Move over, Herbie Hancock, because the next volume of music subscription service Vinyl Me, Please's celebrated Anthology series will be The Story of The Grateful Dead.
The massive 14-LP box set collects four studio albums and four live albums originally released between 1969 and 1990. Among them is Without A Net, the 1990 live collection that makes its first appearance on vinyl since its original release thirty years ago.
The new pressings in The Story of The Grateful Dead have been mastered cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, CA "direct-to-analog from original tapes." All titles were cut 'AAA' from the original analog tapes, with the exception of Without a Net coming from the original digital masters.
As for presentation, each album is pressed on 180-gram color vinyl at QRP and housed in heavyweight tip-on jackets. What's more, the box set will include a 12"x12" booklet with essays by contemporary musicians about the influence of each album. The booklet also boasts photos by Jim Marshall, Jim Anderson, Jay Blakesburg, and more.
The limited-edition box will be pressed up in a single run of 7,500 copies with a price tag of $449.
Previous Anthology offerings have included multimedia presentations, podcasts, and multi-part listening experiences. The Story of The Grateful Dead follows suit with an exclusive, 6-episode podcast series. Vinyl Me, Please suggests each episode be enjoyed alongside certain titles to enhance the enjoyment and provide context to the music.
VMP staff will also host a live stream for buyers of The Story of The Grateful Dead with archivist David Lemieuex and other notable guests. Plus, you'll get access to more exclusive content, the chance to join a private Facebook group to discuss the Anthology, and a free trial of concert archive Nugs.net.
Finally, the first 3,000 orders receive a limited edition animated 'Tetzoscope' slipmat by artist Drew Tetz.
You can place your orders for Vinyl Me Please Anthology, Vol. 6: The Story of The Grateful Dead at Vinyl Me Please's online storefront!is available to purchase now. Here are the albums you'll find in the box:
- 1969: Live/Dead - 2 LP - yellow and pink vinyl
- 1970: Workingman's Dead - 1 LP - purple vinyl
- 1970: American Beauty - 1 LP - red vinyl
- 1972: Europe '72 - 3 LP - orange, blue, and green vinyl
- 1973: Wake Of The Flood - 1LP - clear vinyl
- 1977: Terrapin Station - 1LP - green vinyl
- 1981: Reckoning - 2 LP - red and blue vinyl
- 1990: Without a Net - 3 LP - yellow, blue, and red vinyl
Richard Allen says
Weird mic of albums....Not sure you can tell the story of the Dead snd leave out Snthem.of The Sun. No Blues for Allah either....
Richard Allen says
I'll repeat that without typos - Weird mix of albums….Not sure you can tell the story of the Dead and leave out Anthem of The Sun. No Blues for Allah either? Anyone who bought the Warners vinyl boxes will have some of these already. What we really need is an Arista box set....