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    July 1978: The Complete Recordings

    What's Inside:

    • Five Complete Shows on 12 discs
    • 7/1/78 Arrowhead Stadium: Kansas City, MO
    • 7/3/78 St. Paul Civic Center Arena: St. Paul, MN
    • 7/5/78 Omaha Civic Auditorium: Omaha, NE
    • 7/7/78 Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO
    • 7/8/78 Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO
    Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
    Artwork by esteemed cartoonist Paul Pope
    Intro and show-by-show liner notes by Nicholas Meriwether
    Producer's Note by David Lemieux
    Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 15,000
    Release Date: May 13, 2016

    Announcing July 1978: The Complete Recordings

    We’re pleased to announce JULY 1978: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS, five incredible unreleased shows and the first official release from the long-lost tapes, recently returned to the Grateful Dead’s vault. Follow the Dead on a sonic journey through a superb selection of settings, an often epic adventure that finds them winning over Willie and Waylon fans in Kansas City, conjuring charisma in Omaha, and elevating the Red Rocks beyond their already spiritual planes. With five distinct performances painting the masterpiece of 1978, Betty Cantor-Jackson's always-pristine soundboard recordings, and the "hall-of-fame pedigree" of the Dead's first-ever shows at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, this is one release that far exceeds excellence in music, sound quality, and rarity.

    Limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies, JULY 1978: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS includes Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO (7/1/78), St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN (7/3/78), Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, NE (7/5/78), and Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison CO (7/7/78 and 7/8/78) - all of the performances in this collection are drawn from the band’s master soundboard recordings, each newly mastered by Jeffrey Norman. The set also features original artwork by esteemed cartoonist Paul Pope (D.C. and Marvel comics) and in-depth liner notes written by Nick Meriwether (Grateful Dead Archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz), as well as a producer’s note from producer David Lemieux.

    Due May 13th, we anticipate that this extraordinary box will sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here.

    Looking for something a little more byte-sized? The collection will also be available for HD digital download in FLAC and ALAC, exclusively at dead.net, on release day.

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  • stoltzfus
    Joined:
    Recommended show: 4/1/80
    a perfect example of a good, solid GD show. Pleasant and satisfying. i have had it on disc for a long time. listened today, and very glad i did.
  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    Beer
    Curious what others like. There's a board on this site for that discussion. http://www.dead.net/forum/whats-your-fridge#comment-816516 Keithfan: I have always ignored the auto calibrate feature. Will try it for the DVD/Bluray player which uses 5.1. CDs stay in the realm of stereo. AngryJackstraw: The lyricists from VT can still jam better than most which is why they sell out even with lame lyrics. Other bands with good lyrics but weak jamming ability can also sell out. But, the good ole Grateful Dead had both which put them in a league of their own. Even Trey sounded better at FTW than in Phish (I saw Phish 8 times from 92-98, stopped after 98 because I couldn't get into the newer songs).
  • KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    Surround Sound Harmonics
    My "big" system that I listen to music on is my family room surround sound system (Sony with Bose bookshelf speakers). I've had this 5.1 setup in place for about 10 years now. I never bothered to auto-calibrate the system, because I know best how to adjust the speaker levels. The auto-calibration system is basically a microphone that plugs into the mic jack on the front panel of the system, so you just plug it in and place the microphone end of the wire at ear level where you're sitting, and then you hit the auto-calibrate button and it adjusts everything for you....so I learned today. Annnnnnd what a difference. Apparently there's more to distance settings than just volume; this thing has everything so finely tuned that the sound is many times improved. It's like it's somehow hit a similar audio property as the harmonics that you can hit on a guitar, where you hold down on the frets in just the right spot to produce this extraordinarily rich sound. 7/8/78 Wharf Rat => Franklin Tower => Sugar Magnolia was the first selection to ring free on this discovery. What a difference. Auto-calibrate my friends - you won't regret it. 10 years, lol, what a shmoe.
  • KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    Encroached
    I can't believe you're Floridabobaloo! You need to put that picture of the sunset over the water back up as your avatar (pretty sure that's what it was, maybe even a sailboat in there?)
  • Angry Jack Straw
    Joined:
    No F@cking Merlot
    Sideways. Classic. Fallout from Phil. Another classic. Always loved the VOJ. Was lucky enough to catch that one live. Truly the last worthwhile GD moment for me. Beer - Smithwicks. Even better when tasted in the homeland. Alternative listening. moe. Very under appreciated band. I never understood why moe or Max Creek didn't make it big, while DMB and those incompetent lyricists from VT still sell out.
  • Ken Goodman
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    Deadicated
    You are utterly correct about the Soul Jazz Studio One releases, the DUB collections especially. Listening to such DUB music equates to "praying to JAH" wordlessly/effortlessly, ecstatically effectively.
  • hendrixfreak
    Joined:
    Stolfutz may be on to something
    Or "on something." He wrote: "where indeed is the new DaP? I am certain there are other nirvana shows out there, waiting for the official treatment. 6/10/73 comes immediately to mind." Maybe the "something we've never done before" is a four-disc DaP, sporting 6-10-73... The show I effin' missed cuz I had to be back in school on Monday, 43 years ago! Editing in answer to Stolfutz' plea: isn't an announcement more likely later in the month? August release still seems a ways off.
  • LoveJerry
    Joined:
    Betty The Saint!!
    Unkle Sam, I can't believe you thought the last two Dave's Picks were lackluster!!! I just got into the Dead fulltime about 3 years ago, so I haven't heard the variety of shows that a lot of people here have. For someone like me, Dave's Picks 17 & 18 are incredible. The jam sequences are fantastic, and from what I understand, unusual for 1976. Playing In The Band has some of the best later 70s piano work Keith Godchaux played, as does Johnny B. Goode and One More Saturday Night. The post Eyes jam is fantastic, the Come A Time, whoa horsey, did they just do that, Space, Spanish Jam, The Wheel - this all sounds like Heaven to someone who hasn't spent too much time with the Dead. Same goes for that '74 show from Fresno - my jaw hit the floor on that Scarlet rendition (top 3 best stand alone performances, if not the best). And the second set jam sequence is up there with the best stuff I've heard from 1974, which I admit is limited, but maybe that's the point (by limited I mean I only have listened extensively to Dave's 13, 30 Trips, and Dick's 12). The backing vocals are superbly mixed! I think you're just bored friend :-) As painful as it may be, take yourself a hiatus from the Dead. After a year, come back and put on Dave's Picks 17. St. Betty!!! Yes, she captured this band expertly. Jerry wouldn't have reached as many as effectively as he did without her. But no need to argue that point, it's an apples and oranges comparison. What you need to do is listen to a Betty two-track show side by side with a Dan Healy two'track show to appreciate her contributions. I say two-track, because that truly demonstrates the mixing ability of the sound guy / sound girl, because all of the levels are set by them at the soundboard at the time of the show. She was able to mix the band perfectly and in great haste night after night on the road, with no wiggle room on the two-track. Betty the Saint!!
  • stoltzfus
    Joined:
    where indeed is the new DaP?
    I am certain there are other nirvana shows out there, waiting for the official treatment. 6/10/73 comes immediately to mind. last evening, 9/2/80, Sailor > Saint on cassette, was a magical moment.
  • unkle sam
    Joined:
    hey now, you need to perform a "miracle" to get saint hood
    Is BCJ good? Yes, but to get sainthood for placing some mics and working some equalizer buttons and flipping tapes? No. Sainthood? Jerry Garcia. He saved more lives with his music than anyone this century. Name one other person who helped, healed, guided, saved, or downright changed people. It was Jerry all the way. Jerry for Sainthood. I'm behind that all the way to the Pope. Where is the Dave's Picks announcement? After two lackluster pick's, lets hope this one blows us all out of the water and takes us to that magical place that is nirvana for deadheads... are there any nirvana shows left out there? Have they all been released? something that has not been done before, hopefully it will not be a rerelease of a ttats show, or an audience recording. Listened to 7-8-78 yesterday, .........hope the next box is from 69 - 74 or 89 - 91. Would love a 91 box with Bruce, those were the days and one of the last grate runs. Loved 93 too. Hell, loved it all, I've got to get that time machine built before it's too late.
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July 1978: The Complete Recordings

What's Inside:

• Five Complete Shows on 12 discs
• 7/1/78 Arrowhead Stadium: Kansas City, MO
• 7/3/78 St. Paul Civic Center Arena: St. Paul, MN
• 7/5/78 Omaha Civic Auditorium: Omaha, NE
• 7/7/78 Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO
• 7/8/78 Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO
Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
Artwork by esteemed cartoonist Paul Pope
Intro and show-by-show liner notes by Nicholas Meriwether
Producer's Note by David Lemieux
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 15,000
Release Date: May 13, 2016

Announcing July 1978: The Complete Recordings

We’re pleased to announce JULY 1978: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS, five incredible unreleased shows and the first official release from the long-lost tapes, recently returned to the Grateful Dead’s vault. Follow the Dead on a sonic journey through a superb selection of settings, an often epic adventure that finds them winning over Willie and Waylon fans in Kansas City, conjuring charisma in Omaha, and elevating the Red Rocks beyond their already spiritual planes. With five distinct performances painting the masterpiece of 1978, Betty Cantor-Jackson's always-pristine soundboard recordings, and the "hall-of-fame pedigree" of the Dead's first-ever shows at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, this is one release that far exceeds excellence in music, sound quality, and rarity.

Limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies, JULY 1978: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS includes Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO (7/1/78), St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN (7/3/78), Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, NE (7/5/78), and Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison CO (7/7/78 and 7/8/78) - all of the performances in this collection are drawn from the band’s master soundboard recordings, each newly mastered by Jeffrey Norman. The set also features original artwork by esteemed cartoonist Paul Pope (D.C. and Marvel comics) and in-depth liner notes written by Nick Meriwether (Grateful Dead Archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz), as well as a producer’s note from producer David Lemieux.

Due May 13th, we anticipate that this extraordinary box will sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here.

Looking for something a little more byte-sized? The collection will also be available for HD digital download in FLAC and ALAC, exclusively at dead.net, on release day.

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Not much for the political discussions on this site, but just wanted to let you know you are not alone in your views. Not a fan of either the republican or democrat political parties, as from my view both want to control the sheeple, its just a question of which rights each party wants to take away first, and from whom. "Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed and are right." H.L. Mencken
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I love democracybut I hate politics we've been around since 1776. I think we'll be OK. I vote for 6/10/73. Great show, appropriate city.
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The missing Betty Boards were just the ones she had on hand or was listening to at the time. They were always her tapes whether they were being kept with the band's stuff or not. She even told the band they should come and get them before the auction was imposed, but they just weren't interested.
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Last Danc post I can find in this thread is this: March 21, 2016 - 9:18am #173 danc Offline Joined: Sep 11 2007 Fresno reminder I heard the latest Dave's for the first time this past weekend. Really do love it, despite my shock (and no awe) at the big fluffs/miscues here and there, e.g. climax of He's Gone... garage band stuff! How fabulous to NAIL U.S. Blues in the middle of the second set, in the middle of the Summer of '74, as the essay notes. Them old U.S. Blues -- Trump won't win in a landslide per Nixon's second victory, however the U.S. is staying very '72 it seems, or perhaps worse. IT CAN HAPPEN HERE. ______________________________________________________________________________________ I guess that was too much! I was born and raised in the area Dantian talks about. Loved the land, but not the people. I won't go on, as I get pretty nasty about politics and suchlike....
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I just placed my order for the 78 boxset. I whiffed a few times before on boxes so I am not going to miss this one. I was never really big on 78 but it seems the more I hear the more I want to consume. Sure it wasn't 71, 72, 76 or 77 but it sounds good to me! cheers (and 2 rules at the bar - no religion and no politics)
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I too am going to wait, I don't like the business practice for making us pay for a box of shows 6 weeks before they ship, take the money out when you ship rhino, come on now, we want the music, but now it's almost like you want us to pay to have them made first, then ship them. Have not heard these shows, short shows, only 2 discs for the lost betty board shows, so why so short and then, the 2 in red rocks are 3 discs. Not a big 78 fan and I have heard that the Deal on the red rocks show is a scream fest between Bobby and Donna, not a big fan of the scream fests. So, I will wait and see, hopefully, I won't miss out.
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my dog has no nose. No nose? how does he smell? bloomin' awful.
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great article Jim, it truly shows how innovative the GD have always been with their marketing tactics. Love the reference to the Wall Street Heads toward the end as well; nice to know that the kindness can permeate into every field and actually have it help drive some people's work ethic and values when perhaps we may have thought them to be non-existent as outsiders. amazing idea in this day and age. I didn't even recognize Letterman at first. Good for him, let it all hang out. Sixtus

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Can it really have been 29 years ago? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQRcVBF8wQc charlie3, Nice Mencken quote. stoltzfus, The Roman Empire lasted a lot longer than 240 years, and they weren't impervious to crumbling from within. And we've progressed, culturally & technologically, at a much faster pace. But I appreciate the positive sentiment! Even if it's worse than it appears, we will get by. A blessed Holy Thursday to the Catholic heads among us...and everyone else, too.
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Picked one I attended. Thanks man.. Spring '87. What a difference a year made and what a recovery Jerry was making. Totally revived and refreshed. Gave us all hope and new energy. Hampton was my spring stomping ground, it was a bit of a drive from where I was living, but I seemed to be able to fit the pilgrimage into my school schedule year after year. Always an adventure. Thanks man..
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3/24/87 in it's candidacy for the United State of the next Dave's Pick. Man, the crowd reaction during that Terrapin says it all. What a fantastic show! Thanks for sharing and reminding me to give the whole thing a listen.
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Isn't it interesting that after all of the recent Keith talk that there are piano keys displayed prominently on the box?
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There was some interesting discussion regarding Keith vs Brent - sounds, playing, etc... Wondering if anyone else felt that the same as the famous tag lines of Keith being asked to leave because he was parroting Jerry's lines and not being able to function musically was said on purpose by writers close to the band to calm the transition that the core band decided to make because of other reasons- stealing drugs, bad vibes from fights with Donna, maybe if there was some resentment Keith had for other members sleeping with Donna, or wanting a more synth/fender rhodes type sound - but not playing ability. Same with Brent - I didn't notice the plinking in live recordings until late '80s, which to me was an awful music box sound... The early Brent had a great synth sound that again, I believe Jerry and the band wanted to explore and Keith was not too keen on- reconstruction and JGB also had that sound and plus with Merl S influence we see why Jerry may have wanted a fender rhodes/organ type player and that could be some factor in Keith's dismissal. Back to why Brent didn't last- I think that maybe Brent's going over the edge was not ultimately due to addiction and fear of detox from the DUIs but maybe the writing was on the wall that the band was going to go back to more of a Keith sound and get Bruce H or just another player that was more functional and did not give suicide vibes and he couldn't take it... or the organization knew they needed to keep touring and if Brent was in jail the show must go on with someone else. Anyway - pure speculation but its interesting to think that there could be some spin as to what the real reasons were for the dissatisfaction/end of both keyboardists...
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More DVD style packaging that won't fit on my CD shelf. I'd rather something like the 1969 Fillmore West box or the Winterland boxes, even So Many Roads. Why not just make them like Sunshine Daydream and i can just put it in storage next to that, the Spring 1977 and the Warlocks box.
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Bobby: "I'm moving to Australia." ________________________________________ Kayak Guy - if you turn it on its side, it'll fit I suspect, although of course it may stick out depending on shelf-depth. Glass half full?
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That's not really fitting on my CD shelf if it's hanging off the end. Another thing for the storage room and not the CD wall/Jerry shrine. a small disappointment, but still just think about the how the CDs will be secured in the DVD style box, there's no room for digipacks, it's sleeves that will scratch the CDs when you take them out.
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14 years 9 months
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I can't really tell much about the box dimensions or cd packaging from the picture. Hope the cases are not sleeves like 30 Trips- I'm not a fan of those cases. Maybe it's time for the secret weapon- Miss Cleo from the Psychic Readers Network. This would atleast solve the packaging riddle.
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Sixtus - Been down under for 7.5 years and still loving it! (Except for waiting on Dave's Picks to arrive. Sometimes it takes forever.)
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it must be on the back side of that box. That rhymed too many times. errrr....... I can't wait for the great shots of the Red Rocks and all of us there, screaming and dancing as our band elevated us all. This will be a delight to revisit those 'daze' back in July of 78 and the joy of towing you all into the shared bliss of our collective 'flashback'. The Truth is realized in an instant, the act is practiced step by step.
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It appears to be the same format as the Spring 1977 box which while beautiful, does not fit on the CD shelves and ended up in a ziplock freezer bag in storage.The overly tight sleeves make not scratching the CDs difficult are yet another design flaw. http://www.dead.net/store/1970s/may-1977-box-digital PS. the new artwork is cool, but the package size is still nonstandard for audio boxes. Why not use the LP format box and digipacks like the 1990 boxes and give us the artwork in LP sized printings we can appreciate without a magnifying glass. http://www.dead.net/features/sketch-pad-making-july-1978-complete-recor…
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Then again, I kinda like the artwork from Spring '77. I keep putting this stuff up proudly in my office and my gf keeps trying hide it and chick the place out. Not gonna happen! Seriously.. this box is a coup for all of us. One of the more treasured runs in GD lore, returned betty's, beautiful artwork, a great Oroboros and HendrixFreak series of stories. In the immortal words of hbob and the good doctor, Rock On.
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....there is a simple remedy if it happens. Use 2 or 3 drops of paste toothpaste (not gel), grab a lint free cloth, and rub outwards. Rise with tap water. And dry with said cloth. Also outwards. Ta Da!....
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9 years 1 month
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I may have missed it but does anyone know how much the downloads will cost? Maybe the same as the physical? and uh, maybe not?
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12 years
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arent these some of the betty boards she had called to tell the office she had and wanted to get to them when she was being evicted and the GD office wouldnt return her calls? then they were found many years later in a storage locker someone bought...since the people didnt want to deal with the legalities they pretty much handed them over to GDP, but poor betty gets nothing out of this...pretty pathetic, i think GDP should share the wealth with her
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Vguy72 Could you explain in more detail? Are you saying to rub the CD? For a second there, I thought maybe you were talking about how to prevent scratching. So looking forward to this box!
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17 years 6 months
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Nowhere does Vguy72 refer to CDs, so he is obviously referring to the cases. You apparently have to apply toothpaste to the inside of the case and rub outwards. Presumably one should remove the CD from the case before doing this. Afterwards, it would seem like a good idea to hang the rinsed case up to dry completely before returning the CD to what remains of the case. Good luck with this remedy. Will the first person to try this please post a video for the rest of us to enjoy!
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too funny. Yes the toothpaste on the cd can correct scratches on the cd themselves. I have not gone this far yet and tried it. Usually I have had luck just taking a light lent free cloth and rub the disk to get them to play again. I have read and seen it done. On a bad cd, I have taken it to a (still in business) cd/dvd exchange store where they have a refinisher. This usually takes care of the really bad disks. I am busy with work right now, vguy can explain much better... Here is a link to look at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=removing+scratches+on+a+cd
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I find reality checks like yours disturbing at times. 26 years ago?!? Jeez....that was a quick quarter century. It seems like just a few years ago they had that contest to name the place. And, as I understand it, it's not even called that anymore. The naming rights went to a bank or something just as creative. We left NY about 15 years ago and I haven't kept up on much from the old homestead excepting a few good people. I know I'm just the latest of the millions of people who are shocked by the briskness of time once we get past our twentieth year, but I still felt the need to say it. I guess I'll just let out a big sigh and get back to work, now.
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I think the box looks GREAT. I think it will be about the size of cd's (like winterland and fillmore and 3 from the vault. Scratches - I don't know about anyone else, but I use the "SkipDr". Have it for 4 or 5 years now. I get a LOT of cd's and dvd's from the library and they can be in terrible condition. This stupid thing works. It can be slow, but it does work. You stick the cd in it and turn the crank, it rotates the disc while spinning a "grinding" wheel. I've taken some incredibly bad scratches out and gotten cd/dvd to work again. A must have in my book. Get replacement grind wheels when you buy one, they don't last forever.
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14 years 11 months
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not sure but I would imagine it would cost the same, if not a little less. no packaging, shipping, etc. It wouldn't cost more, i would think.
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14 years 11 months
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"and not too expensive" (MPfans should get that) looks like a good product. we hates it when the precious music skips.
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10 years 7 months
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I tried the toothpaste method. It sealed up the big cavity in the center of the disc.
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9 years 8 months
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I haven't used it on a CD, but i've used it on my son's x-box games and can tell you the toothpaste method absolutely works!
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13 years 1 month
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I've had the guy at my local record store tell me Turtle Wax or anything that buffs/waxes your car works. I've never used it myself so I can't say.
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13 years 5 months
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Not sure if the scratches are fixed, but my CD's are now pearly white. Colgate Advanced White. Actually gonna give it a try on my Sunshine Daydream CD.
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17 years 5 months
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I guess I am lucky, or just so damn careful, that I don't have this issue. I have over 2,000 cds and zero scratches! I guess that is due to the fact that I don't let anyone else touch these babies and I treat them like the crown jewels. I wish I was in as good a shape as my discs! lol. Rock on
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8 years 9 months
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This is looking good. 5-8-77 in the works as a single box on the way ala Sunshine Daydream. No video. But stand alone box set is coming.
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I don't know if I want to risk toothpaste on my 2011 Road Trips Bonus CD from 12/6/73. I was lucky to get that for a buck seventy-five. Since there's a sign on my lawn that says Dead Storage, I'll tell you - the first thing I did to solve the issue with CDs getting scratched by the sandpaper lining in the cases, was to remove them all from the cases and store them in a CD album. It was cool, because I bought a black case that held a couple hundred CDs, and I ordered a bunch of Dead stickers to put all over it, like a cheap version of the E72 steamer trunk. Unfortunately I was finding even this caused some abrasions on the CD playing surface, which really pissed me off after all of the effort and probably a hundred bucks in CD albums and stickers. What I ended up doing was putting all of my Dead CDs in those generic white CD sleeves (you know which ones), and I store them in the CD bays of the 30 Trips storage crates (and I put my 30 Trips covers with all of the others - on display on my shelves, like books). Problem resolved. Unfortunately, it takes four 30 Trips crates to hold everything that's been officially released between 1966 and 1978 (I left the 80s and 90s stuff in the CD albums), so it's not a solution that will work for everyone - but you can implement the white sleeve solution just as easily by buying a generic CD chest (or build your own if you're handy!). You can try ebay for the empty 30 Trips crates, though it was easier to get them when the box set first came out. There are six CD bays in each box, and each bay can hold 15 - 18 CDs, depending on how thick the sleeves are (they vary by manufacturer I discovered) and how many you want to stuff in there. I do 15 per bay, so about 90 per crate. I have a fifth crate for the next 90 CDs they release......
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10 years 1 month
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Do tell more, what know you of this fabled 5/8/77 release??? Or is that just positive speculation?
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14 years
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Listening now...my brain is melting into my morning coffee cup... ;-) Way to rock the Heartland...
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9 years 6 months
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Almost all my box sets with tight cardboard sleeves have arrived with at least one CD in the set with a minor, but still playable visible scratch. It's seems like they are scratched when being assembled, I am VERY careful with my CDs and I don't even let other people look at them let alone touch them. The toothpaste trick is something to do when you decide to resell the CDs, not before the 1st play. Tight sleeves are not archival, though they might look cool enough to score a packaging Grammy for the Rhino team. If so many people remove the CDs from the original packaging and use alternate CD sleeves, doesn't it seem like there is a problem? Go back and read any of the recent 70's boxes comment sections and as soon as they are delivered, the boards are filled with complaints about scratched CDs, ripped sleeves and "special methods" to get the CDs out of the sleeves without damaging the sleeves or scratching the CDs. At least when they do the 1980's boxes they use digipacks, they should all be like that and then they could all be on the same shelf and proudly displayed, not hidden in storage because of their non standard sizing. Maybe they think 1970's fans will take anything they can get and have to try harder on the 1980's boxes ;)
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Speaking of protecting cd's, a personal favorite is the Medusa Maneuver. It's one of the Hickory Smoked Spells, and if anyone stares too long at my discs, their hair turns into the scales of the Komodo dragon. In terms of protection, maybe cd packaging peaked with hard plastic cases. Fortunately, Dave's Picks found a balance between cd protection and sustainability.
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Reminds me of Nigel-"don't even look at it"
product sku
081227946883
Product Magento URL
https://store.dead.net/july-1978-the-complete-recordings.html