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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.
Out for delivery....
....taking a late lunch at work to meet the mailman....talk to y'all later!!...
Digital download art
Folks, there were some technical issues with this earlier, but now those who bought the Digital FLAC or ALAC downloads will be able to get the Box and individual show cover art for the release to go with their music. Here's the link (it's a .zip file). Sorry for the confusion!
http://www.dead.net/sites/default/files/july1978coverart.zip
I Almost Forgot...
...How grating Bobby's slide can sometimes be in '78. The first Werewolves encore (7/3), there is a point of near-wincing wherein all I am hearing is what sounds like a dentist's drill in my teeth. Thanks Ace!
So far, my only small harrumph.
Carry On.
Sixtus
Saw the mailman four houses down from mine....
....my mailbox, again, had that eerie greenish glow. Awesome shipping box, awesome interior box. It's....it's....beautiful. Kudos dead.net team. Blown away once again. #11167 will be cherished forever. All discs in place, no obvious blemishes. Paul Pope artwork is stellar. The comic book influence is sweet. I keep expecting Batman to be in here somewhere. Tim Truman from DaP 5-8 is also a comic artist. Loved his covers too. Does anyone know Jim Lee's #? He could pull it off too....tap into those superhero artists....Spinning KC as I chow on leftover lasagna. Sounds as good as it looks. Thanks many times over....
So true...
7/5/78, Bobby's slide solo in Sugaree is atrocious! Still, I'm digging this set regardless.
So true...
7/5/78, Bobby's slide solo in Sugaree is atrocious! Still, I'm digging this set regardless.
Future Box Set and Dave's Picks Recommendations
I just got my July '78 Box (#6994) in the mail today, and can't wait to sink my ears into it!
I don't ever come around these parts really, so I'm not sure if these ideas have been thrown out there yet.
In keeping with the 5 show Box Set theme like May '77 and July '78 (and Fillmore '69 for that matter), how about a May/June 1973 Box with 5/13, 5/20, 5/26, 6/9, and 6/10. What a monster of a set that would be!
As far as Dave's Picks go, we all love the '72-'78 stuff, and now we've gotten plenty of that. For some of the future Dave's Picks releases, I'd love to see the '80-'83 period delved into much more deeply...would like to see a good few releases from this period.
Really looking forward to a Summer full of fun with my daughter and Dave's Picks 18+ Bonus disc and this July '78 Box. Thanks for taking to time to check out folks' recommendations!
Box #10,576 Has Arrived
This is my first box set I've ordered from dead.net. I am really digging the Terrapin Station from Arrowhead. Fantastic quality! Cannot wait to hear them all!
@Davesenergyguide - Re: Artwork - Motherlode
Thanks for the upload of the artwork. Usually I check this site like every hour, but I am a bit behind due to uploading all of this music to iTunes and burning my copies.
I am on the St. Paul show, and if this is the weak sister here, all I can say is WOW because the second set is currently blowing me away.
Great job by DL2 once again. If this is the beginning of returning Betty Boards, then OMG, we may be starting THE Golden Age of Dead shows if these 5 are any indication. Betty For President! You go girl!
Rock on
Wamsutter?
Really? I live in Wyoming and can tell ya NOTHING...EVER...goes through Wamsutter. Even us residents.Wow,your box is on the tour-de-force. Good luck.
Me...still no joy.
Oh well.
Dave's Energy Guide....
....you can't slip that Phish reference past me hbob.....
Wamsutter redux
jrf68 - Ha ha. Truer words may never have been spoken. That is a long lonely stretch of interstate and Wamsutter is no oasis in the (red) desert.
Bummer no box yet. My license plate begins with 5 and I got mine on Monday... Hopefully the Pony Express delivers yours soon.
Wamsutter blues...
That is most definetly "Me & My Uncle" country.
Cambell Co.?
Me,22. Paradise Lost....
Question for the Old School Audiophiles / The Mix
I have a question for one of you old school audiophiles about the mix. I don't have output levels on any of my current equipment.. but I couldn't help myself by comparing this to some of the '77 Betty Boards I have.
This sounds like the output is higher, more saturated.. and yes ultimately.. louder. I usually prefer the softer mixes, I have the gunpowder to add more volume than my ears can take if need be..
But the mixes here are explosive, and I guess in a good way. Its not a criticism.
Is anyone else noticing this?
One Man, wjonjd?
Wamsutter, WY....
....I Googled that place 'cause I was bored. Pop 481?....I bet that box was lonely....
....was-a-mutter you!....lol
The whole town of Wamsutter....
....could have fit in the Milkweg I bet....
It's here!!
Corner of shipping box slightly smashed but contents intact.First in: 7/7 since I've listened to that show over 100 times but never in stereo. What an epiphany compared to the cassette from years ago and the CD-R I have now.
Wamsutter to Fernley, better hope it doesn't take a detour up to the Black Rock Desert.
JIM - I'm not an audio engineer but this is louder on my arbitrary scale of Dave's Picks all being at '40' on my stereo volume dial.
Err on the slide of no slide
Bob Weir's slide "playing" kind of abrasive on an otherwise stellar FOTM. Anone know the months during '78 when he played slide? Seems like from May forward. I don't hear it on the 12/31/78 FOTM, but I do hear it on the Stagger Lee (where it actually sounds real good). Not sure if it was an on/off thing from night to night?
holy sh*t this thing is nice
first class all the way aroundman we are fortunate that someone cares enough to produce something like this, and for betty for recording it so long ago
amazing box of awesome
Heavy
The goods were patiently waiting (undamaged save for a dent in the outer box) in my mailbox when I got home today. I was solo, so I cranked up Disc 1 on the JBLs in the living room. First thing I noticed was the vocals were loud to the point of some distortion. The mix seems to settle down some after the first few songs, but there is still a share of odd sounds, like the kick drum tone. I'm about to head down to the studio where I'll try Disc 2 on the nice monitors. I'm going to be surprised if anything here is sonically as good as the best Bettys from 1977.
Performance-wise, it strikes me that the GD knew damn well this was not their audience. They bring a mighty effort to the first half of the show, practically masquerading as rock stars. I'm very interested to hear how the second half of this show sounds. Coming soon to speakers near me!
Bobby's Slide
May sounds about right. Someone on one of these threads pinpointed it a year or so ago and I think its in May..
Its at its worst in the beginning and it can pop up on seemingly any song. Later in the year he was regulated to the GD version of slide time-out, where the 'slide' only appears on the dreaded slide only songs such as Rooster, CC Rider and a few others.
Similar to the technique I used to block out Donna wails.., after countless hours of mind control, meditation and electroshock therapy.. I have trained my brain to overlook the slide anomalies and enjoy what are often otherwise very enjoyable shows.
_____________________________________________________
...and One Man, the second disc rocks.. from the jam in Estimated through the soulful redemption of Wharf Rat, its special. I honestly tuned out the rockers at the end because I suddenly wasn't alone so I cant comment on them.
...and Chris Grand, agree. This is a thing of beauty. I honestly prefer it to 30 trips. Don't get me wrong, I love 30 trips.. but that box was like eating too much on Thanksgiving. A great meal but too over the top. This box covers all bases, right size, right price, great shows, great sound, wonderful art/package and the added bonus of more than half the music previously did not circulate. An instant classic.
3443 in Lawrence, KS!
This is SO good on so many levels.Thank you Betty, thank you David, thank you Rob, thank you Jeffrey! Etc. etc.
Love the rocks box and all its glorious, affordable, beautiful, enduring awesomeness!
-One super happy Hoopsie!
Wamsutter...
@JiminMD - yeah, but that's 481 people surrounded by about 4000 square miles of nuthin' except antelope and sage brush! And a gas field. Which is why there are any people there at all.
@ jrf68 - no not Campbell. Albany.
Sacramento
My July 1978 box made it to Sacramento at 2:06 PM, less than 150 miles away. Must be a two-night stand as the delivery date has now been pushed back to Friday by the end of the day.
AAAAAARGH!
I hear ya David
I've been tracking mine all week, got hung up in Great Falls for 2 days and only now arrived in Seattle. I'm 10 miles away and it's going to take until Friday? Sigh....
The Sacramento Phillie's Start Looking Good
Its the last day of the tour.. can't blame your box for wanting to hang around Sacramento an extra day, can you?
If its any consolation.. my box came a day early, hopefully yours will too. Hang in there man. This isn't '68 special, but its special nonetheless, and well worth the wait.
The slide
Why does everyone hate the slide so much?Do you not like the slide at all, or do you like the slide but not when Bob is using it?
I can't play any musical instrument so ignorance is bliss.
Donna:
She sounds good with JGB in '76, but has some not so great moments with the Dead. So, one of the bands was giving her something backstage which affected her performance?
re: Bobby's Slide - Jim
Unlike you, I'm unable to ignore the slide; his solos on 7/3 Werewolves roll into one long clam! I just started 7/5, and here comes the slide trying to overpower Jerry.
Other than that, Jerry's on fire throughout these shows, 7/1 is a ton of fun, and Mickey's bass drum can be obnoxious at times, to my ears he was mic'd much better in 76.
re: Bobby's Slide - Jim
Unlike you, I'm unable to ignore the slide; his solos on 7/3 Werewolves roll into one long clam! I just started 7/5, and here comes the slide trying to overpower Jerry.
Other than that, Jerry's on fire throughout these shows, 7/1 is a ton of fun, and Mickey's bass drum can be obnoxious at times, to my ears he was mic'd much better in 76.
Re: Cousins
Even after practice and years of experience, Bob wasn't a great slide player. I felt the same.. honestly, the electroshock therapy only made it worse..
but years of therapy and 12 years of transcendental meditation in Nepal and here I am. At peace.
I'm with you man.. start with some therapeutic breathing and pastel colors. If all else fails, I will send you a dart board in the shape of a slide guitar.
______________
Slide Guitar Dart Board related side-bar (honestly 100% true, you cant make this stuff up)..
When I was in high school and cutting my teeth on the GD and all its accompaniments.. me and my older, much cooler and smarter brother shared a basement with a kick ass sound system, a full sized fridge, a pool table, ping pong table, a dart board and a very curious, super cool cat that liked to get stoned (don't tell my aging parents). So every night when we got off work she would come down and hang out with us. (Peta folks chill out.. she actually really liked it). Anyway.. after a few years of checking us out.. one day we were playing some dart game and the cat jumped up in the air and caught the dart. It freaked us all out.. she jumped at least four feet in the air, caught the damn thing, landed, it still in her paw and proceeded to lick the same paw, like she found some spec of dirt that needed cleaned. We were slack jawed.
She had been checking us out for years.. it was a learned behavior, if she heard darts from anywhere in the house, down she would come and assume the same spot on the carpet and watch the darts fly. Don't freak out.. she was no dummy.. she had a sneak attack, her paw actually came swiped from the back end and she always caught the feather part (if that makes sense). Her paw moved faster than the dart in the same direction it was going. She NEVER caught the point of the dart. As far as I know, we had the first dart catching cat.. and it amazed my friends until the day she died. Cool and true story. Kimba the dart catching cat - and she LOVED the Grateful Dead as does our current non-dart catching cat Bagira.
Edit: One add.. so we were clever hippies.. and we quickly realized the trick to catching darts was to come in from the back side and try to 'catch the feather part' and so human dart catching became a fun not-sober sport of chance in my youth. Kimba was infinitely better than us mortals. Enter my brothers d.f. buddy (I can only assume a later Darwin award winner) Jeff Dimwitt as we called him. Stepped up to the plate to try his hand at dart catching.... I could go on...
The Hottest Part of the Day
Agreed, the 7/1 show catches fire near the end of EP whence the Gar goes moderately cray-cray and doesn't let up through the remainder of the show. I can see (hear) why it was hyped. It's fab. The bass drum still bugs me -- especially in the drum solo, where it totally dominates -- and I do not like Weir's guitar tone in '78, even when he's not playing slide (and it got even more tinny by the time he got to Egypt, but don't get me started on that and Billy's broken paw). These are minor quibbles. We are lucky to hear this from a good audio source. My commute tomorrow will consist of the entirety of 7/3, beginning at 6am Eastern. Can't wait!
May 77 Album Art
Thank you for posting the link to the individual album artwork for this box. Any chance you have the same thing for the May 77 Box?
May 77 Album Art?
Thank you for posting the link to the individual album artwork for this box. Any chance you have the same thing for the May 77 Box?
Today I learned....
....that the Giants Stadium show on 9.2.78 had Willie Nelson opening. I suspect that arrangement was discussed over a few fat joints backstage two months earlier. The Wheel is turning and it can't slow down.....
Slide guitar
Watch the master Duane Allman. You play slide by being exactly over the fret and moving your hand with vibrato. Not everyone can do it well. Bob took a long time to get mediocre.As per Donna, she said many times she couldn't hear herself well. In that case a trained pro backs off the mic! Donna just wailed, and many times it was harsh. Half of singing is listening when doing harmony. Period.
This box is gonna be go to for summer no question. I love the 72 vibe the best, but this is gonna make for good times this summer.
Got mine today!!
Been listening to the 3 disc set for a few days....#13446 box set arrived today... can't wait til work tomorrow!
Dart Catching Cat and Jeff Dimwit
Reminds me of the scene from Road Warrior and the razor edged boomerang. "I got it! I got it!"
Road Warrior boomerang....
....yeah, he got it alright. LOVE that movie btw....post-apocalypse classic. "If it's alright with you, I'll drive that tanker."....Fury Road got close....btw, July '78 box is chrome, and I've only made it through the first Arrowhead disc....
product sku
081227946883
Product Magento URL
https://store.dead.net/july-1978-the-complete-recordings.html