Download Series Volume 1 is the first installment in a series of digital download albums by the rock band Grateful 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 the Paladium in New 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 in HDCD format from the original 2-track soundboard tapes by Jeffrey 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 any
copy-protection.
On AllMusic, 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 seguing into Garcia's heart-wrenching ballad "Stella Blue"."[2]
