Nine Unreleased Live Versions of Late-Period Grateful Dead Songs That Debuted in 1992 and 1993, a Reflection of What Could Have Been the Band's Next Official Studio Album!

Maybe you were lucky enough and caught a glimpse of what might have been. You swayed to the unfamiliar, floating along with an unknown melody, joining in for a chorus when you felt confident you had it down. Maybe you jotted a fat question mark in your meticulous setlist, certain you'd figure it out before the next show, anticipating a formal introduction in due time.

As if their repertoire wasn't tall enough to reach the endless sky, the band began adding new tunes to their sets in 1992, working them into "quintessential Grateful Dead romps," with the intention of a new studio album. By the mid-90s, they set out recording with the wisdom of Willie Dixon's blues, Neil Young's fuzzed-out guitar, newcomer Vince Welnick's tried-and-true sketches, and Bobby Weir reunited with Robert Hunter on a duo that had quickly become fan-favorites. Alas, it was not meant to be. Until now. The band proudly presents Ready Or Not, nine unreleased live versions of late-period Grateful Dead songs that debuted in 1992 and 1993, a reflection of what could have been the band's next official studio album. A stirring conclusion to the Dead's three-decade career, music filled with adventure and possibility, big questions, big punchlines, and cosmic wisdom...

"Ready Or Not has been a long time coming. It's an album we've been working on for many, many years. This batch of ‘new' Grateful Dead songs has never been compiled in one place and given its proper due as a huge part of the Dead's late-era legacy. Many of these songs can easily stand alongside some of the Dead's oldest, most-loved songs as bona fide classics despite their short tenure in the repertoire. We've dug deep into the archive and listened to countless live versions of these songs to find the best, most definitive live performances. When the Grateful Dead were ‘on' in their later years, their live concerts were as good as any era in their history. The nine songs on Ready Or Not exemplify how good the Dead could be in their later years of touring." - David Lemieux