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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 ;)
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?
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.
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.
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?
Oh No it's Mr Bill
Here's the show before the box for some added motivation for giving the box a 2nd thought while it's still available.
Listen to Jerry's FAT tone on the Estimated Eyes and Ken Babbs adds some Prankster Wierdness.
Grateful Dead Live at Autzen Stadium, U. of Oregon on 1978-06-25
Promised Land, They Love Each Other, Me & My Uncle, Big River, Candyman, Passenger, Peggy-O, Minglewood Blues
Samson & Delilah, Friend Of The Devil, Estimated Prophet-> Eyes Of The World-> Drums*-> Not Fade Away-> Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad-> Around & Around, E: U.S. Blues *W Ken Babbs
https://archive.org/details/gd1978-06-25.sbd.130649.MrBill.flac16
Thanks for the spam removal
Hmmm something GD related...
One of the few 1977 shows that doesn't circulate as a SBD and might be one of the few still missing SBDs from the Vault.
Grateful Dead Live at Robertson Gym, UC Santa Barbara on 1977-02-27
Minglewood Blues, Loser, El Paso, Ramble On Rose, Estimated Prophet, Peggy-O, Good Lovin', Mississippi Half Step, The Music Never Stopped, Scarlet Begonias Samson & Delilah, Saint Stephen-> Not Fade Away-> Drums-> Terrapin Station-> Morning Dew, Sugar Magnolia, E: Johnny B. Goode
https://archive.org/details/gd77-02-27.bertrando.vernon.10378.sbeok.shnf
Taped by Rob Bertrando, who if we made people Saints in the hobby would be one.
Where is the merchandise for this release ?
Looking for the stuff some record shops got for the Red Rocks release 7.8.78
Rhino and Warner Bros had the same stuff. I got the wristband from local record shop when it came out , but he didn't have the shirt and water bottle available
Help Rhino / Warner Bros !!!
Heck I will even pay for it and the shipping cost ! Add on tax and let's call it a deal
Also missed out on the grab bag my local record shop had for Cornell release party on Cinco de Mayo. There was about 12 grab bags and around 20 people even though about half were toddlers Lol with parents that won. I wanted to buy Cornell LP to get free print like marketing sign said but apparently Rhino kept the vinyl stock , so it wasn't even possible.
I bought the big box set , so I didn't really need the cd version of Stand Alone Cornell show.
How do I get a print ?
Beautiful box
I'm confused as to why this box hasn't sold out at the increasingly rapid rate of comparable releases here. It's an amazing set.
I love the song lists, the packaging and artwork are through the roof awesome.
Anyway, this is a fantastic set and the box, book and slip covers are treasures. As I live in Denver and bask in the luxury of downing stellar margs at the Morrison Inn prior to annual Red Rocks invitations, I am over the moon with this.
Thank you.
My Guess
A few reasons this didn't sell out:
1) Even the original May 1977 took 8 months, and 1978 does not have the reputation of 1977. Definitely a factor.
2) The 7/8 standalone release, I think, KILLED sales for this. There is a percentage of casual fans out there, and they reached for the rumored best show of the lot, for much less money
3) The songs are repeats. There are oodles of versions of these songs from roughly the same period, so appeal is limited somewhat to the hardcore fans.
Guesses on why not sold out
Good guesses from KeithFan2112 on why not sold out. I'll add a couple in having purchased the box set:
1) I think Rhino is amassing a reputation for poor quality control. Like others, I have a disc that skipped. I followed the instructions on how to return it. About 6 weeks later, haven't heard a word on replacing it.
2) Perhaps by 1970's standards, recording quality is great. However, against today's standards for live CDs, it's not all that great.
3) Donna's vocals are grating for most of the materials she sings on. Would have been preferable to limit her singing to material that works for her limited range.
Only 2,336 left
No questions about it; this set put the "everybody already has it" issue for sales potential to rest! Of course the power that is already new that a long time ago.
Eskimos will always want their ice and the rest of the world outside of that hardcore 10,000 or so folks will just get the highlights/legends. Remember the Fillmore 69 release? There was a reason it was limited to 10,000. They just didn't account for the fact that those shows have legendary appeal!
July 78 just arrived on my doorstep...
...after a lot of chatter on these boards about this one still being available, and after seeing how gorgeous the GSTL box set is, I decided to pull the trigger before this one went the way of the dodo, (or Fillmore 69.)
I suppose I hesitated for the same reasons KF and HaGizMo mentioned. Also, I feel like 78 often leaves a lot to be desired. The two DaP from 78 are both in my personal bottom five, (though I recently ordered DiP 18, and I have heard nothing but good things about that release.)
All of that being said, this box is GORGEOUS! and unlike the GSTL, it is very sturdy. As many have mentioned, this is simply some of the best artwork the band has put out in a long time! The book has some good pictures, though the essay doesn't really have a lot to say (It seems N. Meriweather had to come to grips with his own ambivalent feelings towards 78 to write it...) But this artwork!....
I am on disc 2 of the Arrowhead show, and aside from a brief skip in Bertha (on the opening song of the box! C'mon!!!) this is sounding really great. I have known 7/8 for some time now, but I am excited to get through the rest of these shows and check out the upgraded sound. (I'll just be sure to skip a couple Werewolves... ouch!)
Happy Weekend, DeadLand!
Peace
Otis:
I understand about 1978 but I'm not of the opinion that nothing good came out of 1978. I see it as a gateway year. Having missed out on the May 1977 Box, this one is actually the first physical box I purchased and I was really pleased when it arrived. The design is beautiful, and the sound....a lot more refined than what I had been listening to for the past umpteen years. I don't think it's a mistake at all to own it. While some people love the Red Rocks, I really enjoy the St. Paul show. It sparkles in my opinion, and the Stella Blue speaks to me deeply. Happy listening.
@ Amy
I just logged on to say how wonderful this box set is, and you already did it for me :)
I didn't intend to say that nothing good came out of 78... this box is a perfect example, and it is A BEAUTIFUL BOX SET!!!! Probably the most impressive looking I have seen!
Peace, and 78 LOVE all around :)
(Still hate Bobby's slide practice, on-stage...)
Bob's Slide...
... THIS is what kills 78 for me. He is terrible at slide guitar.
Sugaree?
EDIT: He got better, but I usually don't like his slide playing... he's such a good guitar player, it hurts to hear him F' it up with that damn slide...
Bob's slide playing
Blame it on Lowell George.The thing about Bob's slide playing that always got me was after all that practice every show for 17 years, he never seemed to get any better at it ;)
Bob's new toy aside, this is still a great box set, great artwork, and the band seems to be having a great time. Listen to the growls in Werewolves and try not to laugh along with Donna as Bobby goes out of his way to bait her. These are fun shows of a band in transition while they were recording Shakedown St. and getting ready for the trip to Egypt.
@ That's Otis
Otis I wasn't insinuating it was you saying nothing good came out of 78, but I do hear a lot of flak about 78 shows around the 'hood. The Dead were peaks and valleys throughout their 30 years which is to be expected by such creative human beings. Not every show can be 5/25/77 or 8/27/72, which makes me love and respect the band even more. There is so much joy in the experimentation and just the act of being in the moment which makes them so freaking appealing. Listen deeply, listen freely, listen often.
I'm looking forward to the documentary film release on Thursday. I'm going to be at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville.
All sliding aside...
I love how Bob "practiced" playing slide live on stage. In standard tuning... slide is hard as hell. Not everyone can be Joe Walsh or Duane Allman. John Mayer has said that Bob is fearless, and I admire it. He gives it a good shot, but when he misses the mark or flubs a lyric or two it just rolls like water off a duck's back. We should all be so stoic in failure.
Love, love the 1978 set. The artwork is the best ever. Only critique drums and bass a bit woofy/boomy but everything can't be just exactly perfect all the time.
Red Rocks 7/8
This is a great show that is mixing quite well with the mood I have going right now. These shows have wonderful energy. Nothing is ever going to come close to the feeling of outdoor Dead at Red Rocks. Cool breezes under the stars in a pristine-sounding natural amphitheater. The sound bounces off those rocks in a way to make the music surround you. All captured beautifully on this recording and production.I was lucky to have made a few pilgrimages to this special place during the 80s. Many of the details are fuzzy, or invented, or altered somehow. But there are a number of clear ones that stand out, the first being Chief Hosa campground, hitching a ride there from the show with a motorcycle dude for the rush of it, and drinking from a jug of electric kool-aid (or something that resembled kool-aid).
I also listened to Springfield 5/11/78 last night. I might venture to say one of the greatest Fire on the Mountains I've heard, or at least in a while. And that goofy Dancin' in the Street.....
Also 1978 brought us Egypt stories and Hamza El-Din, new rhythms, and Jerry pig tails.
@ Amy RE: July 78 and Bobby's Slide
"Not every show can be 5/25/77 or 8/27/72, which makes me love and respect the band even more." Very well said, and I totally agree. (Also, I love that you name drop 5/25 in that comment :)
I also agree with LedDead's point that slide is hard as hell, and that Bobby deserves respect for being so fearless. I will always have MAD respect for Bobby - - but KayakGuy also has a good point that he never really got any better at it, and 78 seems to suffer the most from it. That slide work on Sugaree just makes my soul sad...
I am steadily working my way through July 78 and mixing it up with DaP 22 and GSTL - - It's a fun mix of different era Dead. (Oh, I've been throwing some of the 82 Greek shows in for good measure - Lordy, there is some tremendous playing there too!)
So far, my favorite 78 discs are Arrowhead disc 2, St. Paul disc 1, and disc 2 of the second Red Rocks show. All of them are worthy shows, and I am very happy to have this set.
Hope everyone has a grand week! Just found out my wife was offered a job as a principal of a K-8 school here in the city! Down side, I will be seeing a lot less of her :( Up side, I usually have to turn off the music when she gets home, so more listening for me :)
Peace
Get it now
This 78 set is just a step over the wild edge from 77 and its a much better mix - Jerry's guitar isn't hidden underneath drums, bass and piano. The Peggy-Os are all great too. Downside is all those Rhythm Devils tracks.
One of the best boxes
I agree, get it now if you still can. This is one of the best boxes ever. I'm in my second round of listening to the box, half way through. I call this the Muscular dead. Jerry is playing with a little louder and a little tougher. The rest of the band is top notch. You can hear Kieth really well. Perhaps the drums are a little loud. I like this better than 77 boxes, although they are a good listen too. I just like the raw energy of this 78 box.
Solid Release
Love this box set. Can only imagine why it has not sold out. The sound is so good and the shows are great. Set list with the exception of 7-8 2nd set are not all that unusual and the set is one of the best from '78. 7-8 1st set is fairly average and really a bit uneventful. Jerry breaks a string apparently on the 7-7 FOTM, preventing that version from being incredible. Overall still a great release. The overall packaging is far superior to the most previous May '77. I love the '78 sound it is loud and robust and my Klipsch speakers are just made for this stuff. Anyone looking to upgrade your amps? Consider Odyssey custom Khartago extreme plus. These mono blocks are relatively affordable and are crystal clear balanced power houses.
Hot hot hot
If you're on the fence about whether to get this one let me help you out a bit. This box is smoking. On fire rock and roll from the good ol Gratefule Dead.
7-1-78, 7-7-78 and 7-8-78 are on fire.
Omaha is a great show that hasn't been heard before this box.
St. Paul has its moments.
Get it!
Do yourself a favor
If you're on the fence, pick this one up. As mentioned, the artwork is fantastic, and probably the best artwork for a release, especially a box. Get Shown the Light is a little overwrought, and flimsy for something that you would reach for a lot. This set, on the other hand, is nicely housed and sits on my shelf proudly displayed, where GSTL sits in its shipping box closed up, and 30 Trips sits in my closet in its box (perhaps I need a better organized display in the music room). The thematic covers are top notch artwork. I'm not a comic book guy, liked them some when I was a pubescent, but the comic stylings married to the Dead themes and venues is fantastic. The best part may be the booklet cover being a nod to the rained out Summerfest show. The music is really good, too.
Like many have said, '78 isn't really my year, but I still ordered fairly close to the day it went onsale, thinking it would be a madhouse, which I did for May '77 as well, where I was likewise shocked at it taking over a year to sell out. Not sure Bob's slide is the killer for me for '78, but it doesn't help. The setlists are fairly varied, and my biggest problem with '69-74 is no Terrapin, no Scarlet> Fire, etc. Conversely, '77-78 lack Dark Star, 20 min Playings, and Other Ones that extend past the 10-15 min mark. But what is played in this set is very good stuff. Not as tight as May '77, not as exploratory as '72-74, '78 is a beast of its own, with fiery guitar work being the primary sonic signature. The Jack Straws, Music Never Stopped, and Wharf Rats have a great intensity. 7/1 is the revelation of the box to me. I prefer it to the legendary 7/8. 7/8 is the show I've listened to least in the box, less than 7/3. Hard to believe more fans haven't snagged these, especially given they were the first fruits of the return of the Bettys, and brought out 3 UNCIRCULATED tapes. 130 bucks plus shipping is a really good deal, and it has the best packaging and artwork of any box set I own (I don't have the Steam Trunk) as well as some really good Dead.
Foolish brain
My brain can't understand why this box hasn't sold out when others vanish in hours. This is really god sh*t. I need to consume it by the gram, it's that potent.
re: boggles the mind
icecrmcnkd, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Or in this case, you can lead a Head to the Promised Land, but...you get the picture.
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