Spring 1990, Volume One Box

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August 8, 2012 - 10:43am

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jq171(document).ready(function (jq171) { jq171("h2.product_title").each(function(){ var title = jq171(this); var new_title = title.text().replace(' - SOLD OUT', ''); title.text(new_title); }); var covertArtDownloadMarkup = 'Looking for the digital cover art? You can download it here.'; setTimeout(function() { jq171('#digital_cart').append(covertArtDownloadMarkup); }, 500); });
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 4, 2012 - 7:20am

#401

rbmunkin

Joined:
February 24, 2009

Quality

How would you answer my example in my first post about this:Do you seriously contend that Jerry isn't OBJECTIVELY a better guitarist than me? Comparing Van Gogh vs. Monet is much more difficult of course. I'm trying to make the point by using an absurd example, but a valid one. Personally I think we want to say quality is purely subjective because it's easier to say that. It's too difficult to show objective quality so we don't want to go there. But just because something is difficult doesn't mean it's not reality. This reminds me of the joke: A man is searching on the ground under a street lamp. Someone comes up and asks him if he lost something. He says yes, his keys. Did you lose them here? No, I lost them in the alley but it's too dark there. When looking for objective quality, one must look in the dark alley even though it's easier to see in the subjective lighted area.
September 3, 2012 - 11:38pm

#402

FootBear

Joined:
June 12, 2007

.

.
September 3, 2012 - 10:20pm

#403

antonjo

Joined:
June 4, 2007

that's back on topic?

Who got screwed out of their order is back on topic? Do tell, Footbear, who got screwed out of their order? What started out as a thread that was finally mostly about the music in the box has degenerated into another bile fest. Guess some people feel better having an audience. I'm about done with these boards, myself. Talk about disenchanted and disgusted...... Sheesh.
September 3, 2012 - 7:13pm

#404

Hoopsie

Joined:
January 5, 2012

Spring 1990

March 29, 1990 on VINYL, yes please.
September 3, 2012 - 7:10pm

#405

Hoopsie

Joined:
January 5, 2012

Spring 1990

In a vain effort to return the discussion to the excellent but somewhat inefficiently shipped box set -- I was only able to catch the boys from 85-95, so 89 and 90 stand out as the apex years, with Jerry sounding fresh and not so ragged and tired, and inspired ensemble playing. I am so glad to have this. It will be cherished for years. Wish I was able to catch 5-2-70, but I was still only 4! Geez, you people who were able to see these shows must be practically senior citizens by now! ;-) Now, if only they'd ship my replacement for the cracked Disc 3 of 3/16/90? See, I'm not bitter.
September 3, 2012 - 6:05pm

#406

Tanis Fane

Joined:
August 30, 2012

Quality _is_ subjective, no

Quality _is_ subjective, no matter how you describe it. The idea of one artist being more talented than another is subjective. Is Monet better than Van Gogh? Quality is, for most people, subjective to the price at bidding that has been established by people claiming authority to declare it such. Objectively, something is "good" or "bad" because it has been granted a more desirable status in a given framework. Social capital, if you will. You place great cultural capital in Jerry's playing and thus, for you, he is the best. The value I place on his playing, though high, is not as valuable for me as it is to you. I'd pay more for someone else. (Much as I value/love/geek-out-over the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd, VU is still, for me, minted from the most valuable coin music/art provides.) You are correct about my mis-attribution of the "bold"-ness, that was someone else calling it that. My mistake. :) But the comparison of Pigpen dying and the band continuing vs. Jerry dying and not continuing, isn't a fair one. The first, a member dies while everyone in the band is still under 30 years of age. When they're all around 50, another one dies after 30 years together. Economics and age played as much a role in that. And then, as you said and I agree, even when the "tribute" bands contained all members but Jerry, it wasn't the same. But neither was a JGB show anything like a GD concert. I'm not attempting to convince you, or anyone, to alter their opinions. You've made a great case as to JG being your favorite guitarist, and that is a valid opinion and reasoning you have. Declare one better than another when you reach a level of quality and performance between Clapton (whom I think is not as favorable as JJ Cale), Hendrix, Garcia, and let's say... Carlos Santana. Who is better? Depends on the night, the performance, the song. Ask most musicians, especially of an age to have seen a taster's choice of Great Guitarist, and Hendrix will, for good reason, be often cited as the best. I think Hendrix was a Beethoven-level musician. Making Garcia a Liszt-level guitarist, doesn't take anything away from him at all. Two entirely different styles, backgrounds, and intentions from each in what they attempted to do musically. Hendrix deliberately complicated his music as he progressed, while Garcia often spoke of enjoying simpler-constructions because it enabled the ability to freely improvise upon it. Personally, I think it's great that you are passionate about this. It's music, and musicians are people we turn to to share the most intimate aspects of our lives: when we're joyous, when we're depressed, when we're furious about blah, blah, or blah. I personally don't think of the ears of the Dead as one being better than another. Nothin' gets me goin' like a scorching rampage through The Eleven (which didn't happen after 70-71), but paring Scarlet & Fire couldn't have happened before 77. Terrapin is easily the most often played live song for me, but that's because there was only a single version of, and terribly recorded, Rosemary. Because they did what they did and continually evolved in their sound and performance, they've given us this huge palette from which we all, evidently, paint our own pictures of the past and what we want them to be for us, and some of these paintings we call masterpieces.
September 3, 2012 - 4:06pm

#407

rbmunkin

Joined:
February 24, 2009

subjective/objective

Quality is not purely subjective. No way to prove it to you in words. So I'll stop here. "And without the GD, Jerry wouldn’t be known outside of some audiophiliac music fiends." Nonsense! He was a musician extraordinare and his passion would move him toward notoriety one way or another. He didn't need the Dead, he CREATED the Dead. And he would have done something no matter who he worked with. Hunter and Garcia met completely independent of the Dead. "Jerry without the Dead mostly likely wouldn’t have had Hunter as a song-writing partner, thus none of these songs would have come about." Of course the same exact songs wouldn't have come about, but I certainly wouldn't have cared. All I would care about is hearing Jerry, no matter what he did, because he was GREAT and would have been no matter what. "Favorites are favorites for damn good reasons. But yours are no more objectively the best than mine," I never said that. I said art is not just subjective; that there is an objective component. I never said MY likes were any more objective than any one else's. "You can congratulate yourself all you want for “bold statements” (Jerry is the greatest guitarist is hardly a bold statement on Dead.net." I didn't call it "bold". Another poster did. Anyway, we can agree to disagree. At least we agree about Donna! One more thing: With all the personell changes, the Grateful Dead were great, even after losing Pigpen, and all the other keyboardist they lost, as well as when Mickey was gone. Then when Jerry was gone - poof. No good any more. They didn't continue because they couldn't. But anyone else they lost Jerry could have kept the band going. The post Jerry band called "The Dead" and then "Further"; I'm sorry but they sucked compared to the Grateful Dead. Jerry made the GD, he was the GD, and could have created a great band with any good musicians.
September 3, 2012 - 3:03pm

#408

Tanis Fane

Joined:
August 30, 2012

Opinions are still subjective

So, RBMunkin, In the spirit of analytic debate, he's a response contrary to a number of your "bold" statements. Your analyzing note-by-note and what-have-you, doesn’t mark you as any less subjective than Best Of polls by whomever. Your liking Jerry's guitar work better than anyone else's is one thing, but no matter how much note-by-note comparisons you make, it doesn’t elevate your opinion to the level of objective. “Without Jerry the phenomenon of the Grateful Dead never would have gotten past small clubs if that.” And without the GD, Jerry wouldn’t be known outside of some audiophiliac music fiends. Considering they all talked about how essential each one of them was to the whole, and based their entire musical philosophy around that, you’re deconstructing the Dead is a great theoretic exercise, but one that misunderstands the overall point of the collective being more important aurally than the individual components. “Robert Hunter was a great poet. He's my second favorite Dead.” Absolutely a great poet. Also one who likely would have never written with Jerry without the GD. Hunter knew Kesey from the Menlo Park research. Kesey knew the Dead through Owsley. The Dead played through the Acid Tests. Without that connection, probably no song-writing team of Hunter/Garcia. “Phil was a great musician in many ways but never would have gotten so popular without Jerry.” Maybe. Is Brian Eno “popular”? Is John Cale? Robert Fripp? Phil would have likely progressed along those experimental lines without the GD. “Bob, meh. Very good rhythm guitarist, taught largely by Jerry. Vocals, song writing, and personality - not my cup of tea. He was always jealous of Jerry being the front man. He wanted to be the front man but just plain old didn't have the talent or personality.” Did he now? Good to know. I never thought he was a great guitar player, nor a great song writer, but he did pen the music of Sugar Mag, Looks Like Rain, and belt out a mean Minglewood. GD wouldn’t have been without this finger on the hand. “Drummers - very good but the Dead could have gone on with different ones.” And the sound of “rolling thunder” wouldn’t be. Thus, no Dead as we know it. No Scarlet>Fire, no PITB. “Keyboards - Pigpen was the only GREAT one.”  Not so. But you can believe that all you wish. Pigpen had charisma and was a “stone jack baller and his heart was true” but he couldn’t play piano very well. He blew a mean nasty dirty mouth harp, but his musical ability didn’t span a great spectrum. Keith was quite proficient on piano but limited on organ and the encroaching diversity and array of keyboards. Any discussion of Brent is for another time. “Donna - OMG why was she ever in the Dead?! Just horrible. Sounded like a bag full of cats being hit with a bat. Okay on a couple of studio albums but ruined many a live concert recording.” I agree, but then there a couple of Eyes of the World and Sugar Mag she doesn’t sound bad on. I usually skip tunes if she gets gonna too much. Jerry without the Dead mostly likely wouldn’t have had Hunter as a song-writing partner, thus none of these songs would have come about. Talented as he was, he would likely have been a bit like Ry Cooder, Al Di Meola, and such ilk. Infinitely talented and diverse, but without a band, they go through the ages being treasured by a few, liked by some more, and unknown to most. As for “Hendrix to me was a bit one-sided. The overall sound always sounded a bit the same. Absolutely amazing but limited IMHO” … I think your lack of analyses is demonstrated lacking here. Y’know, cuz 1983 sounds sooooo much like Purple Haze. And Jimi with a 12-string acoustic is the same one-sided sound as when slaughtered ear drums at Monterey with the opening riff of Killing Floor. Favorites are favorites for damn good reasons. But yours are no more objectively the best than mine, VH-1s, or Rolling Stones polls from readers who can’t remember back any further than last summer’s hot thing. You can congratulate yourself all you want for “bold statements” (Jerry is the greatest guitarist is hardly a bold statement on Dead.net. And your argument lacks anything beyond your talk of how awesome you feel when you listen to him play. He’s great. But talk of the “best” is beyond the faculties at hand. Or… ehem… ear. P.S. If anyone is interested in might-have-beens with music, check out a novel called Glimpses by Lewis Shiner. A guy puts on his headphones and hears records by his favorite bands that never were: a Doors album post-LA Woman, Beach Boys beyond Brian Wilson's mental collapse, another Beatles record... that kind of thing.
September 3, 2012 - 2:57pm

#409

streetvan1997

Joined:
September 16, 2009

Also, if you know they are going to sell out so fast make more!

I don't have much money at all in this point in my life and it really stinks I can't take advantage of items like this. But all the T shirts are sold out and all the box sets. Is it fans or people who are going to sell them on eBay?
September 3, 2012 - 2:50pm

#410

streetvan1997

Joined:
September 16, 2009

Also where's 3-29-90!!

Isn't that the Bradford Marcalis show? Did I butcher his last names spelling . The eyes of the works from that 3-29 is so sick, but I think it's on Dozin at the Nick

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.

GRA9900088