GRATEFUL DEAD~SKULL & ROSES~NR MINT 1st PRESS 1971 LIVE LP~SKULL LABELS~TOP COPY GRATEFUL DEAD~SKULL & ROSES~NR MINT 1st PRESS 1971 LIVE LP~SKULL LABELS~TOP COPY

Grateful Dead ‎– Grateful Dead
Warner Bros. Records ‎– 2WS 1935

RARE 1st PRESSING OF THIS CLASSIC LIVE ALBUM FROM 1971 - 46 YEARS AGO!!
GATEFOLD COVER IS IN NEAR MINT CONDITION WTIH VIRTUALLY NO WEAR!
UNLIKE SUBSEQUENT PRESSINGS, THERE ARE NO SONG TITLES OR OTHER CREDITS ON THE OUTSIDE COVER!
HEAVYWEIGHT CARDBOARD COVER.
ORIGINAL GREEN LABELS WITH THE SKULL LOGO - ONLY USED ON THE INITIAL PRESSINGS!
VINYL IS NEAR MINT - OUR HIGHEST RATING FOR AN OPEN LP! - AND IT LOOKS UNTOUCHED!
VERY HARD TO FIND IN THIS CONDITION! THE BEST COPY WE'VE SEEN IN YEARS!!

The Grateful Dead's second live release was an eponymously titled double LP whose cover bears the striking skull-and-roses visual motif that would become instantly recognizable and an indelibly linked trademark of the band. As opposed to their debut concert recording, Live/Dead (1969), this hour and ten minutes concentrates on newer material, which consisted of shorter self-contained originals and covers. Coming off of the quantum-leap success of the studio country-rock efforts Workingman's Dead (1969) and American Beauty, Grateful Dead offers up a pair of new Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter compositions -- "Bertha" and "Wharf Rat" -- both of which garnered a permanent place within the band's live catalog. However, "The Other One" -- joined in progress just as Billy Kreutzmann fires up a blazing percussion solo -- sprawls as the album's centerpiece. The Dead also begin incorporating several traditional folk, blues, and R&B cover tunes, such as Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee," as well as a few that had been in their songbook for several years, including John Phillips' "Me & My Uncle" and "Big Boss Man," a blues standard popularized by Jimmy Reed. Their formidable improvisational chops have begun to take on new facets of lean intricacy as Mickey Hart (percussion) and Tom Constanten (keyboards) were no longer in the band. Additionally, the arrival of Keith Godchaux (organ) and his wife, Donna Godchaux (vocals), had yet to occur. As such, the Grateful Dead spent the spring and summer of 1971 in their original five-piece configuration -- which is when these recordings were documented.

Tracklist
Bertha     5:27
Mama Tried     2:42
Big Railroad Blues     3:34
Playing In The Band     4:39
The Other One     18:05
Me And My Uncle     3:06
Big Boss Man     5:12
Me & Bobby McGee     5:43
Johnny B. Goode     3:42
Wharf Rat     8:31
Not Fade Away     9:14



    Artwork – Kelly*
    Drums – Bill Kreutzmann
    Electric Bass [Electric Bass Guitar], Vocals – Phil Lesh
    Lead Guitar, Vocals – Jerry Garcia
    Mastered By – Artisan Sound Recorders
    Organ – Merl Saunders (tracks: A1, A4, D1)
    Organ, Harmonica, Vocals – Ron McKernan (Pig Pen)*
    Photography By – Bob Seideman*
    Producer – Grateful Dead*
    Recorded By – Betty*, Bob*
    Rhythm Guitar, Vocals – Bob Weir

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