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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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  • wave-that-flag
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    Beats and Neighborhoods
    Always loved Kerouac. Born in raised in Lowell, MA where Jack K grew up and went to High School. Reading those novels were always a trip as he frequently wrote about memories of specific places from his old home town. Always loved Maggie Cassidy, The Town and the City, Dr. Sax and his many other books set there. On another random neighborhood note, I used to live on East 3rd Street, and the Hells Angels were always polite neighbors. No nonsense on that block ever. Later moved over a few blocks to Avenue B. Love Hunter S. Thompson and miss him still. Favorite poet--can I go with Dylan? Yeah, that's my pick. Going through a listen to 30 trips again, this time in order. Up to 1986. A few shaky shows in the early 80's, but all in all a solid box-set that keeps on giving.
  • boblopes
    Joined:
    Fenway shows - I'll be at both
    Sixtus and Takimoto - I'll be at both shows at Fenway. Not sure what the even brings, but would be cool to meet up. Staying in town for the festivities.
  • Ken Goodman
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    daverock/muleskinner
    Charter's bio is probably the best...but in my opinion, Kerouac's own writings are the best bios! I wouldn't be too concerned that Town and the City was written "before he found his style." For that very reason, I, like you, avoided reading it for years. But when I did read it, I discovered that that "before he found his style" thing is grossly overstated. Town & City is a wonderful book! And it's fascinating to see how that "style" really starts to rev up in the last quarter of the book; though I found the entire novel to be outstanding. I'd rather read T & C than, say, Dr. Sax, which is fun (the whole book written "on pot," said J.K.) but not among my favorites. Maggie Cassidy is good, no doubt about it, but I enjoy Tristessa, the short Mexican novel, a bit more. Speaking of Ann Charters, it was she who edited both books of Jack's "Selected Letters," which I highly recommend. One more thing about Town & City...while writing it, Kerouac also kept a writer's journal, now published as "Windblown World." I didn't think I'd enjoy it, but guess what? It's great!
  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    Favorite transitions....
    ....That, my friend, is a very good question. The first one that pops into my mind is the Good Lovin'->Samson from Cow Palace New Year's '76. Makes me shake my head in wonder every damn time I hear it. Again. Great question. I will have to get back to that one over the next few days..... ...edit. antonjo. I did not realize that Cumberland->Samson was a second set opener. Hot Damn!!!....
  • antonjo
    Joined:
    Morning Sun via Dantian
    Well said, indeed. Bolo, thanks for the link. Sad story from Bob Seidemann. I have to think the others were insensitively self-absorbed, rather than consciously rejecting a request for a final photo with their comrade. Well, I don't have to think that; but it's what makes the most sense to me. Hard to imagine that none of them sensed his impending departure in that moment (with all the time and experience they'd logged in with this brother of theirs); but even harder that everyone is simply lying about their belief that he'd recover. Rosebud, 9/27/72 (Dick's 11) certainly features a candidate for my favorite transition: Dark Star > Cumberland. It's so telepathically suggested and executed, it's literally absurd, makes me laugh every time I hear it. 9/12/87's Cumberland > Samson is fun, too. No musical passage in between for the whole band to navigate, it's simply about timing, and Billy & Mickey are right on it. The last note of Cumberland is the first beat of Samson. [While you're strolling this lane, don't fail to take in Ship of Fools/Women Are Smarter (Brent's solo smokes), and especially DON'T miss the Dew.]
  • dantian
    Joined:
    Thin
    Likewise, great comment. You guys are giving me hope. Thank you!
  • dantian
    Joined:
    Morning Sun
    Well said, brother.
  • dantian
    Joined:
    Deadhead Poets Society
    How could you guys leave Robert Frost, and my personal favorite, W. B. Yeats off your lists? Re Hell's Angels, they still have their NYC headquarters on E. 3rd St on lower East side Manhattan (my wife works nearby), and couple weeks ago they strung a huge American flag across 3rd St...a FDNY fire truck coming up the street stopped, the firefighters all got out in the middle of the street and saluted the flag. Only in NY... So, say what you want about the Hell's Angels, and I certainly don't condone their illegal activities or their penchant for violence, but at least they appreciate this great country we live in, which is more than can be said for a lot of other folks I've had the misfortune of dealing with over the years.
  • Gary Farseer
    Joined:
    hbob and stuff
    Well just getting back in the saddle (wink) after another 8 days down on the coast. Absolutely incredible weather last week. Warm with low morning dew points, so very dry. Nice! Catching up on a lot of reading. It is weird, do not take any devices. Do not seem to miss them. Read, watch the hypnotic motion of the ocean, party, eat incredible fish. Hbob-search out "Song of the South." It is the un-authorized documentary of Duane Allman and the Brothers. It is really good and has most of the same characters as Muscle Shoals but with the focus on Duane. Goes deep into the "Hour Glass" the first iteration that opened for Grateful Dead in 1968 (?). I have not seen in a few months so my memory is a touch foggy but I will watch again soon. I have said before if you watch "Muscle Shoals", "Sound City", and "Finding the Funk" in close proximity you can hear the same theme being discussed. Very interesting.
  • Morning Sun
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    Poetry Response
    dire---I assume you are responding to me. 1. All sorts of great poetry in languages other than English---I do not read any enough to appreciate it the way I can poems in English. The very greatest often come through in translation--Homer, Cavafy, Rilke--but I am appreciating the translations in many respects. 2. My lists were not meant to downplay the possibility great poets, with a function and devotion to language separate from lyrics, could not be experimental/avant garde, whatever term you wish. Just an easy listing of poets most people would know and that produced reams of stuff of the type I was describing. Same for the lyricists. Many others could be added. And for that matter, who would be more genre-defying and 'out there' than Emily? 3. I never said (and never marks as well as limits) anything about validity--I said two different functions and purposes. I can call anything poetry, it does not mean it is. 4. I understand the arguments about high and low culture, and the assignment of value by academics based on class, race, gender privileges--they just do not sway me. We can all be empathetic and we can all see through the coincidences of circumstance. If we try. To me, it is in fact the power of 'great' poetry to accomplish just that, just like all other 'great' artistic creations.
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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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Los Angeles native here, yesterday watching my Dodgers utterly destroy The Padres was a thing of beauty. Biggest opening day win in baseball history. Of course knowing how we've been could turn around and not get a single hit tonight. Oh well, as long as we beat the Giants nothing else matters!
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Seeing how I have no skin in the game I can comment.. I bet this site has some SF loyalists, including the good folks that make and ship our Box Sets. We wouldn't want any random pranks to plague the 912.. zip codes. I do admire your spirit though...
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17 years 5 months
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Is that like a sort of cricket, but you run round and round?
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9 years 2 months
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I am glad everyone is all amp'd up about The Band. I was introduced to them 3 years ago when a friend was moving to the west coast. I showed up to send him off - he had The Last Waltz dvd playing. After a few peace pipes I started to get sucked in. Later when I left I kept thinking "wow every song I heard was a hit". After tracking down the Complete Last Waltz 4cd deal I moved on to the "after Waltz" stuff which I find most excellent. Richard and Levon are easily the best artists but some of the Danko stuff out there will spin your wig. This is my favorite Richard Manuel - \\it makes me cry (or almost cry) every time I hear it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjtyDTZQC4M Danko and Manuel - "My Love" (Lionel Richie cover) \\This song always fks my day up and Scranton isn't too far away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqTDJRpDnwA Rick Danko - Washington, D.C. 12/8/87 - "When You Awake" \\insane solo performance yup. buy this 2cd release from amazon. it might be the best $$ you have ever spent! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w0DNH1hYig Danko, Manuel, & Butterfield - 1984 - "I Shall Be Released" \\Richard sounds haggard - that's him..I love it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__wCUrDMN4g One thing to look for out there on the internets - The Complete Last Waltz - 4CD - Soundboard. The un-edited show. Very revealing vs. the cd/dvd release.
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Long time Band fan.. but you have me beat on the post breakup stuff. I wouldn't underestimate Garth Hudson, and although he's become somewhat controversial because of the way the songwriting credits went down.. its hard to deny Robertson didn't have some chops. The whole band was loaded with talent and aptly named, I totally agree bandito. I still think of them as a great American band. They certainly had that sound, Levon, born in Arkansas is drenched in roots Americana and they took off while living in the Big Pink right outside Woodstock NY. Great band, the more I listen the more I like it. Check out Levon's stuff too, the Rambles, at the Ryman and the tribute DVD Love for Levon is really good. There was a really good documentary on Netflix a while back, not sure it its still there... Also, there's no question they were friends of our favorite Americana band. Besides the times they played together in '73 and '83.. its obvious they respected each other. They certainly covered each others songs. In an interview Phil was giving when he got the news Levon passed, and he pulled the plug on the interview and headed North to pay his respects. Terrapin Crossroads is loosely modeled after Levons barn and that scene. Lots of crossover between the musicians.
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Jim- don't forget the Festival Express tour in '70. The footage of Danko following Jerry up and down the train, trashed and obviously adoring of Mr. Garcia. I love the Band and saw and enjoyed a few later iterations. My favorite was a Danko show in Royalton, VT in a tiny bar (I think it was the Four Legged Duck). He played an acoustic guitar and was accompanied by a guy on harmonica. His voice was in top form. We all called out tunes and he just knocked 'em out. Where I get a little grumpy is with the last couple of big releases. I know they were great, Americana, towering figures of music history, but do we really need another book attached to each release reminding us of this? The Academy of Music release was overstuffed and overpriced. Ultimately (and sadly) I think Levon was right about Robbie...
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Yes and yes... The jam on the train was outstanding, really enjoyable. Great catch.
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14 years 11 months
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"Oh well, as long as we beat the Giants nothing else matters!" Such a foul phrase infecting this forum of forthrightness! I don't know how much more I can take. First my nephew lands a job with 'dem bums', and now this. What did I do to deserve such a fate? Wait a sec....it's 2016. Even-numbered year. Never mind - I'm good! :)
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rag bag hag nag flag scag scallywag too bad they didn't have Jerry or any GD member join them for the Last Waltz, even though they were in SF at Winterland and Bill G was involved. BG seems like the wrong promoter to fk with Peter Grant too from LZ (manager) tough hombres I am a wimmmmmmmmmmp
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if you're dropping hints about the next DaP, we already know it's from 1976 (7/17/76, to be exact.) even numbered year...but what about dem bums (Dodgers reference, i presume) maybe you aren't dropping hints and i'm being a butt I still say Bolo is DL2. mawr mawr mawr
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and i cant produce anything at workwant to vegetate
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That's right, I never really thought about it as I wasn't into the Dead at the time I got into the Band... Being as they seemed to get along well enough, and played together, and were on basically the Dead's home turf, is there any story on why they weren't represented in any capacity? Might just have been timing, but that's a bummer considering everyone and their brother were already there. Seriously, Neil Diamond. Now I'm down for a Cracklin' Rosie here and there, but he's not who comes to mind when I think of the Band's brothers in arms. Still love the (apocryphal?) story of how cocky he was. Coming off the stage (after Dry Your Eyes, no less) he snorts to Dylan...top that! Dylan says, what'd I gotta do, go on stage and fall asleep? Ba, ba, ba!
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I'd gladly trade Jerry for Neil. I think they were not touring on Thanksgiving 1976 and the JGB didn't have any shows either as far as I can tell. mmmm... Top That? yep. One edit: Neil Diamond, not Neil Young.
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Sure they did at Watkins in '73, but they didn't at SNACK in '75 when Dylan and Young led most of The Band in a mini-set that included "Helpless".Maybe they grew musically apart in that interval? And, JiminMD, the Neil/Mitchell/Band "Helpless" at TLW is magnificent. It stays, thank you. No debate. I am a recovered Neil addict, so don't push me into a relapse! Neil Diamond had just made an album w/Robbie producing. Why THAT happened is beyond me, but I think it's why Diamond was at TLW.
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You're right, I got carried away.. but I was referring to Neil Diamond, not Neil Young. I am not the person to go back in time and change things around. I would be very bad at it.. its a classic film, why muck with success. Neil Young I can dig. Neil Diamond, I guess I respect.. but I wont be testing out the sound system grooving on his sound.
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My theory on no waltzing Dead is that all of the guests were primarily solo performers at the time. The focus was on only one band that night. I blame it on Robbie; I blame everything on Robbie.
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....saw him last year with my mom (a huge fan). I was converted that night. Plays to the crowd like nobody's business....had Ron Tutt on drums. JGB and Elvis vet....
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It just hit me.I hadn't really understood where GD would fit in to TLW when reading this thread earlier. Now that I am home and my mind is a bit more flexible, it hit me. Oxford 88's comment about solo vs. group guests led to me thinking of Jerry as the guest rather than tGD. With the benefit of knowing tGD's 80s/90s repertoire: Jerry leading The Band through "Quinn The Eskimo"! The band had already played the song with Dylan in The Basement and at Isle Of Wight '69. And maybe there would be room for tGD: Maybe Lesh could cover the bass freeing Danko to fiddle. Maybe BK & MH could take over the drums so Levon could mandolin! Hell, if Garth Hudson wanted to play sax, Keith could man a keyboard. At that point, Bobby and Donna could sing along! Now, someone mentioned a time machine? We've got times to be and people to persuade!
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Late to the conversation, but Nantucket Sleigh Ride is a great song and if they didn't play it at the old Hartford Whalers games they should have. I'm with AJS on the playoff hockey as well. One of the best things about it is how you can see the effort and how much effort there is.I was an absolute MLB fanatic until about '94. Still love the game and my Springs and Summers have revolved around watching my son play for the past 11 or 12 years. It still stings to hear Don Denkinger's name mentioned, though. (Ahem, I'm talking to you, Deadicated and JiminMD.) My favorite baseball in pop culture is by far Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris. All four books are good but that one is special.
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Zuckfun, I'm surprised more people didn't chime in on your post. My wife and I got married in '95 and bought a car soon after with the plates TLEO 95. Later I got plates for a pickup (which I still drive to work) 93 AIKO which is the year we got our dog named Aiko. Eventually we got a new car with plates TAPEGD1 and were too lazy to update them the last time we bought a car, so that's still our plates, obsolete as it is. Years ago I always had extra copies of tapes in that car and when a stranger talked to me about the plates and knew what it meant I would offer them a tape. I have big ideas for my next vehicle but if I post it here someone from Illinois might beat me too it. ;)
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12 years 4 months
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Nice to see baseball is back. Reminds me that Spring is coming on. Heck it was in the 20's this morning in Brooklyn. Though Im really excited for the NHL playoffs. The most difficult of all trophies to win. A grueling 2 month affair in which you have to win 16 hard fought games to raise the Stanley cup. Plenty of blocked shots, fisticuffs, sudden death OT, etc. I'm hoping for some post season MSG magic this go round.
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....ok. I'm game. A friend of mine had AMDEW as a plate. I've seen TJED on a pickup once. I think GDTRFB is the quintessential one tho....
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....let's see what we've got here. ALGTWY, ALGATOR,ALTHEA,AROUND2,ATTICS, BEWOMEN,BTWIND,BBYBLUE,BERTHA,BBMAN, BIGRIVR,BBPETE,BRXRBLUZ,BIODTL,BRDSONG, BLKMRVR,BLOAWAY,BBYMCGE,BRNXIDE,BXORAIN,BRKDOWN,BUCKET,BKNAROW,BILT2LST,CCRIDER,CNDYMAN,KCJONES,CASSIDY,CAUTION,CHNACAT,CHNADOL,CLDRNS,COMZTME,CORRINA,CZYFING,CRYPTKL,CMBRLND,DANCING,DKHLLOW,DRKSTAR,DAYJOB,DYZBTWN,DEAL,DEATHDNT,DEEPELM,DIRWOLF,DOINRAG,DONTEZE,DRUMZ,DUPREES,EZANSWZ,EZLUVU,EZWIND,ELPASO,BROESAU,ESTIMTD,ETERNITY,EYZOWLD,FFRMME,FEEDBCK,FIREMTN,FLSHART,FOTD,FRANKLNZ,FROLGGR,GDTRFB,GMESLVN,GLORIA,GLDNRD,GUDLOVN,GUDTIMZ,GSET,HCSNSHN,HLFSTEP,HRD2HDL,HESGONE,HELPOWY,PCKYWAY,HITIME,HRTZME2,KNOURDR,IKOX2,MANSWRLD,JAKAROE,JSTRAW,LLRAIN,LSTTIME,LTITGRO,LIBERTY,LTLLITE,LUZLUCY,LOSER,LOVELITE,LTGTR,MAMATRD,MAMU,MEXICLI,12HOUR,MITEZWL,MNGLWUD,MIRACLE,AMDEW,MRCHRLE,MSN,NUPTCBS,NUSPDWY,NOTFADE,OTHER1,PSNGER,PEGGYO,PLAYING,PROMISD,PSHSHUV,RCEISON,RIPPLE,ROOSTER,IMHBTR,ROWJIMI,SGESPRT,SAILOR,SAINT,SAMBARN,SMETHNG,SAMSON,SATNITE,SCARLET,SKOLGRL,SHKEDWN,SHPOFLZ,SINGME,SLIPNOT,SMKSTAK,SOMYRDZ,SOTM,SPCE,SPNSHJM,SPUNFUL,STSTEVN,STGRLEE,STELABLU,STRANGR,SGRMAGS,SUGAREE,SUNRISE,SSDDRM,SUPP,TAKEUHM,TENNJED,TERRAPN,THE11,THERUB,THEWGHT,TLEO,LAYMEDN,TONZSTL,TOPOWLD,TOUCH,TRUCKIN,USBLUES,TWBS,BKNCHAN,UJBND,VICTIM,VIOLALE,WLKBLUZ,WANGDNG,WAYTOGO,WESTLA,WHARFRT,WHEEL,WRLD2GV,WRS.... ....I think that covers it....
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Thanks Bach, what a crack up. I DVR his shows each week. More often than not, he hits it out of the park. Like his mentor from the Daily show, the guy seems to have an amazingly hysterical perspective on the worlds idiotsyncrasies.
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CHNARDR SLRSNT
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12 years 2 months
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Chiming in on this late... I was fortunate enough to see the Band (Helm, Danko, Hudson and others) at Wolftrap in VA back in the early 90s right after they released Jericho. I am SO thankful that I went to that show and that I had a chance to see them. Sure, it wasn't all of them together, but with Manuel dead by then, and Robertson still being an asshole, it was as close as anyone was ever going to get anymore. They were fabulous, and I remember being disgusted at how few people were there to see legends. It was clear to me after seeing that show that, although Robertson wrote/arranged the songs, the sound that is "the Band" came primarily from the others on stage. It's another example of how greed killed a great thing. Robertson's greed killed that group (and maybe even Manuel, though the guy always had some issues). It's another reason why I love and respect R.E.M. so much. They chose as a group, very early on in their careers to share songwriting credits equally across the board between band members. It served them well. They're all still in a good place, financially-speaking, but more importantly, even though they decided to "break up" (although it seems more like they just decided to stop being R.E.M.), they're all still friends and have great relationships with one another and still play together (though not all of them at the same time) occasionally.
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I think there is a lot of controversy about who wrote and arranged a majority of the Band's material. Robertson was definitely in a leadership role, but so were others and there's more to this story than meets the eye and more to this story than is written in the credits... I recommend reading Helm's autobiography, "This Wheels on Fire," its a great read, I knocked if off in a week. According to Helm, there was much more collaboration at all levels than is reflected in the songwriting credits. He goes on to state that the relationship between Robertson and Albert Grossman (Dylan and the Band's manager) had much more to do with Robertson getting all the songwriting credits than we would be led to believe. He blames himself for being naïve, stoned and not savvy, but states quite convincingly that these songs were written together, than he and others had significant fingerprints on songwriting and that they were essentially ripped off. By the time they realized it, it was too late and the party was about to end. Sad really.. by the time you saw them in the early 90's, with the exception of Robertson, the rest of the Band were essentially in various stages of financial dire straights. One had already taken his life, Danko was on the back end of a slippery fight with pain killers and opiates (he was medicating himself for pain relief, but was probably no stranger to opiates dating back in time also), Levon's studio barn had (I think) just burned down putting him deep in the red. Such a legendary band in dire straights with the exception of one. The silver lining is, they joined together to work through this as best they could and what happened at the new Barn is the stuff of legend. To me, its every bit as important as what happened at Big Pink decades earlier. The amount of collaboration, the number of musicians that would join in and the cross pollination of ideas, influences and styles left its mark and is present in more of the music we listen to today then you might realize. Its alive and well at Terrapin Crossroads, for example, and look at all the musicians that are copying Sugaree, Peggy-O, FOTD, etc. Some of that 'exposure' to other artists got its legs in a hand-made studio barn near Woodstock NY, and has direct ties to the GOGD. At least in my humble opinion. Gota run, some tour bus just crashed just outside my house with the words Greg Allman written on the door. Wonder what that's all about...
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My little dead-mobile wore a plate in the deep dirty South that read: DRK STAR.
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Another great bites the dust. RIP Merle. He certainly earned a seat at the table.
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15 years 7 months
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Ill change your flat tyre Merle...
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The recent email about the Night at the Movies also includes notice of a big price break on the 5-CD Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack. Reduced to $26.24. This should be a priority for you if you do not have--the music is fabulous.
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12 years 11 months
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Your statement of "Meet up at the movies There's one for the 80s folks." Yea, that doesn't really work for me...the MUATM 2016 - 7/2/89 is a one night only, just like the MUATM 7/18/89 a few years ago- both are nothing more than a tease, NOT 80s actual releases. C'mon one night at movie theater only, WTF?!?!? Give me both of those MUATM releases on Blu-Ray/CD combo releases, and I'll stop posting on these boards. They did a full release for the MUATM - Sunshine Daydream...Why the F can't they do it for these exceptional multi-tracked 1989 MUATM shows!?!?!?
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14 years 10 months
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GD covered two often: MT and SMBH we all know 8/27/72 SMBH sublime S&R MT: tattooed into my mind Okie covered on 4/27/71 by GD&BB (or just BB?) anyway, thank you for the tunes, Merle.
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Member for

13 years 4 months
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Really? As Charlie Brown would say.. Good Grief.
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Member for

17 years 5 months
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That Tennessee Jed clip is just awesome. Jerry was utterly killing it! It just doesn't get better than that.
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Member for

13 years 4 months
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Yes, this was available for purchase, for quite a long time. My original got damaged and I just got a replacement here just a few months ago (I think). To be honest, I thought it was still for sale. Not any more, just checked and to the secondary market it goes. It looks like the '77 Road Trips is gone too. Spring 90 TOO is in single digits. Lots of inventory has disappeared since I last checked. Blink and its gone. Its a good set, I am looking forward to this years MUATM's too, I try to catch them when I can. _____ Edit: It looks like Amazon has CW&I at list price.. but there's a dozen or so different listings and some are outrageously priced.
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17 years 4 months
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....I've always wondered, were the dead planning on releasing a new record/In The Dark before Jerry's coma, or did that decision happen after his recovery?
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13 years 4 months
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They had been trying to do it for years.. but avoided the studio like the plague. Newfound health and sobriety has its rewards, one being an increase in ambition and the ability to get things done. I'm fairly sure I got this right, but I don't think its something that's well documented or anything.. Looking into this more, there are studio outtakes from '82 and '84. Sort of supports my premise.. I met Phil in '83 and asked him if they were working on their new album, his comment, "F*#$ the Studio."
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10 years 10 months
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Listened to this on the way back home tonight. Thought I had a USB with a bunch of Europe '72 on it, but did not. So I frantically searched through the 2 spindles in my car for the off chance of having put one or had London 72 highlights on a disc, but then I remembered I put 8/27/72 in the car recently. What an unbelieveably beautiful version to hear on the night of Merle's passing. One of the first Dead cover covers I learned was Mama Tried. I was recently doing Silver Wings in another band. A friend at church was big friends with Merle. Every time he was near, he'd go see him, they'd hang out, fish, & talk for hours. He was really worried about his health for the past couple months. Said he was just the nicest guy, & just a helluva musician, as well. I was surprised to find just how good of a guitar player he was. Thankfully, Merle has left a towering amount of music & songs for people to discover & enjoy forever.
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