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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
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Is this true?
Depends on what you call those Chicago packages, it's a matter of semantics. If you think it was ok to sell a 2700 dollar experience consisting of a vip lounge, poster and shuttle ride from your hotel and require an additional ticket purchase, and that this isn't scalping, no problem I guess. I'd say that this isn't any different than buying extra box sets and then selling them for what the market will bear. Ymmv.
I just don't get it...
....if you are not interested in the whole package as a collectable item (I am not), then who in their right mind, or even pretty wasted mind, would ever pay one penny for any single disc? I mean every single show will be available on youtube that afternoon, and in higher quality on assorted sites, that same week. Pay $65 for a mastered recording of a '93 dead show?!? Hell, you can actually send any digital version of any show you have to any number of websites these days and get it mastered for free! A guess the whole relationship/attitude towards Dead show collecting is different if your relationship with the band is also later than the period when you got copies of shows for free from folks like me who recorded live. $65 for a show, the mind doth boggle! I would LOVE to throw a garage sale and have all the folks willing to pay this show up, I would be a millionaire at the end of the day!
$100 Box Sets
Yes, we will most definitely see $100 box sets again. These shows come to mind:
- April '69 Ark?
- Dec '69 Ark????
- Aug '72 Berkeley Community Theatre?
- Oct '72 Fox Theatre?
- Jun '80 Midnight Sun ??
There's half a decade's worth. I would gamble with the pre-order gnomes for each and every one of these offerings.
I Do Believe
allman I truly hope so. This is a special occasion thing. The last huge box was what? 2-3 years ago. The May 77 box was a very well put together concept at a very good price I felt. Even the Spring 90 boxes seemed a lot to me and I skipped them. This box for a lack of a better term has it all. This is the gift that will keep on truckin' for awhile. But I do hope and believe this is as big as it will get for some time.
Ugh isn't there a new Jerry release coming out soon too?
whining about whining is bitching
or maybe kvetching.
gone are the days.
6500
It's tough to say how many should have been produced. The only thing I think I can say without having statistics at my disposal, is that the record company wants to make as much money as possible without sitting around with overstock in their warehouse. I think we would need the following data on every LIVE box set they've produced in the past:
1) How much did it cost to produce the box set (per unit cost)?
2) What was the price tag of the box set to the consumer?
3) How many units of each box set were produced in the past?
4) How many units were sold of each box set each week, until it sold out?
5) How much other product was produced in the past year (this would impact the market's available capital).
6) Compare statistics from the period of the bands career that the box set spanned (i.e. 1977 vs 1990 for example)
7) Compare statistics from the overall price tag (i.e. $199 vs $450, etc)
So, I would need to know a lot more about the past numbers to make an intelligent guess at the right number. I'm sure there are other valuable pieces of data that could be used from the past to project a good number, but I don't actually get paid for this, so I'm going to stop at what seems immediately obvious to me.
It must be a difficult task for Rhino - they're dealing with a band like no other, in terms of the profile of their followers and the quality of their music (by quality, I mean every show is unique - as someone pointed out earlier with Yes - 7 shows of the same set list performed the exact same way is a much different story than what we get with the Grateful Dead). The two big x factors I see in this particular release: price tag and the years it covers. $700 is a lot more to consider spending on this than the $450 on Europe '72, so it's in a class of its own. And the years of the band's career that this box set encompasses is unique, as it combines all eras (and clearly there are market stratums that exist with this band).
I will say this - I read in interviews with both Dave Lemieux and Dr Rhino that Europe '72 sales far exceeded expectations. That tells me there is a certain "I don't f@#kin know" factor to all of this, that even the professionals at Rhino can't account for, as demonstrated by the comment made in the advertisement for this box set, that the number 6500 represents the year the band came into existence. They guy who wrote that is going to read my comments and offer me a job most likely.
Dave talks about...
...the historical importance of this box. It has none. The Europe '72 box definitely does, which is why I had my library purchase it. This is just a collection of random shows, happens to be one from each year, so what? This is a case of manufactured, both literally and figuratively, importance. If you happen to like this selection of shows, and happen to like most/all of them, and happen to have a pretty big cookie jar, well go for it, but don't think you are getting some document of historical interest.
History
"Don't think you're getting a document of historical interest." It seems this box does have a great deal of historical signifance to many fans, not just DL. The span of years, variety of musical incarnations, in addition to the continually evolving nature of their live performances, give this box a very unique look into the band's performing history.
grateful prof
appears to be an academic... certainly a researcher - nonetheless, an interesting point of view
Hey deadegad....
....Just to keep the record straight, it's K-Tel, with one L!! I have many of their fine LP's in my collection. :-)
grateful prof / Historical Significance
Just curious - if there were no other official releases available from the Grateful Dead, would you say that 30 Trips has historical significance?
6500, stats, analysis, Build it and They Will come
Most of your analysis factoring in the unknown stats, x-factor, and Dave and Dr. Rhino's "We do this for a living and even we get @#$%ing stumped on the amount of product to release in limitation" are what crossed my mind too; but, I am too slow of a typist to focus long enough to get it done( I should work for Dead.net customer service!).
Who the hell knows?!?!
Yes you should indeed be offered a job in 'loan-enforcement.'
Perhaps a pre-order deposit of 25% before they decide on the final number of 6500 or whatever?
Build it and they come?
Documents of Historical Interest
No CD or CD set -- not this one, not Europe 1972 -- qualifies as a document of historical interest.
It's a peak in the heights of pretension to claim one set does and the other does not.
The original master recordings, at least some of them, potentially.
Your retail CDs? Nope.
somebody has to say it, so I will
11/28/80?
WHAT ABOUT GAINESVILLE???
Knowing the right number
The right number of copies to produce?
If the set sells out in under 48 hours, it was too few (most Dave's Picks, and hence the reason for the gentle annual creep in the production run).
If you're still hawking the set after 6 months, it was too many (Spring 1990 TOO).
Anything in between there is pretty damn good (most every other limited release).
When they get a weekend in on this one, and when they get a change to run the inevitable Sirius XM special touting the boxset, then we'll see what happens.
I'm betting they called it pretty well, once again. If they don't sell out before the July shows, I have no doubt they'll unload the rest during that run.
... and you think $700 is overpriced
There is a record shop in the UK advertising pre-orders of 30 trips for £799.98 .... at today's rate that works out to $1230 !
The numbers
With the multiple order snafus factored in RRot you are probably right that they judged this one correctly.
Some of the initial sales reports reminded me of painful TicketBastard skullduggery in which as soon as the ticket sales start they sell mediocre seats to induce 'panic buying.' And the great tickets go to the 'secondary-market' almost immediately.
Regarding the secondary ticket market and Fare Thee Well, I hope a lot of tickets get kicked back to the box office 'the day of.'
Don't' these profiteers know that there are heads who would not even pay the Core Four face value if Phil, Bob, bill and Mick were personally selling tix on ShakeDown Street?
Historical Significance
This is just too good to pass up -
My question to Grateful Prof still stands - if there were no other official releases available from the Grateful Dead, would you say that 30 Trips has historical significance?
And to rrot - If all Grateful Dead live master tapes were destroyed in a fire (or lost on somebody's houseboat for years uncounted), would any one CD set (Europe '72 Complete) qualify as historically significant?
Other cost considerations
Another cost factor for them to analyze is the cost of warehousing. This would include cost of the square footage required to store and labor required to maintain inventory. There is certainly a cost associated with housing inventory for years on end. Perhaps not a huge number but one that adds up over time. The Terrapin Limited release for example; that release is almost 20 years old now and still in stock/inventory. Someone has been paying costs including utilities and maybe even rent to store those things. It all has to be accounted for if you really want to mind your costs and be profitable.
Costs...
Discs have to be made, this costs money.
Books have to be printed, this costs money.
Boxes have to be made, this costs money.
Artwork has to be commissioned, this costs money.
Restoration work on 80CDs worth of music, tons of time and no one will do that work for free.
Mastering the CD costs money.
Printing out the scroll that no one will look at twice costs money.
Licensing fees for all those cover tunes.
It all adds up.
Lot of upfront costs to put something like this together. Lots of production costs to put something like this out.
They're not exactly sitting on a goldmine here.
The price is totally justified. How much does a single disc new release cost? Multiply that by 80, yeah.
Stop whining.
Left over stock
It pains me to think about left over stock. What happens to this stuff? Does it just sit and rot away? Does it get thrown away?
I'm sure they will, as they
I'm sure they will, as they did for the Europe 72 set.
And, if only they could put them up on the website, so we can use them without having to scan them... I find it really cheap of them to not provide artwork with each release.
Entitlement
I think / hope that everyone who reads / posts here is a fan of the GD. I certainly hope trolls don't come here just to create trouble but who knows? I myself do not have enough time in my life for something like that on any site.
Rhino has been in business for 37 years and has been a partner with the Dead for the past 10 years. I have to think they know a little more about selling merchandise then I do. Call me crazy if you don't agree with that.
I am sure that every single release that comes out will have detractors, whether for price, content, artwork, or something. There will also be those who feel they are entitled
to everything for free. That is not just the case in this world the last time I looked.
This box is very fairly priced considering what you are getting. If it is too expensive for you, I am sorry about that. I really do feel for the true Head who cannot afford it. When the E'72 box came out I could not afford that, so I passed on it. Did I come on here and complain that it was too expensive? No, I did not. I just manned up, kept my mouth shut and envied those who were able to order it at that time. Thankfully this time I am taking the plunge, even though once again it will be a bit of a stretch for my wallet.
Coming on here and expressing your views is fine, but let's all try to remember that not every release will be perfect for everybody. This argument of eras is ludicrous in my mind. I am a fan of the good ol' Grateful Dead. I think that every single release / show has some merit and showcases the band on that given night. I want to hear them all, warts & all. That is what makes this band unique. They don't take everything back to the studio and cover up mistakes. You get it the way they played it that day. If today's show did not float your boat, come back to tomorrow's show and give it another shot.
Dick Latvala said it best. Caveat emptor. I for one am never disappointed. This box is what a lot of us have been asking for. A complete 30 year joy ride. Sit back and enjoy!
Rock on
What's actually in this box...
I'm currently wrestling with my conscience, debit card in hand!
Why can't they provide some photos of what's inside the box! I'm not overly keen on the artwork to be honest. Most importantly I dont want to buy it and find out its disks inside some elaborate pack that just slip in and out...
If they are stand alone packages inside like E72 was than holy shit, I'm in! I'm slightly worried that this may not be the case however...
Dave and co know they have a problem with people buying releases and then scalping them on ebay for profit. Here we have 30 releases of which many people only want some... The scalping opporunity is HUGE!
I'm wondering if they may have decided to have all disks in some elaborate box containing slip cases without each show having its own packaging (think a BIG So Many Roads Box Set). This would solve the scalping problem, who wants to buy 3 loose disks??
Is this why they haven't shown us the contents of the box? I know that if it were apparent this was the case with this release than many people would not buy, me included.
Does anyone think this could be true??
If everything else...
If everything else in the world -- master reels, everyone's discs, cassettes and LPs, the archive.org servers and everyone's computer backups -- were destroyed in a conflagration caused by the collision of the Earth with a giant comet, and only my back-up CDr of disc 4 from the Fillmore box set survived (because I buried it deep in the backyard along with my Archie & Veronica comic book collection -- just in case of such a calamitous event! -- would that CDr be a valuable historical document?? I dunno. Better call in a professor!
Adding to the costs thread...
Not to belabor the point too much, but my guess is that the CD's, printed material, licensing fees, mastering costs, marketing cost, and employment of the engineers is roughly half the cost of each set. Add to the fact that Rhino paid $10 Million for the rights to vault, there is not a ton of profit in this for them. Maybe, 25% at best. It is just crazy to think that people would complain about that.
RE: leftover stock
Usually does not get thrown away, but ends up in discount bins...remember LPs with bb holes, or cut corners? They were leftover dead stock.
brokedowndude
Well in terms of liner notes... When I read there was a 288 page booklet it started to get me worried, I automaticaly presumed that this would contain a chronological run of liner notes about each year and then the show. What in the hell else are they going to be talking about for 288 pages!
So with that in mind I doubt there will be seperate liner notes for each show, which then made me think well it would be stupid to have seperate packaging for each show but with all the liner notes in one big book. If all your liner notes are in one place then surely you would [ut all the disks in that same place.
This is what got me very suspicious that this box set may end up to be a big picnic hamper with fold out slip sleeves for the disks and the big book inside.
I hope this is not the case but if it is then I don't think I'll be buying it. The problem is I bet they succeed in scare mongering everyone into preordering before this fact comes to light.
I pray that I am wrong
*EDIT* If each of these 30 'trips' is in its own slip sleeve resembling tabs of acid I will be physicaly sick!
Reason I love the whole Dave Picks Series is each show gets its own moment in the spotlight which is no less than these great shows deserve!
Cost Of Box
I don't think this box is overpriced at all. I have no problem with Grateful Dead Merchandising or Rhino. I have tons of GD merchandise all of high quality bought at fair prices and delivered to my door. Hell yeah! I'm not buying this box because it's not worth $700 to me. Overpriced is solely defined by the market. Overpriced doesn't sell.
Oh well . . .
Hola!!
Not sure how many are left, but just pulled the plug. Continue my string of buying every official release as a matter of good faith for the bounty of freebies the Boys have laid on us over 50 years. A bit disappointed as really was hoping for Lexington 4.21.78, not just because only time they played my hometown, but as So Many Roads shows with Stella, it is a strong show. But, that is quibbling . . . thank you DL2!
Anyway, I only use debit cards, so ended up having to get my bank to increase my anti-fraud online limit I set of $500 last year, and forgot about it! So, I had to say a little prayer last evening the run would not be totally sold out by today.
Thanks again DL2! You continue to show your impeccable taste and vision and its appreciated. My only criticism . . . GO INSIDE FOR YOUR DANG VIDEOS! As an attorney, I will happily negotiate this item into your employment contract . . . only make listenable videos!
DCFOH It's time.
Kentucky Scott
PS to folks going to Shytown - HAVE A BALL! Wish I was going but didn't score on mail order. Oh well, the stories will be good to hear. Having attended the 2002 GD Reunion at Alpine, I know you'll have fun . . . though hard to imagine topping that extravaganza Deadpalooza: every core 4's own band; two nights of the Core 4 as The Dead; a temporary Dead memorabilia museum; release of McNally's book with a signing; our own "newspaper" both days; interviews with Ramrod, Parrish, Mountain Girl, Candace, etc . . . and getting to actually meet and mingle with them and more in the general area (I watched all of Billy's band with her in a near empty shell). Oh well, enjoy!
@$100 Box Sets
Might need some audience patches, but June 6/4-7/70 Fillmore West would make another great one.
HBOB entitlement
You keep on defending the price which is certainly your right. And yesterday you were posting that there are less than 900 left & they'll be gone by Thursday. And saying that whomever does not pull the trigger will feel bad & most certainly pay more for it on Ebay. Well I do feel bad that I can't afford to pull the trigger. But I also think that if indeed it sells out soon, then that somehow justifies your own purchase. It's a little off putting hearing the get it while you can or you'll pay more later on. It certainly is a treasure chest of goodies & I am happy you are getting it. I'm guessing that it was probably painful to see the E72 sell out, that is how a few of us will feel when this sells out. I am guessing that most of the people who are on these boards are true fans & even more so the Heads that buy up all these releases. This is a Forum for Dead Heads but really it's the GD/Rhino site to promo all the new releases that are for sale. So I doubt there are trolls looking to cut people down. I also apologize if I come off that way. Unfortunately I do have a little bit of sarcasm in me every now & then. I am grateful for this site & for the chance to voice an opinion every now & then.
Scare mongering?
Get a grip.
Wait a minute. Maybe you're right. In fact, maybe you're not paranoid enough by half!
What if -- now hear me out! -- what if it's just 80 discs thrown into a Clarks' shoebox with a stealie sicker on it. And the discs are just crammed between the pages of the 288 page book??? Sure, you might think, well, a book that big won't shift around too much in transit -- at least if the shoes were originally of a narrow width, I mean -- so that will keep the discs protected. But, DO WE REALLY WANT TO TAKE THAT CHANCE!?!!??!???
@reijo29
No hard feelings. I guess maybe I am a bit amped so please excuse me for that, but it is nothing more then my enthusiasm for this release and for Dead music in general.
I do not work for Rhino but I do feel this set, while expensive, is priced reasonably.
And yes, the count I had yesterday was incorrect due to the computer snafu on Tuesday when folks were actually getting multiple orders. No one can defend Rhino for that screw up! Totally inexcusable for such a company. And I also think that while I love Dave's videos outside, if he cannot do a better job with the wind then it is time for a new venue for his announcements. I look forward to those too, but the beginning of this one is almost enough to make me bag it.
The wait between now and the end of Sept. is going to be a long one. Good thin we have DaP15 before then.
Rock on
Exactly hbob
Priced reasonably and priced affordably are not synonymous terms. This is priced reasonably in terms of cost relative to volume of value being provided, even if it is not priced affordably for many.
Hey Dennis W -Ktel! W/1 L Only! Order before Midnight Tonight!
Hey Dennis funny stuff. And do you have K-Tel's Box Car Willie Lp? Real Gone Music does not. Can you engage in copyright infringement and somehow burn me a cdr of an Lp? Or am being Dumberer? Will the FBI or the ghosts of Pinkerton Rail-Road Detectives working on behalf of Mr E.H. Harriman of The Union Pacific Railroad kick in my door and arrest me? LOL!
K-Tel now there was a Co. that knew how to advertise and get the numbers right. K-tel brings back memories.
With all of the whining about whining, or is it bitching, together with the short term memory issues of DHeads both inside Dead.net and outside I am not very concerned with what people write here and their reactions -- they won't even remember it the day after yesterday, uh, I think.
any ideas?
Any ideas which shows may have more content than what we know? It seems 7/3/66, 10/20/68, and 4/15/70 are top contenders for extra songs.
30 Trips Around The Sun: MUSIC ONLY CD EDITION
I would like to see this as a "Music Only Edition" and at a cheaper price, similar to the Europe 72 Complete Recordings, that is still available thru dead.net. Or the individual shows, a la carte those shows are still available. I can do without the book , 7" vinyl single or the scroll, the Music is the most important item here, and it always was, and will be for me.I LIKE THE SELECTION OF SHOWS IN THIS RELEASE.
Sweet Jesus!
This Box Set is something else man.What, no vinyl release?
Just a little joke (Very little…) But seriously,
I would like to own some of my favorite attended New England shows included in 30 Trips
without some of the other years as many in this forum have stated.
Cape Cod '79, Augusta'84, Oxford'88 stick out for me.
If anyone is piecing out their own set, Do let me know via PM please and thanks.
shwack in nh
if you're going to release individual shows on CD...
please make the announcement soon. i'd prefer to purchase some whole shows, but once i purchase the 4 disc compilation album it will be too late.
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product sku
081227955892