Grateful Dead Offers Four New Digital Collections Exlusively on iTunes

One of the most storied bands in rock and roll history, the Grateful Dead made music for three decades years that resonates still today. Their recorded legacy – both in the studio and on stage – coupled with a fearless willingness to follow the music wherever it took them, continues to inspire new generations.

To build on the band’s legacy, many of the Grateful Dead’s studio albums have been mastered specifically for iTunes, ensuring the delivery of the music to listeners with increased audio fidelity, more closely replicating what the artists, recording engineers, and producers intended. These albums were mastered specifically for iTunes from the original master tapes by Grammy winning engineer David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. The band has simultaneously released four new digital collections exclusively on iTunes, covering both studio and live recordings spanning their entire career. Fans can choose between downloading songs, studio albums and live albums individually, or in four different collections. All the music is now available worldwide on the iTunes Store.

The Complete Studio Albums Collection contains all 13 of the band’s studio albums. Drawing from the 1960s, the bundle features the group’s gold-certified self-titled debut; Anthem of the Sun, which is the first with drummer Mickey Hart; and Aoxomoxoa, which boasts the live staple “St. Stephen.” Music from the 1970s includes: the back-to-back platinum releases Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty; Wake Of The Flood, the first with keyboardist Keith Godchaux who replaced founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan; From the Mars Hotel, which features the debut of “Scarlet Begonias”; Blues For Allah with the standout track “Franklin’s Tower”; and two gold albums in a row, Terrapin Station and Shakedown Street. The 1980s are represented by: Go To Heaven, the first with keyboardist Brent Mydland; the double-platinum In The Dark; and the group’s final studio album, Built To Last, which debuted on Halloween 1989.

The Live Albums Collection encompasses seven landmark live albums recorded between 1969 and 1990 that retrace the gloriously weird arc of the Dead’s continuous sonic evolution. It begins with the gold-certified Live/Dead, the group’s first official live release; Grateful Dead, which christened setlist fixtures like “Bertha” and “Playing In The Band”; the double-platinum Europe ’72, which is perhaps the gold standard for live Dead; History Of The Dead Vol. 1 (Bear’s Choice) was recorded and produced by the band’s soundman Owsley “Bear” Stanley; Reckoning, an acoustic double-album and its electric counterpart Dead Set; the collection ends with the gold-certified collection Without A Net, which features highlights from the band’s 1989-90 run that was recently revisited in the acclaimed Spring 1990 boxed set.

The last two bundles, the Complete Studio Rarities Collection and the Complete Live Rarities Collection, contain bonus material taken from expanded versions of the albums that were reissued as part of two acclaimed career-spanning boxed sets – 2001’s The Golden Road and 2004’s Beyond Description.Those same boxed sets provide the foundation for the new digital book, The Golden Road and Beyond: A Grateful Dead Primer. Available now for free on iBooks, the book consists largely of the two essays from The Golden Road and Beyond Description, which were written by Dennis McNally, a Grammy-nominated author and the band’s longtime publicist. In addition, the new digital book also includes original artwork as well as an essential discography with sound samples and links to the iTunes store.Complete Studio Albums Collection
The Grateful Dead (1967)
Anthem Of The Sun (1968)
Aoxomoxoa (1969)
Workingman’s Dead (1970)
American Beauty (1970)
Wake Of The Flood (1973)
From The Mars Hotel (1974)
Blues For Allah (1975)
Terrapin Station (1977)
Shakedown Street (1978)
Go To Heaven (1980)
In The Dark (1987)
Built To Last (1989)Live Albums Collectio
Live/Dead (1969)
Grateful Dead (1971)
Europe ’72 (1972)
History Of The Dead Vol. 1 (Bear’s Choice) (1973)
Reckoning (1981)
Dead Set (1981)
Without A Net (1990)Complete Studio Rarities Collection
Includes every bonus studio track featured on the expanded reissues from 2001 and 2004.Complete Live Rarities Collection
Includes every bonus live track featured on the expanded reissues from 2001 and 2004.