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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
The Dave's Pick Rumor of Greek 1984 is based
on a post in this thread from October 21 at 5:05pm where there was a spotting on dead.net of a banner saying that Dave's Pick 17 would be July 13, 1984 at the Greek, which apparently was immediately taken down. I posted a copy of this on my Dead blog http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2015/10/daves-picks-17-berkeley-gre…
My raising of the rumor is based on several actual dead.net readers seeing this banner.
I do not know if it is true, but it would be cool. I'd still prefer the 1982 Greek shows or the 1972 Berkeley High School (Community Theater) shows
I think that might have been
a tongue-in-cheek comment from .5 miles, though I could be wrong.
The Days Between from Jerry Memorial
While at the Jerry Memorial in GGP - "the days between" was playing on the sound system - it to this day is the most amazing version I have ever heard with a long intro. It sounded like it might have been a studio version?? Very long. Can anyone shed some light for me on this? Thanks so much.
memorial
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 10:38:18 -0700From: kraitch@EECS.Berkeley.EDU (mark kraitchman)
To: dead-heads@nemesis.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: setlist [Sunday August 13, 1995]
What follows is mostly a setlist posted to rec.music.gdead by David
Gans (with a few embellishments). If anybody has more complete
transcriptions of the speeches please share them. Note the music was
previous recordings; except for the parade and drumming there was no
live music... It is estimated that about 20,000 people were there.
Sunday August 13, 1995
Golden Gate Park Polo Field, San Francisco CA
Jerry Garcia Memorial Gathering
Days Between - Spring tour 1994 composite
http://hake.com/gordon/latest.html
Days Between
can be found here
http://www.gdhour.com/music/daysbetween-composite.mp3
This composite is taken from the 3/28/94 and 4/4/94 performances;
Thanks to David Gans
Capitol Theater Playin' Reprise
My socks were blown off by the Wharf Rat outro Jam into the Playing reprise ever since I heard it again this past spring while I was volunteering picking up (tons of) trash at a beautiful local park. Once upon a time, when mp3 files where made freely downloadable at the Taper's Section, the segment from Terrapin on through the end of the show was one of the selections distributed. So, when I noticed this was the 1977 selection for 30 trips I was stoked this was getting official release treatment because I was aware of the heat of the jam.I'm looking forward to set II of the '78 trip today. I don't know where I am going to hit next (maybe '80's?)...
Family and the Power of Lindley Meadows
So - Though I'm going in order with the Box (up to '72 now), Lindley Meadows is an exception. I've heard that show so many times it doesn't matter if I listen to it out of order.
Anyway, I'm CRANKING that the other night while my wife and 6 year old were taking a shower. They come in to the room, PJ's on, and The Music Never Stopped has just started. Next thing I know, the three of us are dancing like we're at a show, laughing our asses off. My wife hates the Dead, basically. But no one can resist the power of Lindley Meadows.
NWScarletFireGuy - thanks for posting that story about your 11-year old - great story! Made me think of posting this.
I love the Grateful Goddamn Dead.
EDIT: This box set is the greatest thing in the history of recorded music.
Claney, About that Family Dance-a-thon...
good story about the family getting involved in your little obsession. Mine is the same way it seems; wifey = not a big fan, but I am slowly wearing her down...she now recognizes Shakedown Street, Eyes of the World, Estimated Prophet, and actually has verbally stated she enjoys Scarlet Begonias (see, it's working).
But the best part is my 15-month old son LOVES to groove to the Dead. It is always on in the car to/from daycare, and then I am usually home first so I almost always put on a show and crank it up, and he comes into the room bopping his head up and down and doing little knee bends, clearly trying to be in-time with the music, huge grin on his face. And he only started walking about 6 weeks ago so his balance is still a little iffy but man is it great fun to see him engaged. Then the icing on the cake is when the wifey comes home and finds us bopping and grooving to the music, she almost always joins in. As I said - she's comin' around...slowly but surely, I am determined....
Great box set for sure...but...
This is a great box set and I'm very happy I bought it, but there is one depressing thing: it really highlights how they peaked early and went down hill steadily as time went by.
Listening to the shows in order:
67-70 are just astonishingly amazing.Their improvisation is just fantastic.
71-74 are great but a bit more tame.
76-77 have some great stuff but can't be compared to earlier jams.The improv isn't anywhere near 67-70.
78 onward - meh. Not much at all to get excited about. From here on out they just went down toward a slow death.
I know many will disagree. I figure there are just different kinds of Dead Heads who like different types of music. Those that dig the roots of the Dead - the wild, improvisational long jams. Early stuff. Those that like the utter raw stuff. Those that like more song oriented stuff. Then there are those that are mostly attracted to the "scene". The "tribal" tent scene, where the focus is less on the actual musical talent. They like just hanging out, taking drugs, selling stuff in the parking lot, being part of a "hip scene". They might like the Dead from the 80's for that reason. Music-wise the 80's just plain sucked.
Note:I'm talking in very general overall, birds eye view terms. An occasional one song or jam jem in later years doesn't change my opinion. There just aren't any full shows in later years that are even in the same ballpark as earlier shows.
My opinion.
Contrary opinions not acceptable
@ZuckfunSorry my opinion doesn't line up with yours. Maybe that's against the law where you live. It's not in California so I assumed I had a right to an opinion that wasn't identical to yours.
Yes there are ways to make a point
without insulting a whole generation of Heads. Your subjective opinion is just that. But relatively speaking the Dead in the 80's was a welcome contrast to the likes of synth driven crap like Kajagoogoo & Starship's we built this city. Homer Simpson said that it's a known fact that rock and roll peaked in 1974. That may be true but the show must go on & it did for the Dead in a still meaningful way. Sure I prefer Houses of the Holy Zeppelin to what came out of Jimmy Page & Plant in the 1980's, but time moves on. Very few artists continue to peak 20 plus years into a career.
bootleg story
Random digression from the topics on this board but I had to share it. Heard a story from a guy who is usually into good music but for some reason can't handle the Dead. The guy grew up in Alaska working at the fisheries in the summer and as a teenager he had to watch over all of the guys gutting and packing up the fish in a warehouse. He was also in charge of the music. He said they were all deadheads working summer in Alaska. The music selection was hundreds of dead tapes with no name, just a date and location. Some guy named psycho Bob would take a sledge hammer to the top of the corrogated roof yelling to throw on Hollywood 72, no Cornell 77, and wouldn't stop hitting the roof until he had the right show going. The guy has flashbacks to sorting through hundreds of tapes, just dates and locations, with psycho bob and the other fishermen yelling to keep the music going. This went on for several summers and he seemed really traumatized from the constant demand to keep the live dead going.
Re: jeffmil
Please stop calling me psycho bob. It was a long time ago, its not a nice nickname and I am trying very hard to move on.
Edit: Bang Bang Bang. 6/18/74, Louisville.
BANG, BANG BANG.
rbumpkin
lol, well, I don't believe the scene changed all that much, and I think all eras enjoyed it. You have to be more considerate on here and not lump everyone into one basket. I agree that the music took a downward trajectory, and personally, I don't listen to much after '78. Nassau and Dead Set are enjoyable. The reason is that Brent's voice instantly makes my bunghole pucker (I know, not ladylike), and that tinky-tonk fisher price toy keyboard sound (lol, someone else once used that term, funny) he employed in the mid to late 80s simply does not mix in well with the other instruments - it's a tonal thing, it just sounds like it's on top of the rest of the music not in harmony with it. I think "tone deaf" is the word you were looking for....all of those 80s fans are not drugged out, they're tone deaf....
Tone deaf
@LoveJerrySo do I. In fact, I'm a Jerry Head, not a Dead Head. Without Jerry, OMG they are so boring! Sorry guys who can't take other opinions, but for me everything that came after Jerry bores me to tears.
Tone deaf - yeah, I can go with that.
Scene - sure, it changed a great deal. HUGELY. Interviews with Jerry and others will attest to it. Music was the focus early on. Later it was the scene. This isn't idle subjective speculation on my part. It's clear and the Dead are the ones who described the change. It culminated in the last years with gate crashes, injuries, and general craziness, as if it were a Led Zeppelin concert.
Insulting fellow heads
Tone deaf, really?
This is the wrong forum for that. Take the negativity, insults and closed-mindedness to the proper forum on that FB page where they still openly condone/encourage stealing officially released music.
The shows from the box I haven't heard yet are '73, '78, '81, '91, the second set of '94 and '95.
My current favorite is the '88 show. Possibly the most flawlessly executed performance next to the '67 show, another favorite. So far, the only show that I've listened to twice is '82, which I liked more the second time. I haven't heard a show from this box I disliked.
If the rumored pick to kickoff the 2016 subscription is indeed 7/13/84, this will be my favorite subscription year since 2011 Road Trips. Excellent choice and essential. Now Weir talking!
Comparisons
Ok. So let's say you prefer pre '80 Dead to post '80 Dead. But what about post '80 Dead compared to the rest of what was out there in the rest of the music world in the '80's. Hair bands? The end of disco? I think when you look at it that way the post '80 Dead measures up just fine!
I am one who likes all Dead. Sure, there are differences in the stages of the band but I love them all. That is why I think this box is just about the be-all and end-all. I am amazed at how good the '90's shows here sound. Awesome to these old ears. And after '81 I only saw the band one more time live, in '87. I am thrilled that this box gives everyone a chance to get out of their comfort zone and I think most of us will find happiness there.
Rock on
Taper's Section question
I'm trying to stream one of the older taper's section entries. On the newer ones, it works fine, but on older ones, like say the "Run Run Rudolph" from the December 4-December 10, 2006 Taper's Section, what I get is it tries to go to this url:
http://mfile.akamai.com/72222/mov/sos2208-1.streamos.download.akamai.co…
and then a Authentication Window comes up asking for a Userid and Password with the following text:
"Enter username for Streaming Server at a117.v722228.c72222g.vq.akamaistream.net:
I have no idea what to put there, and if I don't put anything I get a "401 Unauthorized" message.
Does anyone know how to stream these older entries?
Jim (Psycho Bob)
Too funny, man.
Jeffmil, great fkin story, I can picture the poor guy rifling through those tapes searching for the right one...hahaha.
Taper's Section issue
Thank you very much Mary!! I won't keep trying for now, then :)
Why do I feel like
Why do I feel like this line of argument is going to lead to a cheap shot at my girl....
Why do I feel like
Well you asked for it. She's horrible! I wish she was on a separate track so I could get a mixer and mix her out of the '70's. LOL!
Comparisons
hbob1995, you are probably right about comparing the Dead to other '80's bands. Fine. But the point of my original post was that the one downside to this box set is that it makes it quite natural to compare the Dead as the "progressed" (although I would call it "devolved").
For instance, listening to 1976 is so boring compared to '69-70! They are tired, the transitions between songs are lame, and there is no improvisation the way there used to be. And I want to LOVE 1976 because that's the year I started going to a lot of shows! I loved them, but I'd pay anything to be able to go to a 1970 show. Mind blowing in comparison.
I stopped going in 1980 when I saw them and couldn't believe how far they had sunk. Yeah, better than the "big hair" bands, but after seeing greater shows it was hard to sit there and listen to them phone it in.
Looking for a copy of a Dead Ahead Bonus Disc
If anyone has a copy of the Dead Ahead Bonus Disc and is willing to trade for some other hard to find Bonus Disc, please let me know.
Still living the 30 Trips around the Sun collection. Find myself still coming back to the Golden Gate Park 1975 concert. Simply beautiful.
Peace
*80s comparisons
The 80s chart music sucked of course. But we're talking about the love of good music here, so comparing 80s Dead to the mainstream is somewhat off-beam.
The 80s had Husker Du, Meat Puppets, Mission of Burma, Bad Brains, Smiths, The Fall, PiL ... and that's just the stuff I liked; there's other stuff like Joy Division, The Cure, REM, Green On Red, Pixies, Throwing Muses, Minutemen, Crass, Jesus & Mary Chain; I could go on all night, but you get the point.
Even so, 'Loser' from July 22nd 1984, for one, can easily hold it's own with any of this company.
Obviously Smack & Coke will compromise art, but the Dead had a very long way to fall before bands in the common run could even begin to stand comparison.
YMMV of course :-)
'80's
First off, WOW! That Hell In A Bucket opener from 7/3/88 may be the most explosive and powerful opener of any show in the box. They're playing at a full-on grand finale level right out of the gate with Jerry just viciously attacking his guitar. The gig just picks up steam from there and gets downright nasty throughout in a Grateful Dead rocking it out kind of way.
Even the second set Touch of Grey opener is full of explosive energy.
I'm officially jealous of everyone who attended this "Masterpiece" of a show (both shows actually) and ranks up there with 8/27/72 as a one I most "wish I'd been there" moment. The other night of this run, which hasn't been released yet is even better.
I haven't heard everything from the box yet, but this is the top contender as my box favorite which I will revisit very often. This is the show to bust out at parties and for newbies. Every note, beat and word executed with absolute perfection and the audio quality is PHAT!
@Keithfan2112 - for an '80s mix tape, there are a lot of great performances I think you would like. I'll put something together for you to check out. 7/3/88 is a great starting point.
i like the 80s Dead
I don't like Brent. I don't think the two have anything to do with each other. Jerry was in the band either way.
Was the playing a little more predictable? Sure. Was Jerry's voice a little more ragged? Absolutely. But anyone who doesn't enjoy Jerry and the boys during that decade (especially post-coma) is missing out.
Eras
The Dead is the only band that I love everything they did, in all the different sounds and lineups. Love being able to throw on a Viola, Clementine, Potato, Alligator, Mountains, Ripple, Half Step, Here Comes Sunshine, Eyes, Scarlet, Terrapin, Shakedown, West La, Alabama, Black Muddy River, Standing on the Moon, Touch, Lazy River, Days Between and So many Roads. And that's a VERY short list of extremely great songs from the band's various eras. There's so much to love about each era, comparing them is sort of a blazed reason to dislike anything. This doesn't sound like this!!! Well yeah that's because they aren't doing that...they are doing something else though that is beautiful. I prefer 68-69 but when listening to other years I'm not thinking about how they don't sound like they did in 68-69... that's out of gourd.
re: Dennis' Dad
Dennis,
If your old man's still around, I want to party with him.
That's classic.. I will be sure to use that phrase a lot myself.
80's
Funny. I am working my way through the box sequentially and this afternoon I got up to 1987, the one show from the box that I attended. As I was listening and feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up, I checked out this thread and saw all the shade thrown on 80's dead. Whatever, to each his own, but to me part of the appeal is the changes that they went through. I mean its a period of 30 years, how could they not wander off in some different directions from time to time? Listening to the Dead sets my mind free whatever era.
gate crashing
It was going on well before the 80-90 era of Dead.
Touch Heads
I went to shows 90-95, and it just wasn't young folks acting like drunkin asses...plenty of blame to go around
Scroll #0054 , Trick or Treat, and BCT84
Trick or Treat is here tonight in my neighborhood. A perfect night to que up some 80's Drums > Space jams And a perfect night for the probably the entire neighborhood and me to get its first listen of this massive box set.
*Ticket = 10.27.91
*Backstage Pass = 6.11.93 - Buckeye Lake - awesome 1st set, one of my favorites from Vince era. And the pass is awesome. Astronaut with a skeleton face AHAHAH !!
10.28.84 - BCT - 2nd set - very nice and the Drums is awesome !!!!!
Terrapin Station >
Playing In The Band >
China Doll >
Drums >
Space >
The Wheel >
Throwing Stones >
Not Fade Away
Halloween Box Treat
Dr Rhino says I get a replacement Box.That's much better than a Halloween trick of no Box.
With all these 'replacement' Boxes going out you would think that the production count would be >20,000.
@ icecrmenkd
I glad to hear that you're finally getting your 30 Trips box.
Silly, really...
...all this 80s bashing.
I started listening to the box set in reverse order. 95 on down. Currently on disc 3 of 1983. I absolutely LOVE the 80s stuff...AND the 90s stuff. So far, 93 is the only show of the box, IN MY OPINION, that lacks a bit of energy. Yet I still enjoyed it. And really, that's all it's about. Me (and whomever) enjoying! Loving this trip!!!!
The Doctor
Dr. Rhino promises a "replacement" box will be shipped ASAP to me in Atlanta. What is going on here? Did the Southeast UPS warehouse get raided by pirates?
Re: The Doctor
Clearly evil geopolitical forces are at play. This is no mere act of piracy.
product sku
081227955892