The magnificent eight

The Story of the Grateful Dead, a 14-LP, 8-album collection of Grateful Dead recordings with booklet and deluxe packaging, from Vinyl Me, Please (VMP-A006, 2020), is intended as a curated sampling of the high points in the Dead’s extensive catalog. The first seven albums were cut from analog tape, while Without a Net comes from the original digital master. The sound is breathtaking.

- JOHN SEWNSON

I remember buying Live/Dead at an old bookstore on E. 7th St. around the corner from the Fillmore East, run by a grizzled lower–East Side bouquiniste called Max. When I got home, my parents were out, so I put it on the old Magnavox console in the living room, which was used to play show tunes, Andy Williams, and Sinatra. Here it was, the Dead in all their glory, four sides of music that sounded like it belonged together and some of the most exciting guitar work I’d ever heard.

I’ve since listened to Live/Dead many times. Every note is burned into my brain. So, I looked forward to hearing this new pressing. After I got past the brilliantly colored vinyl, the first thing I noticed was that side one was backed by side two; side three by side four, instead of the sides being organized for a record-changer.