Grateful Dead - History Of The Grateful Dead, Volume 1 [Bear's Choice · 50th Anniversary]

History of the Grateful Dead, Vol. 1 (Bear's Choice)

The original album, newly re-mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer, David Glasser, using Plangent Processes from the original analog 2-track tapes, recorded live by Owsley "Bear" Stanley.

The Grateful Dead's first true archival album, Bear's Choice, was lovingly produced as a tribute to Pigpen shortly after he passed by none other that the Dead's original soundman and benefactor, Owsley Stanley, a.k.a. Bear.

Drawing from live shows recorded three years earlier by Bear at the Fillmore East in New York City, Bear's Choice captures the Dead at an essential moment of their history, as they were about to record Workingman's Dead (and shortly thereafter, American Beauty), and were transitioning into becoming Americana pioneers, while never losing touch with their psychedelic improvisational roots.

Three of the eight songs on the album are sung by Pigpen, with Side 1 being the definitive example of early Acoustic Dead, and Side 2 being electric blues and rock & roll, with Pigpen leading the charge on both tracks on the second side. This has been re-mastered by David Glasser using Plangent Processes from the original analog 2-track tapes recorded live by Bear and has never sounded better.

 

Side A

Katie Mae

Dark Hollow

I've Been All Around This World

Wake Up Little Susie

Black Peter

Side B

Smokestack Lightnin

Hard To Handle

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