Boxed and Ready to Go!
Sound the imperial trumpets! Bang the drum! Pop that champagne! Another Grateful Dead box set is comin’ your way! Yes, in the grand tradition of the beloved Fillmore West 1969 and Winterland 1973 boxes, comes Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings, a 9-CD box set that is sure to knock your tie-dyed socks off.
At this point, we probably don’t need to hype you on the glories of ’77 Dead. It was a magical time for the band, which was reinvigorated by a plethora of great new material—“Terrapin,” “Estimated Prophet,” “Passenger,” “Fire on the Mountain”—and really hitting its stride again following the October ’74 to June ’76 performing hiatus. The group spent much of the first three months of 1977 recording their Terrapin Station album with producer Keith Olsen, and Garcia also managed to find time to complete the much-anticipated Grateful Dead movie (which opened June 1, 1977). The third week of April, the band embarked on what most Dead Heads agree was one of the greatest tours ever: 26 concerts in the East and Midwest in a little over a month—an awesome stretch that produced so many great shows, a few of them already released in the Dick’s Picks series and subsequently (and more, no doubt, destined to come out down the road.)
So when the Dead returned to San Francisco’s Winterland for shows on June 7, 8, 9, they were pumped up and feeling good! They treated their hometown fans to three superb concerts that included excellent versions of much of their current repertoire, from the new combo of “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire on the Mountain,” to a truly colossal, more than 30-minute “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower,” “Saint Stephen,” “Terrapin,” “Good Lovin’,” “Not Fade Away,” “The Other One”… too many favorites to mention (you can see the complete song lists here). Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings contains every note recorded from the three shows, more than nine hours of prime Dead, all taken from the master analog tapes, restored using the Plangent Processes, and mastered in HDCD by that inimitable sonic tweakster, Jeffrey Norman.
The nine discs are packaged in a beautifully designed box that includes artwork by Emek (you loved his crazy Winterland ’73 phantasmagoria); a 28-page booklet featuring a wonderful and illuminating new essay by Rolling Stone senior music editor David Fricke (who dubs this a “box of paradise and circus… six complete sets of inspired risk and collective explosion”); lots of great Winterland action shots by noted GD shutterbugs Ed Perlstein and Bruce Polonsky; and a couple of little pieces of period memorabilia we won’t reveal here.
—Blair Jackson
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Got Mine Yesterday !!!
It came in the mail & here I was looking for the UPS guy every day. So first thing I did was check disk 6 and its fine. That must have been a one time mishap for that one dude. I'm in Northern VA. so if your around me it should be close. The beginning of Scarlet / Fire those are what you call on stage microphone problems not the cd's fault. It sounds great, really crisp sound. Jerry's voice is in prime shape during this time frame. I already had these shows but I haven't listened to them in a while so it would sound different this time. Well it worked, I don't remember it quite like this. I've only gotten threw 4 cd's and I just now jumped into the bonus cd. So far so good. The bonus cd Jerry's mic sounds a little off but the instruments are sweet of course trapped in mid May. I really like the artwork and the stuff inside the box. My fav. cd is gonna be cd 7 caus thats the one i've had in my juke box forever. Hope you all get your order problems taken care of & "the music never stops".
beautiful
Just received my box in the mail yesterday. The packaging, design, pamphlet, and goodies are all high quality. A replica of a flyer advertising the GD Movie was included...kinda cool.
I'm listening to the first show. As noted above, the beginning of Scarlet was marred by Jerry's vocal mic not coming through until halfway through the first verse (nothing that the masterminds in the Vault could fix!). Beyond that, though, I thought it was a sloppy, sub-par version (Jerry forgets to sing the verse that starts with, "Ain't nothing wrong with the way she moves..."). They recover somewhat with the closing jam into Fire.
This is all petty shit, though. I'll take the wrinkles and creases along with the flawlessness any day. I'm thrilled to have this in my hands. Thanks so much!
listening
I just heard disc 1 so far last night after work, etc. Some great stuff on there-Ten Jed, Music Never Stopped. I am struck by excellant sound quality also. I have a cd player with the HDCD chip in it. I run it through a tube amplifier with big old Klipsch speakers. The Plangent process was used on these discs just like Cow Palace discs. My hat is doffed to David L. for picking this and Jeff Norman for working his sonic magic. As I said before 1977 is done and gone-the only way its coming back is with clean discs and killer rigs to play them. Thanks for putting this out.
Doffer
My hat is doffed to Underthevolcano for living the HiFi dream!!! i gotta get that stuff!!! HDCD chip, huh? Thanks for the tip. Tube makes everything better...Thank you to the Dead and company for keeping the Unbroken Chain going. Always a joyous occasion to get some new good stuff...
June 1977
Eric J
These 3 shows have long been in my collection, I've always gone back to the Help/Slipknot/Franklin's from 6/9 as one of the great performances of any era. This box matches the high standard of excellence set with the Fillmore 1969 and Winterland 1973 boxes. Once again, the legacy of the band grows with these types of outstanding releases, and it's obvious great care went into the assembly of these outstanding sets. These shows are a real "capper" to the great month of May 1977.
Bonus Disc
Sorry to bring down from the last couple posts because digging this non stop last few days but...My bonus disc has scratches all over it and skipped during 'Comes a Time'. Bummer. Can this be replaced? Anyone? Thanks.
As for all the problems encountered....
I finally received my boxset and it was worth the wait. Just to put my 2 cents in, for what it's worth, I have been ordering from Grateful Dead online in these 50 states for over 10 years and I have had one problem which was taken care of promptly by a representative who spoke fluent english about 2 years ago. Getting a new account was a small hiccup in this whole process. I for one am very happy with this whole process and I wanted Marye and the powers at be to know this as well. I am sure this will be a change of pace after all the problems and complaints. Thank you very much! The music is very much appreciated.
I am happy to see that
I am happy to see that Underthevolcano mentioned the HDCD aspect of these discs. Those of you who are not familiar with this format don't know what you are missing. Whereas HDCD (High Definition Compatible Disc) is backward compatible and will play on traditional CD players, you will not realize the sonic improvements it provides. You do need a cd player that has the circuitry to make use of it, and you also will need a stereo system (such as volcano's Klipsch system, or my vintage Tannoy M1000 solid state system) which is up to the task of playing this material at near concert levels to truly experience the full extent of the power of the music in this format. It is astounding. Many here on this forum have professed a preference for downloads only. I can only shake my head in disbelief that so many Dead Heads prefer to listen to their music with inferior sonic formats.
On the other hand, there are multi-channel formats superior to HDCD which, as good as it is, is stereo only. What I would like to see are concerts released on DVD-A or SACD discs.
HDCD
I have an HDCD player that seems to have developed a mind of its own. Mostly, it won't read a whole bunch of my discs (it wasn't always this way, used to play everything)...I've got one 2-cd set where disc 1 plays just fine, disc 2 will not load. Makes no sense to me at all. My wife snidely claims that the machine is expressing its opinion of my music choices, and I'll let her believe that (methinks she's projecting).
So it was with held breath that I slipped disc 1 of this box into the player...loaded like a charm! One down, 9 to go...
DVD-A
Definitely not; you can only play them on DVD players, or on computers via a software DVD player, but you can't rip them.
As for SACD, they're somewhat popular for classical music, but they'll soon disappear, since even the classical labels that make them are starting to give up.
No Real Sonic problems (so far)
I've listened to a few of the discs, so far. On disc 5, Bertha does start out funny, but it's clearly a problem with the source material, not the production. The music behind Jerry sounds fine, it's just the first-song-of-the-second-set blues. Very common. Takes a few seconds while they get the levels and mikes working right. Haven't listened to the Scarlet problem yet, and the scratches on the bonus disc sound ominous, but for me remains to be seen.
I do notice a very big jump in sound quality over the SBD recording I've had for awhile. I've only played them on my car stereo so far, but I put in the SBD in my changer and switch between the songs back to back, for comparison. They clearly had good tapes to work off of, but they certainly improved them. Worth the money.
Thanks, everyone responsible.
Don't knock (all) the downloads
As the happy owner of an HDCD player, I can vouch for the fact that the FLAC downloads of the entire "Download series" and the two "Road Trips Full Shows" from the Spectrum are all in HDCD. If you download 'em and burn them to CD, the resulting discs are HDCD (an LED on my player shows red for HDCD discs and green for "normal" CDs so I know for sure), so nothing is being lost in quality or resolution buy getting a download instead of the physical CD. Of course there are also MP3 downloads available but these are for kids and those with the hearing resolution of a clam. It is hard to understand why such a format exists. To me it is a step backwards while technology is moving forwards. I also prefer the sound of a tube amp, but I found that the reliability left too much to be desired so I switched to solid state years ago in the form of a Krell and have had no problems since (except with the size of my electricity bill). Strangely the harder it is worked, the less electricity it uses - which is a good excuse for whacking up the volume. Something to do with Class A circuitry I think.
vbr vs flac
Personally, I cannot tell the difference between a flac and vbr mp3 for good recordings. I have tried, but cannot detect any discernable losses for vbr (variable bit rate mp3).
Now if you are starting out with a 3rd or 4th generation tape, which is way low on the sound totem pole to begin with, then I can see making sure every drop of resolution is maintained. However, for good recordings, vbr is fine with me.
Greg SC
more problems...
after the debacle with ordering, and the rip off charges from UPS for a delivery to Wales UK, now I have a faulty bonus disc (skips and stops while playing Terrapin). At least I have the correct disc 6. Still to listen to most of the box, but I dread to think how they will handle my replacement bonus disc. Aaaagh
tubes vs trans
Like simonrob I appreciate the ease of transistor amps, but I put up with tube woes because I like the klipschs better on tubes. Also, I can even use 3-5 watt amps and get BIG sound-it is esp. great with live Dead wide dynamics with little or no compression and classical recordings. I appreciate that the Dead cared about the higher resolution HDCD format for the releases esp. since it is not widespread.
Winterland 1977 Box!
All I can say is WOW! I just spent the entire day absorbing every note. The band is on fire all three nights and I must say, the best Help>Slip>Frank I have ever heard! Keep the box sets rollin'.
Another EXCELLENT release!
I received my copy of the "Winterland June 1977 The Complete Recordings" several days ago, and they sound great. All the discs play perfectly, no glue on the discs, only a minor line up problem: on the inside jacket on the 6/9/77 sets, the image of Jerry Garcia is not lined up correctly, and that's a real nit-picking problem, and not a real problem, at all. I've had this run as bootleg recording for several years, and this official release sure beats the commonly traded copies any day, especially 6/9/77, my traded CD-R copy was a matrix recording and ran a bit fast. A real upgrade, and a nice warm comfortable sound throughout.
The bonus disc is excellent, also.
My hats of to all who involved in the production of this release, and to the Grateful Dead themselves who made the greatest rock and roll.
Keep these box sets of full runs and full shows coming, they're great!
It's great
Got the box this week and it sounds fantastic and as others have said, well worth the few hassles in ordering it ... although I really hope they rectify the problems with GD Store as I've had problems with my last three orders.
Interested to hear about what people listen to in terms of stereo. My shoddy internet access (no broadband or highspeed available) makes downloads impossible, plus I'm still mostly a vinyl buyer. I've got a pair of huge Goodman full range speakers from the 70s, a rebuilt Pioneer monstrosity of an amp from the same era and a high quality CD player and somehow it makes everything sound like I'm there. New stuff doesn't sound as good, but then again, I don't really care what non-Dead discs sound like anyway.
I have a theory that music recorded in the late 60s/70s should be played on equipment designed in that era, so curious what others think about the way modern hi-fi and ipods etc change the sound.
(not) just exactly perfect
Agreed that FLAC is the preferred format for downloads and the sound is excellent. However, to say that a FLAC copy is equivalent to the original HDCD source is debatable. FLAC is a compressed format which alters the original material and reconstitutes it for playback. In addition, you have the download process which can result in lost packets along the way. Wait, you're not done yet. You have to burn it all to a disc. More processing. Finally, the end user's player has to convert the copy from FLAC back to HDCD for playback where more errors can occur. So after all of this processing, do you think you have an HDCD copy that is just exactly perfect? Oh yeah, the little HDCD light on the player lights up so all must be well. Maybe for some people, not for me. This is why I said that offering "just downloads", meaning making only downloads available and not making the HDCD's available for sale, is undesirable. So yes, I can knock (all) downloads.
Simon T, Underthevolcano, simonrob, Dead Ahead, et al...
I don't mean to brag, but I think I got ya all beat speaker wise. :^) My speakers, (JBL L-45's with the S-4 driver load), is the SAME basic speaker that was used in the Wall of Sound system. The cabinet volume is identical. It's got a 15 inch woofer, but the difference is that that mine is ported, and it utilizes a compression-loaded horn driver, similar to the Klipschorns. Of course, the Wall of Sound didn't use horn drivers for the high-end, and the speakers on that legendary system were oriented horizontally, and I choose to use mine vertically.
My speakers sound good to my ears with all types of music, but they really shine when I throw on the GOGD. I think it's because Jerry liked the classic 'west coast', bass-heavy JBL sound. I use a Class-A amp, rated at 400W, with a separate pre-amp. The Class-A deal makes a huge difference in the sound as far as clarity, and punch, especially when listening to it at concert-level output (high SPL). YMMV. For example, If you heard Jerry's first solo album on my rig, you'd be impressed, it's like incredible! :)
I have posted pics of my setup on my page, but I'd like to see your stuff too, come on guys, it won't hurt a bit.
Still waiting for the shiipping info ...
... but yesterday I recieved a mail from the Dead Store where they cancelled my order for the latest Road Trip's issue and the Jerry Garcia Band double CD ... an order I recieved on September the 15th ...
One wonders if they know what they are doing at the new Dead Store ...
Micke Östlund,
Växjö, Sweden
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My record collection:
jazzmicke
mac
Macintosh is the IMHO best way to listen to the dead, or for that matter, any music. American made, used by the dead also in the wall of sound. I used to have a nackamichi amp and cd player, after years of great service, the amp finally lost a channel, so years ago, went to mac, this stuff is awesome, it's big, it's heavy and it's ancient, but, you are right, it makes the 60-70's music sound like you are right there. I have altec 8040 bolereo's also that were made in 72, sound awesome still to this day, double 10" whoffers, 8" midrange horn, sounds good, have a pair of B&M two way with big tweeters to help with the high kz, I got to say, it takes up a lot of room , it's a bitch to move, but I don't think I would trade it for anything. I concur ie JBL, friend of mine had a pair, these are the best studio monitor I have ever heard. I still listen to a ton of vinyl and the older stereo systems really let you hear all of it. I have listened to stuff downloaded, burned, ripped, rerecorded, etc..IMHO vinyl still sounds better than it all. How could a machine that reads 1's and 0's reach all that hidden music that is way down deep better than a diamond stylis ridding in a grove. Yes, I'm living in the 60's, or 70's which ever you prefer, but it sure sounds nice. :)
re: equipment
That's all great equipment which will bring smiles and grins as you get sucked into the flow. I understand the vintage idea. I also have some old Mac(MC240) Sansui(9090BD) and Marantz(2325) with a pristine pair of Sansui SP3000 speakers. I've got some newer Spendor speakers. I'm spinning vinyl every week on my Thorens vintage TD 126. My new stuff includes Parasound Halo amp and pre-amp designed by John Curl(Alembic-Wall of Sound era). Problem I have is switching out equipment combinations to mix it up-I don't have enough rooms to set up a bunch of seperate systems all at once. Life is tough. It's a great hobby though-doesn't usually lead to alimony payments.
Calling customer service
Ok, several posters have said they called customer service, and got people on the line from India. I just tried to call customer service for the store, to yell about my refused order not being reimbursed, and it turns out that both numbers listed are "not in service". What's the deal? Has Mickey's dad taken over the thing and skipped town? To those who called, did you use either of these two numbers?
1-800-225-3323
201-751-6746
This is starting to get on my nerves...
kirkmc number question
kirkmc, I called 2 weeks ago and got through. I used the same number you have listed 1-800-225-3323 (the only number I am aware of). Maybe they have all our credit card information and skipped town (New Delhi).
This must be a nightmare for poor Marye. It seems as if the last Road Trips went off without a hitch. This Winterland release is a different story. I received the Winterland 77 without a problem, but I feel for everyone else. Keep trying, this release is worth it.
About my response above ...
I have now recieved a nice reply to my angry letter earlier today to the Dead Store. A woman named Megan have explained the cancelled order. It has been cancelled and the total amount of about $45.00 dollars have been refunded to my credit card, even though THEY KNOW I HAVE RECIEVED THE ACTUAL ORDER!!
That means I have only payed Swedish taxes and Customs fees for the latest Road Trips and the Jerry Garcia double CD - the cost of the records and the postage have been refunded!
Megan also promised to find out more about my Winterland order and return to me.
I told her that I've been a Dead Head since the late 1970's and from my first contact with the Grateful Dead office in February 1981, I have always been treated with respect from the Grateful Dead staff. I told Megan I feared those days to be over and that the brutal sinister capitalism have taken over. But Megan gave me some hope, I may be wrong ...
Also thanks to you marye for all your support to all of us who needs it.
Now I can look a little brighter on tomorrow.
Micke Östlund,
Växjö, Sweden
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My record collection:
jazzmicke
Great set, poor business choice...
...Smell the tail of the dragon...
Someone gave me a copy of 6-7-77 years ago. The "Peggy-O" was cut in the middle during the sweet, sweet Jerry solo. I am so thrilled to finally have the complete recording. I usually kind of skimmed over the tune before hearing this version. Now, '69, '73', and '77 are very nice. They are among the finest, actually. Now I humbly ask that you get a little more adventurous for the box sets. I am not complaining, just requesting. In an unfortunate development, Rhino has routed its customer service to India. So, no more talking with someone on the phone who is remotely familiar with the music or products. This is very unfortunate. Business with and contacting Grateful Dead customer service always had such a mom and pop feel. Well, one more headstone for community!
kirkmc
The address is customerservice@deadnetstore.com and I just realised the persons name is Meggan with two g:s.
The refund to my credit card doesn't show yet but I do hope I'll get it, now when she (?) said it would be done. I don't take anything for granted until it's there. My oponion is that the Dead Store customer support have a lot of work to do if they want keep us as customers.
Micke Östlund,
Växjö, Sweden
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My record collection:
jazzmicke
got the stuff....
spent an afternoon of 100% rock and roll bliss with the Dead cranking through my Yamaha system......
next chapter? please... a big box from The Eighties!
ROCK AND ROLL!
Winterland 77
OK, my box got here to Italy about a week ago. It's great! Everything's in order. Had to pay 36 euros (about 53 dollars) in tax and stuff for UPS. Got a refund of $10.51 from Rhino to my credit card. But the music is very fine! I'm heading up to Amsterdam next weekend to run the marathon there and I've had to completely redo my mp3 player to include alot of this. I know there have been problems. I had some with my last order. But I believe Meggan and Marye are trying to be cool and the music is very nice. Thanks to all, especially to Meggan and Marye and to somebody else whose name escapes me but who answered me very nicely a few months ago about that order. By the way, that order was delayed at customs for over a month cause it was declared to be a nutritional supplement! ??? Oh, well. Thanks to all
Another sad customer service story with maybe a happy ending
Ordered 9/14 with overnight delivery, got email confirmation of my order that day then...nothing.
After several email requests for status I received a reply that my order shipped 9/24 and got a UPS tracking number that showed only "billing info" received. More unanswered emails to customer service then finally yesterday called 201-751-6746 ( an unlisted number in Union City New Jersey by the way) and the heavily accented representative gave me several stories, the last being that UPS got the order and customer service had no idea what happened to it since but would "investigate" and respond to me by email in 1 to 2 days.
Meanwhile I contacted MaryE who got back to me quickly and ...shazzam! I got a telephone call at home last night from an angel by the name of Christine at Globalware Solutions in Calif. ( her message was in perfectly clear English ) advising that my order was apparently lost by UPS ( ok I'll buy that ) and a new order was being shipped for Monday, 10/14, delivery.
I was given a UPS number that actually shows the order shipped and in transit.!!
I offer this sad tale in the hope that any of this can assist those still waiting for their orders. (Phone number redacted. Sorry--ME) . I can't say this will help with refunds or getting a correct disc 6 or bonus disc. THANK YOU MARYE AND THANK YOU GLOBALWARE SOLUTIONS.
Winterland 77: Worth The Trouble
I just today received the 10 discs, been listening to them for the past 4 hours. Obtaining music from this site has become an ever increasingly difficult challange. The Cutomer Dis-Service is absolutely deplorable. However, these discs should you be able to get them are worth the hassle. It is the Dead at their best, and I'm a 69 - 73 type of a guy!!!
Marye
I think a big round of applause needs to go out to Marye. It seems as though each of these releases has its production, shipping quirks. Marye watches out for the issues, and makes the proper calls to get the problems resolved; I have not gotten mine yet, but in the past, Marye has helped me get my issue straightened out. Thanks Marye.
Micke, it is not sinister capitalism that is the biggest problem, but rather sinister socialism, that has whacked your order for the huge and bizarre import taxes. Anyway, can't wait to receive mine, and I will continue to preach that downloads should be available from the onset with these releases for those of us who only want the music, and not all the other stuff.
Greg SC
Greg SC
On the other hand it's not "sinister socialism" which has fired 30 or 40 from the original staff or has cut down on the manufacturing quality of the CD's.
Besides we have got a capitalist goverment in Sweden since the last election in 2006 and they're are doing what they can to sell govermental businesses to private entrepeneurs and thereby cut off govermental incomes besides taxes. All in all to prevent future socialistic goverments to rule socialistic.
And comments from leading american capitalists have been that the current Swedish goverment are stupid, out of their mind and don't know what they are doing. I fully agree but a new election is coming up next year. Hopefully there will be a change again, back to socialism. I will fight for it in Vänsterpartiet (I'm in charge for the finances in the local group). =)
Micke Östlund,
Växjö, Sweden
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My record collection:
jazzmicke
Buddy plant, I'm jealous
Can I swap systems with you buddy plant? I worked in studios with JBL monitors and they are the best, but my house isn't big enough.
I can't quite understand iPods - I don't like have tiny speakers stuck in my ears; not only will it make you deaf (or deaf-er) but I don't like hearing music that way. GD is emant to be played loud through big speakers, IMHO.
Disc 3 Uncle John's Band skip @ 9:15
Just wondering if anyone has noticed a skip in UJB @ 9:15. I played it back several times to make sure and it is a skip. I played the box all the way through twice and this is the only flaw I can hear.
Micke
I hear ya. I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I myself like to keep our government the heck out of my wallet. If you don't mind all the taxes, then vote those socialists back in.
All I can say, is the GD Network didn't have to sell it all to Rino, but they did. So we are feeling the fruits of that sale. Rino has notoriously been a second rate record company. But I guess it is better than nothing.
Greg SC
I agree with SimonT...
... in that GD music should be played loudly through large speakers. As much as I love to hear Jerry soaring to the outer reaches of my mind, I love to FEEL Phil's thundering bass notes. And that goes for the Rhythm Devils too, I love to feel the bass drum deep in my chest, and um, my lower regions too. Can I say that here marye?
Contacting customer service (again)
Can someone in the US try the two numbers listed for customer service?
1-800-CAL-DEAD (800-225-3323)
Or 201-751-6746
I'm calling from outside the US, and I'm wondering if that has something to do with the reason why I'm getting recorded messages that say the numbers are not working. (Though I don't see why that should be a problem.) Someone on rec.music.gdead said they got through to them a week or so ago.
I'm this close to contesting the charge for my set that I refused (because of UPS charges), but I want to try and talk to someone first. (They aren't answering any emails.)
Thanks!
Comments on various things
First up: Kirk's plea for someone in the US to try the two customer service numbers. I am not sure about this, but I think 800 numbers cannot be used from outside the US. I seem to recall trying to call an 800 number from here in Europe some years ago and having no luck. Is an 800 number free? If so, the chances of being able to use it internationally seem pretty slim. As for the 201 number, as this is also a customer service number, it may also be free and therefore only usable from within the US. Maybe someone in the know could post a definitive answer on this one.
Secondly: Listening pleasure. I know it is a very personal thing, but I am firmly in the camp that likes to sit in front of a big pair of speakers with extended frequency response, particularly in the low (phil) end of the spectrum. The lowest frequency that can be reproduced is a function of the dimensions of the listening space. If the maximum dimension is about 1cm (half an inch or so for the imperially minded) i.e. the distance from earpiece to an eardrum, the bass just doesn't stand a chance of being reproduced, whereas in a 5m (16 ft.) room things are a lot more realistic. Obviously a space of concert hall dimensions is ideal for that real gut-shaking bass.
Thirdly: Please try to avoid politics here. It is my humble opinion that this is not a forum for discussing socialism versus capitalism especially not on an international level where implementations of political doctrines vary too much to allow valid discussion. As someone (I forget who) once said, people get the government that they deserve. He was probably right. Having said that much, you will never hear another political comment from me on here and I offer my excuses if I have offended anyone by saying what little I have just said.
Fourthly: Right back on topic - I have so far listened to the first two shows of the box and the bonus disc. Sweet music to my ears. The boys were right on form and it is a joy to listen to. Looking forward to the last show.
UJB skips at 9:15
Yep - there's a definite skip, but maybe it's a small splice on the original tape? Anyone NOT have the skip?
800 numbers
800 numbers are indeed accessible from outside the US, but are not free (you get a recording telling you this before you're connected).
Let's Hear It For Analog!
Glad to see (read) that analog is still appreciated by discerning Deadheads! I, too, followed the masses and bought solid-state electronics in the 80s but always felt something fundamental/crucial was missing. And it wasn't a function of cost. I had spent much more on the 80s solid-state amps than my old Macintosh and Luxman stuff from the 70s, but it still left me wanting. I've since acquired Counterpoint hybrid tube amps and assembled a great little turntable (Denon base, Grace arm, various cartridges), all run through Dahlquist DQ-20 speakers. Long live analog!