The Best of the Grateful Dead Live is a greatest hits album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains songs that were recorded live in concert and previously released on other Grateful Dead live albums. It was released on March 23, 2018.
Production According to producer David Lemieux, "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."
Critical reception On AllMusic, Timothy Monger said, "Created as a counterpart to their 2015 two-disc Best of the Grateful Dead studio collection, The Best of the Grateful Dead Live includes highlights culled from the band's commercially released concert albums on the Warner Bros. and Arista labels as well as a handful of live selections from their own personal archives."
In All About Jazz, Doug Collette wrote, "The Best of the Grateful Dead Live doesn't purport to be comprehensive, but it does offer the novice virtually all the necessary touch-points by which to become more intimately acquainted with the unit's entire body of work (the exception, omitted no doubt by time constraints: any example of Ron "Pigpen" McKernan's extended stage spotlights)."
Track listing
Disc one Title Writer(s) Recorded Previously released Length 1. "St. Stephen" Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Robert Hunter February 27, 1969Fillmore WestSan Francisco Live/Dead 6:37 2. "Bertha" Garcia, Hunter April 27, 1971Fillmore EastNew York City Grateful Dead 5:42 3. "Wharf Rat" Garcia, Hunter April 26, 1971Fillmore EastNew York City Grateful Dead 8:32 4. "Sugar Magnolia" Bob Weir, Hunter May 4, 1972Olympia TheatreParis Europe '72 7:10 5. "Jack Straw" Weir, Hunter May 3, 1972Olympia TheatreParis Europe '72 4:48 6. "Truckin'" Garcia, Lesh, Weir, Hunter May 26, 1972Lyceum TheatreLondon Europe '72 13:07 7. "Morning Dew" Bonnie Dobson, Tim Rose May 26, 1972Lyceum TheatreLondon Europe '72 11:28 8. "Brown-Eyed Women" Garcia, Hunter April 14, 1972Tivoli Concert HallCopenhagen Europe '72 4:37 9. "The Music Never Stopped" Weir, John Barlow August 13, 1975Great American Music HallSan Francisco One from the Vault 5:28 10. "Estimated Prophet" Weir, Barlow May 8, 1977Barton HallIthaca, New York Cornell 5/8/77 8:44Disc two Title Writer(s) Recorded Previously released Length 1. "Friend of the Devil" Garcia, John Dawson, Hunter October 27, 1980Radio City Music HallNew York City Dead Set 7:32 2. "Feel Like a Stranger" Weir, Barlow October 4, 1980Warfield TheatreSan Francisco Dead Set 5:46 3. "Fire on the Mountain" Mickey Hart, Hunter October 31, 1980Radio City Music HallNew York City Dead Set 6:47 4. "Bird Song" Garcia, Hunter October 14, 1980Warfield TheatreSan Francisco Reckoning 7:38 5. "Ripple" Garcia, Hunter October 4, 1980Warfield TheatreSan Francisco Reckoning 4:26 6. "Eyes of the World" Garcia, Hunter March 29, 1990Nassau ColiseumUniondale, New York Without a Net 16:13 7. "Touch of Grey" Garcia, Hunter July 4, 1989Rich StadiumOrchard Park, New York Truckin' Up to Buffalo 6:30 8. "Blow Away" Brent Mydland, Hunter July 7, 1989John F. Kennedy StadiumPhiladelphia Crimson White & Indigo 12:19 9. "So Many Roads" Garcia, Hunter July 9, 1995Soldier FieldChicago So Many Roads (1965–1995) 9:35
Personnel Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Phil Lesh – bass, vocals Bill Kreutzmann – drums, percussion Mickey Hart – drums, percussion on "St. Stephen", "The Music Never Stopped", "Estimated Prophet", "Friend of the Devil", "Feel Like a Stranger", "Fire on the Mountain", "Bird Song", "Ripple", "Eyes of the World", "Touch of Grey", "Blow Away", "So Many Roads" Ron "Pigpen" McKernan – organ, harmonica, percussion, vocals on "St. Stephen", "Bertha", "Wharf Rat", "Sugar Magnolia", "Jack Straw", "Truckin'", "Morning Dew", "Brown-Eyed Women" Tom Constanten – keyboards on "St. Stephen" Keith Godchaux – keyboards on "Sugar Magnolia", "Jack Straw", "Truckin'", "Morning Dew", "Brown-Eyed Women", "The Music Never Stopped", "Estimated Prophet" Donna Jean Godchaux – vocals on "Sugar Magnolia", "Jack Straw", "Truckin'", "Morning Dew", "Brown-Eyed Women", "The Music Never Stopped", "Estimated Prophet" Brent Mydland – keyboards, vocals on "Friend of the Devil", "Feel Like a Stranger", "Fire on the Mountain", "Bird Song", "Ripple", "Eyes of the World", "Touch of Grey", "Blow Away" Vince Welnick – keyboards, vocals on "So Many Roads" Additional musicians Merl Saunders – organ on "Bertha", "Wharf Rat" Branford Marsalis – saxophone on "Eyes of the World"
Charts Chart (2018) Peak position
References