30 Trips Around The Sun Box & Digital USB

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September 4, 2015 - 10:38am

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admin

Joined:
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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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January 21, 2016 - 10:51pm

#271

rdevil

Joined:
November 2, 2007

Any thoughts on...

Anyone have some thoughts on Legion of Mary Northwest Tour'74 (Garcia Live Volume 3)? I'm trying to decide how to spend my Amazon gift cards and streaming this right now. I think my mind is made up but would still like to hear other views before I pull the trigger. Sounds like Freedom Jazz Dance is almost worth it on it's own. edit: if I get this I probably need to buy Miles Smiles as well, right?
January 21, 2016 - 9:57pm

#272

rdevil

Joined:
November 2, 2007

responses to recent posts

Wave that Flag--there are a ton of great shows in the box but, to me, the word "essential" definitely points to '75 Lindley Meadows. A historic and unique show, this is certainly one of the most "essential" shows in the box, possibly the most essential. There's just not much out there from '75 and this show is truly fantastic.I was a little underwhelmed with the '88 show on first listen, but to each his own. I thoroughly enjoyed the '89 show even though i'd originally wished they'd picked a show from that year before they got too into the MIDI. Miles--YES! 4-15-70 is one that truly exceeded my expectations and really knocked me off my socks. The jam out of Drums blew me away as did the transition into Dire Wolf. Sorry, Jim, but as great as the Dancin' is here, i'm still firmly in the Disco Dancin' camp, maybe because there are more of those out there. Born Cross Eyed--glad to hear more love for Cobo, such a hot and unpredictable show (I try not to look at the set lists on first listen). Vguy--I scrolled back a bit and realized that I must have been on the highway digging the Cobo show Saturday at about the same time you were writing your post about it. I was all pumped up about the show, had an evening with extended family, and at the end of the night checked Dead.net and saw your post. Perfect.
January 21, 2016 - 8:12pm

#273

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

And to born cross-eyed....

Cobo, Cobo, Cobo, Cobo, Cobo.....sorry. trying to get a chant going....
January 21, 2016 - 8:09pm

#274

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

Can't argue with that logic WTF (lol)....

I can seriously see myself not hearing another song by anyone other that the members of The Grateful Dead, and sit back comfortably, knowing I really didn't miss out on anything....
January 21, 2016 - 6:28pm

#275

wave-that-flag

Joined:
October 7, 2015

Thanks for the Trips Tips!

Boblopes, Morning Sun & Dantian Greatly appreciate the advice on essential shows from TTATS. The shows I've got so far have all been consistently excellent. Looks like I'll be grabbing a few more.. Probably should have just bought the Bolt! Had no idea how awesome and essential TTATS would be.... Let the music play! Fired up for Dave's first two 2016 Picks as well. No other band touches these guys or even comes close.
January 21, 2016 - 3:12pm

#276

JimInMD

Joined:
June 27, 2011

Re: Miles and 4/15/1970

Thanks Miles, I don't feel so guilty now. I just the finished 1970 show last night myself hiking through a beautiful snowstorm in the mountains. I really enjoyed this show as well, in addition to the Dancin' in the Streets I thought the Man's World was compelling. This is a treasure and with so few boards from 1970 to choose from, its an important offering. I was thinking as I descended from my hike as Garcia was wailing in the final jam in Dancin' how much I like the 1970 arrangement of this song. This topic came up a couple years ago in one of these threads (the 1970 vs. the 1977 arrangement) and the disco-influenced arrangement seemed to get the overall nod. There were several shout outs for the Cornell version in particular. I am still drawn to the earlier versions, this and the version at Harpur College a few weeks later are outstanding. Still.. a classic and I got a good, uninterrupted listen with good headphones on. I completely agree - great show. Some Box!
January 21, 2016 - 3:01pm

#277

MilesM

Joined:
August 13, 2012

Re: Jim

Hiking through a snowstorm listening to this show sounds awesome. Sounds like a plan for this weekend here in the northeast. I never really cared for dancin too much until I started hearing some of these early versions. The 77 versions and beyond just always sort of stayed in that same dance groove. Although I'm a huge fan of 77 I always felt sort of a letdown when dancin is played. But that's just me. This version from 1970 takes off in that groove and lands on a different planet. I love it. The show just keeps on pounding from there. I love when Bob and pig go back and forth in love light and they do it here for awhile.
January 21, 2016 - 1:49pm

#278

Born Cross Eye…

Joined:
August 25, 2008

10/3/76 Cobo Arena

When the full contents of 30TATS was revealed, I wasn't too sure about the 1976 entry because although I never had this show before, I read something, somewhere, sometime that the recordings that were in circulation weren't all that great, and I never bothered to stream it on the Archive or elsewhere. When I got the 30TATS box, I eventually pulled it out and read Dick Latvala's hand printed notes. 1st off, he comments that "... the quality is not very good (6), but the performance is quite exceptional." TRUE! One amazing show! It sounds like a dull, quite flat with some high end frequencies cut off, monophonic recording to me. But not all monophonic live recordings are dull. Bertha & Mama are just OK, but they're warm-ups in my opinion. But from Sugaree on, this show is on fire! Thanks to the powers-that-be for including this show in the box. I LOVE IT!
January 21, 2016 - 11:07am

#279

MilesM

Joined:
August 13, 2012

Re: Dave

Ok Dave it took awhile but I was finally able to give the 1970 trip my full attention. The whole show is an instant classic. Sound quality is amazing. Bobby is completely at the top of his game in this show truly complimenting everything Jer is doing. Although there are no really long ecliptic jams the song selection and placement are superb. Dancin has to be the highlight and for me one of the best versions I've ever heard. Although I've only been a casual fan of 1970 this is definitely a year I need to start digging into and exploring more. The energy the band has here is amazing. That's what I always thought about the ladies and gentlemen release is what amazing energy.
January 21, 2016 - 7:12am

#280

boblopes

Joined:
January 13, 2009

@wave-that-flag - I second recommending Oxford 88 and Boston 94

wave-that-flag - you can't go wrong with Oxford 88 and Boston 94 trips.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Dead Store Products

"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

MAgs 72

Did u contact Dr Rhino directly or was this thru Dead net. Still waiting in Fl

Drpryan

I sent emails to both Dr Rhino and Dead.net, as well as calling customer service(twice). I hope you hear some good new soon.

So far....

....I've checked out....66 67!! 75 76!!! 78 80 82 84 86! 89 90 91 92 95 ....Cobo is the winner so far. Cozy, smooth and spot on....notice the gap? Yeah, me too....

best song of the year

Best Dancin is 76. even better than 77?I could not afford the physical boxset a few weeks ago and I am still hesitating about the most expensive USB key I ever bought. 1967: is that some Live anthem of the sun? my first grateful dead album. I have to reconsider my position To blow a few candles for 50 years?

1993

After listening to the embarrassment of riches from 1976, 1984 and 1968, I thought I should tone it down with a show I figured would be a letdown. WRONG! The show opens with a strong Bucket, much better than 92. I was joining the band in singing virtually every song on the opening disc, Bertha, Peggy-O, Queen Jane, Cassidy and Casey Jones. Jerry was strong throughout. The only letdown for me was Broken Arrow, not a personal favorite. Disc 2 was great too, but I loved Disc 3 with The Wheel and the encore I Fought The Law. During the show it occurred to me that my favorite cut on So Many Roads is Whiskey in the Jar, which I remembered was rehearsed in February 93. Jerry was interactive and it was fun listening to the band banter back and forth. I was curious how much later this show occurred and sure enough it was a little over a month, the big guy was still in good spirits. Considering the year, I was pleasantly surprised and will definitely listen again. On to 73!

'93 reprise

Just got the 9/93 vine ripped last week. Have been enjoying listening to these shows in between the intense sessions listening to the 60s stuff. I had never heard this tour until now. Jerry's new guitar sound. Vince fully assimilated. Some real nice tunes and shows in this run. Miller-ized for your listening entertainment.

Tours.....

....THAT'S what makes them grate. Every tour had a different sound. Sometimes, the tone would change within tours. That's what makes them what they are. Had a friend of mine come over the other day. Not a music fan, but a sports fan. After watching the Mets beat the Cubs (boooo), I put on some Providence '78 Dead. After three songs, (and us bitching about baseball instant replay), I asked him what he thought of the music. He waiting a bit, then responded with, "They sound...American." My thought exactly.... p.s. he didn't leave until the first set ended. We spent the last couple songs just listening. Then he shook my hand and left....I may have hooked one....

re: Cobo '76 Dancin'

Gotta love overeager Bob coming in a sentence early on "Can't forget that Motor City"...It made me chuckle. He must've really been rarin' to belt out that lyric. Same kind of thing happens during Jack Straw on the 'Leaving Texas', Fourth Day of July' lyric at Manor Downs 7-4-81 (nice show btw). But, agreed. Cobo '76, nice Dancin' with Phil soloing into the reprise.

How 'bout a WORD from someone IN THE KNOW?!?!?

Where's my Lightning Bolt? Where's _any_ NEWS about where my Lightning Bolt is? My SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLAR Lightning Bolt!!! Where is it??? What's the Story??? HELLO.......?!?!?

Cover art for 30 trips around the sun/box number?

Somewhere I found the cover art for the new box set. Could someone please tell me where to look for it? Also, I could not find anything telling me what box number I received. Any idea where to look for that? Thanks for you help. Mr. Pete---------> aging hippie

the number is on the scroll

Number 1 question that has been answered on this thread.

@Mr. Pete

I don't know if this is what else you were looking for, but this page is a very nice resource for GD album covers. Thanks to whomever mentioned it here.https://picasaweb.google.com/106465427611350658328

Number?

Pete look on the top of your scroll it will be numbered. unless you got a Miracle Box then well your in for a whole new treat!

Thanks for the cd cover info/miracle box?

Thanks for the help finding the cover art for the box set. I appreciate it.What is the miracle box vs. the regular box set? Mr. Pete---------> aging hippie

1976

I must have missed something. Was disappointed with all but disc 3, and this was one I had looked forward to. Listening to some of the positive feedback on it, I clearly missed something; will be revisiting today. Thanks

Passaic '77....

....whoa! Monster first set. Let's recap. Minglewood Deal (!) Mama Tried TLEO Looks Like Rain Peggy-O Lazy Lightnin -> Supplication Ship Of Fools (!) Estimated Brown-Eyed Women Music Never Stopped ....simply outstanding / mind blowing. Once again, Betty outdoes herself. Sounds perfect. Just begs to be played loud. Just started the second set. Phil comes hard and fast right out of the gate. The band was raring to go that night.... ....as far as Cobo disappointing, go back to it later Minas. Or turn up the volume. I have been very vocal about that show, as you all know. Can't forget that Motor City indeed!....

Passaic '77....second set....

....The Wharf Rat into Playin is as good as it gets imo. Holy shit....

Passaic '77....encore....

....prior to the encore, Phil comments "Thank you. It's good to be back." Then they kill U.S. Blues like nobody's business. Phenomenal show....Thanks Jerry, Phil, Billy, Mickey, Bobby, Donna, Keith, Betty and Dave. You made my Sunday....

Every Show I Saw after 1987, Branford sat In. True Story

http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2015/10/30-trips-listening-hint-1-e…

GRATEFUL DAD!

I am avery proud and happy dad. My almost 4-year-old son just asked me to play "Fire On The Mountain" by the "Skeleton Band" (what I call the Grateful Dead when I talk to him). We're listening to the '83 Worcester show right now. LOVE IT!

4/15/70

I had this tape about 30 years ago when I first really got into collecting tapes. I thought it was a good show, but my tape was only fair at best, too much hiss. I'd probably give it a C+ at best. Only listened to a few times.Years later, I got it again in a cd-r trade, or was it a b&p deal. Performance was excellent, but the source tape was decent, but better than the original tape I had. Finally in 2015, I get a sonic upgrade as if I was listening to Bear's original master tapes of this show. This time, Candyman really came alive as if the band was in my car. One of my favorite versions of Candyman Thanks Jer! Before that, Man's World is also one of my faves. Thanks Dave & company for the inclusion of show in this box. One of the best of 1970. It also brought me back thinking to when I was a 7th Grader in the 1969 - '70 school year. I was only a 13 year old kid at the time and getting to know the the larger outside world around me, national and international news and other events. I do remember hearing about that 1st Earth Day as it happened in NYC and Philly. I was aware og the Grateful Dead, but didn't really hear their music until Truckin' got airplay in early '71.

ranking indeed

1. 912. 74 3. 92 4. 76 91 is a killer and outrides without a net , will rotate a long time... next up are 68 , 78 and 93

uv1

thumbs up , you have done a good job on your son....

30 trips

Hello everyone,this is my first post but I have been reading them from preorder days. just finished listening to all of the shows in order and must say THANK YOU GDM & RHINO. love all of it , every show from every year has something special to offer. I understand the nature of vault tapes and their possible short comings, and think their choices of shows were fucking sweet! hope you usb stick people get your shows soon. also would like to say I own most every comercial release from the dead and in my opinion the second spring 1990 box set is the best sounding multi-disc set ever released by them. also the first spring 1990 box sounded like shit (if you are going to release a pricey box set at lest make sure it sounds worthy of dong so), so much so that as soon as a i heard the second one I dumped the first knowing I would never listen to it again. did not even burn copies it was/is that bad in comparison to the seconds greatness. just my not so humble opinion, bye for now legalize it!

GRATEFUL DAD! [part 2]

Thanks, @purpleerik69. I forgot to mention, my son has also been coming into my room to look through the new Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics book! He loves turning the pages and looking at the pictures.

O.K....

Finished digesting '71. Great show!...I think '67 and '71 are my favorites so far. Taking my time, savoring through this box! This '71 has some great moments. The whole show rocks! The Rub is great and the Cumberland is one of the best. On to '72 tomorrow, one of the ones Ive been waiting for. Take care folks!!!

surrealistic

Good post. I have been listening sequentially to the box and am up to '82. So far I have been happy with every year, and in a state of bliss with others. I also recently got the Spring 1990 TOO box set and completely agree that the sound of that set is excellent.

what is the story of....

I'd heard if you got a "miracle" scroll, you'd get your lightning bolt usb stick BEFORE Christmas!

how much memory do the lossless files for the box use

Ok, so here is a question for all of you who have put all of this lovely music onto your computers: How much memory does the lossless files for the entire box use? I may need to get a new external hard drive... I am looking forward to listening to the music in this big beautiful box, a.k.a the marriage-wrecker, as it has come to be fondly known in our house.

uv1 Grateful Dad

well , i have a baby grand-soon now only three months old , we bought the toddler here on dead.net store and took a photo , unfortunately i am not that " modern " that i could upload this picture - showing me with baby Arthut in his first GD-toddler. So we have our Grateful-Baby-arthur right here in Austria.......and to your son : the road is long , may it be full of love and good music !

@Swiftundertoe - ALAC = 25GB

I ripped mine ALAC and size consumed was about 25GB.

@swiftundertoe

WAV I've got 43.5 GB.

Grateful Dad also

My 4 year old daughter now has my box. Emptied it out and now it has bracelets and her cd's in it. At first I was cringing.....but hey, if you want some brownie points with the kids and the wife....its a solid move.

So Far

I've listened to '66 '67 '68 '69 '70 x2 '71 '72 '73 '74(and part of it a second time) '75 '76 '77 x2 '78 '79(first two discs only) '80 '81 '91 I started '82 and stopped during the first song.. TERRIBLE sound. Also started '87 and stopped it probably 3 songs in. Just wasn't feeling it and there were people around who probably were feeling it even less. It's possible I am not going to appreciate the shows after '81 as much as some of you others will. Because of this, I've started revisiting earlier shows. '77 is still surprisingly underwhelming to me after two listenings. Guess I was spoiled by all of the '77 shows I bought and listened to in the few months leading up to receiving my box. '76 didn't blow my mind like some people. '75 and, more so, '78 have been the surprise hits for me so far. Of course '67 and '69 were amazeballs, but those didn't surprise me as much as '75 and '78. I definitely feel a second listen for '71-'74 is in order so I can have a more fully formed opinion on them. Those four just kind of ran together for me.

surrealistic - agreed - Spring 90 TOO

Best sounding box/release, I think that one is it also.. I am really curious to know if they will do the first 6 shows again like Spring 90 TOO mix ? In my opinion, those were the better shows from the run for the most part. With the 1st set of 3.16.90, near the top of list for favorites of the tour. Let The Good Times Roll Touch Of Grey New Minglewood Blues Peggy-O Queen Jane Approximately Loser Black Throated Wind Bird Song Blow Away

79...

So far my favorites are 79 and 67. The sound and feel on the Cap Cod show is simply magical. On the other hand, I though 1994 was disappointing after hearing rave reviews: while Help/Slip/Franklin is good, it's painful to hear Jerry struggling with his strings, and missing notes.

1973

I'm trying to get to disc 3, but the China->Rider on disc 2 keeps me hitting the rewind button. The transition jam from one song to the other is utterly spectacular. It reminds me a little of the transition on DP 12.

Artists

Kid C and Betty Cantor Jackson are artist with the way the have made the Dead sound. They are responsible for a big part of the bands legend. If they stayed on longer I think other era's would get more love than they have recieved. The seperation of the instruments on their recordings are head and shoulders above Dan Healy and john Cutter no disrespect. I did not relize the difference until listening to this box. I have also noticed that the recording from 76 I love the best have been recorded by Betty. The Dan Healy tapes sound have that lack of seperation and crispness of the Betty's. Please try to get at least some of the Betty tapes for release.

Grateful Dad: redux

I'm digging the Grateful Dad shares. My 9 year-old son had pretty good taste with Levon Helm/The Band, the Kinks, and Zeppelin among his favorites. His favorite animals are turtles and tortoises. When I was tucking him in recently while he was finishing up his bedtime reading, he was reading a reptile book. He asked if I knew what terrapins were. He's been a longtime fan of "Tennessee Jed" (Levon's version from Electric Dirt), and he's long known I love a band called the Grateful Dead, but I figured it was time for his proper introduction. I grabbed disc 3 from DP 29 (May 19, 1977 from the Fox in Atlanta), and I put that on for him (he listens to music at night while he falls asleep, just like his old man and my old man before me). He was mesmerized by Terrapin, and I could only imagine what visions the lyrics stirred in the mind of an imaginative 9 year-old. I envied his wonder and experience. When I came home later and went in to check on him, he had Terrapin on repeat and was asleep in the position he lays when he is listening intently. He's been listening to that disc at bedtime for about 3 weeks. Last night I was driving with my son, with the 76 Cobo show playing. PITB came on, and he said,"Hey, I know this song."

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