The Grateful Dead were a legendary band with legendary music status. They were a West Coast USA band formed in 1965 and existed in various forms until guitarist Jerry Garcia died in 1995. However, the surviving members continued to tour under various names and forms until 2015. They covered a huge depth of different musical ground and genres, although their basis was the Psychedelic Rock that was pioneered during the mid to late 1960s. The band issued many albums during their existence. In retrospect, they had so much material that it is extremely difficult to nail down their best songs. This short, single-album release, all the same, is a bold attempt, be it good or bad, to solve this in a nine-track listening experience that runs for just over 40 minutes. This is a good release for those of you who know nothing about the Grateful Dead and are naturally curious about the band itself. The Grateful Dead’s core band members were: Jerry Garcia (guitars and vocals), Bob Weir (guitars and vocals), Phil Lesh (bass guitars and vocals) and Bill Kreutzmann (drums). Let’s take a listen to this short release and hear where it is at.

1. Casey Jones is from the Workingman’s Dead (1970) Grateful Dead album. It begins with a clear sniff and launches into a laidback and humorous song about a train driver who drives a train, high on cocaine. Hilarious, really. This is a joyous and fantastic listen, and it makes for a sweet listen. The Grateful Dead were able to create some of the most gorgeous and interesting sun driven LSD infused music, which was best summed up as Country Music for people to trip to. This isn’t a million miles away from what these guys were about. A sweet and soulful tune to listen to from start to finish. The guitars and organ throughout are a nice touch, as is the slide guitar solo throughout. Absolutely awesome music to listen to, all the same. This music and performance is very, very good as well. Although yes, this is multitracked Rock Music, the whole tune sounds like a masterful effort. This is a hilarious tune that should amuse the Classic Rock fan. A really sweet and interesting listen, the Grateful Dead do their best to impress. A sweet, ironic and iconic song to listen to. Very, very good. A wonderful song.

2. Friend Of The Devil is from American Beauty (1970). It begins with some sweet and melodic acoustic guitar playing that is multitracked, followed by bass guitar playing. It launches into some pretty vocals and playing that sounds awesome and fantastic throughout. This music is pretty, magical and top stuff, with lyrics describing some of the most scenic and attractive locations in the USA throughout. A really sweet and lyrically surreal tune to listen to. The Grateful Dead were a really superb band to listen to. A very pretty and smooth tune, with some of the best and most descriptive lyrics throughout. This is a great Pop/Rock piece about taking one’s chances with satan himself. No electric guitars are present on this song, but the acoustic guitar solo section is really very gorgeous to hear. A very nice song throughout that sounds legendary. A great piece of music, period. This song is worth hearing from start to finish, although it does entail devilish imagery.

3. Box Of Rain is also from American Beauty (1970). It is a gorgeous tune with acoustic guitar and drums. It has some sweet and smooth singing throughout that sounds absolutely awesome and very gentle. A very solidly awesome and powerful tune throughout, and sounds very magical. A simply magical tune with some of the best Classic Rock stylings about it all, it is a joyous and simple song that has a gorgeous sound to it. The slide guitar soloing is pretty and lovely as well. An absolute winner of a tune that has some sweet and genuinely great appeal to it all. This is a must for Deadheads out there (aka Grateful Dead fans), and it has a pretty and outstanding yet simple musical nature to it all. Referencing imagination and dreams throughout, this music is incredibly sweet and is ear candy. Like modern poetry, the Grateful Dead articulates its music and message very nicely. An absolutely awesome tune to hear, and a real joy to listen to, time and time again. You can really hear the West Coast USA Hippie vibe going through this one. A fabulous five-minute piece to enjoy. Tripped out and pleasant music to listen to.

4. Sugar Magnolia is also from American Beauty (1970). It begins with some Southern Rock sounds, including organ, electric guitar and drums. Some of the most beautiful singing is present in this song. Indeed, it sounds ridiculously wonderful and good. This is perfect music for those of you who need some old school Classic Rock that has a truckload of appeal to play on long road trips. This is a million miles better than the music that is generally played on the radio today. It sounds professional, wonderful and sensationally good to listen to. A seriously enjoyable song to listen to and enjoy. A simple, guitar-led piece of music with some of the most artistic lyrics matched by pleasant harmony-based singing. The outro is divine, with some of the sweetest harmonies and singing over the groovy track to match. Top.

5. Truckin’ is also from American Beauty (1970), yet again. It is a five-minute-long piece based on Blues Music, but delivered with a fantastic and magical Grateful Dead music flair. An awesome listen, although this compilation is fairly one-sided in its selection of songs. It sounds a lot like The Ballad Of John and Yoko by The Beatles, but is much more far-out and enjoyable than that. A really great tune to listen to, designed for Southern USA folks who love driving around in their pickup trucks, who love this sort of music. All in all, a really sweet mash-up of electric guitars, nimble bass guitar work, drumming and some of the most interesting and tripped-out artistic lyrics throughout. All in all, a top tune. An absolute winner, although John Lennon himself could have sued the Grateful Dead for their lack of originality. A cool listen that points out how great the American Beauty album truly was. A seriously LSD inspired tune, but delivered in a simply gorgeous music format, this is an awesome adventure. Truckers, this is for you to listen to. A great song that fades out at the end.

6. Scarlet Begonias is from the From The Mars Hotel (1974) album. It begins with a quick drum roll, guitars galore and piano. It quickly enters into a sweet and very 1970s-sounding piece of music. This is about a lady on the street who is very pretty and lovely, and who deserves one’s attention from a man’s attention. A bit of a Hippie music statement, but these guys were definitely Hippies, that is for sure. A sweet and extraordinarily good listen, with some swirling organ and pretty sounds to match it all. An absolute trip of a tune that has some unique music stylings, devoted to a lady of a man’s fancy. A really great song, and one can hear exactly why this made the compilation. A clean, clear electric guitar solo emerges in the second half of this song, and the whole thing sounds sweet and unique to listen to. A very naturally sweet and pretty tune, one can hear the influence of LSD tripping throughout the Grateful Dead’s music. This has a magnificent outro with harpsichord, bongo drums and wailing harmonies that sound fantastic. An awesome four-minute-long tune.

7. Fire On The Mountain is from Shakedown Street (1978). It is a groovy, midtempo piece with some lush guitars, with a funky Disco Music feel to it all. This is, of course, from the Disco Music era, so it should come as no surprise to the listener that this is the case. This is a sweet and sing-along tune with an emotionally evocative chorus to listen to. It is interesting to hear that the Grateful Dead were able to represent and reflect on different eras of music and to incorporate some of the different styles and genres into their own music as a result. A great song nonetheless, which sounds extremely cool. The guitar solo is majestic, and it is played in a super sweet way throughout. The Grateful Dead do a seriously cool and groovy music impression on this song. An awesome tune to listen to, and something worth hearing for a change. This ends with an unusual guitar sound and a nice fade out.

8. Estimated Prophet is from Terrapin Station (1977). It is another similarly fairly Disco music-influenced song. It has some flighty vocals and soulful singing throughout. Some of the lyrics are really pretty and timeless throughout. This music is a flashback to the music of the past, and the harmonies singing about California and other grandiose ideals are really fantastic to listen to. A very awesome tune to listen to. This music certainly has a timeless quality to it. An absolutely awesome tune that kicks the proverbial, and surprises and dazzles listeners, new and old. This is not a song about the second coming of Jesus, Allah or the like. Instead, it is a metaphorical story of being such a person. A really interesting and musically pretty tune to hear. This sounds extraordinarily good. The wah-wah guitars and horn sections throughout do make this a nice listen. Very different, even for the Grateful Dead. A pretty, interesting and rocking take on Disco Music. Cool and smooth, just in time for the likes of the Bee Gees. A sweet saxophone is at the end here. A magical tune to hear. The extended music outro is divine and heavenly. An awesome tune.

9. Touch Of Grey is the final song on this short compilation and is from In The Dark (1987). It begins with some bass guitar, acoustic guitars and sounds a little weird with the keyboards. All the same, this is a pretty tune that enters into a great music pastiche. The vocal harmonies are pleasantly good to listen to, even if this does sound a little like the Grateful Dead attempting Dire Straits. Having said that, this is a very pretty and lively tune to listen to. This tune is another winner, all the same. It sounds joyous, listenable and pleasant to hear. Some lyrics about having faith are present as well. The clean and clear guitar solo is also very genuinely pretty to listen to. This music is top-notch, and although this is a fairly short compilation, it does sound very nice for casual fans of the Grateful Dead to listen to. A winner of a song that has some hope in dark times, and it sounds absolutely joyous and wonderful in a musical sense. This is a great Grateful Dead song that has a smooth and pleasant listening experience throughout. A very awesome tune with some organ nicely playing in the background. Definitely worth hearing from start to finish. The compilation finishes with a long outro of guitars, organs and harmony-based singing. Brilliant.

This is not the best Grateful Dead compilation. However, for those of you who do not know the Grateful Dead, this is a genuinely good starting point to hear their music. The sounds are simple and organic throughout, and this compilation proves that the group itself was not only consistent in their music approach, but in addition, they were able to change with the times. A solid effort throughout. Should you listen to this compilation? If you want a short snapshot of this famous West Coast Hippie group, then go ahead. Fans of Punk Rock will loathe this album release, however.

A short snapshot and a decent introduction to the music of the Grateful Dead.

9/10