Download Series Volume 1 is the first installment in a series ofdigital download albums by the rock bandGrateful Dead. It was released on May 3, 2005. The album features the complete show from April 30, 1977, which was the second night of a five-night run at thePaladium inNew York City. To complete the third disc, bonus material from the previous night's at the same venue is also included .[1]
Volume 1 was mastered inHDCD format from the original 2-tracksoundboard tapes byJeffrey Norman. Consistent with other releases in the Download Series, the music is available for download in various formats: 128Kbit or 256Kbit MP3s, or lossless FLAC-files, all without anycopy-protection.
OnAllMusic, Jesse Jarnow said, "Rivaling the spring of 1972 as the most-plundered season in the Grateful Dead's live catalog, the spring of 1977 found the Dead playing at their platonic best. It was during that period that the Dead struck what, for many, remains the perfect balance of tightness and energy of performance... The band's April 30th show at the Palladium – the first release in their downloads series, and the sixth extended release from the spring of 1977, including one box set – has an advantage on the much revered show recorded in Ithaca on May 8th: an actual open-ended jam. A 15-minute "Not Fade Away" veers into deep, melodic abstraction before languidly segueing into Garcia's heart-wrenching ballad "Stella Blue"."[2]
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