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Playing In The Band: Rhino Unveils 12-CD, 3-CD Sets For Grateful Dead's July 1978 Concerts

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Grateful Dead - July 1978There's more Dead on the way from Rhino.

1978 was a successful year for Grateful Dead on many levels.  The band released Shakedown Street, its second album for Clive Davis' Arista label, and played over 80 shows, including three landmark performances at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.  On May 13, Rhino will draw into that vast well of live recordings for a major box set.  The 12-CD set July 1978: The Complete Recordings focuses on five previously unreleased concerts from that month, and marks the first official release of master recordings from the long lost "Betty Boards."  The box boasts three soundboard recordings from July 1, 3, and 5 that the label confirms have never been in circulation, even between the most dedicated Deadheads.  The set also marks the sought-after official debut of the Dead's first-ever performances at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

The box, a limited edition of 15,000 individually numbered units, is currently available for pre-order exclusively at Dead.net.  The five shows included are: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO (7/1/78), St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN (7/3/78), Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, NE (7/5/78), and Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison CO (7/7/78 and 7/8/78). The band's line-up consisted of Jerry Garcia, Donna Jean Godchaux, Keith Godchaux, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir.

All of the performances here are drawn from the band's soundboard recordings which have been newly mixed and mastered by Jeffrey Norman.  Highlights include "Eyes Of The World," "Friend Of The Devil," "Wharf Rat," "Playing In The Band," "Sugaree," "Franklin's Tower," "The Other One," and "Candyman."   Songs from 1977's Terrapin Station are also spotlighted, as well as the band's interpretations of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London."

Grateful Dead - Red Rocks 7-8-78In the press release, archivist and the set's producer David Lemieux explains the significance of these recordings:  "As an archivist and Dead Head, this boxed set is about as exciting as it gets.  Musically, it features five exhilarating, dynamic nights in the summer of 1978. The sound quality is impeccable, as would be expected from Betty Cantor-Jackson's always-pristine recordings. The rarity of the first three nights, and the hall-of-fame pedigree of the last two, makes this one of the most astonishing Grateful Dead releases ever. Collaborating with the owners of these tapes, we are very pleased to see these important historical documents returned home and now shared with the world."

The box set features original artwork by acclaimed cartoonist and comic book creator Paul Pope (Batman: 100, Captain America: Red, White and Blue), a producer's note from Lemieux, and new liner notes by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead's archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  The collection will also be available for HD digital download in FLAC (192/24 resolution) and ALAC (92/24), exclusively at Dead.net. The complete July 8, 1978 show at Red Rocks, considered by many to be one of the greatest concerts in Grateful Dead history, will also be available on the same day from physical retailers as a three-disc set as well as digitally.

July 1978: The Complete Recordings and Red Rocks 7/8/78 both arrive from Rhino on May 13.  They can be pre-ordered at the links below!

Grateful Dead, July 1978: The Complete Recordings (Rhino, 2016) (Dead.net)

Arrowhead Stadium: Kansas City, MO (7/1/78) 

CD 1

  1. "Bertha"
  2. "Good Lovin'"
  3. "Tennessee Jed"
  4. "Jack Straw"
  5. "Friend Of The Devil"
  6. "Me And My Uncle"
  7. "Big River"

CD 2

  1. "Terrapin Station">
  2. "Playing In The Band">
  3. "Rhythm Devils">
  4. Space>
  5. "Estimated Prophet">
  6. "The Other One">
  7. "Wharf Rat">
  8. "Around And Around"
  9. "Johnny B. Goode"

St. Paul Civic Center Arena: St. Paul, MN (7/3/78)           

CD 3

  1. "New Minglewood Blues"
  2. "Loser"
  3. "Looks Like Rain"
  4. "Ramble On Rose"
  5. "Mexicali Blues">
  6. "Mama Tried">
  7. "Peggy-O"
  8. "Cassidy"
  9. "Deal">
  10. "The Music Never Stopped"

CD 4

  1. "Scarlet Begonias">
  2. "Fire On The Mountain">
  3. "Dancing In The Street">
  4. "Rhythm Devils">
  5. "Not Fade Away">
  6. "Stella Blue">
  7. "Sugar Magnolia"
  8. "Werewolves Of London"

Omaha Civic Auditorium: Omaha, NE, (7/5/78) 

CD 5

  1. "Sugaree"
  2. "Beat It On Down The Line"
  3. "They Love Each Other"
  4. "Looks Like Rain"
  5. "Dire Wolf"
  6. "It's All Over Now"
  7. "Candyman"
  8. "Lazy Lightning">
  9. "Supplication"
  10. "Deal"
  11. "Samson and Delilah"
  12. "Ship Of Fools"

CD 6

  1. "Estimated Prophet">
  2. "Eyes Of The World">
  3. Jam>
  4. "Rhythm Devils">
  5. Space>
  6. "Wharf Rat">
  7. "Truckin'">
  8. "Iko Iko">
  9. "Around And Around"
  10. "Promised Land"

Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO (7/7/78)             

CD 7

  1. "Jack Straw"
  2. "Candyman"
  3. "Me And My Uncle">
  4. "Big River"
  5. "Friend Of The Devil"
  6. "Cassidy"
  7. "Tennessee Jed"
  8. "Passenger"
  9. "Peggy-O"
  10. "The Music Never Stopped"

CD 8

  1. "Cold Rain And Snow"
  2. "Beat It On Down The Line"
  3. "Scarlet Begonias">
  4. "Fire On The Mountain"

CD 9

  1. "Dancing In The Street"
  2. "Rhythm Devils">
  3. Space>
  4. "Not Fade Away">
  5. "Black Peter">
  6. "Around And Around"
  7. "U.S. Blues"
  8. "Johnny B. Goode"

Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO (7/8/78)             

CD 10

  1. "Bertha">
  2. "Good Lovin'"
  3. "Dire Wolf"
  4. "El Paso"
  5. "It Must Have Been The Roses"
  6. "New Minglewood Blues"
  7. "Ramble On Rose"
  8. "Promised Land"
  9. "Deal">
  10. "Samson and Delilah"
  11. "Ship Of Fools"

CD 11    

  1. "Estimated Prophet">
  2. "The Other One">
  3. "Eyes Of The World">
  4. "Rhythm Devils">
  5. Space>
  6. "Wharf Rat">
  7. "Franklin's Tower">
  8. "Sugar Magnolia"

CD 12

  1. "Terrapin Station">
  2. "One More Saturday Night"
  3. "Werewolves Of London"

Grateful Dead, Red Rocks 7/8/78 (Rhino, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)

Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Morrison, CO (7/8/78)             

CD 1

  1. "Bertha">
  2. "Good Lovin'"
  3. "Dire Wolf"
  4. "El Paso"
  5. "It Must Have Been The Roses"
  6. "New Minglewood Blues"
  7. "Ramble On Rose"
  8. "Promised Land"
  9. "Deal">
  10. "Samson and Delilah"
  11. "Ship Of Fools"

CD 2    

  1. "Estimated Prophet">
  2. "The Other One">
  3. "Eyes Of The World">
  4. "Rhythm Devils">
  5. Space>
  6. "Wharf Rat">
  7. "Franklin's Tower">
  8. "Sugar Magnolia"

CD 3

  1. "Terrapin Station">
  2. "One More Saturday Night"
  3. "Werewolves Of London"
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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. This release really is a big deal for Dead fans... The first of the returned "Betty Boards" to the band's vault is reason to celebrate!

    The Red Rocks shows, esp. 7/8, have always been holy grail shows for collectors... But having the shows in pristine condition will be a treat! Likewise, the other three shows, having never circulated as SBDs before, will sound completely fresh.

    I'm especially interested in the Arrowhead show, as that was a (relatively) short performance. They were on the bill for Willie Nelson's big show there, which also featured Waylon Jennings among others, so it was different crowd for the GD. Curious to hear how they played off that audience.

    Best of all, this is a less expensive set then some of the recent GD boxes have been. For those who can't swing all of them, getting that standalone Red Rocks release will still be a gem for anyone's collection.

    I'm also waiting to see if the returned Betty tape stash includes the famed May '77 shows, including Big Three: 5/7 (Boston), the famed 5/8 (Cornell, a tape of which is in the Library of Congress), and 5/9 (Buffalo). Quite possibly, the best three show run the band ever played. My guess is that it'll be a 40th anniversary release next year (*crosses fingers*).

    Reply

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