Birth of the Dead

2003 compilation album by Grateful Dead

Birth of the Dead

Compilation album by

Grateful Dead

Released| March 25, 2003
Recorded| November 3, 1965 – April 1967
Genre| Jam, folk rock, psychedelic rock
Length| 126:57
Label| Rhino Records
Grateful Dead chronology
| Dick's Picks Volume 27
(2003)  | Birth of the Dead
(2003)  | View from the Vault, Volume Four
(2003)

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Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [1]
The Music Box| [2]

Birth of the Dead is a two-CD compilation album chronicling the early years of the San Francisco psychedelic band the Grateful Dead.[3] The set was originally part of the twelve-CD box set The Golden Road (1965–1973), released on October 16, 2001,[4] then was released as a stand-alone album on March 25, 2003.[5] The album consists of various studio and live tracks of seven original songs and a number of covers.

Birth of the Dead, Volume One (The Studio Sessions), containing the music from the first CD, was released as a vinyl LP on the Friday Music label on December 17, 2013.

## Recording

[edit]

The two CDs are labeled "The Studio Sides" for the first CD and "The Live Sides" for the second. The Studio Sides comprise three separate recording sessions: "The Autumn Sessions", "The Scorpio Session", and "The Hendricks Session".

The Autumn Sessions was recorded at Golden State Recorders in San Francisco in November 1965. The band used the space under the assumed name of The Emergency Crew. The Scorpio Sessions comprise tracks seven through sixteen of disc one, two of which ("Don't Ease Me In" backed with "Stealin'") were released in limited supply by Scorpio Records, in July 1966, as the band's first single. The Hendricks Session, consisting of only the song "Fire in the City", was recorded for use in the documentary film Sons and Daughters. It was later released as a single by Verve Records.[6]

## Track listing

[edit]

Disc one
The Studio Sides

1. "Early Morning Rain" (Gordon Lightfoot) – 3:22
2. "I Know You Rider" (traditional) – 2:41
3. "Mindbender (Confusion's Prince)" (Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh) – 2:41
4. "The Only Time Is Now" (Grateful Dead) – 2:24
5. "Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)" (Grateful Dead) – 3:17
6. "Can't Come Down" (Grateful Dead) – 3:04
7. "Stealin' (instrumental)" (Gus Cannon) – 2:40
8. "Stealin' (w/ vocals)" (Gus Cannon) – 2:36
9. "Don't Ease Me In (instrumental)" (traditional) – 2:01
10. "Don't Ease Me In (w/ vocals)" (traditional) – 2:02
11. "You Don't Have to Ask" (Grateful Dead) – 3:35
12. "Tastebud (instrumental)" (Ron McKernan) – 7:04
13. "Tastebud (w/ vocals)" (McKernan) – 4:35
14. "I Know You Rider" (traditional) – 2:36
15. "Cold Rain and Snow (instrumental)" (traditional) – 3:15
16. "Cold Rain and Snow (w/ vocals)" (traditional) – 3:17
17. "Fire in the City" (Peter Krug) – 3:19

Disc two
The Live Sides

1. "Viola Lee Blues" (Noah Lewis) – 9:39
2. "Don't Ease Me In" (traditional) – 2:43
3. "Pain in My Heart" (Naomi Neville) – 4:24
4. "Sitting on Top of the World" (Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon) – 3:51
5. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Bob Dylan) – 5:12
6. "I'm a King Bee" (James Moore) – 8:52
7. "Big Boss Man" (Luther Dixon, Al Smith) – 5:11
8. "Standing on the Corner" (Grateful Dead) – 3:46
9. "In the Pines" (Slim Bryant, Clayton McMichen) – 4:55
10. "Nobody's Fault But Mine" (Blind Willie Johnson) – 4:15
11. "Next Time You See Me" (Earl Forest, Bill Harvey) – 2:47
12. "One Kind Favor" (Lightnin' Hopkins, Jules Taub) – 3:44
13. "He Was a Friend of Mine" (traditional) – 4:45
14. "Keep Rolling By" (traditional) – 7:57

## Personnel

[edit]

Grateful Dead

* Jerry Garcia \- guitar, vocals
* Bob Weir \- guitar, vocals
* Phil Lesh \- bass, vocals
* Bill Kreutzmann \- drums
* Ron McKernan \- organs, harmonica, vocals

Additional performers

* Jon Hendricks \- lead vocals on Fire in the City

Production

Autumn Records sessions (disc one, tracks 1 to 6)

* Recorded on November 3, 1965 at Golden Gate Recorders in San Francisco
* Producers - Tom Donahue, Bobby Mitchell
* Engineer - Leo De Gar Kulka
* Disc One, tracks 5 and 6, were first released 9 November 1999 on So Many Roads (1965-1995) (Arista CD #GD-14066)[7]
* all other selections from Autumn Records sessions are previously unissued
* note: tape box lists artist as: The Emergency Crew; a short-lived name the band used immediately prior to "Grateful Dead"

Scorpio Records sessions (disc one, tracks 7 to 16)

* Recorded during June 1966 at Buena Vista Studio in San Francisco, and Western Recording in San Francisco
* Producer, engineer - Gene Estribou
* Disc One, tracks 8 and 10, were previously issued locally (in limited quantity), in July 1966, as the Grateful Dead's first single (Scorpio Records #201), with Don't Ease Me In on the A-side. This is the "dry mix" - the single was mastered with added reverb [8]
* All other selections from Scorpio Records sessions are previously unissued

"Fire in the City" (disc one, track 17)

* Recorded during March 1967 at Columbus Recorders in San Francisco
* Producer, arranger - Jon Hendricks
* Originally issued April 1967, as the A-side of a single (Verve #VK-10512) by Jon Hendricks. The Grateful Dead were the backing band [9]

Live performances (all of disc two)

* Recorded in 1966 at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco: Tracks 1-5 & 7-10 on July 16; Tracks 6 (and probably 11-14, though not yet confirmed) on July 17. More from the July 16 performance was released on So Many Roads
* Engineers - Owsley Stanley, Rock Scully

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Planer, Lindsay. "Birth of the Dead". AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
2. ^ Metzger, John. Birth of the Dead, The Music Box, January 2002
3. ^ Discogs - Birth of the Dead images
4. ^ Discogs - Birth of the Dead 2CD 2001 Rhino (8122-74401-2-A) US
5. ^ Discogs - Birth of the Dead reissue 2CD 2003 Rhino (R2 74391) US
6. ^ Birth of the Dead at the Grateful Dead Family Discography
7. ^ Discogs - So Many Roads (1965-1995) 5-CD box set 1999-November-09th Arista (GDCD 4066) US
8. ^ Discogs - Don't Ease Me In / Stealin vinyl single 1966-July Scorpio Records (201) US
9. ^ Discogs - Fire in the City / Sons and Daughters 7"-single 1967-April, Verve Records (VK-10512) US

* v
* t
* e

Grateful Dead

* John Perry Barlow
* Tom Constanten
* Jerry Garcia
* Donna Jean Godchaux
* Keith Godchaux
* Mickey Hart
* Robert Hunter
* Bill Kreutzmann
* Phil Lesh
* Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
* Brent Mydland
* Bob Weir
* Vince Welnick

Studio albums|

* The Grateful Dead
* Anthem of the Sun
* Aoxomoxoa
* Workingman's Dead
* American Beauty
* Wake of the Flood
* From the Mars Hotel
* Blues for Allah
* Terrapin Station
* Shakedown Street
* Go to Heaven
* In the Dark
* Built to Last

Live albums|

| Contemporary|

* Live/Dead
* Vintage Dead
* Historic Dead
* Grateful Dead
* Europe '72
* History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice)
* Steal Your Face
* Reckoning
* Dead Set
* Dylan & the Dead
* Without a Net

|

Retrospective|

| 1990s|

* One from the Vault
* Infrared Roses
* Two from the Vault
* Grayfolded
* Hundred Year Hall
* Dozin' at the Knick
* Fallout from the Phil Zone
* Terrapin Station (Limited Edition)
* Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69
* So Many Roads (1965–1995)

|

2000s|

* Ladies and Gentlemen... the Grateful Dead
* Nightfall of Diamonds
* Postcards of the Hanging
* Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72
* Go to Nassau
* Birth of the Dead
* The Closing of Winterland
* Rockin' the Rhein with the Grateful Dead
* The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack
* Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966
* Truckin' Up to Buffalo
* Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings
* Fillmore West 1969
* Live at the Cow Palace
* Three from the Vault
* Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings
* Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978
* To Terrapin: Hartford '77
* Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings

2010s|

* Crimson White & Indigo
* Formerly the Warlocks
* Europe '72: The Complete Recordings
* Europe '72 Volume 2
* Dark Star
* Spring 1990
* Spring 1990: So Glad You Made It
* Winterland: May 30th 1971
* May 1977
* Sunshine Daydream
* Family Dog at the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 4/18/70
* Live at Hampton Coliseum
* Spring 1990 (The Other One)
* Wake Up to Find Out
* Houston, Texas 11-18-1972
* 30 Trips Around the Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965–1995
* 30 Trips Around the Sun
* Shrine Exposition Hall, Los Angeles, CA 11/10/1967
* Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, 4/25/77
* July 1978: The Complete Recordings
* Red Rocks: 7/8/78
* July 29 1966, P.N.E. Garden Aud., Vancouver Canada
* May 1977: Get Shown the Light
* Cornell 5/8/77
* Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C., July 12 & 13, 1989
* Fillmore West 1969: February 27th
* Pacific Northwest '73–'74: The Complete Recordings
* Pacific Northwest '73–'74: Believe It If You Need It
* Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, 5/19/74
* Playing in the Band, Seattle, Washington, 5/21/74
* The Warfield, San Francisco, California, October 9 & 10, 1980
* Fillmore West 1969: February 28th
* Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991
* Saint of Circumstance
* Ready or Not

2020s|

* June 1976
* Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12-10-71
* Listen to the River: St. Louis '71 '72 '73
* Lyceum '72: The Complete Recordings
* Lyceum Theatre, London, England 5/26/72
* In and Out of the Garden: Madison Square Garden '81, '82, '83
* Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81
* Here Comes Sunshine 1973
* RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. 6/10/73
* Friend of the Devils: April 1978
* Duke '78
* Enjoying the Ride
* The Music Never Stopped

View from
the Vault|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4

Dick's Picks|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9
* 10
* 11
* 12
* 13
* 14
* 15
* 16
* 17
* 18
* 19
* 20
* 21
* 22
* 23
* 24
* 25
* 26
* 27
* 28
* 29
* 30
* 31
* 32
* 33
* 34
* 35
* 36

Road Trips|

* Vol 1 No 1
* Vol 1 No 2
* Vol 1 No 3
* Vol 1 No 4
* Vol 2 No 1
* Vol 2 No 2
* Vol 2 No 3
* Vol 2 No 4
* Vol 3 No 1
* Vol 3 No 2
* Vol 3 No 3
* Vol 3 No 4
* Vol 4 No 1
* Vol 4 No 2
* Vol 4 No 3
* Vol 4 No 4
* Vol 4 No 5

Dave's Picks|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9
* 10
* 11
* 12
* 13
* 14
* 15
* 16
* 17
* 18
* 19
* 20
* 21
* 22
* 23
* 24
* 25
* 26
* 27
* 28
* 29
* 30
* 31
* 32
* 33
* 34
* 35
* 36
* 37
* 38
* 39
* 40
* 41
* 42
* 43
* 44
* 45
* 46
* 47
* 48
* 49
* 50
* 51
* 52
* 53

Download Series|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* Family Dog at the Great Highway
* 9
* 10
* 11
* 12
* Spectrum 11/5/79
* Spectrum 11/6/79

Compilations|

* Skeletons from the Closet: The Best of Grateful Dead
* What a Long Strange Trip It's Been
* The Arista Years
* Selections from the Arista Years
* The Very Best of Grateful Dead
* Flashback with the Grateful Dead
* The Best of the Grateful Dead
* Long Strange Trip
* The Best of the Grateful Dead Live
* Sage & Spirit

Box sets|

* Dead Zone: The Grateful Dead CD Collection (1977–1987)
* The Golden Road (1965–1973)
* Beyond Description (1973–1989)
* The Warner Bros. Studio Albums
* All the Years Combine: The DVD Collection
* Grateful Dead Records Collection
* The Story of the Grateful Dead

Videos|

* The Grateful Dead Movie
* Dead Ahead
* So Far
* Dead Ringers: The Making of Touch of Grey
* Backstage Pass
* Infrared Sightings
* Ticket to New Year's
* Downhill from Here
* Anthem to Beauty
* Sunshine Daydream
* Long Strange Trip

Side projects and
spin-off bands|

* The Other Ones
* The Dead
* Furthur
* Dead & Company
* 2015 tour
* Summer 2016 tour
* Summer 2017 tour
* Fall 2017 tour
* Summer 2018 tour
* Summer 2019 tour
* Fall Fun Run 2019
* Dead Forever: Live at Sphere (2024)
* Jerry Garcia Band
* RatDog
* Phil Lesh and Friends
* Rhythm Devils
* Donna Jean Godchaux Band
* Heart of Gold Band
* Missing Man Formation
* New Riders of the Purple Sage
* Old & In the Way
* Legion of Mary
* Reconstruction
* Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band
* JGB
* Kingfish
* Bobby and the Midnites
* SerialPod
* BK3
* 7 Walkers
* Billy & the Kids

Related topics|

* Acid Tests
* Bill Graham Archives v. Dorling Kindersley, Ltd.
* Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead 1987 Tour
* Dark Star Orchestra
* Day of the Dead
* Deadhead
* Deadheads for Obama
* Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead
* Fare Thee Well (album)
* Fare Thee Well (concert tour)
* Grateful dead
* Grateful Dead Archive
* The Grateful Dead Channel
* Grateful Dead Comix
* Grateful Dead discography
* The Grateful Dead Family Album
* Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies
* Grateful Dead Origins
* Grateful Dead Records
* Jazz Is Dead
* List of Grateful Dead members
* Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions
* The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead
* The Music Never Stopped (film)
* Pickin' on the Grateful Dead: A Tribute
* The Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra
* Relix
* Reunions of the Grateful Dead
* Rex Foundation
* Shakedown Street (vending area)
* Summer Jam at Watkins Glen
* Unfinished Grateful Dead album
* Wall of Sound
* Wharf Rats

Related people|

* Eric Andersen
* Bob Bralove
* Jerilyn Lee Brandelius
* Candace Brightman
* Betty Cantor-Jackson
* Bob Dylan
* Carolyn Garcia
* Bill Graham
* Gerrit Graham
* Rick Griffin
* David Grisman
* Lenny Hart
* Dan Healy
* Bruce Hornsby
* Alton Kelley
* Steve Kimock
* Ned Lagin
* Dick Latvala
* David Lemieux
* Branford Marsalis
* Stanley Mouse
* Ronald Leon Rakow
* Merl Saunders
* Rock Scully
* Bob Seidemann
* Laurence Shurtliff
* Owsley Stanley
* Howard Wales

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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