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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
lowspark / vguy
lowspark - have fun man - do you work? just curious, since you said you were moving your sleeping carcass. I would hope you do not, and that you are living a care free life of abandon, and that it's a mild inconvenience to even be up at this hour, an inconvenience that is only justified by the purpose of your errand....
vguy - wow. you're 3 layers deep in bad luck, if you count the initial box set delay as layer 1.
I think I had multiple eargasms...
...while listening to the '84 show! Just awesome.
So far I've listened to '67, '68, '69, '75, '84 and now the '82 show.
The '82 show is good, but the quality of the recording itself is a head scratcher for a choice in this box, considering that the quality of recordings from the Greek run from this same year that circulate which sound solid and clean. Perhaps those are being saved for another release or aren't in the vault.
The sound of the '82 show does improve somewhat by the time they get to Ramble on Rose.
A follow-up of my last post-
Putting officially released music up for free downloading online without permission, especially when the product is still available to buy is a bad move...period. Don't do it, don't encourage it. It's stealing from the band. It's one thing to burn copies for your friends, it's another thing to put it out there for everybody to get it in a way that directly hurts sales. It's a brazen act of piracy.
If tptb choose or not to act on it, it is their business.
Augusta '84
I have the second set of 10/12/84 on cassette and it received much play back in the day. It has one of my most favorite Sailor>Saints. I am really looking forward to finally hearing the first set for the first time.
Here in PDX as well
Mine is out for delivery as well, before 8pm tonight........
thanx for updating
Nice to hear that , by now you shall be a happy Head
To all European Heads
thanx for letting me know your Boxzilla status and enjoy.....a glass of Bordeaux in France , Grappa in Italy , Jenever in the Netherlands...
Boo. Hiss.
We have been hearing quite a lot about the hiss 'problem' on the 1982 show.
And there is hiss.
But we are losing our sense of proportion, I think. As alluded to by sfrank115 below, if you are listening to these shows as a comparison of how each recording sounds, you are missing something.
In the case of Manor Downs 1982, you may be missing that this is an absolutely fabulous performance.
That show was my third listen from the set so far. Three at bats. One walk, a base hit, and a home run.
I started out, as I promised myself, with the 1986 show: The Cal Expo show from 5/3/86 was not entirely the hidden gem that I hoped it would be, but it has a number of unique and compelling segments. The first set didn't really do much for me, apart from a Promised Land that comes out of Beat It On Down The Line and maintains a BIOTDL undertow throughout, which seems to throw Bobby a bit on the vocals, but provides a really fun listen. The second set has a hot Scarlet and a not-so-thrilling Fire, but the Drums>Space is really great. And the post-drums O1>Comes A Time just cannot be argued with.
After that, I chose to hit the Augusta 1984 show. I could probably listen to this second set every day for the next month and not grow bored with it. A gem.
At that point I was really looking to this board to get an idea what I'd check out next. Like a lot of people, I bet, I am actually refraining from listening to the shows that I'm sure in advance are going to be my faves. So I've been kind of ignoring the love for 1975 and all of the '60s shows. That's my meat and potatoes too.
But everyone was mentioning 1982's sound issues. So what the heck, I'm very unschooled in 80s Dead -- why not hear that one and get a probable disappointment out of the way?
Bzzzzzzt! WRONG!
Here we have a really, truly, great show. Not scattered great songs, or a great second set, but a straight-out-the gate romping full show. Not giving highlights, but in my mind this bears comparison with Dick's Picks 6 from 1983. A show that was unjustly maligned at the time of release for some of the same reasons as this one: sound quality, Garcia's vocals. Yawn. Missing the point. Like that show, this one has a very hot first set, as song to song the energy is just always there. Like that show, the second set setlist is almost cliched pre-drums (Scar>Fire, Est>Eyes?) and has stereotypical "big" post-drums songs. Can it be as hot as the setlist suggests? YES, IT CAN.
Do yourself a favor...
I think there may indeed be something to the speculation that some of these shows "couldn't" be released as Dave's Picks separately from this box: they have too many issues. Would we really stand still for a DaP that had all that hiss in it, or shows that had such significant AUD patches? Possibly not. But I don't think that means that we are having inferior product foisted upon us. Not all. This is a piece of real luck that we are getting these shows that otherwise would languish in the vault.
(NB: The preceding is the opinion of one head. Take it for what is worth. Your mileage may vary, even though I am completely correct in all particulars.)
worth the wait
I gave my steeam away and avoided the unboxing video. Box arrived last Tuesday. Shipping notice arrived last Thursday. I came in off the road Friday night. Box was in living room. For two days I looked at it while running King Crimson's Discipline through my head. Recently moved so I had to set up my stereo first. Took my time opening the box on Sunday and when it was fully revealed it was so beautiful it brought a tear to my eye. Red felt and the pass is from The Spectrum in Philadelphia, my hometown venue. Listened to 67, 76, 89 and 91 so far. All good. Thanks Dave, dead.net and Rhino. This box is one for the ages.
Good Travel Vibes and PurpleEric
I am channeling good travel juju to the Rockies and desert.. hopefully jrf and vguy get their box today.
..and purpleeric, lets not forget Amsterdam.. and I guess a fresh pint in the UK.
kirkmc: thanks for the
kirkmc: thanks for the feedback on the artwork.
#0580
No MiracleBlue Velvet
Ticket: Oct 30, 1991 Oakland
Pass: June 9, 1993 Auburn Hills
The box arrived intact. One VERY minor imperfection where lid/hinge/box meet on the back. All discs are accounted for. The record seems fine.
Overall, I think I am very pleased with the box and feel very lucky to not have any serious defects, though I've not actually listened to or ripped any discs yet to know if they are definitely fine. I do agree to an extent with the complaints about the disc sleeves. I felt like I was playing "operation" while gingerly pulling each of them out to confirm they were all in order. The shows with three discs especially.. getting that disc 2 out of the middle is a pain.
I already forgot the username (country something-or-other), but I appreciate the King Crimson reference... I got it immediately and it's very appropriate for this situation.
Has anyone tried extracting the paper sleeve the record rests in from the lid? I didn't want to tempt fate and damage something, but I am definitely curious whether that sleeve has anything printed on it. Maybe if I had some tweezers...
Charlie MIller Time
Charlie does a great job and deserves much credit from the trading community. As his name got out he got amazing access to, and more importantly permission to share, tapes formerly only available to "special friends" and not for public distribution.
If you look at the lineages, most are DATs of what's in the Vault or what Dick Latvala had copies of, those have a reel or cassette in the lineage. Many tapes Dick got were from Pat Lee, who's reels are starting to be digitized and worth looking for.
It's no surprise they sound similar, they are very close to the master reel in the Vault.
Did you ever notice's Dick's notes are for his tapes, not the vault copies?
Still ripping the box, i'm up to 1988 and should finish tonight.
Very nice package, if your into that sort of thing.
# 5313
Superb! Gorgeous ! Very nice job !My box has the number 5313.
Ticket: October 28, 1991.
Pass: March 23, 1995.
Everything seems in good condition, the drawings and the colors are beautiful, red velvet is very nice, the book also.
Tomorrow night, I'll start listening chronological.
I am happy !
3652 Home to SLC
Box in good shape and blue velvet. So far listened to 66 and 67 going strong. Ticket for 10-27-91 Oakland, a show I was at and Pass 6-8-93 Auburn Hills.
Burned the 60's and so far so good.
I am pleased with the box and all of the content. Got it about an hour before The New Mastersounds show last night and was distracted through the whole show, couldn't wait to get home to listen to CD's. But The New Mastersounds were great by the way if they hit your town.
books
Wow someone said this one is better than the Europe 72 box set...I guess it could be since there's more different songs and the age of shows doesn't matter as they're all good quality sounding...I know someone mentioned there was a splice somewhere but i'll take it if it means getting shows from 1965-1970...and anywhere else shows are low in amounts...the box itself is like a work of art...the books is expansive it's not something to be taken lightly or as Truman capote used to say nothing substantial to read as it's very substantial to read.
@dantian 1477 @rrot, etc...
Number 1477 Blue Velvet arrived in western Mass. (Forgot the ticket and pass dates, will post later). Busy week so haven't had time to check discs, etc, but the box looks good. Did get to listen to most of disc one of 11/10/67 last night. That is one of the greatest things I've every laid ears upon. This was just SIX WEEKS after Mickey joined. I think any discussion of the drawbacks to his rejoining the band in 75 need to also consider his huge positive impact on the beast that was late '67 Dead.
In recent weeks I've been in one of those rare "non-Dead" modes, kind of bummed that it coincided with Boxzilla arriving. But then I listened to the Shrine 67. The passion is back!!!
I did not Stream Cheat (except for one set of the 1980 show), I'm glad to say.
Dantian - brother! Believe it or not I have not listened to Lindley yet.... needs to be right time, quiet house, etc. Tonight I finish 67, heck I may start it over. But I'll let you know what I think of the sound of Lindley - very happy to hear you approve! Think I'll head to Manor Downs after that, after all the chatter about it. Rrot awesome post man...
Got the box today
Beautiful! # 2902. Ticket: 10/30/91. Backstage pass: 6/8/93. Is there anything behind the partition behind the scroll?
Listening to the '83 show
Excellent recording, awesome show. I was pleased by the first note of this show. Top notch pick. Certainly better audio quality than Dicks Picks #6.
30 TRIPS - 7/31/82
The 2nd set sounds like a better recording to me than the 1st set....that Scarlet>Fire is massive. I can't wait for the DP#17 announcement w/2016 DAVES PICKS subscription info(next week hopefully), OBVIOUSLY it's time for an early 80's Daves Picks release.
Distributing is different
We buy, steal, borrow, and lend the music. I bet 90%-plus of us engage in each of these activities. Each of us KNOW it is wrong to steal anything. And we know, I think, that we should buy this great music when we can afford it. But unauthorized distributing via the web, and distributing for profit is anti-Dead, anti-community. Distribution is for the band and for Rhino, that's their business model which is so great for us as fans and we should support it and oppose that which weakens their model. And it's nobody's job, or obligation, or right to distribute copyrighted works freely to people who can't afford copyrighted works or refuse to buy copyrighted works.
@spacebrother
You really think the 83 show sounds better than DP6? Do you think it sounds better than some charlie miller shows from the same month?
BTW - I know i've only been focusing on two shows out of 30. I too love the 84 and 85 show. Haven't had a chance to dig into any of the Keith stuff yet - but the 79 show is freakin amazing. I mean, i love the little Jerry/Brent action at the end of Franklin's Tower.
Backordered WTF
Got this message on the 8th: "You will receive shipment confirmation email with a tracking number separately, once your order has left the warehouse." So far, no shipping confirmation and I just checked my order status to find I'm still "Backordered" with estimated shipping date 31st October. So much for getting my Miracle Scroll in Australia in time for the 16th November cut-off.
Maintain the patience....
Backordered WTF
Got this message on the 8th: "You will receive shipment confirmation email with a tracking number separately, once your order has left the warehouse." So far, no shipping confirmation and I just checked my order status to find I'm still "Backordered" with estimated shipping date 31st October. So much for getting my Miracle Scroll in Australia in time for the 16th November cut-off.
Maintain the patience....
A Costanza Conspiracy?
UPS states it went out for delivery at 6:30 this morning. Someone's messing with me!!!!
tickets and backstage pass DATES
I am willing to trade:
ticket= 01/08/1994 Oakland Coliseum Arena,CA
backstage= 03/23/95 Coliseum Arena Charlotte, NC
email please: davidrichards74@gmail.com
Hopefully I could get one I was at.....hit quite a few in the 90's
Traded !! thanks Zuck
XMAS DAY
Everybody gettin his or her 30 trips boxset and all these comments comin up, that's really like Christmas Day. Luckily I'm not workin this week so I got all the time to listen to the music. At the same time readin in the book stories about how much the Dead affected some lifes, that's hearttouching and it seems that stars are falling from the sky (just like Xmas!) Like Mickey Hart said this summer: The feeling we have here - remember it, take it home and do some good with it. The Grateful Dead transport free will, free love - and that's far from promiscuity. I declared myself being a hippie when I was sixteen and there were no other hippies around me, I just got the feelin from over the big pond, meaning it swapped over the ocean from Frisco to Switzerland. Yeah!Enjoy and love the one you're with!
:-)Romeo Nathan
Winterland 1970
I am listening in order and this show rocked me! Love the Jam > The Other One. Really hot.
This box contains many shows that I have heard about here on this board, but that I have never heard before. Manor Downs, Lindley Meadows, etc. I never heard any mention of this Winterland show before though and it just blew me away. I am still in recovery as I type this!
Rock on
Joy
Box arrived in Eugene today. Blue velvet, scroll #3444, ticket is 10/27/91 Oakland Coliseum, pass is 6/8/93 Palace of Auburn Hills.
Currently listening to 7/3/66. With a big ol' shit-eating grin on my face. This is it.
These tickets and passes are reproductions, right? The wording in the email from the Dead ("an original Grateful Dead concert ticket and backstage pass from the UCSC Grateful Dead Archives") made it sound like they were actual items from back in the day. But they're in far too pristine a condition for that - even if they'd been sitting in unopened boxes for 24 years they wouldn't look this fresh, right?
Not that I'm complaining. In real life my work brings me in close enough contact with museums and archives to really value the work they do, and I don't *want* the Dead's archive dispersed like this. I want it all safe there in Santa Cruz. Reproductions are enough for me!
It's here!!!....
....will open soon. Still at work. Works sucks....
Arrived
#2056 found its new permanent home at 20.00 hours Dutch time, whatever it is elsewhere. No damage, ticket October 30, 1991, bsp February 25, no miracle scroll , blue velvet interior and the best part: I did not have to pay € 183 / $ 208 that other people in the Netherlands had to pay. I may get a bill from DHL ultimately; perhaps I escaped it temporarily because I gave my 'VAT number', indicating I'm a company (I am). But I guess I'm safe.
Looks and feels wonderful. Due to social commitments, no time to even check if all cd's are accounted for and play correctly. At least all back labels of the cd's are accounted for, and no doubles. Got some testing to do tomorrow. This truly is an amazing time to be a deadhead!
@sfrank115
To my ears, the '83 30 Trips choice sounds a little crisper than DP6. Probably a matter of modern mastering technology. The second disc of DP6 is one of my favorites from the whole Dicks Picks series, not than any of them are bad. Charlie Miller has done an exemplary job bringing new life to many tapes.
I went in starting in order, but couldn't resist the calling to listen to some Brent.
@Dead Tanuki
For the Spring 90 boxes they specifically said repros and they used obvious faux tears on the tickets. Since these were last minute addins because of the delay, they had no time to make new repros, these are obviously not the same as the ones from the 90 boxes, they made no special spot in the box to hold them, AND, when they go out of the way to specify ORIGINALS that is exactly what I believe they are. You don't think things kept in their archives are kept in pristine condition? The dead themselves might never have gone to any trouble in that regard, but you can bet than any and all people who have been given the responsibility to look after these materials, especially once the archived materials were bequeathed to UCSC, are treating them as if they should be displayable in their current condition 100 years from now.
You think they're lying?. Does that make any sense? Why only one ticket and pass then? Why only late 80's and 90's? Why state originals if they're not.
They're originals.
30 Trips around the UK
Hey Gratefulbrit, Just got mine, like you got a pint of Doombar while checking this lot out, superb presentation, wonderful box, I thought liking the Dead was a singular activity here in the South West UK, never thought I'd find another Brit with such good taste, are we the only two?
spacebrother, I think the 82 Greek run
will see the light of day; (1) too good quality (2) too good music and (3) the modern Greek is due for a box (4) David even answered my email when I suggested this to him earlier this year
31 October Shipping
As my copy will have one of the magic scrolls, I'm a bit worried that I won't have it by 16 November. GDM still indicates 31 October shipping and Downunder usually takes at least a fortnight. Am a but surprised that the shipping seems so random. From the posts many in the USA already have theirs (fair enough) while foreign orders not even shipped.It will be special when it gets here and thinking of having an opening gathering of local Dead Heads.
As an aside we went to a John McLaughlin concert last weekend and at the merch signing after the show he spoke highly of Jerry and still misses him. Great show
spacebrother, I think the 82 Greek run
will see the light of day; (1) too good quality (2) too good music and (3) the modern Greek is due for a box (4) David even answered my email when I suggested this to him earlier this year
Tickets and passes
Easy there, I wasn't accusing anybody of lying. I was just raising what was intended to be a legitimate question. If you're connected with the organization, and are offended, I apologize.
I don't remember what the marketing was for the 1990 box. The ticket stubs and passes in my copy of that box (and the Warlocks box) don't *say* reproduction anywhere. Meanwhile the ticket and pass in my copy of 30 Trips are in exactly the same pristine condition as the repros in those earlier boxes. That's what had me wondering.
I'm sure UCSC keeps the collection with all due care, but it would surprise me if things like tickets and passes had been kept in ideal archival condition for the first few years after they were made, back in the early '90s or whenever. Inks fade, paper dries out, etc. Archives like UCSC's exist precisely because it's expensive and time-consuming to prevent those changes from occurring, and most people and organizations aren't equipped to do it.
Actually this is something I'm really curious about. If these *are* originals, then I'd love to know about their provenance. This must mean that there were, what, 6500 pristine original tickets and 6500 like-new backstage passes in the UCSC archives that the archivists felt comfortable deaccessioning. Tickets that bear numbers, mind you: mine is Gen Adm 5155 for Oakland Coliseum 10/27/91. Did GDTS print up duplicates of all the tickets they issued and keep them in an archive? Or was Gen Adm 5155 just randomly left unsold, and then kept in pristine condition?
You do make a good point about the time involved. These were thrown in as last-minute bonuses to make up for the delay, and that wouldn't have left much time to print up reproductions.
This is NOT a commercial post (One Man)
Boxes just arrived at the doorstep in Sydney.....
To everyone who wanted individual shows - posting to you all Saturday.
Peace...
Kevin1958 and Gratefulbrit
No Kevin, there are quite a few of us this side of the pond. I had to call DHL to enquire about my delivery - it's sitting in a depot near the East Midlands Airport waiting for me to cough up 88 quid! Still, it should keep me busy for a while!
Manor Downs
Well,it's official.My secondary market purchase is going to beat the box here.If it ever ships.At least I'll be able to listen to one show.
...Oh yeah,and $700 worth of streaming,awesome.
P.S.-At first I was kidding,but if it's easier & less confusing for your people,I'll come pick it up. Seriously
#943 has landed in
#943 has landed in Lancaster,P.A. and how fun! Ticket: 10-27-1991
Pass: 5-23-1993
The plan was to go chronologically 66'- 95' but once i opened the chess all i could do was smile...for a while...and the next thing i know 10-12-84' Augusta, ME summoned. Any pretense of a chronological, scientific approach to this sonic universe has since melted away. Winter is approaching soon enough and then a more comprehensive chronological study will be in order. Thank you David Lemieux and all who are a part of making this happen.
product sku
081227955892