• 1,689 replies
    admin
    Joined:
    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...

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • wjonjd
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    One Man - Peaks
    Not really, no. When dynamic range compression is applied, not only do they reduce the difference between the loudest and softest amplitudes, they also then have room to increase the amplitude over the entire range, so that at a given volume setting on your volume knob the volume of the music is louder than it would have been - the loudest sound is louder, the softest sound is louder, and the average sound is louder, than it would have been compared to the same signals prior to dynamic compression and raising the amplitude. This is why dynamic range compression is important in the "loudness wars" in commercial releases for radio. They compress the range, and then have room to make the whole range louder without going over peak and clipping. When you look at the visual representation of the sound from the HD file compared to the 16-bit file, the HD file is "smaller" from top to bottom - it is not as loud, but if you were to analyze it, you would find that the DIFFERENCE between the highest peaks and smallest peaks are, relative to each other, greater. So, while the -10db peak of the CD is louder than the -15db peak of the HD file, it is the CD that has had dynamic range compression applied so that they can then raise the amplitude of the entire signal by some percentage, making the peak volume of the CD louder than the peak volume of the HD file (and the average, and the softest sound as well). When the dynamic range compression is applied the DIFFERENCES between the amplitudes of loud and soft are made smaller - the percentage change is not the same across the spectrum of amplitudes, as the "average" amplitude will not have a change applied (that's a simplification, not exact, and also I'm not sure if it would be the mean or the median or some other midway point that remains unchanged). When they subsequently make the entire signal louder, the amplitude increase is percentage-wise the same across the board. THAT transformation DOES raise the average amplitude. Does that make sense? Obviously, none of this is inherent to either 16-bit or HD 24-bit. It could be applied to either. For some reason they apply it to the 16-bit file, probably because a lot of people don't like it when a CD seems like the volume is too low compared to other CD's they have. In other words, I expect they have to cater to consumer expectations.
  • One Man
    Joined:
    Peaks
    Isn't a peak of -15 dB lower than -10 dB? Doesn't that suggest the HD file is more compressed than the CD? Actually, they probably both have some amount of light compression on them because that's just how it's typically done in the world. It's bizarre that one would be that different from the other. You can hear as little as 1 dB, maybe even less. The first S90 box had lots of audible compression, at least on the individual tracks. It sounds way too smooth to be au naturel, even if the mix of the various signal levels is not always great.
  • TN Dead
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    pono is a player
    Is it possible that a pono player has better components than another portable playback device ? It was designed with this in mind.Same files, different players, different playback results.
  • wjonjd
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    FourWinds - my apologies
    I did a comparison of the CD version of Wake Up To Find Out (actually the one from the full box) and the 24/192 download. I used the first 15 seconds of Estimated Prophet (the software I'm using only lets you start at the beginning, and I didn't take the time to lop off an equal amount from the beginning of both files in order to get to the middle of the file). I chose Estimated Prophet because it begins right away having been transitioned into from the Eyes. The results: The average levels (left/right) on the CD are -17.42db/-16.19db the average levels on the HD file are -17.96db/-16.72 the peak level on the CD is -10db the peak level on the HD file is -15db The Stereo Balance on the CD is -2.14db (diff between L and R) The Stereo Balance on the HD file is -2.43db And the peak frequency on the CD is 14,685Hz the peak frequency on the HD file is 14,109Hz (that's a surprise) So, it appears that they HAVE INDEED applied some dynamic range compression to the CD version, although not a lot. I have NO IDEA why they wouldn't just convert the 24/192 file to 16/44.1 using noise-shaped dithering. The resulting files would be VIRTUALLY INDISTINGUISHABLE from each other. This still says nothing about the inherent equivalency to the human ears of 16/44.1 versus 24/192, but THAT'S IF THEY'RE FROM THE SAME SOURCE. My humble apologies FourWinds as you are indeed correct that they created a master for the 16-bit file that has had some amount of dynamic range compression applied to it. WHY???? Who knows. There is NO (good) reason to do this!!! The 24/192 is not better because it 24/192. It's better because they didn't apply dynamic range compression to master used for it. However, FourWinds, in your original post you wished they would just release the HD 24/192 file already!! WHY NOT wish that they convert the 24/192 to 16/44.1 and LEAVE IT ALONE to create the CD and 16/44.1 files?? That would serve the SAME purpose. And here are the file sizes for that one file: CD: 153,035kb HD: 998,784kb And, they have the same POTENTIAL for audio fidelity. Why not just wish for 16/44.1 files/CD's made directly from the 24/192's? Wouldn't that make far more sense. In any case, you were right - they're not the same. I have no idea why they chose to do this. One Man - Yes, for driving in my car (where I do a LOT of listening) files with more dynamic range compression make it much easier to hear all the music. You don't have to keep turning the volume up and down - up because you can hardly hear it and then BAM you get hit with the LOUD so you have to turn it down again. It is true that the range compression can pretty much fix that problem. Since we would never get two versions of everything with one purchase, my preference would be to get CD's/files that have NO dynamic range compression applied, and then I could apply my to create a set of files for travel (car/plane/walking, etc.)
  • dantian
    Joined:
    Got to hand it to you, wjonjd
    You have a lot of patience ;)
  • One Man
    Joined:
    E72 Box
    I'm not sure what is fatiguing anyone's ears, but I hear some kind of pervasive audio distortion in about the first half of the E72 box mixes. It clears up on one of the Paris shows. I have no idea what caused it, but it is obvious to me and I'm sure the mix engineer noticed it eventually but no one bothered to go back and fix those first mixes. It could be inherent in just those first tapes (very doubtful), some kind of A-D transfer issue (can't imagine what), something to do with the Plangent Process (again, no idea), or something else. It still bugs me that these mixes were so rushed. Thank the gods they did not do the same with the '72 Veneta show or the new Spring 90 box. Also, let's not confuse file (data) compression with dynamic range compression. Dynamic range can be severely squashed on ANY recording format if the engineer chooses to do that. The GD archival releases are generally lightly compressed compared to many commercial releases, and I'm sure that is intentional. I actually wish they had a touch more dynamic compression on them sometimes, just to make them sound less jumpy.
  • wjonjd
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    down mix process
    There is no dynamic compression required when converting from 24-bit to 16-bit, and there is no reason to believe they just CHOSE to use any dynamic compression on the 16-bit file, but not on the 24-bit file. Your comment makes it clear (unless I'm mistaken, which I could be) that you believed that 16-bit is INHERENTLY more compressed than 24-bit, which is simply not the case in any way. Unless you have some reason to believe they just chose to compress the range of softest to loudest sounds on the 16-bit file and not on the 24-bit, I'd be interested to hear it. I think that's more than very very highly unlikely. Again, if you are experiencing ear fatigue from the 16-bit files, you have zero chance of improving that by buying the more expensive 24-bit ones except by placebo effect, unless they chose to reduce the dynamic range on the 16-bit files and not the 24-bit files for some reason. What possible reason do you have to suspect they would even consider going through the trouble of instituting dynamic range compression on the 16-bit files (CD's). They were NEVER going to be destined for mainstream radio play, and even if they were I don't believe Jeffrey Norman and his team do that even for releases that ARE destined for radio play. Of course, there is an easy way to answer this. Simply send DL an email to ask Jeffrey Norman (if you can't email Jeffrey Norman directly) if they compressed the dynamic range for the 16-bit release and CD's and not for the 24/192 (or 24/96) on any of their other archival releases where they have made hi-def available. I wouldn't promise my first-born, but I'd bet a lot that the answer will be no. In which case, as the links I posted point out pretty well, you will hear no difference between the two versions, nor experience a different level of ear fatigue or emotional connection - at least not due to the sound coming out of your loudspeakers. EDIT - I decided to purchase the Wake Up To Find Out hi def (24/192) download. I will rip from my CD version direct to 16-bit wav and compare them using a software audio package and should be able to easily tell if dynamic compression was used on one and not the other. I will let you know. I see no reason why they would treat the E72 release differently than the Wake Up To Find Out release as far as whether they chose to modify the dynamic range for the CD's. They both came from multi-track tape masters. Even if they didn't spend the time on the E72 releases that they did on the Wake Up To Find out release, I would still bet they treated the CD's the same in terms of how they transferred the original 24-bit files they mixed/mastered with to the 16-bit files they used to create the CD's. I will report back with the results.
  • fourwindsblow
    Joined:
    Compression
    If dynamic compression was used in the down mix process no further compression is needed.
  • wjonjd
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Grammy Nomination
    Yes, Congratulations to all involved. I also believe this box deserves the grammy nod - I believe it surpasses the music in the first box, and the package itself is simply exquisite (as was the first box).
  • SPACEBROTHER
    Joined:
    Grammy Nomination
    It's only fitting that a Brent era release got a Grammy nod. Congrats Bob, Phil, Mickey, Bill, Dave, Mark, Mary, Norman, Blair and everybody involved! This is the good stuff here.
user picture

Member for

17 years 8 months
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...

user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

Hey Phil, I've actually looks for the GD Society in FB, all I ever get when I do a search is "no results" - what am I missing (keeping in mind my FB activity is limited so I'm sure I'm missingsomething obvious). I even tried a google search...
user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

Thanks Bob - I actually spelled it out in full when searching, I was just abbreviating in this forum. I never did find it in searches - but it showed up as a "You may be interested in this" box. Go figure - it found me :)
user picture

Member for

15 years 9 months
Permalink

He has a nice music room - not sure about the acoustics, but nice presentation... I have all my cd's in boxes in the basement with the exception of my live Dead, Garcia, Phish, Beatles and other box sets. Used to have all of my music in a single bookcase with 3 shelves I made to double the amount of shelve space for CDs. Now all of it's ripped to my pc and streamed.
user picture

Member for

15 years 9 months
Permalink

Sounded like Dave said it was selling well. Figured it would get a boost from @theMovies... From the listening party sounds pretty good - hard to tell with my little 5.1 computer speakers compared to hearing the other releases on my stereo...
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

11 years 2 months
Permalink

Sounds is absolutely outstanding. However, remember, this is the second box set from the Spring '90 tour. It is only two years since the less expensive, and quite possibly better, Spring '90 Part 1. Plus there are downloads this time, and the best show is being released on it's own... But the biggest reason is probably the saturation of the market 1989-1990. Now, there are other years where there is equal or more representation, but there's also the quality of the playing to consider (at least in my opinion). While 1990 was a great year that probably exceeds anything the boys did in the prior 8 years, its not exactly Spring '69, Europe '72, Fall '73, Summer '74, or May '77 we're talking here. All that said, I bought the box and am looking forward to it.
user picture

Member for

10 years 2 months
Permalink

Glad I was able to get this 1990 set - the last one I missed out on I really would love a copy of the 4/2/90 show as it has a very special meaning with a friend who has passed on... I am willing to copy any shows from this second 1990 to anyone that has the first spring 1990 4/2/90 Atlanta Omni show.. from the first box set- once I receive it that is - any help would be Grateful Peace, Michael B
user picture

Member for

10 years 2 months
Permalink

Glad I was able to get this 1990 set - the last one I missed out on I really would love a copy of the 4/2/90 show as it has a very special meaning with a friend who has passed on... I am willing to copy any shows from this second 1990 to anyone that has the first spring 1990 4/2/90 Atlanta Omni show.. from the first box set- once I receive it that is - any help would be Grateful Peace, Michael B
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

Okay, after saying craptacular to this release originally, I have to say the listening parties 1 and 2 have won me over. I have ordered this monster. The more that I considered this new box set the more I realized that there is no downside to ordering this. If I find I do not like the set I can sell it and make my money back. If I find I like it then I have another great box set to listen to. I would have be regretful if I did not order this and then heard what I missed out on. BTW, the sound on this release is amazing. Should start shipping in less than 3 weeks.
user picture

Member for

13 years
Permalink

at best thats 2000 box sets sold, or given away to grateful dead family members. i would have sprung for this on day one had the price been a bit more reasonable. ---
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 7 months
Permalink

Check your PM.
user picture

Member for

12 years 3 months
Permalink

Where does that 900 orders number come from?
user picture

Member for

13 years
Permalink

i called customer service today. the lady i spoke with told me they didn't know how many copies were sold, because it hadn't been released yet, but she did say there were 900 orders placed. ---
user picture

Member for

12 years 3 months
Permalink

Interesting. It is expensive and I think the best shows were in the previous set. I have ordered this set and I hope that the mix will be better than the original. Although I like the original box set in terms of the quality of the shows, the choice of using the two track mixes was a blunder. The overall quality of the mix was not very good and has a very distant, middle of the hall sound to it that isn't very satisfying. I do listen to the shows from the original box set a lot but often think of what might have been if it had received a proper mix down from the original tapes.
user picture

Member for

11 years 7 months
Permalink

at least half of these are still available, as you can enter this in the order box, and it will let you check out, i tried 5000, and got a blank page. i first tried 3000, then 3500, 4000, and finally 4500, and they all went through, if i wanted to spend the 1 million and 80 thousand dollars, it appears i could have completed the order, of 4500. my guess, based on this technique, there are less than 5000 sets, but as many as 4500 still available. unless ordering 5000 sets is not allowed, but ive never seen any mention of limit per customer. anyone else get victim, instead of the built to last, on the 5/26/90 listening party 2....not really what i was expecting, really wanted to hear the built to last! peace, y'all!
user picture

Member for

11 years 6 months
Permalink

excuse me, not the listening party 2, but this latest listening party to spring 90, with the time line at the bottom...'tis what i meant to say!!!love this branford, have a 3 set dvd of this show, vhs>dvdr, and its great, actually has really great sound, for one of those old vhs cams. video quality isnt the best, but its still all there!!!! enjoy your weekend!!!
user picture

Member for

15 years 9 months
Permalink

Too Bad there wasn't a Loyalty Rewards Discount (10% off) on this box set if you purchased the original Spring 90 Boxset from dead.net. They should have the info on who bought what... Either way, they already got my money for both - if the numbers are low to date, I hope I get a low number - I purchased before Night at the Movies...
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 7 months
Permalink

There are some Grateful Dead releases that give me a "Gotta Get This One, Other One Feeling" that sez: Please Order NOW! It pulls a trigger that allows me rationalize a rare credit card purchase v.s. having the most recent, best sounding available Dead show that I want. I think all of the Spring '90 shows are keeper's. When I saw how soon this box-set ship's to me I got excited. Usually I order then forget that I ordered until it shows up in the mailbox. However these show's arrive in just 4 short weeks !!! My last Brent shows were Cal State U. Dominguez Hills LA, May 5th and 6th 1990. I always dig bands that would use a B-3 organ plus Brent's 4 leslie speaker cabinets filtering that distinct organ sound in stereo all around the stage. These were all Jerry n Brent's last shows. After Brent passed, the bands number of song's selected for a tour was slashed in half. So for me I will look forward to having a lot of fun digesting this release. At Nassau Coliseum we would see the remote truck, daily parked just around the corner from the truck ramp. I believe the crew stayed at our Marriott in the Coliseum's parking lot. So now 24 years later (pinch-me), I have just placed an order to own the actually disc, from the 24-track Master tapes made in that remote truck. I listened to one of these teaser-tracks on GD radio and the sound CRUSHED on internet 64kb radio. Also on here too! (Pasted from Dead.net) HDCD provides higher resolution when played in an HDCD-equipped CD player, and offers superior sound when played in regular CD players. HDCD CDs can be played in all CD players. Cub sez: but why would you?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

I just finished listening to the 3/15/90 Capital Centre show (Terrapin CD) to tease my appetite for the upcoming box. Jesus, I forgot how fantastic that show is. If you haven't listened to it in a while - it really does smoke. My favorite eras are late sixties, early seventies, late seventies and early eighties (the rest of the eighties close behind :) - but the spring '90 shows released so far are all nothing less than lots of fun, and some are truly great. Unfortunately, the only shows I got to go to in 1990 was the Tinley Park run that summer (Brent's last shows), and I don't remember them being as good as these spring shows. I keep thinking what a miracle it is that we have all of this music available at all, and that there are enough of us to make it possible for them to keep the releases coming.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

12 years
Permalink

Hi there,If you still are looking for the omni 4-2-1990 just email me at kachinajean@yahoo.com and I'll burn you a copy. That was my first show,and the best I ever saw.
user picture

Member for

15 years 1 month
Permalink

Listening to my recently assembled 3/24/90 and just received 3/15/1990 this week- making sure there are no bugs with anteni on 3/24 before the full tour in September. Can't wait! Before tonight I have been listening to DVP 11 and though I still think the '70s Dead is overall more powerful and can better turn on a dime with just one drummer- there is no denying what Brent brought to the table and the band as a whole has a more party vibe. Anyway not trying to start a debate, we've been down that road before. Just goes to show that each era should be appreciated on its own for its own vibe- I really need to remember that the next time I feel all estimated prophet about the '70s hahaha its all good. I even go back to dicks pick 27 with Vince every so often for that first set especially.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

I'd been putting off that "chore" (assembling 3/24/90) ever since I got the first spring 90 box, and was doing that while listening to the 3/15/90 show I mentioned below. Finally have it in iTunes as a full album and burned CDs; for some reason I still like to have physical copies. When I said "unfortunately" I just meant that I didn't get to go to any of the spring shows in 90. I did have a great time at the Tinley Park shows, but the last run of shows I had gone to prior to that was the alpine valley 89 run which were x-factor heavy and full of all the golden yummies. Tilnley Park as a venue was awful, and for some reason I didn't move to the lawn where I understand the sound was much better. It was still a great time, and realizing a couple of days later that I would never get to see Brent again made me realize how lucky I was to have been at those shows. My first show was 7/4/81 Manor Downs, Texas. There are decent copies of this show on the archive. If you haven't heard it check it out. Very wild and strange jamming; the PITB is very unique, and it has one of the last (maybe the last) of the really extended NFA's. A lot of folks mention the next year's Manor Downs show which went past midnight into Jerry's birthday and was a great show also, but the '81 show was x-factor from start to finish. The sugar mags is one of the most rocked out you will ever hear - I think I remember the taping compendium describe it as "ludicrously powerful". Understatement.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I would agree that the download options make the "rush to buy" priority for some a little lower than previous limited edition sets where no download options were offered. In regards to comparisons from the Dead from the era of this set to '69 or even '77 in particular, and line-up performance quality and sales figures, I can point to the May '77 box as one specific example. That box, which was released June 11th 2013 and significantly less expensive than this set has only recently sold out. One could even take the 8/27/72 Sunshine Daydream release, and being a show that is widely considered as THE most popular show the Dead ever played (I would say definitive), which btw was/is even far less expensive yet, was released 11 months and a day ago or so and still hasn't sold out of the limited editions. Certainly that release and it's availability in multiple formats and volume could again dictate why that particular show, and one of such a highly regarded caliber for many, and from the most saturated year release wise, is still available to purchase. That one, I am surprised hasn't sold out of the 30,000 units. The vinyl version did sold out quickly though at 5000 units. This leads to a question. Does era, price and volume play a role in how fast and why certain releases have sold out faster? I would say, both none of the above and all of the above. I go back to the Road Trips series and point out that April Fools '88 was one of the very first of that series to sell out right along with Fillmore 5/15/70 and Denver '73. Many of the '70s era RTs releases still have yet to sell out. Even the '93 Cal Expo release has sold out. Perhaps there are other factors as to why some eras and/or particular releases sell out faster than others, and perhaps not. The Dave's Picks series subscriptions, which have heavily slanted heavily towards the '70s, and even cheaper yet individually, after three years has yet to sell out. Perhaps the subscriptions will set out for 2015. Another factor to consider is that there are likely many people who buy up multiple copies, whether to give them to friends and acquaintances and/or to resell. So am I surprised that S'90 (TOO) hasn't sold out yet? No, not really, but it will. On another sort of related point... Would I purchase downloads of releases? I have but would rather not. The real estate that physical media takes up versus electronic storage is an acceptable trade-off for me. If I have physical media taking up storage space, I'd rather it be factory manufactured with the sleeves and artwork rather than CDRs or recordable DVDs, especially if I spend money on them. A recent incident happened where about 70% of the music on my computer just suddenly vanished. I have disc back-ups of most of it o am ok, but am bummed that the handful of purchased downloads on my hard drive have vanished. Thankfully I haven't invested much into downloadable media, but if a $100 plus dollar download disappeared before getting a chance to make back-ups, I would be extremely pissed. A lesson here. If you do purchase downloads, you damn well better make disc back-ups or on other hard drives. They will eventually crash at some point. Manufactured obsolescence at it's worst, but that another debate...
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

The reason the SSDD has not sold out is because you can buy it on Amazon for less then Dead.net. You do not get any of the extras, but you get the music in its entirety and the dvd. For many, that is all they want. I myself bought the first Spring '90 Box and I jumped on TOO as soon as I received the email notice. I cannot wait! Judging by the Listening Parties, the sound is going to be phenomenal. But other then the book that is included, I really have no use for the other doodads, ticket stubs, etc. that are included. And I know that I will read the book once and then put it away for many, many years. I would like to see the price of these box sets kept lower by eliminating all of the extras. Just give us the music in a nice case, like they do with the DaP releases and let it go at that. I have a few downloads but I prefer to have the physical discs. As SB pointed out, I burn all of my downloads to discs anyway. I love my iPod, but I have had two of them shit the bit with no notice and watched thousands of hours of music disappear in an instant. Rock on
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

I think they planned well with Spring 90 Part 2 with downloads, a single hard copy show, and the big box so I am not surprised that it is not sold out yet. It will. Come December there will be holiday purchases. Having said all of that, small boxes are the way to go with the Winterlands, Fillmore West 69 being larger with a book, Spring 77 in an even larger and a more handsome box with bigger book too. The Spring 90s and E72 Titanic Box are great but being somewhat of a completist and sympathetic to those Heads with less money for everything I vote for more like The Winterlands yet favoring Spring 77 for a future release model. Spring 77 was a compromise and a very beautiful one at that! As others have noted -- eventually all limited releases sell out. Smaller boxes could mean more variety of years and decades? Yes, yes, yes, customer rewards discounts are a fabulous idea. And Now I urge Dave to consider N.Y.C. MSG September 1979 as a box set with Claney's (?) Alaska 1980 Land of the Midnight Sun Box. Many here would be very, very happy with those releases. Space Bro gets a box of his choosing as well,but, after the two boxes above. God Bless Bobby and his wife and children. Heal, brother, heal.
user picture

Member for

15 years 9 months
Permalink

Spacebro - Like you I prefer the physical media. I care more about the music than the trinkets. I would prefer to have just music versions. I'll thumb through the book once. In fact, for Spring90 I copied the music to my pc and put everything back in the shipping box, since that was cool. It wasn't until recently where I re-organized my cabinet in prep for S90TOO, that I took the box out of the shipping box and pulled the CD cases out and added them to the rest of the Dead CDs in chronological order. What I was initially replying to is that there are cloud services - amazon, apple, etc. But there are also backup specific services like carbonite, mozy, dropbox, idrive. People might want to check it out. But note to most users they take a long time to copy unless you want to spend some scratch... I have my music on a pair of mirrored hard drives. I periodically back them up to a couple of USB drives and also a Seagate Central (like USB drive, but has ethernet cable too for a cheap network attached solution). I suspect I will probably eventually go to an online service if I don't build or buy some more robust NAS systems with RAID6 parity protection.
user picture

Member for

12 years 4 months
Permalink

I, too, wish the cost of this box set was cheaper, but I'm not sure that the cost would decrease significantly without all of the schwag. Most of the releases here average $10 per disc, whether it's Dave's Picks ($29 for three CD's), or Spring 1990 TOO ($240 for 23 CD's). So that's about $10 or so for the extra trinkets. I agree that they're a novelty, and not necessary, but it doesn't look like they add that much to the cost. I've held off on ordering the new Spring 1990 box set. It is expensive. Then I heard the songs... WOW! They sound OUTSTANDING! So I picked up a little extra summer work and now I'm going to order it.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

11 years 2 months
Permalink

"The reason the SSDD has not sold out is because you can buy it on Amazon for less then Dead.net. You do not get any of the extras, but you get the music in its entirety and the dvd. For many, that is all they want." Very, very true. There's an unlimited version out there, with no cap on sales, since this is a release that the folks at Rhino must have deemed to be in high demand and that would appeal to non-Deadheads. I'm not surprised that the 30,000 SSDD special edition CD/DVD pack hasn't sold out. I mean, I'm someone who has bought everything they've put out since the days of Dick Latvala, but if I had known that there was going to be a unlimited, less expensive CD/DVD SSDD set that just didn't have the cool packaging, I would have certainly bought that one. Instead, I dropped over 50 bucks on 3 cds and a DVD, because they hadn't announced the wide release when I placed my order.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

One of the few luxuries in which I indulge is the purchase of all music made available by GD and Jerry. Although the music is the most important thing (by a zillion times), I actually do like some of the extras they have thrown into some of the boxes. For instance, the repros of the sheets that went out with mail order tickets that listed campgrounds and had messages from the band on the other side. I never thought to save those things. On the other hand, if it adds much to the expense, I can appreciate how it makes it easier for many to purchase the releases if the cost were kept as low as possible, and I certainly wouldn't complain if the extras were eliminated. I'm just saying that I do like them, especially the books. I enjoy having as much documentation about the shows as possible and like reading about them from people who were there or whomever they get to discuss background stories, context, personal experiences, technical information about tape restoration or tape re-acquisition, etc ad nauseum :) Whichever way they decide to do, smaller boxes with less bling, or larger boxes with tons of do-dah, I'm going to be in. There really isn't any era of their music I don't enjoy. Sure, I don't particularly want lack-luster performances (from any era), but I find that it is rare to find no gems even in those. I freely admit that I am not a very critical deadhead. That does not mean I can't distinguish bad, fair, good, great, and magically-inspired. To me, it just means that I'm lucky that I pretty much enjoy the whole trip, warts and all. With that in mind, some other shows I was at that I would love to see released, not just because I was there but because each of these would make fine releases would include: The '84 shows in Cuyahoga Falls, OH and Indianapolis, IN. The 3/24/86 (middle show of 3) at the Spectrum in Philadelphia (on youtube) The '88 and/or '86 Alpine Valley shows; I enjoyed every Alpine run, but these and the '89 run were, I thought, particularly good. and a few of the '90's Soldier Field shows were really great (not all of them). 4/11/87 at the UIC Pavilion has one of the greatest Terrapin's every played, but for maximum enjoyment you need the crowd. During the ending part, the way the crowd erupted each time they came back for another go-round was incredible. They didn't just erupt all at once. As the music climaxed each time, the crowd climaxed right along with them, pushing them to keep going longer and further; any analogy that sentence brings to mind is quasi-intentional after the fact as well as being apropos. My sister, who was at this show also, recently reminded me (when I brought this show up in conversation) how Ms. Brightman had the lights swing out to directly point at the crowd each time they began to climax again, further instigating the crowd. It worked. You can hear the crowd and the band riding each other to the heights. There are decent copies of this show on the archive. I'm going to get back to some '90's now. Oh, one more thing about backups. If you backup to something like an external drive, or anything that resides in your home/apartment. It is a good idea to make a duplicate to keep offsite somewhere. If your collection AND backup are destroyed in a fire, flood, or simply stolen, then your backup won't do you any good at home.
user picture

Member for

15 years 1 month
Permalink

Not sure about your methods. I have 6000 in my cart now. I think this is meaningless.
user picture

Member for

15 years 1 month
Permalink

In my cart. Does it mean anything? Doubtful.
user picture

Member for

15 years 1 month
Permalink

With regard to PFox's interchange with a customer rep on how many orders had been placed (only 900!): This is not really credible either. (No, I don't mean that I don't believe they said that to you!) We have seen repeatedly that customer service Don't Know Shit. We have seen repeatedly that they Say Stuff They Don't Know. Now we're to believe that's changed? Nobody here has good info on how many copies of this remain. If anyone here believes there have only been 900 orders of this box to date, it's because they'd like to believe that, not because there's a good basis for believing it.
user picture

Member for

12 years 4 months
Permalink

I figure it did not sell out due to the excessive amount of DVD shots of the naked guy on the pole. (thankfully he finally did put on a pair of shorts during Dark Star. Though even partially clothed, he still haunts me the way he is perched up in the background. yikes) I also agree with the previous post that the 2 track Spring 90 box is a bit underwhelming. Nightfall, without a net all sound much better. For that price they should have done Spring 90 right. At least this go round we will get the multi track Norman treatment. Looking forward to that.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

....is un-freakin' believable. Finished the listening party part 2 last night. It's a shame the first box didn't get this treatment. Should be shipping in two weeks.....bring it on!!
user picture

Member for

12 years 4 months
Permalink

I agree. The sound of this new box set totally won me over! OUTSTANDING! I kept saying it was too expensive... But I picked up a little extra summer work, and I just ordered it! I... CANNOT.... WAIT!
user picture

Member for

14 years
Permalink

Listening to the listen party, I was pretty blown away with the sound, and that's from a computer stream! Weir's chords are so strange, so strong, just amazingly original, and you can hear them clear as a bell! The other thing that tempted me was the variety of songs. This was a really strong time for the band, with great covers, great original songs, and new material from Built to Last. I broke down and ordered it, and now I just have sweet anticipation!
user picture

Member for

12 years 4 months
Permalink

Looking at the tickets showcased on the Spring 1990 timeline, I see that the Atlanta shows cost only $18.50! My goodness, how times have changed. I pay that much in just service charges and fees on a concert ticket these days! YOWZA!
user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

Good post uv1, though I look at the box set cost a bit differently. To me, if the cost per disc in S90 and in the Dave's Picks is relatively the same, that means the box set is actually way more expensive. Typically in retail, if you buy in "bulk" (like a box set) you should get each individual item cheaper. So, here we have eight shows from S90 priced about the same as eight individual released. But, to me, because you are buying eight "in bulk" they should be much less. By adding the fancy packaging and schwag, they can charge more than a typical bulk setup. Note: I'm not complaining, I just don't think the box is a "good deal" exactly.... deadegad, thanks for beating the Land of the Midnight Sun drum - yeay. (A Sep 79 box would be sweet too).
user picture

Member for

15 years 10 months
Permalink

Just my guess, but looking at the marketing of this leads me to believe sales are not as high as they would like. Two listening parties, the new banner with a little nugget of information on each show. I believe price of this set, the quick turnaround from the first Spring 90 box, and the availability of download are three factors leading to lower sales. It will eventually sell out, but for me the price is preventing purchase. Too many family obligations to justify $250+ on music.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 8 months
Permalink

Well the May 77 set did not sell out until sometime after Xmas. Like this one there was a digital download option which I suspect quite a few people took up as it was cheaper and had no postal charges attached. The good news is that this means the new box will still be in stock as December approaches and people start wondering what to buy for Xmas.
user picture

Member for

12 years
Permalink

Yes the collections run a few bucks, but what shocks me is how much people ask for them further down the road. I saw someone want 1300 bucks for spring 1990 (1st one). I've seen the Europe 72 collection going for 700 bucks. There is a Pure Jerry disc on Amazon for 800 bucks! I collect all sorts of music, so I usually buy this stuff. I also make sure my kid knows to check out the value of things before he dumps all my music 5 minutes after I'm dead!
user picture

Member for

11 years
Permalink

Just noticing.. no Terrapin Station performance on any of these concerts. Maybe that'll be on the Bonus CD! Yeah, right. If they wanted to perk up sales might offer a bonus CD... just sayin'. Make it an even 24 CDs .
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

from this tour have been released on Terrapin Limited 3/15/90, Dozin' At The Knick 3/24-26/90 and the Nassau show 3/30/90 from the first S'90 box. They are among the best the band ever performed in my opinion.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

10 years 2 months
Permalink

I'm super excited about this box set. Their live output from spring '88 - spring '90 is my bread and butter. While I'm a fan of all the eras, this is no doubt my favorite. Primal Dead is more interesting to me in its historical context than something I listen to often. That said, I really enjoyed the Daves Pick's 10 and recently saw a DSO show where they played 12/11/69 (the whole show partially featured on the subscribers Bonus Disc this year) and had a great experience. I also really like '74 and '77 of course, some of the fall '83 tour is really outstanding, but give me some late Brent-era and I'm a happy listener! What a lot of people dislike about the late 80s is the stuff that sells me on it. Look, the MIDI sounds haven't aged that welll, and there are moments where it's really cheesy (the "horn" solo in "Built to Last" from fall '89 is a good example), but that's what I really love about it. They were so stoked on using these new-at-the-time sounds that you can hear it in the playing. A lot of people dislike Brent's songs, but I love them. The "Blow Away" from 3/16? Man! The band was tight, Jerry was healthy, Brent was coming into his own, the Rhythm Devils were dialed in to each other, the Drums>Space segments were face-melting. Spring '90 Dead was a band that was on fire. They figured out how to play arenas and they sound like they're really having fun. This is stuff that I get really psyched about! I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but that's cool. I can't really listen to much post-'90 shows. Some of the stuff with Hornsby is really good, but I get too hung up on them sounding like a band going through the motions, especially after '93. Trying to slow down, trying to catch their breath, but sinking under the weight of their massive overhead and all the excess over the years. There are some awesome moments in those years, but there wasn't the consistency they exhibited in fall '89 / spring '90. Just my opinion. I missed out on the first Spring '90 box. By the time I was ready to pull the trigger, they sold out and I've regretted it since. I did get digital copies from a friend afterward and was psyched to have really crisp copies of a lot of my favorite shows, I didn't care if they were mixed from the two-track DATs. But I am really excited about these multi-track mix downs in the new box, especially 3/29! I can play that version of "Eyes" and my 2 year-old gets into the zone! "Daddy, this is the bed time song." I used to sing it to him at bedtime when he was a newborn. Also, those Cap Center and Copps runs were phenomenal! I was kind of bummed about missing out on the books and other included treats in the first box, so I'm pretty excited about the book, tickets, passes, art prints, etc. in the new one. The Wes Lang art was amazing, but I like the Dessner stuff too; definitely a different take on a really cool era. I really liked what they did with the Warlocks box and when I listen to those shows now, I'm always going through the reproduced newspaper articles and essays. Again, not for everyone, but it adds something to the listening experience for me. Anyway, September 9th can't come soon enough for me! I'm checking this page daily waiting for an unboxing video or ANYTHING new to satisfy my appetite for this era!
product sku
081227958688