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    What's Inside:
    •144-page paperback book with essays by Nicholas G. Meriwether and Blair Jackson
    •A portfolio with three art prints by Jessica Dessner
    • Replica ticket stubs and backstage passes for all eight shows
    •8 complete shows on 23 discs
          •3/14/90 Capital Centre, Landover, MD
          •3/18/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
          •3/21/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario
          •3/25/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
          •3/28/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
          •3/29/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (featuring Branford Marsalis)
          •4/1/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA
          •4/3/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA
    Recorded by long-time Grateful Dead audio engineer John Cutler
    Mixed from the master 24-track analog tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir's TRI Studios
    Mastered to HDCD specs by David Glasser
    Original Art by Jessica Dessner
    Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

    Announcing Spring 1990 (The Other One)

    "If every concert tells a tale, then every tour writes an epic. Spring 1990 felt that way: an epic with more than its share of genius and drama, brilliance and tension. And that is why the rest of the music of that tour deserves this release, why the rest of those stories need to be heard." - Nicholas G. Meriwether

    Some consider Spring 1990 the last great Grateful Dead tour. That it may be. In spite of outside difficulties and downsides, nothing could deter the Grateful Dead from crafting lightness from darkness. They were overwhelmingly triumphant in doing what they came to do, what they did best — forging powerful explorations in music. Yes, it was the music that would propel their legacy further, young fans joining the ranks with veteran Dead Heads, Jerry wondering "where do they keep coming from?" — a sentiment that still rings true today, a sentiment that offers up another opportunity for an exceptional release from a tour that serves as transcendental chapter in the Grateful Dead masterpiece.

    With Spring 1990 (The Other One), you'll have the chance to explore another eight complete shows from this chapter, the band elevating their game to deliver inspired performances of concert staples (“Tennessee Jed” and “Sugar Magnolia”), exceptional covers (Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and the band’s last performance of the Beatles’ “Revolution”) and rare gems (the first “Loose Lucy” in 16 years) as well as many songs from Built To Last, which had been released the previous fall and would become the Dead’s final studio album. Also among the eight is one of the most sought-after shows in the Dead canon: the March, 29, 1990 show at Nassau Coliseum, where Grammy®-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis sat in with the group. The entire second set is one continuous highlight, especially the breathtaking version of “Dark Star.”

    For those of you who are keeping track, this release also marks a significant milestone as now, across the two Spring 1990 boxed sets, Dozin At The Knick, and Terrapin Limited, the entire spring tour of 1990 has been officially released, making it only the second Grateful Dead tour, after Europe 1972, to have that honor.

    Now shipping, you'll want to order your copy soon as these beautiful boxes are going, going, gone...

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  • antonjo
    Joined:
    First taste o' 77....and RT MSG '90
    I finally shelled out on eBay for the MSG '90 Road Trips with bonus disc awhile back, just to get that To Lay Me Down, which I remembered being pretty special on the Listening Party. Overall, the mix is a little muddy for my tastes. Half-Step is a serious highlight, wonderful version. Predictably enough from an 80’s guy, my first taste of ’77 was 2nd set Cornell. I worked in a silkscreen shop, and it made an incredible soundtrack when we were heads down. I remember marveling that the Dead could ever play so perfectly, and wondering what it would’ve been like to behold that performance right in front of you. (The audience tapes on Archive now offer a little taste.) They weren’t actually perfect, of course. As wasn't a rare thing, they muff the ascent in Dew that drops into the big first solo pretty badly. But get to that finale and all is forgiven. Still my favorite St. Stephen, too (post-60’s)—that version IS perfection. Apart from that tape and first set 5/13, I really didn’t hear much ’77 till Dick’s 3, which was an instant classic. Acquired 10/29 at some point, and while it’s utterly solid, my heart doesn’t cry out for its release. Dave’s 12 is my kind of set list, I’m pretty psyched to hear it. Not going to cheat and listen on the Archive first! WILL finally check out the Listening Party this weekend, though.
  • hbob1995
    Joined:
    @ kaustin7
    Great article! Thanks for the link. I had read some of the Eaton story but this is much more inclusive. I hope these tapes find their way back to The Vault and that Betty gets some compensation.Rock on
  • gfink
    Joined:
    9/18/90
    Thanks for that heads-up. I have DP9 but I've generally avoided shows after Brent. A complete informal video of this show can be found online. I agree they do a bang-up job on To Lay Me Down, of course it was the first time playing it since Brent's passing so I think it had more resonance than usual.
  • kaustin7
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    2015 "Project" and the Betty Boards
    Might the 2015 project be the negotiation and return of the long lost Betty Boards that Rob Eaton has been working on?An article ran earlier this year about the state of those tapes, who has them and who has been working on them. If you have not read the article it is well worth the read: http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/whats_become_of_the_bettys The return of these tapes could lead to the release of the Cornell show, much of the rest of Spring 77 and trove of other tapes. Food for thought.
  • TN Dead
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    Re Keys to The Vault.
    Considering everyone that would have to sign off or on to let this happen, I don believe it will. Although having the keys would be nice.
  • wjonjd
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    Joined:
    I Agree
    It's easy to see why they wanted to release these. Very passionate performances. And, most importantly, they're fun to listen to. I never downloaded full copies of these shows, so all I have is the RT (and bonus disc) to go by.
  • DJMac520
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    Joined:
    9-20-90
    Not sure how anyone can listen to that Truckin>China>Rider and wonder why it was released. And then the Star sandwich and post-space. Even Vince is a bit muted in those shows, unlike the cacophonous hurricane he became in 1991. I don't think the chopping up of that show, and the 19th, did either any justice. The first set of the 19th is tremendous, especially the H>S>F that closes it.
  • Mar-T
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    Keys to the Vault
    I think Dogstar is on to something by predicting the opening of the vault next year. DL2 has referred to "the project" that lands in 2015, in a way that sounds way bigger than tinkering on the margins with the next box set or DaP. "Things are in flux for at least the next 3 or 4 months in terms of specifics of the project. If it falls the way we’re expecting it to, it’s going to be extremely cool. So standby." I think they'll continue to release Normanized box sets of outstanding tours and/or runs, and Dave's Picks that are new to our ears in 2015, but I believe it's appropriate to speculate about the Holy Grail - access to everything that's in the vault, warts and all. I believe the hurdles to doing so earlier have been technological but also answering the question of how to monetize something like that. Not to mention that it would be a crapload of work... I think the time has come and really... no better time than the 50th anniversary. After disallowing downloads of soundboard recordings from archive.org, it seemed clear to me that TPTB wanted to keep the genie in the bottle to preserve consumer demand for all their shows, for WHEN they decided to open up the entire vault. Archive.org allows streaming of all the great soundboards, but let's face it... we all prefer to have the actual recordings in our possession. So, how would that shake out? If I were DL2, I'd flag all the recordings in the vault that would never make it as DaP, box or other vault release. Whether it's due to recording medium (how do you mix a quality product from a Maxell XLII source tape?) or low quality show, I'm sure Dave has a good idea of what will never pass the muster. Then, hire low level audio technicians to do warts and all transfers to a digital medium and sell the puppies on a service like livedownloads.com on steroids. They could proceed through the vault, tour to tour, and roll them out as they complete the process. I'd say this ought to be a download only venture. Most of us here seem capable of working with digital files. Perhaps people can pay a premium to have CDs burned for them, should they need such a service. Pricing could be similar to Livedownloads.com, where you can download mp3s of an entire show for $10, flacs for $13 and $23 for CDs. Equally importantly, people could download individual songs for $1. Crowd source the cover art, along with reviews, ratings, etc, so people can navigate the vast ocean with guidance from fellow heads. It could be a pretty low-impact, high profit venture for the Dead. The powers that be, not to mention their fans, are aging rapidly and the opportunity to simply open the vault becomes less technically daunting with each passing day. Certainly, it would be an overwhelming project for TPTB to turn something like this into reality, but all the pieces are feasible. This is a digital world, and we increasingly prefer digital files as the way to deliver our music. We'll all cherish the vinyl or CDs of our desert island shows, but wouldn't we all be fine with mp3s or flacs from that 83 show your friend told you to check out? DL2's doing his thang in 15 minutes. Can't wait to hear what's next!
  • wjonjd
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    Joined:
    1990
    @senorsenor - I know the sound quality doesn't come close, but did you listen to the to lay me down on 9/18 RT right after the one on 4/1 from the box?? Yes, different strokes is definitely true, and subjectively one can certainly prefer a more subdued and cooler rendition, but objectively speaking, toward the end of the 9/18 version, the drummers are locked and keep increasing the intensity of their playing as, most importantly, Jerry keeps increasing the intensity and emotional range of his vocals with passionate ad-libs and even through the so-so sound you can hear the audience erupting repeatedly as they are being taken to that special place and in return helping the band go further. As beautiful as the 4/1 version is, nothing like that is happening - they are content to let its beauty speak for itself; but, the 9/18 one reaches farther by both band and audience resulting in an x-factor destination reached. Maybe it's just me?
  • johnny361
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    Joined:
    The big 50!
    I love the 89 Alpine vid/Blu-ray idea. Some other 50th date's 2/74 Winterland, 6/9-10/73, Some 1975 or a big fall 73 box!!! Who Knows!! This is exciting
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jq171(document).ready(function (jq171) { var covertArtDownloadMarkup = 'Looking for the digital cover art? You can download it here.'; setTimeout(function() { jq171('#digital_cart').append(covertArtDownloadMarkup); }, 500); });

What's Inside:
•144-page paperback book with essays by Nicholas G. Meriwether and Blair Jackson
•A portfolio with three art prints by Jessica Dessner
• Replica ticket stubs and backstage passes for all eight shows
•8 complete shows on 23 discs
      •3/14/90 Capital Centre, Landover, MD
      •3/18/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
      •3/21/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario
      •3/25/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
      •3/28/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
      •3/29/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (featuring Branford Marsalis)
      •4/1/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA
      •4/3/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA
Recorded by long-time Grateful Dead audio engineer John Cutler
Mixed from the master 24-track analog tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir's TRI Studios
Mastered to HDCD specs by David Glasser
Original Art by Jessica Dessner
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

Announcing Spring 1990 (The Other One)

"If every concert tells a tale, then every tour writes an epic. Spring 1990 felt that way: an epic with more than its share of genius and drama, brilliance and tension. And that is why the rest of the music of that tour deserves this release, why the rest of those stories need to be heard." - Nicholas G. Meriwether

Some consider Spring 1990 the last great Grateful Dead tour. That it may be. In spite of outside difficulties and downsides, nothing could deter the Grateful Dead from crafting lightness from darkness. They were overwhelmingly triumphant in doing what they came to do, what they did best — forging powerful explorations in music. Yes, it was the music that would propel their legacy further, young fans joining the ranks with veteran Dead Heads, Jerry wondering "where do they keep coming from?" — a sentiment that still rings true today, a sentiment that offers up another opportunity for an exceptional release from a tour that serves as transcendental chapter in the Grateful Dead masterpiece.

With Spring 1990 (The Other One), you'll have the chance to explore another eight complete shows from this chapter, the band elevating their game to deliver inspired performances of concert staples (“Tennessee Jed” and “Sugar Magnolia”), exceptional covers (Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and the band’s last performance of the Beatles’ “Revolution”) and rare gems (the first “Loose Lucy” in 16 years) as well as many songs from Built To Last, which had been released the previous fall and would become the Dead’s final studio album. Also among the eight is one of the most sought-after shows in the Dead canon: the March, 29, 1990 show at Nassau Coliseum, where Grammy®-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis sat in with the group. The entire second set is one continuous highlight, especially the breathtaking version of “Dark Star.”

For those of you who are keeping track, this release also marks a significant milestone as now, across the two Spring 1990 boxed sets, Dozin At The Knick, and Terrapin Limited, the entire spring tour of 1990 has been officially released, making it only the second Grateful Dead tour, after Europe 1972, to have that honor.

Now shipping, you'll want to order your copy soon as these beautiful boxes are going, going, gone...

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17 years 6 months
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Got my order in.awesome.
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11 years 4 months
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I hope it sounds better than the first box. If I take the plunge send me copy #1990 or #9000 , I always wondered who gets those ?
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17 years 6 months
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This is going to be nice. The music will play. I'm happy with this release, I'm sure it will sound awesome. I am surprised that another 1990 was released so soon. Deadheads were talking about the 80's so much that I believed it would be 80's. I'm sure some heads will be disappointed. i'm always glad just to get anything. 24 year old shows will entertaining for sure. I passed on the print, it's nice but just not for me. I bet it sales out in a few weeks at the most, 9000 copies is not really that many. Looking for hints on DP11. Peace
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12 years 8 months
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I like the Brandford show.....but I have a copy. As a 70's fan, will I listen to the rest enough to warrant buying this? Need some honest advice from the 80's and 90's guys (or the 70's guys) to help me make up my mind. I'm asking VERY sincerely and NOT trying to start up an ugly war of words! Just want HONEST feedback please. Peace.
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*
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Recorded by long-time Grateful Dead audio engineer John CutlerMixed from the master 24-track analog tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir's TRI Studios Mastered to HDCD specs by David Glasser
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11 years 3 months
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If you have the first box, I would say that's all you need. With the exception of 3/29/90, the better shows are on there. If you missed the first one, you might want to look into getting this one. The shows are well-played, but lack the power of the 6 from the first box.
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17 years 5 months
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.....nice to see you. Nice release BTW....Hopefully Spacebro will be pleased, but probably not...
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13 years 4 months
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$240 for 3-29-90 and the other shows that aren't as good as the first box? C'mon now...
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15 years 3 months
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Before I met a wonderful woman and got married and had a wonderful child I could have afforded this! I had to pass on the first Spring90 box and have to pass on this one too. The only show I knew I loved on the first box was 3/22, but this has two I love: 3/25 and (of course) 3/29! Sob...I desperately hope that in a year or so GDM will issue the Spring90 shows individually like they did with the E72 shows. I will jump on about half of them! Ooooh I want this!
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17 years 6 months
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I'm in the same place. Got & love the BM show & really like the 80's & 90's too. This is kinda steep for me at the moment but will see if I can dig up the cash. Always dug Myland & the Drums & Space from this era so most likely........Good luck & good rocking! Ken
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16 years 4 months
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a whopping € 41, sigh... I guess a completist's gotta do what a completist's gotta do, even if it means skipping eating out for a month. Anyway, apart from the 3/29 Marsalis set there is enough to savour. It may not be the years Spacebrother wants released, but at least the later years are not ignored. @Thursday's child: I'm basically a pre-hiatus fan, but especially if you missed out on 1990/the first one, you'll need this. Great playing, Brent & Jerry in top shape, some nice rearrangements (Death don't have no mercy, Loose Lucy) and, as far as I'm concerned, nice warm sound. It works whether you play it loudly or just as background music. Now for some October/November 72 or some 67 or some 70?
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17 years 5 months
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....price is right. I'm probably on board. I too enjoy the Drumz/Space from this era....
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12 years 2 months
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Just purchase the 3/29 show by itself. Save the remainder of your money or pick up a few road trip shows from the 70s. Easy decision.
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17 years 6 months
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looks like the branford show will be a sep. release (check rollingstone, amazon pre-orders, etc.)
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17 years 1 month
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My sincere appreciation to TPTB for releasing the Branford show on it's own. The box looks fantastic but with a wife and two busy teenagers I just can't afford the big bucks on a 1990 release. I would LOVE to buy a couple of these shows a la carte, much the way the Europe '72 shows have been offered.Personally, I'd like to see more boxes in the $100 range but that's not meant to be a complaint, just input. There's a ton of great music in this box and cheers to those of you placing your orders; I'm getting a bit of a vicarious thrill knowing how much you will all enjoy it!
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I think on this one the quality of the recordings made this the reason for the box. I would much rather see a lot of other spring tours (such as 76) but the recording quality and vault availability are probably challenges. If you love this era, then congratulations and enjoy! I got the first box (no regrets) but I'd be lying if I said it gets a lot of rotation on my IPOD.
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12 years 3 months
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We were making DATs and Minidisc not T6 on this tour. Of course I will order and continue to wonder why Barton Hall is held Ransom when things go out at about $270,000 for the remaster and boxing per show. Anyways back to work on West High 6/21.
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10 years 11 months
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Could not agree with you more, well put... also two teenagers, one going into his sophomore year at college... $100.00 would be more manageable... but, nice box nonetheless "Thank You My sincere appreciation to TPTB for releasing the Branford show on it's own. The box looks fantastic but with a wife and two busy teenagers I just can't afford the big bucks on a 1990 release. I would LOVE to buy a couple of these shows a la carte, much the way the Europe '72 shows have been offered. Personally, I'd like to see more boxes in the $100 range but that's not meant to be a complaint, just input."
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14 years 1 month
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Will these be released on digital or CD only? A lot of us don't use CDs.
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15 years 3 months
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"My sincere appreciation to TPTB for releasing the Branford show on it's own. The box looks fantastic but ... I just can't afford the big bucks... I would LOVE to buy a couple of these shows a la carte, much the way the Europe '72 shows have been offered.Personally, I'd like to see more boxes in the $100 range but that's not meant to be a complaint, just input." Thank you RDevil, that comment was just exactly perfect!
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Shipping to the Netherlands is $41.99 (not €41.99). This works out to €30.88 at the current exchange rate. The $239.98 for the box itself is €176.51. Box + shipping together is €207.39.
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15 years 11 months
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Wow, $239.98, ok roughly $10 a disc, not bad, $14.95 for shipping? Really? $22.94 for sales tax? $277.87, man. How to come up with the fund to pay the credit card bill now, how much is blood going for these days? Can't wait, love this tour, these are all solid shows with lots of highlights. And Branford, ooh yeah!
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17 years 1 month
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I have the first two years of Dave's Picks sealed with the bonus discs for anyone who might want to exchange a copy of this for those. PM me if interested.
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14 years 1 month
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Just when I had convinced myself I didn't need anymore GD box sets I go and press buy!! Hefty postage tho' at $41.99!!! Ouch!!
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15 years 11 months
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I'd love to see them go back to more reasonably priced box sets. Not that I don't love these massive sets, but even a music only edition without all the boxes and trinkets (never look at 'em twice!) for us poorer folk would be nice.
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13 years 4 months
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now for all the people who complain about the Dave's Picks all being from the 70's..."settle down easy" (~);}
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14 years 9 months
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Mixed from the 24-track tapes to full Normanized Glory. Thank You. Thank You.
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17 years 6 months
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Don't forget that the customs will also take their cut before it gets to you. Ouch again!!
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17 years 5 months
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....Where the hell have you been? Thought you were Dead. (Head)....
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16 years 4 months
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@Simonrob: I stand corrected. It did not deter me from ordering it anyway. But at € 26/show plus book (plus the box & ticket stubs that I do not really need), it works out OK I guess.
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15 years 11 months
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Coworker of mine is ordering the box, shipping price jumped $10 for each delivery option. Weird!
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14 years 1 month
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Already thought of that probably another £34 ($58) OUCH again but what's a guy gonna do. Once you start collecting/listening to these things when do you stop.What if the best show/song I've aver heard is out there and I just haven't actually heard it yet!!!
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12 years 4 months
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Confirm order Check. My wife's gonna kill me oh well got till September to cool her down.
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11 years 4 months
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:0)
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15 years 3 months
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Saved me a lot of money. I push "buy" on almost everything here but not 250$ for more 90's shows. Dodged a bullet.
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17 years 6 months
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Blood isn't bringing much these days... you might want to consider selling an organ or two....!
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17 years 5 months
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I love all Dead eras, with my favorite probably being the pre-hiatus time along with '77.But I could not pull the trigger on this fast enough! I loved the first '90 box and I am sure I will love this one also. To me, this is the last great tour and I cannot have too much of that. Order soon as it will disappear quickly I suspect. Rock on
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12 years 7 months
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Just what we need: another over-packaged behemoth. Seriously kids, just give us the music at a lower price and we'd still be happy. Does anybody really spend time fondling their "replica ticket stubs and backstage passes" while listening to 'Loser' from 3/24/90? (And I don't want to know if you do ...). I picked up the first one and truth be told, ditched the actual box once the discs found their new home on my shelf. As for the ephemera, it's out there . . . somewhere.
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17 years 3 months
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My first thought was, "oh, shit. My wife will kill me, but I have to get 3/29." Then I saw that it's available by itself. Thanks to TPTB for having the vision to put that out by itself.
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17 years 6 months
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this is great!
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13 years 10 months
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While Spring 1990 is great GD, I think that the GD legacy would be better served by a box set from an altogether different time period. Having said that, I'll still enjoy it. How long did it take the first Spring 90 box to sell out in? $$$ are tight at the moment.
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14 years 9 months
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According to the Rolling Stone article, an HD Download option will be available the same time as the official release date. Thanks for the tip Bolo.
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17 years 5 months
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check your PM and email me back at my address
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17 years 5 months
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Check you PM and email me back at my address.(Sorry about the incorrect post earlier) I need to slow down! Too excited right now!
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