I always think it’s useful to know the timing of the studio albums before looking in detail at the live albums. However the Dead have issued many, many more live albums than studio albums so picking one that’s close to a favourite studio album isn’t a reliable guide.
Studio Albums by the Grateful Dead
1967 The Grateful Dead
1968 Anthem of the Sun
1969 Aoxomoxoa
1970 Workingman’s Dead
1970 American Beauty
1973 Wake of the Flood
1974 From the Mars Hotel
1975 Blues for Allah
1977 Terrapin Station
1978 Shakedown Street
1980 Go to Heaven
1987 In the Dark
1989 Built to Last
Live Albums by the Grateful Dead
Where do you start talking about the live albums by this remarkable band?
I ask fans to vote in a poll to find the best live albums by the group. The Grateful Dead’s best live album poll has over 120 commercially available recordings in it and I’m not at all sure that I’ve included them all.
If you’re new to the band, then the poll results are the best place to begin your experience because it will help guide you to the albums that are recognised as their finest although individual Deadheads will argue strongly for their personal favourites.
If you’re already a big fan, then again I think the poll is a good place to start because I want your recommendations as well. Unless you’re a complete addict, you’ll probably find that you’ve missed an album that’s getting popular support and you can move from the poll to the high ranking albums of interest to you.
>>> Best live albums by the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead Live Albums Featured
1968 Two from the Vault
1968 to 1993 Grayfolded
1969 Live/Dead
1969 Fillmore West 1969 The Complete Recordings
1969 Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69
1970 Dick’s Picks Volume 4
1970 History of the Grateful Dead Volume One (Bear’s Choice)
1970 Dick’s Picks Volume 8 Harpur College Binghamton NY May 2, 1970
1971 Skull and Roses
1971 Ladies And Gentlemen The Grateful Dead
1972 Europe 72
1972 Europe ’72 Volume 2
1972 Steppin’ Out with the Grateful Dead: England ’72
1972 Hundred Year Hall
1973 Winterland 1973 The Complete Recordings
1974 Steal Your Face
1974 The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack
1975 One From The Vault
1976 Live at the Cow Palace
1977 To Terrapin Hartford ’77
1977 Winterland June 1977 The Complete Recordings
1978 The Closing of Winterland
1980 Reckoning
1980 Go To Nassau
1980 Dead Set
1989 Nightfall of Diamonds
1989/90 Without A Net
1990 Dozin’ at the Knick
1990 Wake Up To Find Out: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Here is that poll if you’d like to vote in it. I realise that you (probably) won’t have heard them all but I see a vote as a recommendation so please vote for the albums that you love.
Loading ...How Many Live Albums By The Grateful Dead Should You Own?
How many is enough? For general rock fans I think somewhere between one to five is reasonable but keen fans will want many more.
I have five – Live/Dead from 1969, Ladies And Gentlemen The Grateful Dead from 1971, Europe 72 and Europe ’72 Volume 2 and To Terrapin Hartford ’77 from 1971.
Live/Dead catches them as a psychedelic band but, with their 1970 studio albums, Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, they’d turned into a country rock band who liked to extend some songs with jamming. Finally, by 1977 they’ve lost their overly countryfied sound and (perhaps) moved into classic rock territory but still with the desire to jam. I’m sure the thought of the Dead as classic rock will horrify some fans.
The original Europe album is the one that I play the most and I think it’s a good starting point if you want your Dead as a psychedelic country band and Live/Dead is the most likely to be swapped. What for I don’t know yet but it’s one of those classic live albums that I haven’t really taken to.
The Best Live Albums Of All Time
The Grateful Dead feature in two of my main genre polls – Psychedelic/San Francisco rock and country rock. I have to admit that I was surprised at how much country music was built into Europe 72 when I first heard it. I see these polls as useful for showing how the Dead fit in to other music around but I see their own poll as a better guide for finding their best live albums. I’m thinking of another poll for jam bands.
Loading ...You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk
Loading ...You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk
Ladies and Gentlemen… the Grateful Dead Fillmore East New York City 25th to 29th April 1971 is a live album by the Grateful Dead.
These concerts provided some of the songs for the Dead#s second live album, Skull And Roses.
My Rating – 28 out of 30 (10 + 9 + 9)
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Fillmore West 1969 The Complete Recordings is a live album by the Grateful Dead.
These were recorded in San Francisco on February 27 to March 2, 1969 and are an extension to their classic Live/Dead album which came from the same source.
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Dozin’ at the Knick is a live album by the Grateful Dead.
It was recorded at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York on March 24,25 and 26 1990.
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Hundred Year Hall is a live album by the Grateful Dead.
It was recorded at Jahrhundert Halle in Frankfurt, Germany on April 26, 1972. This was a vintage year for the Dead with the famous Europe ’72 album compiled from concerts on this tour. By this stage, the band had incorporated country and folk influences into their sound with their studio albums American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead.
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Dick’s Picks Volume 8, Harpur College, Binghamton, NY May 2, 1970 is an archive released live recording of the Grateful Dead.
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Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69 is a live recording by the Grateful Dead.
This captures the early and late performances in New York where they were supporting Janis Joplin.
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One From The Vault is an archive live album by the Grateful Dead.
It was recorded at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on August 13, 1975.
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Without A Net is a live album by the Grateful Dead.
This was recorded on their tour from October 1989 to April 1990.
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Dead Set is a live album by The Grateful Dead.
It was recorded between September and October 1980 in a variety of venues.
Their live album Reckoning comes from the same recorded concerts but whereas that was acoustic, Dead Set is electric.
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Two from the Vault is an archive release of live recordings by the Grateful Dead.
It was recorded at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on August 23 and 24, 1968 and was eventually released in May 1992.
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