‘The Ultimate Dark Star’: Kickstarter Underway For Grateful Dead ‘Grayfolded’ Vinyl Reissue

Canadian composer John Oswald weaved portions of over 100 Grateful Dead performances of “Dark Star” spanning 1968 and 1993 into a singular 110-minute psychedelic odyssey at the invitation of Phil Lesh to create Grayfolded, an album released in 1995. Vinyl copies have been long out-of-print and sell for hundreds of dollars but Important Records (IMPREC) is looking to reissue the 3LP set on deluxe vinyl.

A Kickstarter has been launched by IMPREC to help fund the reissue. Rewards for backers include Grayfolded Socks, All-Over-Print T-Shirts, a Black vinyl edition, Kickstarter-exclusive Clear vinyl, four-color screen printed sleeve containing each LP housed in original inner sleeves, combinations of the merch previously mentioned and test pressings.

The first vinyl Grayfolded reissue in a decade will be pressed at Optimal in Germany, a company known for their high-end audiophile pressings. Grayfolded will come in elaborately printed packaging in a heavy duty triple gatefold jacket including liner notes by Grammy-winning musicologist Rob Bowman featuring exclusive interviews with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and Robert Hunter, plus “time maps” for each side documenting the source shows.

Stream the track “Clouds Cast” from Grayfolded for a taste of the compilation:

The Kickstarter campaign runs through Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 4:48 p.m. ET. Head to the Grayfolded Kickstarter page for more information or to back the reissue.