Aoxomoxoa

• Track Listing

It’s the 50th anniversary for one of the Dead’s breakthrough classics! The band’s studio innovations were matched by compositional growth (in leaps and bounds) by Jerry Garcia and band lyricist Robert Hunter on this 1969 Warner Bros. LP. The band shifts from gentle acoustic folk to rollicking electric psych-rock across this album full of instant (and longtime) fan favorites: "China Cat Sunflower," "Cosmic Charlie," "St. Stephen," "Rosemary," "Doin’ That Rag," "Mountains of the Moon," "What’s Become of the Baby" and "Dupree’s Diamond Blues." In 1971, Garcia and Lesh led the way towards remixing the album, cleaning up what they felt was sonic clutter in the original mix (though some fans prefer the chaotic experimentalism of the initial mix). Almost everyone is used to hearing the 1971 mix, and that (though newly remastered) is what’s on the vinyl picture disc here, which is limited to 10,000 copies. The 2-CD deluxe edition brings you both mixes, together in one release for the first time (it’s fascinating to compare them side by side) plus (get ready, Deadheads) previously unreleased Avalon Ballroom performances captured in San Francisco, January 24–26, 1969. Newly remastered, these are among the first live performances ever to be recorded to 16-track tape: the band’s final live performance of "Clementine," the "Aoxomoxoa" songs "Dupree’s Diamond Blues" and "Doin’ That Rag," the "Anthem of the Sun" songs "New Potato Caboose," "Alligator," "Caution (Do Not Stop on the Tracks)" and renditions of "Feedback," "And We Bid You Goodnight" and "Death Don’t Have No Mercy." This was the moment the band won creative freedom from producers and label heads, and you can hear their freewheeling, boundless joy across every performance here! Rhino/Atlantic.