THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Grateful Dead the bullseye with the eight previously unreleased stellar shows that make up Friend Of The Devils: April 1978. Filled to the brim with peak performances from the band’s post-hiatus period, this collection captures the historic tour where Drums begat Space, morphed into Drums > Space and cemented The Rhythm Devils’ second-set power move from the music business to the “transportation business.”
Spring 1978 found The Grateful Dead consistently weaving spontaneous magic, showing signs of great promise and potential — from the no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll in Tampa to the lengthy communal getdown in Pembroke Pines to Jacksonville, where the twain emerge fully formed, offering the primordial opportunity for “soul retrieval.” It’s evident in the dynamic range delivered on back-to-back nights at the intimate Fox Theatre and through the laid-back unity of the band’s performance in Durham at Duke, a comfort that carries over to Virginia and West Virginia where the playing is unbridled, bursting with momentum, threatening to carry itself away. And nowhere can you hear that more clearly than through Betty Cantor-Jackson’s original recordings, reliably crisp, bright, and vivid.
A standalone release from the box, Duke ’78 features the previously unreleased show from Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University, Durham, NC 4/12/78. When the band arrived for the sixth stop of the first leg of the Spring Tour of 1978, they were a well-oiled machine. The expectation was there amongst concert goers that the Dead would deliver an exceptional show; the consistency of excellence was in full force on this tour. And as great as the previous five shows had been, no one could have known that the X factor would appear in such force at this gig. Opening with a pair of classics, Jack Straw and Dire Wolf, it was clear from the first 10 minutes of the show that something special was happening. But what was to come couldn’t have been predicted; no one could have seen what the next three hours would hold.
As the Dead barreled through their first set with Beat It On Down The Line and Peggy-O, there was something magical happening on the campus that night. The Dead, as everyone in the building that night could hear, were determined to play one of their best shows ever at Duke. Ending their first set with exemplary versions of Loser, Lazy Lightning > Supplication, the second set began without missing a beat, rocking hard with Bertha > Good Lovin’. As perfectly executed as ever played Estimated Prophet > Eyes Of The World led into one of the Dead’s longest, most intense, and most exciting Rhythm Devils drum interludes, clocking in at more than 20 minutes.
And the only way to beat that? One of the most powerful live versions of Truckin’ that The Grateful Dead ever played, unlike any other rendition of their “big hit.” A spectacularly beautiful, perfectly executed Wharf Rat leads into more rock ‘n’ roll, Around and Around, to end one of the most satisfying shows the Dead had played in the last several years. As an encore, they put the cherry on the cake with a U.S. Blues that has Jerry joyously screaming the chorus. The Dead left it all on the stage on April 12, 1978. Thankfully they had the next night off.
Individually numbered to 10,000 copies, Friend Of The Devils: April 1978 has been mastered by audio engineer Jeffrey Norman using Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. Steve Vance designed the collection’s custom box, which features a removable wave drum so you can unleash your inner Rhythm Devil. Acclaimed artist Matthew Brannon created the set’s original artwork. The collection also includes a 48-page book with original liner notes by author Steve Silberman and photos by James Anderson, Bob Minkin, and more.”
