Live/Dead

Tracks

Dark Star [23:15]
Saint Stephen [6:45]
The Eleven [9:39]
Turn On Your Love Light [15:30]
Death Don't Have No Mercy [10:30]
Feedback [8:52]
And We Bid You Goodnight [:36]

Liner Notes:

Containing such concert classics as "Dark Star," "The Eleven" and "Saint Stephen," The Grateful Dead's 1970 release, Live/Dead, was the legendary band's first attempt to capture on vinyl the energy, improvisational inspiration and sheer musical magnitude of their live show. Nearly 20 years later, these vintage performances take on new depth and dimension with the compact disc release of Live/Dead.

Formed in 1966 [sic] on the thriving San Francisco music scene, The Grateful Dead brought together a number of disparate musical elements into an innovative and influential whole. Lead guitarist Jerry Garcia had served a stint in a jug band; bassist Phil Lesh was involved in the frontiers of electronic music; keyboardist/vocalist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan had a background in the blues, while rhythm guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Bill Kreutzmann were well versed in rock, folk and R&B. The group became a staple on the city's psychedelic ballroom scene in the mid-'60s, fashioning a tightly meshed ensemble sound that one critic likened to "rolling thunder."

The Grateful Dead recorded their self-titled debut album in 1967 in just under three days. The LP showcased the group's trademark open-ended jams, along with some well-crafted, pop-flavored originals. It was followed, in 1968, by Anthem Of The Sun, on which the band combined live and in-studio tracks to create an extraordinary aural ambiance approximating the live Dead experience. It was a strategy expanded and enhanced on Aoxomoxoa (1969) with the group delving further into the studio's sonic limits on a selection of cuts that pushed the outside of rock's experimental envelope.

It was in this pioneering spirit that The Grateful Dead assembled the best material from a number of live performances to make up their next release, Live/Dead. Produced by the band, with longtime collaborators Bob Matthews and Betty Cantor, Live/Dead also features the percussion work of newly recruited member Micky Hart, along with the keyboards of Tom Constanten. The result is one of the most memorable offerings in the Dead's entire recording career, ranging from the interstellar expanses of "Dark Star" to the Pigpen's blues rave-up, "Turn On Your Lovelight," to the group's traditional closing number, "And We Bid You Goodnight."

Credits:

Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Tunes: Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh
Executive Engineer: Bob Matthews
Engineered by Betty Cantor
Consulting Engineers: Owsley, Ron Wickersham
Live recording by Alembic Recording Studios, Novato, California
Mixed at Muggles Gramophone, San Francisco
Sound: Bear
Kwipment Krew: Ramrod, John P. Hagen, Jackson, Kidd
Cover Art: R. D. Thomas
Liner Photos: Herb Greene, Jim Marshall, Florence Nathan
Art direction: Ed Thrasher

The Band:

Jerry Garcia - guitar & vocals
Phil Lesh - bass guitar & vocals
Bob Weir - guitar & vocals
Mickey Hart - percussion
Bill Kreutzmann - percussion
Tom Constanten (T.C.) - keyboard
Pigpen - vocals, congas, organ on "Death Don't Have No Mercy"