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    Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO 7/8/1978 CD

    Ease them in! Hook your favorite future Dead Head up with the complete July 8, 1978 show from Red Rocks, widely considered one of the greatest concerts in Grateful Dead history.

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  • fluffua 01
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    Everything
    I've always frowned on throat tats but the skull on the packaging is well worth consideration.anybody have problems with importing disc 1 7-1-78?
  • mbarilla
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    GreekDH - nice
    Peter Tosh and multiple trips to Red Rocks, sounds like a blast hey I am not sure if you have this or not - Peter Tosh Live & Dangerous: Boston 1976 - it is awesome !!!!! 5 stars
  • miswa
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    Nice website
    Good information in this website. UPSC medical officer call letter
  • GreekDH
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    My Red Rocks Adventure ('78 Version)
    Thanks for your story Oroborus! Takes me back . . . I graduated high school in Philly in the spring of '78. I had seen some shows, one in '74 at the Spectrum, a few of the '76 theater shows, and then '77 (including Englishtown) and spring of '78 and was completely and utterly on the bus. Two days after graduation, I headed to Boulder with a friend, to spend some time on my way to college in Berkeley in the fall. When we arrived our Boulder friends were brimming with excitement - after years of seeing concerts at Red Rocks and thinking how awesome it would be if the Dead would play there - they were! The shows were just a couple of weeks away and they had tickets for us! Wow - I had never seen Red Rocks but had heard all about it. Expectations were running high. We headed down on the 7th and I was awestruck at the beauty of the venue. Towering walls of rock, with super steep rows of seating rising up between the rocks, it was all perched on the edge of the front range with a view forever out over the plains to the East, over Denver and on to Kansas. We were there in the afternoon and a deadhead was sitting down in front of the stage softly playing a guitar, and as we climbed high to the top of the seats we could hear him as though he was right next to us, due to the amazing acoustics of the rocks. Then a friend went down and spoke quietly, and we could also hear him all the way up top. We managed to get seats both nights about tenth row center and the shows speak for themselves. Friday was oh so fun and the crowd was oh so into it. But Saturday - that was one of those truly special nights where the band was clearly in another zone, where everything they played was beyond description and every song was a version for the ages! I remember Bill Walton on crutches dancing next to the stage . . . and I remember as it got dark how the lights from Denver and the plains to the east twinkled above the band and the rock immediately behind them And that was my welcome to the West, Philly boy. And what we didn't appreciate at the time was the beautiful weather - sure there was some typical front range lightening at times, but nothing like some of the subsequent years (read on). Side note: I took the Grey Rabbit hippie bus from Berkeley to Red Rocks the next year, in August of '79. Well due to the bus we missed the first show when my friend had gotten me a backstage pass - argh! The next two nights were rained out and held at McNichols arena, which pretty much sucks when you came for Red Rocks and have an unused backstage laminate in your pocket. I still have it too - with a Shakedown Street logo on it. However, I met a lot of great deadhead friends on that bus and have lots of photos in my album. It was a great trip with great stories, and many new friends that I would see at shows and at homes over the next ten or more years. Another side note - I went back in '83, I think, when it rained and they played every song with "rain" lyrics (including of course "I'd shine my light through the cool Colorado rain . . .") We called that year "Wet Rocks." They sold cheap yellow ponchos at the event and many people were wearing them. Later the fall I was ushering a Peter Tosh show in San Francisco (Bill graham's Kabuki nightclub). Bob and Bill and Mickey were there in a box seat, so i chatted with them between the early and late show as we smoked a joint together. I mentioned to Billy the pouring rain at Red Rocks and he commented on how weird it was to look out at that steep wall of people in the tiers of seats, seemingly all wearing yellow ponchos!
  • Tennessee Russ
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    So Close and then.....
    I was all excited to see that mine was just 30 miles away on Monday buy now the tracking is showing it 500 miles away in another state - it does appear to be heading back in my direction though - can't wait to hear it.
  • Gratefulhan
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    nice solid show
    I got mine in the mail yesterday. 78 has never been a year I delved into too much, as 77 was always the year that offered more in terms of consistent playing. That being said I had bootlegs of these shows (7/7/78 as well) and I always liked these shows. Having the Betty Board back in the vault and then giving this a proper release is awesome. In my opinion, DL and Rhino have been nothing short of absolute Jedi Masters when it comes to releasing shows. I used argue rather passionately and in hindsight unnecessarily, about the need to release complete shows over compilations. I further argued that the best shows should be released. Well, DL and the crew at Rhino have done just that. Ever since the RT series ended, they have been putting out everything I could every dream of. All of the Europe 72 shows, the May 77 box, Veneta 72, Formerly the Warlocks box, Spring 90, and all of Dave's Picks. Of course there is more, but my point is that 7/8/78 is show is a good show that falls into the category of one that should have been released. The best of all of this, is that many of us have had the bootlegs from the past or have heard many shows in other formats prior to the release. So we really have the power to pick and choose which shows to get, and sometimes yes, what we can afford. I feel very spoiled yet also very thankful for what DL and Rhino have released. Can't wait for more.
  • Thin
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    response to "the money they're making"
    Guit 30 - It's very easy to calculate the money they are making! Just multiply units by unit cost. Then do the math and net out things like song rights, MASSIVE design/packaging/printing/CD pressing costs, Rhino's cut (huge), Dave's and others' salaries and general GDM salaries/lawyers/overhead (huge), THEN divide the result by 6~ band members! Start filling in even conservative estimates for those items, and it really nets out to NOT a lot of money at all. It's about extending the legacy and sharing the vault, not the money. Just pulling a profit on these releases is impressive. I find it unfortunate when people portray this (not that you did this...) as a massive money making scheme, or assume everyone is buying BMW's with "all the money they're making". No one is getting rich on these releases, except our ears. That's probably why other bands don't release their archival live releases. It's an extremely complicated process, and why go through all the work when the band members who would authorize release net almost no profit? High risk/low or no reward. Only those who are truly passionate about their music and their fans bother with that hassle.
  • Thin
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    DP36 - Thanks to tapers
    I echo DP36's sentiments thanking Oroboros and all tapers for their efforts. 11/29/80 was one of my first boots - I can't imagine not having that and so many other great auds over the years. 8/6/71 is another - Best Hard to Handle ever, and the aud is more enjoyable than the SBD. That's a feat. Hat's off to all the taper's out there who kept us sane before the boys finally started releasing all this stuff.
  • berkeleyboy
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    Thanks for your great background information!
    Really great observations about how the Dead approached their music and the settings for their performances at this time in 78. I especially appreciated your connection to their forthcoming Egyptian trip. Well-done!
  • DP36
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    Greek DH.... thousands of thanks and it's not enough!
    Mr. Oroboros, This is my first dive into these shows. I ordered the box CD package, but downloaded the FLAC yesterday and today, as I could not bear to not have the highest resolution available, especially for this most heralded release. I rarely post to any thread on dead.net, but read each one carefully almost daily. You inspired me to post for a couple of reasons. The first one is because you went out there and captured history. At the time, perhaps not knowing how important audio recordings would become for such a (search for a word... epic, iconic, life changing) group of musicians affectionately known as The Grateful Dead. I belong to a huge growing group of humans that are indebted to you and Mr. Wagner et al. The audience recordings of Grateful Dead shows hold such a special place in my heart. Teleporting me to another place and space in time where my soul lives can not always be done with the crispy soundboards. Betty Cantor is an anomoly. Her recordings speak to me the way that yours and others that have taped speak to me. Every personally taped show is a time capsule that I hold in my heart as a treasure regardless of what many may deem high / low quality. It's a fossil. Perhaps that's the History major in me. Truth be told I teach special education high school science and math. But on to my the second reason of you inspiring me to post on this grand evening. This one speaks to the historical nature in me. Nothing beats first hand accounts of history. You were there; you got the Nak in! The way in which you got your gear in is as entertaining as the way you penned your liner notes. I'm grateful to have people like you that enrich the listening experience tenfold. Thank you for sharing. Sincerely. It means more than I know how to scribe in this box. Reading first hand accounts of deadheads at all the various shows paints the picture brighter in my mind, and I thank you once again. Teachers open the door but you must enter by yourself. Cheers, Drew
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Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO 7/8/1978 CD

Ease them in! Hook your favorite future Dead Head up with the complete July 8, 1978 show from Red Rocks, widely considered one of the greatest concerts in Grateful Dead history.

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Not sure what world you are living in. Personally, I have no problem with the band and the business making whatever profit they desire to make. People are employed, food is put on the table and the product pedaled is wonderful music and it's related paraphernalia. Having said that, the truth is that YES, the price point for some of their products are in fact more expensive that other bands, especially their vinyl. The band members are in fact very well off. They earned it. I have no problem with any of these facts. I just refuse to pretend that deadnet and the band members are operating with a very thin margin and that the guys are not all driving BMWs or have at least one in their garage. The Dead is very much a business and making a good profit is definitely of the utmost importance. Last year's 50th anniversary celebration's and the multitude of revenue streams resulting from the concerts, is a perfect case to back up this fact.
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overall, Weir is an integral part of the dead's genius. but am I the only one who cannot listen to many shows due to his constant playing throughout many of the tunes? did the rest of the band ignore the noise that he was producing. His playing often pushed the jams into some of the incredible places and spaces but his slide playing ruins many great shows...
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Can anyone reccommend nice set of headphones, like open back type with only one cord. not one to each side. Currently have set of Sennheiser HDCD 485 that I bought new in 2008.They have served well ,but they are not made anymore. Before the I had a set of Grado eGR60s, which had an awesome sound across the aural spectrum. These are a Chinese version of their GR60s, which have the same drivers, but every thing else is cheaper. Looking for 60 to $95 range. Thanks JIm
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Ages ago, probably about 40 years ago, I had a pair of Koss Pro-4AA's. In a word - EXCELLENT! Later on in the 80's, I was turned onto the Sennheiser sound with their HD 480's - again they sounded excellent, a bit better than the Koss and much lighter in weight, and my ears didn't sweat with the light foam earpads.Eventually, I got tired of headphones and the Koss Pro-4AA's were sold, but kept the Sennheisers. I didn't use cans for many years after that. Just a couple of years ago, in 2011, I took the Sennheisers out again and noticed some wear & tear, and was able to track down replacement parts for them - a new cable & pads, via ebay. Just last year, I was turned onto Sennheiser's HD 280 pro. Excellent sound! They are my current cans. I recommend them. Their drawback is that they're a closed system and my ears sweat. I forgot how much I paid for them at amazon.com. A good buy for the buck, imho. I also have a reproduction Koss Pro-4AA, good but not excellent. They are my cans for Europe 72 CR, May dates.
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Sony mdr v6. Very common in professional recording studios and broadcast studios as the go to work horse cans. $100.
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Currently using Sennheiser HD 202. They have a frequency range of 18hz to 18khz. Being that we hear in the range of 20hz to 20khz, they exceed our hearing range and run about $25.00....10 foot cord is a plus.
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Old school AKG K 240 studio, a classic phone
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I thinks:Tough call on the disc 3 topic. I guess they could have thrown some filler from some other non-July show on there. I wouldn't miss out on this mammoth 7/8 show over 50 minutes of non-existant music. If you're going to do that, you may as well boycott the 50 CDs worth of drums and space that have been released. My links: Social Media Tool Marketer Live Review Best Training Course about COPYWritting QIC Review And New Training Course about E-commerce Firesale Review
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I was all excited to see that mine was just 30 miles away on Monday buy now the tracking is showing it 500 miles away in another state - it does appear to be heading back in my direction though - can't wait to hear it.If you free, visit my website:mark-review.com
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Anyone ever buy the expensive Italian bootleg of this show? It was put out in the mid nineties and a friend bought it then for $69.95! Quality was not up to the current standards. Now a bargain at $30. P.S. Anyone else have their system label Dead.net as an unsafe website? Maybe it is all these strange links folks are putting in their comments??

I had a friend who recorded a bootleg 8/7/78 onto a cassette for me back in the 90s. As I remember it, this was one of the better bootlegs I heard in terms of sound quality. Another reasonable one was 5/8/77...and 10/29/77, come to think of it. I never heard, bought or was given a bootleg by The Dead that stopped me from buying the official release when/if it came out.
Same with other bands. But bootlegs always had an under the counter appeal for me The lure of the illicit, perhaps.

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One of my best friends just passed unexpectedly at 57. I'm not looking for sympathy or for anyone to say they're sorry. Life happens to us all. But, in his honor I am going to share a story here with some who I think will understand with a nod and a wink. ;-p

After loading our gear into my then-new Dodge Hemi Ram pickup we hurriedly scarfed some Taco Bell on Colorado Boulevard (right before Guitar Center) before getting into the drugs. Rule #1, always eat first. We cranked up the Santana and merged into rush hour traffic heading south on I-25 out of Denver, getting our swerve on as the sun began to set.

Soon, it was time to chow down on a responsible amount of stems and caps... let it come on slowly through the food. As the sun bled out and our warm glow came on, a little snort of Peru's finest here and there felt right every 30 minutes or so with a couple of Oskar Blues Old Chub's chilling in the console.

The iPod continued to broadcast in spades: Doors, Rolling Stones, Dead, Aerosmith as we barreled on into the night. Anyone who has ever driven from Denver to New Mexico knows about cruising across that tranquil valley with nothing but the stars above, the peaks all around and a beautiful midnight blue moonlight bathing the road in it's heavenly glow.

Taking a left turn, inching closer to Taos, a surreal scene: there's a redneck/biker bar on the corner, surely cop-infested as there ain't shit else around for miles... in our beautifully building sublime state I glance over and shudder at the sight of pickup trucks and rednecks outside smoking cigarettes and what would feel like a most unwelcome, dark scene had we decided to enter that bar.

We sure as shit didn't - and the moment that thought floated across my consciousness, we were both startled by the sight of some freak in a woman's blouse trying to flag us down.

I shit you not - a late fiftysomething man in a floral blouse with big, pouffy Phil Spector hair trying to flag us down, waving his arms and standing on the shoulder. I punched that fucker (the Ram, not Phil) for all it was worth, gamely explaining to Jim, "It isn't our time to help!"

Normally, we would have - but we weren't just normal at the moment - and we were holding, big time - and the last thing we needed was to be tied into freak drama on the outskirts of redneck hell in some unincorporated county. This dude was avoiding that bar - or maybe his trouble started there - for the same reasons we were. Sorry, brother, another time.

We finally made it to the Taos Inn. Jim went over and checked us in, and madness ensued for days skiing both Taos and Monarch. This was just one trip of many. I miss you, brother.

God bless everyone.

\m/

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In reply to by LedDed

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At least you’ve got some memories and they will always be with you. He’s gone too soon and I’m sorry for you loss, but man stories like that just remind me of how many crazy nights on tour getting from venue to venue maybe a day off, but usually just a longer distance. Those crazy nights of what you need to stay awake makes the ride that much better!

***I hit reply to LEDDED, but it apparently decided to post alone. Tried to fix it, but kept doing the same thing. Maybe IT should check that out?***

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at how this show was viewed at the time by my Deadhead mentor Tim and myself as a newbie. The veteran from CA hadn't seen them since the hiatus I think. His impressions were of how high the band seemed and the reckless abandon with which they played. He had that look on his face as he was talking about it right after the show of "how did they pull that off". I could tell it was historical in his experience even then, and it certainly was in mine. Legendary!
Cheers

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