Unfinished Grateful Dead album

Last updated

The Grateful Dead had worked on songs in the early 1990s for an album that was intended to be the follow-up to Built to Last (1989), but it was never completed. [1] [2] [3] This has sometimes been referred to as the unfinished last Grateful Dead album [4] and The Missing Album. [3] The band began work on a new album in February 1992, which was incomplete. After Jerry Garcia's death, the band considered finishing the album, [5] but it never came into fruition. [1]

Contents

On October 8, 2019, it was announced that a new album entitled Ready or Not would be released on November 22, 2019. It contains 9 songs, recorded during live performances between 1992 and 1995. All songs are from the list given below. [6]

Overview

In the early 1990s, the Grateful Dead had been working on new songs. When Jerry Garcia died in 1995, the band decided to break up and this album was never finished. [1] [2] [3] Work on the unfinished album began in February 1992 in West Marin County in California, at a studio the band called "the Site", which was located on a hill with scenic views and occasional views of wildlife. [1] At the time, Jerry Garcia was not particularly interested or focused upon the project, which discouraged its impetus. [1] The studio session work did not have any lead vocals from songs that Garcia performed lead vocals on, and Garcia's guitar work on the tracks was described as "rudimentary." [7] The tracks for the new album were incomplete. [8]

In 1995, Phil Lesh was performing studio work on the unfinished album. [4] At this time, Lesh stated that the album "... doesn't have much Jerry on it", [4] referring to Garcia. In 1997, Bob Weir stated that the album could potentially be completed, but that it would take additional collaboration from the remaining band members. [3] Weir and others stated at this time that they expected for a collaboration to finish the album to occur sometime in 1998. [3] In August 1999, Lesh stated that he felt the content from the studio sessions did not merit use on an album, and that efforts to improve the content would not equate to what Garcia would have performed. [7] In 1999, Dennis McNally, spokesperson for the Grateful Dead, stated that using another guitarist to fill-in for Garcia "would have been unconscionable", and that "without Garcia, there is no last album." So the album never came into fruition. [1]

The box set So Many Roads (1965–1995) has six songs from live concert performance and rehearsal tracks from the unfinished Grateful Dead album. [5]

This album would have had the most variety of lead singers for songs of any of the Grateful Dead's studio albums, other than 1970's American Beauty . There were four singers: Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Vince Welnick.

Track listing

The following are the songs that were planned for the unfinished album. "Childhood's End", "If the Shoe Fits", and "Wave to the Wind" were not included in Ready or Not.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Lesh and Friends</span> American rock band

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Weir</span> American musician; member of the Grateful Dead

Robert Hall Weir is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead. Weir also founded and played in several other bands during and after his career with the Grateful Dead, including Kingfish, the Bob Weir Band, Bobby and the Midnites, Scaring the Children, RatDog, and Furthur, which he co-led with former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. In 2015, Weir, along with former Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, joined with Grammy-winning singer/guitarist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti to form the band Dead & Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Welnick</span> American musician (1951–2006)

Vincent Leo Welnick was an American keyboardist and singer-songwriter, best known for playing with the band The Tubes during the 1970s and 1980s and with the Grateful Dead in the 1990s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a member of the Grateful Dead.

<i>Infrared Roses</i> 1991 live album by Grateful Dead

Infrared Roses is a live compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It is a conglomeration of their famous improvisational segments "Drums" and "Space".

<i>Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 11</i> 2006 live album by Grateful Dead

Download Series Volume 11 is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It was released as a three-disc digital download on March 7, 2006. It contains the complete show the band performed on June 20, 1991 at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan. The first and third disc are supplemented by songs from the previous night at the same venue.

<i>So Many Roads (1965–1995)</i> 1999 box set by the Grateful Dead

So Many Roads (1965–1995) is a five-disc box set by the Grateful Dead. Primarily consisting of concert recordings from different periods of the band's history, it also contains several songs recorded in the studio. All but one of the forty-two tracks were previously unreleased. The album was released on November 7, 1999. It was certified a gold record by the RIAA on April 12, 2000.

<i>View from the Vault, Volume Two</i> 2001 live album by Grateful Dead

View from the Vault, Volume Two is the second entry in the "View from the Vault" series by the Grateful Dead. It was released simultaneously as a three-disk CD and a one-disk DVD. This volume features the June 14, 1991 concert at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C., and bonus material from a show at the same venue on July 12, 1990. It is the only Grateful Dead video release featuring Vince Welnick and Bruce Hornsby.

<i>Dicks Picks Volume 9</i> 1997 live album by Grateful Dead

Dick's Picks Volume 9 is the ninth live album in the Dick's Picks series of releases by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on September 16, 1990, at the Madison Square Garden in New York City during the first tour with new keyboardists Vince Welnick and Bruce Hornsby. This CD contains the full show from that night.

<i>Dicks Picks Volume 17</i> 2000 live album by Grateful Dead

Dick's Picks Volume 17 is the 17th live album in the Dick's Picks series of releases by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on September 25, 1991 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, with two additional tracks from the March 31, 1991 show at Greensboro.

<i>Dicks Picks Volume 27</i> 2003 live album by Grateful Dead

Dick's Picks Volume 27 is an album by the Grateful Dead, the 27th installment of their archival release series. It was recorded on December 16, 1992 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, in Oakland, California. It was released in 2003.

<i>Grateful Dead: Downhill from Here</i> 1997 American film

Downhill from Here is a concert video by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It was recorded at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, near East Troy, Wisconsin, in July 1989. It was produced by Len Dell'Amico and Grateful Dead Productions. It was released by Monterey Home Video on VHS in 1997 and on DVD in 1999, and by Pioneer Entertainment on LaserDisc in 1997. The video has a running time of two and a half hours.

<i>Grateful Dead: Backstage Pass</i> 1992 American film

Backstage Pass is a music documentary video by the Grateful Dead. It was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and produced by Gillian Grisman, daughter of musician David Grisman. It was released in 1992, and is 35 minutes long.

<i>Road Trips Volume 2 Number 1</i> 2008 live album by Grateful Dead

Road Trips Volume 2 Number 1 is two-CD live album by the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The fifth in their "Road Trips" series of albums, it was recorded at Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 18, 19, and 20, 1990. It was released on December 10, 2008.

Bob Bralove is a keyboard–synthesizer player who worked as a sound technician with the Grateful Dead from 1986 to 1995. Throughout his tenure, he performed as an auxiliary musician throughout "Drums" and "Space", the band's signature aleatoric music segments. Accordingly, he played a key role in their integration of MIDI technology, first working with drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, keyboardist Brent Mydland, and later guitarist Bob Weir and synthesizer/piano player Vince Welnick. He also co-wrote several songs with Weir and Welnick, including "Picasso Moon" on Built to Last (1989) and "Way to Go Home" and "Easy Answers", which were slated to appear on the band's unfinished fourteenth studio album. Perhaps his most significant project with the band was curating excerpts from "Drums" and "Space" on Infrared Roses, a 1991 compilation album. "Parallelogram" and "Little Nemo in Nightland" are some of his most notable "compositions" from this release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reunions of the Grateful Dead</span> Aspect of American music history

The Grateful Dead were an American rock band known for their lengthy, partially improvised performances, as well as for a loyal fan base who often followed the band for several shows or entire tours. They disbanded in 1995, following the death of de facto bandleader Jerry Garcia. Since then remaining members have reunited for a number of concert tours and one-off performances, often in very different configurations. The following is a list of instances where former Grateful Dead members have reunited.

<i>Road Trips Volume 2 Number 4</i> 2009 live album by Grateful Dead

Road Trips Volume 2 Number 4 is a two-CD live album by the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The eighth in their "Road Trips" series of albums, it was recorded on May 26 and 27, 1993, at the Cal Expo Amphitheatre in Sacramento, California. A third, bonus disc included with some copies of the album was recorded at the same two concerts. The album was released on August 25, 2009. As of 2024 the shows are the latest to be given a dedicated official release outside of 30 Trips Around the Sun in 2015, which featured a show from each year between 1966-1995.

<i>30 Trips Around the Sun</i> 2015 live album by Grateful Dead

30 Trips Around the Sun is an 80-CD live album, packaged as a box set, by the rock band the Grateful Dead. Announced for the celebration of their 50th anniversary, it consists of 30 complete, previously unreleased concerts, with one show per year from 1966 through 1995. Comprising 73 hours of music, the box set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies. It was released on October 7, 2015.

<i>Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991</i> 2019 live album by Grateful Dead

Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains five complete concerts on 14 CDs. The shows were recorded at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 12, 1987, July 9 and 10, 1989, and June 16 and 17, 1991. The album also includes a video of the June 17, 1991 performance, on two DVDs or one Blu-ray disc. It was released on September 27, 2019, in a limited edition of 10,000 numbered copies.

<i>Saint of Circumstance</i> 2019 live album by Grateful Dead

Saint of Circumstance is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete concert recorded at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on June 17, 1991. It was released on September 27, 2019, on three CDs or five LPs. The same recording was also released the same day as part of the 14-CD album Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991.

<i>Ready or Not</i> (Grateful Dead album) 2019 live album by Grateful Dead

Ready or Not is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains nine songs recorded at various venues from 1992 to 1995. It was released on November 22, 2019 in LP and CD format.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sclafani, T. (2013). The Grateful Dead FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Greatest Jam Band in History. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. pt330–. ISBN   978-1-61713-582-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Josephson, Isaac (April 20, 1998). "Vince Welnick talks about the Grateful Dead's last unfinished album". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Rogers, John (April 8, 1997). "Grateful Dead: Musical group lives on in new works". The Daily Courier. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Morse, Steve (December 30, 1995). "Life after Dead: trio plans tour". Observer-Reporter. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 Simon, Richard B (November 9, 1999). "Grateful Dead Box Set Targets Diehards, Newcomers". MTV News . Retrieved January 19, 2016.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ promotional email
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Juanis, J.C. (January 22, 2015). "Phil Lesh on Longtime Bandmates and New Friends: August 1999 (Throwback Thursday)". Relix . Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  8. ↑ Dodd, D.; Spaulding, D. (2000). The Grateful Dead Reader. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 291. ISBN   978-0-19-972863-3 . Retrieved January 19, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.