Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Sugar Magnolia
2. Scarlet Begonias
3. Fire on the Mountain
4. Me and My Uncle
5. Big River
6. Friend of the Devil
7. It's All Over Now
8. Stagger Lee
9. From the Heart of Me
10. Sunshine Daydream

Disc 2:

1. Samson and Delilah
2. Ramble on Rose
3. I Need a Miracle
4. Terrapin Station
5. Playing in the Band

Disc 3:

1. Rhythm Devils
2. Not Fade Away
3. Around and Around

Disc 4:

1. Dark Star
2. The Other One
3. Dark Star
4. Wharf Rat
5. St. Stephen
6. Good Lovin'
7. Casey Jones
8. Johnny B. Goode
9. We Bid You Goodnight

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35254 in Music
• Released on: 2003-12-16
• Number of discs: 4
• Formats: Box set, Live, Original recording reissued

Album Description
This 4 CD set contains the entire Grateful Dead performance from the Closing of Winterland on 12/31/78, mixed from the 24-track analog master tapes, and includes a 24-page booklet containing photos and essays.

Customer Reviews

Preserved in amber
The Dead acknowledge the imminent closing of the decrepit Winterland venue with this five-hour New Years Eve musical extravaganza, which has been thoughtfully and carefully preserved in a well-packaged four CD set. The sound quality is flawless, having been translated in HDCD format, and boasts crisp treble and deep, rich bass. Everybody is in top form, and what I like to refer to as the nucleus of Jerry, Phil, Mickey, and Bill interact on such a sophisticated harmonic and rhythmic level, that it appears that they can read one another's minds. In fact, even the photographs in the CD booklet attest to the fact that they clearly enjoyed playing together. The set starts off on CD 1 with a very nice Sugar Magnolia>Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain and then the band cheerily chugs through a number of concert favorites and a few other pieces from the (at the time) recently released Shakedown Street. As things progress, the band stretches out and the jams become really interesting, with the virtuosic interplay between Jerry and Phil driving it all along. The highlight for me is the 25 minute Terrapin Station>Playing in the Band on CD 2. On Playing in the Band in particular, Jerry unleashes a rapid fire torrent of notes on his guitar that is so dense that it completely surrounds the listener like a heavy rain. Things get even looser and a bit more raw on CD 4 with the Dark Star>The Other One>Dark Star>Wharf Rat>St. Stephen jam. At points in this lengthy workout, Phil's bass playing gets very loud and aggressive and oh, does it sound great! The Closing of Winterland has captured the ecstatic and celebratory mood of the event so effectively that it is readily conveyed to people like me who were not even there (I was suffering through a New England winter). This is a very special recording that should be considered indispensable to any fan of the Dead. Highly recommended.

Awesome CD
I was just wandering through a music store one day, not looking for a Grateful Dead CD (after all, I already have their greatest hits, right?), but after finding nothing else, I decided to check out what Dead CDs they had here. I picked up this CD, and seeing a lot of my familiar Dead tunes (Fire on the Mountain, Terrapin Station, Sugar Magnolia, etc.)I decided to buy it. Immediately when I got home I began listening to disc one, which began with three favorite songs: sugar magnolia, scarlet begonias and fire on the mountain. But after that, there came many songs I had never heard before, but turned out to be just as good. The Terrapin Station was by far my favorite song on the CD, and the Scarlet Begonias is good too. It was nice to hear some songs that aren't often seen on greatest hits CDs here. Overall, an excellent CD, though I hope you like long songs.

Long Time Coming
The first time I heard this was over twenty years ago when a cousin bought a bootleg triple album version. Shortly thereafter, he passed away and its been a prized part of my collection ever since. However, being an album, this meant great songs sometimes stretch from side to side or fade out just when you know the good stuff is kicking in. Well, this includes it all and the sound is great! Its a great representation of a period where the band is at the pinnacle of their abilities with concise, sharp playing as opposed to some of the experimental "you had to be there" that came before and the sadly sludge type playing on many later outings. Sure, its a bit of a greatest hits for those seeking the obscure, but this was a party for the end of an era and the fun is evident in the playing.