ERC Does The Grateful Dead's "Europe '72" Triple LP

edition of 450 copies

The Electric Recording Company just announced it will deliver in April 450 copies of The Grateful Dead's triple LP Europe '72 as a limited to 450 copy release.

Not everyone loves what ERC does with rock recordings, which is give buyers a "straight off the tape" document with no equalization or compression applied, but enough do so these sell out quickly. That's why we're putting this up post haste! Cost: £650

From the ERC website blurb:

"Europe '72" was a pivotal album for the Dead. It was the first to feature pianist Keith Godchaux and his wife, vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux and the last to include founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who died shortly after the album's release. The record not only encapsulated the Grateful Dead's improvisational prowess and boundless energy during one of their boldest tours but also became one of their most commercially successful and critically acclaimed releases.

Released: Early April 2025

Stereo 3LP - Catalogue Number. ERC109 Edition of 450.  ERC will not undertake a repress of any release at any future point.

Comments

2025-02-26 05:44:59 PM

JEB-42 wrote:

https://electricrecordingco.com/news/2025-02-26-erc109-grateful-dead-europe-72

"Cut directly from the original analog master tapes, through our unique all valve 1965 Ortofon / Lyrec vinyl cutting system in stereo. No equalisation, compression or any other processing was added during the cutting process.

Sleeve artwork made by hand and letter-pressed on a 1963 Heidelberg SB."
2025-02-26 06:26:08 PM

Anders Sørensen Uth wrote:

Interesting (odd, if you will) choice for the full analogue boutique treatment. A wonderful album but also a live compilation with studio overdubs - so several steps away from the actual source to begin with.
2025-02-26 08:25:53 PM

Come on wrote:

Is it a principle that ERC does not apply EQ?

If they don’t just release recordings where this is really not necessary, it doesn’t seem to be a good idea in many cases. I guess in jazz and classical there may be quite a few with no need of EQ‘ing, but indeed in Rock I assume there will be surprises with too little or too much this and that.
- 2025-02-27 05:07:53 PM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  I agree and have told Pete Hutchison exactly that but he insists his customers want "the tape" as it exists, transferred to lacquer and vinyl as the "authentic document".
  - 2025-02-27 07:06:25 PM
    
    Come on wrote:
    
    Oh my, ok the number of records pressed is so low that he probably knows and convinced each customer personally. So if a half deaf musician approved the tape or lacquer played back on a crap monitoring chain, that’s what we want…I understand. But such customers certainly also wouldn’t appreciate his tube mastering chain in the way of the „authentic music and EQ“, so why don’t they buy an original then? His argument speaks against his equipment used…a more neutral kind of mastering gear than a tube chain would do his story more justice. At least Hutchinson saves some work and money.
    
    This whole ERC endeavor is a mystery from start to end for me.
    
    I read Hotel California was monitored with speakers placed under a desk. This would probably be an interesting ERC reissue. Stoned recording staff might be a general risk of reissuing unEQ‘ed 70‘s albums.
  - 2025-03-01 03:57:59 AM
    
    Ivan Bacon wrote:
    
    YES, i DO insist that i want "the tape" as it exists, transferred to lacquer and vinyl as the "authentic document". Screw plangent.
    - 2025-03-01 01:18:50 PM
      
      Come on wrote:
      
      But then such a reissue made by an engineer today with a custom tube mastering chain is much less authentic than an original of the time. Why don’t you buy a cheaper original instead? Or do you think what ERC does today is more true to what the artists wanted to hear from the tape? Therefore you would have to know the monitoring chain in the year of the recording and the difference between Hutchinson‘s approach and the artists intents. I assume the chain used for producing the original LP was more similar to the monitoring chain of the past than ERC‘s.
      
      Independent of that, your preference to hear all tape defects that came after the time when the artists approved it, don’t seem to be authentic to me in terms of how it sounded by then.
2025-02-27 03:47:11 AM

bill schweitzer wrote:

These are reproductions of the originals. They are as close as can be. Now, the highest price ever recorded for an original on popsike is approximately $500. and on Discogs $288. I must be missing something here.
2025-02-27 04:10:52 PM

palasr wrote:

£650 ?

spits coffee on keyboard<<

PT Barnum would be proud.
- 2025-02-27 05:06:36 PM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  of course that's what cynics say about anyone who "still" plays vinyl records.
2025-02-27 09:22:11 PM

Anton wrote:

Ah, the sweet sounds of "audiophiles" telling us in advance how something will sound.

"Half deaf musicians," "stoned recording staff," how is the sound up on Mount Virtue?

Y'all should Google Jeff Albertson.

We will see how it sounds soon enough as the reports filter back!
- 2025-02-28 12:09:39 AM
  
  Come on wrote:
  
  I’m sure this release will sound decent, would make no sense otherwise.
  
  But in general I’d say the chance of good sounding Rock flat transfers of the 70’s and 80’s is minimal. Mastering engineers with contradicting opinions welcome!
2025-02-27 10:29:23 PM

Larry Casey wrote:

If you are a Deadhead with big bucks, Hell, why not ' I look for the plangent process on my dead vinyl releases as I love the result and the price is within my comfort zone.

Admit I would love to hear this release to compare with my vinyl copy
- 2025-02-27 10:35:03 PM
  
  Anton wrote:
  
  Same.
  
  The proof will be in the pudding, for better or worse.
2025-02-27 11:17:13 PM

PeterPani wrote:

I must admid, for my European ears there are three artists/groups I will never understand the hype: Bill Evans, Steely Dan and Grateful Dead. I tried so many times…
- 2025-02-28 09:49:50 AM
  
  Tim wrote:
  
  Agree with you except Evans
2025-02-27 11:17:14 PM

PeterPani wrote:

I must admid, for my European ears there are three artists/groups I will never understand the hype: Bill Evans, Steely Dan and Grateful Dead. I tried so many times…
- 2025-02-28 12:25:13 AM
  
  Jim LaBrie wrote:
  
  there's no way to possibly understand the hype around the Dead if you never saw Jerry - and if you saw Jerry, there's no way you wouldn't understand the hype
  - 2025-02-28 01:08:17 AM
    
    Anton wrote:
    
    I think the Grateful Dead are the number one band that if you try to talk about them, internet denizens are literally compelled to say something negative.
    
    It's like saying "Niagara Falls" to Moe Howard.
    - 2025-03-01 07:47:05 PM
      
      Silk Dome Mid wrote:
      
      "Play Truckin'!" Slowly I turned...step by step...inch by inch...
2025-02-28 01:47:03 AM

Andrew Curtis wrote:

I have ERC pressings or Rollins, Chet and Stooges. I don't understand too much of the 'flat transfers' stuff, but I will say they sound amazing when turned up very loud. They just seem to hold their smooth sound. The drums on Fun House are quite something.
- 2025-02-28 06:21:53 AM
  
  Andrew Curtis wrote:
  
  pressings of Rollins
2025-02-28 01:06:47 PM

Will wrote:

I know some ERC’s sound fantastic, and I’m a bit of a deadhead myself but Europe ‘72 has had 2 AAA releases since 2011 and a digitally tweaked 50th anniversary version too. I say how about Bert and John, or one Pentangle’s early albums.
2025-02-28 02:26:20 PM

Georges wrote:

You can press at least 1000 vinyls from a single stamper (to hell with ecology!). The main thing is that it sells, that's great!
- 2025-03-01 03:55:54 AM
  
  Ivan Bacon wrote:
  
  "vinyls" is NOT a word.
  - 2025-03-01 07:48:40 PM
    
    Silk Dome Mid wrote:
    
    I think that was part of the point he was making.
2025-03-10 10:56:13 PM

Jamie Howarth wrote:

Having had considerable experience with these tapes both as a listener and as a remastering engineer, I would first point out that the original recordists would have found the ERC equipment antiquated in the extreme. Their techs were among the most talented and forward-thinking... a couple of their albums "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" are the apotheosis of recordings made in that era. Ron Wickersham of Alembic was one of the Ampex developers of the multitrack machines used, and the multitrack and stereo recorders were at least 5 models more modern than those ERC slavishly employs. Speaking of multitrack, I've worked with the 16track 2" these shows were recorded on (all 85 reels). It's an odd mix, hampered by the fact of overdubbing- the overhead mics and the drums were kept low in the mix to prevent the vocal monitor spill from flamming with the new performances recorded in SF over the summer. Garcia was fairly good at looping his own performance, Weir a bit less so. And the piano was replaced and the whole thing sped up almost a percent. So it's not the best mixed of their albums. Needs a lot of EQ, which Dave Glasser did a great job with. Not because the engineers were deaf, but because it was tough technically. The leakage was killing thrm. In any event it would be unfair to prejudge this reissue, and I wish them well. But a flat unmastered transfer of these tapes, played back on tape players in use 30 years prior to the modern machines it was recorded on - well, the claim that this represents the content creators' original intent is simply not factual.
2025-03-10 10:56:14 PM

Jamie Howarth wrote:

Having had considerable experience with these tapes both as a listener and as a remastering engineer, I would first point out that the original recordists would have found the ERC equipment antiquated in the extreme. Their techs were among the most talented and forward-thinking... a couple of their albums "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" are the apotheosis of recordings made in that era. Ron Wickersham of Alembic was one of the Ampex developers of the multitrack machines used, and the multitrack and stereo recorders were at least 5 models more modern than those ERC slavishly employs. Speaking of multitrack, I've worked with the 16track 2" these shows were recorded on (all 85 reels). It's an odd mix, hampered by the fact of overdubbing- the overhead mics and the drums were kept low in the mix to prevent the vocal monitor spill from flamming with the new performances recorded in SF over the summer. Garcia was fairly good at looping his own performance, Weir a bit less so. And the piano was replaced and the whole thing sped up almost a percent. So it's not the best mixed of their albums. Needs a lot of EQ, which Dave Glasser did a great job with. Not because the engineers were deaf, but because it was tough technically. The leakage was killing thrm. In any event it would be unfair to prejudge this reissue, and I wish them well. But a flat unmastered transfer of these tapes, played back on tape players in use 30 years prior to the modern machines it was recorded on - well, the claim that this represents the content creators' original intent is simply not factual.
2025-03-10 10:56:15 PM

Jamie Howarth wrote:

Having had considerable experience with these tapes both as a listener and as a remastering engineer, I would first point out that the original recordists would have found the ERC equipment antiquated in the extreme. Their techs were among the most talented and forward-thinking... a couple of their albums "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" are the apotheosis of recordings made in that era. Ron Wickersham of Alembic was one of the Ampex developers of the multitrack machines used, and the multitrack and stereo recorders were at least 5 models more modern than those ERC slavishly employs. Speaking of multitrack, I've worked with the 16track 2" these shows were recorded on (all 85 reels). It's an odd mix, hampered by the fact of overdubbing- the overhead mics and the drums were kept low in the mix to prevent the vocal monitor spill from flamming with the new performances recorded in SF over the summer. Garcia was fairly good at looping his own performance, Weir a bit less so. And the piano was replaced and the whole thing sped up almost a percent. So it's not the best mixed of their albums. Needs a lot of EQ, which Dave Glasser did a great job with. Not because the engineers were deaf, but because it was tough technically. The leakage was killing thrm. In any event it would be unfair to prejudge this reissue, and I wish them well. But a flat unmastered transfer of these tapes, played back on tape players in use 30 years prior to the modern machines it was recorded on - well, the claim that this represents the content creators' original intent is simply not factual.
2025-03-10 10:56:16 PM

Jamie Howarth wrote:

Having had considerable experience with these tapes both as a listener and as a remastering engineer, I would first point out that the original recordists would have found the ERC equipment antiquated in the extreme. Their techs were among the most talented and forward-thinking... a couple of their albums "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" are the apotheosis of recordings made in that era. Ron Wickersham of Alembic was one of the Ampex developers of the multitrack machines used, and the multitrack and stereo recorders were at least 5 models more modern than those ERC slavishly employs. Speaking of multitrack, I've worked with the 16track 2" these shows were recorded on (all 85 reels). It's an odd mix, hampered by the fact of overdubbing- the overhead mics and the drums were kept low in the mix to prevent the vocal monitor spill from flamming with the new performances recorded in SF over the summer. Garcia was fairly good at looping his own performance, Weir a bit less so. And the piano was replaced and the whole thing sped up almost a percent. So it's not the best mixed of their albums. Needs a lot of EQ, which Dave Glasser did a great job with. Not because the engineers were deaf, but because it was tough technically. The leakage was killing thrm. In any event it would be unfair to prejudge this reissue, and I wish them well. But a flat unmastered transfer of these tapes, played back on tape players in use 30 years prior to the modern machines it was recorded on - well, the claim that this represents the content creators' original intent is simply not factual.