Dawn of the New Riders of the Purple Sage 5 CD Box Set

5 CD Box Set

“ sitting around the bar drinking and fighting music — you can drink and fight” — Jerry Garcia

More than 5 hours of unreleased live concert recordings from the earliest days of the band!

This 5-CD set features nearly two-dozen songs never before officially released by the New Riders or the Grateful Dead, including several New Riders’ originals from a largely undocumented period in the band’s evolution.

The performances begin on Jerry Garcia’s 27th birthday at the aptly-named Bear’s Lair in Berkeley and captures performances from 4 different venues on 9 different nights.

The band consists of John “Marmaduke” Dawson (guitar, vocals), Jerry Garcia (pedal steel), David Nelson (electric guitar), Mickey Hart (drums), and Bob Matthews and Dave Torbert on bass.

Highlights also include 9 songs with guest artist “Bobby Ace” Weir and two tracks with Will Scarlett on harmonica.

This is history unvarnished, but it’s pure and spirited and filled with so many moments that will touch the hearts of NRPS/GD fans.

Mastered from the original tapes captured by legendary Grateful Dead soundman, Owsley Stanley, a/k/a Bear, who is known for the purity of his “Sonic Journal” recordings.

These tapes were transferred and restored to the most exacting audiophile standards, utilizing state-of-the-art Plangent Processes techniques to remove subtle timing distortions created by the recording and playback devices.

The mastering was done by Jeffrey Norman (Mockingbird Mastering), long-time collaborator with the Grateful Dead and Owsley Stanley.

The 16-page booklet includes rare and previously unreleased vintage photographs and liner notes based on recent interviews with David Nelson and Bob Weir.

Original cover art by Nina Stanley, Owsley’s daughter, based on a design by Starfinder Stanley, Owsley’s son.