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 7, 2013 - 10:15am

#861

unkle sam

Joined:
October 3, 2008

2 great shows, 3 ok shows

think I'll pass on this one, but you all go ahead, I agree with a lot that has been said ie other dates to include in this box, keep the first and the last, add three others in place of the others and then you would have a great box, not an ok box with 2 great shows. This is just rhino's way of making big cash on so-so shows, "let's include them with these great shows, that way we make max dollars off of the vault." Besides, it will be available forever via download so what's the big deal again? by the way, love DP's 6, best release in a long time.
May 7, 2013 - 10:01am

#862

jpreston

Joined:
June 4, 2007

cases

I sure hope these are not like the road trip cases so the CDs don't get scratched up
May 7, 2013 - 10:00am

#863

claney

Joined:
July 20, 2007

Not in the @#!%$^%! Vault

Maybe the new header for this website should be: 5/5/77 through 5/9/77 is not in the M2#$%@#! Vault!!!!!! Or when people register for Dead.net they could receive an automatic email that says, "Oh by the way, 5/5/77 through 5/9/77 is NOT IN THE @#$%!!@#@ Vault!!~!!! :-O) PS - 5/5/77 through 5/9/77 is not in the Vault.
May 7, 2013 - 9:57am

#864

jpreston

Joined:
June 4, 2007

cases

I sure hope these are not like the road trip cases so the CDs don't get scratched up
May 7, 2013 - 9:04am

#865

cub

Joined:
March 20, 2008

This isn't a Burger King Spaulding!

You'll Get Nothing and Like It (Ted Knight-Caddyshack) Were these shows all captured using the same calibrated equipment or the same remote truck ? Personally I'd like a bonus disc of the Philadelphia SPECTRUM's EarthDay '77 show Set 1 Promised Land > Mississippi Half-Step Looks Like Rain Deal El Paso Tennessee Jed Estimated Prophet Peggy-O Playin' in the Band Set 2 Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain Samson and Delilah It Must Have Been the Roses Dancin' in the Streets > Mojo > (1st time played) Dancin' in the Streets > The Wheel - encore - Terrapin Station I can't wait to finish listening to my Furthur Tour and burning those disc so I can pull out all of my 77 cassettes, and CD's for a new wall display next to the Jerry Shrine along with Dick's Pick's "Englishtown's Raceway Park" Labor Day show 1977. That was a first show for many tristate DeadHeads and was a FM broadcast all over NYC and NJ and PA. What a great recruiting tool, Free Dead. Cheers ! jcub2010@gmail.com
May 7, 2013 - 8:44am

#866

Underthevolcano

Joined:
February 6, 2008

yeah

I would like to have seen additional shows included in this box-NH, Boston, Buffalo but I'm not really complaining.
May 7, 2013 - 8:33am

#867

grendel

Joined:
June 6, 2007

Jack a Roe '77

@Roland I love the slow, groovy '77 versions much more than the later-day speeded out versions. Jerry sounds a little (maybe a lot) like he's channeling Mark Knopfler in his playing on those '77 jacks, especially in the opening riffs!
May 7, 2013 - 8:29am

#868

danc

Joined:
September 11, 2007

nice set...

I would rather have the Winterland set if I had to choose one, but this looks pretty sharp as fine archival product. I love my 3 CDRs from St. Paul, and I have always wanted to hear Tuscaloosa. I had the St. Louis show in great aud for years. I will buy all these via FLAC download. However, no Morning Dew, no Help-Slip and no Franklin's Tower. When I reach for some Spring '77, first choice will likely always be 4/23, 5/7, 5/8, 5/9 and the June Winterland shows.
May 7, 2013 - 8:08am

#869

BIG PUNisher

Joined:
October 28, 2010

MAY 1977

THIS LOOKS LIKE A GOOD BOX SET BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE IT AN AWESOME BOX SET.THESE SHOW SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS BOX SET: 05-05-1977 NEW HAVEN, CT 05-07-1977 BUFFALO, NY 05-08-1977 ITHACA, NY O5-09-1977 BUFFALO, NY ALONG WITH THESE SHOWS THAT ARE ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE BOX SET: 05-11-1977 ST. PAUL, MN 05-12-1977 CHICAGO, IL 05-13-1977 CHICAGO, IL 05-15-1977 ST. LOUIS, MO. 05-17-1977 TUSCALOOSA, AL. NOW THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN AWESOME BOX SET, IF YOUR GOING TO DO SOMETHING, DO IT RIGHT OR DON'T DO IT AT ALL. THEN FOR A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR US, YOU PUT OUT THE PALLADIUM, NEW YORK, NY 5 SHOW BOX SET FROM 04-29-1977 TO 05-04-1977 (MONDAY 05-02-1977 WAS AN OFF DAY).
May 7, 2013 - 8:05am

#870

Roland Bruynesteyn

Joined:
August 7, 2008

Jack-a-roe

@GrendelWhen you mentioned Jack-a-roe, I checked and yes, it's the one from Fallout from the Phil zone. Indeed the all time version, as far as I know. So we (probably) all have it, but nice to hear it in context!

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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