• 99 replies
    heatherlew
    Default Avatar
    Joined:

    WHAT DEAD HEADS HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT...

    CORNELL 5/8/77
    “...the single best rock performance anywhere, anytime, by anyone.”

    “There was just some kind of magical connection this night between the band members and the band and the audience - some texture, or some type of cosmic or celestial force is in the room.”

    "This show is, was, and always will be Mecca.”

    The Grateful Dead played more than 2,000 concerts, but none continues to spark interest and provoke discussion quite like the band’s performance at Cornell University’s Barton Hall on May 8, 1977. It is one of the most collected, traded, and debated concerts by any band ever, has topped numerous fan polls through the years, and was a favorite of the group’s longtime archivist Dick Latvala, who stated: “Enough can’t be said about this superb show.” Even Uncle Sam got into the act in 2011 when the recording was “deemed so important to the history and culture of the United States” that a copy was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • nappyrags
    Joined:
    Whoppeee!
    Had to drive 85 miles into Flagstaff, Az today for work and lo and behold a chain store had itt! (On sale no leiss for $21.99)...needless to say the ride home will rock
  • pacoperu22
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    design of the universe to speak through
    Well said trip_fontaine - and your praise almost understates the band and Garcia. Or put another way --- The Fatman ROCKS --
  • LedDed
    Joined:
    Not Just Billy...
    No doubt. I think these are the most patient musicians I've ever heard. That's the hardest thing.
  • Trip_Fontaine
    Joined:
    It's not just Billy; it's any member of Grateful Dead
    Whenever the greatest guitarists are listed, Garcia is only mentioned if a Deadhead is part of the committee naming the greatest guitarists. I think its because Grateful Dead exists in its own universe. Any casual music fan knows that Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn are awesome, but if you're not an actual Deadhead, you've probably only heard a handful of songs that Garcia has played on, and they've all been radio-friendly studio recordings that aren't the best way to understand his genius. Each member of GD can't be touched by another musician who plays the same instrument. Playing in Grateful Dead is like being a channel for God, or the design of the universe to speak through. Playing in any other band is just playing music.
  • Trip_Fontaine
    Joined:
    It's not just Billy; it's any member of Grateful Dead
    Whenever the greatest guitarists are listed, Garcia is only mentioned if a Deadhead is part of the committee naming the greatest guitarists. I think its because Grateful Dead exists in its own universe. Any casual music fan knows that Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn are awesome, but if you're not an actual Deadhead, you've probably only heard a handful of songs that Garcia has played on, and they've all been radio-friendly studio recordings that aren't the best way to understand his genius. Each member of GD can't be touched by another musician who plays the same instrument. Playing in Grateful Dead is like being a channel for God, or the design of the universe to speak through. Playing in any other band is just playing music.
  • August West Wh…
    Joined:
    thanks! good call!
    gonna check now
  • LedDed
    Joined:
    Bill the Drummer
    Kreutzmann is possibly the most underrated drummer in rock. Never mentioned in the same breath as Ginger Baker, John Bonham, etc. He laid that shit down super tight in Europe '72 when Mickey was gone and he was the original, single drummer. Nothing against Mickey I love what he brings, but this is a shout-out to Bill. Rock fucking solid, he swings, he grooves, he drives the band. So underrated. When it's time for Cookin' With the Grateful Dead, it's Billy cookin'. So awesome. This guy has impeccable time and the swing and groove to drive Space and all the rest of the weird,jazzy shit. Bill is your man. God Bless you and yours, Bill. Oh and I loved your book.
  • Drumdude66
    Joined:
    5-8-77
    Already have it on Tape -and bootleg cd ...
  • ronmarley1
    Joined:
    Check your order...
    Hey Now,I ordered back on 2/17. Just 'cuz, I checked my order last night and saw that it was cancelled. I did not get any notification that my order had been cancelled. I called this morning, and it seems I got caught up in the payment issues that occurred right after the start of the sale. After finding out the issue, I was able to place a new order over the phone. Ya'll might just wanna check and make sure your order went through. Have a great weekend!
  • Born Cross Eye…
    Joined:
    @ davidadavis
    I appreciate your posts here, promoting your well written blogs about all things Grateful Dead.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

7 years 6 months

WHAT DEAD HEADS HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT...

CORNELL 5/8/77
“...the single best rock performance anywhere, anytime, by anyone.”

“There was just some kind of magical connection this night between the band members and the band and the audience - some texture, or some type of cosmic or celestial force is in the room.”

"This show is, was, and always will be Mecca.”

The Grateful Dead played more than 2,000 concerts, but none continues to spark interest and provoke discussion quite like the band’s performance at Cornell University’s Barton Hall on May 8, 1977. It is one of the most collected, traded, and debated concerts by any band ever, has topped numerous fan polls through the years, and was a favorite of the group’s longtime archivist Dick Latvala, who stated: “Enough can’t be said about this superb show.” Even Uncle Sam got into the act in 2011 when the recording was “deemed so important to the history and culture of the United States” that a copy was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

user picture

Member for

8 years 8 months
Permalink

I am sitting here dumbfounded at my desk. cheers
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 5 months
Permalink

I have to take a step back!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 5 months
Permalink

And another step back!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 5 months
Permalink

And yet another, take a step back!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

7 years 4 months
Permalink

Bobbie......Bobbie......Bobbie.....
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

12 years 4 months
Permalink

1977 while I personally feel this show is overrated, (IMHO 5/4 is the BEST of 1977) I'm extremely happy to see it properly celebrated in its 40th year anniversary, I guess TPTB felt the time was just exactly perfect. THANK YOU DAVE FOR ALLOWING US TO STILL HAVE A REAL GOOD TIME!!! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HURSDAY!!!!!!
user picture

Member for

14 years 8 months
Permalink

Unfortunately, Things have changed for the worse at Dead.net...I tried calling FOUR Times to order this C.D. each time I waited OVER 20 Minutes....What the Hell happened ???, Why the SHITTY Service?,,,,When I try to order online , the page says ''FORBIDDEN '' ! WHAT THE FUCK is Going on !!!??? P P PLEASE...Bring back the old system, where the wait time was less than , Like ONE minute !...There is NO Excuse for this!...There's an old saying Folks...IF IT 'AINT BROKE...DON'T FIX IT !!!!!...I've been a Dead head since 1969....Service was better back then !...If this keeps up, I'm Done, Finished, Finito, Fini, ....I've ordered almost EVERY Dick's Pick's, Road Trips, Dave's Picks, and countless other Music related Items....With all this BULLSHIT, I'm ready to Bail.....THOMAS.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

10 years 9 months
Permalink

the website is screwed up, and nobody answers the phone. And all this site does is sell merchandise.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

10 years 9 months
Permalink

the website is screwed up, and nobody answers the phone. And all this site does is sell merchandise.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 7 months
Permalink

It's pretty frustrating - been trying to place an order for an hour and it just won't work. At one stage I got the account details screen and I shrieked like Donna Jean, but then it vanished, like my fringe, and I was left looking old and in the way.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

8 years 9 months
Permalink

Me Too. I cant get past the continue to pay screen.I've been trying to reach someone at warner for over 3 hours. No response from email either. Ron
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 1 month
Permalink

Why is it so screwed up? You get us all excited about purchasing the Cornell show and then it's nothing but confusion and turmoil. What the heck is going on?
user picture

Member for

15 years 6 months
Permalink

Will someone please put the hamster back on the wheel?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

7 years 11 months
Permalink

of the time of people trying to give you hundreds of their hard-earned decimos. Great job with your first ever release. Wait, what?
user picture

Member for

16 years 10 months
Permalink

Everybody remember why the Grateful Dead wanted to call their 1971 live album "Skullfuck"? This should be "Skullfuck II" as Warner Music still can't properly organize a one-man run to a two-hole shit-house.
user picture

Member for

14 years 6 months
Permalink

90 percent of the problem is their asinine 'smart' checkout form that doesn't load all of the fields on the page and ties to look up your address while you type it. ProTip: you can't do that fancy server shit when your server is shit. The other 10 percent is the usual catastrophic dead.net customer experience. The LP edition is pretty limited, really. And I want it. So basically I have to give my life over to endlessly trying to refresh your disastrous site or risk missing it. And so maybe I'll spend 4 MORE hours doing this do-si-do with you and still miss out? You really do not care about us even a little bit, do you?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 4 months
Permalink

thank goodness and all the old tapers I got the tape cause trying to order the CD is a clusterfuck
user picture

Member for

16 years 8 months
Permalink

they took the cart down, it doesn't load at all.
user picture

Member for

16 years 8 months
Permalink

they took the cart down, it doesn't load at all.
user picture

Member for

16 years 8 months
Permalink

they took the cart down, it doesn't load at all.
user picture

Member for

7 years 2 months
Permalink

I have tried iPhone, chrome and ie and can't get anywhere. Dead.net does not even load on my iPhone. 17 years into the 21st century and you'd think someone would figure out how to sell stuff on the internet by now
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years
Permalink

Thought I was trying to get in Fort KnoxRhino must have gotten involved and things are smoother.......Sort of reminds me of getting Dead Tickets years ago through mail order when all entries and envelopes had to be "just right" or you would not get tickets.......Dave there's got to be an easier way....you should just release everything u got we'll probably go into hock and buy em anyway......
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

9 years 5 months
Permalink

Smiling
user picture

Member for

9 years 6 months
Permalink

One of these days I'm gonna get you to tell us how you really feel! I went for the box, but I see y'all were just a few cars back on the same roller coaster this afternoon. It's warm and fuzzy now, though.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

7 years 2 months
Permalink

This rhinostore worked for me, thank you. If you can't get to your cart, just overwrite the first part of the web address with "rhinostore". The SKU numbers are the same.
user picture

Member for

14 years 11 months
Permalink

I got an order thru, now, it is showing blank again, think site was overloaded.Jim
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

15 years 8 months
Permalink

Still doing HDCDs? Why?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

9 years 10 months
Permalink

I don't mean to sound un-"grateful" but I need to ask a question that has been burning in my mind. I know it takes a lot of time (and money) to dig these jewels out of the vault, remaster them, and package them in these we constructed collector sets. However, one of my greatest loves of the Grateful Dead when Jerry was still around was the music was always "free" and easy to pass around. I feel like things have gotten really expensive since his passing, and it makes me sad. "For the faithful," perhaps you remember the Terrapin Station "Limited Edition" set from Cap Center on Phil's 50th birthday (3/15/90). It was released in 1997 and supposed to be a fundraiser for the construction of a Grateful Dead museum/theme park in California. I know I happily scraped up what, for a deadhead in his 20s with fresh college debt, seemed like a lot of money at the time to buy this set in support of the project. Heck, I would have bought several copies to support it, if I had the money at the time. It's now 20 years later, and everything that dead.net ever published about the venue seems to be unavailable. The promise of a venue designed "to recreate the Grateful Dead Experience via a rooftop dance garden, a 360-degree sound and light environment called The Wheel, and multimedia presentation arena called the Jerry Garcia Theater" seems to have gone up in smoke! However, the "limited edition" disks are still available here on dead.net, just a little cheaper than when they were sold under the promise of funding a "Grateful Dead Disneyland." Two decades later, the promise if forgotten, and nobody seems to care. I care. I dream of a Grateful Dead venue like was promised, and I wouldn't even balk at the prices being asked for these collections, if the money was going towards this project. Now that I am in my 40s with far more disposable income, I would probably buy just about every show in this website to help fund the project. Until then, I think I'll keep my money in my pocket and continue to enjoy the "free" options that my fellow heads share with me. Thanks, peace, and love, Floodwaker
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 10 months
Permalink

Go to Amazon for the Cornell show. same price and free shipping to Prime members!! Pick up the remastered 1st album while there for 15 bucks...Hey Now!!!!
user picture

Member for

15 years 7 months
Permalink

Even if we just buy the minimal amount, the standalone Cornell show, I wonder if that 1st minute or so of New Minglewood Blues will be restored soundboard or will we have to settle for an audience patch?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

8 years 7 months
Permalink

The Concert is 5 dollars cheaper and the shipping is a lot quicker from Amazon Prime. Not fair that they have it it both places. I would have bought from Amazon if I knew. Plus you don't actually pay for it until it is released. So if it gets cheaper they will cover the difference.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

7 years 2 months
Permalink

My local record store pre-ordered me a copy but this would be a good time to start offering DSD downloads!
user picture

Member for

14 years 11 months
Permalink

I am surprised that it hasn't sold out yet, the last Dave's picks sold out in about 2 days.
user picture

Member for

16 years 6 months
Permalink

Its not soldout yet because the single Cornell show is not limited edition and will be widely available on release date.
user picture

Member for

16 years 10 months
Permalink

And Dave's Picks is limited to 16500 of which about 10000 have already been accounted for by the subscription, meaning the remaining circa 6500 sold out in two days.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 7 months
Permalink

Two things:1) The Cornell first set is super hot, and a big reason that I don't think 5-8-77 show talk is any more overhyped than most other plausible shows' support for apex superiority. 2) The board tape is only missing a few seconds, I think. Like 5-8 seconds. Fear not.
user picture

Member for

14 years 11 months
Permalink

This is one of the best releases that I have heard in awhile, Part of the reason is the great Betty recording, the other part is the band plays so well, love Garcia playing the strat and Bobby playing a Gibson. IT IS JUST A GREAT SHOW. Really did not expect the quality to be so good. I forgot how good 73 was, saw them 3 times in 73. Looking forward to Barton Hall.
user picture

Member for

10 years 3 months
Permalink

It is a great Pick, great show, and fantastic recording, but it wasn't a Betty. Rex Jackson, her husband, taped it. It was part of the missing collection, perhaps because she also had shows Rex taped amongst hers. He had a nice set of ears on him as well, because he made one hell of a tape.
user picture

Member for

14 years 11 months
Permalink

You are right, they were married you know. Betty took over Rex's job after He passed away.
user picture

Member for

16 years 9 months
Permalink

Guys Do not believe a word of what the Zurich gnomes in charge of Dead's musical legacy say. They said You will never get this again - with Fillmore West '69 and later re-released it as compact 3 disc set. Europe '72 - pre-order it or you will never get it! It is still available. Everything will come back. These gnomes have to live! A. Ashokan 22-02-2017
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

8 years 7 months
Permalink

Amazon Price has dropped to $24.99.......I paid 37 + on this site. Plus I have to wait a week to get item. cancelled order and reserved on Amazon...$12 dollars is a bit much plus 2 day shipping
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

12 years 4 months
Permalink

PLEAS tell me they at least did not cut out Bobby's most famous "Take a step back" all time stage banter moment from 5/8/77....this is where the "take a step back" banter started if I'm not mistaken....Jerry also comments something like "All of your friends up here are getting horribly smashed etc" or something similar....there have been some other board rumblings about ALL the Dead Air: Tuning. Banter, etc being cut out of this box set....that STINKS. Hell, 5/7/77 has dead air/banter/equipment issues after every song basically(even breaking up the Estimated>Eyes Sammy- not sure folks know this).....bottom line, that's a lot of these shows edited out that people buying the box set expect!?!?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

10 years 5 months
Permalink

Hey good folks, I have an updated list of a few Dead items still available for any collectors out there that may have missed the chance. I bought them and listened only once or so and put them in a case so they are as new as can be and all play without issues. The only things left are the following and I will include shipping for the prices listed. PM me. Thanks Grateful Dead- Dave's Picks Volume 20: Boulder Colorado, CO 12/9/81-$20- OPENED Grateful Dead- Dave's Picks Volume 20: Boulder Colorado, CO 12/9/81-$30- UNOPENED
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 10 months
Permalink

You got your hands on the tapes.I never had copies of Cornell, and I haven't even heard the whole thing. When I began trading in the mid-'80's, I came across the show more than once and couldn't stay seated! I figured I'd hear it again, but it's taken decades. Congratulations on this amazing acquisition and SO many thanks to all for manufacturing and releasing it.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

16 years 10 months
Permalink

You got your hands on the tapes.I never had copies of Cornell, and I haven't even heard the whole thing. When I began trading in the mid-'80's, I came across the show more than once and couldn't stay seated! I figured I'd hear it again, but it's taken decades. Congratulations on this amazing acquisition and SO many thanks to all for manufacturing and releasing it.
product sku
081227935139