The Very Best of the Grateful Dead

Performer: Grateful Dead
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Grateful Dead: Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, organ, congas, percussion); Jerry Garcia (vocals, guitar, pedal steel, piano); Phil Lesh (vocals, guitar, piano, bass); Bob Weir (vocals, guitar); Brent Mydland (vocals, keyboards); Donna Godchaux (vocals); Tom Constanten (piano, keyboards); Bill Kreutzmann (drums, percussion). Producers include: Grateful Dead, Dave Hassinger, Bob Matthews, Betty Cantor, Keith Olsen. Complition producers: James Austin, David Lemieux. Recorded between 1967 & 1987. Includes liner notes by James Austin. All tracks have been remastered using HDCD technology. Personnel: Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh (vocals, guitar, piano); Bob Weir (vocals, guitar); Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, organ, keyboards, congas, percussion); Brent Mydland (vocals, keyboards); Donna Jean Godchaux, English Chorale (vocals); David Nelson (electric guitar); Matthew Kelly (harp); David Grisman (mandolin); Tom Scott (saxophone, lyricon); Steven Schuster (saxophone); Tom Constanten (piano, keyboards); Howard Wales, Merl Saunders (organ); Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann (drums, percussion); Jordan Amarantha (percussion). Audio Remasterer: Joe Gastwirt. Liner Note Author: James Austin. Photographers: Herbert Greene; Fred Ordower. Even though the two-disc WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT'S BEEN may have more fully anthologized the Grateful Dead's fruitful Warner years, no previous anthology has ever summarized the band's entire career, on through the slim-pickin's mid-1970s to their celebratory late-'80s comeback. In this respect, THE VERY BEST OF... can be called a nearly definitive collection. Still, this is an entry point for the casual passerby, so the psychedelic largesse of the Dead's late-'60s albums is entirely eschewed in favor of the shorter, more concise songs of their folk-rock period ("Uncle John's Band," "Friend of the Devil," etc.). Consequently, this becomes a tribute not to the improvisational warrior Dead but to the creatively songful Dead, even as we hear them age gracefully into the older, wiser "Touch of Gray," which brought them a whole new generation of admirers.

The Grateful Dead were right there at the birth of the 1960s West Coast psychedelic scene, but they handily incorporated simple folk, blues, and country sounds into their swirling, jam-oriented style. With an endless touring schedule and a huge following of devoted fans, the group fueled hippie visions well into the '90s and sparked the jam-band movement that would eventually fill the void left by the dearly departed Grateful Dead after the passing of guitarist Jerry Garcia. Since Garcia's passing, surviving members of the band have participated in various musical projects, including a reunion tour in 2003 under the shortened name of "the Dead."

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25