• 3,810 replies
    admin
    Joined:

    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.

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • rajha2
    Joined:
    Why is this still on sale?
    I can only answer for myself, and it's very simple; DiP 18 and, if i felt I needed any more than that, Red Rocks is available separately. on a separate note; does anyone know, is Betty getting her dues; I and several others have asked, and I haven't seen any kind of response at all. If not, surely a Pledge page would be good; or is there already one up? Anyone know?
  • wadeocu
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Kayak Guy hit the nail on the head
    "This should make Rhino happy, the release of widely circulated Betty shows does better than the Betty's that never circulated.Maybe all those years of circulation gave people a taste of what they are willing to pay for now and the stuff that stayed hidden is too unknown to buy?" This is very insightful indeed. I can see no other explanation for the disparity.
  • Kayak Guy
    Joined:
    Taking the threads back from the hackers
    This page for a while was filled with hackers posting away. when i translated some of it through google before it was cleaned up, it was polish slang for "i like this place" and "these people are funny". This set rocks BIGLY, you should consider yourselves lucky its still available for cost and still numbered editions. If you don't have it yet, it's worth the money and the artwork is fantastic, in the style of a graphic novel. Compared to other recent boxes that feature Normanized versions of Betty's that have been in circulation for 30 years, This July 78 box has 4 unreleased Betty's, well 3 and a Stereo upgrade from the mono that circulated. This should make Rhino happy, the release of widely circulated Betty shows does better than the Betty's that never circulated. Maybe all those years of circulation gave people a taste of what they are willing to pay for now and the stuff that stayed hidden is too unknown to buy? In any event if you haven't got it yet, you really should grab this box before it sells out and it becomes speculative on ebay, if just for the box and artwork.
  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    The Bigger Question is....
    Why has this not sold out, its fantastic. Yes.. music today and the constant Russian Hackers is a big part of the reason, the other part is beyond an initial rollout strategy, they have no involvement. For the longest time this thread faded was not even prevalent from the home page of dead.net. I'm not complaining, I have mine and love it.. I just come to this thread from time to time and think wtf?
  • Kayak Guy
    Joined:
    Why is this still on sale?
    You all have good guesses, as good as mine, which is. The real reason this is still available is the meltdown of Music Today shortly after the release, the website going to comments only mode for months until the Dave's subscription was announced, when NOTHING was available for purchase, and the still cryptic hint above that at some point it will be available digitally "on release day". Its very likely there are 2000 people that would have bought the box if it was the only option, but waited for the digital version instead. Add to that some short term memory loss and short attention spans and you have over 2000 copies left of this box set which I like much better than the Spring 77 box. I love this artwork and would have spent lots of dead presidents on T shirts, posters, and other schwag if offered. I also feel many people pay attention to their browsers and for months this site has been unsafe and I have to click through 2 browser warnings just to log in that say the site is bad for my internet security. NO where else on the internet do i have to click the 2nd "Are you Sure?" dialog box. What's up with that, someone saving IT money by waiting for a new interface, maybe ROAR as the core in the fall? Meanwhile the site limps along on, unsecured until the next explosion when Dave's 22 goes on sale shortly before May 77 part 1 ships and people find out if they got a limited edition or music only version. I bet that will be fun times on the board ;)
  • wadeocu
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    2,551 of these left
    I agree Dschian on each of your points. I think it is noteworthy, however that this one is dragging on with 17% of the inventory still left after a year. I think they planned on this one moving faster and I don't blame them. I would have thought that 3 totally uncirculated betty boards and two classics with one only circulating in mono would have generated more buzz. I suspect Rhino and Co. thought the same and thus the 15k. It seems like each release gets core customer sales in the 10k range. That number represents those of us who are so pathetically obsessed that we buy everything no matter what. Then the remaining 5k in sales are the "investors" and occasional buyers. I think that dependable 10k in sales per release is pretty clearly indicated by the numbers set for the FW69 box, early DaPs etc. I think the DaP numbers have gone up only because of the demand created by the second hand market. I do find the hue and cry over limited editions a bit exasperating as I think I understand the considerations being made here and the need to limit stock on hand and warehousing. Really, if we would dependably buy 100k per release they would gladly print it; I'm sure of it. We cant blame the manufacturer for trying to avoid inventory warehousing expenses. This release is a clear indication to me that they have the number set just about right to accomplish their goal of printing and moving releases on a continual release schedule.
  • Dschian
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Yup, 80% of the run sold in one year- Rhino knows its base well
    Yup, 0ver 80% of the run sold in about a year; at this rate, the rest will probably sell in the next two to three years. Based upon what I've seen buying modern cd and lp releases, it's not unusual for a run to take a few years (and sometimes up to twice that time) to sell out, even for many popular releases. In that respect, wadeocu, yes, Rhino knows its customer base quite well. Nearly every other Dead limited edition/limited release has sold out relatively quickly (from a few days to several months), and even the slower ones, like the second Spring '90 box and the May '77 one, sold out within a few years or less. Believe it or not, Rhino's goal is probably not to make sure that these sell out in a heartbeat, but to sell the greatest number without multiple production runs or endless inventory. I for one am glad that people don't always have to rush to immediately buy one or have to otherwise search for it on ebay at inflated prices. Recently Rhino sold over $2 million dollars worth of the new box set (before the all-music release that followed) within three days, even with the first marked by technical difficulties- by any standard, that's pretty impressive nowadays for physical media.As a follow-up to my recent post below, finally got a chance to hear my Winterland 1977 box again (I have a huge listening backlog) and came away much more impressed by it than by the first May 1977 box, with the exception of the latter's 5/13 show, which is excellent and the best of them. I still do think, though, that overall the Summer 1978 box outranks the May '77 box in quality of shows.
  • Dschian
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    1977 the last great year for the Dead?
    Rbmunkin, while in some respects 1977 WAS the last great year for the Dead- chiefly in the reliability of their musicianship, according to what I've heard from later years- it certainly wasn't their last great year for many listeners in terms of many, many great later performances. To put my bias in context, my favorite Dead years are 1969 and 1972-'74, so I'm not an '80's deadhead, though I attended the bulk of my shows during the earlier part of that decade and love many of the shows from its first half.I have both the May 1977 box set and the July '78 one, and to my ears the 1978 one is substantially better. I say that because while the 1977 performances in that box are all reasonably strong, they're not always particularly exciting to me. The band, and Jerry in particular, strike me as being in a more predictable, professional mode at the shows in this earlier '77 box release (though I expect the new '77 box to be substantially better performances, based upon the bits I've heard). I find the improvisation more raw, energetic, and dynamic in the 1978 box, and to me that's what makes shows stand out. Also, the song selection is a bit more varied, which I appreciate. While 1978 may be weaker overall as a year (and I haven't heard most of either year), I find these performances to be better than much of what I've heard from '77. Similarly, according to what a listener likes, great boxes (if not great recordings) could be put together of performances from the early 80's or even the Spring/Summer 1985 tour, I believe. One slight drawback of the 1978 box is that the recordings have a bit less depth to the sound, but that goes with the territory of later 2-track soundboards. If you like the '78 sound, definitely get this box while it's still around! I think that they're all (and not just the Red Rocks shows) excellent performances and better ones than the Dave's Picks releases from '78 so far.
  • wadeocu
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    2,577 of these left
    .
  • Dschian
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    ?
    ?
user picture

Member for

17 years 9 months

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.

user picture

Member for

15 years 3 months
Permalink

dropped the "bells and whistles" box format to give us a bunch of music at a great entry price! I know folks can point out that the per disc price is equivalent to other recent boxes, but the total tag is perfect for my taste/budget! Thanks!After getting this, I can kick my CDboot of 7/8 to my non-buying Deadhead friend... I am totally in for this! Nice Tuesday morning surprise!
user picture

Member for

9 years 9 months
Permalink

Obviously the 7-8-78 show is pretty much pristine in circulating copies, but the others are amazing finds. 7-1, 7-3 & 7-5 are (to my knowledge) only available via audience sources. Glad to have the ones I've got, but very excited to get the Betty Boards! 7-7 is available via a mono soundboard source or nice audience tapes. Likely a Matrix too, if I remember correctly. This promises to be another major upgrade. Huge release!
user picture

Member for

15 years 11 months
Permalink

CAN'T WAIT!!! Finally getting to the Betty Boards, Cornell can't be far behind. This is a bit early for a box no? Could we be getting 2 this year? No mention of a standalone show or a mini comp release like they usually do.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 8 months
Permalink

Order in and confirmed before the banner ad was posted on the home page! (Yeah I have a problem; I'll make it by a DA meeting later today)
user picture

Member for

10 years 4 months
Permalink

Yeah, I've been itching for a new box set, this is wonderful. Now I guess I'll read what I just bought. Does anyone know how many June 1977 box sets were produced? Like, was it limited to 15K?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 8 months
Permalink

Upon closer observation, the banner ad says three shows from betty boards. My guess is 7/7 and 7/8 are still awol and the other 3 shows are from the "recently returned" stash. Sheer speculation mind you ....
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 8 months
Permalink

Perhaps that is just poorly worded and they are referring to the fact that the three were uncirculated. Let me shut up and listen to what Dave has to say about it ...
user picture

Member for

12 years 1 month
Permalink

I thought it seemed early also. I wondered about a second release this year also. But this is a real nice box.
user picture

Member for

15 years 11 months
Permalink

Didn't see that one. Still seems awful early for a box announcement, aren't they usually announced in June/July for a Sep/Oct release or am I just making things up? Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, two boxes! Either way, wow, can't wait. 3 nights in a row where the shows fit on 2 discs, huh. If the Betty's are back I guess the obvious move is to put out May '77 Part 2 next year for the 40th anniversary.
user picture

Member for

11 years 6 months
Permalink

But 15,000 copies? I thought all the boxes have been 7-10,000~ depending on the size of the release (does anyone recall? - I know the Fillmore '69 box was 10k copies, E'72 box 7,200 copies, 30 trips 6,500 copies). 15,000 sounds aggressive, especially since they will be available as cheaper digital downloads as well. And the setlists look indistinguishable from May '77 box just 10 months before (except for Werewolves) since the Shakedown Street material didn't debut until a few months later... But they ARE Betty-boards... And the Red Rocks shows are well-known so maybe this will sell well? (Similar to Cornell - Betty's/well-known shows = higher demand?). Anyone who has ever had more than 15 bootlegs knows about or has owned the Red Rocks '78 shows...
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 8 months
Permalink

As the story goes, the Betty's were divided at auction and different buyers took different lots. Id say the 7/1,3,5/78 tapes went to a different buyer than 7/7 and 7/8. I say this because of the fact that the red rocks shows were circulated and the other three were not indicating a difference in mindset and intentions of the owners. Perhaps then, if these are all original betty tapes, more than one lot has been reacquired. Again all sheer speculation on my part, but I am sure more will come to light in the near future! What a glorious direction for this day to take!!
user picture

Member for

10 years 1 month
Permalink

Appreciate the heads-ups about this release from one of the other boards. Awesome shows, legendary. This one hit me without any warning, makes me pretty happy.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Fantastic release!! Uncirculated Betty Soundboards? Count me in!
user picture

Member for

15 years 7 months
Permalink

I watched a Jerry interview somewhere, and he said that the Arrowhead show was the hottest show he can remember them playing; temperature-wise.
user picture

Member for

15 years 7 months
Permalink

I watched a Jerry interview somewhere, and he said that the Arrowhead show was the hottest show he can remember them playing; temperature-wise.
user picture

Member for

11 years 4 months
Permalink

It is mid March, I think he teased this box set back around Thanksgiving and said announcement would be soon? That was almost 4 months ago lol, well better late than never. I thought for sure some DVD or blu-ray was going to be added for this box announcement. Maybe the Alpine 89 for a audio and visual set. Any way great choice, funny cause a few days ago I was thinking about a box set for July 1981. Both tours share a similar path to get to Colorado and have some very exceptional performances. Any info - "Meet up at the Movies" ? Local cinema last year was a blast
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Sunday I was listening to the 78 show from the 30 trips box and was thinking a 78 box would be something. This is really a surprise and also a smaller box also which is what I was hoping for (something under $200). I didn't hesitate to order. Memorial Day weekend this year will be a blast (assuming this arrives by that time).
user picture

Member for

14 years 11 months
Permalink

Meg Ryan going over the top? That's me right now, but from a male point of view. this is top notch. THANK YOU for releasing this! SO FNCKING COOL. This is why I order very selectively. For when things like this happen. Again, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! God bless the Grateful Dead.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

9 years 3 months
Permalink

Perfect release! I am glad that they upped the number to 15,000 as too!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

The shout out to chuck was super cool....smiling ear to ear on that one. :-)
user picture

Member for

9 years 4 months
Permalink

Firstly, I wanna thank Betty Cantor Jackson, your art is most appreciated, bless you! Thanks also then go out to Prescott Carter and the Betty board tape people and Rob Eaton for making this happen. Gonna swim in these shows!
user picture

Member for

9 years 7 months
Permalink

yep, a fine way to start spring feelings ( while iT´s still snowinghere in good old Austria ). For me that will be a summer affair - May 13 means early June arrival for me - oh , i can smell summer , garden nights , me dancing , my lady smiling, kids laughing. GD forever...thank`s Dave
user picture

Member for

9 years 6 months
Permalink

Thanks to the heads up on the boards, I haven't gotten an email from rhino yet. I could do a couple boxes like this a year along with the Dave's Picks subscription. Great selection Dave.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

....plus, my birthday is May 21st. This would be an awesome gift from myself in my mailbox....
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 10 months
Permalink

On that final disc for a sampling of another show. How about it, Dave?
user picture

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

He most certainly did say that (KC Arrowhead was the hottest concert he ever played), on one of his last interviews. you can find it on YT.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

9 years 9 months
Permalink

For the Dave's picks Dave talked about 7-18-76 being released in the future on multi-track. I thought none of the Orpheum shows were in the vault as well as Red Rocks. It would very interesting to hear what classic shows have made there way into the vault and future plans for release.
user picture

Member for

16 years 4 months
Permalink

'78 is probably my least listened to year from the 70's. This box came as a surprise to me today. I'll buy one and give it a listen. I really like the 15K copies and digital availability. This box won't sell out for a long time giving people a good chance to pick it up when they have the funds. 3 months in and we already have the promise of 9 shows. No other bands can do this. Thanks Dave.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 1 month
Permalink

I didn't think much of 1978 until you recommended I go to Archive.org and listen to 7/8/78. Once I did I had new faith in 1978 and now it's getting an official release.Good call sir and thanks for restoring my faith.
user picture

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

7/8/78 is one of those "obvious choice" shows for official release as it was commercially available unofficially for many years. I used to see this at record shows a lot and imagine whoever owned/leaked these recordings are partially the reason behind it's popularity among traders. I always thought of 7/8/78 as a weird inconsistent show but haven't heard it in ages so it may sound a little fresher to my ears these days. There are many shows from Red Rocks that are considered essential and to me, 8/13/87 is one of the big ones. Any show that starts with a Big Boss Man is already a winner out of the gate, but it gets even better from there. The Jack straw is so powerful that it may incite a riot because of it's sheer energy. Row Jimmy, All Over Now and Loser are all amazing renditions but the Cassidy really soars. They close out the first set with a nice reading of Far From Me and another riot inducing version of Box of Rain. The second set of 8/13/87 is a full on face melter. Uncle John's is everything you would want it to be, but the Estimated Prophet that it goes into is almost as if Bob becomes possessed by demonic spirits it's so powerful. The Wheel is an essential version which flows nicely into an "ass kickin'" Gimme Some Lovin'. Stella Blue is beautifully subtle follwed by what may be the most energetic and over-the-top Throwing Stones>NFA you'll ever hear. The double encore of Touch>Knocking caps off what ended up being one of those shows I really wish I could have been there to see. This show was so powerful that the management at Red Rocks were too scared to hire the Dead to play this venue until after Jerry died. 7/8/78 is a very memorable show as well, but for sheer energy, 8/13/87 is the real deal.
user picture

Member for

11 years 4 months
Permalink

I saw a Dark Star Orchestra show a couple Sunday ago, all day I had been thinking "Never miss a Sunday show" However, I did miss the first 2 songs, but I had a pretty good feeling it was celebrating a 1978 performance by 4th song and surely knew the exact date when they started "Row Jimmy" During a trip to the bathroom in the middle of "Terrapin Station" I heard people talking about what show is this ? They were way off and when I emerged from the cloudy "smoking" stall in the midst of their sword fight, I said "78" One guy turned his head just enough to see over his shoulder and said "Wow" ! I replied "The Spectrum", he looked at me funny and swung his head the other way like an owl, then I said "Philadelphia May 78" and then Dark Orchestra smoked everyone out with "Playin' in the Band" , which was one of the highlights for me. They did play a couple tunes not featured from 5.13.78. After "One More Saturday Night" a JGB classic "Catfish John" followed up by "Mr Charlie"
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Will the monaural recording of 7/7/78 be enhanced ?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

14 years 1 month
Permalink

Dave mentions its use in his video, quickly I might add, but I see no mention of it in print.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

I have been dying for a '78 set forever, and though I was really hoping they would do up the post-Egypt Winterland run this will do just as well. Thanks Dave!
user picture

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

May '77 was 15,000 copies also
user picture

Member for

9 years 6 months
Permalink

Super surprised and totally caught off guard by this. Just sitting here at work getting some stuff done and got the email announcement. Jumped over here saw Red Rocks 78 and hit the order button. BAM! Can not wait to finally have these in pristine condition! Holy Grail type shows coming now. Can the May 7/8/9 1977 trifecta be far behind? It's all happening as they say. Great time to be a Dead Head!
user picture

Member for

15 years 11 months
Permalink

I have passed on many of the box sets over the years based upon price and personal level of interest (skipped both 1990 sets and the May 77). This one grabs me immediately. July 8, 1978 is obviously a factor, but the rest looks great. I am in. A mash-up tape of 7/8/78 was a mainstay in my collection, but it wasn't complete-- only set one and encores. Longtime favorite tape, so excited about getting an official release! On July 8, 1978 I was celebrating my 8th birthday with a big birthday party. We always celebrated with family, but this is the only birthday with friends and family that I recall from my childhood-- it being my 'golden' birthday. I was an 8 year old boy into KISS, a short-lived fad, but my favorite present that day was a KISS t-shirt. Whenever I played that 7/8/78 tape, I thought about that birthday party and laughed about my KISS fad. Thanks for this release-- cannot wait. That Arrowhead show sounds interesting, too. Lots of goods in this box. Spacebro, registering the first dissent on 7/8/78 that I have ever heard. Perhaps you did not have a good recording of it and this will change your mind.
user picture

Member for

11 years 7 months
Permalink

This is nice size box with shows people have been asking for for some time and shows that have only circulated in Aud. Sweet!!! What sort of chaos will the conversation fall into after we've been delivered the Red Rocks shows? Maybe Alaska or The Ark! Very much looking forward to this package. Peace!
user picture

Member for

9 years 10 months
Permalink

I think 1978 is the new 77. I had always enjoyed The Closing of Winterland, but thought only half of the Egypt release was worthy, and then I'd heard not-so-great things about 1978, so I didn't explore too much further. But when that 4/22 show from Nashville that was released as DaP 15 came out - WOW - I was converted. Still tight, and I love Jerry's Wolf guitar tone. I began grabbing other 1978 shows, and there are some scorchers. 7/8/78 is worth the cost of admission, it's that good. I actually took this recommendation from someone on here a few months ago when DaP 15 came out, and we were all over 1978 shows. Bertha / Good Lovin' is my favorite post hiatus opener, and then there's a great Dire Wolf, where the up-tempo and addition of Donna are welcome developments. They mellow out for a few songs and then Bobby kicks it in with New Minglewood, which honestly isn't all that special here, but then they get into the end of the first set and it's blazing heat Promised Land / Deal / Samson & Delilah (Wolf shines here, '78 was the year for it). Second set is one of the best of 1978. They get into two incredible hot blocks nearly a half hour each with Estimated / Other One / Eyes, and it's f'ing incredible. The Estimated has a red hot solo from Jerry that goes on and on and just begs to be turned up, and then The Other One, which I think had it's post-hiatus 70s peak in 78 (especially DP 18, but this one is also hot), and again, the Wolf is the perp here, such a raucous tone for a raucous jam like The Other One, and then the Eyes is really the only "fast" Eyes that I like, and the difference is Jerry's noodling is exceptional this night, and the backing vocals are better here than most 78 versions. Space / Drums morphs nicely into Wharf Rat, which is also a little bit better IMHO in 78 than it sounded since 72, and then we're in Franklin's Tower territory, which as much as I love the triad with Help and Slipknot, it always seems to blaze a bit hotter by itself, and it also takes on some new personality merged with Wharf Rat, as it rises slowly while Wharf fades out (they do this with various songs preceding Franklin's Tower in 78), so really it's the crown jewel of an awesome set. But it's not over, there's still Sugar Magnolia, can't go wrong there, and a solid Terrapin Station, which is also cool in 78, as it has some extended playing in a couple of places, and also benefits from the Wolf tone. And who can resist a character dining at Trader Vic's with perfect hair? Man I hope it sounds good! Oh - and that picture of Donna in the Rolling Stone article for this box - droooool. What I would do to get the Full Norman Treatment from her....
user picture

Member for

9 years 4 months
Permalink

All this Betty talk from Dave has got me excited. Could this mean they figured out a system of getting all the tapes back? Either way this boxset will sit on my shelf. Many thanks to Dave and crew for making magic happen.
user picture

Member for

13 years 1 month
Permalink

Is it safe to assume the 7/7 show is in stereo with both left and right channels in tact?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 3 months
Permalink

"Betty boards...recently returned to the Dead's vault" Does this include everything in the infamous footlocker auction, including Boston 5/7, Cornell 5/8, Buffalo 5/9 and everything else? Hadn't heard this news. Did that guy return all these to the Dead?
user picture

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

I did the same....laughing all the way through! Great surprise
user picture

Member for

17 years 6 months
Permalink

Been looking forward to this for a while ..... looks like a great package.Someone mentioned the Ark ..... now that would be cool also.
user picture

Member for

11 years 8 months
Permalink

Anyone catch that "shush", right around 4:40-4:41 on this soundcloud version of this wharfrat? I remember folks used to say it was Jerry "shushing" donna....i never have been sure of that....though it definitely sounds like it goes right through a microphone. Anyone have any thoughts? Should be a fine box, at a decent price, though, i wonder if it will sit around as long as may '77? That was there physically for a longtime. I would only expect the same of this box, if it isn't available even longer, especially with the wide release of 7/8/78, and downloads availability! Im quite surprised this is getting a 15,000 numbered copies, release! Shall be a fine addition to the collection!!! Those of you with iPhones, that have not yet downloaded the "relisten" app, you must do so....uses the archive, but it so much more user friendly, especially mobile wise...check it out!! Peace.
product sku
081227946883
Product Magento URL
https://store.dead.net/july-1978-the-complete-recordings.html