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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May 8, 2013 - 5:04am

#831

Andrew Right

Joined:
June 16, 2009

More '77

I am just (very slightly) a little disappointed with this release; there have been so many 1977 sets put out over the past few years that I was hoping for something a little more off the beaten path. Perhaps a Fall Tour 1983 box, or a Summer Tour '79? How about spring or summer 1973? Oh well, I am still excited (can't go wrong with Spring '77). I have been on a major Brent bender for the past year, so getting back into the '77/Keith era will be fun. I absolutely love the gear the boys used during this '77 tour. Keith's Moog synthesizer adds such a cool groove to tunes like Estimated (see 5/11) and Lazy Lightnin'>Supplication. Jerry's new-found love for the Mutron III really shines through in his experimental playing (thwack-thwack-woooooooow). Bobby's rig is also supreme; his guitar tone never sounded better, with the exception of perhaps '72. The Cowboy Fancy Ibanez and Mesa Boogie amp just sound so punchy, clean, and unique. I love when he adds little percussive 'clicks' to his playing. All in all, this tour is when the Dead's sound really matured, and the band as a whole never functioned better as a unit. Timing, tempo, and coordination were incredibly precise—every note landed perfectly or had a purpose. Billy and Mickey play like they have been hypnotizing each other again. Phil was in the Phil Zone. Keith is at the top of his game. Even Donna brings me to tears with her backing vocals on songs like Comes a Time and Wharf Rat. Just great versions of all my Dead favorites. Can't wait till this arrives in the mail.
May 8, 2013 - 4:59am

#832

wilfredtjones

Joined:
June 4, 2007

cool article

Thanks for the Relix article 44moose. I read that the vault offered $100K for the reels, but the person wants $1MLN!!
May 8, 2013 - 4:16am

#833

tree1270

Joined:
June 13, 2007

Article

Yes 44moose, thanks for the article! Interesting read!
May 8, 2013 - 3:40am

#834

mustin321

Joined:
August 12, 2011

Listening Party

I am not a Donna hater by any means...I even miss her screams on PITB sometimes. She is really on during Wharf Rat and Mississippi Half-step from the listening party. The balance in the mix is absolutely perfect too. Can't wait for the rest!
May 8, 2013 - 2:59am

#835

mato1949

Joined:
June 6, 2007

Scraping my money together

I'm going to try real hard, cash is tight, maybe I'll stop eating!
May 7, 2013 - 10:38pm

#836

rdevil

Joined:
November 2, 2007

next time, a heads up please

Just a request here, but is there some way Dead.net could give us a heads up about the timing of next year's box? Like many others who have posted here I've recently bought Summer concert tickets and will have a tough time getting $150 together right away. I figured this year's box would be released or announced around Jerry's birthday like last year and thought I had time to put a little money away.So next year, could Dead.net post some kind of pre-announcement a couple months in advance? Something like "box set announcement coming in May (or whenever). That would be helpful to a lot of us.
May 7, 2013 - 10:30pm

#837

rdevil

Joined:
November 2, 2007

5-7-77

First of all, this box set should be great. In addition to 14 discs of great music and complete shows, this box is relatively affordable at $10 per disc. That's a big plus; the music is what it's all about--no need to up the price with additional trinkets or coffee table books.There's been a ton of posts here already asking for the Barton Hall show even though Dave has said it's not a candidate for release right now because they don't have the master. I just wanted to mention the Boston show on May 7, 1977. To me, it's right there with the 8th and 9th. If these shows are recovered and released someday I really, really hope it's all three released together. The Half Step from the 7th is terrific and the Wharf Rat is absolutely perfect, arguably the best version ever.
May 7, 2013 - 10:15pm

#838

44moose

Joined:
November 2, 2010

Missing from vault answers

The May Box and June Box and other Dicks picks have given us a ton of great stuff from 1977. http://www.relix.com/features/2013/05/07/beyond-cornell-david-lemieux-o… Who knows when we will see the rest. Should rhino just pay up to get the reels?
May 7, 2013 - 10:13pm

#839

44moose

Joined:
November 2, 2010

Missing from vault answers

Check this out from Dave via http://www.relix.com/features/2013/05/07/beyond-cornell-david-lemieux-o… Great interview.
May 7, 2013 - 9:38pm

#840

Zuckfun

Joined:
March 18, 2010

Sweet 77

Not sure who has the missing Betty reels, if they're all in one person's possession or not. Hopefully one day they're returned, for the love of the fans. It seems likely part of Cornell is in the Vault (maybe one of five reels?) and this is how the Dancin' was released. There are more than a few missing shows recorded by Betty. Red Rocks 78, Fall of 77. In the caveat emptor of Dick's Picks 34, it states one reel of 11/5/77 is missing, though this issue was worked around. The hope is the love of the fans wins out. Regardless, there's so much great music that is in the Vault, like this sweet May of 77 extravaganza. For those keeping track, here's five more huge wins for the home team.

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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