New Grateful Dead (official) downloads - 11/5 and 11/6/79

I just received an email from the Grateful Dead store that 11/5/79 and 11/6/79 are available for download.

I've said time and again that I do not have a problem paying the Dead for downloads of their music, but I have mixed feelings about this offering. Yes, full show downloads are great to have, and these prices are an improvment over what they are charging for their previous FLAC downloads.

However, you will notice that RoadTrips v1 already includes Jack Straw>Deal and Terrapin>Playin' from 11/6. Maybe four songs isn't too much to get worried about, but I really hope that this doesn't become a trend, releasing "highlights" on CD and then turning around to offer the whole show up for download a year later.

I seem to recall that when Road Trips 1 came out, it was discovered that the cassette player was running at the wrong speed when transferring the tapes to digital, so everything seemed a bit slow. I wonder if this problem has been corrected for these new downloads.

Anyway, here is the email and a links to the store.

http://www.deadnetstore.com/

 

I agree with you Mike. They should just release the entire shows as downloads the same time the Road Trips CDs come out. I am going to be mad if I wasted the money on the Road Trips CDs when the full shows are going to be available.

 

what a joke

 

All of these released should be made available up front so that the consumer can choose between full shows or a comp of highlights. I don't really feel like GDM is as on touch with their fans wants as they once were.

 

maybe Weir is personally making all these bright decisions

 

Look out, Jerry is THROWING STONES.....

 

I'll be the voice of dissent here and am glad to see new downloads finally. Maybe I'm biased because I attended both of these shows.

These days I prefer downloads to CDs and have no plans on purchasing the Road Trips series. At least there's a choice, but they should announce that full shows will be available if this trend is going to continue.

 

Agree with your take. I dont see much to be upset with here. At least from their perspective they are just doing what they said road trips was going to be- a sampling- but they figure some people might have wanted the whole show, so you can have that too if you want it. My whole thing with this is there was no statement about the source for road trips. I did not find out it was cassette until I read the back of the case, after I already ordered it. I mistakenly thought this was the last tour to have Betty reels. I personally would go for a good audience copy for free before paying for soundboard cassette.

 

Drawing the line between reel and cassette soundboard sources is a pretty anal delineation when you'd accept an "audience" copy of anything. I'm just sayin'.

EDIT: Oops... I just now noticed your username. But still...

 

Cassette soundboards aren't horrible, but they are clearly inferior to most soundboards captured on reel tape, at least in the land of the Grateful Dead.


I've said it before, but a well-recorded audience tape can trump a soundboard, especially cassette, but also on reel, or whatever the Dead used in the last years. 8/6/71 is a good example of this, as are most 80's and 90's audience recordings.

 

To me sounboard cassettes don't sound as good as sounboard reels, and if it's from cassette and they are selling it as "official" release I think mine was 25 bucks they should tell you its cassettes. I said I prefer my good quality audience I got for free compared to paying for Soundboard cassette. But I'm one of those folks that actually likes audience tapes.

 

To me, a well-recorded soundboard tape, even on cassette, will always trump a well-recorded audience tape. Just a difference of opinion.

8/6/71 is a great-sounding audience tape, no doubt, but there's no carefully-recorded soundboard to compare it to.

 

Most of 8/6/71 can be found on Dick's Picks 35 and the Road Trips v3 bonus disc.

 

Understood. As someone who's poked around plenty on the Llama GD site (and been exposed to lots of "great" audience recordings), I don't see it this way... but I respect your preferences. And yes, I get the "free" vs. "25 bucks" argument, too.

 

Assuming it's a soundboard source, I stand corrected.

 

It is. The master reels were recently discovered on the Godchaux family houseboat, along with Yale Bowl (7/31/71) and some other shows from the summer of 1971 that had never circulated in SBD form before.

Jerry had given them to Keith when he joined the band so he could listen and learn. They sat untouched for 35 years.

 

How's the Yale show sound? Or haven't they "come out" yet?

 

The Yale Bowl AUD isn't too bad, but it's nowhere near the sound quality of the 8/6 audience recording.

In this case I much prefer the soundboard recording of Yale Bowl from Road Trips 3, though it's not the whole show. It's all relative.

 

Let's not forget 1/20/79. If you have not heard this one, PM me and I'll try and get one to you.

 

Listening now to the 11/5/79 download. Sounds good, although the levels are a bit off: Jerry's guitar is a little low and the keys are a little too loud. I haven't heard this show since I saw it so it's nice to remember back. The Music Never Stopped is very hot and the post-Space Lost Sailor/Saint of Circumstance is a nice placement.

 

Quite a few comments over on deadnet about the pitch of these new downloads being too slow. Seems like quite a significant error.

Stevie