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(Audio CD)
by Grateful Dead | | | | | SKU:
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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | Expanded & remastered (HDCD) version of the band's 1970 seminal masterpiece includes 7 bonus cuts 'New Speedway Boogie' (alt. mix), 'Dire Wolf' (live), 'Black Peter' (live), 'Easy Wind' (live), 'Cumberland Blues' (live), 'Mason's Children' (live) & 'Uncle John's Band' (live). Digipak. Warner/Rhino. 2003. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Audio CD Release Date: | February 25, 2003 | | Studio: | Rhino / Wea | | Number Of Discs: | 1 | | Format: | Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 46 reviews |
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| | Track Listing | | 1. | Uncle John's Band | | 2. | High Time | | 3. | Dire Wolf | | 4. | New Speedway Boogie | | 5. | Cumberland Blues | | 6. | Black Peter | | 7. | Easy Wind | | 8. | Casey Jones | | 9. | New Speedway Boogie (Alternate Mix) | | 10. | Dire Wolf (Live) | | 11. | Black Peter (Live) | | 12. | Easy Wind (Live) | | 13. | Cumberland Blues (Live) | | 14. | Mason's Children (Live) | | 15. | Uncle John's Band (Live) | | 16. | Bonus Track 1 | |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review:
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An American Classic Sep 05, 2010
This remastering of Workingman's Dead is a gem. Recorded in February of 1970, I think this album should be getting more fanfare on its 40th anniversary! If you don't own it or if you think you don't like the Dead, buy this one because it's one of the most quintessentially American albums ever recorded. The music is rooted in the blues, bluegrass, and country--but, all with the Dead's own spin. It's somehow original and traditional at the same time. Robert Hunter's lyrics on this and on American Beauty (also recorded in 1970) are at once simple and profound, soaring yet grounded in reality and always sincere--and there isn't enough sincerity in music these days. This is an honest-to-goodness American masterpiece.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Five-star original album, but bonus material only rates about 2.5 Jun 28, 2010
We all know how great Workingman's Dead and its companion-album American Beauty are and I'm sure that other reviewers have captured my sentiments as to the extremely high value of these works. I must complain, however, about the bonus material that is found on the expanded editions of both albums. It seems as though Rhino Records has been releasing live material that is either sub-par or simply bad in order to charge more for the album. Let's face it, the Dead weren't on every night and some of their extensive live recordings won't be released as Dick's Picks or vault recordings because they just don't cut it. So, they're thrown on the end of classic studio albums, diminishing the product's value and increasing its price.
I know that devoted Deadheads will drool over rare recordings of "Dire Wolf," "Mason's Children," "Cumberland Blues," and "Uncle John's Band" but they suck!! "Dire Wolf" is particularly bad: Weir sings lead and sounds like he's jokingly parodying a pop country singer from Dead's era. And Jerry hadn't quite figured out the pedal steel when this was recorded, either. These songs are very good examples of how sound systems from the early '70s weren't flattering to vocal mistakes.
Live versions of "Black Peter" and "Easy Wind" on here are definitely listenable and have their moments, but recordings found elsewhere put them completely to shame (including those found on the original album).
So, if you ignore the rest of my review read this: just because a recording is rare and long in duration doesn't make it brilliant. Buy the remastered Workingman's Dead album without bonus tracks, the live version of "Black Peter" from Bear's Choice, and a live version of "Easy Wind" from any Dick's Picks recording and you will be more satisfied.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
The Dead Enter Their Peak Studio Period Apr 24, 2010
Moving away from the psychedelic experimentation of previous albums, the Dead begin to reach their creative peak on "Workingman's Dead". Starting with the beautiful "Uncle John's Band" most of the songs have a melodic quality to them, indicating these veterns of Acid Test freakouts are ready to relax in a more folksy groove for awhile.
It also features the continuing growth of Garcia-Hunter as songwriters. Standout tracks include the mournful "Black Peter" and "Dire Wolf", an ironically cheerful campfire tune full of impending doom. Among the bonus material is "Mason's Child", a song omitted from the original LP that features obtuse lyrics about a "mighty man" buried in a wall.
The Dead produced numerous brillant albums during their lengthy career. But this one, along with "American Beauty", features the band at their zenith both in terms of songwriting and successful studio work.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Their Masterpiece Of Being Mortal Apr 10, 2010
This is aptly titled. Lyricist Robert Hunter symbolizes the plights and hopes of the American blue collar worker. Tethered to the earth for the first time, the tone of the music is rustic and played within traditional song structures lending a new aesthetic to the band. The point of reference is grounded in old American music stylings. Aside from Pigpen's fine blues showcase, the leanings of these smart songs are in the folk and the country and western vein.
The beauty of this album lies with the emotional commitment of the vocals and the instrumentation as though their lives were at stake. "Uncle John's Band" starts the thing off hopefully enough with a fun time folk stomper and closes with the cautionary tale of a cocaine high in "Casey Jones". In between "New Speedway Boogie" can be interpreted as a response to the Altamont debacle or something that might have happened 100 years earlier. But it's left to a horror story called "Black Peter", in which this poor man is literally dying an agonizing death, that provides this record's emotional climax. Jerry Garcia's pained voice, the ominous organ plus harmonica fills and the sluggish tempo gives everything to the picture. What an achievement for the Dead to completely change the framework of their existing sound into something better.
Classic Country Rock...The Place to Start for the Curious Mar 05, 2010
If you're curious about the Grateful Dead, this is pretty much where it all begins. Workingman's Dead is simply a classic of the genre, with the band really capturing that sense of Americana and a "simpler time", more so than American Beauty. Almost every song here stayed staples of the Dead's performances for much of career, and its easy to hear why: the album has a stripped-down, laid-back feel that is an enormous departure from the wild jams they are known for. Yet remarkably, the Dead ended up being equally adept at writing simple yet profound country rock. Who would of thunk it?! Robert Hunter turns in some of his best songwriting here (check out Uncle John's Band and Black Peter), and the band equally complements with some memorable performances (check out some great pedal steel on Dire Wolf). My personal favorites include Uncle John's Band, Dire Wolf, New Speedway Boogie, Cumberland Blues and Black Peter. This belongs in every serious music collection.
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