Grateful Dead May 1977 Box (Digital)

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May 6, 2013 - 10:22am

955 replies

lilgoldie

Joined:
April 3, 2009

What's Inside:
• Five Complete Shows
• 5/11/77 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN
• 5/12/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/13/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/15/77 St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO
• 5/17/77 University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
•14 Discs, 111 tracks
•Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman, Plangent Processes playback system for maximum sonic accuracy
•Artwork by Grammy Award-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike
•Period Photos by James R Anderson
•Historical Essay by Steve Silberman
•Individual show liner notes

MAGICAL, MYTHICAL MAY 1977!

If you're a Dead Head, chances are you've spent many an hour expounding upon the distinction of May 8, 1977, Cornell University, Barton Hall. Well, at the risk of preaching to the choir, we'd like to reintroduce you to a series of shows that matches said greatness from that same gloriously fertile season. While Barton Hall is well known, the astounding tour that surrounded it has occasionally flown under the radar due to the uneven quality of tapes in circulation. May 1977 is set to change all of that with a boxed set that zeroes in on this high-water mark in the Grateful Dead's long strange trip.

For a band resurrecting itself after a 20-month hiatus, there was a great frenzy of expectancy that surrounded the Spring of 1977. We anticipate a grand reoccurrence of this fervor with the release of May 1977, a 14-disc boxed set featuring five complete shows from consecutive stops on that magical tour. Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, the "psychoacoustic phenomena" as Jerry once put it, of St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN (5/11) Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL (5/12, 5/13), St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO (5/15) and Coliseum at the University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (5/17) can now finally be appreciated. Each of these shows finds the Dead delivering punchier, more focused sets, tightening up the framework; each night turning out first-ever renditions ("Passenger,""Iko Iko,""Jack-A-Roe"), unloading potent new pairings ("Scarlet Begonias">"Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet">"Eyes Of The World"), classic covers ("Dancing In The Street") and soon-to-be staples ("Estimated Prophet," "Samson and Delilah"), and ultimately rising up to paradise.

And now for the nitty-gritty...

Due June 11, May 1977 is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies. Presented in a psychedelic box that boasts an intricate die-cut design created by Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike, the set also includes a book filled with stories about each show, as well as an in-depth essay by Dead historian Steve Silberman, who delves deep into the history behind the tour and the band’s return from its extended hiatus.

Once these 15,000 boxes are gone, May 1977 and its shows will never be available again on CD. However, the 111 tracks will be made available on release date as FLAC and Apple lossless full-set-only downloads for $99.98.

Like its predecessors Europe '72: The Complete Recordings and Spring 1990, we expect May 1977 to sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here and on Facebook.com/GratefulDead and Youtube.com/gratefuldead.

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July 27, 2013 - 5:45am

#121

One Man

Joined:
May 17, 2011

Hey, Guit 30

No, I did not tape 9/17/82 myself. I got it 2nd generation from a college friend. It's a good audience tape -- one of the best I had heard of any show at that point. But check out the archive.org Barry Glassberg aud tape of 3/14/81 that someone recently mentioned. That one demonstrates why audience tapes are sometimes better than soundboards. The excitement in the room comes shining through. Plus, the post-Drums Bertha is a scorcher, and it interrupts what would have been a painful Weir slide solo coming out of Miracle. I'm still chipping away at the May '77 box. Today, I'll probably get through 5/15. I can't say which is my fave yet. I really like all of them so far -- all of them better than Dave's #1, IMO.
July 27, 2013 - 1:42am

#122

guit30

Joined:
May 1, 2009

Bonus Disc

I agree, This Box set sounds epic, what was the bonus disc you found from? Thanks for taking your time in making the 3 best of Discs!!!
July 27, 2013 - 1:30am

#123

guit30

Joined:
May 1, 2009

tape

Hi One Man, Did you happen to tape it yourself? Have you listened to any more of May 77? I am listening to May 12 again and enjoying it more. I'm liking more stuff in it this time around. You can hear the drums better in this show better than others. Don't know why I did not like it first time around. Seriously great First Set. Take care One Man. Guit #30
July 25, 2013 - 6:10pm

#124

One Man

Joined:
May 17, 2011

9/17/82

This one is especially interesting, since Brent did not even have a microphone on stage. Bob & Jer handled all the vocals and it sounded surprisingly great. It is one of the only (of about 30) shows I attended that I care to hear now. I bet it is not in the vault. There are so many versions on archive.org that I don't know where to start. I transferred my crisp aud cassette to CD years ago and I listen to it regularly.
July 25, 2013 - 2:56pm

#125

Eyes113073

Joined:
June 6, 2007

89-90

If it's going to be an 89 show, I sure hope it's either 10/20/89 (listen to that Other One, w/ Phil chomping at the bit long before it is actually played!) or 7/15/89 (w/ the Close Encounters space!). Some other 1980s shows I would love to see chosen include: 7/10/81 (might not be in the vault) 4/15/82 (") 9/17/82 6/20/83 10/21/83
July 25, 2013 - 10:03am

#126

davidadavis@gm…

Joined:
June 4, 2007

Field trip DVD/CD

Nice to see Sunshine Daydream is getting a September release
July 25, 2013 - 10:02am

#127

davidadavis@gm…

Joined:
June 4, 2007

Field trip DVD/CD

Nice to see Sunshine Daydream is getting a September release
July 23, 2013 - 1:00am

#128

TheeAmazingAce333

Joined:
May 1, 2012

ace's choice ~ May '77 BONUS Disc!

the May '77 Boxset did not include a Bonus Disc...this was/is a bummer... so, my feeling was that there was still some tunes to be included here... & a compare/contrast (sound quality-wise, specifically) by adding something from 5.8 AND 5.9 as i've got KILLER copies of both of these shows (like most of you all surely) anyway... Bonus Disc: 1. Help>Slipknot!> 2. Franklin's ~ 5.9 3. Estimated ~ 5.12 4. Loser ~ 5.11 5. Passenger ~ 5.17 6. Ramble On Rose! ~ 5.13 7. NFA ~ 5.12 8. Morning Dew ~ 5.8 notes: ~the Boxset sounds EPIC... waaaay better than our 5.8s & 5.9s... ~love the pace of the 5.12 NFA... it needed to be included... ~we all agree that the lack of a H/S/F & Morning Dew is a toooootal bummer, so they begged to be included from those amazing shows... and, outta nowhere, while cleanin my apartment yesterday, BOOM! BONUS DISC TOO: 1. Fire! ~ 5.13 2. Jack Straw ~ 5.17 3. Ramble On Rose ~ 5.11 4. Looks Like Rain ~ 5.17 5. Jack-A-Roe ~ 5.15 6. Bobby banter/Samson! ~ 5.13 7. Row Jimmie ~ 5.15 8. Terrapin ~ 5.17 9. Lazy Lightnin> 10. Supplication ~ 5.15 ~~~~~thanx for reading, hope you all discover some gems... irie, ace...
July 21, 2013 - 12:39pm

#129

One Man

Joined:
May 17, 2011

Best Ofs

I'm thinking about my own best-of playlist. LLR will not be on it. I love that some of us think that tune is what the GD were all about while others think the opposite. Agreeing to disagree is important. And I would not break up a segue by playing the 5/13 TOO without its successors. It won't be easy to boil it down, but I'll probably try.
July 21, 2013 - 3:08am

#130

TheeAmazingAce333

Joined:
May 1, 2012

Donna Jean finally getting her props!!!

DJ is truly the 'MVGDM' on quite a few nights in 1977, this has been myfeeling for quite sometime, so it's refreshing to hear your spot-on views guit30... she really is in thee finest form in her time with The Boys in 77... her 'duel' lead vocals on (to name a few) Passenger, NFA & ESPECIALLY Looks Like Rain (examples: 6.29.76 & 5.19.77 & now 5.11.77!) MAKE those tunes... feels like Bobby even backs-off a bit vocally & lets her shine... it was laughable to me to read all the negativity dumped on LL Rain as a 'skip-track'... the emotion evoked in those versions is the ESSENCE of what the GD is all about... it is a Classic, Essential Dead tune... anyway, back to my OVER-analyzing of ze Boxset: ~5.12 has grown on me as is indicative in my choice's... it's the distortion of the recording that gets to me (went to audio engineering school; trained ears & as the former archivist for Joe Gallant & Illuminati, recording live bands is something of a passion... anyone familiar with that bands interpretations of the Dead or even heard of them???) sorry, sidetracked... so my "period" about it being "worst in Box" in my Disc #1 post is retracted... ~here's my "Top 7 tunes of the Box" (staying with the theme of 7) considering # of versions, strength of them ALL as a whole & lack of a cluncker... enjoy: 7. Lazy Lightnin/Supp. ~ 2 versions, both different & quite good. 6. Ramble On Rose ~ 2 versions, 5.13 is KILLER & 5.11 is great as well. 5. Sunrise ~ see my diatribe above about Donna Jean. 4. Samson ~ 5 to chose from, 5.15 is THEE finest of the lot for me... 5.12 is smokin too, just the distortion gets me (Betty was awesome, but not perfect, which is a-okay) 5.13 is also smokin, with Garcia shredding as he sould. 3. Jack-A-Roe ~ we ALL love the shuffle vibe & all 3 versions are groovy. 2. Fire On The Mountain ~ all 3 versions are different, not drastically... ~just love the chill vibe of 5.11 & Jer's Mutron sound is really warm & tasty here... ~5.13 is unique in that Lesh starts 'driven the bus' before any transition jam is allowed to start... Garcia's long solo before verse 1 is sweet... 5.17 is a beast, the band sounds like they're havin a blast (no pun intended) AND confession: ~it is my favourite GD tune, so i'm biased in that respect... 1. ESTIMATED PROPHET ~ all 5 versions are fantastic, similar yet abit different... 5.15 & 5.17 are powerhouse versions... 5.11 is chill/mellow, with Garcia laying back a bit... 5.12 both Weir & Garcia playing & sound is rite on... okay, that's all for now, thank you all for your responses/opinions/kind words... Bonus Disc with some surprises soon... & guit30 i'm from Jerz (although i&i live in San Francicso now) so Englishtown having been your first show is VERY COOL! thanx for readig, hope it wasn't "All Too Much..." irie time... ~ace.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Dead Store Products

What's Inside:
• Five Complete Shows
• 5/11/77 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN
• 5/12/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/13/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/15/77 St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO
• 5/17/77 University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
•14 Discs, 111 tracks
•Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman, Plangent Processes playback system for maximum sonic accuracy
•Artwork by Grammy Award-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike
•Period Photos by James R Anderson
•Historical Essay by Steve Silberman
•Individual show liner notes

MAGICAL, MYTHICAL MAY 1977!

If you're a Dead Head, chances are you've spent many an hour expounding upon the distinction of May 8, 1977, Cornell University, Barton Hall. Well, at the risk of preaching to the choir, we'd like to reintroduce you to a series of shows that matches said greatness from that same gloriously fertile season. While Barton Hall is well known, the astounding tour that surrounded it has occasionally flown under the radar due to the uneven quality of tapes in circulation. May 1977 is set to change all of that with a boxed set that zeroes in on this high-water mark in the Grateful Dead's long strange trip.

For a band resurrecting itself after a 20-month hiatus, there was a great frenzy of expectancy that surrounded the Spring of 1977. We anticipate a grand reoccurrence of this fervor with the release of May 1977, a 14-disc boxed set featuring five complete shows from consecutive stops on that magical tour. Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, the "psychoacoustic phenomena" as Jerry once put it, of St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN (5/11) Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL (5/12, 5/13), St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO (5/15) and Coliseum at the University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (5/17) can now finally be appreciated. Each of these shows finds the Dead delivering punchier, more focused sets, tightening up the framework; each night turning out first-ever renditions ("Passenger,""Iko Iko,""Jack-A-Roe"), unloading potent new pairings ("Scarlet Begonias">"Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet">"Eyes Of The World"), classic covers ("Dancing In The Street") and soon-to-be staples ("Estimated Prophet," "Samson and Delilah"), and ultimately rising up to paradise.

And now for the nitty-gritty...

Due June 11, May 1977 is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies. Presented in a psychedelic box that boasts an intricate die-cut design created by Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike, the set also includes a book filled with stories about each show, as well as an in-depth essay by Dead historian Steve Silberman, who delves deep into the history behind the tour and the band’s return from its extended hiatus.

Once these 15,000 boxes are gone, May 1977 and its shows will never be available again on CD. However, the 111 tracks will be made available on release date as FLAC and Apple lossless full-set-only downloads for $99.98.

Like its predecessors Europe '72: The Complete Recordings and Spring 1990, we expect May 1977 to sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here and on Facebook.com/GratefulDead and Youtube.com/gratefuldead.

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