One of the highlights of this week’s Release Day Picks entries, and so far one of the highlights of the year, today the 4AD record label released the massive Day Of The Dead box set benefiting the Red Hot Organization HIV/AIDS charity. Curated by The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner and featuring an all-star roster of musicians from across many different scenes covering songs from the Grateful Dead‘s repertoire, the set features 59-tracks and clocks in at almost five and a half hours.
The contributors to Day Of The Dead include Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir on a live recording with Wilco and one with The National. Bruce Hornsby performs with DeYarmond Edison – a pre-Bon Iver group featuring Justin Vernon and members of Megafaun, and The Band keyboardist Garth Hudson appears alongside Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry and others. Renowned composer Terry Riley and his son Gyan Riley also recorded together as “The Rileys” for the project.
Others who covered songs for the box set include Jim James, Mumford & Sons, The War On Drugs, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Courtney Barnett, Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, Real Estate, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Jenny Lewis, The Flaming Lips, Orchestra Baobab and Kurt Vile & The Violators with Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis. Many worked with a session band composed of The National’s Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf and Scott Devendorf, as well as Conrad Doucette, Josh Kaufman, Walter Martin and a few others.
Drummer Joe Russo of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead appears alongside singer-songwriter Cass McCombs and Jon Shaw on “Dark Star” and the same ensemble is billed as “Nightfall Of Diamonds” on the track of the same name. Singer-songwriter Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy contributed to several recordings, including Sam Amidon’s “And We Bid You Goodnight.” Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band were joined by Tedeschi Trucks Band vocalist Alecia Chakour and others on “Cumberland Blues.”
The rendition of “Help On The Way” led by banjo master Bela Fleck also features The Wood Brothers’ Oliver Wood on vocals as well as Zakir Hussain on tabla, Edgar Meyer on bass and Fleck’s wife Abigail Washburn on vocals. Guitarist William Tyler can heard on Hiss Golden Messenger’s version of “Brown-Eyed Women” and Fruit Bats’ Eric D. Johnson can be found on the recording of “Playing In The Band” with TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo. Stream the entire 59-track compilation via 4AD below:
Tracklist:
- Touch of Grey by The War on Drugs
- Sugaree by Phosphorescent, Jenny Lewis & Friends
- Candyman by Jim James & Friends
- Cassidy by Moses Sumney, Jenny Lewis & Friends
- Black Muddy River by Bruce Hornsby & DeYarmond Edison
- Loser by Ed Droste, Binki Shapiro & Friends
- Peggy-O by The National
- Box of Rain by Kurt Vile and the Violators (featuring J Mascis)
- Rubin & Cherise by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & Friends
- To Lay Me Down by Perfume Genius, Sharon Van Etten & Friends
- New Speedway Boogie by Courtney Barnett
- Friend of the Devil by Mumford and Sons
- Uncle John’s Band by Lucius
- Me and My Uncle by The Lone Bellow & Friends
- Mountains of the Moon by Lee Ranaldo, Lisa Hannigan & Friends
- Black Peter by Anohni and yMusic
- Garcia Counterpoint by Bryce Dessner
- Terrapin Station (Suite) by Daniel Rossen, Christopher Bear & The National (featuring Josh Kaufman, Conrad Doucette, Sō Percussion & Brooklyn Youth Chorus)
- Attics of My Life by Angel Olsen
- St. Stephen by Wilco with Bob Weir (live)
- If I Had the World to Give by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
- Standing on the Moon by Phosphorescent & Friends
- Cumberland Blues by Charles Bradley and Menahan Street Band
- Ship of Fools by The Tallest Man On Earth & Friends
- Bird Song by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & Friends
- Morning Dew by The National
- Truckin’ by Marijuana Death Squads
- Dark Star by Cass McCombs, Joe Russo & Friends
- Nightfall of Diamonds by Nightfall of Diamonds
- Transitive Refraction Axis for John Oswald by Tim Hecker
- Going Down The Road Feeling Bad by Lucinda Williams & Friends
- Playing in the Band by Tunde Adebimpe, Lee Ranaldo & Friends
- Stella Blue by Local Natives
- Eyes of the World by Tal National
- Help On The Way by Béla Fleck
- Franklin’s Tower by Orchestra Baobab
- Til the Morning Comes by Luluc with Xylouris White
- Ripple by The Walkmen
- Brokedown Palace by Richard Reed Parry with Caroline Shaw and Little Scream (featuring Garth Hudson)
- Here Comes Sunshine by Real Estate
- Shakedown Street by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
- Brown-Eyed Women by Hiss Golden Messenger
- Jack-A-Roe by This Is The Kit
- High Time by Daniel Rosen and Christopher Bear
- Dire Wolf by The Lone Bellow & Friends
- Althea by Winston Marshall, Kodiak Blue and Shura
- Clementine Jam by Orchestra Baobab
- China Cat Sunflower · I Know You Rider by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
- Easy Wind by Bill Callahan
- Wharf Rat by Ira Kaplan & Friends
- Estimated Prophet by The Rileys
- Drums · Space by Man Forever / Sō Percussion / Onieda
- Cream Puff War by Fucked Up
- Dark Star by The Flaming Lips
- What’s Become of the Baby by s t a r g a z e
- King Solomon’s Marbles by Vijay Iyer
- Rosemary by Mina Tindle & Friends
- And We Bid You Goodnight by Sam Amidon
- I Know You Rider by The National with Bob Weir (live)
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