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    Road Trips Volume 3 Number 1

    Oakland, 12/28/79

    The latest installment in our Road Trips series, now entering its third big year (and ninth release overall) is bound to become a favorite. Road Trips Vol. 3, No. 1 is the complete show from December 28, 1979, part of the sparkling run that has already given us the excellent Dick’s Picks: Vol. 5 (from 12/26/79). You’ll recall that these year-end concerts, held at the Oakland Auditorium because Winterland had closed down for good the previous New Year’s Eve, were the first holiday shows featuring new keyboardist Brent Mydland, who joined the band in April 1979.

    The new lineup had been gaining momentum with each passing tour since that spring, and by December was truly hitting its stride. It helped, too, that the band was in the midst of recording their Go To Heaven album, so they were really playing together a lot during this period. This 12/28/79 concert is a blast: a super high-energy rock and roll show that also has its share of spacey jams and exploratory passages. The first set includes standout versions of “Sugaree,” “High Time” (rare enough that it always felt like a treat!) and “The Music Never Stopped,” while the second set opens with the always potent pair of “Alabama Getaway” > “Greatest Story Ever Told,” turns deep and introspective with “Playing in the Band” and “Terrapin,” and then later turns into a non-stop party with “Uncle John’s Band,” “I Need A Miracle,” “Bertha” and Good Lovin’.” If you’re not wiped out after that, the double-encore will waste you—“Casey Jones” and “Saturday Night”!

    The sound on both discs is spectacular (it’s hard to beat great reels as source tapes), and as always the CDs have been mastered to the exacting HDCD spec, because you would accept nothing less. The colorful accompanying booklet contains a number of excellent Jay Blakesberg photos from those Oakland Aud. shows, as well as a typically inspiring essay by the always poetic Dead scribe Steve Silberman.

    So it’s a win-win. A slam-dunk. A no-brainer. For more info on all the goodness packed onto these discs, click here. And when you finally come to your senses and decide that you can longer live another day without Road Trips Vol. 3, No. 1, you can order it here.

    —Blair Jackson

    Track List

    CD 1: Oakland Auditorium Arena, December 28, 1979

    1. SUGAREE
    2. MAMA TRIED>
    3. MEXICALI BLUES
    4. ROW JIMMY
    5. IT’S ALL OVER NOW
    6. HIGH TIME
    7. THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED
    SET 2:
    8. ALABAMA GETAWAY>
    9. GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

    CD 2: Oakland Auditorium Arena, December 28, 1979

    1. TERRAPIN STATION>
    2. PLAYING IN THE BAND>
    3. RHYTHM DEVILS>
    4. SPACE>
    5. UNCLE JOHN’S BAND>
    6. I NEED A MIRACLE>
    7. BERTHA>
    8. GOOD LOVIN’
    9. CASEY JONES
    10. ONE MORE SATURDAY NIGHT



    15687

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    wharfrat1
    14 years 4 months ago
    Finally arrived yesterday
    Well, my RT finally arrived yesterday, bonus disc included. So my long winding journey with this has come to an end. For those still waiting, keep banging on customer service. They stink at what they do, but as you can see with me, you will eventually be rewarded. I learned a lesson with the free shipping. For the 77 box set, I went ahead and forked out the $10 for the overnight shipping. It was delivered a day before the official release date. Went with the free shipping on this one, got it a month after the release date. I guess I'll just stick with the expedited shipping since it isn't too expensive(here in the US). Good luck to the rest of you still waiting. Hopefully it will get resolved soon.
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    country@alicep…
    14 years 4 months ago
    Customer service sent me an email
    After my email of 23 October, the customer service told me on 27 November saying that my order was shipped on 11 November 2009.Not yet arrived. Hope!! Francesco from Italy
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    hb672
    14 years 4 months ago
    looking forward
    It's too bad a majority of the comments are a reflection of poor customer service. I view it as passionate people who are frustrated with a system that seems to fly in the face of what the Grateful Dead's music means to so many of us. Anyway, folks like Marye certainly have helped out and she deserves a great big thank you from us. Going forward, it is fabulous that so many releases have come forward from a band that stopped performing live about 15 years ago. What other band offers their fans this kind of availability of their achieves? Since it seems the Road Trips format is the successor to Dick's Picks and will be a 2 CD release, I would like to see some things (compilations /complete sets/complete shows...whatever) from 1966/67, 1970, selections from the 1980's and highlights of the 1990's (especially with "newer" songs). With each release, I will evaluate whether it might be worth the frustrating ordering experience to get it. Happy Holidays to all!!
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Submitted by frogstorm on

Oakland, 12/28/79

The latest installment in our Road Trips series, now entering its third big year (and ninth release overall) is bound to become a favorite. Road Trips Vol. 3, No. 1 is the complete show from December 28, 1979, part of the sparkling run that has already given us the excellent Dick’s Picks: Vol. 5 (from 12/26/79). You’ll recall that these year-end concerts, held at the Oakland Auditorium because Winterland had closed down for good the previous New Year’s Eve, were the first holiday shows featuring new keyboardist Brent Mydland, who joined the band in April 1979.

The new lineup had been gaining momentum with each passing tour since that spring, and by December was truly hitting its stride. It helped, too, that the band was in the midst of recording their Go To Heaven album, so they were really playing together a lot during this period. This 12/28/79 concert is a blast: a super high-energy rock and roll show that also has its share of spacey jams and exploratory passages. The first set includes standout versions of “Sugaree,” “High Time” (rare enough that it always felt like a treat!) and “The Music Never Stopped,” while the second set opens with the always potent pair of “Alabama Getaway” > “Greatest Story Ever Told,” turns deep and introspective with “Playing in the Band” and “Terrapin,” and then later turns into a non-stop party with “Uncle John’s Band,” “I Need A Miracle,” “Bertha” and Good Lovin’.” If you’re not wiped out after that, the double-encore will waste you—“Casey Jones” and “Saturday Night”!

The sound on both discs is spectacular (it’s hard to beat great reels as source tapes), and as always the CDs have been mastered to the exacting HDCD spec, because you would accept nothing less. The colorful accompanying booklet contains a number of excellent Jay Blakesberg photos from those Oakland Aud. shows, as well as a typically inspiring essay by the always poetic Dead scribe Steve Silberman.

So it’s a win-win. A slam-dunk. A no-brainer. For more info on all the goodness packed onto these discs, click here. And when you finally come to your senses and decide that you can longer live another day without Road Trips Vol. 3, No. 1, you can order it here.

—Blair Jackson

Track List

CD 1: Oakland Auditorium Arena, December 28, 1979

1. SUGAREE
2. MAMA TRIED>
3. MEXICALI BLUES
4. ROW JIMMY
5. IT’S ALL OVER NOW
6. HIGH TIME
7. THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED
SET 2:
8. ALABAMA GETAWAY>
9. GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

CD 2: Oakland Auditorium Arena, December 28, 1979

1. TERRAPIN STATION>
2. PLAYING IN THE BAND>
3. RHYTHM DEVILS>
4. SPACE>
5. UNCLE JOHN’S BAND>
6. I NEED A MIRACLE>
7. BERTHA>
8. GOOD LOVIN’
9. CASEY JONES
10. ONE MORE SATURDAY NIGHT



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Submitted by vegafleet on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 04:18

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I too never got Road Trips 3.1, despite preordering in October and having my credit card charged in November. Multiple emails to MARYE and customer service were for nothing. When you do get thru to India on the phone, they promise to investigate and get back to me (they have never gotten back to me) and refuse to credit my credit card. I also am never buying from Dead.net again. I am trying now to get the 3 cd set from ebay. I'll pay more but at least I'll have an assurance that I'll get it. I have been defrauded and ripped off by GDP. I have been emailing and calling about this for 2 months now but I give up, life is too short. GDP should not use the bonus cd hook to sell cd's they can't ship. It only frustrates and penalizes the fans, it is a ripoff and only enriches the sellers in ebay (how did they get theirs in large quantities?) And GDP gets to keep my money! Never again.
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Submitted by vegafleet on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 04:27

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One more thing: They offer free shipping when you order sets in combo (i.e. RT3.1 and Let it Rock), and then go ahead and charge you for the shipping anyway. It seems the whole scheme of this website is now to ripoff customers. It didn't use to be like that.
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16 years 5 months

Submitted by stuman on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 05:19

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The Old Renaissance Faire Grounds from August 27, 1972. ??Nobody would be able to buy it , at least not from Dead.net !! However it would be nice to be able to vine out copy`s that already do circulate as bootlegs..
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16 years 5 months

Submitted by Captain Stormfield on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 13:09

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Time to start the wondering 'bout the next release. I see some are already doing so. I've been wrong about nearly every guess I've made since the series has started, so I guess I'll just keep my guessing to myself. Nevertheless, I AM eager for a new release... For Pure Jerry? That awesome JGB Halloween '93 show from Brendan Byrne would be sweet. One of the finest versions of Shining Star in existence. Just wishful thinking.