuts' and last years 'Winterland '71'. They are fantastic quality (art and soundwise) and I would very highly recommend them...
  • #589
    mrmike5
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    Which one of these are you gonna listen to first?
    I'm a Dead newcomer (post-Dead mostly, although I did enjoy a single show in 1985...ahh...) and, while I've gotten into it, I'm not sure if there's a special moment that is *the* highlight that's worth targeting for a first spin or if I should just fire them up in order? I have a couple weeks off at the end of June and will spend some time checking them out in detail then but, for now, do any of the people who've got boots of these shows have a priority as it were? I agree the vinyl conversation is interesting. I miss my vinyl sometimes but have become a creature of convenience.
  • #590
    deadegad
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    Thanks to all for the vinyl tutorial!
    Thanks everyone for giving me some insight on vinyl vs digital. When I have the $ it looks like I'll invest in a turntable and a lot of Good Ole Gd Vinyl!
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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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15 years 5 months

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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