Consequence of Sound (COS), Pitchfork, and other music-related sites report on the anniversary reissue of Workingman’s Dead, The Grateful Dead’s seminal album from 50 years ago. While The Dead themselves were not big fans of their studio output, this is certainly one of their best, and certainly one of the most influential on almost any current Americana artist.
The new, remastered version is set for a July 10, 2020 release and will be available on both CD and vinyl. The vinyl version is a picture disc set limited to 10,000 copies. On the other hand, the CD version is a three-disc set that also features, as COS puts it, “a live album capturing the iconic rock group’s February 21st, 1971 concert at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Altogether there are 24 recordings on this collection, the setlist pulled from Workingman’s Dead as well as its follow-up, American Beauty. “
David Lemieux, the longtime Grateful Dead archivist and producer said in a statement that “for an album as important and great as Workingman’s Dead, it seemed appropriate to double the amount of bonus material.” He also adds that, “The show we’ve selected gives a definitive overview of what the band was up to six months after the release of the album and shows the Dead sound that would largely define the next couple of years. From Workingman’s Dead through Europe ’72, the Dead’s sound was Americana, and the live show included here is a workingman’s band playing authentically honest music.”
COS also adds that during the COVID-19 quarantine the band has also recently launched Shakedown Stream, a weekly live stream series consisting of full concert screenings.
The below live version of “Casey Jones” is included on the Anniversary issue.
