• 7,852 replies
    admin
    Joined:

    "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

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • supe80
    Joined:
    Box Art Work
    I hope someone hasn't asked this already. Does anyone know who did the artwork for the outside of the box?
  • johnny361
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    hi gang
    I spent the day with Cobo 1976. I really like these fall 76 shows with Dicks #20 being a personal favorite since it's release many years ago. This Cobo show is really growing on me with each listen. 30 Trips has been a monster to get through but I love the task! There are still shows I haven't spent time with.. but I will!
  • KYTrips
    Joined:
    1975
    So... this is another show that's a bit tough to grade. It's relatively short for a Dead show (I think it was just one long set), and I'm guessing that they were part of a bill that included other bands at this free show in Golden Gate Park. Also, it's one of only 4 shows that they played in 1975, so I'm guess they were a bit rusty, though you wouldn't think so from the performance itself. It starts off with a really sold Help > Slipknot that sounds a bit strange without the third jewel of Franklin's Tower, but that comes later in the show. Then there's a long break as the band attempt to summons a doctor from the crowd because a woman is apparently having a baby somewhere near/behind the stage. This alone makes the show memorable. They then move into a really, really good Music Never Stopped, followed by They Love Each Other. Beat It On Down the Line is above-average, in my opinion and it's followed by a good Franklin's Tower. Big River is straightforward, and the first disc ends with a routine It Must Have Been the Roses. The second disc starts off with an above-average Truckin' followed by a good jam and Drums. That heads into an excellent Stronger Than Dirt/Milkin' the Turkey which eventually leads into 10+ minute Not Fade Away which is light on lyrics and strong on jamming. The show ends with Going Down the Road Feeling Bad and a very energetic One More Saturday Night. The highlight of this show for me is the Music Never Stopped, but there really are no off numbers in the entire show. It's a consistently good show from start to finish. Overall Grade: B
  • unkle sam
    Joined:
    1990 1994
    Just returned from a long road trip and listened to these two shows in their entirety during this trip. 1994 was the first listen. Show starts off with a nice Help>Slip>Franklins that is nice, Jerry in good form and everyone contributing their parts, not the best, but not bad. Then Walkin blues, not my favorite and Bobby's slide work is ok at best, then Atlhea, a good tune done well by Jer. Me and My Uncle, Big River and Just like Tom Thumb's Blues, no real Jerry in MAMU, BR just ok and JLTTB's has Phil taking lead vocals, enough said. An ok So Many Roads and Jerry sounds tired, voice a bit shaky and "old Jerry" sounding. Promised Land is good, with Bobby in fine voice, which ends the first set. Second set starts off with Scarlet>Fire, scarlet is ok but the Fire is grate, with Jerry getting his voice to perform about as good as it can get for these days. Way to go Home is next and I always liked this song, Vince in fine form throughout with Jerry adding some fine lead lines. Then into Saint of Circumstances, no Lost Sailor which I miss and wish they would not have dropped from the list, it's the better of the two tunes. A nice Terrapin with Jerry hitting all the notes and lyrics into a short but very trippy drums into an excellent space with Jerry showing us all that he can still blow heads away. Everytime there is "The last time" after a drums>space you know it was a great drums>space, like you know this could be the last time you ever hear that wonderful sound again. A good but short Stella with Jerry sounding tired in both voice and playing into a good OMSN. The encore is Liberty, a great tune that Jerry flubs the lyric on, but comes back and repeats it right. Thought the sound was ok, but a little boomy All in all a good show but....C+. 1990, good first set with a great Jack-a roe black throated wind ramble on rose and bird song, Jerry in fine voice and playing with bruce on the piano making it all sound nice. The second set here is very good, Chinacat, rider and saint all done well, very deliberate and a bit on the slower side, which is nice. At Crazy fingers and this is where it starts to get real good, the ending jam in Crazy Fingers has a bit of the x factor and was very nice then into Playing>drums>space>playing reprise, just awesome all of it, I highly recommend it. The stella is very nice into throwing stones into a great NFA with crowd chant into a fine one more Saturday nite. All in all a good show from France. The sound was ok, but had a bit of an echo in spots, not sure if it was the audience singing along or an echo, but was a bit distracting in places, a bit boomy in parts also, but all in all, not bad....a solid B. I haven't had time to get to all of them, but these two I took along just to give them a good listen, was not disappointed. For the 90's, both shows were ok, but not the same band we all fell in love with in the 60's and 70's.
  • KYTrips
    Joined:
    1974
    I will go out on a limb here and officially declare the 1974 show as the first "miss" of this embarrassment of riches known as 30 Trips Around the Sun. First of all, there are a few sound-related issues that I had to overcome. The overall sound "quality" is very good, but I definitely thought that Jerry's guitar was too low in the mix (who does that... puts Jerry's guitar low in the mix?!!!?) and then there is the issue with the vocals for the first 2 songs of the second set ("Loose Lucy" and "Big River") which are missing. I mean... they're there, but they're apparently not being picked up by the mic intended to pick them up or they didn't make it to the recorder... Whatever's going on, they're not to be heard in these recordings, unless you lean into the speaker and hear them buried somewhere off in the distance. In any event, it annoys me, and I think it spoils what would have otherwise been a pretty decent "Loose Lucy" (one of my faves). In addition, this show contains a between sets "Seastones." Not my favorite in any case. So... this show was fighting an uphill battle for me. The show kinda begins with the boys being a bit sloppy. The "Uncle John's Band" opener is nice, but uneven. "Jack Straw", "Friend of the Devil" and "Black-Throated Wind" are all unremarkable. The standalone "Scarlet Begonias" is a notch up from the previous songs, but that tune was still really finding its legs in the Dead's repertoire in '74. The next 5 tunes are again, unremarkable. The first CD ends with a nice "To Lay Me Down." I have to admit, I'm partial to this song. I've always loved it and thought it was underrated as a Dead song. The first set ends with a 23+ minute Playing In the Band which is good, but again, nothing special for this era. Then we are faced with "Seastones" and the aural problems mentioned previously to start the second set. A good "Peggy O" and an unremarkable "Me and My Uncle" round out Disc 2. The meat of this show (and presumably, the reason it was included in 30 TATS) is in Disc 3. Things finally take off with a wonderful "Eyes of the World" and the rest of the show is pretty darn good. Highlights for me included the Truckin' > Drums > Caution Jam sequence, which is pretty hot. The "Drums" is particularly interesting in that in addition to Billy on drums, Phil is also participatory in the part of the show. "Ship of Fools" is really nice and smooth and the "Johnny B. Goode" to close the set is also pretty smokin'. "U.S. Blues" is a good encore and a nice way to round out the evening. I'll be brutally honest... I don't think this show would have ever merited release on it's own, so it was, in my opinion, thrown into this box set. I certainly hope it's not the best there is remaining in the vault from 1974. However, I'd be less than honest if I didn't acknowledge that the third disc of the show is pretty darn good. But it certainly was my least favorite show thus far in the box. Grade: C+
  • KYTrips
    Joined:
    1973
    It took me a little while longer to get to this review than I would have liked... Life's been busy with vacation and then I was in trial for a week (I'm an attorney... don't throw rocks), so my listening has been sporadic for the past few weeks. At any rate, let me start off by saying that this show is a total GEM!! Although I don't think it's the best of the box, so far, I do think it might be my favorite so far. It starts off again with a "Big Railroad Blues" which to me is a sign of good things to come (see my review from 1972). The next few songs (Jack Straw, Sugaree, Mexicali Blues) are all good, but nothing special. After all, it's just the first set. But then, this show morphs into a classic. "Here Comes Sunshine" is one of those songs that I absolutely love, and that I feel the band didn't play often enough. Accordingly, it was, in my opinion, a treat when it did show up in a setlist. Well... this one may be the best HCS EVER! It's so melodic and the playing so smooth, with a killer jam in the middle of it. It ebbs and flows nicely and you know from this point going forward that "tonight" is going to be "one of those nights." The other part about this show that is a bit different is that the first set is EPIC in length. It's actually longer than the second set, and the goodies start showing up much earlier than in a typical Dead show. I'm not going to go song-by-song, but the remaining highlights of the first set for me are: an appearance of "The Race Is On"; a very nice "Brown-Eyed Women"; "Tennessee Jed" and a late-first set China>Rider. The first set closes out (more than mid-way through Disc 2) with a hot "Around and Around."As good as the first set is, the second set is even better (although I still think the overall highlight of the show is still the "Here Comes Sunshine" in the first set). Due to timing issues, the second set actually starts on Disc 3, with the final three (3) songs on the set appearing at the end of Disc 2. I definitely recommend listening in the order in which the show was played. And let me tell you, Disc 3 is awesome!!! It is basically a non-stop, continuous 70+ minute jam which begins with an excellent "Truckin'" which then morphs into an unbelievable, three-part "The Other One" sandwich, which has "Big River" and "Eyes of the World" for the filling. It is hypnotic the way the boys weave in and out of "The Other One" throughout this portion of the show, never losing stride and hitting on all cylinders. Finally... the last portion of "The Other One" leads into a great "Wharf Rat", and they finally silence their instruments for a few fleeting moments. The show closes with three (3) stand-alones... "Me and My Uncle" (which seems strange to hear this late in a show), "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" and "One More Saturday Night". They're all good, but it's almost impossible to top that which just went down in the first 70+ minutes of this set. I definitely see myself coming back to this show over and over in the future. Show grade: "A- to A", depending upon my mood. Again... I don't think it's the best show, so far, but I do think it's my favorite!
  • KYTrips
    Joined:
    Ahhh.... 1972
    If ever there was a more stellar year in GD history, I'm not sure what it would be (okay, okay... I realize this topic is up for debate, but I cast my lot with 1972). That being said, I had really high expectations for this show, as I do almost all '72 shows. This one didn't disappoint. However, I do think that this show will suffer a fate of being underplayed by many Heads, as it's so close in proximity to the DP 11 show from the Stanley Theater in Jersey City that took place 3 nights after this gem. I do think the Stanley Theater show is better, but this one is pretty great too. My only knock on this show... I think the sound is a bit spotty. There's one period in the show where the tape hiss is very audible and a bit distracting until you realize you're just gonna have to deal with it. The show opens with one of my personal faves... "Big Railroad Blues". You know a show is gonna be good when they open with this one. Everything in this show is filled with energy. Hell... I even liked "Mexicali Blues" which to me is usually a snoozer. "Loser" and "Black-Throated Wind" both deliver, while the band takes a bit of a breather in a subpar "Cumberland Blues" in my opinion. "Sugaree" is great (as per usual), and is followed by a consistent run of "El Paso", "Tennesse Jed" and BIODTL. In my opinion, this show REALLY gets rolling when they break into "Bird Song" later in the 1st Set. I've heard much better versions of "Big River", but the first set closes with an awesome "Brown-Eyed Women" and a MONSTER "Playing In the Band." Not bad... and that was just the 1st Set!!!The 2nd Set kills! The boys keep raising the pot (no pun intended) with each subsequent song, starting with "Greatest Story Ever Told" and continuing through "Bertha", "Promised Land", a beautiful "Fried of the Devil" and "Jack Straw". Things fall off a bit when they play "Tomorrow is Forever", a short-lived song in the Dead repertoire for good reason in my opinion. Then they ease back into things with MAMU before they head into "Dark Star" which is sandwiched around a nice little drum solo by Billy. Out of "Dark Star"?... Why yes, I do believe I will take a China Cat>Rider. And it's a good one. The show closes with the Bobby one-two.... "Sugar Magnolia" and "One More Saturday Night". All in all, a great show. Grade: A-
  • Cousins Of The…
    Joined:
    1971??
    I have not gone through the 2nd set of 1971...and yes, I listed 1985 twice, my mistake.
  • One Man
    Joined:
    1971?
    I don't see 1971 on your list. And is something listed twice?
  • Cousins Of The…
    Joined:
    1984!
    I'm usually partial to the 60's and 70s, however this show is tremendous! short but impeccable first set, from beginning to end; second set is quite adventurous, with a long UJB, a standalone Playin' reprise and a killer Morning Dew. My favorite 80's Trip so far. Revising my rankings... 1970 1967 1973 1975 1974 1972 1976 1968 1984 1969 1977 1983 1991 1979 1980 1981 1982 1978 1990 1993 1992 1966 1985 1986 1994 1985 1995 1987 1989 1988
user picture

Member for

17 years 8 months

"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

user picture

Member for

13 years 3 months
Permalink

Or whatever you call it...not a big fan. I'm on here all day and I have to refresh the page to keep the entertainment rolling and I'm trying to listen to shows (full shows) on archive and spotify, etc...a lot of the times I forget to hit pause right away... just one man's opinion.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I'm a huge fan of collecting Grateful Dead music, I love the music from all eras. The later 90's shows honestly get little play time from me. I'm also a Pono owner and wanted the HD files. So, I had to choose one or the other. I went with the Box Set at the end of the day, just had to have it. I know there is a lot of debate about the sound quality. When my Special Edition SYF Pono arrived, American Beauty and Terrapin Station were installed. I was blown away by the sound quality, I heard the full music for the first time. I can hear the difference. Friend Of The Devil is the track that stands out the most for me, I heard music there I had never heard before. It's truly a listening experience. I downloaded the Halloween Show Phish played last year in HD. Again, I was blown away by the intense clarity of the sound quality. I have acquired many shows, albums in HD and really love it. The only drawback is the price of the HD files, more, much more. I don't always buy HD, ALAC serves me well and sounds awesome. It all boils down to personal choice for the listener. I can load up my iPod shuffle with AAC format and jam all day. I listen to my Pono with headphones, that can be another debate right there, many brands to choose from, again, personal choice. I have Bose and Sony and enjoy wonderful sound. I know there are $400.00 sets out there, to pricy for me. I made the choice for the box set. I think the shows WILL be available for download, and I'll grab a few of my favorite ones in HD over time. I'm grateful that we have so many choices to choose from. For many people MP3 is fine, then there are others that frown on MP3. Again its all about personal choice for the listener, collector. Peace
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

Yep.. lots has already been written on this subject. I will say almost without exception the Hi-Res available (including Workingman's Dead and American Beauty) were completely re-mixed.. so a lot of the differences we hear can be at least partially due to new mix. Just my two cents, I have gone down the blind test rabbit hole myself.. there's usually more to it than just higher definition audio. Anyway, it certainly can't hurt to go down the high res path. The end result is often more attention to the mix, use of higher quality playback devices, use of higher performance earphones and often more attentive listening. Its all good, right? May the Schwartz be with us all.
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

I was hoping someone would catch that reference.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

After the first day's craziness when this first was announced, I watched the sales for the first week or so. Based on that, I figured it would sell out mid-late August, so I think my estimation was correct. These will all be gone within the next 3 weeks. Rock on
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years
Permalink

The HD Tracks release of the studio albums were definitely not remixed. Not sure where you read about that. In fact, you're the first I've seen to actually make that claim. Please share a link if you have it.
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

My DVD Audio copies of American Beauty and Workingman's Dead were remixed by Mickey. Perhaps there's others out there that are not, but this what I was referring to and have heard similar comments from others. Are there copies out there that are using the original mixes from the source vinyl releases? That would surprise me.. I apologize if I got this wrong on some level.. but my copies are definitely not the same mixes as the original vinyl mix of these two albums.. but that's where I got my info from. This is what I was talking about. http://www.livedownloads.com/music/0,8823/Grateful-Dead-mp3-flac-downlo…
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

9 years 4 months
Permalink

that would be fantastic. Could you imagine, 30 trips, all vintage, made in the year that each show was recorded. I'm sure there would be some orange sunshine, yellow sunshine, orange double dome, clear light window pane, purple haze, purple microdot, perhaps even some of those Mickey Mouse blotters, or those red and purple dragons, or those gold dolphins, maybe even some of that blotter on the construction paper. Now I would buy 10 of those boxes. All joking aside, this is THE dead box, take it if you need it, or leave it.....but you really can't complain about it, can you? If it costs too much, get a second job, spare change on the corner, sell a body part (hopefully one you have two of), sell off unnecessary stuff (or necessary stuff), prostitute yourself (if u ain't too ugly), if there are shows in there that you don't want, re listen to them, perhaps you missed something the first time, never too late to come up with a reason to try or a way to fly. Just DO IT.
user picture

Member for

14 years 4 months
Permalink

I will say this about the idea of smaller subsets of this release being offered: The description says, "Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD." That leaves open the possibility for either: 1) a collection of shows being sold on CD ("the '60s" or "'70 - '75" or "the '80s", etc.), 2) individual shows being offered for sale via download, or 3) all of the above. What they don't say is as important as what they do say. Just like individual shows weren't offered for the Europe box until the box sold out, they won't offer individual shows here until the boxes and USBs sell out. But because some folks here freak out about not knowing all of the long term plans of Rhino on Day 1, people get agitated. Stay cool, and you will have the opportunity to bitch about the cost of individual show downloads or collections of shows on CD before you know it! lol
user picture

Member for

11 years 3 months
Permalink

If i were to sell ,, here is my price points. Sorry Rhino you guys just did all the hard work and now I can Profit !!! Yippie !! 1 disc show = $30 2 disc show = $40 3 disc show = $50 4 disc show = $65 lol ,, any takers ?!?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years
Permalink

So yes, there is some confusion because of these two different releases; one being the 2001 DVD Audio of both WD and AB, which were re-mixed by Mr. Mickey Hart. Then you have the HD Tracks release that used the original mixes. Here's the blurb that came with the HD Tracks: "From David Glasser, Chief Grateful Dead Engineer, Airshow Mastering:The Grateful Dead studio albums were mastered from the original master tapes in Airshow Studio C, Boulder, CO. Transfers were done at 192kHz / 24 Bit from an Ampex ATR with Plangent replay electronics to a Prism ADA-8XR A/D converter into a soundBlade workstation. The studio, designed by Sam Berkow, has Dunlavy SC-V loudspeakers driven by Ayre Acoustic amps. For comparison I referenced the previous CD versions and original LPs. The goal was to remain faithful to the originals while at the same time extracting as much resolution and detail as possible using modern technology, and improving on the original releases, if possible. Some of the masters were transferred flat with no EQ or compression. (That is a testament to the mixing and production of the day; Terrapin Station, in particular, sounded spectacular right off the tape.) When needed, EQ was either a solid-state Prismsound MEA-2, API 5500, or newly manufactured Pultec EQM-1A3 tube equalizers. Very light compression from a Fairman TMC was used on 5 of the titles. No peak limiting was used on any of the masters with the exception of Built to Last, the only album that was originally mixed to a digital recorder (Sony 1630). All the dynamics of the master recordings have been retained. Several of the tape boxes contained the original LP EQ notes, and these were taken into consideration. "
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

Interesting. Thanks DinaMoe.
user picture

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

I can sell them for $5 less than yours, still make a profit, copy the entire content of the box, and keep all the packaging! I think I'll by 10 boxes. But seriously...Hopefully they will make downloads available soon after the box sells out.
user picture

Member for

11 years 3 months
Permalink

Maybe I need a flash sale to compete with this $5 less scheme ;) Buy one, get one half off ?!?
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

This party is losing its appeal. They keep playing the same song over and over again... Please turn off this feature.
user picture

Member for

11 years 3 months
Permalink

Blows.It's f'n annoying.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 3 months
Permalink

If its one show you want I will burn it for you. PM me your address and I will send it to you sometime after boxzilla arrives, or if its 3 shows, just say. I was just tired of hearing the ungratefulness of our fanbase, who I think are the luckiest fans ever....by a mile. Peace
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

11 years 4 months
Permalink

I always have my sound down to prep for autoplay - but my boss was rocking out when it was on, so that could be good :) Excited for the 81 show - and, I have never heard any show from 1986. That will be new for me.
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

ok, we will put you in the promotable, has a cool boss group. I regret the need to add a new category to this analysis, however. The 'drug test this employee immediately' category. Didn't think about that one. In any case, I won't miss this feature when its finally gone (and it will go).
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

15 years 10 months
Permalink

Turn it off please. Really Bad Default.
user picture

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

After seeing that they are down to 250 sets for the 30 Trips, I decided to call to confirm my order was all set. Well to My surprise they said it was canceled because of a Credit Card Fraud on my American Express. To my knowledge there was not one and I had to re order it. I just don't want anyone to be left out for whatever reason there may be.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

....i don't know about you, but I divide the sound of the band into seasons. I know some of you do too. The Dead's sound changed monthly imo. Ever evolving. I broke down the show gaps for 30 Trips, so here we go....rounded off of course.... 66 -> 67 16 months 67 -> 68 9 months 68 -> 69 4 months 69 -> 70 14 months 70 -> 71 11 months 71 -> 72 18 months 72 -> 73 14 months 73 -> 74 10 months 74 -> 75 12 months 75 -> 76 12 months 76 -> 77 5 months 77 -> 78 13 months 78 -> 79 17 months 79 -> 80 13 months 80 -> 81 6 months 81 -> 82 14 months 82 -> 83 15 months 83 -> 84 12 months 84 -> 85 8 months 85 -> 86 11 months 86 -> 87 17 months 87 -> 88 10 months 88 -> 89 15 months 89 -> 90 12 months 90 -> 91 11 months 91 -> 92 6 months 92 -> 93 12 months 93 -> 94 18 months 94 -> 95 4 months Season count.... Spring 7 shows Summer 7 shows Fall 13 shows Winter 3 shows Just crunching numbers, but Fall rocks!!....am I crazy? No. Obsessed?...hmmmm, definite maybe.... ....it's funny when you see a word repeated over and over and over, it doesn't even look like a word anymore....
user picture

Member for

11 years 3 months
Permalink

than first thought. Not only does it "auto-play" whenever I refresh this page (annoying enough), but since WMP is my default player, if I happen to be listening to a show in WMP and load up this page, my show is rudely interrupted by the listening party. Please fix this.
user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

Thanks Dr Shakedown - I really do apprecitate the thoughtful offer. After much agonizing in June, I did finally order the box. I was more reacting in a general way about what I perceive as a lack of understandiong of the dilemma this presents for some folks. For example, many have pointed out that if you really want the box, you can just work extra, etc. My point was simply that no matter how much extra one makes, if you have a family it can be very hard to rationalize such an esssentially selfish allocation of resources. But - I did rationalize it :0 --> "it's an investment! it makes me a happier person which makes me a better dad! I rarely spend money that isn't for the family!" and so on... I also got a number of really kind PMs about this, including questions about what that favorite show is (and one person guessed correctly). The show is: Lindley Meadows. Also super excited about Cape Cod, Cornell 81, everything from 67 to .... aw heck, it almost all looks good to great. ----- As for the autoplay. Agreed on that - I'm sure they'll fix it soon. Meanwhile, for those of you with iPads, I've found the autoplay doesn't work on this, so I am using it to log in to the site.
user picture

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

I do believe there will be some spin-off action from this box. Claney, your breakdown is logical except for two things. One, most of the 66-71 shows are 1 or 2 CDs long making the 66-71 box much smaller than the rest. Two, if GDM really believes 70s sells better than 80s/90s, the 87-95 box has a big risk of being a sales dud. I have no idea how they would break up the 30 shows into mini-boxes. I wonder if some of these shows may later be included in other boxes. For example, a June '85 box or October '79 box. At this point the chance of a Live In '75 box is pretty damn slim, so 9/28/75 may never appear outside the 30 Years box... Or they could do exactly what Claney is positting...
user picture

Member for

13 years 3 months
Permalink

MaryE, where are you? Can you help with this? No one likes it...
user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

To put this in perspective: Remember how enormous and expensive those first Box Sets in the 80s seemed? Dylan's Biograph (3 CDs), or Springsteen 1975-85 (3 CDs), etc. Now for Deadheads those are just normal releases, and a "small" box set is three shows and 9 discs... Guess they had to wait until rock fans got older and had more disposable income. EDIT - good point Seth! I just couldn't think of a way to divide them that didn't have other problems (for example, having a box with a show from 77 and a show from 81 just seems weird, unless it's in the context of the whole shebang...
user picture

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

...for those weird Yuppie Techie types who would spend big bucks to buy those little silver things that were played by shining fancy Buck Rodgers lights on them inside black (or silver) boxes. But for normal people they were FIVE vinyl discs and who could EVER make something bigger than that! Both those boxes were super awesome back in the day, as was Clapton's Crossroads box (FOUR CDs!).
user picture

Member for

15 years 10 months
Permalink

Just noticed that Vic Firth passed away on Sunday. Local legend in Boston - member of Boston Symphony Orchestra. Thought this was interesting: "Mr. Firth’s percussion business brought him celebrity within a broader drumming world that extended well beyond the sphere of classical music. His daughters, who worked in the family business, suggested that he appear on occasion with rock bands, which Mr. Firth did. He was once reprimanded by a BSO manager for having performed in Providence with the Grateful Dead."
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

11 years 4 months
Permalink

Was a Led Zeppelin bootleg box set called 'Uncensored' http://www.discogs.com/Led-Zeppelin-Uncensored/release/3420177 I was 15 years old, and spent my first paycheck on the set. It cost $95 bucks for 5 discs of never before released materials. I have collected whole shows since then, but this started the box set/bootleg era for me :) Ahh - memories.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

This could be it for 30 Trips. They must be doing an inventory calculation to see exactly where they are at. Stay tuned for further developments Rock on
user picture

Member for

15 years 10 months
Permalink

20 Years Of Jethro Tull. Still one of the best, the unreleased material far outweighing what was already available on there and collecting up stray tracks and rarities.
user picture

Member for

16 years 2 months
Permalink

hbob, that sounds ominous. It sort of sounds that Grateful Dead Productions is going to sever their ties with Rhino. If we recall, GDP signed a 10 year merchandising deal with Rhino in 2005. Perhaps GDP will go back with Music Today, or ATO Records, the company that Jerry Garcia Family LLC is currently using, or even Real Gone Music. "Stay tuned for further developments." Wait and see.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Well it was only temporary and now has re-opened. There are still at least 99 Boxzillas left. I too have been wondering when the 10 year deal with Rhino expires and what will follow. Rock on
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

12 years
Permalink

The Feel Like Stranger from the listening party is killer!! Jerry is completely out of control. I think I have a new favorite Stranger!!
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

Thanks Marye.
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

are some of my favorites. For what its worth, there's a few versions of early 80's Let It Grow that are amazing also. Weren't we all a little stranger in the '80's?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I hadn't heard that it was a 10-year licensing deal set to expire this year, but if that's true, I would be absolutely shocked if Rhino ended this arrangement. Look at the name of the executive producer on most Dave's Picks releases and Boxes from recent years, and then look up the head of Rhino Records (hint - it's the same guy). In the 21st century, where any album can be obtained digitally for nothing with a few mouse clicks, the Dead are releasing 4 live albums plus a boxset per year and leaving zero inventory on the shelves. I think Rhino's probably pretty happy with how this has played out. You think they're selling 70,000 Smiths boxsets every year?
user picture

Member for

13 years 4 months
Permalink

Not to mention the Vault is no longer in Marin County, its in Burbank. Possession is 9/10ths of the law. Divorces are a painful and expensive. I see Rhino and the GD courting a bit more. The Fare Thee Well presale could be looked at like a lovers quarrel though..
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

or not? I understood that the licensing deal ends sometime soon. One has to assume that the Dead organization will want to continue allowing material to be released so a new licensing deal seems certain. As to with whom they will cut a deal is unknown (to us, at least) but Rhino would seem to be in a strong position as they are the current licensees and have (as far as we know) done a reasonable job. Whether or not the Dead organization are satisfied with Rhino's performance is another matter and one that we are not privy to. All will be revealed in due course, of course. One has to hope that this 30 Trips box is not a last-ditch attempt to make as much money as possible out of the licensing deal before it expires, but we are not cynical enough to even contemplate such a possibility, are we?
user picture

Member for

9 years 5 months
Permalink

When I used to hear this song at shows, back in another lifetime, I always thought it was a pretty song but not exactly a "Grateful Dead" type of song. While I didn't dislike it, I would have preferred almost any other song. Listening the version from Oxford Plains this morning, as the father of two beautiful girls, it really touched me deeply. I'm not sure how it will be received but I will attempt to add it to the lullaby rotation, which at this point includes: James Taylor "Sweet Baby James", The Beatles "I Will" and Elvis "Can't Help Falling In Love".
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years
Permalink

This was my first show...and It's a Monster sometimes called the EVERY other One Other... One.One of the first shows I streamed and transfered to reel to reel from the then downloadable Sound Boards. I would love to see what the "cleaned up" version sounds like and add it to my collection. There was a time when I bought EVERY release that came out but in the eco crash of 2008 (right around the middle of the road Trips series ) I just couldn't keep up any more. Any help out there for an aging 70's dead head?
product sku
081227955892