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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

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  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Multi-Headed Buddha
    I think it was Phil that described the concept of the album art for Anthem as a multi-headed Buddha of the same being. I feel the same way about the different line-ups. Different heads of the same Buddha. You wouldn't have (quite) the thundering crescendo of Terrapin or the driving polyrhythmic beat of Sampson with one drummer, but you don't (quite) get the same turn on a dime jive swing in the Eyes>China doll, DS>MLB, etc. with two drummers. And it wouldn't be the same Grateful Dead without all the incarnations. Great discussion, there's truth in all of it. I love it all and it all appeals to me at different times and places.
  • Ziffle
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    Mickey & 1978
    I'm with Spacebrother on Mickey. Kreutzman is a great drummer, but bringing MIckey back, for me, restored the band musically. As far as 1978 is concerned, my recollection from concerts at the Hartford and Providence Civic Center in particular is that the Dead were incredible, with a huge sound. The problem, I believe, is that none of the recordings (at least that I've heard), capture the sound of the band. What we get from these soundboards (and the scattered audience recordings) is a bare shadow of what was going on musically. The same holds true for the Wall of Sound period. I have never heard a recording that did justice to 1973-1974 and 1978-1979. I am barely able to listen to recordings from those periods. The band played around a lot with the sound of the various arenas and outdoor venues. Particularly Garcia, Lesh, Hart. These sports stadiums (Providence, Hartford) and in 73-74 Roosevelt Stadium (out doors), had extraordinarily long reverb and the band used the sound reflected off the back and sides (in the case of the indoor arenas) as a musical element. I remember during one "drums" segment, Hart riffing off the reverb with his giant hanging drum. I clearly remember Garcia effectively doing double solos by playing off the reflected sound in the area. What we are getting with these little stereo recordings in one half of the music, not what the audience heard. I don't have any of the Dave's series, so I have not idea if those recordings are good or not, but I suspect that the only way to recreate the sound (at least to an extent) would be to play back a perfect soundboard at concert volume in the venue where it was recorded. Maybe someone else who attended those shows can comment.
  • JeffSmith
    Joined:
    Miss you too, John.
    Has it really been 35 years? . . .
  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    I agree....
    ....the eight-limbed monster lifts me up more often than not....it is was it was. The Grateful Dead....welcome to it. ...and yes, Mr. Strang, you are spot on in regards to Jerry's habit I believe.... ...listening to the 11.15.72 OKC Playin right now....excuse me.
  • SPACEBROTHER
    Joined:
    Mickey
    I disagree that the bands sound degraded with Mickey's return. It was a necessary transition for what the Dead were aiming for. A refined approach with tighter vocal harmonies and overall more polish. Blues For Allah is a testament for the bands blend of refinement and still experimental side. Help>Slip>Franklin's, Music Never Stopped, Crazy Fingers and Stronger Than Dirt should never be considered "dumbed down". Ultimately, it's all good to me, but like everybody else, I have my favorite eras. I might listen to the rockier '80's and early '90s more than the earlier stuff, but get back to the older stuff when I'm in the mood. It's all subjective to personal taste.
  • Gr8fulTed
    Joined:
    USB in the mail
    In reference to the forum topic, the elusive 30 Trips thumb drive just might finally show up in my mailbox! Hope it holds up when I plug it into the pc.
  • DaveStrang
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    In Agreement
    Keithfan I'm in agreement with you as well as others that Mickey's return "dumbed down" the band's overall sound. I think Billy K was no longer the powerhouse he was before Mickey's return. I also think Keith's role in the band was diminished by his return. As for 1978 the Dead have always been known to "circle the wagons" when a problem arose. While JG may have been having relationship/personal problems the biggest threat to the band was the big white powered elephant in the room: HEROIN. No ONE, musician or housepainter was ever their most prolific nor productive while using 'junk'. While camping for tickets in March 1977 their was talk as well as concern (even then) that he was using. As anyone who has used even narcotic painkillers will tell you the more you use, the more your tolerance builds, the more you need for the desired effect. A 2-3 week break that March could have provided for one hell of a junk bender that could have affected the band's performances as well as his tolerance/need. I've always felt the back half of 1978 2nd sets always seemed to fall off/apart which I think was JG anticipating hitting the smack pipe. Had the band intervened at that point would it have made a difference? The band always had a "live and let live" attitude so would they have even done anything back then is the million dollar question. There's no way of knowing if he would have even responded to outside interference since JG seemed to be a VERY strong-willed man so it may have made no difference at all. What I do know is the world lost one of it's greatest musicians to that sh*t. The thought that terrifies me is how many more will we lose? I'm signing off on this rant now and wish you all the best.
  • One Man
    Joined:
    Oops
    Yeah, forgot about Rocking the Cradle (Egypt '78). Ouch. Not so good to my ears. I can hear Billy's broken arm all over that thing. I do love the RT From Egypt With Love. It's spotty, with some really good spots.
  • KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    Nice Link Kayak Guy / One Man 1978
    Good article. I've posted here how much Mickey's return in '76 degraded the quality of their music, so it's nice to see this point of view validated by someone close to the band. I am not a fan of what Mickey's return did to the sound, especially in the context of what it did to Keith's ability to contribute. "ROB KORITZ (Musician): The musical quality declined over time, and I think part of that was having two drummers." One Man - I'm on board about DP 25. I revisit once in awhile, trying to get it to grow on me, most recently last week. Also agree about 1978 in general - I like it a lot, although I do have trouble finding anything satisfying in Road Trips '78. I love about half of Rocking The Cradle; the other half (including the bonus disc) suffers from the same thing that DP 25 and RT '78 suffer from. I'm not jazzed about the 30 Trips release from May '78 either - suffers from the same (I admit I've only listened to it 5 or 6 times before "giving up" on it - I would be happy to hear something great about it that reels me back in, as I would be happy to be wrong about what I thought was only a mediocre Dead show). I think Lemieux hit the nail on the head in his liner notes for DaP 15 (which is now one of my all time favorite DaP releases, and really, one of my favorite post-hiatus shows altogether), when he basically said that something big went kaflooey when they came back from a 2-3 week break after 4/24. I think the Closing of Winterland is a redeemer, much more akin to how well they played up through 4/24.
  • mbarilla
    Joined:
    Fare Thee Well commemorative ticket question
    was the ticket for each night (July 3-5) same length and width ? I saw a ticket from 4th of July (Section: Press Pass) that is about a quarter inch shorter in length compared to the sweet final night pass from TheeAmazingAce333. I know the ticket Ace gave me is legit cause it was right before he predicted Unbroken Chain out of space ! Wow good call on that, still cant believe you had that one "Listening for the secret, searching for the sound"
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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

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I actually wish they would have charged me today. I can deal with the delay, frustrating as it is, but I'm not sure I can deal with credit card angst for another week. My wife is about to kill me already for repeatedly asking if there's enough room on the card for the box. Maybe at some point we'll get a peak inside the box now. I could care less about most of that stuff but am very concerned about how the discs will be housed. I'm hoping for DaP style cases; if they're packaged like the Road Trips discs I will be way more pissed than I am about the delay. Looking at the picture of the box, I'm wondering, shouldn't there be handles on the box?
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14 years 11 months
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Rdevil - you're assuming that Rhino have thought that far ahead yet as to how discs are housed ;)
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12 years 11 months
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My money at least that way I'll know I'm at least going to get one I really don't mind waiting, I've waited since June 23rd what's another month or 2. It's either have acceptance over things I CANNOT control or be ANGRY over things I CANNOT control, right now I have a family to help raise, bills to pay & I'm good health & better spirits. I would like a peak at what's inside though, especially how the CD's are housed. I don't feel that's asking to much, right. I am disappointed that whatever happened, happened, however what can I do about it, cancel my order & REALLY be upset when it FINALLY does ship or do nothing now & just wait for the shipping notice e-mail then I WILL say YES this was worth waiting for. Cancelling my order WILL NOT be an option I've waited all summer for this I can wait a while longer, I'm not going anywhere. Deadland, I know some of you are quite angry over what has transpired just think how you'll feel if you cancel & those who waited start posting "GOT MY 30 TRIPS today, #**** has arrived in MY TOWN...!!!!!" Guess what I'll be one of those posting, "#1234 arrived in Philly today!!!!! GRATE THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT!!!!! DO NOT CANCEL YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!! DEADLAND BE HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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17 years 5 months
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The delay is surprising, given the earlier e-mail this week. But not shocking. For better and worse, the GD wing of Rhino travel to the beat of a drum different from anyone else's (even Rhino's; you don't get this kind of intrigue ~ product mystery and delays ~with their Monkees vault releases). Though the subscriptions & limited releases reflect that it's closer to a cottage industry than a cash-cow, it's still hard to believe this is an old-school, Ben Franklin-style subscription that actually funds the product. A) They knew this would sell out, and it basically has; and B) Rhino certainly has deep enough pockets to cover the front end with that promised return. So why IS it that they seem to still be designing these things even as they're advertising them? Steamer trunk was the same deal. For this one, they were taking prose submissions from heads pretty late in the game...but that's just what to fill book pages with. Could a small run of samples for the main treasure chest really not be produced in time for the announcement? But another question is, do we want these insane offerings to behave just like any other? I have to say, I LOVED the surprise of getting that giant box, still not knowing what exactly was within, and beholding that trunk for the first time. Different story on the FTW complete Chicago, as it's still not even known what all the MUSIC will be; a prickly pear, that (I safely ordered 7/05 only). But I don't mind the mystery of the physical 30 Trips product at all ~ they'll deliver something special, as they always do with these packages. The darker side to their mystery is that dead.net is habitually as tight-lipped as the Pentagon, which has gotten silly. Why are some of their secrets secrets? But this one's not on Dave. I know I've been pretty hard on him over the variety factor of his Picks (one of those subjects they're tight-lipped about), but I certainly wouldn't expect him to produce a seaside chat explaining a shipping delay. That's not his role, and given his excitement about this project, truly his baby, I've gotta guess there's no one more bummed about this tainting its glitter than Dave. Can't fault those who wish they'd been given the extra time to accrue their own dollars. Though it's really no difference to me, would just as soon the impending debit be subtracted. The delay really isn't either. My momentary response was, "lame," but honestly this doesn't even make the honorable mentions list of what keeps me up at night currently. Not dismissing anyone's frustration, but do take a deep breath -- that's always good for ya, and we'll have this music for all the rest of the moons to come.... It'll be worth the wait.
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I work in manufacturing, managing several sub-contractors that supply to our company. It does not happen often, but often enough, that an order arrives on our dock with some unforeseen defects. No matter how much guidance you provide the supplier and how much communication you have to set expectations, some lots of material arrive with issues. It is just a fact of life in the manufacturing world. My guess is that Rhino just received the latest shipment of some sub-component of the box set (CD sleeves, booklets, 45-record, packaging, etc) and discovered, much to their shock, that the order got jacked up somehow. What should they do -- complete our orders with the defective materials, or notify us that there is an issue and ship when they get the replacement materials? Dealing with this type of issue on a semi-regular basis, I personally have a hard time getting too upset about the box-set delay. The only way Rhino could have worked around this would have been to order all the materials well in advance so that they had some recovery time built into the schedule. But, who knows what constraints they were working under? They may not have got their budget early enough, the artists may have been late designing the printed materials, a supplier may have had a materials shortage, etc. This box-set is a one-shot deal, so everything had to come together perfectly to hit the schedule. In regular production, we rely on buffer stock to handle disruptions like this. Rhino really doesn't have that luxury seeing as this is a custom set of music on a one-time production run. In the end, a 3-4 week delay to ship a defect-free box-set is not worth bursting an artery over, at least not for me.
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15 years 10 months
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Who said I was complaining? Trying to put it in perspective if you can figure that out..
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"In the end, a 3-4 week delay to ship a defect-free box-set is not worth bursting an artery over, at least not for me." "My momentary response was, "lame," but honestly this doesn't even make the honorable mentions list of what keeps me up at night currently." Thanks for keeping things in perspective. People should consider themselves very lucky if a 3-4 week delay on this set is considered a big problem in their lives.
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12 years 11 months
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Due to the delay in shipping & the fact that we don't have a "new" shipping date, mid October is not a date, the countdown is officially over. TPTB, DEBIT MY CARD TODAY & AT LEAST END THAT MADNESS, TAKE MY MONEY, PLEASE!!!!!!! BE HAPPY DEADLAND, JOY WILL EVENTUALLY COME OUR WAY!!!!!!!!
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16 years 11 months
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With the initial cost and now this delay, all I can say is that this set had better be worth it. No flimsy, yellowing paper cd cases like the Europe '72 set.
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17 years 3 months
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I'm not bent out of shape over the delay. And I'm not mad, or upset, or any of that. However, the lack of response to direct questions about how the CDs are packaged (are they each in an individual case?) is, frankly, alarming. They are literally ignoring that question. I'm going to try Dr. Rhino, since Dave won't or can't reply. And I'm going to tell him if they can't answer that question before the charge deadling,** I will cancel. I was on the fence about this anyway, due to family priorities, etc, as mentioned in the past. If the discs are all housed in some kind of folder or sleeves in that box, with no good way to put them on a shelf where I can see them and use them easily, then i might as well wait for the download/Spotiify option. This may seem like a minor detail to some, but our mileage varies, no? I agree with Pelke, production delays happen, etc, no biggie to me. But, not being able to even answer such a basic question? That has nothing to do with production delays. ** EDIT ** I don't know what a deadling is, of course I meant to write "deadline" - but I must day, I kind of like the word. We're not Deadheads, we're Deadlings! Kind of like the Podlings in the Dark Crystal. Dark Staaaaaaaaaaaaar....
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Sure, I am looking forward to receiving Boxzilla just as much as the next person. But am I angry about the delay? I'll tell you what. I would have been REALLY ANGRY if I got the box and it was not just exactly perfect. We have been waiting 3 months now since the announcement. So another month will not kill me. Think back to the announcement of the E'72 box. That took more then 3 months to deliver. For me, a $700 expenditure is a lot of dough that I really cannot afford. But for that amount of money I do expect this box to meet my wildest expectations and to be perfect. So if some manufacturing problem means that I have to wait a few extra weeks, so be it. If this is my biggest problem today, I am pretty damn lucky. Chill out folks. This is not a life & death issue. Rock on
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10 years 5 months
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Thanks for good perspective on manufacturing pitfalls Pelke. I get why some of us are incensed by this last minute delay. However, for me, regardless of the reason(s) for the delay, I am glad dead.net is taking the time necessary to get this right. "Just exactly perfect" is more important to me than blind adherence to a ship date. As an artist who is scrupulously on time, I am always amazed at how my importers, shippers, other contractors/trades, etc. can be much more creative are than I am, even on my best days, when it comes to jabbing sticks in the spokes of a tight schedule. Regarding the charging of credit cards on the 17th, doesn't it make sense that GDM needs to consummate our purchase before providing links to the shows and a pdf of the book on the 18th? Free though they are, these tokens of apology are being offered only to actual buyers. Just ordering 30 Trips doesn't mean you're going to follow through and buy it, as cancellation threats on this forum and the resultant "15 more found" notices would indicate. 30 Trips is going to be incredible. In the very near future we're going to be very grateful for the collection of music and memories that GDM is now perfecting for us.
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14 years 10 months
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Butthole Surfers "Independent Worm Saloon" it will lighten up your mood and put the delay (what is it, one month?) in perspective. no bashing DaL. He's a righteous dude.
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17 years 5 months
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Having had the wonderful opportunity to interview David about this set, let me assure you all that (a) he does not read online comments on his releases, and hasn't since shortly after Dick passed away; (b) he will be as disappointed as any of you about this delay; (c) this delay will have nothing to do with his role in the production process, which long finished; and (d) he isn't able to address customer service matters. I, frankly, can't believe some of the reactions I'm reading. This is about getting it exactly right - not some evil plot to make 3 weeks of interest off of your payment. Yes, it's too bad, and yes, it's not professional, but it's also not worth melting down about.
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9 years 8 months
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Please keep us updated and not in the dark as much as possible. Take the money already and be done with it.
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15 years 6 months
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it's not okay...it's okay there's a delay because someone's name was left off the box...but then to say oh we're going to charge you then ship it out a month later?? that's a scam...recently they said they were going to charge us yesterday then ship it in a week...now a week became a month...and then a month later...it sounds chaotic! okay get it right but what peeves me is charging us on the sept 17th and not ship until mid October why not wait longer to charge us like October 10th-15th? would be more reasonable...I can deal with paying a huge credit bill if I have the product in hand...the way it is now i'll have a huge bill with no product in hand for another month...it's hard to contemplate...understand i'll be going to the hospital everyday to give blood for $$$$ to help for this set
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15 years 1 month
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Comparing our experience as dead.net customers to prison ass rape? One always imagines there's no way we can surpass previous nadirs... and one is always wrong.
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10 years 5 months
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Sorry to repeat myself Tony, but that's one of the prerogatives of older age: Regarding the charging of credit cards on the 17th: Doesn't it make sense that GDM needs to consummate our purchase before providing links to the shows and a pdf of the book on the 18th? Free though they are, these tokens of apology are being offered only to actual buyers. Just ordering 30 Trips doesn't mean you're going to follow through and buy it, as cancellation threats on this forum and the resultant "15 more found" notices would indicate.
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9 years 8 months
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Hey Bliss, tell us more about this interview. And thanks for bringing these points to light. Dave doesn't work for Rhino...
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14 years 4 months
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...that people pay for concert tickets six months in advance without thinking about it, but think it's a scam to pay for this box a few weeks before it ships? Just curious.
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17 years 4 months
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Yesterday, before the announcement of the delay, there were 52 boxes left. Now they are down to 39. So I guess the folks who said they were going to cancel have not gone through with that drastic measure. IMHO, to cancel now because of having to wait one more month would be completely nutso. People! The band has been gone for 20 years. Will one more month of waiting kill you? As I said, let them get it perfectly correct with no mistakes. They have to invoice you early in order to then give you the link for the music and the book. Otherwise, you know damn well, some folks will take that link now and then cancel before being invoiced a month later. Sad but true. We are not all honest out there. Unfortunately. Rock on
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article won't be published for another month or two, and it's a freelance thing, so I don't want to get too into it until i actually see it in print. we spoke by phone for an hour, mostly covering broad topics that most here would already know. the one thing that comes through about DL is that he's an utterly genuine individual who cares so so so much about what he does. he comes to his job purely from the DeadHead perspective, thinking, "how cool would it be to have this show released, or this type of box". a lot of the kind of thinking or decisions that people attribute to him (i.e. strategic business-mindedness in selecting a particular year for release, or determining the limits on #s), is just simply wrong.
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15 years 2 months
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We might have some proper and pleasing communication from them! Thank you sir for that illuminating post! I also wanted to learn much more about this box over the past few months, as initially promised in the announcement. After I decided not to buy this set I knew that decision would be sorely tested by each revalation about it's contents. If those revalations had come, I probably would have bought this. It seems that GDM can find 6500 people who will buy blind, so there is really no practical need for them to inform us! Year50 has been typified by minimal and misleading communications and huge prices. Sad.
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9 years 8 months
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I understanding not spilling the beans until the article is published. Where will this be published? I'm looking forward to reading it.
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17 years 5 months
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dustyrambler -- PM sent with details.
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14 years
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I echo the chorus. No big deal about the delay. But I also echo the sentiment: let us see the contents of the box. That they won't let us see what we're buying does make me a tad worried. If there are not individual CDs I can bring in the car--ugh. Will probably try to sell it afterward.
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16 years 7 months
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Hey Dead.net. I understand that there is a production delay. But to still charge my card...having promised me the day the the delay was announced that you were going to throw in extras and to find out the extra was a 128k mp3 download of the box set is kind of insulting. How about making the FLACs or 320mp3s available? If you don't treat us better I will cancel and so will others.
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17 years 2 months
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From Roger: [I will] "file fraud charges with my CC company. This is a business deal. Pure and simple. Just because it is Dead music means nothing in terms of a business deal. Deliver it in 30 days from charge or you can shove it." More bloviating, then this.... wait for it.... "Peace, Roger" <<<< A fucking precious nugget from j-DEADville
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9 years 5 months
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Do you think anyone will try to sell the link to the music and the pdf of the book on ebay? Wouldn't shock me. Not sure how they can do this without risking the whole box set being pirated. Just wondering if anyone knows how this link will work and on what formats. I'll hang up and listen. Thanks.
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17 years 5 months
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The biggest incentive for me to scrape together the money for this box is that it may be the only chance that shows from some of my favorite years get released ('84-'88), plus the crown jewels of the entire set 10/26/89 ($700 is a very high price to pay to get this, but that's how dedicated I've been to the cause). I've been wishing, begging and at times complaining for official releases from this time frame. This has gone a long way to put my mind at ease for waiting nearly 25 years since the vault was open for business back when 1FTV came out. The Dicks Picks and Road Trips series hit a few shows from around this era, while Dave's Picks still hasn't (four years of quarterly releases into it). The next Dave's Picks announcement will be made about the time this starts to ship (assuming no further delays) and I hope the show chosen for that will be one outside the years of the 14 of the first 15 picks. I like all eras of the Dead, but the choices of years picked have mostly been representative of a very small slice of the overall big picture. If there are between 700 and 800 releasable shows in the vault, at least a hundred of those should be from lesser/under/non-represented years. As my own personal scheduling has turned out, I have a couple of weeks off starting the last week of this month and first week of next month (my birthday is right in the middle of that time off). My vacation plan was to travel somewhere away from computers, wifi and cell phones to fully immerse myself in some officially released under/un-represented era Dead, and have been planning it since the first day this was announced. This pretty much puts the kibosh on that. Sure, this delay doesn't compare to life and death real world problems, but this music makes a nice place to temporarily escape real world problems. Hopefully this will be the only delay...and please please please Mr. Dave, pick something else outside of the status quo for your namesake. Also, a little more transparency regarding the contents and delays might be a good move.
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16 years 3 months
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I don’t think most folks are saying that Dave L. is nefarious. And to question some decisions after spending $700 is not unreasonable. The issue is respect and professionalism. Sure, delays happen. Most can live with it. But this has been more shrouded in secrecy than the Manhattan Project and simple questions have gone unanswered. Probably many feel their dedication is being leveraged. If you are going to charge $700, give few product details (they promised many updates and didn’t deliver), hit the credit cards and then announce a delay with a vague timeline, then the least Dave L. and Rhino could do is put together a video (they do them to sell products so to update people with a video after such an expense is not unreasonable to ask) or at the very least have the two of them craft an e-mail and not leave it to a cookie cutter customer service note. That professionalism and respect along with a few straight answers would have gone a long way. I would rather wait and have it done right, no doubt. I am not aggrieved they charged me before the announced a delay. I have to pay for it whether it ships today or in October. I think Dave cares about this brand and gives it huge effort. I worry much more, as I am sure most here do, about my health, my family, and my 401(k). But that does not mean Dave L. and Rhino should not be more forthcoming and step up and handle this with some answers and face everyone.
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17 years 5 months
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Wouldn't surprise me if someone does that.
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11 years 5 months
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I image the dl link will be for crappy 128kbps mp3s. Hey, its better than nothing i guess. Now, does this delay also delay the 4 disc set that is also supposed to come out. I wish they would supply us with the FLAC files from that as a "I'm sorry, we f#$ked up!" But then again, it would suck to get the box, and have issues with it and have to send it back. I see it from both ends, but at the same time.....I wanna hear my Dead (^-^)/ I'm listening to Dick's Picks Vol.8 as I write this...so, things aren't all that bad.
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9 years 5 months
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If you don't have the tolerance and patience to accept the time required then please promptly follow through on your idle threats. Cancel and go away. As another has pointed out, the band has been gone for over twenty years yet people cry like adolescent boys watching their MTV.Its good that the time is being used to get it right. This is special release and well worth the wait. In the mean time I'm sure others are also tired of your pathetic whining.
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14 years
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I think that it's perfectly reasonable to be angry, especially within one day of the announcement of a delay. I know that we are eventually going to get the box and that the credit card charges will be worked out, but I resent being told to not worry about it and that it isn't a big deal. It is a major fuck up. This is on the scale of the Fare Thee Well mail order ticket fiasco. I don't blame David Lemieux. He is the archivist and selects the product. It is Rhino, and Mark Pinkus that is to blame. This is a quality control, production, and shipping issue. It is not okay. Someone should be held accountable. I realize that we are lucky to have this many releases of archival material compared to other bands, BUT we PAY for it, dearly. Rhino is not cranking out CDs because they are hippie communal deadheads. They are businessmen and they're running their business poorly(at least on the Grateful Dead front). So, you people who don't like it when people get upset over this, come back in a few days. This is not your time.
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10 years 6 months
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I was told by CS that the link would be for downloadable files, not just an online stream, and they would be MP3's. Take that for what it's worth, the rep didn't sound very certain although she did check with someone else before she answered.
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16 years 7 months
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History Member for 14 weeks 2 days Wow. You act like Rhino is doing us a favor by selling us this box set at 700 plus bucks. Money is not an unlimited resource and they way this release is being rolled out is terrible. So we get a link to 128k mp3s? Insulting! FLAC files would have been nice. And for the first time I am considering cancelling my order. Hopefully someone from Rhino reads these comments and treats us a bit better.
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17 years 3 months
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bliss, great post - I look forward to your DL interview. I want to be clear, I also like Dave, and I understand he is not responsible for the post production stuff. And a simple delay doesn't get me chuffed (but I understand those who are chuffed) - mostly I just like saying the word "chuffed." But I'm pretty sure they know by now whether the shows will be individually packaged. From the beginning I assumed this would be the case, and I expected to see - as promised - an unveiling that would confirm (or, unlikely as it seemed) disprove that expectation. Given the Limited Edition situation, I hit the purchase button knowing I could cancel if the box wasn't what I wanted. Now, given the lack of response to questions about that, it appears there is a chance that they packaged this like the M*A*S*H box set (an epic packaging disaster if you've seen it). And if that is the case, I don't want to spend 700 dollars on it. I'm buying something, and I don't know yet if it is what I signed up for, and if they won't answer my question, that is a strong indication to me that they know I won't like their answer. I'm just not sure how else to take it. PS- "Cancel and go away" kind of brings to mind "America - love it or leave it!" Ah, the good old 80's.
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11 years 4 months
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I've figured it out, there's a delay in the box shipping, oh well the wheel keeps turning and you can't slow it down. No big deal whatever, accepted fate just go with it man! It will come one day and I have tons of tunes to listen to while they get this just right :)
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9 years 5 months
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I hope you don't cancel. I think you will enjoy the box.For years I have enjoyed peoples comments on releases and look forward to eventually reading postings on these shows. You are right in that this is no favor and we do deserve better. There are often unexpected problems in manufacturing processes. Regardless, I should not be so insensitive to people's warranted frustrations.
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11 years 5 months
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...We can get a download of the 4-CD THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY (1965-1995). We are already committed to buying theses songs on the box set. just a thought I rather it be great and not rushed than rushed and not great. these things happen First World problems
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14 years 7 months
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I knew it...It's a Hippie Communist conspiracy, and Mother Russia strikes again. Not since the Cold War has the stench of Gorbachev been so apparent. Quoth the Raven nevermore!!!
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16 years 8 months
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interesting that first the USB was delayed and then the box. Wonder if related.

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10 years 6 months
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The mob of enraged Dead Heads marched out of the city towards the Palace and.with them they carried the heads of customer service agents on spears with the prized one being that of the Box Cutter Guy.When at last they reached Versailles, the mob broke down the gates and stormed the Chateau. The Palace Guards threw down their MP3 players with the advance copy of the box on it and ran for their lives. The Angry Heads then found their way to the Queens marble staircase and started to ascend to the top floor. Pinkus heard the mob and just in time escaped via a hidden door inside his bed chamber to the inner sanctum to huddle with the King. How could they be so angry? What have we done to piss them off so? They asked each other in shear panic. The Angry Heads made their demands before the King and Queen but to no avail. Slowly they were made to march back to the city and upon their arrival, were stashed in a lower dungeon room and made to listen to Taylor Swift records and watch Justin Beiber videos and fed only animal crackers.
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