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    What's Inside:
    • 60 page hardcover Smyth-Sewn book featuring essays by Dennis McNally, David Lemieux, and Blair Jackson and photos by Jim Anderson & Mike Laurentis
    • 25th Anniversary Tour Program
    • Official Band Letters
    • 6 Ticket Stubs
    • 6 Cloth Sticker Backstage Passes
    • 1 Tour Laminate
    • Official 1990 Band publicity shot
    • 6 complete shows on 18 discs
          • 3/16/90 Capital Center, Landover, MD
          • 3/19/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
          • 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON, Canada
          • 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
          • 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
          • 4/2/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA

    Box Dimensions: 12-1/8" x 3-1/8" x 12-1/8"
    Recorded and Mixed Live by John Cutler
    Mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD
    Original art by Wes Lang
    Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

    Introducing The Next Box: Spring 1990!

    And now for something a little different. This year's box set - Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 - offers six complete shows from the epic spring '90 tour, one concert from each city the band played, personally selected by Dead vaultmeister and archival release producer David Lemieux. The sizzling six are: 3/16/90 Capital Centre (Landover , MD), 3/19/90 Hartford Civic Center, 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum (Hamilton, Ontario), 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, NY), 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) and 4/2/90 The Omni (Atlanta, GA).

    In his "Producer's Note" in the beautiful book that is part of the box, Lemieux, who attended the first 10 shows on the tour, states, "To my ears this was the last tour that was consistently great, where every show is excellent, not a dud in the bunch." And Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally's comprehensive and informative insider's essay in the box is titled "The Last Great Dead Tour." These guys know what they're talking about.

    Basically, the band had been on an upward trajectory since Garcia's return to the road in the spring of '87, following his near-death the previous summer. Of course, 1987 was a trip in itself, what with the unexpected mega-success of In the Dark and their first hit single, "Touch of Grey." But the momentum just kept building with each subsequent tour, as Garcia got back up to full speed (and then some!) and the group as a whole was as unified as they had ever been since Brent joined the band in the spring of '79. New original tunes were popping up and the old favorites were imbued with a freshness and spirit that was so uplifting and inspiring. The band was having fun again, and it was downright infectious.

    The group's fall 1989 shows-as documented two years ago on the Formerly the Warlocks box (two shows from Hampton, VA, 10/8-9/89) and on the 2001 release Nightfall of Diamonds (a single night in NJ, 10/16/89)- kicked the energy level up another couple of notches, as the band reintroduced such loved classics as "Help on the Way" > "Slipknot!," "Attics of My Life," "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Dark Star."

    And when the band hit the road in mid-March 1990, they had a bunch of other cool tunes to lay on their unsuspecting crowds, including the return of "Loose Lucy" (last played in 1974; it's not on this box), Brent's "Easy to Love You" (missing since 1980), a rollicking cover of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," The Band's "The Weight" (with all four singers taking a verse each) and a lyrically retooled "Black-Throated Wind" (absent since 1974), which elicited huge cheers every time it was played.

    Over these six shows, most of the cornerstones of the Dead's repertoire from the era appear-splendid versions of "Scarlet Begonias" > "Fire on the Mountain," "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider," "Playing in the Band," "Uncle John's Band," "Eyes of the World," "Estimated Prophet," "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "The Other One," "Terrapin," "Stella Blue," "Feel Like a Stranger," "Bird Song," "Let It Grow," "China Doll," "Box of Rain," "Morning Dew"; you name it. From the fall '89 breakouts come "Help-Slip-Frank," "Attics of My Life" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy." Among the still newish tunes are "Picasso Moon," "Blow Away," "Foolish Heart," "Just a Little Light," "Victim or the Crime," "Standing on the Moon," "We Can Run" and a couple that would get their final plays from the Grateful Dead on this tour-"Built to Last" and "Believe It or Not." There are stirring renditions of "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Black Muddy River," rockin' takes on "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "Iko Iko" and the only version of the full "Hey Jude" the band attempted in the modern era. And the "Rhythm Devils" and "Space" jams at the heart of each second set are as noisy-beautiful-scary-funny-intense-mysterious-wild as you'd expect/hope for.

    Of course, we understand that some of you may have other favorite shows from this tour you wish were included on this box. Really, you can't go wrong with any of them. But at 18 discs, this is still the second largest Grateful Dead box (after Europe '72: The Complete Recordings) that's been released, and the non-inclusion of any other shows from the tour definitely does not preclude their future release! But this seemed like a more manageable way to go, while still giving a sense of the tour's amazing depth and breadth.

    Besides the discs themselves, Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 has much to offer, including: a gorgeous 60-page hardcover book containing copious color photos by Jim Anderson and Michael Laurentus, unique artwork by Brooklyn-based fine artist Wes Lang, fascinating business letters and communications related to the tour, a detailed historical essay by Dennis McNally, a Producer's Note by David Lemieux and individual show descriptions by Blair Jackson; a reproduction of the Dead's 1990 tour program (printed and sold later in '90, for the fall and Europe '90 tours); tickets and backstage passes of all six shows; a band publicity photo from 1990 by Ken Friedman; Dennis McNally's tour laminate; and reproductions of the colored 8x10 sheets GDTS sent out with hotel, food and other information for each city on the tour.

    With recordings made by longtime Grateful Dead recordist and producer John Cutler, mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD, you just know it's gonna sound great-and it does!

    So, that's the skinny this time 'round. This box is limited to just 9,000 numbered copies - please note, this is the only time these shows will ever be officially available on CD. There will not be an All Music Edition and single shows will not be available physically. Due to ship out August 31st, we anticipate that this extraordinary set will sell-out, so order your copy today!

    If you're looking for more of a bite-sized taste of the '90s, Spring 1990: So Glad You Made It, a 2-CD set featuring a handful of favorites, will be in stores on September 18th.

    -Blair Jackson

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  • Zuckfun
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    Words from the Vault
    The following is an excerpt from an interview with David Lemieux: So Nightfall of Diamonds was recorded on multi-track. Is that because they were recording shows for what would become Without a Net? Absolutely. That’s what happened with that one. Certain times and tours and runs of shows were recorded multi-track with the intention of producing an album from them, and fortunately in the case of Without a Net, the Dead happened to be playing really well those three tours. So we’ve got multi-tracks for Without a Net, Downhill From Here, Dozin’ at the Knick, Terrapin Limited, and Nightfall of Diamonds. So that pattern is pretty much what we’re still following, and that goes for a few reasons. One, we don’t have very much multi-track, and what we do have is worth mixing to make proper albums out of, and at the same time, it takes so long to mix a multi-track down to two-track it wouldn’t really be feasible. A two-track release generally takes about four weeks to do and a multi-track takes about eight weeks. Read more: Interview from the Vault - A Conversation with David Lemieux (Part Three) http://www.musicbox-online.com/dl-vault3.html#ixzz22aEUGRMq
  • Zuckfun
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    Sonic Paradise
    To the best of my knowledge, the Spring of 1990, along with the latter half of 1989, was recorded on multi-track tapes. This is a new mix, with every effort to make it sound as great as possible. Listening to The Warlocks Box, the sonic glory of multi-track material reveals itself like a flash of audio lightning.
  • simonrob
    Joined:
    Multi-tracks ?
    I have not researched this exhaustively, but as far as I can make out of what has beeh officially released from this period, only "The Warlocks" box was definitely taken from 24 tr. tapes. All other official releases from this period were taken from 2 tr. tapes or the source is indeterminate. Were the 24 tr. tapes recorded by Arista for "Without a net" and remain the property of Arista and the vault only has the 2 tr. tapes? I have no idea. If these recordings were taken from the 24 tr. tapes, I would expect that to be mentioned in the marketing blurb to talk-up this release. As there is no specific mention of which set of tapes was used, I would guess that the 2 tr. tapes were used. I hope clarification is forthcoming and that it turns out that the 24 tr. tapes were available and were used here. However, I expect that the sound quality on this release will be just fine otherwise they would not be releasing such a lavish production.
  • One Man
    Joined:
    2-Track Source
    "Recorded and mixed live by John Cutler" means live-to-2-track to me, which means the multi-track tapes are gathering dust in the vault. There is some chance these mixes will sound relatively okay, but there is no way they could compare to a careful mix from multi-track, because Cutler had his hands full during the shows and this 2-track tape was an afterthought. It's probably just the house mix. I just hate that the better audio source was ignored. Production cost would have been higher, but isn't it more important that the best sound arrives at the listeners' ears?
  • highthyme
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    I'm sure nobody is getting rich here, but
    9000 sets at $200 each is not $180,000. It's $1.8 million. Meanwhile, I too would like to know if these are indeed mastered from the 24-track tapes, or if they're taken from Cutler's 2-tracks as Terrapin Limited was in order to avoid conflict with Arista's release of Althea on Without A Net.
  • SPACEBROTHER
    Joined:
    2 disc track sources...
    They played LTGTR twice on that tour, 3/16 and 3/24. To try and narrow down where the songs are from... LTGTR - either 3/16 or 3/24 Stranger - most likely 3/22 but could be 4/2 West LA - 3/22 Easy To Love You - lely 3/22 BIODTL - 3/22 Loser - 3/24 All Over Now - 3/19 or 3/30 Jack-a-Roe - 3/19 Last Time - 3/16 or 3/22 or 4/2 Bird Song - 3/16 Blow Away - most likely 3/16 as the other version from 3/26 is already on Dozin' At The Knick Samson and Delilah - 3/22 Scarlet>Estimated - 3/16 Playin>Eyes - 3/19 Gimme Some Lovin' - 3/26 Dew - 3/26 NFA - 3/30 Attics - 3/30 The more I think about this release, the more I feel that this is by far the best release they have put together yet. I love the E72 box, but these will be in my listening rotation far more. My little Spring '90 story... A friend of mine and I sent out for mail order tickets for Knickerbocker and tried to order by phone but got shut out. Our determinatiuon not-with-standing to see the Dead on this tour because Spring '89 was such a blast, we decided to order tickets over the phone for the Omni when they went on sale. We scored decent Brent/Jerry stage right side seats for the first two nights and behind the stage for the last night. The last Dead show I attended before this run was at Alpine Valley 7/18 (yup, the unfortunately as-of-yet unreleased show screened at movie theatre, which I missed :( ... ), and it was the last time I attended a show where onsight overnight camping and vending still ran rampant. Upon arrival for the first show, we parked in a ramp across the street from the CNN center and home of the Omni. Our first observation was that there was very little vending or obvious camping, which was sort of an expected shock. The shock I didn't expect was hearing about what transpired for the past few day at Nassau. At that point I figured there would be no real suprises, but it was April Fools. Who knows? As things would be, the first night was a great solid show all around. Everything played exceptionally well and the band was fully warmed up. By the second night of the run, which is the one included in this set, we happened to have the great fortune of not only finding out that a freightyard lot behind the CNN Center was opened for Deadheads to camp and vend, despite the rules posted by the band, but by chance, we had even better fortune! Before the show, we pretty much hung out in the makeshift freightyard fteak village were parked near some folks who were taping shows from the tour and rocking recordings from the first night. By this point, I had been going to Grateful Dead concerts for several years already but really only had a vague knowledge of tape trading. As it turned out, after an awesome second show, we headed back to the lot to enjoy the afterglow and chill for a bit before heading to the hotel. Shortly after we arrived back to the car, and having pulled out a couple of lawn chairs and a beverage or three, a brother who appeared to be a little distressed from his out of body experience caught our attention. He decided to approach us as we hung out and told us he had lost track of where his buddies were and asked if he couild hang out with us in case they turned up. We of course said "sure" and he proceeded to tell us that he and his traveling companions were taping the whole tour.By chance, we just so happened to have a stand alone cassette deck with us that he could burn copies to from his rig, and offered him to stay with us, burn tapes from the tour and just drool at the mini goldmine this guy was lugging around with him.We were able to make copies of everything except Nassau and Hartford, including the first and second nights at the Omni. The next day and the third show, we went to the same lot and the taper we met immediately hooked up with his buddies. He was grateful for the place to stay and we were blessed with pristine 1st gen recordings of almost the entire tour. We exchanged contact info with the taper guy from Pennsylvania and he sent us the rest of the tour promptly. This was the first time in my life I had ever recieved a tape of a concert I had attended right after a show, and it was the whole Spring '90 tour! Of course, this experience created a monster. About two or three weeks later, we had invested in the first of many portable recorders and proceeded to push the bounderies of who, what and where we recorded live concerts. What a learning experience THAT whole process was... Of course, there were many other great memories I have from that '90 Omni adventure. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to see the Grateful Dead on what I consider to be one of the top two or three tours they ever played. I happen to like apples and oranges. Ultimately, good karma reaps great rewards, and that was our turn to pay it forward and vice/versa. Only at a Grateful Dead concert...
  • Little Ben Clock
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    Dates for tracks on 2-disc version?
    Is there any information on the dates for the tracks in the 2-disc version? So far I've gathered it must be as below but I can't find a LTGTR> Stranger anywhere in the fun. Perhaps there will be some very creative edits on the segues. Anyway, if someone can point out where all these tracks come from, I'd be much obliged. For what it's worth, I'm not interested enough in this era to go for the boxset (and it will be the first Dead release I haven't gone for in years, regardless of the era) so I appreciate that the 2-disc set is going to be available. Let The Good Times Roll> [??] Feel Like A Stranger [??] West L.A. Fadeaway [??] Easy To Love You [??] Beat It On Down The Line [??] Loser [24th] It’s All Over Now> [??] Jack-A-Roe [??] The Last Time [??] Bird Song [??] Blow Away [??] --- Samson And Delilah [??] Scarlet Begonias> [16th] Estimated Prophet> [16th] Playing In The Band> [19th] Eyes Of The World [19th] Gimme Some Lovin’> [26th] Morning Dew [26th] Not Fade Away [??] Attics Of My Life [??]
  • fluffanutter
    Joined:
    Not just Wes, LedMan
    No, many people are getting paid for their work. Here is a short list: John Cutler; David Lemieux; Blair Jackson; Wes Lang; Jeffrey Norman. Then there is all the production costs of the box, jewel trays, doo-dads, and the discs themselves (Lets hope they went first-class on the actual discs this time). All of that has to be taken out of only $180,000. Then there is the attendant vendor for special customer service. So, no, nobody is getting rich. I imagine the royalties going to band members is quite small. They truly are putting the music out there for the fans and that is admirable. Deadheads just love to complain about everything. It is the one thing you can be sure about when there is a new release. I wouldn't have it any other way. What gets me though is the people who hate the complainers. Imagine two heads on one body -- a complainer and a complimenter, always fighting with each other! LMAO!
  • fourwindsblow
    Joined:
    Are these from the multi-track recordings?
    "Recorded and Mixed Live by John Cutler" Which is why they sound so good.
  • snafu
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    Bummer
    When everything else looks so good why did they have to use jewell cases. Will they replace the scratched discs that will be so prevelent. Oh well they'll just have to learn from their mistakes.
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jq171(document).ready(function (jq171) { jq171("h2.product_title").each(function(){ var title = jq171(this); var new_title = title.text().replace(' - SOLD OUT', ''); title.text(new_title); }); var covertArtDownloadMarkup = 'Looking for the digital cover art? You can download it here.'; setTimeout(function() { jq171('#digital_cart').append(covertArtDownloadMarkup); }, 500); });

What's Inside:
• 60 page hardcover Smyth-Sewn book featuring essays by Dennis McNally, David Lemieux, and Blair Jackson and photos by Jim Anderson & Mike Laurentis
• 25th Anniversary Tour Program
• Official Band Letters
• 6 Ticket Stubs
• 6 Cloth Sticker Backstage Passes
• 1 Tour Laminate
• Official 1990 Band publicity shot
• 6 complete shows on 18 discs
      • 3/16/90 Capital Center, Landover, MD
      • 3/19/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
      • 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON, Canada
      • 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
      • 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
      • 4/2/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA

Box Dimensions: 12-1/8" x 3-1/8" x 12-1/8"
Recorded and Mixed Live by John Cutler
Mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD
Original art by Wes Lang
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

Introducing The Next Box: Spring 1990!

And now for something a little different. This year's box set - Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 - offers six complete shows from the epic spring '90 tour, one concert from each city the band played, personally selected by Dead vaultmeister and archival release producer David Lemieux. The sizzling six are: 3/16/90 Capital Centre (Landover , MD), 3/19/90 Hartford Civic Center, 3/22/90 Copps Coliseum (Hamilton, Ontario), 3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, NY), 3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) and 4/2/90 The Omni (Atlanta, GA).

In his "Producer's Note" in the beautiful book that is part of the box, Lemieux, who attended the first 10 shows on the tour, states, "To my ears this was the last tour that was consistently great, where every show is excellent, not a dud in the bunch." And Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally's comprehensive and informative insider's essay in the box is titled "The Last Great Dead Tour." These guys know what they're talking about.

Basically, the band had been on an upward trajectory since Garcia's return to the road in the spring of '87, following his near-death the previous summer. Of course, 1987 was a trip in itself, what with the unexpected mega-success of In the Dark and their first hit single, "Touch of Grey." But the momentum just kept building with each subsequent tour, as Garcia got back up to full speed (and then some!) and the group as a whole was as unified as they had ever been since Brent joined the band in the spring of '79. New original tunes were popping up and the old favorites were imbued with a freshness and spirit that was so uplifting and inspiring. The band was having fun again, and it was downright infectious.

The group's fall 1989 shows-as documented two years ago on the Formerly the Warlocks box (two shows from Hampton, VA, 10/8-9/89) and on the 2001 release Nightfall of Diamonds (a single night in NJ, 10/16/89)- kicked the energy level up another couple of notches, as the band reintroduced such loved classics as "Help on the Way" > "Slipknot!," "Attics of My Life," "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Dark Star."

And when the band hit the road in mid-March 1990, they had a bunch of other cool tunes to lay on their unsuspecting crowds, including the return of "Loose Lucy" (last played in 1974; it's not on this box), Brent's "Easy to Love You" (missing since 1980), a rollicking cover of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time," The Band's "The Weight" (with all four singers taking a verse each) and a lyrically retooled "Black-Throated Wind" (absent since 1974), which elicited huge cheers every time it was played.

Over these six shows, most of the cornerstones of the Dead's repertoire from the era appear-splendid versions of "Scarlet Begonias" > "Fire on the Mountain," "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider," "Playing in the Band," "Uncle John's Band," "Eyes of the World," "Estimated Prophet," "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "The Other One," "Terrapin," "Stella Blue," "Feel Like a Stranger," "Bird Song," "Let It Grow," "China Doll," "Box of Rain," "Morning Dew"; you name it. From the fall '89 breakouts come "Help-Slip-Frank," "Attics of My Life" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy." Among the still newish tunes are "Picasso Moon," "Blow Away," "Foolish Heart," "Just a Little Light," "Victim or the Crime," "Standing on the Moon," "We Can Run" and a couple that would get their final plays from the Grateful Dead on this tour-"Built to Last" and "Believe It or Not." There are stirring renditions of "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Black Muddy River," rockin' takes on "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "Iko Iko" and the only version of the full "Hey Jude" the band attempted in the modern era. And the "Rhythm Devils" and "Space" jams at the heart of each second set are as noisy-beautiful-scary-funny-intense-mysterious-wild as you'd expect/hope for.

Of course, we understand that some of you may have other favorite shows from this tour you wish were included on this box. Really, you can't go wrong with any of them. But at 18 discs, this is still the second largest Grateful Dead box (after Europe '72: The Complete Recordings) that's been released, and the non-inclusion of any other shows from the tour definitely does not preclude their future release! But this seemed like a more manageable way to go, while still giving a sense of the tour's amazing depth and breadth.

Besides the discs themselves, Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 has much to offer, including: a gorgeous 60-page hardcover book containing copious color photos by Jim Anderson and Michael Laurentus, unique artwork by Brooklyn-based fine artist Wes Lang, fascinating business letters and communications related to the tour, a detailed historical essay by Dennis McNally, a Producer's Note by David Lemieux and individual show descriptions by Blair Jackson; a reproduction of the Dead's 1990 tour program (printed and sold later in '90, for the fall and Europe '90 tours); tickets and backstage passes of all six shows; a band publicity photo from 1990 by Ken Friedman; Dennis McNally's tour laminate; and reproductions of the colored 8x10 sheets GDTS sent out with hotel, food and other information for each city on the tour.

With recordings made by longtime Grateful Dead recordist and producer John Cutler, mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD, you just know it's gonna sound great-and it does!

So, that's the skinny this time 'round. This box is limited to just 9,000 numbered copies - please note, this is the only time these shows will ever be officially available on CD. There will not be an All Music Edition and single shows will not be available physically. Due to ship out August 31st, we anticipate that this extraordinary set will sell-out, so order your copy today!

If you're looking for more of a bite-sized taste of the '90s, Spring 1990: So Glad You Made It, a 2-CD set featuring a handful of favorites, will be in stores on September 18th.

-Blair Jackson

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15 years 1 month
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I know better than to get them replaced! You're just trying to shut me up!!! "Better late than never" HAH! I'd rather cry forever than let you fix it now. WWAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
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14 years
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Are there going to be any more spring 90 T-Shirt designs put up for sale? I know each design is one run, but what about other designs? Two of the shirts have already sold out and the skeleton in top hat has sold out of my size (large). Wes Lang's album art for each of the individual shows looks really cool, especially the reaper and rose one (3/22/90 I think). They're selling stickers and patches with that one, but stickers and patches aren't quite as much my thing.
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17 years 4 months
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...69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 77, misc 80 and 81....all far superior in every way to the late brent era.. by 1990, jerrys leadership is diluted by self absorbtion on the part of all band members, and technical staff, most concerned about 'their sound'....group and collective consciousness is quite weak compared to earlier eras, and perhaps, as always with the dead, the band was simply a reflection of the crowd that was hanging around the scene at the time. no choice but to be disconnected from each other. so as we all marvel at the advent of the age of digital technology and sampling, clean mixes and sharp separation, higher highs and lower lows, six string basses and fun space/drums/jam toys to beat on, think about the extent to which ensemble improvisation had all but disappeared by this time, leaving us to have little debates about how many 'blow aways' there were recorded during the era, or how great the 'new material' was...yeah yeah yeah...the best of the worst of any particular artist is not necessarily something to run home and shout about from the rooftops...
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13 years 5 months
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Ok, I have fussed enough. I'm sure this Spring '90 business will sound fine. I'm not a 90s fan but there will be gems in there of course. Meanwhile, how about that Dave's #3?? The version of Comes a Time knocked me out. Did that song peak early or what? Damn. I'm only halfway through listening to DaP3 and it is already my fave by far. Off topic for this thread, I know. I'd rather rant about the 70s anyway. Speaking of off-topic in the 70s, the version of Minglewood from 12/26/70 is playing in my headphones as I write this (from the first 30 Days of Dead freebie). Way to insert the odd verse, Bob! Makes me want to check out the rest of this show. Good night from Atlanta. All is well. Please fuss on.
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12 years 3 months
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I like to think that in the late 80's and early 90's the grateful dead were on fire, they all sounded tight and happy and you can see that they were all having fun. The years that you gave are quite fantastic but give those years a listen and you will see that they were ion fire more often then not in the late 80's and early 90's personally those are my favorite times that and early 70's. Either way give those years a good listen before jumping to any conclusions.
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re: audio quality:Some people listen to a recording for the production values; others listen for the music actually being made. I'm kinda on the music side of the spectrum, myself. If you can't hear the music for the production, well, my sympathies extend to you... re: phish: It's great that they are so digital-media savvy. Unfortunately, there's nothing of theirs that I would ever care to download or listen to. Given the choice, I'm prepared to wait a bit for the good stuff. re: 90's dead: I'm a fan of early '70's dead, but enjoyed shows from the late 70's through '93. Thanks, Dave, for honoring all eras of my favorite band. re: whining: It's your money; keep it in your own pocket if the product isn't something that you want. It's OK to state why you will not be purchasing, if you feel the need, but be factual. If you engage in inane quesswork as to the motives of the folks engaged in production, don't be surprised if people think that you are whining.
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so i spent half the night on archive listening to the spring tour...there are some redeeming qualities to the energy level of the ensemble, but there is such little space in the music, its density is hard to listen to for extended periods...no one ever stops playing...everyone is always banging away, and as a musician myself, i just dont feel an ability to be listening if your are always bouncing off the ceiling, hands moving like hamster wheels...brent seems solid enough, but there is nothing to write home to mama about in his personal performances...i understand the nostalgia of having his last tour documented, and toward that end, i am happy that this box set is available for those who need to re experience their precious small piece of the dead, the late brent era...but i cant compare the two or three extended and lengthy eyes of the world cuts that i have listened to thus far with anything from may through june of 1974....apples and oranges...
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12 years 10 months
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First show was '89. Told my momma I was going to a friend's house. Old school heads should appreciate this...I came home 4 days later and 3 venues later. I believe anyway. Mom saw me and said, how were the colors? I had different clothes on. The next few years of tour happened to change my life. I'm one of the kids in the end that, by definition, had to explain to the even the younger generations that never had the opportunity to catch Jerry with the band that the early 90's were the best gig going at the time. Never Had such a GOODTIME in my life before. Thanx Dave!!!!
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15 years 6 months
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I think this is fair for people who were going to Dead Shows then. I always wondered why They had all of those good concert videos in the late 80s, My fave is "Truckin Up to Buffalo". I bought 2 individual shows from the Europe 72 tour, Amsterdam and Paris May,3. Excellent Shows and good sound. As far as digital goes, everything live that is running out now, is available on the Downloads page in about 4 different formats . I remember buying tapes from the Dead, I really miss The GD Almanac, just a neat periodical to have lying around. JIm PS- Anyone know how many 90s sets are left? 9000 is not very many, I would imagine they are over half gone.
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Give or take.
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I find it interesting for some to compare the eras that we at different times traveled with the band in body and or spirit. My begining was in '68 and I treasure the years following that, but to minimize the special Experiance that all permeable rocks known as "deadheads" were fortunate the have that energy flow thgrough them just does not feel good to me. I am glad that generations were able to be bound by the enchanting mystery we all were enveloped by. I see only unity and pure albeit colorful light shinning around us. May we all wear the halo the intimate knowledge that the miracle of kindness has place upon our heads.
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@ CT DP3 Subscriber I live in CT as well and received mine on the 3rd with the free shipping offer option. Good Luck !!! I can't wait till the end of the month for the Spring 90 shows....Woo Hooooooo :0)
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12 years 8 months
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Every time I open up dead.net Lang's indian freaks me out. WTF? Somebody said there is a link to an article explaining the symbolism to this motif??
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...says it all, and far more politely than me! Clean well recorded shows from the '90's can powerfully evoke memories of having been there, and these are, for many of us, very happy memories. This IS a good and important thing. But as documents of music, and when thought of against the massive output of the mighty Dead over their assorted eras and tours, there is little here that demands, or even really invites, hearing! So, crank it up, and transport yourself back to dancing in the halls, meeting that special friend, that moment of chemically assisted enlightenment, and all that, but I will go listen to something else!
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I can't believe anyone is gettin rich from the material rhino is releasing. The numbers are quite small about 10,000 units of each relase. Between dave's picks and the new box if every thing is sold that is 3 million dollars before expenses. Rhino must produce 300,000 cds, market them and distribute. Once all expenses are paid and profits are split with the band and royaltys paid to the writers there is not that much to go around. The only reason so much has been released is some people doing this must really love the band. Yeah they are not doing it toally free but at a more than reasonable price for what we get. As far as the sound quality goes I still have nightmares about the hiss and distortion from casette tapes. The only questioin I care about is what is going to be next.
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17 years 5 months
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I love the music, I was on tour Spring of 1990. I contacted the artist Wes Lang to do art for my company HippieShop.com and he blew us off...kind of rude!!!
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14 years 10 months
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That was 250 sold, not left. My bad!
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12 years 7 months
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really there have only been 250 sold? are you positive? i feel like a lot more than 250 would have been sold at this point...
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lets hate the artist because he wont do something for me-wahhhhhh
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Are you just having fun with us, Anna? There has to be more than 250 sets sold. At least that many people seem to have commented on how happy they are about this release, or at least willing enough to purchase it. I would guess, as someone else did, that it is about halfway to being sold out, if not closer. I hope I'm wrong because I think the price is too high for the amount of discs, and I hope Rhino lowers the price per disc for the next box. I won't get into my argument or "whine" about it anymore, though. :) But I do agree with the comment that no one from Rhino is getting "rich" from this. 9000 x $200 = $1.8m, a good chunk of which is going to the band, engineers, employees, other costs. Definitely not a windfall leftover after everythings's been paid. Rhino, like everyone else, deserves to get paid. It just won't be with my money this time. Most people who bought this one will enjoy it though. These are very good shows from a very good tour, possibly the peak of late-era Dead.
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I have emailed Dave Lemieux and he advised that the boxes were more than 50% sold as of Monday the 6th. His estimation is that there are 30% or less available at this time which would be 3000 boxes or so. I imagine it will be sold out befor the end of next week if not sooner. Get it if you are on the fence......cheers.
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Funny how many folks seem to "know" whether or not, and how much, Rhino might make from this release. Yes some of you have identified the expenses, but have NO IDEA what they might be! Production costs, well not much there. Promotion, I assume it is limited more or less to this web-site. Payments to technicians, producers, authors, the band----who knows?!? Given my experience in publishing and music production, and the production of art books, I would be surprised if total production costs were over $30-$40 a unit. Of course it is possible I am totally off base for some unforseen reason. Lets face it, if there were not profit in it, why would it be done, seeing that the product, in a sense, is already easily available. This is not a complaint, just a fact. My guess, but it is certainly just that, is that there is a healthy profit margin built in, as there usually is with "special" boxes that contain lots of stuff with very low production costs, and little residual costs (stickers, reproductions of material that the company owes the copyright to, and so on). Hey, if you want it, buy it!
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... ahh the elusive rationale behind the Skull with Indian feathers... Look no further than the cover of 'Without A Net'. Wes was just keeping a continuity. ;)
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Lemieux almost never says anything officially about the count sold, other than perhaps an update when they are close to selling out. That is not to say he doesn't answer people who ask him questions. I would really be surprised if 4500 units have been sold. I don't know how many of the 9000 produced are freebies for the band, promotional purposes, record industry & Rhinoids involved in the process and such. That probably is around 300. So, of the 8700 actually up for sale to the public, given the response here, I would be floored if there were 4500 actually sold. I think that a sell-out on 8/19/12 is wildly, wildly optimistic. I hope I'm wrong. I think this is an excellent product from a great period for the band. But the price is prohibitive and holding back sales. I stick by my estimate of a 90 day sellout. We'll certainly know as there will be a "SOLD OUT" update for this item. I think a 90 day sell out of 9000 units for a band that has not performed for 17 years is truly marvelous and testament to their enduring popularity. Having said all that, by all means, buy this thing now if you absolutely must have it. Somebody on this thread has said Grateful Dead CD packages are a great investment with a proven history. If there is a businessman out there with an Am-Ex black card he could buy every last unit and then have them up for sale on E-Bay on Monday morning for $500 each. Not likely, but it could happen. Don't say you weren't warned.... Where is my blackie anyway?
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Attempting to forecast the sales of this box set based on the posters in this thread would be futile. Most people do not feel the need to post a comment before purchasing and the negative posters only represent a very small portion of the Dead community. Spring '90 was incredible and this is going to be a nice size treasure for those who get it.
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I have been a member of the Dead community for about 40 years. I usually just read the posts here, without saying much. But after reading what has been said here since the announcement of offering, I must say I am amazed! It is quite obvious, that whatever is offered, now, or in the future, there will be those that are unhappy with it for whatever reason.I saw many shows over the years and I have many shows on cd. Some are better then others but none are bad. The Dead on an off night, are still better then most bands on a good night. When the Europe '72 box set came out, some folks complained about the lack of doodads. Now the doodads are included here, and some people are complaining about that. Rhino has been releasing a lot of '70's show and people asked for something else. So now Rhino offers an excellent box of late Brent shows and some folks complain about that. I am a 70's fan myself, but I think this is a great set of shows from a great tour. Sure, some recordings are better then others, but look at Dick's Picks. They were marked "caveat emptor"., buyer beware, since they were not all prettied up. I love them all! Sure, I like some better then others, but that is just the nature of the beast. Rhino is a business, a "for profit" business. So I just wish folks would stop complaining about them making a reasonable profit. Who ever promised you that the Grateful Dead were all about giving you everything you want for free? I could not buy the Europe '72 box due to the fact that I just did not have the dollars at that time. I have since picked up 3 or 4 shows and I am very happy with that. If you do not like this offering, or you can not afford it today, ok, we understand. But don't slam Rhino or the folks who do like this offering and are going to buy it. There will always be more in the future so you can sit back and wait on the next offering. I myself am stoked for this one and I can't wait to get it. And anyone who trys to predict sales of this one are just deluding themselves. It will sell out for sure so who cares how long it takes? Eventually it will and that will be the end of your chance to get it at this price. Rock on Dead Heads and casual fans too! Just be happy that Rhino & the Grateful Dead are making these offerings for those who do want them and are happy to have them, like me! 9000 units for the world is a VERY small percentage.
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People can't say or do anything I don't want them to and it really pisses me off that they do. People have to like what I like and if they don't they are all a bunch of losers who should have their privileges to make comments revoked until they are of the same opinion as me. Further, no one should make any conjecture at all on the intentions of Warner Brothers or offer any opinion about what any of their subsidiaries might produce and when it might become unavailable. I have been a member of the Dead community for OVER 40 years and no one has a right to differ with anything I say. I am the holder of the orthodoxy and My Word Fills The Sky With Flame!!! (%);~}} Like you said hbob, it's going to sell out so what does it matter?
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Hooray!!! Personally, it's releases like this that I look forward to the most. Besides the rest of this tour NOT included in this Spring '90 box (particularly 3/14 and 3/29), 8/27/72 Field Trip seems like the next big unreleased show that is traditionally listed among the the all time favorites. I wonder how many, if any of the early May '77 shows are in the vault? When and if 8/27/72 gets the CD/DVD/Blueray release nod, there will certainly be complainers on that one as well. It's like that one guy from the Grateful Dead Movie who complained about the Grateful Dead making a movie. I would have paid the price of 10 box sets just to see the look on the complaining guys face, seeing himself for the first time in the GD Movie. Priceless... edit- I'm digging the fancy post header font.
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SpaceBro - The early May '77 stuff is not in the vault, most notably 5/7-9/77. If they were there I have no doubts that all three would have been released by now.
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The big problem people had re: Europe 72 "accoutrements" was primarily because what was promised/advertised and what not what was delivered. Another thing that is different this time around is that the lead time is totally different. With E72 they wanted to be sure that they'd get the minimum 3,000 orders to get into production and all the packaging/etc. was preliminary with 7,200 being the the cap. Demand was off the charts and they caved-in to demand by going with the "All Music Edition." And we had to wait nearly 9 months to get it. With Spring 90 it seems that this thing is pretty much at the assembly stage and getting warehoused for delivery. The 9,000 copies is a given. No testing the waters, no preliminary artwork, no All Music Edition - what you see if what you're gonna get. And a point of debate regarding the playing between the eras... No one has mentioned that among the 22 shows for E72 there were about 60 distinct songs played. For Spring 90 we will be getting about 80 distinct songs among just 6 shows. I believe this concentration of songs in the repertoire has to be a factor in how well each show was played in the earlier years vs. the later years. Plus, there was no rehearsal discipline if I remember right. I appreciate the variety in the setlists and the looseness in the playing we'll get on Spring 1990.
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I can't believe how excited I am about this release. This from a grouchy middle-aged Deadhead that has mostly ignored, dismissed, or outright poo-poo-ed the whole Brent-era for more that 32 years. I'm listening a lot to Terrapin Limited and if this release is on the same level we are really in for a treat! Live and learn!
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17 years 5 months
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I wondwer what i will get first DP3 or 1990 spring box
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I was aware that Cornell from the May '77 run was missing from the vault. In addition to Boston and Buffalo, I wonder if and what other master tapes from that particular tour are missing?
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12 years 11 months
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Indian boy wanna go dowtown, iko iko an nayIf you don't like what the big chief says, say jockomo feena nay
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16 years 4 months
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No doubt the sound on this set will be fabulous. I hope the packaging is deluxe.....not the flimsy paper sleeves that you have to tear open to remove the discs that are trapped inside that the Europe '72 set had!!!!! That would be a real shame........wouldn't it?
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16 years 4 months
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I just saw the pictures and this set looks like it has very nice packaging.......Please keep these box sets coming!!! The nicer the better. Thanks.
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13 years 9 months
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Thanks to all involved for another release. We are very fortunate for all the recent releases!! Please keep'em coming!!! g
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Please read the following legalese carefully, as Unkle Sam has suggested: 4. Cancelling Your Purchase. Except with respect to Products consisting of downloads and/or tickets, you have a right to cancel your Transaction(s) and receive a full refund, provided that (a) such Product(s) are unopened (i.e., in original sealed packaging) and undamaged and (b) you notify us of such cancellation Contact DA 877-332-3638 or 610-491-2021 or via email to deadnet@custhelp.com within 30 working days beginning with the day after the day on which you received such Product(s). If you cancel a purchase pursuant to these Transaction Terms, you must return such Product(s) to us undamaged within 30 working days beginning with the day after the day on which we received your valid cancellation notice. Returned Products will be deemed to have been received by us on the date that is two (2) days (not including Sundays and public holidays) after the post-mark date applicable to such returned Products. We will not be responsible for any costs you incur in returning any Product(s) to us. If you fail to comply with the return obligations set forth herein, we will be entitled to deduct from any refund the direct cost of recovering the unreturned Product(s). Please note that if such cost is greater than the total refund amount, then no refund shall be given. All refunds will be processed at our sole discretion according to the condition of the returned Product(s). >>> You have no right of cancellation in the event that you have unsealed (i.e., opened) Products received from us. Tickets and downloads purchased are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. <<< 5. Defective Products. In the event that you receive a defective physical Product, provided that you return such defective physical Product to us within 30 working days following your receipt of such Product (as determined pursuant to Section 4 above), we will (on your election) either send you a replacement physical Product, or provide you with a full refund. We will cover the cost of any defective physical Product returned by you up to the value of standard USPS first class postage. Contact DA 877-332-3638 or 610-491-2021 or via email to deadnet@custhelp.com So, say you opened up you long anticipated box set and are psyched to play it but there is a problem. You have three disc 7s or a big scratch on disc 9. According to the terms listed above you have no recourse to remedy your problem. Once you have opened the box, that is all she wrote. Given the dead.net stores record for producing a mistake-free experience it is highly, highly unlikely they will have a perfect record and are setting up innocent people to take the fall for their own mistakes, Given this, I wouldn't go anywhere near this iron-clamp trap. I understand why this has happened, Because Rhino delivered an insanely inferior product with E-72 and never wants to take a hit ever again for the mistakes they have made. How sad. The rest of the professional business world does not work on this model and people willing to bet they will win a lottery where the product arrives in perfect condition really have great, if misguided, faith.
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Most of the CS comments here have the negitive flavor of ..But I have had a different experience. The first time was not even a dead product but the Chicago IV box. Which came with two Disc 3's and no Disc 4. But Dr. Rhino fixed the problem with a new Disc 4 and I still have the extra Disc 3. Next The Beyond Description Box, The Shakedown Street disc was defective and they sent me a new Shakedown disc before I received the Box Set (was about two years after the release date that I bought the set) Next The 3rd Road Trips had glue on the edge of the second disc. Was replaced with in two weeks of the original shipping date. All the box sets Fillmore 69 Winterland 73 Winterland 77 Warlocks 89 E72 All the DicksPicks All The Road Trips All The Dave's Picks All the View From The Vaults All The Vault series (one from, two from, 2/11/69, Ladies and.., Dozin' at ..., Truckin' up.... Crimson, ... GD movie, Winterland 78) The Dead 2003 summer tour The Dead 2009 tour Furthur Shows from 09, 10, and 11 all these releases and every one a gem. So glad I have these as I continue to go back and listen again to such masterfully played songs So if you get confused, Just listen to the music play
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fluffanutter wrote: "So, say you opened up you long anticipated box set and are psyched to play it but there is a problem. You have three disc 7s or a big scratch on disc 9. According to the terms listed above you have no recourse to remedy your problem. Once you have opened the box, that is all she wrote." That's not what paragraph 5 says; the reference to paragraph 4 is about the timing, not about the opening of the product. (You couldn't tell it was defective without opening it!) Paragraph five says you get a refund, or replacement. The only thing that says anything about opened items is cancellation of purchase, NOT replacement of defective items.
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>>> In the event that you receive a defective physical Product, provided that you return such defective physical Product to us within 30 working days following your receipt of such Product (as determined pursuant to Section 4 above), we will (on your election) either send you a replacement physical Product, or provide you with a full refund. We will cover the cost of any defective physical Product returned by you up to the value of standard USPS first class postage <<<. This would seem to indicate: A) Per paragraph 4, the packaging must be unopened to be leigible for refund B) If determined to be eligible for refund the amount will not be in any case larger than the amount to have originally sent it first class USPS standard postage. So, if you paud $13 in change for postage and it is found to be defective, and Rhino agrees, they accept responsibility for no more than !13 and change. The whole thing is purposefully unclear and meant to confuse. It boils down to: >>> If determined to be eligible for refund the amount will not be in any case larger than the amount to have originally sent it first class USPS standard postage. <<< Therefore, if your receive a defective shipment your recourse is never larger than $13 and change. Period, end of discussion
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My experience with Dead.net has been similar to Scott1129. I've bought all the boxes, except "The Warlocks", and all but a handful of the Dicks Picks, Road Trips, and now Dave's Picks. I've only had one missing or duplicate disc (can't remember) and a replacement was sent immediately. That was an early Dick's Picks, probably over 10 years ago. Everything else has been just fine. Just my experience...
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When you say, "Therefore, if your receive a defective shipment your recourse is never larger than $13 and change. Period, end of discussion," you're absolutely wrong. The sentence "We will cover the cost of any defective physical Product returned by you up to the value of standard USPS first class postage", I think it's clear that there was a mistake, and it means "We will cover the cost of SHIPPING any defective physical Product returned by you up to the value of standard USPS first class postage." The meat of Paragraph 5 says it will provide you with a **full refund**. It makes no sense to tie the "full refund" to the shipping cost -- the only way the shipping cost sentence makes sense is to read it as saying they will cover your postage costs incurred in returning the defective item, up to the amount of USPS first-class charges. (So they won't for example, cover overnight shipping fees.) And the reference to Paragraph 4 is about the calculation of the 30 days, not the "unopened" part. Sure, maybe you want a reason not to do business with Rhino, that's your prerogative. But don't be spinning tortured readings of the legal notices to scare folks away from buying. If Rhino were to argue your reading of the notice in court, they'd get laughed out of court. Hopefully, someone will read this and fix that sentence, but until they do, nobody should think that Rhino has somehow protected themselves from liability to replace defective items.
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17 years 3 months
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Good points, frampton, and nice catch on the apparent typo in the phrasing. Hopefully that will be corrected. I think and I hope that overall, the voices of reason on this forum pipe up often enough to counteract the fluffanutter effect that is so prevalent.
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17 years 3 months
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... double post. I'm a bozo, so sorry.
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15 years 10 months
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Such a great box set of later GD shows. And I LOVE this type of CD packaging, very nice and much better than just the slip pocket type. I have gotten so may sweet box sets in the past years and they hold up so well. Winterland 77 is constantly being abused, and it still is holing up perfectly. I also LOVE the little extras they put in the larger box set. The buttons that came in the Winterland box sets, the cool tickets and postcard photos from Formally the Warlocks box set, not to mention the wooden box it came in. Keep it up, we want MORE!
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Read it again: In the event that you receive a defective physical Product, provided that you return such defective physical Product to us within 30 working days following your receipt of such Product (as determined pursuant to Section 4 above), we will (on your election) either send you a replacement physical Product, or provide you with a full refund. We will cover the cost of any defective physical Product returned by you up to the value of standard USPS first class postage So either the single paragraph refers to wo separate things: Replacement or refund of the original cost of the product at your discretion. But then, full refund is further defined in the same paragraph as: We will cover the cost of any defective physical Product returned by you up to the value of standard USPS first class postage. THE COST OF ANY DEFECTIVE PRODUCT NOT THE COST OF SHIPPING TO YOUR DOOR ANY DEFECTIVE PRODUCT (Nothing tortures there, they simply define their liability as to the worth of returned product) I rest my case
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