• https://www.dead.net/features/release-info/terrapin-hartford-may-28-1977
    To Terrapin: Hartford, May 28, 1977

    And the whistle is screaming...
    ...Terrapin

    3 Disc Set


    Whether or not the fabled spring tour of 1977 was, as many Dead Heads believe, the strongest Grateful Dead tour ever, it was unquestionably a magical time stuffed-to-overflowing with amazing shows. Say the word “Cornell” to any hardcore Head and it means one thing—the 5/8/77 show at Barton Hall on the august school’s campus. But there were numerous other stops on the tour that produced monster shows, as well, from the five-night run at the Palladium in New York, to the incredible Fox Theatre in Atlanta (5/19 was part of the two-show Dick’s Picks #29), to the two Florida shows—Lakeland and Pembroke Pines (Dick’s Picks #29 and Dick’s Picks #1, respectively)—Tuscaloosa, Richmond… the tour was a scorcher from beginning to end.

    What was up? Well, by the spring of ’77, the Dead had been back on the road for nearly a year following their famous performing hiatus, so Mickey Hart was thoroughly re-integrated into the band, and the septet was hitting a new stride. There was a handful of great new songs being integrated into the repertoire, including Garcia and Hunter’s complex, epic “Terrapin Station” suite, Weir and John Barlow’s cool, off-kilter reggae tune “Estimated Prophet,” and Phil and Peter Monk’s rollicking “Passenger.” Those songs would form the core of the album that the Dead were recording in the winter of ’77 with producer Keith Olsen down in Los Angeles. Olsen was a sharp guy with good ears (as they say in the biz), and he worked the Dead hard in the studio, forcing them to play perhaps a bit more precisely than they were accustomed to. Now, one can endlessly debate whether the result of Olsen’s approach was ultimately an album that was a tad too precise—a criticism even the band leveled at Terrapin Station—but all the laboring over parts and arrangements in the studio seemed to have an extremely positive impact on how the band played live that spring.

    Which brings us to Hartford, Connecticut on the night of May 28, 1977—the final night of this Tour for the Ages, and the source of our latest release, To Terrapin. You’d never know from listening to this show that the band had been on the road for more than a month and 25 previous concerts, because it has that sparkle and intensity the band only had when it was fresh, feelin’ good and in full exploration mode. From the rippin’ “Bertha” > “Good Lovin’” > “Sugaree” trifecta opening, through the spectacular second set sequence comprised of “Playing in the Band,” a brisk and buoyant “Terrapin,” a fantastic one-of-a-kind “Not Fade Away,” “Wharf Rat,” and the “Playing reprise.” Definitely the band at its best!

    So, why put this out now? Why the hell not? And what’s with all the questions? Just enjoy it. OK, aside from it being a classic show worthy of release, we thought it might be fun to revisit a concert played in one of the venues The Dead are hitting this spring on their tour—that would be the Hartford Civic (now the XL Center) on 4/26/09… why, that’s the 31-year, 11-month, 2-day anniversary show of this epic ’77 show! Anyway, this three-disc complete show release has been lovingly mastered to HDCD specs from the original reel-to-reel tapes by Jeffrey Norman utilizing the usual array of mysterious black boxes and sonic tools unavailable to us mere mortals. Artist Scott McDougal, who’s done such a bang-up job for us on the Road Trips series, has designed a beautiful package, and the always erudite Gary Lambert has contributed a fine essay which is accompanied by glorious photos of the band in Hartford in 1977. And because we know that in these tough economic times everyone could use a bargain, we’re offering To Terrapin at the very low price of $17.98 for all pre-orders placed on dead.net before the April 7th release date. That’s $2 under the suggested retail price. For the complete track listing and ordering info, click here.

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  • Mugarumpet
    15 years 6 months ago
    Nothin' left to do but...
    I guess there's nothin' left to do but smile smile smile ... and keep on trying to get in touch with customer support. Reading all the positive comments about the Hartford show but not being able to actually listen to it seems somewhat masochistic.
  • JackstrawfromC…
    15 years 6 months ago
    Yeah you should have got a confirmation email
    I guess I have been lucky not to have any issues with the dead.net store. I just have issues getting my concert tickets! "When the smoke has cleared she said, that's what she said to me. You're gonna want a bed to lay your head and a little sympathy"
  • Mugarumpet
    15 years 6 months ago
    Waiting for Hartford
    I pre-ordered back in February but I haven't received a ship confirmation and can't seem to get in contact with customer support.
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And the whistle is screaming...
...Terrapin

3 Disc Set


Whether or not the fabled spring tour of 1977 was, as many Dead Heads believe, the strongest Grateful Dead tour ever, it was unquestionably a magical time stuffed-to-overflowing with amazing shows. Say the word “Cornell” to any hardcore Head and it means one thing—the 5/8/77 show at Barton Hall on the august school’s campus. But there were numerous other stops on the tour that produced monster shows, as well, from the five-night run at the Palladium in New York, to the incredible Fox Theatre in Atlanta (5/19 was part of the two-show Dick’s Picks #29), to the two Florida shows—Lakeland and Pembroke Pines (Dick’s Picks #29 and Dick’s Picks #1, respectively)—Tuscaloosa, Richmond… the tour was a scorcher from beginning to end.

What was up? Well, by the spring of ’77, the Dead had been back on the road for nearly a year following their famous performing hiatus, so Mickey Hart was thoroughly re-integrated into the band, and the septet was hitting a new stride. There was a handful of great new songs being integrated into the repertoire, including Garcia and Hunter’s complex, epic “Terrapin Station” suite, Weir and John Barlow’s cool, off-kilter reggae tune “Estimated Prophet,” and Phil and Peter Monk’s rollicking “Passenger.” Those songs would form the core of the album that the Dead were recording in the winter of ’77 with producer Keith Olsen down in Los Angeles. Olsen was a sharp guy with good ears (as they say in the biz), and he worked the Dead hard in the studio, forcing them to play perhaps a bit more precisely than they were accustomed to. Now, one can endlessly debate whether the result of Olsen’s approach was ultimately an album that was a tad too precise—a criticism even the band leveled at Terrapin Station—but all the laboring over parts and arrangements in the studio seemed to have an extremely positive impact on how the band played live that spring.

Which brings us to Hartford, Connecticut on the night of May 28, 1977—the final night of this Tour for the Ages, and the source of our latest release, To Terrapin. You’d never know from listening to this show that the band had been on the road for more than a month and 25 previous concerts, because it has that sparkle and intensity the band only had when it was fresh, feelin’ good and in full exploration mode. From the rippin’ “Bertha” > “Good Lovin’” > “Sugaree” trifecta opening, through the spectacular second set sequence comprised of “Playing in the Band,” a brisk and buoyant “Terrapin,” a fantastic one-of-a-kind “Not Fade Away,” “Wharf Rat,” and the “Playing reprise.” Definitely the band at its best!

So, why put this out now? Why the hell not? And what’s with all the questions? Just enjoy it. OK, aside from it being a classic show worthy of release, we thought it might be fun to revisit a concert played in one of the venues The Dead are hitting this spring on their tour—that would be the Hartford Civic (now the XL Center) on 4/26/09… why, that’s the 31-year, 11-month, 2-day anniversary show of this epic ’77 show! Anyway, this three-disc complete show release has been lovingly mastered to HDCD specs from the original reel-to-reel tapes by Jeffrey Norman utilizing the usual array of mysterious black boxes and sonic tools unavailable to us mere mortals. Artist Scott McDougal, who’s done such a bang-up job for us on the Road Trips series, has designed a beautiful package, and the always erudite Gary Lambert has contributed a fine essay which is accompanied by glorious photos of the band in Hartford in 1977. And because we know that in these tough economic times everyone could use a bargain, we’re offering To Terrapin at the very low price of $17.98 for all pre-orders placed on dead.net before the April 7th release date. That’s $2 under the suggested retail price. For the complete track listing and ordering info, click here.

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To Terrapin: Hartford, May 28, 1977


Whether or not the fabled spring tour of 1977 was, as many Dead Heads believe, the strongest Grateful Dead tour ever, it was unquestionably a magical time stuffed-to-overflowing with amazing shows. Say the word “Cornell” to any hardcore Head and it means one thing—the 5/8/77 show at Barton Hall on the august school’s campus. But there were numerous other stops on the tour that produced monster shows, as well, from… >>more

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To Terrapin: Hartford, May 28, 1977


Whether or not the fabled spring tour of 1977 was, as many Dead Heads believe, the strongest Grateful Dead tour ever, it was unquestionably a magical time stuffed-to-overflowing with amazing shows. Say the word “Cornell” to any hardcore Head and it means one thing—the 5/8/77 show at Barton Hall on the august school’s campus. But there were numerous other stops on the tour that produced monster shows, as well, from… >>more

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With an 18 minute Sugaree. I know I have it already, but I love to hear what Norman does with it, though Charlie Miller ain't no slouch!
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16 years 1 month
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...how'd I get to be first here? This must have been announced a few minutes ago. That's never happened to me.
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16 years 6 months
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Damn, I refresh my screen and a new release shows up! Right on!....APRIL 7th! Am i reading this correctly? What's the wait? That's over a month away...nice to see a new release and nice to see it's a full show...i shouldn't complain...No bonus disc for the preorder though, that would've been a nice way to entice us...but, 2 bucks is 2 bucks and as they say, "a penny saved is a penny earned" ;) "In a bed, in a bed, by the waterside I will lay my head. Listen to the river sing sweet songs, to rock my soul."
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17 years 4 months
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Finally, another full show release, and a '77 one at that. I've purchased some of the shows from Road Trips, but haven't been all that satisfied with the split shows; especially the last one. I loved 9/20/90 and 9/16/90 but having them chopped up sucks. KEEP THE FULL SHOWS COMING!! Good price on this one too.
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16 years 8 months
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..I want it now!
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17 years 4 months
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Okay, I'll buy it because it's a complete show from a great tour -- but a tour that is so well documented in official releases, and so well documented with "informal" releases, that it seems like a missed chance to dig a little deeper. Still, I know it will be an upgrade from the BBD that I have and the price is right (even though I cannot purchase a corresponding t-shirt, poster, sticker, button, bandana and ltd edition bong). But the reference to the Palladium run is just a tease -- why not put some that out there, since most of it t'aint already?
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16 years 8 months
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I wish I could get this! I heard it on satellite radio and it sounded amazing. There especially nothing like 77 Dead. It would take more than a recession to stopt me from getting this! Hey Dedbutt - Please tell me that's a woman's butt. I like it & just want to make sure it everything its cracked up to be.
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17 years 4 months
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YES!!! just in time for the road trips to LA, shoreline and the gorge 411 shows and counting. One day I'll actually get around to listing them all.
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17 years 4 months
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Charlie Miller did well on this one...thats fer sure. I'll give her a buy just for the HDCD fact though... Oh...and one month...lord all mighty...it's 2009...we need it NOW!!!
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17 years 4 months
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And, since I sound like such a prick, I'll try making amends by offering a few B&Ps for anyone who wants DVDs of that circulate of 4/26 or 4/27/77. Please contact me directly, not here. This definitely is "warts and all" video, but totally watchable, and pretty spectacular to see what the band looked like onstage while playing that oh-so-familiar and incredible tunage during the Spring of '77.
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17 years 4 months
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HURRY UP AND SEND IT PLEASE.......
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15 years 9 months
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Nice surprise..New Old Dead
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15 years 8 months
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this run of shows is amazing.this is what got me into the dead and ive been on the long strange trip ever since.i remember hearing a live radio broadcasts of one of the shows from this tour,on WNEW fm. any one from the new york area who liked good music listend to WNEW fm 102.7. i was in 10th grade at the time i was listining to alot of led zep,yes,ELP,floyd that kind of stuff.i was at a party in my friend georges hood,some of the older dudes had been listining to the dead and hot tuna for years.i remember thinking wow this is good shit,so was the acid we took butt the cid wore off thank god the music never did.the release date april 7th happens to be my 47th birthday thanks for the memmories
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My first show! I have had multiple copies over the years, each better than the next, but having an official release makes it even more special. I remember reading years ago that it was Dick Latvala's son's first show as well, but he was slightly younger!! Arriving into town on a clear Saturday afternoon, not really knowing what to expect, and then noticing that that no matter which direction I looked I saw nothing but hippies! As soon as I left the car I started floating, floating thru the crowds, getting inside and floating down the aisle, Bertha kicks in and leads to a classic 77' Good Lovin' which then leads to an awesome Sugaree. Some 30 minutes later and the band finally exhales!! 123 shows later, ending at RFK in 1995, sure there were better shows, crazier experiences, trips across this wonderful country, but nothing is like the first time, and no, I don't mean sex, but then again, that first time was fairly awesome too!! Thanks!!!
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17 years 4 months
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i've got the charlie miller, but i'm gonna buy just to keep that release bus rollin'. pennies on the dollar boys and grrlz. no better investment in these times like the good ol' grateful dead. see y'all later!
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This is great, but I'd also like to see a May '77 box set, featuring this show, 5/7, 5/8 and 5/9 (Boston Garden, Barton Hall and Buffalo War Memorial) as well as remastered versions of the two May '77 Dick's Picks*, since, as awesome as the Pembroke Pines show is, it sounds really thin compared to the recent Road Trips and Winterland '73 box set. I'll have to hand it to the Rhino engineers, they really know how to extract every last ounce of sonic goodness from the vault tapes. *And heck, since I'm dreaming, why not a bonus disc or two with material from Mosque 5/25/77 and the Springfield show on 5/5/77.
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17 years 4 months
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...complaining about this release. This EXACTLY what people have been asking for - a complete show from a great period, in a great tour, with a great set list, (most definitely) in great sound quality, at a good price!! This should silence the doubters. This is going to be a classic...I can feel it.
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16 years 7 months
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Glad that Dead Net and Rhino finally put out an entire show for the heads, the partial shows and compilations weren't cutting it at all, Hopefully this makes up for the "Rocking the Cradle" disastor. I'm ready to get mine now!
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Wow, My first Eastcoast show. What a weekend. New England Fiddle contest in the the park. A tremendous Dead show. Samson & Dehlia came true as the next winter the roof collapsed, and saw Max Creek after the show. It's been a trip for sure! Nice to see this show brought back for others to enjoy. One Love
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16 years 11 months
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I'm glad that were getting a full show AND a regular 3 cd set instead of having to deal with bonus disc stuff. It never made sense to me to have what was sometimes the best part of the release as a temporary item. I've managed so far to keep up with the bonus discs but some of my friends haven't. It's nice to know that all true DeadHeads will be able to hear the entire release and not have to pay scalper prices on eBay.
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17 years 4 months
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Listenin' to 5/13 Auditorium Theatre right now! Can't wait for Hartford. My cousin was at the Mosque show on 5/25, I'm so jealous. Looking forward to the Charlottesville show this spring - Happiness Abounds!
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"Rocking the Cradle disastor"?????? I thought that was a great release. Not a 'disastor' a'tall!! :o)
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17 years 4 months
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Walk into splintered sunlightInch your way through dead dreams to another land
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17 years 4 months
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Sorry about the above post, I hit the "Post Comment" button a little prematurely. Okay, am I the only one who is totally upset about this release? Why aren't there more people complaining about this? How dare they release a full show AND give us $2 off the price is we preorder it? Plus, it looks to me that it was quite an awesome show. Why would they release such a good show AND make us wait a month to get it? This is ridiculous. I've wanted something to complain about and now I have it! Additionally, Terrapin is my favorite song and Wharf Rat is up there, too. Why would I want to hear another fantastic version of Terrapin AND Wharf Rat? I've never been so upset in my life.
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I was scheduled to take the bus to San Francisco, when I heard the Dead were going to be in my hometown, Hartford, where I was born.I was hoping they would play "Estimated Prophet", a tribute to California. I was floored when they did. I left several days later.' I've gone cross-crountry by Greyhound bus three times(Simon and Garfunkles "America" was written for me.") I left for the Bay Area several days later. I'm flying to my Favorite city in the whole world, San Francisco, June 16th. What cd will I play, just before I leave for the airport? This one! Thank you, DEAD.NET!!
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Nothing to complain about here. Disc 3 looks like a classic. Hartford rocks. Seen many a great dead/phish show at that venue, including my first GD show. Going in April. Jst wanted to take the opportunitiy to again shout out wishful thinking...Release some DVD!!!!! Please! Phish is running circles around the dead when it comes to video release. (Clifford Ball 7 DVD box set!!! ). There is nothing better then a good surround sound mix, with close ups of Jerry's nose pushed up on the microphone (I am convinced his "nasally" vocal sound comes from so much singing through his nose...am i wrong?). Anyway, great to have more spring 77 coming out. Looking forward to it. Good move with the price reduction. "Music is the best" - FZ
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17 years 4 months
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..this one...1977 is my favourite year ever...pay attention to one thing: pembroke pines is not DP n. 1, it is the wonderful DP n.3
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Awesome, oh how I love May 77. I can't wait to hear what Norman does with this. I love the Road Trips also so keep em coming. A May 70 Acoustic set or anything from June 74 will work fine. Thank you.
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17 years 4 months
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listening to show now, awesome Sugaree in set 1 the PITB ain't too shabby either Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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16 years 1 month
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That should hold me over till May at Shoreline see ya there!
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Hey Dedbutt - Please tell me that's a woman's butt. I like it & just want to make sure it everything its cracked up to be.
You crack me up. You wouldn't want mine up there. Yes, actually, it's a Playboy bunny's from a centerfold. Miss August, 70, to be precise.
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16 years 3 months
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for the record, DP#1 is not 1977, as everyone here probably knows off hand. Not sure why the opening paragraphs said it was.
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15 years 8 months
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I'm so excited about this one. Spring of '77 was a hot tour. You guys should just release all the shows! Also, I know the Brent era was hit and miss -- but we could use a few more full-length Brent shows.
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17 years 4 months
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At least this is comparable to the ticket prices back then. Lets hope they don't try and charge us over $100 to get copies of the shows from the 2009 tour!
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17 years 4 months
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Really, only one. Why can't any of these recent releases have download only options? I don't want the CDs, I don't want the little cardboard sleeves with all the scratch and glue problems (have experienced them firsthand), I just want the music. And I definitely want this one. I'm only guessing here, but I think less people would obtain the music illegally (friends, torrent sites, etc.) and buy the downloads if they were available at a reduced price. I'd gladly spend $15 for a 3-disc, full concert download.
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17 years 4 months
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I just wanted to thank you all ! Not only is this a off the hook show , you guys have done a great thing letting us get it for such a bargin rate. Look at this : 3 cd's , awsome artwork and the ever so popular liner notes all for $20.00 (just pennies over with standard shipping ) that's like $6.66 a disc! Once again hats off to you all at Dead Central for such a super deal ! I may have to buy a couple just for gifts ! Thanks to all involved !
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16 years 11 months
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May '77 is EXTRA hot! Gotta love it. I only wish I could get it sooner than April. Now, how 'bout that elusive JGB release?
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This one will make most of us happy. I love turtles! Inspiration!!! Thanks powers that be. "Where does the time go?"
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I was there, and sat very high up. Jed packed such a powerful surge that I remember thinking at the time that it was 'blowing the roof off'. Sure enough, a few weeks later, The Civic Center was forced to close down for a while due . . . to structural damage to the roof! That Spring I caught this, Springfield, and Barton, and the three complemented one another nicely.
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I love how you keep releasing more of the seven 1977 shows I went to like 11/5 Rochester, 4/30 Palladium and 9/3 Englishtown. I'm sure you will get to 4/23 Springfield 5/7 Boston and 11/6 Binghampton in time. This Hartford show was very fun, the last of my 4 Saturday Night escapes from Andover during my senior year of high school. Thanks for the four offical releases of the shows I went to in 1977.
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16 years 11 months
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I'm an Andover-grad head too. Never saw them while in school however...
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15 years 8 months
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With tour tickets over $100 bucks, who can afford "new", already out there music???
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I could only see the Dead on Saturday nights because I could check out of the dorms and say I was going home to Maine. What I really did was go to Springfield, Boston, Palladium and Hartford. Not a bad Spring schedule. I remember tickets being about $7 to $10 approximately, but I did have to pay $25 from a scalper in NYC to see 4-30. Ummm good deal.
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I'm green with envy! I spent Saturday nights drinking beer in my dorm room listening to really bad 80s Euro-pop (Dept. of Redundancy Dept.). Thank goodness for tapers! I can re-live a little of what you got to experience first-hand.
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Another Bettboard, I cant wait, 5/5/77 was my first bootleg and stated it all andI LOVE the May 1997 run even though I was one at the time. 1977 Dead Hell yeah, enjoy all!!!!!!!!!!
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17 years 4 months
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It says HDCD. Perhaps a stupid question, but will this play on regular CD players?
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Gratefuldaddy, I like the physical CDs with the packaging, but you're right on about the glue issues. I've noticed that more and more as everyone goes to cardboard. It's environmentally nice, but it does not last, and this makes it difficult to properly care for the product. Not sure if this is what you were referencing, but I've gotten them in the mail, brand new, with scratches, too from the way they are packaged. Aggravating as hell. Where is the quality control? I do agree with you that a download option should also be available (at a lower cost) for those who want it.
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Uakari, yeah, man! 5/5/77 is one amazing show. It's everywhere, but it's soooooo good. dkramer173, yes HDCD will play in any CD player you have. All the multi-track vault releases are in HDCD. The 2-track Dick's Picks and Road Trip sets are not, I don't think.