Tag: Grateful Dead Live Albums

Live Albums by the Grateful Dead

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.

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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.

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You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk

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You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk

Grateful Dead Steal Your Face 1974

Steal Your Face is a live album by the Grateful Dead.

It was recorded during their farewell tour at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco between October 16 and October 20, 1974.

The band had been pioneering a new sound system (known as the wall of sound) but it made touring harder than before because of the more complicated set-up when they changed venues.

These concerts also provided the source for The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack which has been much better received.

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Grateful Dead History of the Grateful Dead Volume One (Bear’s Choice) 1970

History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear’s Choice) is a live album by the Grateful Dead.

It pulls its songs from concerts recorded at the Fillmore East in New York on February 13 and 14, 1970. These are also featured in Dick’s Picks Volume 4.

Compiler Owsley Stanley (Bear) wanted to pay tribute to Pigpen when it was being produced.

In 2001 four more tracks from February 1970 were added to the album including a second version of Smokestack Lightnin‘.

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Grateful Dead Reckoning 1980

Reckoning is an acoustic live album by the Grateful Dead.

It was recorded in September and October 1980. It was mainly recorded at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco and at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

There is a companion album called Dead Set which collects together electric performances from the same concerts.

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Grateful Dead Dick’s Picks Volume 4 1970

Dick’s Picks Volume 4 is a live album by the Grateful Dead.

It was recorded at the Fillmore East in New York City on February 13 and February 14, 1970 and features the third sets from both concerts. It was released in February 1996.

Dick’s Picks are archival live recordings selected by the Grateful Dead tape vault archivist Dick Latvala and were named after him.

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Grateful Dead Wake Up To Find Out 1990

Wake Up To Find Out: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 3/29/1990 is a 3 CD live album by the Grateful Dead.

Have you ever thought to yourself…

“These guitar solos from Jerry Garcia are great but I wonder what it would be like if he had to duel with a saxophonist?”

If so, this is the album for you. It features the jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis and I understand he was originally invited to make a guest appearance on Bird Song. However the band were so excited by the sound, he was invited to play on for the entire second set.

If you read this blog, you’ll know that I have a real weakness for the contrast between guitar and saxophones (or flutes) so this was a must-have performance when I heard about it.

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Grateful Dead Live At The Cow Palace New Years Eve 1976

Live At The Cow Palace: New Years Eve 1976 is a live album by the Grateful Dead recorded in Daly City, near to San Francisco in California.

This concert recording catch the Dead between the Blues for Allah and Terrapin Station studio albums and follows their break in performing live in concert regularly between 1974 and 1976.

Grateful Dead Live At The Cow Palace: New Years Eve 1976

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Grateful Dead Steppin Out With The Grateful Dead England 72

Steppin Out With The Grateful Dead England 72 is a live album compiled from the concert performance in England by the Grateful Dead in April & May 1972.

Europe 72 was an extremely successful live album for the Grateful Dead but it excluded many of the classic songs. While these have been picked up on Europe 72 volume 2, the albums lack a concert feel.d

Grateful Dead Steppin Out With The Grateful Dead England 72

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Grateful Dead Closing of Winterland December 31 1978

Closing of Winterland: December 31 1978 is a live album by the Grateful Dead. This was the last rock concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Arena and was released in 2003.

The venue had been the band’s spiritual home after the closure of the smaller Fillmore West and it was fitting that the Dead were the last band to play at the venue which was home to The Last Waltz.

The gig went on for so long that breakfast was served to the crowd at dawn.

Grateful Dead Closing of Winterland December 31 1978

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Grateful Dead Europe 72 Vol. 2

Europe 72 Vol. 2 is a second live album by the Grateful Dead to come from the European tour after the highly regarded Europe 72.

Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux, who produced this 20-track compilation, says he only chose song titles that did not appear on Europe ’72 as a way to complement the original.

“I think this album, coupled with Europe ’72, represents a complete overview of the tour in every way,” he says. “In fact, songs like “Beat It On Down The Line,” “Next Time You See Me” and “Sing Me Back Home” were selected by the Grateful Dead for the first set, but were left off because there wasn’t enough room.”

This has the more psychedelic songs on it like Dark Star.

The European tour of 1972 is a high point in the history of the Grateful Dead but it was also the last time Pigpen was a functioning member and he died the following year.

Grateful Dead Europe 72 Vol. 2

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Grateful Dead Skull & Roses 1971

Skull & Roses is a live album by the Grateful Dead.

It was recorded in March and April 1971 including the Fillmore east concerts in April 1971 that provided songs for the four CD album Ladies and Gentlemen…the Grateful Dead.

Grateful Dead Skull & Roses

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