David Lemieux-Produced 50th Anniversary 180g Vinyl 2LP Reissue with New 2021 Remaster by Grammy Award-Winning Engineer David Glasser and Tip-On Jacket Packaging!
"For the Grateful Dead's second live album, released two years after its predecessor Live/Dead, the band delivered an equally magnificent, but entirely different sound. Whereas Live/Dead was a perfect sonic encapsulation of the band at the peak of their primal Dead era, Skull & Roses captures the quintessential quintet, the original five piece band, playing some of their hardest hitting rock 'n' roll ("Johnny B. Goode," "Not Fade Away"), showing off their authentic Bakersfield bona fides ("Me & My Uncle," "Mama Tried," "Me & Bobby McGee"), and some originals that would be important parts of the Dead's live repertoire for the next 24 years ("Bertha," "Playing In The Band," "Wharf Rat").
"Of course, the Dead were never defined by one specific ‘sound' and amongst the aforementioned genres and styles the band brought to this album, they also delved deeply into their psychedelic, primal playbook with an entire side dedicated to their 1968 masterpiece "The Other One." This is one of the most deeply rich and satisfying tracks preserved on an official Grateful Dead album, up there with Live/Dead's "Dark Star" and Europe '72's "Morning Dew." Skull & Roses sounds as fresh today as the first time I heard it in 1985, and as fresh as it was upon its spectacularly well-received release in 1971." - David Lemieux
Not only did Skull & Roses serve up supremely fine tunes, it was also the one that scored the Grateful Dead their very first Gold record, introduced the world to the iconic skeleton babe Bertha, and asked the questions - Who are you? Where are you? How are you? - giving birth to the first official generation of Dead Heads. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021, the album has been newly remastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer, David Glasser using Plangent Process speed correction and comes pressed on 180g vinyl 2LP with Tip-On jacket packaging and sticker insert. Produced for release by David Lemieux.
- Bertha (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 27, 1971)
- Mama Tried (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 26, 1971)
- Big Railroad Blues (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 5, 1971)
- Playing in the Band (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 6, 1971)
- The Other One (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 28, 1971)
- Me & My Uncle (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 29, 1971)
- Big Boss Man (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 26, 1971)
- Me & Bobby McGee (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 27, 1971)
- Johnny B. Goode (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, March 24, 1971)
- Wharf Rat (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 26, 1971)
- Not Fade Away / Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad (Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 5, 1971)