Grateful Dead Album: “What a Long Strange Trip It's Been”

The Grateful Dead recorded their first 8 albums for Warner Brothers before leaving to form their own record label in 1972. This era of the Dead produced most of their most well known songs, including "Truckin'", "Sugar Magnolia", "Casey Jones", "Dark Star", etc. Warners' initial attempt to compile the best songs from this period resulted in the greatest hits album "Skeletons From The Closet". Then in 1977 they put out this 2 record set (now 2 CDs), which makes an ideal companion to the earlier hits album. Only one song, "Truckin', is repeated from "Skeletons...". They also include a live version of "St. Stephen", the studio version of which had appeared on the earlier collection. It was certainly misleading of them to subtitle this "The Best Of The Grateful Dead". In reality, most of the best songs got put on the first hits album, and this album has the best of what's left over. But what wonderful leftovers! "Ripple" is fantastic, it certainly would have made the cut for the first hits collection if I had compiled it. Other standouts include "Jack Straw", "Me And My Uncle", "Cumberland Blues", "Brown-Eyed Woman", and "Playing In The Band". The previously-mentioned "Dark Star", which has long been a concert favorite of the deadheads (although it doesn't really do much for me), is also here. This album also includes more live recordings than "Skeletons...", so it begins to paint a more accurate portrait of what the Dead were all about than that collection did. If you own "Skeletons..." and are looking for the logical next step, this is it. If you don't already have "Skeletons...", then start there, not here. Of course, many hard-core deadheads would advise skipping the compilations altogether and just going with all the original albums, but for those of us who don't really feel the need to own 15-20 Dead CDs, the compilations work quite nicely.

The year is 1977 and the Dead have come of age. The boys are cool, confident and precise. Notes ring clear, voices are strong & tunes are damn near perfect.

This 2-CD set is one that will be played till it wears out. Various songs have been my favorite over the years, but "Doin' That Rag" and "Brown-Eyed Woman" are simply unbeatable. I can't get enough. This CD set also provides the wonderful rendition of "Ramble on Rose" that inspired my Online handle. Jerry and Bobby's interplay in Jack Straw is so good its damn near organismic.

This is a must-have for everyone, everywhere. No prior Dead experience required (-:

Back when I was just starting -- back in 1968 or so, I would hear some songs in concerts, then scour the land far and wide for recordings of these songs that I didn't even know the titles of. Some of these favorites are "Tennessee Jed", "Ramble On Rose" and "Jack Straw". These three songs represent a unique snapshot of little segments of the American experience -- two comedies and one tragedy. I love the way Jerry leans into the chops of "Tennessee Jed" but the way Jerry's guitar lilts behind the vocals in "Jack Straw" is so uniquely, undeniably, representative Dead that I have to claim this sad song one of my all-time favorites. This release represents some of the best examples of these long-sought gems.

All that I have to say is if you like the Dead, you will like this disc. Gotta love the Dead! My only complaint is I got only one disc of a two disc set!

grateful dead is my favorite all time band. i have cassettes ,that are "aging" so i am slowly trying to replace them w/ cds. i bought working mans dead & shakedown street first & then got this one LOVE LOVE all of them . i will be getting some live recordings next !!!!!