• 955 replies
    lilgoldie
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    Joined:

    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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  • uv1
    Joined:
    WOWEE ZOWEE
    WOW! Just got mine from UPS... Had to wait an extra day 'cause I missed the delivery yesterday. Boy, that was a hard day to wait. Got home from work today, and popped in disc 1 from May 11, 1977, and HOLY COW! I have to use swear words to describe how GOOD this sounds: F-ing OUTSTANDING! You can truly hear every detail in GORGEOUS, RICH, dare I say, SUMPTUOUS, sound. A feast for the ears. I am thoroughly impressed by this release -- the sound, the playing, and man, that artwork is simply that, a work of art. i am going to take my time and enjoy this release nice and slow. Hope everyone else gets theirs soon.
  • bolo24
    Joined:
    Comes A Time
    Man, that "Comes A Time" on 5/12 sure rips your heart out, doesn't it? What a sweet way to wander into the weekend...
  • mayormarionbarry
    Joined:
    Thank you Marye
    But customer service says they know nothing about a refund. I would like to clear this up so I can order a physical box set while there are a few left.
  • marye
    Joined:
    if anyone else is having this issue with the downloads
    please post the technical details so we can address the problem. mayormarion, we're showing that your refund for the download went through as of Tuesday June 11. If for some reason you have not received it, please contact customer service, as they will be glad to make sure that you do. Thank you.
  • estimated-eyes
    Joined:
    download tracks
    Now that is a legit gripe, mayor. I hope they fix the untagged tracks in the near future and make this right for you. Getting the 111 tracks in order would be a pain-- "OK, this sounds like the 5/12 Estimated...." As I wrote, I am waiting on downloading-- hopefully they get the glitches out.
  • PatagonianFox
    Joined:
    Tuscaloosa Book not glued properly.
    i have not yet listened to any of the discs. they all imported into iTunes without fail. however, the last disc in my Tuscaloosa book slides around, because they did not glue the seams together. its not a huge deal, but i can't imagine i'm the only one to experience this issue. ---
  • augustwest
    Joined:
    My $.02
    The sound quality on this set is excellent. Ditto the performances. The artwork is cool, and a nice change of pace. The cd sleeves are by FAR the best paper holders I've seen. A great improvement over all other GD releases that I have. If they re-released all the E72 sleeves with this new and improved version, I'd buy 'em. My only gripe is the odd sizing. I can live with the odd sized exterior box and booklet, but it's nice to have the actual musical content packaged in a conventional size so the discs can be stored on regular old cd shelves (like the E72 box). The packaging on these various releases is cool and all, but not particularly functional once the novelty wears off. My vote is for the 11/73 and 6/77 format -- a box, enough surface space for cool artwork and booklets, and entirely functional.
  • frunobulax
    Joined:
    Great music
    Well, I've only been listening since last night, but I'm mightily impressed. I started with the U of A show, since I just got back from visiting my Mom, there. What an excellent show. Garcia's jamming on Wharf Rat, in particular, is sublime. I guess I haven't listened to a whole lot of 5/77 before (beyond Cornell, obviously), because I was floored by how "on" the band sounds throughout these shows. I'm more of a 1969 or 1973 lover of 30+ minute Dark Stars and Other Ones. But it's really good to hear these releases in such good quality sound. Thanks to GDM for bringing us more great stuff from the Vault.
  • Underthevolcano
    Joined:
    arrived yesterday...
    and I started with the 1st show. Unlike some I had never heard this before and I must say I am mightily impressed-the playing by the band is amazing and the mix and sound quality are wonderful. Betty said she wanted to put you in the middle of the band and she sure did. The sound is detailed also with every nuance there. I like the quirky approach to the box art-this is certainly, to my eyes, new art territory which moves away from the usual cliches. very cool! I haven't read the book yet as i was multitasking while I listened but a glance at revealed what looks to be a promising take on all this. Happy to have some notes in there by the inestimable Blair Jackson-I miss his input to this forum. Hey stop the crankiness-this is mana from GD heaven. May they continue to put this level of attention to detail into these releases for the fans. Next on the radar-Jerry Garcia Live, Vol 2, with Bela Fleck-I can't wait for this either.
  • kirkmc
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    If they're not tagged, that
    If they're not tagged, that really sucks. They should be doing a lot better than that.
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15 years 5 months

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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11 years 2 months
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I am still enjoying this box. Have gone through the entire run multiple times. After hearing a lot of 77 it's nice to go to the later years...but coming back again for another listen and it's just amazing how you find even more to love within this set. Now if I could only get my hands on spring 90 and Europe 72!
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10 years 8 months
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Holy smokes I'm like a kid on Christmas morning checking the mail everyday after work! Can't wait to jam this.
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16 years 7 months
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I have been cranking this box on my car system while commuting and can't get enough of it. I reminds me of the old days when I wore out that Skull and Roses live lp set with constant listening. There is something about 1977. Also 1969, 1970, 1976, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1990 oh and 1988, 1989-ah well I could go on.
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11 years 2 months
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This is some incredible music. Took a break for a while after first getting it but it is so so good to come back to. St. Paul and Tuscaloosa are my favorite two but there is something wonderful in each show. Best sound quality for sure goes to the 11th. We have had some great releases lately. Am so grateful to have this on my bookshelf. Thanks again and again. To anyone not sure if they want this because there is already a lot of 77 released, just get it. The box is beautiful. Love the fact that I can have this physical media on my shelf. The sound quality is sure worth it. Windows media player decodes HDCD btw...really makes these discs shine.
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15 years 4 months
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This box is something special , I listened to May 11, and it blew me away again. Just great stuff
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11 years 2 months
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LIke many others, I have so much '77 stuff I was not excited when this came out. Thanks to a night of heavy drinking, I pulled out the credit card and dove in when judgement was impaired. I am so glad I did, I just keep coming back to this. Maybe it is the beautiful sound, or great performances, I don't know. I love almost all the releases, but this one just seems extra nice.
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15 years 4 months
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I am excited to see that this box set is on the UPS truck waiting to be delivered to my home sometime today! Decided to take the plunge and finally order this set. Looking forward to some heady jams this week.
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16 years 7 months
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looks like the physical set will sell out shortly. I got mine a long time ago and still have it in regular rotation. I'm a little surprised this took so long to sell out given the quality of the performance and beauty of the physical product. What is next on the release agenda?
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15 years 4 months
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Finally got my set yesterday. I listened to the first set of the St. Paul show, and I'm glad I decided to get it. The St. Paul show has such a unique and warm sound to it. I really like the feel. The boys blister through a number of the songs, and they are all really unique. Looking forward to enjoying the second set tonight.
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SO GLAD I purchased this set. It gives me a whole new appreciation and understanding for 1977. As a 20+ year 'Dead Freak' I have never fully understood the power of 1977, until I heard a string of shows consecutively, in their rightful context. We all know 1977 is majestic, but I think I have come to take it for granted. As a tape trader, I would come across a random 1977 here and there...5/8/77, 11/4/77, 6/9/77, 11/6/77/ 2/26/77, 12/29/77, and embrace each and every one with exuberance, but casually move on to another era or decade. Over the past few nights, I have been delving into this box set and have a whole new appreciation for the music of the Grateful Dead. I have listened to the first 3.5 shows in their entirety and am blown away. I cannot wait for Tuscaloosa tomorrow!!! To hear the ebb and flow of each show in its proper context is unspeakable. The transformation of the music from night to night is uncanny. The 2nd night in Chicago is the only 'clunker' of the bunch, but with that being said, there are some serious moments of serendipity and majesty in that show. I cannot wait to piggy back on this box set and listen to the Fox and Lakeland shows and the Sportatorium show, followed by 'To Terrapin' after I have completed the adventure of this box set. On a side note, the 'Terrapin' from the first night in Chicago is one of the most beautiful versions I have ever heard. Bobby hits those notes just like it begins on the album, and he keeps going with the lick. It is rare to hear a version of "Terrapin' were Bobby keeps hitting that lick (put it on, you'll know what I am talking about). It's so bright and beautiful. Thanks Dave!!!
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Oh, and that Dancin' from STL is so groovy. It rivals the legendary one from Dick's Picks 25 and Winterland '78 (From Egypt with Love). My jaw dropped...
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17 years 3 months
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Like you kevjones, I'm a sucker for '77 and '78 Dancin' in the Streets. Not sure the one from 10-20 Winterland graced RT 1.4 though. It's just not there. Oh well. Have fun on your May '77 excursion! DP 29 is going to be nice, real nice...
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13 years 10 months
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Believe it or not, I missed this box and just picked it up on Ebay. Wow I'm sure glad I did. I'm still working through St. Louis, looking forward to the Dancing, and the Terrapin mentioned below. The sound is pretty damn good for 1/4 inch, thanks to the amazing Betty! I hope she gets her share of this pie. She deserves it.
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9 years
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Happy as hell, but wondering is there a CD version of Cornell Barton hall 1977 officially released,just wondering, if is a get able or is it just something best left as the unicorn out on tape ? I still have two tape decks . Thanks anyone
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Chris killer, it's not in the vault therefore not fully released. One song from Cornell is available, Dancin' in the Streets, on the So Many Roads box set. The 5 cd 'So Many Roads' box set is still available for sale on this website last I checked. I hope this helps.
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that single track from Barton Hall is actually on the 12cd set Beyond Description (1973-1989). I believe they have only one set from the show in the vault. Either way the existing copies on the internet are near perfect...at least the one I found. On ebay I saw 2LP set of the show from an Italian record company. Who knows what that sounds like
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My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. Does one offer guest writers to write content for you personally? I wouldn’t mind writing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write in relation to here. Again, awesome site!http://www.machanic.net http://www.anniversarygiftsforcouples.com
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Been hoping to buy a digital download for months. Is this option returning soon?
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Is anyone else having issues downloading this from Warner Music? I have tried numerous times after purchasing the FLAC files and each time the download fails. So far the most I have been able to get is all but the last two songs from the first show, plus it takes FOREVER even on a (supposedly) fast cable connection. Can these shows be delivered in separate downloads?
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The comments suggest that I can pre-order it and that it would be available on June 11th. How do I pre-order (or order now that it is June 14th) this boxed set?
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Solid offer for the music community, although it's a bit pricey?! JUST A BIT! Lol, I'm already spending a bunch of money on music promotion services.
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