Grateful Dead- Aoxomoxoa (50th Anniversary 2CD)

In 1969, for their third album, the Grateful Dead eschewed outside producers and created Aoxomoxoa themselves, beginning a run of self-produced albums that would continue until 1977. Scrapping the first sessions, which were recorded to eight-track tape, the Dead now had 16 tracks with which to experiment their psychedelic sound, with an album that included entirely Robert Hunter-penned lyrics for the first time. – Archivist David Lemieux

All together now, “ox-oh-mox-oh-ah!” This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the enigmatic classic AOXOMOXOA and we’re celebrating with a DELUXE EDITION featuring two versions of the album one fully remastered from the original 1969 mix and the other remastered from the definitive 1971 band-produced mix, both done by Grammy-winning mastering engineer David Glasser of Airshow Mastering in Boulder, CO. This is the first time both mixes will be presented together in a single release. And if that weren’t enough, we’re rounding it out with a bonus disc of previously unreleased live music recorded January 24-26, 1969 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, CA. Newly remastered by Jeffrey Norman, these shows were among the first live performances ever to be recorded to 16-track tape.

The live tracks include early versions of two songs from the album Duprees Diamond Blues and Doin That Rag as well as the final live performance of Clementine, a song the band began performing in 1968 but was never released on a studio album. The band also played several songs from its second album, ANTHEM OF THE SUN. Highlights include a dynamic romp through New Potato Caboose and an electrifying Alligator>Caution jam that captures Pigpen at his primal best.