Album of the Day

Grateful Dead were at the forefront of San Francisco rock; in fact, the Bay Area music scene was so nascent when the group cut their eponymous debut album that they had to travel to Los Angeles to find a suitable studio. The collection draws heavily from the vintage folk and blues songs that were staples of the group's concerts ("Viola Lee Blues," "Good Morning Little School Girl," "Beat It On Down The Line"), and Jerry Garcia and company were clearly enjoying themselves as they figured out how best to capture their epic live excursions on vinyl. The new THE GRATEFUL DEAD: 50th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION contains the original album, newly remastered from the original tapes, along with a bonus disc that features the complete unreleased concert from July 29th, 1966 and select cuts from July 30th, 1966 at the P.N.E. Garden Auditorium in British Columbia. The long, strange trip begins here...