The Best of the Grateful Dead

Last updated
The Best of the Grateful Dead
The-Best-of-the-Grateful-Dead.jpg
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedMarch 31, 2015 (2015-03-31)
Recorded1967–1989
Genre Rock
Label Rhino
Producer Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead chronology
Dave's Picks Volume 13
(2015)
The Best of the Grateful Dead
(2015)
Dave's Picks Volume 14
(2015)

The Best of the Grateful Dead is an album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It is a two-CD compilation of songs recorded in the studio from throughout their career. It includes at least one track from each of their studio albums, recorded from 1967 to 1989 and arranged in chronological order. It was released by Rhino Records on March 31, 2015. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The Best of the Grateful Dead includes songs from all the studio albums in the band's discography, [5] along with one non-album single "Dark Star" (recorded in 1968 as part of the Anthem of the Sun studio sessions). [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]

On AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "[The album] follows a strict chronological sequence, so it takes a little while for the psychedelic haze to lift and the Dead to settle into the rangy, rootsy groove that characterized so much of their existence... From there, many—but by no means all—of the group's warhorses are marched out, all in their studio incarnations.... By celebrating the warts and providing space for that unexpected late–'80s commercial comeback, The Best of the Grateful Dead is a good capsule history of a band that usually defies such straightforward narratives." [6]

Track listing

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)" Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Ron McKernan, Bob Weir The Grateful Dead (1967)2:11
2."Cream Puff War"GarciaThe Grateful Dead 2:29
3."Born Cross-Eyed"Weir Anthem of the Sun (1968)2:24
4."Dark Star"Garcia, Mickey Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir, Robert Hunter Non-album single (1968)2:42
5."St. Stephen"Garcia, Lesh, Hunter Aoxomoxoa (1969)4:27
6."China Cat Sunflower"Garcia, HunterAoxomoxoa3:41
7."Uncle John's Band"Garcia, Hunter Workingman's Dead (1970)4:44
8."Easy Wind"HunterWorkingman's Dead4:58
9."Casey Jones"Garcia, HunterWorkingman's Dead4:25
10."Truckin'"Garcia, Lesh, Weir, Hunter American Beauty (1970)5:07
11."Box of Rain"Lesh, HunterAmerican Beauty5:19
12."Sugar Magnolia"Weir, HunterAmerican Beauty3:17
13."Friend of the Devil"Garcia, John Dawson, HunterAmerican Beauty3:24
14."Ripple"Garcia, HunterAmerican Beauty4:11
15."Eyes of the World"Garcia, Hunter Wake of the Flood (1973)5:18
16."Unbroken Chain"Lesh, Robert Petersen From the Mars Hotel (1974)6:45
17."Scarlet Begonias"Garcia, HunterFrom the Mars Hotel4:19
18."The Music Never Stopped"Weir, John Barlow Blues for Allah (1975)4:35
19."Estimated Prophet"Weir, Barlow Terrapin Station (1977)5:36
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Terrapin Station"Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, HunterTerrapin Station16:22
2."Shakedown Street"Garcia, Hunter Shakedown Street (1978)5:00
3."I Need a Miracle"Weir, BarlowShakedown Street3:35
4."Fire on the Mountain"Hart, HunterShakedown Street3:49
5."Feel Like a Stranger"Weir, Barlow Go to Heaven (1980)5:08
6."Far from Me" Brent Mydland Go to Heaven3:41
7."Touch of Grey"Garcia, Hunter In the Dark (1987)5:50
8."Hell in a Bucket"Weir, Barlow, MydlandIn the Dark5:38
9."Throwing Stones"Weir, BarlowIn the Dark7:21
10."Black Muddy River"Garcia, HunterIn the Dark6:00
11."Blow Away"Mydland, Barlow Built to Last (1989)6:11
12."Foolish Heart"Garcia, HunterBuilt to Last5:12
13."Standing on the Moon"Garcia, HunterBuilt to Last5:21

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Phil Lesh and Friends American rock band

Phil Lesh and Friends is an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead.

<i>Down on the Farm</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Little Feat

Down on the Farm is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Little Feat. The album was completed and released shortly after the death of the band's founder and frontman, Lowell George, in 1979. It was their last original work for nine years. The band had announced their break-up in June 1979 during the making of the album. Little Feat would reform in 1987.

<i>The Very Best of Winger</i> 2001 greatest hits album by Winger

The Very Best of Winger is a compilation album of material from the American rock band Winger, released by the label Atlantic Records and the company Rhino Entertainment in October 2001.

<i>What a Long Strange Trip Its Been</i> 1977 greatest hits album by Grateful Dead

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been is the second compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It was released August 18, 1977 by Warner Bros. Records, three and a half years after the Skeletons from the Closet compilation. Both albums are subtitled "The Best of the Grateful Dead". Unlike the previous compilation, What a Long Strange Trip It's Been is a double album.

<i>Cats Under the Stars</i> 1978 studio album by Jerry Garcia Band

Cats Under the Stars is an album by the Jerry Garcia Band. Released in 1978, it is the only studio album credited to the band. It was Jerry Garcia's first album on the Arista label and his first LP using the band name Jerry Garcia Band. It includes only one song that was performed by the Grateful Dead. Keith and Donna Godchaux, who were at the time members of the Garcia Band, contributed to the music.

<i>Dead Zone: The Grateful Dead CD Collection (1977–1987)</i> 1987 box set by Grateful Dead

Dead Zone: The Grateful Dead CD Collection (1977–1987) is a six-CD boxed set retrospect of the Grateful Dead's studio and live albums during their time with Arista Records from 1977 to 1987. Prior to 1977, the band was on its own label, Grateful Dead Records.

<i>Beyond Description (1973–1989)</i> 2004 box set by Grateful Dead

Beyond Description (1973–1989) is the second twelve-CD box set retrospective of the Grateful Dead's studio and live albums. A companion to The Golden Road (1965–1973) box set, it covers their time on the Grateful Dead Records and Arista Records labels, from 1973 to 1989.

"Shakedown Street" is a song by the Grateful Dead. It was written by lyricist Robert Hunter and composed by guitarist Jerry Garcia. It was released as the title track on the album Shakedown Street in November 1978. The song was first performed live on August 31, 1978 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, in Morrison, Colorado. The song "From the Heart of Me" was also played for the first time during the performance. It depicts the reasons for inner-city urban decay. The album for which the song is the title track reached #41 on the Billboard Top 200 for 1979.

<i>Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978</i> 2008 live album by Grateful Dead

Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978 is a live album by American rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains two CDs and one DVD and was released in 2008. The album was recorded September 15 & 16, 1978, at the Giza pyramid complex in Giza, Egypt. This was the third continent on which the band performed, having previously performed in Europe. Unlike Dick's Picks, Road Trips, Dave's Picks, and certain other of the band's archival series of live album releases, which are simply two-track stereo recordings made from the soundboard during the concert, the shows on the album were recorded on a 24-track multitrack recorder and were mixed down to stereo just prior to the album's 2008 release.

<i>Flashback with the Grateful Dead</i> 2011 compilation album by Grateful Dead

Flashback with the Grateful Dead is an album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains ten songs, selected from eight of their studio albums that were originally released between 1969 and 1989. The compilation was released on CD on the Flashback label, a subsidiary of Rhino Records, on April 5, 2011.

<i>The Who Hits 50!</i> (album) 2014 compilation album by The Who

The Who Hits 50! is a compilation of singles by the English rock band The Who, released in 2014 by Polydor Records. The two-disc set contains every single released by the band in the United Kingdom, with the exceptions of: "A Legal Matter" and "La-La-La-Lies" from 1966; and "Long Live Rock" and the remake of "I'm One" from 1979. At the same time it also contains every single by the band released in the United States throughout their career, with the exceptions of: "The Real Me" from 1974; the reissue of "Substitute" from 1976; and "Long Live Rock" from 1979. A condensed single-disc standard edition appeared as well, both versions in conjunction with the band's 50th anniversary and associated tour of the same name. The album is notable for containing singles generally not included on other compilation albums, such as the band's Rolling Stones cover "The Last Time" done as an act of solidarity while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were facing jail time, along with other lesser-known singles "Dogs" and "Call Me Lightning".

<i>30 Trips Around the Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965–1995</i> 2015 live album by Grateful Dead

30 Trips Around the Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965–1995 is a four-CD live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains 30 songs recorded in concert—one from each of the years 1966 through 1995—plus one song recorded in a 1965 studio session. All of the tracks are selected from the 80-CD box set 30 Trips Around the Sun, which contains 30 previously unreleased complete shows. The album was released on September 18, 2015. A chronological sampling format was also used for the 5-disc set So Many Roads (1965–1995).

<i>Daves Picks Volume 15</i> 2015 live album by Grateful Dead

Dave's Picks Volume 15 is a three-CD live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete concert recorded on April 22, 1978 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was released on August 1, 2015 as a limited edition of 16,500 numbered copies.

<i>Daves Picks Volume 17</i> 2016 live album by Grateful Dead

Dave's Picks Volume 17 is a three-CD live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete concert recorded on July 19, 1974 at Selland Arena in Fresno, California. It was produced in a limited edition of 16,500 numbered copies, and released on February 1, 2016.

<i>Long Strange Trip</i>

Long Strange Trip is a documentary film about the rock band the Grateful Dead. It premiered on January 23, 2017, at the Sundance Film Festival. It had a one-night only nationwide screening on May 25, 2017, and a week-long limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles starting on May 26. The film was split into a six-part miniseries, which became available on Amazon Video on June 2, 2017.

<i>Cornell 5/8/77</i> 2017 live album by Grateful Dead

Cornell 5/8/77 is a live album by the American rock band the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on May 8, 1977, at Barton Hall, Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York. It was released as a three-disc CD album and as a five-disc vinyl album on May 5, 2017.

<i>The Best of the Grateful Dead Live</i> 2018 compilation album by Grateful Dead

The Best of the Grateful Dead Live is a compilation album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains songs that were recorded live in concert and previously released on other Grateful Dead albums. It was released on March 23, 2018.

<i>Sage & Spirit</i> 2019 compilation album by Grateful Dead

Sage & Spirit is a compilation album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains ten songs – eight recorded in the studio and two live – selected from various albums. It was produced as a vinyl LP in a limited edition of 4,000 copies, and released on April 3, 2019 in conjunction with Record Store Day.

<i>Daves Picks Volume 33</i> 2020 live album by Grateful Dead

Dave's Picks Volume 33 is a three-CD live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete show recorded on October 29, 1977 at Evans Field House at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. It was released on January 31, 2020, in a limited edition of 22,000 copies.

References

  1. Giles, Jeff (January 21, 2015). "Grateful Dead Announce 50th Anniversary Compilation and New Archival Live Set", Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  2. "Grateful Dead to Release Best of Compilation to Kick Off 50th Anniversary", jambands.com, January 31, 2015.
  3. Lynn, Laura (January 26, 2015). "The Best of the Grateful Dead Arrives March 31", Dubuque's Super Hits 106. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  4. The Best of the Grateful Dead, dead.net, January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  5. 1 2 The Best of the Grateful Dead, Grateful Dead Family Discography. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Best of the Grateful Dead at AllMusic. Retrieved April 3, 2015.