Grateful Dead’s ‘Blues For Allah’ Gets 50th Anniversary Deluxe Reissue Treatment

Blues For Allah, the Grateful Dead’s 1975 studio album, is the latest of the legendary band’s records to get a 50th anniversary deluxe reissue. Over two hours of previously unreleased recordings are included in the expanded edition, including a newly remastered version of the first single from the original album, “The Music Never Stopped.”

Among the other previously unreleased tracks are Blues For Allah songs “Sage & Spirit,” “Help On The Way,” “Slipknot!” and “Franklin’s Tower” recorded during the August 12, 1975 soundcheck at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, ahead of the concert the next night that became One From The Vault.

One of only three known live recordings of the Blues For Allah composition “Kings Solomon’s Marbles” (previously exclusively available via the 2004 Beyond Description box set bonus disc) is part of the collection.

There are also selections from the Grateful Dead’s June 21 and June 22, 1976, shows at the Tower Theatre in Pennsylvania, including five songs from Blues For Allah, with others such as “Eyes Of The World.” Recordings from Bill Graham’s SNACK (Students Need Athletics, Culture, and Kicks) Benefit at Kezar Stadium on March 23, 1975 are also included.

According to the 50th anniversary release announcement:

Blues for Allah saw the Grateful Dead attempt something they never had before—and never would again. They would make the record almost entirely without pre-written material.

“The whole idea was to get back to that band thing, where the band makes the main contribution to the evolution of the material,” [guitarist Jerry] Garcia explained.

Working at Bobby Weir’s home studio—just big enough to hold the band and their gear—the sessions took on an intimate, exploratory feel. Robert Hunter was back in the thick of it, writing lyrics on the spot as the songs took shape. Keith Godchaux’s keys gave the album its spacious texture, while Donna Jean’s harmony vocals elevated songs like “The Music Never Stopped.” “Crazy Fingers” became, in Phil Lesh’s words, “a marvelous essay in smoky ambiguity.”

The mostly instrumental title suite pushed even further out, with Bill Kreutzmann saying it “bordered on acid-jazz composition.” Mickey Hart’s role was central, weaving percussion— and slowed-down field recordings of crickets — into a rich, immersive tapestry of sound.

Blues for Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) arrives digitally and as a 3CD set on September 12, days after the anniversary of its first release, and presents a newly remastered version of the original album, sourced from the original analog tapes by David Glasser, with additional work provided by Plangent Processes. Vinyl and Blue-Ray editions will also be offered.

Stream the remastered “The Music Never Stops” below:

Blues for Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Disc One Tracklist

2025 Remaster

1. Help On The Way / Slipknot!
2. Franklin’s Tower
3. King Solomon’s Marbles
4. Part I: Stronger Than Dirt
5. Part II: Milkin’ The Turkey
6. The Music Never Stopped
7. Crazy Fingers
8. Sage & Spirit
9. Blues For Allah
10. Sand Castles & Glass Camels
11. Unusual Occurrences In The Desert

Disc Two Tracklist

Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA Soundcheck/Rehearsal (8/12/75)

1. Help On The Way
2. Slipknot!
3. Franklin’s Tower
4. Help On The Way
5. Slipknot!
6. Franklin’s Tower
7. King Solomon’s Marbles
8. Crazy Fingers
9. Sage And Spirit
10. Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, CA (3/23/75)
11. Blues For Allah
12. Stronger Than Dirt (Or Milkin’ The Turkey)
13. Drums
14. Stronger Than Dirt (Or Milkin’ The Turkey)
15. Blues For Allah

Disc Three Tracklist

Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA (6/21/76 and 6/22/76)

1. The Music Never Stopped
2. Help On The Way
3. Slipknot!
4. Franklin’s Tower
5. Crazy Fingers
6. Comes A Time
7. Eyes Of The World
8. Dancing In The Street