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"When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band's live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead's live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history." - David Lemieux
We are more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN. Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions.
The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.
The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.
The USB drive version* will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Digital version of the book also included on USB.
Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This release is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing a mighty fine selection of music, art, and much, much more right here.
(Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)
ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.
*Helpful hints for using your USB:
Running the 30 Trips Player / Reader program:
On Windows – Navigate to the USB drive and double click the PCStart.exe file to run.
On MacOS – Open the GD 30 Trips drive, and double click the MacStart to run.
Viewing the digital book:
You can either view it within the program that comes on the drive, or by opening the PDF directly.
To view the PDF, open the PDF folder on the drive and the USB_bk_spreads_08-31 file within. Selecting the option within your PDF reading application to view as a “single page” might be preferable to viewing as a continuous document.
Importing music into iTunes and other library programs:
When you import the songs from the USB into your library, the information used to identify the track will likely leave them sorted incorrectly. Please use the song list found here to re-number the songs for each show so that they playback in the correct order.
PDF
Text
Minas
I took the plunge this morning? Yourself? If so, I think we will both need extensive tutoring on how to appreciate the many many discs of the Brent era shows; not to mention the last few. If not for subscription, or this comprehensive box, I would be hard pressed to purchase a show from 78-95 a la carte. There are too many dics in this baby for there not to be lots of great music etched inside. I will be ready to dive in. At some point, I will have to come up for air. God willing, with a smile on my face.
Sam T
5150
I agree on all your points. And yes to help generate over 5 mil in sales they could have produced a better video. I'm sure the follow up videos will be informative, fun & above all clear. Perhaps Mr. Norman can work his magic & remaster the current DL promo clip?
Now I'm stressing.... :)
So yesterday I was stuck in the computer glitch, and wasn't sure I had an actual order. I called Dead.Net (after a few calls where they couldn't tell me anything), and I was told my original order was "canceled" and I should go ahead and place a new order. I placed a new order and it went through like clockwork.
Then last night, after I went to sleep, I received an email from an Edward Watson, that most orders did not go through and I should go ahead and place an order (since their issues were fixed). I saw that email this morning, but since I already placed a good order I didn't think much of it.
Just an hour ago, in some online forums people are saying that orders they placed orders while the systems were "stuck" actually went through. I get curious, since I really don't want two $700.00 boxes, and I call Dead.net.
I talk to a very nice woman, who seems to confirm that I actually do have two good orders and if I didn't call, I would end up getting two boxes. She gives me the order number for the order I never got a confirmation on (the one that was stuck in process for hours before I "gave up"). It seems to be a good order, so I tell her to go ahead and cancel that order, and make sure I only get one box.
She puts me on hold and goes and talks to her supervisor, and then she cancels the order I successfully placed online, for which I got a confirmation email; leaving the one order I never got a confirmation email on (since it was never confirmed and was placed while they were having system issues).
I tell her why did you cancel my "good" order, and leave the one order I have no confidence is a good order? She tells me that her supervisor said it didn't matter which order she canceled.
So now with boxes selling quickly according to what I was told by the woman on the phone, I supposedly have a good order, but no confirmation that said order is a good order.
Why did she cancel the one order I knew was a good order?
So I am stressing that somehow they may have a list of all these orders that were supposedly in cancel mode yesterday, that somehow are now "good", like the order she left intact for me, and these orders may get canceled as well (since it was the order I tried to place when the systems went FUBAR).
I am actually stressed that in the end I get no box, a box I really want.
I was told I would get a confirmation email regarding the order she left in place, but it wasn't a priority right now to get them out.
UGH... So I really hope I get a box, or I will be very upset at this entire process.
Fingers crossed.
father's day
Hope it does not sell out before then, it really would make for an unforgettable gift. Wondering how many are left
Mike T
I just received two cancellation notices, including one for the order that was confirmed. When I called, I was given a new confirmation and promised that this would go through. I have not received confirmation via email. I asked how widespread the problem was. The customer service rep told me there were at least a couple thousand duplicate orders. Not a fun day untangling this mess.
Tutoring
I think I will need extensive tutoring on how to appreciate the many many discs of the Keith and Donna era shows; not to mention the last few. I do love the bands music in that era, just have to cringe when I hear Donna's abnoxious whaling to ruin a great scarlet or playin'. And then there is the single vision super simple rag time Keith....as Jerry said himself on Keith "well, you know man, more of the same". You are right there are too many discs in this baby for there not to be lots of great music etched inside. Regardless of personal preferences, we'll likely both be smiling.
Meegwell
USB Flash Drive
Does the USB drive come with the full box, book, 7-inch, etc? I cant tell from reading the description.
Plangent Process was used for 30 Trips
FYI, for anyone interested in these things, it was confirmed on an audiophile forum that the Plangent Process was used for this box on all the analog 1/4" tape shows and the '67 8 track so the majority of the box; it was not used on the cassettes which were a handful, and not the later DAT shows where the process does not apply. Apologies if this has been posted already.
Hey MikeT...
If it were me, I'd call Cusomer Service and ask for an order number for the confirmed order you placed. It should only take a minute to provide you with this number, and would hopefully give some reassurance. Though perhaps you've already tried this...
I just received a email from dead.net store stating that they recognize I placed multiple individual orders yesterday and that they were canceling all orders that did not get a confirmation. Cool. Although, I think the CSR did this yesterday. This was the pre-sale of all royally deuced up pre-sales. 2015 folks, 2015. I'm keeping my faith though. Hopefully the cancellations will increase the stock numbers for those that have yet to make up their mind. Folks whatever you do between now and the first week in October, do not move and change your address or you're double deuced.
@anrumler, re: USB Version Book
It says "Digital 288-page book", so I would say the USB version does not include the physical book.
Amen, Brother!
No doubt Meegwell. My favorite years of the Dead will always be 66-72. For many years, I was not a fan of 76' and 77'; however, now I consider my Dick's 33 and 29 as top shelf material. Still have trouble getting into 78'. 79'-95" will bring hours of joy and a helluva ride!. Seems Dave and company picked good to great shows every year. No offense intended, but I am glad not many Brent songs are included. Guess, kinda like the Donna screech for some, Brent's voice and song selection just made me run to the skip button. Keep in mind, outside of the wonderful Reckoning, Without A Net and Dozin at the Knick are the only post 77' Dead cd's I have ever owned. And those 2 were lost years ago. However, don't remember much of the substance, but played Without A Net quite often in college. And Dozin was one of my faves for years; although the Brent tunes on disc 1 and 3 were skipped whenever possible.
Sam T
Ah now I see it. I didn't
Ah now I see it. I didn't realize that there was a different product description page just for the flash drive. I'm honestly surprised that the flash drive isn't a little bit cheaper than the physical box set.
I called Dead.net back and well..
I called Dead.Net back (and I did get an order number when I was on the phone originally) and the order was supposedly good, until I got this email:
"Thank you for your recent Grateful Dead “30 Trips Around The Sun” order. The Grateful Dead community’s overwhelming response to this release resulted in some technical issues you may have encountered yesterday. We apologize for any inconvenience and confusion this may have caused.
Our records show that you have submitted multiple individual orders, which may have been a result of yesterday's technical difficulties. In order to avoid multiple charges, we are going to keep only the order for which you received a confirmation email; any additional orders will be cancelled immediately. If it was your intention to place additional orders, you will need to return to the store and replace those orders. Since supplies are limited, please do this as quickly as possible to ensure that you reserve your copy."
Well my intuitive sense was correct, the Dead.Net phone person should have left my good, confirmed order intact and not canceled it, because right when I received that email I went in and checked both orders (canceled order and good order)and now they were BOTH canceled (since the Dead.Net CSR originally canceled my good confirmed order).
I ask to talk with a supervisor, and he tells me he can reinstate one order but it could take 10 to 15 hours or more to do so. I was not satisfied with that answer, since things where so screwed up to begin with, so I ask him if I place another order will I get a box (since they are telling me they are selling very quickly). He says yes, but he really wants to reinstate my order, because there have been issues with credit card declines due to the numerous multiple temp charges people have been getting due to their system issues. I said, I don't have an issue since my credit is good, and just to be safe I will use a different credit card than the one I used for the two original orders (suspect order and confirmed order).
I am assured that my two canceled orders will stay canceled.... so I merely went in and placed a new order for the box.
In the end all is well, I should get one box (hopefully no more than that).
so you think you fixed the problem
Same story..... my good ordered got canceled when I call up and they left one of the orders that was stuck in limbo to be the good one. Needless to say, after the last dead.net email, I checked order status of my one remaining good order. Sure enough, that one was cancelled as well. Call up Customer service again, they said they couldn't reinstate the order, but could make a new one for me. I don;t want to see how may charges are pending now on my Credit Card. Hopefully this will be it for ordering this box set. Course I said it the last time as well.
$50 shows Update
76 & 78 are available again if anybody wants single shows from my box. PM with the shows you want.
Shows Available:
1976
1978
1980
1981
1982
1983
1985
1986
1988
1993
Too Much B.S.
If you are anti-box set, then don't buy the f-ing thing. What the hoo-haa is going on with all this negative stuff about the box set? If y'all would have listened to me from the onset, you would have known the magnitude of this 50th Box and prepared accordingly.
Also, if I hear/read one more post about "GD era battles" I will vomit in my mouth. Come on f----ers...there is plenty for everyone in this box. The "Brent-era Folks" are relentless, especially after getting the entire Spring '90 Tour released. Maybe it's a cultural "all about me" '80s-'90s thing (and the '80s-'90s is when I grew up, so don't accuse me of bashing an era I don't understand).
Also (and likely not appropriate for this board), stop it with the political ramblings, especially with the bashing towards MinasMorgul and his correct views on violated American freedoms (e.g. forced government-derived health care). By the way, don't buy anything the government is selling, especially if it is "mandatory").
so now the system crash is wasting my time and resources again
cleared everything early this morning up with multiple order numbers. 1 with screen shot and one email. now they decided at 5:30 to cancel any screen shot orders. F-that.. and the funds are still tied up.. come on figure it out.. whats the plan for Thursday ? are they going to end the pre sale and then make sure they dont have to print more promo copies?
All music edition?
Any word on if there will be an all music edition like E72, once this sells out, or like E72 more expensive a la carte?
I really want this, but with the cost of the flights to Santa Clara and Chicago not sure I can afford it at the moment.
Re: mbarilla
Yes, they obviously have an army full of temps in a crowded room somewhere near Burbank 5 floors below the vault trying desperately to clean up yesterday's snafu.
Lots of orders were freed up the last couple of hours, I bet some in error. On a positive note, I don't see this thing selling out for a few days, so as long as the coffee in the room with the temps holds out, everyone should be able to clean up the loose ends of their orders.
______________
And please to all, stop with the politics. Most of us didn't come here to listen to Hannity and Mathews square off over useless tripe.
Politics?...
....count another vote for "shut your yap". If I wanted that, I would just turn on the tv. This box is gonna blow many a mind. The more it sinks in, the more it makes me feel like a 9 year old on Christmas. That's a hard feeling to get back. And the title is perfect....awesome title....awesome to know plageant is in there....awesome because you could play a show every day, and end up in the next month before it was over....an official '86 release? Never thought I would actually see that. My first show was that year. Caught them on the downslide and they still dug their hooks in....would pay a lot more than 700 bucks to see them once in '72....there, I'm done rambling. For now....
Not done yet....
....can I afford this? No...not really.
....will I regret it? Definitely not.
....case closed.
No Deal
You people do realize that you are spending $700 for a flash drive of about 100gb in size, which if bought in bulk in relatively small quantities can be purchased at a rate of less than $7 a piece, and a book?
I hope that the drive is not locked so you can easily back up the files to your computer. Otherwise, you'd better take good care of a tiny object, which cannot be replaced and you will need to use to plug in any time you want to listen.
If you are able to download off of the stick, at least you can offload the cost by splitting it with 50 other people to make it a reasonable deal
Order(s) and availability
I tried yesterday to order a box and got caught in the never ending spinning wheel. That eventually timed out. Placed a second order once things were back up and it went right through in a matter of seconds. Got the confirmation no. page printed and also the email from Dead.net that followed. Both charges showed "pending" on my cc throughout most of today. Just checked now on Amex website and only one charge is now "pending" so I am good.
I do think though that TPTB did not like us announcing what the count was on the available boxes. You now cannot check that any longer. But at 4:00 PM EDT there was less then 890 units so I think they will be gone by Thursday, Friday for sure.
I am thrilled with what this box will deliver. Anyone who does not pull the trigger will be kicking themselves and will probably then pay a much higher price on ebay.
Rock on
The Box and Politics
First off is please no politics here. The Grateful Dead were always refreshingly apolitical and this site is refreshingly apolitical. Keep it that way, please.This box set is amazing and I'm glad it's out there but it's not for me. I have every Dick's Picks, every Dave's Picks, Fillmore 69, Winterland 73, Winterland 77, Europe 72 Steamer Trunk, May 77, Veneta 72. You see where I'm going here? For $700 there's only a few shows that really catch my eye. For those of you getting this I'm so happy for you. It's way cool but I'm back into the "What's the next Dave's Picks?" mode. We're living in the golden age of Grateful Dead concert releases. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!
I just pulled trigger
I did have to call dead net about my order and I asked the cust service guy and he said the USB was sold out a few hours ago and that there were only a few hundred of the cd's still in stock (FWIW).
Funny, I was on fence about buying this. I would say that I can afford it but knew my wife would be pissed. I told her about it and she was ok with me buying it (but I'm sure there'll be payback later if she wants a big ticket luxury item. Which is only fair).
In any event, I have bought a lot of dead offerings in past, DiP DAP, winter land boxes, etc ... But not all. I passed on both spring 90 boxes and only bought limited number of euro 72 ... Just thought the price was too much for me for these and was getting lot of the same in the boxes. Plus, I'm more of a 60's & 70's fan. But for some reason even with steep price, I wanted this box so pulled the trigger. I thought the box would be available for a while but seems like only a few hundred left.
That all being said, I do feel this is sort of a money grab by Dead and that in the spirit of the band and as a way to give back to a very devoted fan base that has supported them all these years, they should have split box to mini boxes to make more affordable and or sold shows individually.
Anyways, I am looking forward to this. I'm f there are shows I don't love I'll sell on Amazon
Peace
good observations Gary Coleman
you are helping them fix these pirate dreams on the fly.. I would imagine your last statement is something they will figure out after lunch tomorrow. Good thing they have Until Week 2 of the NFL season to figure this out. I guess they are just picking up their jaws and wiping the smiles of their faces after the big meeting, since they decided to do this in 2012.
Customer service managers sound a lot like Sepp Blatter,, "We will restore Fifa's credibility, starting tomorrow.
Can they do anything on the call center floor ? Or are they just bad customer service? In the last 2 months, I have spoke to 1 agent who was capable of performing practical functions of a helpful and attentive customer service agent. Talking to a Supervisor in Charlottesville, Virginia is like pulling teeth.
Box
Yes...I agree. Stop the politics, please. Why y'all keep bringing it up?
As many others have posted, call Customer Service if you have any concerns and/or questions about your order (or orders, if you think you may have submitted multiple). I called them last hour about my potential 4-5 orders, and they were quickly able to inform me of the quantity of my official order on record.
By the way, which show (of the 30) seems most appealing to you?
Breaking up the set....
....que pasa? Concept does not compute.
....as far as most exciting show to me? Call me crazy, but Cal Expo '86....
What's been sold - what's left?
Where do I find how many of the boxes and usb's have been sold and how many are left??
Most Appealing Show - Can't be sure until I hear them
..but I am looking forward to (hopefully) sonic upgrades / shows that previously circulated in less than optimum quality. And the old stuff.
What's most interesting to me, at least on paper is the vibrant, lively, dare I say bold choices of some of the newer shows. Cape Cod, both MSG's, Augusta, Miami, .. did I go past one show? ..oops, sorry. These are some hot, late-era shows. Bold picks, DL.
The Shows
It's tough to say which show I'm looking forward to most. 4/25/77 is up there. Will be nice to pop in 10/21/83 just so I can scream "Kick Drum!" Similar to 10/12/84 in that the reason it wasn't released was sound quality issues. Interested to hear these shows sounding as good as possible. I'm intrigued with 9/10/91, because every recording I've heard of this has either too much Branford in the mix and not enough Jerry, or vice-versa. A lot of musicians on stage here, tough to have a very balanced mix of this show. There's some major heavyweight shows in this box, quite a few that probably would've been released individually as Dave's Picks. Anyways, long story short- the first show I'll probably listen to- 4/25/77, 10/26/89 or 9/10/91.
had to do it
Box is hideously overpriced compared to Europe '72 box, but they have us over a barrel. A show from every year? How cool is that? Hell, man, I even want the 4 disc sampler! Looks like some great shows stuck in there, was even at a couple, thank my lucky stars.
Can't quit chiming in....
....try this. Get a sheet of college ruled paper, sit down, and hand write every show, line by line. I bet by 1983 your hand gets sore. Now, after completion, look at what you scrawled and soak it in. My sheet came two lines short of the bottom. Holy shit...what did we get ourselves into?
Politics and Chimes, first thoughts
I always have to intervene here. I agree, this is not the best forum to discuss politics, especially in its partisan and policy form. HOWEVER, this is the place where one can and ought happily discuss the politics of the Grateful Dead.
They were certainly, absolutely, never "apolitical." Rather, they avoided partisan politics while having many explicit stances (often through benefits, foundations, etc.) on issues that were precisely political. More interesting, though, is that they had an even more interesting politics: a different politics or politics otherwise. This would involve the anarcho-neoliberal/libertarian-communism hybrids that formed on the road, among the audiences, and in the community ethoi, AS WELL AS IN the production, sale, and economic relations with its fans. This was all part of the Grateful Dead, to enact, in life, an other politics, an unknown or new politics, a politics on the margins of politics, ...one which never formed as such, but was and is always being renegotiated, unfolding through and with the world that surrounds it and its own movements.
Not talking about Grateful Dead politics is pretending that you can discuss the singer without the song, or the dancer without the dance; it is pretending that the music is just the music, but the music is so much more than the music.
More thoughtish things
For more evidence, think of the songs, the lyrics: from the politics of playing "Okie from Muskogee" and "Mourning Dew" to "Throwing Stones," with the playfully political anti-politics of "Truckin" holding down the fort.
My point, though, is that the whole scene, the new way of thinking and living and dwelling and moving and seeing, well, that's fucking politics. If the music is more important than anything else, the music's instantiation--with bodies moving before and well after a show--is nonetheless more important than the music. Politics baby.
That means this IS the place where one can make complaints, articulate desires and positions. Complaints, as someone mentioned, are never simple whining; that is reducing a human being to an infant. A complaint should be listened to. I may be quickly ignored, realized to be stupid, or it might be insightful, getting at something, making a point heard in this potentially wonderful political world of the internet (Barlow, anyone, talk about politics and the internet!? ...who tried, however well or poorly, to reimagine a politics otherwise through the potentially non-state regulated polis).
My biyearly or so intervention, with its pedantic, hypocritical, arrogant prescriptions.
My Birthday
I just had to buy this one. July 3, 1966 was my birthday!
I give you one guess on which show I will listen to first. Any guess on the second? LOL!
Inevitable
I see that individual shows from the box are already listed on ebay for $65 a show.
Crazy.
ANY one wamt to defrey some cost
I want copies of this box set so if someone would be so kind, I will help take down your cost for recording some cd's I'll cover the cd blanks plus a fee for the recording and shipping!!I can be emailed directly westoncampbell@yahoo.com
Can't believe I bit the bullet
Order confirmed.
Just couldn't let Lindley Meadows slip away...
There are certainly other shows in this box that I will be very happy to get, but that was the main one I just had to own.
I will be keeping maybe 8-10 shows, and will be selling the rest individually on ebay at the lowest prices possible in order to just break even on those shows I don't want.
I've never sold anything on ebay before, so this will be unchartered territory for me.
Damn you Lindley Meadows for hiding yourself inside such a gargantuan box set.
Welcome to the Camp
I guess you all know why were here my name is Tommy and I became aware this year if you want to follow me you've got to play pinball and put in your ear plugs put on your eye shades you know where to put the cork!
Thanks for using Plangent Process.
product sku
081227955892