''Birth of the Dead'' is a two- CD compilation album chronicling the early years of the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

psychedelic band the Grateful Dead. The set was originally part of the twelve-CD box set '' The Golden Road (1965–1973)'', released on October 16, 2001, then was released as a stand-alone album on March 25, 2003. 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 The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and ...

on the Friday Music label on December 17, 2013.

Recording

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 A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

''Sons and Daughters''. It was later released as a single by

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

Track listing

;Disc one :''The Studio Sides'' # "

Early Morning Rain "Early Morning Rain," sometimes styled as "Early Mornin' Rain," is a song written, composed, and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The song appears on his 1966 debut album ''Lightfoot!'' and, in a re-recorded version, on t ...

" (

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

) – 3:22 # "

I Know You Rider "I Know You Rider" (also "Woman Blues" and "I Know My Rider") is a traditional blues song that has been adapted by numerous artists. Modern versions can be traced back to Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Deceitful Brownskin Blues", which was released as ...

" (traditional) – 2:41 # "Mindbender (Confusion's Prince)" ( Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh) – 2:41 # "The Only Time Is Now" ( Grateful Dead) – 2:24 # "Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)" (Grateful Dead) – 3:17 # "Can't Come Down" (Grateful Dead) – 3:04 # " Stealin' (instrumental)" (

Gus Cannon Gustavus "Gus" Cannon (September 12, 1883 or 1884 – October 15, 1979) was an American blues musician who helped to popularize jug bands (such as his own Cannon's Jug Stompers) in the 1920s and 1930s. There is uncertainty about his birth year; ...

) – 2:40 # "Stealin' (w/ vocals)" (Gus Cannon) – 2:36 # "Don't Ease Me In (instrumental)" (traditional) – 2:01 # "Don't Ease Me In (w/ vocals)" (traditional) – 2:02 # "You Don't Have to Ask" (Grateful Dead) – 3:35 # "Tastebud (instrumental)" (

Ron McKernan Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

) – 7:04 # "Tastebud (w/ vocals)" (McKernan) – 4:35 # "

" (traditional) – 2:36 # "Cold Rain and Snow (instrumental)" (traditional) – 3:15 # " Cold Rain and Snow (w/ vocals)" (traditional) – 3:17 # "Fire in the City" (Peter Krug) – 3:19 ;Disc two :''The Live Sides'' # "Viola Lee Blues" (

Noah Lewis Noah Lewis (September 3, 1891 – February 7, 1961)Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 238. . Previously, his birth year was also reported as 1890 or 1895. 1891 is general ...

) – 9:39 # "Don't Ease Me In" (traditional) – 2:43 # "

Pain in My Heart ''Pain in My Heart'' is the debut album of soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding. Redding recorded for Volt Records, a subsidiary of Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Volt LPs were initially issued on the Atco label, which released this a ...

" (Naomi Neville) – 4:24 # "

Sitting on Top of the World "Sitting on Top of the World" (also "Sittin' on Top of the World") is a country blues song written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon. They were core members of the Mississippi Sheiks, who first recorded it in 1930. Vinson claimed to have c ...

" (

Walter Vinson Walter Vinson (February 2, 1901 – April 22, 1975) was an American Memphis blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks, worked with Bo Chatmon and his brothers, and co-wrote the blues standard "Sitting o ...

, Lonnie Chatmon) – 3:51 # "It's All over Now, Baby Blue" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

) – 5:12 # "

I'm a King Bee "I'm a King Bee" is a swamp blues song written and first recorded by Slim Harpo in 1957. It has been performed and recorded by numerous blues and other artists and in 2008, Slim Harpo's original received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Original song ...

" ( James Moore) – 8:52 # " Big Boss Man" (

Luther Dixon Luther Dixon (August 7, 1931 – October 22, 2009) was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, and were recorded by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Jackson 5, B. ...

, Al Smith) – 5:11 # "Standing on the Corner" (Grateful Dead) – 3:46 # "

In the Pines "In the Pines", also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", "My Girl" and "Black Girl", is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back ...

" (Slim Bryant, Clayton McMichen) – 4:55 # "

Nobody's Fault But Mine "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" or "Nobody's Fault but Mine" is a song first recorded by gospel blues artist Blind Willie Johnson in 1927. It is a solo performance with Johnson singing and playing slide guitar. The song has been interpreted an ...

" ( Blind Willie Johnson) – 4:15 # "

Next Time You See Me "Next Time You See Me" is a blues song written by Earl Forest and Bill Harvey, originally recorded in 1956 by Junior Parker (as "Little Junior Parker" as he was then known). The song was Parker's first record chart appearance after joining Duke ...

" (Earl Forest, Bill Harvey) – 2:47 # " One Kind Favor" (

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list ...

, Jules Taub) – 3:44 # "

He Was a Friend of Mine "He Was a Friend of Mine" is a traditional folk song in which the singer laments the death of a friend. Ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax was the first to collect the song, in 1939, describing it as a "blues" that was "a dirge for a dead comrade." T ...

" (traditional) – 4:45 # "Keep Rolling By" (traditional) – 7:57

Personnel

Grateful Dead * Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals * Bob Weir - guitar, vocals * Phil Lesh - bass, vocals *

Bill Kreutzmann William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued to ...

- drums *

- organs, harmonica, vocals Additional performers *

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and re ...

- 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

* Producers - Tom Donahue, Bobby Mitchell * Engineer -

Leo De Gar Kulka Leo De Gar Kulka (February 17, 1921 – March 17, 1998) was a Czech-born American record producer, recording engineer and educator. Starting in Los Angeles at Autumn Records in the 1960s, he later founded the San Francisco studio Golden State Re ...

* Disc One, tracks 5 and 6, were first released 9 November 1999 on '' So Many Roads (1965-1995)'' (Arista CD #GD-14066) * 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 Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

with added reverb * 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 -

* Originally issued April 1967, as the A-side of a single (Verve #VK-10512) by Jon Hendricks. The Grateful Dead were the backing band Discogs - ''Fire in the City / Sons and Daughters'' 7"-single 1967-April, Verve Records (VK-10512) US
/ref> 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 Rock Robert Scully (August 1, 1941 – December 16, 2014) was one of the managers of the rock band the Grateful Dead from 1965 to 1985. Living in Haight-Ashbury as a graduate student prior to the Summer of Love, Scully first saw the Grateful Dead ...

References

{{Authority control 2003 compilation albums Grateful Dead compilation albums Rhino Records compilation albums