What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

Infobox Album |
Name = What a Long Strange Trip It's Been -
The Best of the Grateful Dead
Type = Compilation album
Artist = Grateful Dead


Released = October 1977
Recorded = 1962 - 1972
Genre = Rock, Country, Folk, Jam
Length = 85:38
Label = Warner Bros. Records
Producer = Grateful Dead
Paul L. Wexler
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:c9b8b5t4tsqa link]
*Robert Christgau (B) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1445&name=Grateful+Dead link] |
Last album = "Terrapin Station"
(1977)
This album = "What a Long Strange Trip It's Been - The Best Of The Grateful Dead"
(1977)
Next album = "Shakedown Street"
(1978)

"What a Long Strange Trip It's Been - The Best Of The Grateful Dead", is a compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It was initially a two record LP released in October 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. Even though the band left Warner Bros. after their contract was up in order to form their own label, Grateful Dead Records, Warner Bros. continued to release older material from during the contract period.

The title of the compilation comes from one of Robert Hunter's most famous lyrics, the line from "Truckin'": "Lately it occurs to me: What a long, strange trip it's been."

The album was reissued as both a 2-CD set and on cassette tape, by Warner Bros. in 1989 when the band was revitalized by their latest albums "In the Dark" and "Built to Last".

Track listing

ide one

"Track four was recorded live in concert."
#"New Minglewood Blues" (traditional, credited to McGannahan Skjellyfetti) – 2:34
#"Cosmic Charlie" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:30
#"Truckin'" (Garcia, Hunter, Lesh, Weir) – 5:03
#"Black Peter" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:27
#"Born Cross-Eyed" (The Grateful Dead) – 2:55

ide two

#"Ripple" (Hunter, Garcia) – 4:10
#"Doin' That Rag" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:40
#"Dark Star" (Garcia, Hunter) – 2:41
#"High Time" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:12
#"New Speedway Boogie" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:05

ide three

"All songs on side three were recorded live in concert."
#"St. Stephen" (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 5:22
#"Jack Straw" (Weir, Hunter) – 4:48
#"Me and My Uncle" (Phillips) – 3:03
#"Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:11

ide four

"All songs on side four were recorded live in concert."
#"Cumberland Blues" (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 5:41
#"Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 4:38
#"Brown-Eyed Woman" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:37
#"Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:01

Personnel

Grateful Dead:
*Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
*Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
*Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - keyboards, harmonica, vocals
*Tom Constanten - keyboards
*Keith Godchaux - keyboards, vocals
*Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals
*Phil Lesh - bass
*Bill Kreutzmann - drums
*Mickey Hart - drumsProduction:
*Betty Cantor, Bob Matthews - producers, engineers
*David Hassinger, Owsley Stanley Producer
*Paul Wexler - executive producer

Charts

Album - Billboard

Production details

*"New, New Minglewood Blues" from "The Grateful Dead".
*"Dark Star" and "Born Cross-Eyed" from " [http://deaddisc.com/disc/Dark_Star_Born.htm Dark Star/Born Cross-Eyed] " 7" single.
*"Cosmic Charlie" and "Doin' That Rag" from "AoXoMoXoA".
*"St. Stephen" recorded live in concert and from "Live/Dead".
*"High Time" and "New Speedway Boogie" from "Workingman's Dead".
*"Truckin'" and "Ripple" from "American Beauty".
*"Me and My Uncle" and "Playing in the Band" recorded live in concert and from "Skull and Roses".
*"Jack Straw", "Tennessee Jed", "Cumberland Blues", "Brown-Eyed Woman" and "Ramble On Rose" recorded live in concert and from "Europe '72".
*"Black Peter" from "History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice)".

Recording dates

*"St. Stephen" was recorded live in concert February 27 1969.
*"Black Peter" was recorded live in concert February 13 1970.
*"Playing In the Band" was recorded live in concert April 6 1971.
*"Me and My Uncle" was recorded live in concert April 29 1971.
*"Cumberland Blues" was recorded live in concert April 8 1972.
*"Brown-Eyed Woman" was recorded live at the Tivoli Theater concert April 14 1972.
*"Jack Straw" and "Tennessee Jed" were recorded live in concert on May 3 1972.
*"Ramble on Rose" was recorded live in concert on May 23, 25 or 26, 1972.

ee also

*Grateful Dead
*Grateful Dead discography

External links

* [http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/ David Dodd's Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics]
* [http://www.archive.org/audio/etree.php Llama - The Live Music Archive]
* [http://deaddisc.com/disc/Dark_Star_Born.htm/ Dark Star/Born Cross-Eyed 7" single]