Between 1965 and 1995, the Grateful Dead performed a world record 2,318 shows for millions of fans all over the world. The band’s legendary legacy was highlighted by the fact that they never played the same song twice, drawing fans to chase new versions of their favorite tunes at every possible show and making their live catalog a true collection of the band’s extensive history. The Grateful Dead’s live experience is honored in the new release, The Best Of The Grateful Dead Live–an ultimate live collection, two-disc set that includes recordings selected from the band’s official live albums on Warner Bros. and Arista, plus a few tracks from their many archival live releases.
Beginning with “St. Stephen”—from the group’s first official live album, 1969’s Live/Dead—and ending with the poignant “So Many Roads”, taken from the band’s final concert at Chicago’s Soldier Field in July of 1995, The Best Of The Grateful Dead Live is currently available through digital and streaming services. Volume One of the collection is available on 180-gram vinyl as a 2-LP set, covering the first half of the album. Volume Two on vinyl will be released at a later date.
“We wanted to follow up the 2015 The Best Of The Grateful Dead studio set with a live counterpart, and have focused our efforts on the band’s primary live albums as well as some key tracks from archival concert releases,” says band archivist and producer David Lemieux in a press release. “Just as there was nothing like a Grateful Dead concert, there is also nothing like a live Grateful Dead recording; it’s no secret that as good as the Dead’s studio recordings were, they excelled in front of an audience, and this set provides an overview of just how great the Dead were live in concert.”
The press release details:
The live albums the band released during its 30-year career are the primary source for the collection, including tracks like “Bertha” from Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) (1971), “Fire On The Mountain” from Dead Set (1981), and “The Music Never Stopped” from One From the Vault (1991). A testament to its ongoing popularity, the revered double-album Europe ’72 (1972), is represented by no less than five tracks, including “Sugar Magnolia,” “Jack Straw” and a searing rendition of “Morning Dew.”
Other performances on the set were selected from the growing number of live releases that have emerged since the death of founding member Jerry Garcia in 1995. Some of those recordings include “Touch Of Grey” from Truckin’ Up To Buffalo (2005), a 1990 version of “Eyes Of The World” with saxophonist Branford Marsalis featured on Wake Up To Find Out (2014), and “Estimated Prophet,” which debuted earlier this year as part of Cornell 5/8/77, a recording of the Grateful Dead’s mythic show at Cornell University in 1977, thought by many to be the band’s greatest live performance.
The music of the Grateful Dead continues to be one of the most influential catalogs of all time, inspiring generations of musicians to play on in their honor, while the surviving members continue to hold the torch in their various projects. When it all comes down to it, though, nothing will ever truly compare to the real deal. The Best Of The Grateful Dead Live is the newest compilation of Grateful Dead recordings, catered to the fans who dig the efforts of the band’s entire career. Check out the track listing below, and tune in.