• https://www.dead.net/features/release-info/our-first-80s-box-complete-1989-hampton-warlocks-shows-6-cds
    Our First ’80s Box: The Complete 1989 Hampton “Warlocks” Shows on 6 CDs!

    It is a measure of the Grateful Dead’s confidence going into their fall 1989 East Coast tour that they decided to travel with the state-of-the-art Le Mobile remote recording truck so they could capture a bunch of their shows on 24-track tape, with an eye towards putting out a live album in the summer of 1990 in conjunction with a European tour that was already in the works. (Indeed the band recorded a number of shows on multi-track through the spring of 1990. The eventual album was Without a Net, released in September 1990.)

    There’s no question that the band had been on fire for quite a while. If you’re familiar with the CD/DVD releases Truckin’ Up to Buffalo from July 4, 1989, Crimson, White & Indigo from July 7 (Philly) and the video-only Downhill From Here from July 19 (Alpine Valley, Wis.) — not to mention the earlier nationwide telecast of the Summer Solstice show from Shoreline Amphitheater (Mountain View, Calif., June 21) — you know the group was playing at an exceptionally high level, arguably getting stronger each tour since Garcia’s remarkable resurrection following his Summer ’86 meltdown/near-death. The band had also been in the studio working on a new album, Built to Last (released Halloween ’89), and that newish material was starting to sharpen up on the road, too.

    When the first few dates of the October ’89 East Coast tour were announced, the Hampton (Virginia) Coliseum, long one of the band’s favorite places (and the site of many a fine Dead show) was not included on the list. You see, there had been some problems outside the last shows the band had played there — too many ticketless folks, too crazy a scene — and the powers-that-be in Hampton weren’t sure they wanted the Dead back at all. This is a problem the Dead encountered a lot during their post “Touch of Grey” renaissance, so the band got creative: Just ten days before the tour was to begin, the Dead suddenly announced a pair of “stealth” shows at Hampton set for October 8 and 9, 1989. There were no mail-order tickets sold for these gigs (as was common in those days); in fact, ducats were only sold in Southern Virginia through local ticket outlets, as a way to keep out the inevitable Dead Head invasion that followed the band everywhere. Instead of “Grateful Dead,” the tickets said “Formerly The Warlocks” on them, and when fans arrived at the gig those nights, the marquee read “The Warlocks.” Non-Deadheads passing the Coliseum must have been very confused seeing a band they’d probably never heard of headlining the arena. That, of course, was the point.

    The folks who were lucky enough to score tickets for the “Warlocks” shows in Hampton were treated to two of the most exciting shows of the year. Because not only was the group playing great, they had also taken the time to rehearse some old favorites they hadn’t tackled in a number of years, including “Dark Star,” the glorious triumvirate of “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower,” “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” (played just once at Shoreline 11 days earlier), and perhaps most surprising of all, “Attics of My Life” (unplayed since 1972!). Not surprisingly, the crowd greeted these “revivals” with ecstasy bordering on hysteria. Can I get a “Woo-hooooo!”?

    Over the course of the two concerts, the band offered up what was practically a career retrospective, delving into crowd pleasing nuggets ranging from “Playing in the Band” to “Bird Song” to “Uncle John’s Band” to “Eyes of the World” to a spectacular “Morning Dew”; raucous rockers including “I Need a Miracle,” “Good Lovin’” and that incendiary Brent-Phil stomper “Gimme Some Lovin’”; and recent tunes such as “Foolish Heart,” “Victim or the Crime” and “Built to Last,” among many others (“Dear Mr. Fantasy”! “Stuck Inside of Mobile”! Lotsa good stuff, for sure.) You can find the complete set lists here.

    The Formerly The Warlocks box collects every note of the band’s two nights there, spread over six CDs. The concerts were originally recorded by Grateful Dead sound wizard John Cutler in the Le Mobile remote truck, and mixed recently by longtime Grateful Dead-associate and Bob Weir/RatDog studio engineer and front-of-house mixer Mike McGinn. As always, the discs have been mastered to HDCD specifications, so needless to say, it sounds like you’re there, in the best seats in the house.

    As this is the latest in a distinguished line of remarkable complete-run boxes (which includes Fillmore West 1969, and Winterland 1973 and Winterland June 1977), the folks at Rhino have gone above and beyond to design a package that’s (almost) as exciting as the music. This time out, they’ve packaged the CDs in a wooden replica of a cigar box (Virginia being a tobacco state dating back to colonial times), and filled it with all sorts of goodies, from a photo-laden historical essay by your humble narrator, to various pieces of cool memorabilia from the time/shows we won’t spoil for you by describing here.

    All in all, it’s a potent blast of the Dead at their late ’80s best that you won’t want to miss. To order your copy of the Formerly The Warlocks box, click here!

    NOTE: Now available for PRE-ORDER ONLY. Item is estimated to ship on September 7, 2010.

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  • Default Avatar
    jbili
    13 years 2 months ago
    christmas wow
    Thanks dead.net. My wife listened to me and totally surprised me for Christmas.It's expensive but the sound is incredible. Keep them coming for us .. I don't mind spending the money for great sound! Joe B
  • Default Avatar
    Anonymous (not verified)
    13 years 4 months ago
    Great Box
    This is a great release! Please keep them comming " From any year!" Dick would be proud!! The pics, the reviews, everything about these box sets are fantastic!!
  • Dancingbear.dk
    13 years 5 months ago
    Hey, wake up in there!
    Sorry to be off-topic (again), but don't you think it would be appropriate with just a LITTLE blurb in celebration of Bobby's 63. birthday? Happy birthday, mr. Weir!
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It is a measure of the Grateful Dead’s confidence going into their fall 1989 East Coast tour that they decided to travel with the state-of-the-art Le Mobile remote recording truck so they could capture a bunch of their shows on 24-track tape, with an eye towards putting out a live album in the summer of 1990 in conjunction with a European tour that was already in the works. (Indeed the band recorded a number of shows on multi-track through the spring of 1990. The eventual album was Without a Net, released in September 1990.)

There’s no question that the band had been on fire for quite a while. If you’re familiar with the CD/DVD releases Truckin’ Up to Buffalo from July 4, 1989, Crimson, White & Indigo from July 7 (Philly) and the video-only Downhill From Here from July 19 (Alpine Valley, Wis.) — not to mention the earlier nationwide telecast of the Summer Solstice show from Shoreline Amphitheater (Mountain View, Calif., June 21) — you know the group was playing at an exceptionally high level, arguably getting stronger each tour since Garcia’s remarkable resurrection following his Summer ’86 meltdown/near-death. The band had also been in the studio working on a new album, Built to Last (released Halloween ’89), and that newish material was starting to sharpen up on the road, too.

When the first few dates of the October ’89 East Coast tour were announced, the Hampton (Virginia) Coliseum, long one of the band’s favorite places (and the site of many a fine Dead show) was not included on the list. You see, there had been some problems outside the last shows the band had played there — too many ticketless folks, too crazy a scene — and the powers-that-be in Hampton weren’t sure they wanted the Dead back at all. This is a problem the Dead encountered a lot during their post “Touch of Grey” renaissance, so the band got creative: Just ten days before the tour was to begin, the Dead suddenly announced a pair of “stealth” shows at Hampton set for October 8 and 9, 1989. There were no mail-order tickets sold for these gigs (as was common in those days); in fact, ducats were only sold in Southern Virginia through local ticket outlets, as a way to keep out the inevitable Dead Head invasion that followed the band everywhere. Instead of “Grateful Dead,” the tickets said “Formerly The Warlocks” on them, and when fans arrived at the gig those nights, the marquee read “The Warlocks.” Non-Deadheads passing the Coliseum must have been very confused seeing a band they’d probably never heard of headlining the arena. That, of course, was the point.

The folks who were lucky enough to score tickets for the “Warlocks” shows in Hampton were treated to two of the most exciting shows of the year. Because not only was the group playing great, they had also taken the time to rehearse some old favorites they hadn’t tackled in a number of years, including “Dark Star,” the glorious triumvirate of “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower,” “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” (played just once at Shoreline 11 days earlier), and perhaps most surprising of all, “Attics of My Life” (unplayed since 1972!). Not surprisingly, the crowd greeted these “revivals” with ecstasy bordering on hysteria. Can I get a “Woo-hooooo!”?

Over the course of the two concerts, the band offered up what was practically a career retrospective, delving into crowd pleasing nuggets ranging from “Playing in the Band” to “Bird Song” to “Uncle John’s Band” to “Eyes of the World” to a spectacular “Morning Dew”; raucous rockers including “I Need a Miracle,” “Good Lovin’” and that incendiary Brent-Phil stomper “Gimme Some Lovin’”; and recent tunes such as “Foolish Heart,” “Victim or the Crime” and “Built to Last,” among many others (“Dear Mr. Fantasy”! “Stuck Inside of Mobile”! Lotsa good stuff, for sure.) You can find the complete set lists here.

The Formerly The Warlocks box collects every note of the band’s two nights there, spread over six CDs. The concerts were originally recorded by Grateful Dead sound wizard John Cutler in the Le Mobile remote truck, and mixed recently by longtime Grateful Dead-associate and Bob Weir/RatDog studio engineer and front-of-house mixer Mike McGinn. As always, the discs have been mastered to HDCD specifications, so needless to say, it sounds like you’re there, in the best seats in the house.

As this is the latest in a distinguished line of remarkable complete-run boxes (which includes Fillmore West 1969, and Winterland 1973 and Winterland June 1977), the folks at Rhino have gone above and beyond to design a package that’s (almost) as exciting as the music. This time out, they’ve packaged the CDs in a wooden replica of a cigar box (Virginia being a tobacco state dating back to colonial times), and filled it with all sorts of goodies, from a photo-laden historical essay by your humble narrator, to various pieces of cool memorabilia from the time/shows we won’t spoil for you by describing here.

All in all, it’s a potent blast of the Dead at their late ’80s best that you won’t want to miss. To order your copy of the Formerly The Warlocks box, click here!

NOTE: Now available for PRE-ORDER ONLY. Item is estimated to ship on September 7, 2010.

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It is a measure of the Grateful Dead’s confidence going into their fall 1989 East Coast tour that they decided to travel with the state-of-the-art Le Mobile remote recording truck so they could capture a bunch of their shows on 24-track tape, with an eye towards putting out a live album in the summer of 1990 in conjunction with a European tour that was already in the works. (Indeed the band recorded a number of shows on multi-track through the spring of 1990. Then eventual album was Without a Net, released in September 1990.)

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Ouch! Just joking, nothing to complain about here, the box comes in a real box. packaging is great and Im sure the music sounds great aswell wont get to it until tonight. Arrived in Canada already, glad I splurged for over night. I hadnt recieved an email yet and when I tried the other order tracking from this site it said my order was being processed. I also got the road trips 3.4 and 3.2 I have decided to skip 3.3. I have alot from 1970 and also am a member of wolfgangs vault where I believe I can get the same shows for like 4.98 per set or something. I can't wait to dim the lights and rock out to some Warlocks tonight. Customer service definately seems to be tighter then in the past. Things seem to be in good form here. Thank You
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16 years 1 month
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Mine was shipped 9/810 regular mail.
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16 years 9 months
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doesn't apply to this release. Can't wait to feast my ears.
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When are you all going to move to SACD? My Dennon HDCD player broke years ago. It's almost impossible to find a new HDCD player. Everything is SACD; HDCD is Beta Max now.
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SACD was introduced in 1999 and has not been widely accepted, except in the audiophile community.I would like to have the option to purchase SACD but, like the GD, Rhino is a throwback.
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These shows are pretty darn cool. Wish I had been there. Anyone here been there? But Blair, I have to chime in here: In the notes in the CD set Blair Jackson says "I am among those who happen to believe that the period from the summer of '88 through the spring of '90 was one of the best periods of the Dead's entire history". Ahem, did you hear any shows from '67 though '76 or were you asleep during that time period? LOL! There is not one show after 1977 that can come close to the shows in the earlier time period. Sorry, am I being too blunt? Okay, here's a challenge for you: listen to Dick's Picks #8 and honestly tell me if you think these shows in the late '80's can even get anywhere near the ballpark of that earlier show. Garcia in that 1970 show is so hot he is sizzling and is one of the greatest exhibitions of guitar playing in the entire 20th century, bar none. These late '80 shows are better than early '80's but are barely above average for the Dead. Go ahead - listen to disk 2 of DP8 and compare it to these late '80's shows. I dare you! :)
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That's such a stupid argument it's not worth a serious reply. It's apples and oranges, different bands, different times. Also, I said "one of" their best periods. If you honestly think nothing after '77 is really worth listening to I feel sorry for you...
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I have personally spent upwards of $1500 on Grateful Dead Music since the band became extinct (quoting Mr. BJ), many are excellent selections, many poor selections, in addition to all of the Studio LP's and CD's, and the thousands of hours of analog tape, several masters recorded with friends at shows. On top of the cost of tickets to 100 + shows @ $3,000, many life altering, some just ok, some well.... Yes, the band was the entertainment, and we were the entertained, but collectively, we financed the trip! The Road Trips series has been very dissapointing, on the heals of the relatively mediocre Hartford 77 release, then comes the Philly 89 - shove - where to get the DVD, you also had to buy the 3 CD's? Therefore, why is it such a stretch for so many people to voice their collective objection to the cost of these well played, widely distributed performances? It's sad in the end when many things in life always boil down to the almighty dollar - The dream is dead! Greed is good for lack of a better word, Greed is Right, Greed Works, Greed Clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit!
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I, too, would like to see SACD and/or DVDa releases, but that won’t work with this crowd. You would never hear the end of the complaints because it would cost a few more dollars. Despite all of the talk about the lack of sound quality, this group is not into sound quality. But mainly, the problem is that those formats do not play on standard players whereas HDCD does. Hopefully you guys have the American Beauty SACD.
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The Wall of Sound was one of the great early high-fidelity systems we were introduced to. Over the years, the systems we enjoyed, live-in-performance, improved like fine wine. I believe the majority of music enthusiast's that hang-out here listen on fine quality audio playback systems. Computer speakers and I-Pod earphones are simply noise. SACD is wonderful, but proved to be commercially unviable. Blue Ray is the current State-of-the Art in terms of high resolution audio/video. So, yes indeed, we care..... Thanks so much for the fine quality performances Truckin up to Buffalo DVD and the Winterland 1977 CD's. We had no previous access to this video and little access to the June 1977 run. Steve Parish was quoted saying 06/09/77 at Winterland was their finest performance. Now here's a man who had experience. From what my ears hear at home, it's a strong argument. These are great examples of that moment when the immediacy of the performance meets the microphone and/or video camera lense and transforms in your listening & viewing room. Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole. The 24 audio channels input to the soundboard are mostly microphones from the stage receiving the amplified instruments, drums, and vocals. These mic's also receive the ambient que's of the room and the sound of the audience to some extent. 24 channels output from the board are the 24 tracks that feed a remote 24 track tape recorder. Another output may be a simple combined 2 channel output to any number of various tape machines. What is crucial when mixing 24 tracks down to 2 channel stereo, is the finesse one apply's to the level or volume of these delicate and separate 24 channels of audio information when mixed from 12 to 2 right & left, for example. The is the art aspect of the science. Like a gourmet chef, it's the combination of these ingredients that make the final product palpable or dog food. Yes, many fine recordings over the years were diminished in the mixing room. Hence the marketing hypeage "re-mastered". My personal home reference system is a combination of a Macbook Pro > Meridian 800 CD/DVD Transport > Berkeley Audio Designs DAC > Audio Research Electronics > Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 8 > Cardas & Shunyata Cables > Shunyata Power Management System. In a previous post i critiqued the Hampton Listening party audio stream from Dead.Net. I will assume that this stream is squeezed down to MP-3, not lossless. It's unfair to judge a finished product one has not experienced, and if i had offended any soul for my post, it was purely unintentional. My hope for the future is that y'all will dig deep into the Vault for those amazing performances that we have had little or no access to, including the videos. In closing i would like to say thanks for the great snippets you share with us here at The Tapers Section, and that i don't believe Charlie Miller is on the Archive payroll. He shares simply out of his passion for the art! A remarkable feat. keep the faith.....
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Yes, we truly are living the dream, and contrary to a previous post, the dream is not Dead, it is alive and well. We are living in the future, and over the years the sound quality has been evolving and improving exponentially. We are in the golden age of vault releases, and it is up to us to keep the dream alive by supporting and promoting these efforts and supporting the continuing evolution in sound reproduction.
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16 years 9 months
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Having not recieved my copy yet, and being a fan of '87-'90, I would totally agree with blairj's review (that I haven't read yet). I prefer the '87-'90 era over the '76-'79 era.
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14 years 4 months
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For those who have ordered the box set, you are all in for a major treat! Sound quality is amazing. Must admit I had tears in my eyes listening to the Dew, as Jerry and Bob send this version straight out to the Gods themselves. While the debate will go on and on as to the best time period, etc. I am pleased as punch to be able to listen to great quality Dead, and am glad that there is still demand for all this music. And hey, this beats changing a flat tire on the side of the I-5 in late December coming back from the Oakland shows! But that is a whole other story...;)
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Ordered August 28th, Received Email that order was shipped September 8th, Today is September 15th and no delivery yet. Am I experiencing a normal delay? Has anyone else who got the Shipped on the 8th notice gotten their's via USPS standard shipping? Am I getting paranoid thinking some burned out postal worker has fingered my order and is now listening to my disks in his mail truck? Will Bobby ever remember all the words to Truckin'? Stand by for tomorrows episode of "The Old and The Restless Dead Heads!" On the BUS since 12-29-1968, and I'm never getting off. "When I die bury me deep, put two speakers at my feet, pair of ear phones on my head, and always play The Grateful Dead."
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This has got to be one of the best releasess ever the late 80s - 90s is the best dead anybody who complains about this stuff is out of there mind 90s box set next 10-27-91=10-31-91
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Ordering experience vastly improved.Received email notification of latest release (Warlocks/Road Trips) No problems ordering from website (ordered both sets with free shipping) Received order confirmation Received shipping notification Arrived in perfect shape Keep in mind, if you ordered with the free shipping option it will take a while to arrive. If you do not have the patience for standard shipping, then I would recommend paying for a shipping upgrade. Just don’t expect standard or free shipping to arrive the next day. If you are cheap like me, then you need to exercise patience. My order took a full week to arrive from California to Ohio which was fine with me.
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I too ordered with free shipping offer, which I've done in the past and the order usually got to me 3-4 days after it shipped. Got notification that it shipped on the 8th but as of today haven't received yet. Hopefully tomorrow =)
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I'm only to Big River 10.8, and maybe its just today, maybe its just me, but this is a smoking firey blistering just band intense versions, "I'm gonna sit right here till I die..." just pretty much off the charts. I know that all sounds crazy but wow, Brent banging away, the drums beating down the river, Jerry and Bob sounding so good you can tell they gotta little smile on their faces, as they all must, as I do right now in the sky. I try not to sing along being the first listen but, Stagger Lee just a rollin' so smooth, took me 4 times to try and type rollin' there, hehe. This stuff is crisp and clean, sounds so good. The box is really cool and if I had a stash right now maybe good for that, but I guess I'll keep all the sleeves and stuff in there for now. Had to bust out the other two boxes I have to sort of compare, the 73 and 77 ones only have 3disc FW which is still pretty good. Glad they really mixed it up and went all out on this. Had thoughts of its just about the music, but no way glad to have the coolie 'Cigar Box' , and the stuff like you might have saved after the show. Dig. And you got to plug in that night and have a perfect bootleg of the shows. Queen Jane...yes I don't have a recording of this song by the Dead, cool, Nice slow pace, Bob sounds good, love hearin' Jerry doinng the back vocals. New Dylan, well old Dylan coming out soon.... Ah yes Bird song. Those first notes are just a dream, everyone take two steps back (RT3:4), hear the crowd scream for that one. "When you hear that same sweet song again, will you know why?" The drums and the pace, the getting spaceyness is just so sweet. ok ok I try to wrap this up this stuff is just really good, you can really hear the entire band playing, this jam is really crazy, really like in the liner notes like horn or pipes playing. Have been jamming this stuff since it came right after lunch, mail man brought it to my door. Was all smiles and thank you. Opened box said dead.net on the front I knew what it was. Its almost an overload, because had gift card from Christmas and like the day before this was annouced I needed some of this 80's stuff and had been wanting "Go to Nassua" and "Truckin' up to Buffalo" for a long time so I dialed them up and been digging those for last couple weeks till this got here. Just been really digging Althea and Lost>Saint so much lately only so many out there and those seemed right for now. So I'm really digging lots of this 80's stuff right now, good mix of songs and really different playing from 80-89. What really sold me on this was the Death Dont... which they had on listen party with the traded vocals, I love that stuff. Got the View from Vault with good ole Brucey and they trade the vocals on Maggie's Farm. A band like this is too much fun, everyone gets to sing, and play, the even have two drummers just so classic, Promised Land...Well be right back... Help>Slip>Franklins hehee yes yes yes!! Like Blair said those trickey little teaser warm up notes where its kinda, not really but maybe and then yes.. 'Paradise waits On the crest of a wave her angels in flame She has no pain Like a child she is pure, she is not to blame Poised for flight, wings spread bright Spring from night into the sun Don't stop to run She can fly like a lie, she can't be outdone' Ok I'll stop to enjoy the rest but if you can't get into this you must be dead, not Grateful Dead.
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Holy freaking Moses!!! I am very happy with this release. I run a AV business and have the goods when it comes to sound systems. I had it turned up 98% and it was crisp as crisp gets. Thank you all involved that made it happen. Cool shit!!! Even more cool is that the west coast tour happing next Monday. My time coming, anyday, don't worry bout me, no It's gonna be just like they say, them voices tell me so Seems so long I felt this way and time sure passin slow My time coming, anyday, don't worry about me, no
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I love it, guys. Truly from the heart. Thanks for posting.
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Just received mine this morning along with Road Trips v.3 n.3 and am totally in heaven. A beautiful box set with lots of trinkets... am one happy deadhead. Thank you!
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Blair, sorry if I insulted you. Didn't mean to. I just have a differing opinion I guess and the light-heartedness of my comments didn't come through in words. Yes, I criticized part of your review, but if we were in person you would have seen I didn't mean it in a mean spirited way. Typed words are difficult to get feelings across. But I could have tried harder. That being said, these were great shows, I admit that. Too expensive though. I agree with one poster that they should have forgone the box and stuff and just made it affordable. I'm almost sorry I bought it because I can't really afford it. But I couldn't resist! Anyway, IMHO they can't stand up to pre '77 but they are certainly better than early '80's. But these are the hottest shows I've heard post '77 off hand. I could bore you all with my list of songs here that I love, but I won't. But I do have a couple of critiques. But first I want to say that we should all feel free to criticize as well as praise. Clearly some people think saying anything bad about a loved one is wrong, but that's cultism. I hate cults. I refuse to turn the Dead into a cult like so many have. The Dead are great but not perfect. Like the early '80's for instance - come on! They often sucked then! I was there. I was distraught at how bad they played. On that note I want to see if I'm alone about an issue or if anyone else feels this way. Bobby, I love your rhythm guitar but man your vocals make me crazy from about mid-eighties onward! You try too hard to make them special. Your vocals are so phony and falsely affective. Growling and shouting and fake feelings that seem to have nothing to do with how you are really feeling, or the lyrics. That's why I love Jerry's vocals so much - as technically bad as it is sometimes in these later years, they always feel real. And when Bobby just sings without faking it, he has fine vocals also. Just be yourself! My theory is that Bobby always wanted to be a front man, a leader, but didn't have it in him as a natural trait, and was always frustrated at being second to Jerry. When Jerry got sick and weak, Bobby thought this would be his opportunity to take front-center stage. So he started all his antics and exaggerated vocals and movements because he wasn't a natural at it. Very few people in the world are. Jerry is one of the rare ones. You can't fake it. Now all you Dead cultist out there, you can slam me for daring to be critical of the beloved Dead. Go for it. But I'd like to see if anyone else out there feels the same way I do about Bobby's vocal antics in the later years. My wife agrees - she's not a Dead head but when I play later years, she comments on Bobby's phony vocal gymnastics! RB
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...contrived vocal gymnastics and antics were pretty consistent through the 80, early 90s.Then he went off on his acoustic run with Jerry low in the mix, latter part of the Dead 94-95. It was just there and part of Bob's effort to have "the show" go on in disappointing latter times. Thank god somebody tried to take up the slack -- no offense intended Jerry...
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Yeah,but he failed in my eyes. I liked his vocals when they were more natural. Too bad Jerry let drugs get in the way of his music. I still miss him :( Anyway, you can't take up the slack if Jerry isn't up to par (or gone). Jerry WAS the Grateful Dead. Without him, I'm sorry but they are just an average band. Nobody beats Jerry, but there are plenty of bands better than the non-Jerry "Dead" bands. Like Jorma and Hot Tuna for one example off the top of my head. They could not stand up to the real Grateful Dead but are much better than the non-Jerry Dead. Just rambling... Hey, controversy: I've argued with a non-Dead Head friend of mine on who was better, Jerry or Jimi Hendrix. My opinion is that "Jimi is the greatest guitarist ever" is a band wagon and people just say it automatically without real consideration. He was astonishingly amazing, granted. But I'd say Jerry tops him. At least on his good days. This may be sacrilege, but Jimi, as great as he was, was kind of a one trick pony. Very similar sound throughout his repertoire. Jerry is far more versatile and broad with his musicianship. Also, nothing Jimi did was as good as Jerry at his very top form: Dick's Picks #8, CD 2. Astonishingly, amazingly genius ecstatic stuff. He was beyond himself that show. Greatest Dead ever, no exceptions, no doubt in my mind. IMHO. I'd drop $1K (or more) without flinching to be transported right now to that show! One other note about this "Warlocks" set: I don't like Midi. It's fake. I guess I'm a purist. I can forgive Jerry for using it because he is not using it like most people do - to cover up for the fact that they aren't very good. Plus he used it sparingly, thankfully. But Midi, and other tricks of the recording trade like pitch correction, are the downfall of modern music. 90% of the music the music industry pumps out these days is bogus fakery that shouldn't even be in the music stores. Should be in Wal-mart LOL!
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I think this set has just shot to the top of my favorite Dead releases.Outstanding sound quality,inspired performance and unbelievable song selection.Jerry's voice is clear and strong and his harmonies with Brent are beautiful.Every cymbal strike rings clear.So many highlights I can't begin to name them. The best 70 bucks I've spent in a loooong time!
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16 years 9 months
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My anxiety level went up a notch. Nothing from the postman today (~):{ Listening to 10-12-77, Manor Downs, TX - Lazy Lightning... Tomorrow is Friday and hopefully the postman will bring goodies for this old hippie. On the BUS since 12-29-1968, and I'm never getting off. "When I die bury me deep, put two speakers at my feet, pair of ear phones on my head, and always play The Grateful Dead."
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16 years 9 months
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...and practice Ripple for a couple of hours.... ... that way I can smile! (~);} On the BUS since 12-29-1968, and I'm never getting off. "When I die bury me deep, put two speakers at my feet, pair of ear phones on my head, and always play The Grateful Dead."
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16 years 10 months
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how anyone could say with a straight face that Jimi's playing had the depth or emotional range of Jerry's. Much more bombastic and about putting on a show.
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16 years 8 months
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Jimi didn’t have the time to fully develop. He had great musical talent, and no one could work a guitar as he did at the time; not even Jerry. He didn’t have the same breadth and depth of artistic and cultural influences that Jerry did, so he was at a disadvantage. He certainly was no guitar virtuoso, but he was a soft spoken, thoughtful and introspective man, and if he had survived and been able to mature… who knows. Remember what the players who followed his act at Woodstock said, and the Star Bangled Banner? Unbelievable. He was something special.
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16 years 9 months
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First off. I've so far listened to the 10-8 show and, well....wow. Speechless. The Dew alone would have made this worth the deluxe box treatment and price alone as it's priceless. The audio fidelity is the best I've ever heard from a Dead release and I have just about everything. Absolutely top notch production. Why anybody would prefer the 70's era over this show alone baffles me and I haven't even got into the meat and potatoes of the 10-9 part this release yet. Audio-wise and performance-wise, this IS the Grateful Dead doing what they did best. Having listened to audience and soundboards of this show for the last 21 years, this is waaay more than an upgrade. Worth every penny. The packaging is superb, the goodies are a nice bonus, but the quality of the production is phenominal. As I mentioned previously, anyone with complaints about this era, and especially this release would be better off buying the Lady Gaga raw meat dress. Incidently, I love all era's of the Dead, but they were at the top of their game on this leg of the tour. Jerry vs Jimi? Why compare? During the 60's, Jimi was, and in many ways is still many light years ahead of his time, both live and especially in the studio, all acheived in a matter of a brief few years of his life. It's not news here that Jerry was in his element playing live, but the studio was a different story. Jimi pushed the envelope and influenced every electric guitar plaer on the planet (probably including Jerry) while Jerry succeeded against all odds, especially hitting a commercial climax during the 80's, a time when the biggest acts thrived on anti-progressiveness. Sure, the Dead could've become a hairdo and spandex band, a punk band, a new wave band. Thankfully they stuck to their guns. If Jimi and Jerry were alive today, I wonder how they would view being compared to each other? I'm guessing not favorably. Now if someone has footage of Jerry lighting his guitar on fire and smashing it to pieces, I'd pay for 10 $80 box sets of that release right now. I love 'em both. Apples and oranges. Now back to the regularly scheduled Grateful for Gaga debate.
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13 years 7 months
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I have not got this yet i live in wales in the uk and the cost of shipping and waiting......too much.I will get it soon i love this era love the 70s as well though.Interesting point you make about jimi and jerry extremely differant styles of playing so dont think we can compare them.In my opinion,my personal taste Jerry was the best guitar player the world has ever seen his fingers danced all over that fretboard fine example last night i listened to brown eyed women from 77 too terrapin, a three tiered solo makes you laugh,cry,dance howl and scream all at the same time the world will never experience another guitarist like jerry garcia.
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16 years 9 months
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and it has still not shipped. How come it takes so long?
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16 years 9 months
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Jerry of course never played the same tune the same way, never played the same show twice and we can still listen to most of what he played live, from the sublime to the…..well we won’t go there. It’s all in the open. You can read in Blair’s book how frustrating it was for Keith Olsen to manage JG’s contribution to Terrapin Station, when he played something different on every take. Most of the other candidates for guitar greats played the same show with a few variations for a whole tour. They restricted their live releases to the best shows and highlights….and I suspect they spent a lot more time trying to get everything just exactly perfect in the studio. So it’s hard to compare…if all we ever heard of JG were handpicked highlights and overdubbed ‘live’ releases he might be more highly regarded among the guitar greats. But by laying it all out for us, he made us feel we knew the man as well as his music, he was talking to us with more than just his guitar. Wherever he stands technically (something I am not qualified to judge) that’s what makes him great.
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16 years 9 months
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had only just got going when he left us. Hard to compare him with Jerry, all the more so as he was in truth coming from a Blues background. Some of his improv at Woodstock is beyond exquisite. Never got to see him sadly, and I can still recall the day, when after spending a month on the West Coast of Ireland, and not having seen a newspaper in days, we rolled into Dublin to see the sandwich boards outside the newsagents "Jimi Hendrix dead" RIP Jerry and Jimi. They'd have been fun to see together, I'm sure.
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14 years 10 months
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Jerry was a player who developed and adapted before and during the life of the Grateful Dead. He overcame a handicap early in life and essentially re-learned his craft after his coma. He developed a style all his own, based on banjo technique and jazz sounds--melding a few of the numerous American musical styles, and incorporating some British troubadour style. He was not the first popular psychedelic guitarist--hand that to the late James Gurley. However, Garcia had a relatively long career arc and played in numerous bands, even dabbling in the pedal steel guitar. My contention has always been Jerry was a study in contrasts, and that influenced the coloring of his mood and emotion in the music, as well as his place as a front man and band leader. Insert Bobby comments here, although I fairly well agree with the previous poster about the Weir vocal gymnastics... What made the Dead so interesting is being able to be assaulted and caressed by so many cultural and emotional influences at one sitting. "His job is to shed light and not to master."Concerning Hendrix, he came from a special place as well, crafting sounds from his culture and background. Early on, he developed a showman's persona, which got him in trouble with the bandleaders he upstaged in his early career. His musical background is essentially American as well--rhythm and blues and the blues--and shares a Dylan influence with Garcia. Hendrix was scouted by music industry insiders and fit into the Experience--a band which was meant to compete with the popular music at the time (i.e. Cream). In that context, he set the world on its ear, assaulting the pop charts with a very raw, heavy sound. It was a short career path, although longer if you include the "chitlin' circuit" years and the work he was doing with Band of Gypsies at Electric Lady Studio. He had a special guitar technique, and channeled unique sounds by becoming one with the electricity and audio output. As a bandleader, he didn't have a foil to play off of, and the music comes off more as a seduction than a complete emotional experience. "Let me stand next to your fire!" To most people Hendrix comes to them as fully formed-discovered with flames at Monterey Pop. Garcia and the Dead were known to those at Monterey as both loving of their fans and brutal to the music industry. They were already in their second phase of development, with many more to come. It's not really fair to pit these legends head to head, but enjoy them both for the outstanding work which survives on tape. Concerning the visual aspect of their stage presence, I'm much more into looking at Garcia, but I'm sure it really all about the music for both of these musicians, so that aspect is up to personal tastes. Both musicians were shamanistic, which leads me to my next point--who's better--Jim Morrison or Otis Redding?
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14 years 10 months
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Well folks, after ready about all of the positive feedback on this release I decided to break down and buy it. I can't really afford it, but I just love late era Dead. I was jamming MSG 90 last night while working. I have 9/16/20 (Dicks Picks) and a rippin soundboard of 9/20/90. Amazing! Just love Jerry's voice. I am excited to blast these shows in the month of October! Gonna be epic! I must say, it was all of the positive feedback that made me buy it. Gonna pass on Road Trips this time around, may grab it at a later date since there is no bonus disc. I miss the bonus disc though. Looking forward to blasting Promised Land!
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16 years 9 months
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Ordered on the 27th, shipped on the 8th, and still not here. Will call my bank today and have the charges reversed. The last straw in my struggle with this company. I'll just download it elsewhere.
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16 years 9 months
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Rant on. OK, so here's the deal. I ordered on August 28th, pre-order with the promotion that orders "estimated" to be shipped on September 7th. I got the Shipping confirmation that my order was shipped 10 days ago on September 8th. Yeah yeah, I know I took the cheap way out and opted for free shipping via USPS priority mail... BUT!!! The company I work for uses USPS priority mail to ship hundreds of packages around the country, Florida to California, to Washington, to Texas, to Virginia and on and on and we never get delivery times more than 6 days. Never! The only possible reason for this order not being delivered by this time is... It was not shipped on September 8th. Maybe the order was put in the box, maybe the mailing label was printed, maybe the postage was affixed by September 8th, but it wasn't picked up by the USPS on September 8th, or it would have been here by now. So for the individuals responsible for shipping that read this. If it ain't shipped yet, don't tell us it was shipped. That just pisses us off and makes all the people that work so hard on these projects look bad. They don't deserve it. Just tell us the truth. We can handle the truth. Rant over. Have a wonderful and Gratefully Blessed day! On the BUS since 12-29-1968, and I'm never getting off. "When I die bury me deep, put two speakers at my feet, pair of ear phones on my head, and always play The Grateful Dead."
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15 years 6 months
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My order shipped on September 8th and arrived in Minnesota yesterday (Sept 16th). I combined this box with the RT release and selected the "free shipping" option. They ship these USPS media class so they can take up to two weeks to arrive. Great sounding shows!! A little overboard on the packaging and price but... Hope everyone gets their package soon. Best Wishes-Jimmy the Cop
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16 years 1 month
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BTW-I didn't get mine yet either-still waiting. But Jerry-Jimi-two whole different phenoms in my opinion. I don't bother to compare but I think Jerry for my money could play any emotion but also kick some serious booty as well. I love Hendrix-esp. "Electric Lady Land" and the Band of Gypsies stuff and it would have been interesting to see what would have been but I always go back to listening to Jerry with and without the Dead.
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16 years 9 months
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Yeah, Jerry's emotional touch is beyond compare. No doubt about it. Drop you with one note, as a friend of mine said to me.
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16 years 9 months
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What I should have noted is that my order hasn't shipped yet; always takes a little while (I'm in the UK), but 9 days seems a long time to put it in a jiffy back and mail it. I mailed a letter...
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15 years 11 months
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I'm with Blair...very partial to c. 89 shows, especially after Jerry got the MIDI hookup on his everyday guitar. The multitrack mix is stellar, with Weir's guitar sounding particularly sultry. The packaging and design are superb and make this a true keepsake (as well as a shitload of great tunes). I understand it may seem a bit "extravagant" to some (re: price), but I have to say keep these coming. In the age when fewer and fewer folks are buying CD, it's sets like these that still make 'em special. IMO, this is the best box since the Complete Fillmore (of which I'm a proud owner). Now the RT on the other hand is forgettable. The source tape has the vocs way up in the mix, which virtually kills the instruments underneath. With Weir's guitar sound at the height of its chinka-dinka phase, this makes for a bad listen. Nevertheless, the RT series has been a good replacement for DXPX, and I look forward to the next offering.
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16 years 9 months
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I was happy to find my package promptly at 4:20 on my doorstep today. Yes, that's when I looked. Somebody spoil it, what's inside? I was a little puzzled to find there's a handwritten set list for 10-8 on the back of a postcard (depicting the Hampton coliseum - which looks a little like the Gravitron or a spaceship to me; how apt), but nothing with a set list for 10-9. Is this random, anyone have the penciled lists? Wierd. Did you rip it open or carefully peel off the sticker? It was humorous to see the replica newspaper (probably the most expensive newspaper I've ever purchased) and that picture of Oprah and Geraldo to remind us how much time has flown. I plan a weekend with the Warlocks and hope you get to too.
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16 years 4 months
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A must have! With all do respect to the many sbd (CM) and audience (BW) recordings that have kept these shows at the forefront of 89, this mix is outstanding and worth every penny. Wonderful to experience these rare nights again! Enjoy.
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16 years 8 months
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I’m struggling with this one, whether or not to get it, and it has nothing to do with the price. For the most part, I enjoyed attending the later Dead concerts (I started going in ’69 and kept going until the bitter end) but I have been less than enthralled when listening to the recordings from that last period. Mainly it has to do with their voices being shot by that time, and that the soundboard recordings often mixed their voices too high thus accentuating the pain of listening to their raspy vocals. The guitar playing was often great, but the vocals less so. The other beef I have with most soundboard recordings is the lack of audience input on them. They sound kind of stale… no… two dimensional... three dimensional instead of four? I can’t think of the right phrase. Let's just say SB recordings often lack a critical element because there is so little audience sound in the mix. We all know that audience energy was integral to the live experience and yet this component was substantially downplayed by whoever handled the SB mixes. I have an audience recording of these shows and the audience ecstasy is amazing. Would you say this release adequately conveys the audience’s reactions during the concerts?
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It's really not possible, they are just too different stylistically. Jerry knew his way around the spaces between the notes better than anyone else. And that's a but a very small part of Jerry's greatness.
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16 years 9 months
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Not compared to the audience recordings, no. But they do sound great and the excitement in the music is definitely well transmitted. But I don't know what could make you overcome your feeling about the vocals; probably nothing...
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16 years 9 months
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After listening to the 10/9/89 show, both on audience and soundboard recordings and literally many hundreds of time over the past 21 years, when they bust into Dark Star, the audience reaction is very much present, and my immediate reaction was feeling the hair on the back of my neck raise up as if this was the first time hearing this. After listening to these shows in this format, I now feel spoiled. Out of all of the officially released material, I'd be hard pressed to hear anything else that comes close to this energy, besides Nightfall Of Diamonds, the *cough* Fillmore Box *cough this needs to be re-released - screw the limited edition status *cough* and perhaps someday, a box featuring the 3/28-30/90 Nassau run with Branford Marsalis. Everything else is anti-climatic to me at the present. Another run or two that might excite me as much as the Warlocks (and wish I had the Fillmore) box would be the '73 Dead/Allman shows from RFK and Watkin's Glen. Which leads me to my question for blairj..... A few years back, I read an article about Kirk West and Dick Latvala where they both discussed releasing a Dead/Allman RFK three disc box containing performances by both bands seperately and together. Is this still under consideration? I read about this in an issue of the Allman Brother's fanzine "Hittin' The Note" a while back.