Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead Records Collection [5LP/ 180G/ Remastered/ Slipcased Box Set]

Vinyl 5LP Box Set Collecting 2017 Remastered Versions of the Four Mid-70s Era Albums Wake Of The Flood, From The Mars Hotel, Blues For Allah and Steal Your Face, All Housed in a Rigid Slipcase with a Book Containing Liner Notes and Iconic Photos of the Band!

The vinyl 5LP box set Grateful Dead Records Collection gathers 2017 remastered versions of the four mid-70s Grateful Dead albums Wake Of The Flood (1973), From The Mars Hotel (1974), Blues For Allah (1975), and Steal Your Face (1976). Each album is faithfully replicated and housed in a rigid slipcase with a book containing liner notes and iconic photos of the band.

Wake of the Flood ushered in an exciting new era of change and potential for the Dead. The band elected to depart Warner Bros. and start its own record label. A new lineup emerged after keyboardist/vocalist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan passed away and the group landed jazz-schooled pianist Keith Godchaux and his wife, Donna, who gave the ensemble a new option in the form of a dedicated backing vocalist. Having road-tested a batch of new originals, the collective eagerly sought to expand its broad musical palette in the form of a large-scale studio LP that involves horn sections, violin, and choral figures. Diverse, unique, and mellow, Wake of the Flood overflows with the luminous vision, stellar songwriting, and ensemble reciprocity made possible by its historical circumstances and inspired creators.

From The Mars Hotel offers a stunning cross section of the Dead's experimentation and wizardry in the studio setting. Brilliant tunes like the opening rocker "U.S. Blues" feature the warm and familiar voice and guitar of Jerry Garcia as well as the lyrics of Robert Hunter. Together this team offers several more gems like the stellar ballad "China Doll" and of course the fan favorites "Scarlet Begonias" and the outstanding "Ship Of Fools." Bob Weir delivers a very strong track with the funk rocker "Money Money," plus Phil Lesh contributes several more Dead classics like "Pride Of Cucamonga" and the haunting "Unbroken Chain," making this one of the more intriguing albums in the Dead's arsenal of fine recordings.

Blues for Allah comes the closest to capturing the groove and energy of the Dead in concert and it stands at the very top tier of the band's studio output. Few acts have as varied a pedigree as the Dead, so following their early-'70s dalliance with country-influenced rock, the band was searching for new directions. Much of this 1975 release is the sound of the Dead rebuilding itself from scratch. The melodies and musicianship are superb, heavily rooted in complex jazz fusion, where almost every song is filled with a vibrant energy, atmosphere and creativity. The jazz like spirit that permeates the dynamic Blues for Allah helps the album flow beautifully from start to finish and although there are separate and distinct songs, it plays as one brilliant long suite.

The live double-album Steal Your Face comprises material recorded during a series of shows in October of 1974 in San Francisco, California at the Winterland Ballroom as part of a "Farewell Run" before the band went on hiatus. The theory behind the song selection has been explained as a desire to present an album of songs rather than jams and the need to avoid songs that had already appeared on live albums. Takes on "Stella Blue," "Ship of Fools" and "It Must Have Been the Roses" all serve as standouts.