Dead.net is more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN . Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions. Both are now available for pre-order exclusively at Dead.net and scheduled to be released on September 18th.
The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band's formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band's career. The A-side is "Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)" from the band's earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, "Box Of Rain" recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.
The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band's live repertoire has evolved through the years.
The USB drive version will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and 320 KBPS MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies.
GRATEFUL DEAD: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN will not available in stores or from any other online retailer - only at Dead.net. Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This Dead.net exclusive is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing all the shows (4 today!), a mighty fine selection of music, and much, much more right here. FREE STANDARD U.S. SHIPPING ON PRE-ORDERS ONLY.
(Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will also see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)
ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.
