The Best of the Grateful Dead (original) (raw)

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2015 greatest hits album by Grateful Dead

The Best of the Grateful Dead
[The "skull and roses" design, with a black background](/wiki/File:The-Best-of-the-Grateful-Dead.jpg "The "skull and roses" design, with a black background")
Greatest hits album by Grateful Dead
Released March 31, 2015 (2015-03-31)
Recorded 1967–1989
Genre Rock
Label Rhino
Producer Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead chronology
Dave's Picks Volume 13(2015) The Best of the Grateful Dead(2015) Dave's Picks Volume 14(2015)

The Best of the Grateful Dead is an album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It is a two-CD compilation of songs recorded in the studio from throughout their career. It includes at least one track from each of their studio albums, recorded from 1967 to 1989 and arranged in chronological order. It was released by Rhino Records on March 31, 2015.[1][2][3][4]

The Best of the Grateful Dead includes songs from all the studio albums in the band's discography,[5] along with one non-album single "Dark Star" (recorded in 1968 as part of the Anthem of the Sun studio sessions).[5]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [6]

On AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "[The album] follows a strict chronological sequence, so it takes a little while for the psychedelic haze to lift and the Dead to settle into the rangy, rootsy groove that characterized so much of their existence... From there, many—but by no means all—of the group's warhorses are marched out, all in their studio incarnations.... By celebrating the warts and providing space for that unexpected late–'80s commercial comeback, The Best of the Grateful Dead is a good capsule history of a band that usually defies such straightforward narratives."[6]

Disc one

No. Title Writer(s) Original album Length
1. "The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)" Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, [Ron McKernan](/wiki/Ron%5F%22Pigpen%22%5FMcKernan "Ron "Pigpen" McKernan"), Bob Weir The Grateful Dead (1967) 2:11
2. "Cream Puff War" Garcia The Grateful Dead 2:29
3. "Born Cross-Eyed" Weir Anthem of the Sun (1968) 2:24
4. "Dark Star" Garcia, Mickey Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir, Robert Hunter Non-album single (1968) 2:42
5. "St. Stephen" Garcia, Lesh, Hunter Aoxomoxoa (1969) 4:27
6. "China Cat Sunflower" Garcia, Hunter Aoxomoxoa 3:41
7. "Uncle John's Band" Garcia, Hunter Workingman's Dead (1970) 4:44
8. "Easy Wind" Hunter Workingman's Dead 4:58
9. "Casey Jones" Garcia, Hunter Workingman's Dead 4:25
10. "Truckin'" Garcia, Lesh, Weir, Hunter American Beauty (1970) 5:07
11. "Box of Rain" Lesh, Hunter American Beauty 5:19
12. "Sugar Magnolia" Weir, Hunter American Beauty 3:17
13. "Friend of the Devil" Garcia, John Dawson, Hunter American Beauty 3:24
14. "Ripple" Garcia, Hunter American Beauty 4:11
15. "Eyes of the World" Garcia, Hunter Wake of the Flood (1973) 5:18
16. "Unbroken Chain" Lesh, Robert Petersen From the Mars Hotel (1974) 6:45
17. "Scarlet Begonias" Garcia, Hunter From the Mars Hotel 4:19
18. "The Music Never Stopped" Weir, John Barlow Blues for Allah (1975) 4:35
19. "Estimated Prophet" Weir, Barlow Terrapin Station (1977) 5:36

Disc two

No. Title Writer(s) Original album Length
1. "Terrapin Station" Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, Hunter Terrapin Station 16:22
2. "Shakedown Street" Garcia, Hunter Shakedown Street (1978) 5:00
3. "I Need a Miracle" Weir, Barlow Shakedown Street 3:35
4. "Fire on the Mountain" Hart, Hunter Shakedown Street 3:49
5. "Feel Like a Stranger" Weir, Barlow Go to Heaven (1980) 5:08
6. "Far from Me" Brent Mydland Go to Heaven 3:41
7. "Touch of Grey" Garcia, Hunter In the Dark (1987) 5:50
8. "Hell in a Bucket" Weir, Barlow, Mydland In the Dark 5:38
9. "Throwing Stones" Weir, Barlow In the Dark 7:21
10. "Black Muddy River" Garcia, Hunter In the Dark 6:00
11. "Blow Away" Mydland, Barlow Built to Last (1989) 6:11
12. "Foolish Heart" Garcia, Hunter Built to Last 5:12
13. "Standing on the Moon" Garcia, Hunter Built to Last 5:21
  1. ^ Giles, Jeff (January 21, 2015). "Grateful Dead Announce 50th Anniversary Compilation and New Archival Live Set", Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  2. ^ "Grateful Dead to Release Best of Compilation to Kick Off 50th Anniversary", jambands.com, January 31, 2015.
  3. ^ Lynn, Laura (January 26, 2015). "The Best of the Grateful Dead Arrives March 31", Dubuque's Super Hits 106. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  4. ^ The Best of the Grateful Dead, dead.net, January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  5. ^ a b The Best of the Grateful Dead, Grateful Dead Family Discography. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Best of the Grateful Dead at AllMusic. Retrieved April 3, 2015.