• https://www.dead.net/features/blair-jackson/blair%E2%80%99s-golden-road-blog-sticking-road-trips
    Blair’s Golden Road Blog - Sticking Up For Road Trips

    I’m as excited as everyone else to see what the future brings with Dave’s Picks. But please permit me one moment of nostalgia for the departing Road Trips series, which I thoroughly enjoyed being a small part of these past four years.

    The series was controversial from the start because of the initial decision to release compilations from tours rather than complete shows. Why was this done? Well, the last few releases in the original Dick’s Picks series came after a gushing flood of soundboard tapes made their way to Archive.org following the death of Dick Latvala. Many of those tapes were then downloaded many thousands of times before the Dead came to their senses and forced Archive to go stream-only for soundboard material. However, the damage was done. Sales for the last several Dick’s Picks—which in my view were certainly up to the high standards established by earlier releases (35 and 36 are among my favorites) — plummeted once Archive became a free source for nearly everything in the Grateful Dead vault.

    In the meantime, remnants of the Grateful Dead organization cut a deal with Rhino to have them facilitate the Dead’s archival release program, and folks on both the Grateful Dead side and at Rhino looked for new ways to generate some interest in the vault material. When Road Trips was established, our thinking was that by presenting a nicely designed package containing two discs with the cream from multiple shows from a tour or series, plus a booklet with liner notes and photos, might be sufficiently compelling to attract both those who already had huge collections of soundboard material and new people who hadn’t been big collectors or were relatively new to the band’s music. The initial concept was to limit the package to two discs to keep the price down, then toss in a bonus disc with more material from the tour as an added incentive to buy early from Dead.net—not a new idea, as bonus discs had proven to be popular on a number of earlier releases.

    The negative response by so many hardcore fans frankly caught us off guard. It was clear that a certain segment really wanted complete shows only and were not going to be satisfied by anything less. Personally, I still stand by the compilation concept. I listen to those first few Road Trips a lot more than I do individual shows from those tours. I don’t even think about what is from which show—I just enjoy the high quality of the performances on each, just as I would on a live compilation by any band. The two-disc format did end up being somewhat limiting, however, so I was happy when the series eventually moved to three discs each time. That also allowed us to put out a greater variety of full shows. Needless to say, some were disappointed when the Bonus Discs disappeared; others hated them from the beginning. I liked ’em; always have.

    Less surprising than the outrage in some quarters over the compilation idea was the harping about the actual choices. Some people didn’t want to hear anything post-’77, much less something as late as ’93. Others complained that there wasn’t enough early ’80s. You name it and there was a segment of folks who attacked it bitterly—’twas ever thus in the Dead world, and so it will be with Dave’s Picks, no doubt. I even raised my objections to my buddy Dick Latvala a few times back in the day: “Dude, 10/14/83 is the best you could come up with from ’83 for DP6?” Comes with the territory. (Remember the bumpersticker “Just Another Picky Deadhead”?)

    Silhouettes: Three of my favorite covers.

    Herewith, some favorite performances from each of the 17 Road Trips releases:

    RT 1.1, Fall ’79 — “Dancing in the Street” > “Franklin’s.” Not quite up to the 10/27/79 Cape Cod version, but still great. “Terrapin” > “Playing” also show some of the color that “new guy” Brent brought to the band.

    RT 1.2, October ’77 — I’ve always loved the Norman, Okla., “Help-Slip-Frank” and the “Sugaree” on the same disc is one of the best in a great year for that tune.

    RT 1.3, Summer ’71 — Two major finds made this release a winner: The long-missing Yale Bowl tape (love that “Dark Star” > “Bird Song”) and more of the spectacular Hollywood Palladium show (some of which was released on DP35), including the legendary “Hard to Handle,” which is on the Bonus Disc. Incredible “That’s It for the Other One” from Chicago, too.

    RT 1.4, From Egypt With Love — This one was put out to coincide with Rocking the Cradle: Egypt ’78, and for my money it’s a much stronger release musically. Taken from the GD’s post-Egypt shows a Winterland, it contains the famous sequence of “Got My Mojo Working” (with Lee Oskar) into “The Other One” into what many agree is the finest “Stella Blue” the band ever played. Cool “Ollin Arageed,” too.

    RT 2.1, MSG September ’90 — Much better than the Dick’s Picks (Vol. 9) from these first shows with Bruce and Vince together, this contains some wild and inspired jamming on “Playing” and “Dark Star,” and a great “Let It Grow.”

    RT 2.2, Carousel 2/14/68 —The only multitrack mixdown in the Road Trips series, it’s one of the Dead’s most-loved late ’60s shows. The extra material on Disc 1 (including a fantastic “Viola Lee Blues”) and on the Bonus Disc are tracks from the same era that had been recently discovered in a defunct SF recording studio.

    RT 2.3, Wall of Sound June ’74 — There were probably more gripes about us not releasing the full Louisville and Des Moines shows than with any other RT release. (C’mon, did you really need both versions of “Mexicali Blues” from those shows?) I’m partial to the “Eyes” > “China Doll” and “The Other One” from Louisville, but it’s all top drawer.

    RT 2.4, Cal Expo ’93 — The “Playing in the Band” is probably the most adventurous of any early ’90s versions. Good takes of later tunes such as “Corrina,” “Liberty” and “Victim,” as well.

    RT 3.1, Oakland 12/28/79 — A nice companion to Dick’s Picks Vol. 5 from the same set of shows. Another fine “Terrapin” > “Playing,” though in this case I like the Bonus Disc best, with the scorching “Scarlet-Fire” > “Let It Grow” from 12/30.

    RT 3.2, Austin 11/15/71 — Like RT 3.1, this is a complete show. The “Dark Star” > “El Paso” in the first set is heady stuff, and the “Not Fade Away” > “GDTRFB” > “NFA” truly one of my all-time favorite Grateful Dead performances.

    RT 3.3, Fillmore East 5/15/70 — Our first three-disc set (plus Bonus)! The acoustic material is priceless (especially “Long Black Limousine” and “Ain’t It Crazy”) and both the “Dark Star” and “That’s It for the Other One” are standouts. The Bonus Disc tracks from Merrimac College the previous night are killer, as well.

    RT 3.4, Penn State/Cornell 1980 — I’ve listened to this one a lot. I particularly dig the “Shakedown” > “Bertha” and “space” > “Saint of Circumstance” from Cornell and the “He’s Gone” > “The Other One” from Penn State.

    RT 4.1, Big Rock Pow Wow 1969 — Two crazy acid-drenched shows from Florida in May ’69. I’m a sucker for “He Was a Friend of Mine,” and there are a couple of fiery versions of “The Eleven,” a trippy “Dark Star” and a thumping “St. Stephen” out of “drums.” Two half-hour versions of “Lovelight” is a bit much for me, though.

    RT 4.2, April Fools ’88 — Classic high-energy late ’80s Dead, with outstanding versions of “Scarlet-Fire” and “China Cat-Rider,” along with relative rarities such as “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “To Lay Me Down” and Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man.”

    RT 4.3, Denver 1973 — Love the “Playing” > “Wharf Rat” > “Playing” reprise > “Morning Dew,” and the lacy first-set “Here Comes Sunshine.”

    RT 4.4, Spectrum 4/6/82 — For me, it’s all about the “Shakedown” > “Lost Sailor- Saint” and “The Other One” > “Morning Dew.” More early ’80s, please!

    RT 4.5, Boston Music Hall 6/9/76 — This would make my RT Top 5, with the awesome “St. Stephen” > “Eyes,” best-ever “Crazy Fingers,” wonderful “High Time” and solid bonus versions (from 6/12/76) of “Comes a Time” and “Mission in the Rain.”

    End of the line. Last call for Road Trips rants and raves! What do you think?

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    NorthBoundTrain
    6 years 8 months ago
    Could Have Been Much More.....
    I love a complete show. Having missed the golden period of the band (60's-70's-80's) it makes me nuts when these are Not a Full show. I am openly greedy for the full night. Someone else's idea of "great mix" is a hit or miss thing when you start trying to cherry pick the "best moments" from a Dead Show. April Fools 88 (RT Vol 4 -#2)is a prime example of this. Disc #1 for some reason has an Outstanding run of 1st Set Songs from 4/01/88 capped by a solid Deal. Butt ended by MasterPiece and Let it Grow from 3/31/88 with an added bonus of a randomly placed Brokedown Palace the ENCORE from 4/01/88 to Close Disc #1. Which should have closed Disc #3 of this mess. This pattern repeats across the RT collection sadly. There was a chance to do more. It was missed on these.
  • hsauertieg
    7 years ago
    Road Trips were the best idea of all
    No way would I disparage Dick's Picks, or Dave's Picks, 1-3 From The Vault, etc. - the apex of vault releases was in my opinion Road Trips and the Download Series. Judicious editing of the Road Trips produced live CDs without "down" spots and some interesting configurations of material that the "complete shows" just can't match for quality or interest. Kudos to those who assembled the Road Trips - I'm still listening to most of them regularly. [I cherish the idea of box sets of complete "runs" like the Winterland and Fillmore West sets but honestly I don't play them very often. The latter day boxes of tour highlights with 5 or 6 complete shows from the 80s and 90s must fill a need some people have, but my tastes are more catholic and I kind of prefer the Dead without so much electric keyboard and generally in less massive venues . . . Also the persistent sound of tens of thousands of people cheering indiscriminately is kind of a drag - like the laugh tracks on MASH or your favorite old sitcoms. I like it when you can identify individuals in the audience on the live recording! You can do that with the older Dead shows.] BIG ROCK POW WOW, AUSTIN '71, CAROUSEL 2-14-68, SUMMER 1971 and FILLMORE EAST 5-15-70 are my idea of a good time! Road Trips Forever!!!! or until Daddy takes the T-bird away.
  • Default Avatar
    Gratefuldan5
    9 years 1 month ago
    Road Trips are swell with me
    I think the Road trips series were excellent!! They were primo to these ears and as Blair said...how many Mexicali's does one need!!! I loved the packaging too...and I for one am going to miss them!!
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I’m as excited as everyone else to see what the future brings with Dave’s Picks. But please permit me one moment of nostalgia for the departing Road Trips series, which I thoroughly enjoyed being a small part of these past four years.

The series was controversial from the start because of the initial decision to release compilations from tours rather than complete shows. Why was this done? Well, the last few releases in the original Dick’s Picks series came after a gushing flood of soundboard tapes made their way to Archive.org following the death of Dick Latvala. Many of those tapes were then downloaded many thousands of times before the Dead came to their senses and forced Archive to go stream-only for soundboard material. However, the damage was done. Sales for the last several Dick’s Picks—which in my view were certainly up to the high standards established by earlier releases (35 and 36 are among my favorites) — plummeted once Archive became a free source for nearly everything in the Grateful Dead vault.

In the meantime, remnants of the Grateful Dead organization cut a deal with Rhino to have them facilitate the Dead’s archival release program, and folks on both the Grateful Dead side and at Rhino looked for new ways to generate some interest in the vault material. When Road Trips was established, our thinking was that by presenting a nicely designed package containing two discs with the cream from multiple shows from a tour or series, plus a booklet with liner notes and photos, might be sufficiently compelling to attract both those who already had huge collections of soundboard material and new people who hadn’t been big collectors or were relatively new to the band’s music. The initial concept was to limit the package to two discs to keep the price down, then toss in a bonus disc with more material from the tour as an added incentive to buy early from Dead.net—not a new idea, as bonus discs had proven to be popular on a number of earlier releases.

The negative response by so many hardcore fans frankly caught us off guard. It was clear that a certain segment really wanted complete shows only and were not going to be satisfied by anything less. Personally, I still stand by the compilation concept. I listen to those first few Road Trips a lot more than I do individual shows from those tours. I don’t even think about what is from which show—I just enjoy the high quality of the performances on each, just as I would on a live compilation by any band. The two-disc format did end up being somewhat limiting, however, so I was happy when the series eventually moved to three discs each time. That also allowed us to put out a greater variety of full shows. Needless to say, some were disappointed when the Bonus Discs disappeared; others hated them from the beginning. I liked ’em; always have.

Less surprising than the outrage in some quarters over the compilation idea was the harping about the actual choices. Some people didn’t want to hear anything post-’77, much less something as late as ’93. Others complained that there wasn’t enough early ’80s. You name it and there was a segment of folks who attacked it bitterly—’twas ever thus in the Dead world, and so it will be with Dave’s Picks, no doubt. I even raised my objections to my buddy Dick Latvala a few times back in the day: “Dude, 10/14/83 is the best you could come up with from ’83 for DP6?” Comes with the territory. (Remember the bumpersticker “Just Another Picky Deadhead”?)

Silhouettes: Three of my favorite covers.

Herewith, some favorite performances from each of the 17 Road Trips releases:

RT 1.1, Fall ’79 — “Dancing in the Street” > “Franklin’s.” Not quite up to the 10/27/79 Cape Cod version, but still great. “Terrapin” > “Playing” also show some of the color that “new guy” Brent brought to the band.

RT 1.2, October ’77 — I’ve always loved the Norman, Okla., “Help-Slip-Frank” and the “Sugaree” on the same disc is one of the best in a great year for that tune.

RT 1.3, Summer ’71 — Two major finds made this release a winner: The long-missing Yale Bowl tape (love that “Dark Star” > “Bird Song”) and more of the spectacular Hollywood Palladium show (some of which was released on DP35), including the legendary “Hard to Handle,” which is on the Bonus Disc. Incredible “That’s It for the Other One” from Chicago, too.

RT 1.4, From Egypt With Love — This one was put out to coincide with Rocking the Cradle: Egypt ’78, and for my money it’s a much stronger release musically. Taken from the GD’s post-Egypt shows a Winterland, it contains the famous sequence of “Got My Mojo Working” (with Lee Oskar) into “The Other One” into what many agree is the finest “Stella Blue” the band ever played. Cool “Ollin Arageed,” too.

RT 2.1, MSG September ’90 — Much better than the Dick’s Picks (Vol. 9) from these first shows with Bruce and Vince together, this contains some wild and inspired jamming on “Playing” and “Dark Star,” and a great “Let It Grow.”

RT 2.2, Carousel 2/14/68 —The only multitrack mixdown in the Road Trips series, it’s one of the Dead’s most-loved late ’60s shows. The extra material on Disc 1 (including a fantastic “Viola Lee Blues”) and on the Bonus Disc are tracks from the same era that had been recently discovered in a defunct SF recording studio.

RT 2.3, Wall of Sound June ’74 — There were probably more gripes about us not releasing the full Louisville and Des Moines shows than with any other RT release. (C’mon, did you really need both versions of “Mexicali Blues” from those shows?) I’m partial to the “Eyes” > “China Doll” and “The Other One” from Louisville, but it’s all top drawer.

RT 2.4, Cal Expo ’93 — The “Playing in the Band” is probably the most adventurous of any early ’90s versions. Good takes of later tunes such as “Corrina,” “Liberty” and “Victim,” as well.

RT 3.1, Oakland 12/28/79 — A nice companion to Dick’s Picks Vol. 5 from the same set of shows. Another fine “Terrapin” > “Playing,” though in this case I like the Bonus Disc best, with the scorching “Scarlet-Fire” > “Let It Grow” from 12/30.

RT 3.2, Austin 11/15/71 — Like RT 3.1, this is a complete show. The “Dark Star” > “El Paso” in the first set is heady stuff, and the “Not Fade Away” > “GDTRFB” > “NFA” truly one of my all-time favorite Grateful Dead performances.

RT 3.3, Fillmore East 5/15/70 — Our first three-disc set (plus Bonus)! The acoustic material is priceless (especially “Long Black Limousine” and “Ain’t It Crazy”) and both the “Dark Star” and “That’s It for the Other One” are standouts. The Bonus Disc tracks from Merrimac College the previous night are killer, as well.

RT 3.4, Penn State/Cornell 1980 — I’ve listened to this one a lot. I particularly dig the “Shakedown” > “Bertha” and “space” > “Saint of Circumstance” from Cornell and the “He’s Gone” > “The Other One” from Penn State.

RT 4.1, Big Rock Pow Wow 1969 — Two crazy acid-drenched shows from Florida in May ’69. I’m a sucker for “He Was a Friend of Mine,” and there are a couple of fiery versions of “The Eleven,” a trippy “Dark Star” and a thumping “St. Stephen” out of “drums.” Two half-hour versions of “Lovelight” is a bit much for me, though.

RT 4.2, April Fools ’88 — Classic high-energy late ’80s Dead, with outstanding versions of “Scarlet-Fire” and “China Cat-Rider,” along with relative rarities such as “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “To Lay Me Down” and Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man.”

RT 4.3, Denver 1973 — Love the “Playing” > “Wharf Rat” > “Playing” reprise > “Morning Dew,” and the lacy first-set “Here Comes Sunshine.”

RT 4.4, Spectrum 4/6/82 — For me, it’s all about the “Shakedown” > “Lost Sailor- Saint” and “The Other One” > “Morning Dew.” More early ’80s, please!

RT 4.5, Boston Music Hall 6/9/76 — This would make my RT Top 5, with the awesome “St. Stephen” > “Eyes,” best-ever “Crazy Fingers,” wonderful “High Time” and solid bonus versions (from 6/12/76) of “Comes a Time” and “Mission in the Rain.”

End of the line. Last call for Road Trips rants and raves! What do you think?

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I’m as excited as everyone else to see what the future brings with Dave’s Picks. But please permit me one moment of nostalgia for the departing Road Trips series, which I thoroughly enjoyed being a small part of these past four years.

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I enjoy almost every GD song (not much of a fan when Vince sang). Though it depends on how well it's played- If the boys are on, Mama Tried can be fired up and like a quick bolt of lightning. If played well, Rooster can be exploratory and it's interesting to hear how Garcia breaks down the jams. A friend once commented during a show, it's not what they play, but how they play it- So true.
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Folks...lets face it, these compilations are absolutely awesome. The mastering by Jeff is nothing short of magic and the shows are as smooth as silk. The concept of getting in the mail on a regular basis ANYTHING that is professionally mastered as they are and shows hand picked, is absolutely wonderful. Yes, I am a neophyte, only having attended about 100, and first one being Cape Cod 10/27, but when I sit and listen to each one of these discs the only thought/feeling that races through my brain/body is pure joy.....KEEP 'EM COMING!!!!
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That is what makes this experience so BEAUTIFUL...all of those REAL moments!!! Thank you SO much for helping to keep our art alive. Can't remember how many times I danced like a fool and fell down, only to right myself and get on with the show..."the show must go on"....you know Jerry adhered to this motto!!
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A very nice story, Blair Jackson is a fine writer as always. Got many Road Trips, my favourite ones are Austin '71, Denver '73 (n.1, to me) and MSG '90 (love very much the Hornsby era). Thank you, Blair!
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Two of the releases had massive pitch/speed issues which could have been fixed. A couple had a real choppy feel and covers that scratch the discs. The complaint about having whole shows also became an issues after a year or two of nothing BUT compilations. The other problem with comps is that not everyone is going to agree about what the real highlights are of an entire tour or even a massive run of shows. Besides what's wrong with Me And My Uncle->Big River if it's a smokin' hot Me And My Uncle->Big River. The same goes for C.C. Rider. As for 10-14-83 (DP 6) it actually has some cool performances in it.
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Road Trips was a great series and I'm sad to see it go. I very much liked the "two discs, two shows" layout of some of the releases. Everyone involved did a nice job. Thanks.
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I was into "country rock" at the time (but now I'm into alt.country or Americana, still country rock to me), so the cowboy songs helped suck me into the world of the Dead. MAMU definitely tops my list, as it is the best story, hands down (who knew that John Phillips was a closet cowboy?) After that, "Big River," a favorite Johnny Cash song o'mine. "Mama Tried" a virtual tie with "River." After that, I kind of tolerate "El Paso" and "Mexicali." But a big LIKE to another country song, which like "River" isn't really a "cowboy" song: Jerry's version of "You Win Again." I'd like to have heard that one at least once, but it was long gone out of the rotation by the time I saw my first show... And PS, it really would be nice if the "reply" button pinned the reply to the original post. Not complaining, you understand, just sayin'...
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Agree with so much of your blog Blair, keep up the good work. Personally I am not so fixated on whole shows, but I do prefer whole sets. In my view the 60's and 70's eras are way better than what came after, although there were some great shows in the 80's and 90's, just few and far between. Two releases from the Dick's Picks and Road Trips series really stand out for me - DP33 from Oakland 1976 and RT3.2 from Austin 1971 - these 2 sets are head and shoulders above all the other releases in the 2 series in terms of consistent top quality music throughtout. All of the others have some fantastic stuff on them such as thMojo Working - Other ONe - Stella Blue on RT1.4. My vote for the best bonus disc goes to RT3.2.
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One of my favorite highlights for me is the Eyes from 6/18/74. I absolutely love that version. Just to throw in my 2 cents. I absolutely hate the bonus disc concept in its current form. I wish I had an endless supply of money so that I could pre-order all the time but that just isn't the case. When I do have some extra bucks to spare, I would feel cheated if the bonus disc was no longer available and unless it was a show/shows I really enjoy and want in high quality, I would skip it. How's about including a bonus disc for free for early orders, and providing the option to pay a little more for the bonus disc if you order it later on? Making the music unavailable just plain sucks. Also, I'm a full show supporter. The problem I have with compilations is that if a few songs from a show make it on a disc, then it seems the whole show has to be taken down from certain places, lost to history. Saw Furthur last night In Manchester, NH last night. Loved it!
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Love the title "Golden Clams." Perfect. Amen to the "Eyes" from 6/18/74 being a highlight of the Road Trips era. One thing that confuses me about all the criticism of, well, whatever series of releases is happening at the moment is that you can't deny that the stuff that's being released is good. Take "Eyes," a song that I obsess over the way some obsess over Dark Stars. So many, possibly a majority, of the (imho) greatest performances of Eyes have been officially released: (11/11/73, 6/18/74, 10/19/74, 12/31/76, 9/3/77, etc., etc.). So many legendary shows have been released at this point it begs the question, "what's the problem?" I respect peoples' right to disagree, I just find that, despite minor foibles, what we're getting is a lot of the greatest music the greatest band in history ever played. Oh, and in great sound. Um, more please! Anyway, that's my two haypennies.
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...brilliant with full releases AND bonus disc. For $6 a disc you have great selection, good value, nice packaging and great production values. I won't ask the obviously pertinent question...
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Just gotta address the idea of discontinuing DP's, VFTVs, RTs, etc. It may come as a surprise to some 3-pc suited Record Company Execs, but CDs are NOT indestructable. (D-heads, just follow along)...Hint to Rec Co bean counters: CDs break, scratch and get lost! Shocking, I know. (Have you ever tried to fish out a dropped CD from under your brake pedal while motivating down the road feeling good @ 75 mph? You can't pick it up gingerly without possibly scratching it!) Soooo, we may, from time to time need to replace or upgrade to remastered versions...So discontinuing these cds deprives many of us of the music we love! Jerry was quoted at least once saying something like once the music is out it's for the fans. My guess is that Pig and Jerry would not be happy about depriving fans of the music they are willing to pay (a reasonable price) for. Perhaps the other guys in the band might also think similarly. Frankly it makes poor business sense to kill these titles...associated costs are covered--the artwork is paid for & the cd's are mastered. Covers and inserts ordered in large quantities wind up costing little more than a 70% smaller order. OK, so how are costs contained for profitability? Do not store the components in a remote location! Keep only enough on hand to satisfy sales for the time it takes to produce more. It would easy to put in a pop-up that the item is out of stock and will ship shortly...we don't mind. Have a sale about Feb 1st (a nice Valentines Day gift idea!) till tax inventory time to reduce taxible inventory. For the really slow moving titles, burn 'em when ordered! Just say so in your product listing. One "unanticipated consequense" of discontinuing these cds (and bonus CDs too) is the disgusting exploitative profiteering going on by Dealers, resellers and con artists online. eBay and amazon are littered with $45 RTs ($85 to $100++ w/Bonus disc!) and $35+ scratched-well used DPs...some 'like new' DPs can go for $75-89). I, just a couple of weeks ago, saw a bonus disc get bid up on eBay for $115! How about Reissuing volumes I, II & lll of Bonus discs for RTs, DPs, the '76 New Years Bonus disc, etc. Maybe 3 discs @ $12.95! Put 'em in cardboard sleeves w/minimal art, just track lists w/times, etc. Betcha they'd sell l like heaters to Eskimos in December! It would also surpress, if not kill the disgusting profiteering online of these titles. Bottom line is fans want the music without getting financially molested while GDM/Rhino needs to remain profitable. So let's work together to preserve and keep available this music fans love. OK? if you feel the same, let Dead.net and Rhino know!
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I second that emotion- If only things were that simple
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I have collected everything that GD have issued, collections, DiP's, RT's, Runs, Boxed sets, etc. 1. Compilations have a place. By selecting things where the groove was right and leaving out the chaff we don't have to do anything but listen to these often overlooked gems. They should continue to be a part of the GD release canon. 2. Whole shows are wonderful for the reasons sited, either as individual releases or in some grouping such as Tour, Venue, etc. 3. Bonus discs often have some of the better material from the tour and it is a disservice to not make them available, either as a later purchase ("For only $8 more you can add selected bonus discs from our prior Issues") or just eliminating them altogether and including the material in the release outright. Bonus discs imply a limited release, or need to increase sales Now, making me wonder about break even sales, cashflow, profit, etc. 4. Discontinuing releases is criminal and incredibly short sighted. Think fifty to 100 years from now. People will still be interested in this music, much like the Classical material such as Bach, Mozart, etc. In just these few years since Jerry's death, many new Deadheads have gotten on the bus. To presume that this will not continue is just insulting. Think of someone who cannot get any Europe '72 five years from now, as the box set will in all likelihood preclude further releases of this material. Even now, to not be able to get your hands on the Filmore '69 stuff is ludicrous. 5. Archive, Sirius, etc all are good, but does not compare to having your own fingers on the discs, the pleasure and freedom of listening on high quality stereos, etc. The "streaming/mp3" ethos that will overcome our concepts of "music" is to lose the nuances of hi fidelity and in many cases make something that was magical ordinary by the loss of harmonics, warmth, etc that even CD's lose in relation to the original tape. to some degree. I am grateful for every one of these releases, much like thinking of past girlfriends, some are better than others, but having one is generally an improvement over the alternative.
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...captbleigh and pwdrtns... Even after 35 years connected tangentially to the music industry, I frankly don't understand the mechanics of what's involved with keeping a title "in print." I suppose in a sense it's like betting on the continued success of something and balancing that against the costs of reprinting/remanufacturing something. One thing I do know is that if something costs X amount to make 10,000 copies, then making 1,000 more copies is not 1/10th the price; it's considerably more. Volume always equals a reduction in price in both album manufacturing and book/magazine publishing. The fewer copies you make, the more per unit it costs. In this tough record business climate, the economics of nearly everything have gotten scary. And the Dead world is no exception. If the Dead were to suddenly re-release every Dick's Picks, how much demand would there be? Would 500 copies be sold of #32 or 2,000 of #4 or just 25 of #16? It would be a tough thing to predict. You could go the CD-on-demand route potentially, but that's fairly labor-intensive and involves higher administrative costs, I'd guess. I dunno. Like I said, I don't really know why things go out of print so easily and so quickly. Is there really NO demand for copies of the great Jerry Garcia Band live album that Arista put out? Or not enough demand to make it worthwhile to keep that classic alive? Yet it's been out of print for many years. As a fan, it's extremely frustrating. And as we all know, there are new Dead Heads coming along all the time. IMO, there is NO good reason why all ten discs of Fillmore West '69--containing some of the greatest and most important music the Dead ever made--shouldn't always be available, if not on disc (which it should be), then by download. Releasing that music tomorrow would not violate the sanctity of people's precious numbered box sets in any way. But obviously there's something about the economics of actually making that music available that way that makes what seems like a no-brainer way to make oodles of cash somehow seem frightening. Frankly, I don't get it at all. Then again, no one has ever asked me for financial advice. Now, THAT is wise. ;)
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i dont have a lot of these shows but definetly a few. and i think u failed to mention a beatiful song that i was listening to and jerry had me in tears --if i had the world to give- a very rare gem. i remember being at these shows and they were showing pics of egypt on the wall at winterland and during eyes of the world verse ,sometimes we ride on your horses it had a pic of mickey riding a horse on the wall- what timing i also found myself on the inside cover where it shows the back of jerry n donna and pans out to the audience n there i am big as life , just a young 17 yr. old dead head. this year i celebrate my 50th.. i got on the bus n 75 jerry n friends s.n.ac.k. sunday but 77 was the start of my touring daze until 82, then i moved to hawaii and didnt seee a show til 90. man thos were the daze,,, a.k.a. bekeley jay. aka frisko now residing 20 min. from redrox.. real name christopher hutton
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Ten years from now copies of the releases will be traded like tapes once were. If they're out of print, and fans want to hear them...I never really looked at the releases as the bootlegs for the next generation of fans, but isn't this what will happen? Maybe by then all will be available as downloads, like Dick's Picks are on iTunes. And this compromises sound quality- it sacrifices the integrity of the original recording. Nothing sounds as good as the releases, it's a freakin' shame they disappear so quickly.
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12 years 5 months
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I just received my RT 4/5 in the mail today.I haven't read all of the comments on this subject but I hope it hasn't taken this long to mention that Blair's liner notes have made a great contribution to the series. Reading the latest I am struck by how he gives historical background, chronicles the changes in the setlists and arrangements, acknowledges negative criticism leveled at the time and puts it all in perspective. He doesn't try to hide his own enthusiasm, and why should he? On the whole, he puts me right back where I was then - thrilled with the return of my favorite band and fascinated by the changes. Thanks to him and I hope his skills will be part of the next series.
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16 years 7 months
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I love these discussions. I'm just here to say that of the "5" Bobby/cowboy songs that seem to be in discussion, I regularly seek out and listen to Mexicali MORE than any of the others. I think it has the best MELODY of any of them, and I like the sentiment of the lyrics better too. So there. Yes, I said I'm a Mexicali fan.
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Perhaps I over-commented on this particular article. Blair always makes me think about the music, and I'm very grateful for this. A big thanks to Blair for the always excellent insights that accompany each Road Trips. We're very lucky he writes for us, Thank You!!!
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16 years 1 month
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Ditto on the comments from Pwdrtrns13-please always keep CD releases in the mix. The mp3 is a waste of time in my opinion-the detail is gone-makes the music pale and without nuance and emotion. Other than convenience-whats the point? It is worse than the old cassette. CD could be better obviously-SACD-but it is high res. enough to get most of the detail from the source. I love vinyl but 10 lps set of a concert at today's vinyl lp cost is not going to happen. Remember 78 sets of a single symphony.(I'm not that old but I like to browse used bins for old stuff including 78s.)
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Nice to see others joining the campaign for re-release of the bonus discs. They've already got the mastering and packaging done for them. All that is needed is to order another manufacturing run. Personally, I'd still advocate for a boxset that has them all in one, but being available a la carte would be fine, too. A boxset would probably be better from a business sense because there would be fewer individual discs sitting around a warehouse. By my count such a project could include the following bonus discs: 1. Dead Ahead 2. Beyond Description 3. Fillmore West '69 4. Postcards of the Hanging 5. Closing of Winterland 6. Rocking the Rhine 7. Spirit of '76 (Cow Palace) 8. Winterland '73 9. Rocking the Cradle 10. Winterland '77 11. RT 1.1 12. RT 1.2 13. RT 1.3 14. RT 1.4 15. RT 2.1 16. RT 2.2 17. RT 2.3 18. RT 2.4 19. RT 3.1 20. RT 3.2 21. RT 3.3 22. RT Bonus Disc 2011 Was there a bonus disc with the release of The Golden Road? I wasn't sure about that one. But as we can see in the very least this could be an awesome 22 CD boxset. Or perhaps 2 different sets - one with all the RT discs (12) and one with all the others (10). I'd pay for physical copies of these. Put it this way, would it be better to pay $100 per set for new copies of these discs, or chance ebay and pay up to $100 per disc? I realize that the bonus discs were originally a way to incentivize early purchase, but from a marketing/sales stand point it would seem to me that they still have a value as a commodity in their own right. A few people might complain, but I think most people would be happy they're available. Just a thought!
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My wife interprets the lines "I'm paying for those happy hours I spent there in her arms/With a lifetime's worth of the Mexicali Blues" as suggesting the singer contracted an STD. Anyone else "read" it that way?
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16 years 9 months
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I never thought of it that way. i always assumed it was because "I shot first and killed him, lord he didn't even draw..." But you could be onto something!
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15 years 11 months
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To Zuckfun: What you say is true and has been true for many moons. The only changes are the medium for the trade!! Can you imagine in 50 years what we'll be trading? To Blair: I really enjoyed this BLOG. I was looking at all the RT releases and I only have 9. I might buy the last one and the Denver one. I have found contentment in the music I have and it really takes something unique for me to really want something more.
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16 years 9 months
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Thank You- RT, almost completely, for at the final moment releasing some of my first show on June 12, 1976!!!!! Comes a Time you know.................
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Never really liked the road trips. Too used to having complete shows I guess, compilations just didn't work for me. And the whole bonus disc pissed me off more than once... Only the hardcore are buying these, why would you deny any one who flops down the $ all the discs no matter when they bought? I did prefer the packaging over dick's picks. Almost every DP I bought the little plastic teeth in the box to hold the disc broke! The card board packages are much better and more durable. Keep cost down, make complete shows, keep them coming! No 'bonus' disc, just make it part of the deal.
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13 years 1 month
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nafoster, your wife is one sick puppy. I agree with her. I don't think that was the intent in the original rendition of the song. If you look in the lyrics section you'll see where Bobby changes it to "now I spend my lifetime running with the Mexicali Blues" which I do believe implies the lady gave him something to remember her by.
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Lunchbox16 adds another brilliant suggestion to a list of brilliant ideas offered up by deadheads in the forums. Rhino should be offering up consulting compensations to some of these folks.What would the bonus disc for this box set be made up of?
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Like with Dick's Picks, when the Road Trips series came about, I made it a point to purchase every release that came out. I was a moderate tape collector starting around '87, mainly seeking out shows I attended, then being turned onto the more commonly collected shows like 2/13/70, 8/27/72, 5/8/77, 12/31/78, ect. By late '90, I began to dabble in taping some shows, but after a couple of years, bdecided it was more hassle to deal with noisey crowds, flying balloons/beach balls, lugging around mic stands, rain, ect than worth it. It was easier to seek out recordings of shows I wanted, plus DAT was common place and I could find people with better quality recordings than what I had. As my tape collection grew, though a relatively small number of shows compared to most of my friends, I enjoyed what I accumulated greatly. So in '93, when Dick's Picks started, I was ecstatic at the possiblities. As the series progressed, I liked every release, but found the '70s heavy focus to be a little boring after a while. There is such a wealth of untapped top notch material from the '80s that I was beginning to wonder why so many fans only like certain eras. Granted, I'm a fan of all line-ups, but went on the fence after DP #32. For the first time since the beginning of the series, I didn't immediately order the last four editions. Ultimimately, by the time #36 came out, I bought the last four in one lump sum just to have them all. Admittedly, there are a lot of '71, '72, '77 and '78 sets that I seldom listen too as it's kind of an overload from that era for me. Of course, the E72 box rejuvinated my interest in that era. When Road Trips came around, the first release being from '79, my excitement level went through the roof because, finally, my favorite era was finally started to be tapped. As the series progressed, once again, being that the focus was '70s heavy, I was almost on the fence again until the MSG '90 and Cal Expo '93 came out. The Penn State/Cornell '80 release kept me interested, and when April Fools '88 finally arrived, I felt like "finally" we're getting into the best stuff. Don't get me wrong. I like all era's, but the 80's, release wise, is still grossly under represented, especially from '84 on. My hopes for Dave's Picks is that we'll get a break from the the heavy '72 - '78 concentration and see a lot more from '80 - '93. To me, many of the shows from '88-'90 are just as good and/or better than anything from '71-'78. Again, I like all era's, and will purchase most if not all that comes out, but we have more than enough '72 to last many lifetimes of listening. I may be one of the only people here who would be only moderately excited with a release from the famous 8/27/72 show so many people desire. Bring on the Laguna Seca '88 run, Cal Expo and Eugene '90 runs and the Giants Stadium '89 runs please! As a side note, I don't mind compilation/highlight releases from some runs or tours, but always welcome full shows. How about Red Rocks '87? Now there is a worthy box set.
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I loved this series. There were lots of gems nestled in these releases. I know I am going to buy all of them, so I really liked the subscription option this past year and am pleased that Daves Faves is going to have a subscription option as well. My only complaint the the packaging. They are torn up with in days. Hopefully the new series will include new packaging.
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Look, I LOVE almost all of the releases, but I am seriously pissed that the intro of St. Stephen is clipped on disc 2 of the last Road Trips from Boston. Does anybody else have this problem? I mean it was the first one in 5 years.
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Bravo to you, Blair, for coming to the defense of the RT concept. I am all in favor of the band putting out complete shows, so long as those shows are completely fantastic. This is not at all uncommon for the glory years from 69>78 or so. But I can think of very many shows from the later years where there is a good stretch of excellent music mixed in with some uninspired repetition.
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Obviously that intro was not on the master tape or it would have appeared. Not sure why they didn't use an aud. patch. But think about the 5/2/70 Binghamton DP "St. Stephen" where it comes in at "wishing well with the golden bell..." (if memory serves)... Alas, there are imperfections on nearly every master. I still think this Boston show sounds astonishingly good....
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I believe that Golden Road pre-orders came with two bonus discs of radio interview material. I don't remember the details, but it could have been similar to the Twisted Radio Waves (Dr. Demento) disc that came with The Very Best of Jerry Garcia.
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16 years 5 months
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another reason i like the road trips is because when i put music on an ipod, i like just the variety. for example i love me the 30 days of the dead specifically cause it is so ipod-able! back at the beginning of the tapers section, when you could keep those, thats where they are, on the ipod. now i do love certain full shows, and there is a place for them, but i hope that with the new series, the bonus disc might be compiled, as well as filler material when space presents itself...
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I think the Road trips series were excellent!! They were primo to these ears and as Blair said...how many Mexicali's does one need!!! I loved the packaging too...and I for one am going to miss them!!
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13 years 7 months
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No way would I disparage Dick's Picks, or Dave's Picks, 1-3 From The Vault, etc. - the apex of vault releases was in my opinion Road Trips and the Download Series. Judicious editing of the Road Trips produced live CDs without "down" spots and some interesting configurations of material that the "complete shows" just can't match for quality or interest. Kudos to those who assembled the Road Trips - I'm still listening to most of them regularly. [I cherish the idea of box sets of complete "runs" like the Winterland and Fillmore West sets but honestly I don't play them very often. The latter day boxes of tour highlights with 5 or 6 complete shows from the 80s and 90s must fill a need some people have, but my tastes are more catholic and I kind of prefer the Dead without so much electric keyboard and generally in less massive venues . . . Also the persistent sound of tens of thousands of people cheering indiscriminately is kind of a drag - like the laugh tracks on MASH or your favorite old sitcoms. I like it when you can identify individuals in the audience on the live recording! You can do that with the older Dead shows.] BIG ROCK POW WOW, AUSTIN '71, CAROUSEL 2-14-68, SUMMER 1971 and FILLMORE EAST 5-15-70 are my idea of a good time! Road Trips Forever!!!! or until Daddy takes the T-bird away.
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I love a complete show. Having missed the golden period of the band (60's-70's-80's) it makes me nuts when these are Not a Full show. I am openly greedy for the full night. Someone else's idea of "great mix" is a hit or miss thing when you start trying to cherry pick the "best moments" from a Dead Show. April Fools 88 (RT Vol 4 -#2)is a prime example of this. Disc #1 for some reason has an Outstanding run of 1st Set Songs from 4/01/88 capped by a solid Deal. Butt ended by MasterPiece and Let it Grow from 3/31/88 with an added bonus of a randomly placed Brokedown Palace the ENCORE from 4/01/88 to Close Disc #1. Which should have closed Disc #3 of this mess. This pattern repeats across the RT collection sadly. There was a chance to do more. It was missed on these.