Initially, this was to have been around 60 CDs but this was later revised, co-incidentally it was claimed, to be 72 CDs! Per, as a hedge against the costs of the nearly two-month trip, the Dead’s label, Warner Bros., paid for the band to lug around a 16-track recorder to capture the entire tour. The tapes of the master reel that was used to make Europe '72 has always existed and the overdubs have been removed, as has announced a release of the complete Europe '72 shows, every note played on all 22 shows for the tour, under the name Europe '72: The Complete Recordings. Unadulterated multitrack recordings of the performances used for the album are no longer available (because they were simply snipped from the multitrack concert tapes whereupon the band overdubbed directly onto them, destroying the originals) but, for example, the available two-track soundboard recording of the show indicates the band had not yet figured out the vocal arrangements for 'He's Gone' that would later be overdubbed in the United States. Originally a triple album on vinyl when released in November of '72, Europe '72 was later reissued as a two-disc CD in 1990 and again in 2001 with bonus tracks as part of the band's box set, The Golden Road (1965–1973).Įurope '72 has been the Dead's best-selling live album, and one of their best-selling albums overall, achieving double platinum status in the U.S.Īlthough Europe '72 is billed as a live album, the songs featured on the release were subject to significant overdubs after the fact, specifically with respect to the lush harmony vocals.

It was the first album to feature Keith Godchaux and his wife Donna Jean Godchaux. The tour represented by this album was Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan's last with the Dead before he died in 1973, and the last album he would feature on as an active member. Reviews specially praised the track ' (Walk Me Out in the) Morning Dew', a ten-minute rendition of the melancholy folk standard that features guitar crescendoes from Jerry Garcia. The Dead's start-stop-restart segue of 'China Cat Sunflower' into 'I Know You Rider' also linked their psychedelic past into a more traditional context.

' Truckin'', which had recently become the band's first hit song, catalogued its own troubled-but-resilient pathway through American life. Archetypal American images abounded on 'Jack Straw', while 'Cumberland Blues' and 'Tennessee Jed' were firmly rooted in their regional feeling. Indeed, the liner notes simply stated: 'There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert.' The album contained considerable new material in addition to versions of tracks found on previous studio albums.ĭespite the band being out of the country, Europe '72 showcased the Dead's mixture of American bluegrass, folk, and country influences, and provided the culmination to the band's early 1970s sound. The complete contents of the box are as follows.This was the third live double or triple album in the Dead's past five releases, revealing how the group's reputation rested on their live performances. This includes all of the music from the original set but without the books and other items.įollowing the release of both versions of the box set the individual shows from the tour were sold as standalone 3 or 4 CD sets from the Grateful Dead store.Įach show from the tour, on 1, 3 or 4 CDs, was packaged in a digipack. All items are contained in a replica packing trunk.Īfter the original release sold out an 'All Music' edition of the box set was announced. In addition to the music the set contains two books and other 'cool surprises'. The original release of the box set was limited to 7,200 copies. Grateful Dead Family Discography: Europe '72, The Complete Recordings editionsĮurope '72, The Complete Recordings Grateful DeadInitial release : 2011Ī box set release of all the music from the 22 shows on the Grateful Dead tour of Europe in 1972.

China cat sunflower europe 72