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The Grateful Dead Unveil Giant Box Set: 'Europe '72'
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/the-grateful-dead-unveil-giant-box-set-europe-72-20110119![](http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/blog_entry/306x306/343bb0caae26dc8e905d571168adf03863f05fe7.jpg)
In the spring of 1972, the Grateful Dead exported their unique concert experience – transformed American roots and Fillmore-dance-party daring – to Europe for the first time, playing 22 concerts in Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and even Luxembourg. The trip was first documented that year on a triple-LP set, Europe '72, with substantial vocal overdubs. But this fall, the Dead and Rhino Records will release a huge and lavish box set of more than 60 CDs containing every show of the Europe '72 tour, mixed and mastered from the original 16-track tapes. The project, still in production, will be a strictly limited edition and available by pre-order from the Dead's website.
We were hot and having a lot of fun," agrees guitarist Bob Weir. "We had a pretty plump repertoire by that time. So you're gonna go several nights before you hear a repeat. And if you hear one, it's going to be pretty different."
The Europe '72 tour would be the Dead's last with founding singer-organist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, then ailing from a liver condition. He died the following year. The European shows were also a major showcase for new pianist Keith Godchaux, who joined in late 1971. "This is the point where he really plugged in," says bassist Phil Lesh. "This was another voice for us." And the Dead debuted a wealth of new originals at these shows, including the future live staples "Tennessee Jed" and "He's Gone," both written by guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter.
"The main entrée for us was the new stuff," says Weir, "and whatever we could bring out of the old ones like 'Dark Star' and 'The Other One.' Every time those songs came around, there was a new passage that was meaningful to us."