Spring 1990, Volume One Box

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August 8, 2012 - 10:43am

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Anonymous (not verified)

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What's Inside:
• 60 page hardcover Smyth-Sewn book featuring essays by Dennis McNally, David Lemieux, and Blair Jackson and photos by Jim Anderson & Mike Laurentis
• 25th Anniversary Tour Program
• Official Band Letters
• 6 Ticket Stubs
• 6 Cloth Sticker Backstage Passes
• 1 Tour Laminate
• Official 1990 Band publicity shot
• 6 complete shows on 18 discs
      • 3/16/90 Capital Center, Landover, MD
      • 3/19/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
      • 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON, Canada
      • 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
      • 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
      • 4/2/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA

Box Dimensions: 12-1/8" x 3-1/8" x 12-1/8"
Recorded and Mixed Live by John Cutler
Mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD
Original art by Wes Lang
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

Introducing The Next Box: Spring 1990!

And now for something a little different. This year's box set - Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 - offers six complete shows from the epic spring '90 tour, one concert from each city the band played, personally selected by Dead vaultmeister and archival release producer David Lemieux. The sizzling six are: 3/16/90 Capital Centre (Landover , MD), 3/19/90 Hartford Civic Center, 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum (Hamilton, Ontario), 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, NY), 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) and 4/2/90 The Omni (Atlanta, GA).

In his "Producer's Note" in the beautiful book that is part of the box, Lemieux, who attended the first 10 shows on the tour, states, "To my ears this was the last tour that was consistently great, where every show is excellent, not a dud in the bunch." And Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally's comprehensive and informative insider's essay in the box is titled "The Last Great Dead Tour." These guys know what they're talking about.

Basically, the band had been on an upward trajectory since Garcia's return to the road in the spring of '87, following his near-death the previous summer. Of course, 1987 was a trip in itself, what with the unexpected mega-success of In the Dark and their first hit single, "Touch of Grey." But the momentum just kept building with each subsequent tour, as Garcia got back up to full speed (and then some!) and the group as a whole was as unified as they had ever been since Brent joined the band in the spring of '79. New original tunes were popping up and the old favorites were imbued with a freshness and spirit that was so uplifting and inspiring. The band was having fun again, and it was downright infectious.

The group's fall 1989 shows-as documented two years ago on the Formerly the Warlocks box (two shows from Hampton, VA, 10/8-9/89) and on the 2001 release Nightfall of Diamonds (a single night in NJ, 10/16/89)- kicked the energy level up another couple of notches, as the band reintroduced such loved classics as "Help on the Way" > "Slipknot!," "Attics of My Life," "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Dark Star."

And when the band hit the road in mid-March 1990, they had a bunch of other cool tunes to lay on their unsuspecting crowds, including the return of "Loose Lucy" (last played in 1974; it's not on this box), Brent's "Easy to Love You" (missing since 1980), a rollicking cover of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," The Band's "The Weight" (with all four singers taking a verse each) and a lyrically retooled "Black-Throated Wind" (absent since 1974), which elicited huge cheers every time it was played.

Over these six shows, most of the cornerstones of the Dead's repertoire from the era appear-splendid versions of "Scarlet Begonias" > "Fire on the Mountain," "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider," "Playing in the Band," "Uncle John's Band," "Eyes of the World," "Estimated Prophet," "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "The Other One," "Terrapin," "Stella Blue," "Feel Like a Stranger," "Bird Song," "Let It Grow," "China Doll," "Box of Rain," "Morning Dew"; you name it. From the fall '89 breakouts come "Help-Slip-Frank," "Attics of My Life" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy." Among the still newish tunes are "Picasso Moon," "Blow Away," "Foolish Heart," "Just a Little Light," "Victim or the Crime," "Standing on the Moon," "We Can Run" and a couple that would get their final plays from the Grateful Dead on this tour-"Built to Last" and "Believe It or Not." There are stirring renditions of "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Black Muddy River," rockin' takes on "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "Iko Iko" and the only version of the full "Hey Jude" the band attempted in the modern era. And the "Rhythm Devils" and "Space" jams at the heart of each second set are as noisy-beautiful-scary-funny-intense-mysterious-wild as you'd expect/hope for.

Of course, we understand that some of you may have other favorite shows from this tour you wish were included on this box. Really, you can't go wrong with any of them. But at 18 discs, this is still the second largest Grateful Dead box (after Europe '72: The Complete Recordings) that's been released, and the non-inclusion of any other shows from the tour definitely does not preclude their future release! But this seemed like a more manageable way to go, while still giving a sense of the tour's amazing depth and breadth.

Besides the discs themselves, Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 has much to offer, including: a gorgeous 60-page hardcover book containing copious color photos by Jim Anderson and Michael Laurentus, unique artwork by Brooklyn-based fine artist Wes Lang, fascinating business letters and communications related to the tour, a detailed historical essay by Dennis McNally, a Producer's Note by David Lemieux and individual show descriptions by Blair Jackson; a reproduction of the Dead's 1990 tour program (printed and sold later in '90, for the fall and Europe '90 tours); tickets and backstage passes of all six shows; a band publicity photo from 1990 by Ken Friedman; Dennis McNally's tour laminate; and reproductions of the colored 8x10 sheets GDTS sent out with hotel, food and other information for each city on the tour.

With recordings made by longtime Grateful Dead recordist and producer John Cutler, mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD, you just know it's gonna sound great-and it does!

So, that's the skinny this time 'round. This box is limited to just 9,000 numbered copies - please note, this is the only time these shows will ever be officially available on CD. There will not be an All Music Edition and single shows will not be available physically. Due to ship out August 31st, we anticipate that this extraordinary set will sell-out, so order your copy today!

If you're looking for more of a bite-sized taste of the '90s, Spring 1990: So Glad You Made It, a 2-CD set featuring a handful of favorites, will be in stores on September 18th.

-Blair Jackson

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September 5, 2012 - 6:06pm

#371

Star Dark

Joined:
September 5, 2012

Subjectivists Beware

Subjectivists beware. OK, then… Fans with even a rudimentary understanding of phrasing, articulation, etc. are painfully aware of the decline in Garcia’s playing from Fall ’89 through ‘95. As time marched on, his solos meandered (sometimes lacking any sense of direction or cohesion) more and more often. At the very end, his mind and fingers – numbed by Persian and diabetes, respectively – were rarely capable of anything beyond guitar 101. THAT SAID… As amply demonstrated by this wonderful box, Garcia still had some mojo left in Spring ’90. Just as importantly, the rest of the band was ON FIRE. While some moments signal the decline (ref. Jerry’s struggles during 3/30’s strangely overrated pre-drums segment), many others convey a palpable joy. The band was clearly enjoying itself, and their energy comes through loud and clear on these disks. Well worth the cash (if you can tolerate the shorter solos), and definitely the Last Great Tour. Very nice Job on the "extras," too! Now where’s that "Gems of ’85" box? :o)
September 5, 2012 - 5:10pm

#372

rbmunkin

Joined:
February 24, 2009

Pig and Bob fired

"Both Pigpen & Bob both came very close to be fired from the band in the late '60's due to the fact that they were not providing the proper foundation for Jerry to play off of" "Very close"? No, they WERE fired because Jerry was pissed at their laziness and that they wouldn't do as he lead them to do. It WAS Jerry's band no matter what anyone wants to think. Then the rest of the band played under a different name - Mickey and the Hartbeats. http://www.amazon.com/Heartbits-Can-Pass-Acid-Test/dp/B000I3QHM4 Some of it was recorded. See the album: Heartbits: Can You Pass the Acid Test ? But Pig and Bob refused to leave and came back into the fold.
September 5, 2012 - 5:10pm

#373

rbmunkin

Joined:
February 24, 2009

Disc arrived cracked

"anyone have the inside as to when the replacment discs will ship?" Your guess is as good as theirs!
September 5, 2012 - 3:01pm

#374

PhilBNY

Joined:
June 12, 2007

Disc arrived cracked

This is a great set.. remastering is excellent.. the only bad part I had was that there was one disc that was cracked in the box (disc 2 from Civic Center - March 19,1990) . Is there any outlook on replacing disc that arrived cracked. First it was a couple of days.. then Sept 5... anyone have the inside as to when the replacment discs will ship? Phil
September 5, 2012 - 9:25am

#375

deadegad

Joined:
February 2, 2011

Box Set Packaging ... And a Europe 1990 release!!!!

I mentioned the possibility of a Europe 1990 release because on the back of this releases black tour program there is a Europe 1990 poster. Is that a hint? Does anyone remember if during the Spring 1990 tour were there programs that had the upcoming Europe 1990 tour logo/adverting??? I was at the Frankfurt 1990 shows and would of-course love a Europe 1990 box-set.
September 5, 2012 - 6:47am

#376

katky111

Joined:
October 23, 2011

Superlative!

The combined aesthetic of music, artwork, and packaging is simply unparalled. It my sincere hope that Rhino and GD re-up their partnership for the long haul, as the merger of Lemieux & Co. on musical selection/remastering with Rhino's production flare have yielded a mastery of the craft. The shipment packaging typifies the extraordinary commitment to detail and quality found within: My order arrived in a large box that accomodated both poster tube and the music with copious plastic air pillows to buffer empty space and even wadded paper towels in the ends of the rolled poster to protect against rub on the endcaps. The sound is bright, lively, and Brent-acular! I have back-to-back 17 mile runs set for this weekend that will now pass - as with many future outings, I'm sure - with added haste as I tour from Atlanta to points north... As another suggested, 'If you're on the fence, then by all means jump!' - beg, borrow, but don't steal to make it happen...you won't regret it. Love and Peace, KAT
September 5, 2012 - 5:58am

#377

rrot

Joined:
October 3, 2009

delicious end of post (maybe not so yummy, YMMV)

the package you produced is beautiful. I know I'll want to look at at what's here again and again. In the tour program, I love the full-stage shots in the center spread -- and the huge Phil portrait and the over-the-shoulder capture of a pounding, grinning Billy K. are just great. The night-by-night photos in the hardbound book are maybe not as spectacular (you set the bar pretty high!), but still very worthy. The stage shot behind the contents list is terrific and I particularly appreciate all of the little light-show shots. Overall, just a huge improvement over anything you could have given us in an individual-show release, or in a CD-size-only format period. Well done. Keep it up! Oh, yeah, the music is mostly pretty good too ;^)
September 5, 2012 - 5:43am

#378

rrot

Joined:
October 3, 2009

Nothing here now but the recordings?In the future

Please, please, more box sets like this one! These beautiful BIG photos are a pleasure to see. They recapture (and improve upon!) some of what was lost in the transition from LP to CD packaging. The puny notes and pix in ordinary CD sets bear no comparison to what you're giving us here. When you're doing a project like this one, there's no question that it deserves the best possible presentation. If the only thing that mattered was the music, it would be clear: Anyone could have heard these shows, all of them, and more, dozens of times via archive, torrent, or tree, and in pretty damn good sound quality, too. And so too with whatever you're planning to release next. It's pretty much ALL out there somewhere, whatever we want to hear, for free, now. But when you release something, you're inevitably making a mark -- putting down a sign and saying hey, maybe THIS is worthy of some *special* attention. I think in the case of this particular run, you were right to try to make that point. And I think the package you produced is beautiful
September 5, 2012 - 2:52am

#379

SPACEBROTHER

Joined:
June 4, 2007

Holy Crap - The Weight!!!

Even though I attended the Omni run in 1990, and tend to be partial to late era Brent, the first set from 4/2/90 is some of the greatest music the Grateful Dead ever performed, right up there with the best of FW '69, E72, May '77, 8/27/72, ect ect ect... The version of the Weight from 4/2/90 alone is worth the price of the box set, and some. Priceless. They could do no wrong at this show. Jerry is clearly inspired and taking the full initiative on this night, just like a well seasoned pro! Just exactly perfect indeed!
September 4, 2012 - 10:43pm

#380

outpost

Joined:
June 11, 2007

Box Set Packaging ...

I look forward to every vault release, but on the subject of packaging, I'm now a firm believer of less is more. My Europe '72 Box sits on a shelf, and never gets opened. The music is ripped to iTunes. My favourite boxes are the Golden Road and Beyond Description, along with the Vault Box. Nice and simple, with class.Anyways, someone mentioned a Europe 1990 Set - that would be cool (for me a least)

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

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What's Inside:
• 60 page hardcover Smyth-Sewn book featuring essays by Dennis McNally, David Lemieux, and Blair Jackson and photos by Jim Anderson & Mike Laurentis
• 25th Anniversary Tour Program
• Official Band Letters
• 6 Ticket Stubs
• 6 Cloth Sticker Backstage Passes
• 1 Tour Laminate
• Official 1990 Band publicity shot
• 6 complete shows on 18 discs
      • 3/16/90 Capital Center, Landover, MD
      • 3/19/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
      • 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON, Canada
      • 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
      • 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
      • 4/2/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA

Box Dimensions: 12-1/8" x 3-1/8" x 12-1/8"
Recorded and Mixed Live by John Cutler
Mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD
Original art by Wes Lang
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

Introducing The Next Box: Spring 1990!

And now for something a little different. This year's box set - Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 - offers six complete shows from the epic spring '90 tour, one concert from each city the band played, personally selected by Dead vaultmeister and archival release producer David Lemieux. The sizzling six are: 3/16/90 Capital Centre (Landover , MD), 3/19/90 Hartford Civic Center, 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum (Hamilton, Ontario), 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, NY), 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) and 4/2/90 The Omni (Atlanta, GA).

In his "Producer's Note" in the beautiful book that is part of the box, Lemieux, who attended the first 10 shows on the tour, states, "To my ears this was the last tour that was consistently great, where every show is excellent, not a dud in the bunch." And Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally's comprehensive and informative insider's essay in the box is titled "The Last Great Dead Tour." These guys know what they're talking about.

Basically, the band had been on an upward trajectory since Garcia's return to the road in the spring of '87, following his near-death the previous summer. Of course, 1987 was a trip in itself, what with the unexpected mega-success of In the Dark and their first hit single, "Touch of Grey." But the momentum just kept building with each subsequent tour, as Garcia got back up to full speed (and then some!) and the group as a whole was as unified as they had ever been since Brent joined the band in the spring of '79. New original tunes were popping up and the old favorites were imbued with a freshness and spirit that was so uplifting and inspiring. The band was having fun again, and it was downright infectious.

The group's fall 1989 shows-as documented two years ago on the Formerly the Warlocks box (two shows from Hampton, VA, 10/8-9/89) and on the 2001 release Nightfall of Diamonds (a single night in NJ, 10/16/89)- kicked the energy level up another couple of notches, as the band reintroduced such loved classics as "Help on the Way" > "Slipknot!," "Attics of My Life," "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Dark Star."

And when the band hit the road in mid-March 1990, they had a bunch of other cool tunes to lay on their unsuspecting crowds, including the return of "Loose Lucy" (last played in 1974; it's not on this box), Brent's "Easy to Love You" (missing since 1980), a rollicking cover of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," The Band's "The Weight" (with all four singers taking a verse each) and a lyrically retooled "Black-Throated Wind" (absent since 1974), which elicited huge cheers every time it was played.

Over these six shows, most of the cornerstones of the Dead's repertoire from the era appear-splendid versions of "Scarlet Begonias" > "Fire on the Mountain," "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider," "Playing in the Band," "Uncle John's Band," "Eyes of the World," "Estimated Prophet," "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "The Other One," "Terrapin," "Stella Blue," "Feel Like a Stranger," "Bird Song," "Let It Grow," "China Doll," "Box of Rain," "Morning Dew"; you name it. From the fall '89 breakouts come "Help-Slip-Frank," "Attics of My Life" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy." Among the still newish tunes are "Picasso Moon," "Blow Away," "Foolish Heart," "Just a Little Light," "Victim or the Crime," "Standing on the Moon," "We Can Run" and a couple that would get their final plays from the Grateful Dead on this tour-"Built to Last" and "Believe It or Not." There are stirring renditions of "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Black Muddy River," rockin' takes on "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "Iko Iko" and the only version of the full "Hey Jude" the band attempted in the modern era. And the "Rhythm Devils" and "Space" jams at the heart of each second set are as noisy-beautiful-scary-funny-intense-mysterious-wild as you'd expect/hope for.

Of course, we understand that some of you may have other favorite shows from this tour you wish were included on this box. Really, you can't go wrong with any of them. But at 18 discs, this is still the second largest Grateful Dead box (after Europe '72: The Complete Recordings) that's been released, and the non-inclusion of any other shows from the tour definitely does not preclude their future release! But this seemed like a more manageable way to go, while still giving a sense of the tour's amazing depth and breadth.

Besides the discs themselves, Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 has much to offer, including: a gorgeous 60-page hardcover book containing copious color photos by Jim Anderson and Michael Laurentus, unique artwork by Brooklyn-based fine artist Wes Lang, fascinating business letters and communications related to the tour, a detailed historical essay by Dennis McNally, a Producer's Note by David Lemieux and individual show descriptions by Blair Jackson; a reproduction of the Dead's 1990 tour program (printed and sold later in '90, for the fall and Europe '90 tours); tickets and backstage passes of all six shows; a band publicity photo from 1990 by Ken Friedman; Dennis McNally's tour laminate; and reproductions of the colored 8x10 sheets GDTS sent out with hotel, food and other information for each city on the tour.

With recordings made by longtime Grateful Dead recordist and producer John Cutler, mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD, you just know it's gonna sound great-and it does!

So, that's the skinny this time 'round. This box is limited to just 9,000 numbered copies - please note, this is the only time these shows will ever be officially available on CD. There will not be an All Music Edition and single shows will not be available physically. Due to ship out August 31st, we anticipate that this extraordinary set will sell-out, so order your copy today!

If you're looking for more of a bite-sized taste of the '90s, Spring 1990: So Glad You Made It, a 2-CD set featuring a handful of favorites, will be in stores on September 18th.

-Blair Jackson

So.....

When does the next one come out? What will it take to make it happen?

When...

Looks like July.

HD FLAC ???

How can there be an "HD FLAC" from DAT masters (the Srping 1990 Box)?

HD FLAC

Unless you use the 24-track masters this would not make sense.

24 track

Does anyone know if this download is the 2 track or 24 track

Very interesting if download is Multi-track

Would be great if box owners of Spring 90 got a download voucher for Multi-track if they do release. Spring 90 TOO sounds amazing. So far I like the music from the first box though, currently I'm Into the 3rd show from 2nd box.

Highly doubt they remastered for just a digital download

Highly doubt they remastered for just a digital download considering the time Jeffery Norman took for each show on the second box... But I'd be up for a voucher if they did ;)

24 Track

I have not yet purchased this first box set knowing the sound is inferior to the second box. The second set of shows sounds so damn good that it is tough to pull the trigger on this box. Maybe I am just spoiled. I probably will just purchase this set but damn it would be nice if they had used the 24 track. Keep them coming!

24 track

Yes I was just wondering I did buy this box but I would buy the downloads in a heartbeat if they used the 24 track

Rbert DAT to hd flac question

Some dat recorders could record at 96khz/24bit, referred to as HHS. I have no idea what the acronym stands for. In any case, if this was used for recording then transfer to "HD FLAC" would make sense.

88/24 two track

Downloaded this.The sound can't compare to the second box. Fantastic shows, though, and the 88/24 HD FLAC files sound great, better than the CDs from the orginal box in my opinion, even if they pale in comparison to Spring 1990 TOO.

Death Don't

Been diggin 4/2/90 Atlanta and WOW that's a Death Don't for the ages! Jerry is totally on as is the whole band. Whew!

Sound Quality Poor?

Hello all. I bought The Other One in AAC download, and I LOVE it!I am wanting to buy the AAC version of the FIRST box; however, it's been posted that the sound quality on the first box is inferior to that of the second. Can anyone who has AAC versions of both comment on whether or not the first is poor quality sound? I'd really appreciate some info because I don't want to spend $120 on something that sounds bad. Thanks a lot for any info you can provide.

Are the "So Glad You Made It" tracks from this?

I have the same question as VSmith1967 right below this comment. But I want to ask also whether the "So Glad You Made It" tracks are the same as on this. The album cover art is exactly the same, so I would think so. My point is that if they are the same tracks and same quality, then in my opinion there is no major question of quality. I have the "So Glad You Made It" album from iTunes (M4A files). I think the quality of that is really good. I definitely want great sound, but I'm not a major audiophile about it. I see many comments about the quality of this set, but from what perspective are those comments? Are those guys comparing fine details of just the FLAC versions? Hey now :)

Sound quality

There seems to be some confusion in the last few posts. For the first box they used 2-track digital recordings that were mixed at the show in real-time from the original 24 tracks. For the second box they went back to the 24 track source and spent an enormous amount of time creating the two track for release. So, the difference is using the mix that was created on the spot, which was very very good, versus spending months creating a two track mix, which came out mind blowingly excellent. However, even though the mix for the second box most people would say is superior, there is at least one advantage to the on the spot mix which is that it has more of a live ambience, less clinical, sound. The sound on the second box is so crisp and clean it might have been studio recordings. So, I'm kind of glad I have both. I do like the second one better - it's simply unbelievable, but there are times I prefer the first mix. So Glad You Made It is just a highlights disc with tracks taken directly from the first box.

Sound Quality Poor? 2

Hello. Please allow me to clarify: I am NOT a major audiophile. I'm nearly 50 and don't hear like a kid anymore. Can anyone verify that the sound quality on Spring 1990 Box ONE sounds as good or better than an average Dick Picks CD? I'm asking just because some of the reviews say the sound is poor quality.

SQP2

Yes, the sound on box one is great and superior to the average dicks picks. Sorry, I didnt think I answered the last one as an audiophile. I didn't refer to digital audiophile technobabble that has been discussed here earlier. The number of tracks used is old school non audiophile stuff. Mono - one track, stereo - two track. More tracks (Anthem of the Sun maybe the first to use 16 tracks in 1967 and 1968, they "borrowed" the recording equipment) means each instrument can get wired to at least one separate track, with some tracks used for combinations, like both guitars. This means that to make a stereo recording someone sits down and plays with the volumes of each track to combine all the tracks together into just two tracks, a stereo mix of the original 16 different recorded tracks. This lets the mixer create an ideal balance between each instrument. This isn't audiophile stuff. Ever since recording to more than one track, mixing has been part of the recorded music business. In the 30's or 40's they began miking orchestras with more than one microphone located at various points above the orchestra. Someone then had to mix together all the separate recorded tracks into a single track (mono) mix to be released on 78 rpm discs. The mixer doesn't have to (and usually doesn't) keep each track the same volume, but plays with the volume of each track to get a mix that sounds ideal. The core of what I was explaining is that they made a stereo mix on the fly at each of these spring 90 concerts that were recorded to 24 separate tracks. For the second box, Jeffrey Norman went back to the original 24 tracks and spent about a day per song mixing each down to a stereo two track to use in the box. The dicks picks series (with at least one mono exception) were all also created from a two track stero mix done on the fly during the performances.

Thanks for clarification

Thanks for the clarification. People have commented on this box set from totally different perspectives. So this box set is superior to the average Dicks Picks and same as the "So Glad You Made It" album. In my opinion that means it's excellent. I love the "Spring 1990 - So Glad You Made It" tracks and I'm excited to get the full set. By the way the Scarlet Begonias from "So Glad You Made It" is exquisite :) Cheers :)

Box one - sounds great to me

I just realized that they didn't start using tape until the latter half of the forties (except a few German experiments), so they must not have started the art of mixing until then. When they recorded directly to lacquer disks, I don't think they had a way to mix separate recordings together. So multi-miking couldn't have started until tape recording. Edit - the books that come with the first box are fantastic. Beautiful photography and well written extensive documentation of shows and times.

I now bought this box set in

I now bought this box set in Apple Lossless format. There’s a lot of music to go through, but I’ve been listening to it and it’s great quality sound wise. I have both box sets now and I see no reason to be splitting hairs over how the two boxes compare. They are the 1990 spring shows all recorded really well, well balanced and with the ambiance of the venues. I’m really glad to have this.

Looking for this box

On the off chance anyone wants to offload this box to a head for a reasonable price, I am at mike@theevanfund.org Thx & peace.

Please sell me your extra Spring 1990 Box Set

If anyone has one to sell I would be GRATEFUL. Reach me at tomrathbun@bellsouth.net ~~~Thanks and Peace Out~~~

Apple Lossless d/l and HDCD

Hi Can anyone who has purchased the standard Apple Lossless d/l edition [44.1/16bit] tell me if the download - when burnt to CDR - is HDCD encoded like the physical CDs were? I asked the dead.net 'customer service' and they refused to answer [and were quite rude too] which suggests the answer is no but I am still hoping...

Apple Lossless d/l, HDCD adventures YMMV

A follow up to my original post - there were two corrupt files, the one file that I was able to use (non-HDCD) barely plays through, and skips around. I've notified dead.net. We shall see. I bought another download, this time I specified FLAC. Worked perfectly. Converted to AIFF, imported to iTunes, burned CD from iTunes, a perfect HDCD was the result. Original post below: I purchased the ALAC download version of Road Trips 4 #2. I brought the files into iTunes, created a playlist, burned to CD, and yes, I ended up with an HDCD disc, sounds great. I put the files into the right order (they are mixed between 3/31 and 4/1 on the CD's). BUT one file did not transcode. I had to bring it into Audacity, and export to AIFF in order to get it on a CD, and that single file did not appear (or sound) as HDCD, just common CDDA. I'm going to report to dead.net customer service about the corrupt file, hopefully they will send a replacement. I might try this again with a different Road Trips set and go from the FLAC files to AIFF make CDs, see if they are HDCD (and then back up to iTunes as ALAC). In the case of this set, I still believe that the 88.2kHz FLAC are the way to go. They are superior to any 44.1/16 file even with HDAC encoding. Transcode to WAV (not AIFF) for listening. Sublime. Hope this helps.

D/L sound quality

Thanks Ziffle I bought the hi-res FLAC not the Apple Lossless and used this as an excuse to get a portable hi-res player - wonderful!!! So good I haven't even tried to see if I can burn to a CD my hi-fi will play... if this sounds this good then what must Spring 90 TOO sound like in hi-res?

D/L sound quality

Spring TOO is maximum audio quality - 192 kHz/24 bits, like having the master tape. Also it is from a (then) state of the art analog multitrack source. So, it is noticeably better, mostly - in some songs I prefer Volume 1, but I think that's personal taste, I just like some of the mixes on 1 more than TOO (and some on TOO more than 1). There are songs on TOO that don't appear on 1 & vice versa, so they don't duplicate entirely. TOO is like a live-in-the-studio recording, it is crystal clear, the vocals are more up front, where 1 has more of a concert feel, with the vocals slightly further back in the soundstage. lgreen, maybe you can connect your hi-res player to your hi-fi aux input?

Hey There Ziffle

I saw that you had problems with some ALAC Road Trips Downloads. I did as well months back with RT 3.3. I was wondering if you (or anyone else for that matter) have downloaded the Spring 90 or May 77 boxes in ALAC. I'd like to know that they aren't corrupted before buying. It was kind of a slog to get the RT downloads fixed. Thanks.

Go for it, Direwolf93 - re Downloads Road Trips etc.

No problem whatsoever with the Spring 90, TOO downloads or anything else other than one of the Road Trips. The two Road Trips tracks that were corrupted were replaced by Dr. Rhino with perfect copies (took a week or so), just a polite note to customer service, taken care of a few days afterwards. I wouldn't hesitate, the downloads are all great, and customer service here is fine, just give them some time and space to address the issue. Edit - I just noticed your remark about a problem with files RT 3.3 - did you give the particulars to customer service? After a few days Dr. Rhino sent me a time limited download link to get replacement files.

For Sale

Anyone out there looking to sell a new or used copy of Spring 1990, Volume 1 box set. Found a few on EBay for $$$$$$, willing to buy for a reasonable price. Will buy used as long as all extras are included. Please message me direct Happy Holidays!

Wes Lang Poster For Sale

If anyone wants an original matching poster, I have one I must unload. I had it custom framed. Any reasonable offers considered. Pictures by request.

i like itAvartar Genie Pro

i like it Avartar Genie Pro Review

444

it is niceMaticPress

Good product

Hey Mayre can you check on this? It says temp hold, but I emailed customer service and they said sold out? Website needs to be updated . Ecommerce website :E-commerce Firesale review

So now that these are selling

So now that these are selling for up to $1500 on eBay, I can't help but wonder about the after-market economy that's been inadvertently established by these very limited run box sets. Wouldn't whoever owns "dead.net" at this point be better served by printing more of these sets outright or at least re-issuing them after a few years than letting eBay gougers make many times more than the original price on re-selling these? In the end, people want to hear the music and most of us can't pay a month's mortgage payment on a set of CDs off eBay!!

Going back on one's word

1st they aren't going for 1500 people are asking for that and getting 6-750. 2nd ebay doesn't have gougers which implies raising prices during an emergency as in 10 bucks for a bottle of water in a hurricane. Having the box sets hardly falls in the same category. Especially when just about any deadhead can ask a friend to be kind and burn a copy. No it isn't stealing unless it's stealing from your aforementioned ebay gougers since the dead or rhino will not be making any more money from it. Final point so far the dead and rhino have kept their word not gone back on it by issuing more.I don't know about you but I find that honesty in business refreshing

You write that "ebay doesn't

You write that "ebay doesn't have gougers which implies raising prices during an emergency as in 10 bucks for a bottle of water in a hurricane. Having the box sets hardly falls in the same category." Gouging doesn't require someone to be capitalizing on life essentials in a shortage/crisis as your bottle of water example suggests. It simply requires the elevation of prices to outlandish extents in a shortage of commodities as in the overly high prices of GD box sets (this first volume of spring 1990 and even Winterland 77 in particular) in the aftermarket. I remember "price gouging" applied to those selling the Atari 2600 for crazy prices after they sold out at retailers one Christmas back in 1980 or so. That thing was no bottle of water and there weren't any hurricanes that winter.

My favourite song

Touch Of Grey is one of my favourites ever. Best music I've ever listened to.

Download

Anyone know when this will become available for download again?

I'd like too...

I am finally ready to get it. hopefully one day soon

What a pleasure

It is good to see a digital one !! :) Will order it soon ;)

Digital Availability?

anybody know if this will happen anytime soon or otherwise?

Same!

I’m wondering the same thing! There’s a couple that I’d love to buy as digital.

Digital Copy Please!

This is my first post! I would love to own a copy on digital flac of Spring 1990. Please make this available soon! Paying $1400 for Spring 1990 on eBay is pretty steep! I love the Grateful Dead and for me it's about the music, whether I own a physical copy or can purchase the music online. I am very thankful the Grateful Dead is available to purchase at other websites, https://us.7digital.com/ is a great source for Dick's Picks, Europe '72, Road Trips, etc.

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