The first-ever compilation bringing together the best of their Warner Bros., Grateful Dead records, and Arista years on a single disc - TV-marketed and remastered in HDCD! 17 tracks including 'One More Saturday Night' (live, 1972). Slipcase. 2003.
| 145 of 151 people found the following review helpful:  Maybe the place to start..., By 4tunes500 (Barneveld, NY United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: Very Best of Grateful Dead (Audio CD) I have been a Deadhead for around 25 years. Any respectable Deadhead knows that you don't buy a Dead "best of", yet in this case I did. I own a nearly complete Dead collection. I am only missing "best ofs" & a couple of titles I just didn't care for. I have complete "Dicks Picks", "Vault collections" Hours of boot legs...why would I want this? I ignored it when it was first released and then realized that it contained exactly what I play when I am trying to turn "newbies" on to the band. Granted they are not the superior live versions, but the studio versions (which must be respected because they serve as the Skelton for the live body of work...OK, you can groan now). Anyway, I have found through the years that people not familiar with the band seem more accepting of the studio work when they are 1st adjusting to the Dead sound.The collection itself draws largely from "American Beauty" (5 songs)which is the Studio Dead at it's acoustic best. Add "Eyes Of the world", "Fire on the... Read more 28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:  A Beginners Guide To The Grateful Dead., By This review is from: Very Best of Grateful Dead (Audio CD) The Rhino/Warner Brothers compilation "The Very Best of The Grateful Dead" is the first to span the band's entire career in a single disc. It is also the first Dead compilation to encompass material from different record labels. So not only is the Dead's formative years with Warner Bros. covered, material from Arista and United Artists labels are also included. This CD includes the Grateful Dead's most commercial material and its best known hits such as the signature classics "Truckin'", "Uncle John's Band", "Box Of Rain" and "Ripple" as well as their only top 40 smash "Touch Of Grey" from 1986. Elsewhere are Deadhead favorites such as "Estimated Prophet", "Franklin's Tower", "Fire On The Mountain" and "U.S. Blues". This is only one side of The Grateful Dead. The bands other side is what they are better known for - extended jams. Unfortunately "The Very Best... Read more 25 of 28 people found the following review helpful: Great place to start with a band that made history..., This review is from: Very Best of Grateful Dead (Audio CD) In my opinion, only a handful of bands in history deserve a compilation that includes the words, "The Very Best of" in their title (to this day it is overused), but ignoring that fact, the Grateful Dead are certainly one of them. Here you get seventeen tracks, filling up almost 80 minutes of their music. When I first got this a couple of summers ago, I gave it a good listen and loved it. Pros: A lot of good things can be said about this CD. The music, compilation itself, artwork, photos, liner notes, etc. are all very well done. It even gives you a discography and complete list of band members! Talk about a good way to keep yourself busy for a while. They also give you an order form for Dead merchandise. Cons: In terms of the music, none, but then again, no complaints in general. Deadheads could probably think of a couple of tracks to add here (Dark Star, Wharf Rat) but if that was the case, this would have to lead to be a dual-disc compilation. Still, as a... Read more |
