Grateful Dead Announces ‘Workingman’s Dead’ 50th Anniversary Reissue & Shares Live ‘Casey Jones’ Recording

The Grateful Dead will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their 1970 studio album Workingman’s Dead by releasing a deluxe edition of the LP via Rhino Records on July 10 as CDs and digital downloads. Additionally, the Dead will put out Workingman’s Dead: 50th Anniversary Vinyl Picture Disc that same day.

Workingman’s Dead: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition contains the remastered album along with a previously unreleased live recording featuring the band’s February 21, 1971 concert at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. The Grateful Dead — consisting at the time of Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “PigPen McKernan, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart — recorded Workingman’s Dead over the course of just 10 days at San Francisco’s Pacific High Recording Studio with Bob Matthews and Betty Cantor. While Workingman’s Dead was released on June 14, 1970; the Grateful Dead returned to the studio shortly after it came out to record the album American Beauty, which was issued on November 1, 1970.

“Since we embarked on the series of Grateful Dead 50th anniversary releases, we’ve had a blast re-mastering the original albums and finding previously unreleased live material from the era for each. In 2020, we’re blessed to have two albums celebrating their 50th anniversaries, and we’re thrilled with how Workingman’s Dead has turned out,” noted Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux, who produced the set. “For an album as important and great as Workingman’s Dead, it seemed appropriate to double the amount of bonus material. The show we’ve selected gives a definitive overview of what the band were up to six months after the release of the album and shows the Dead sound that would largely define the next couple of years. From Workingman’s Dead through Europe ’72, the Dead’s sound was Americana, and the live show included here is a workingman’s band playing authentically honest music.”

Listen to the live version of “Casey Jones” from the set below:

Workingman’s Dead 50th Anniversary Reissue Tracklist

Disc One: Original Album Remastered

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

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Disc Two: Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY (2/21/71)

1. Cold Rain & Snow
2. Me & Bobby McGee
3. Loser
4. Easy Wind
5. Playing In The Band
6. Bertha
7. Me & My Uncle
8. Ripple (False Start)
9. Ripple
10. Next Time You See Me
11. Sugar Magnolia
12. Greatest Story Ever Told
13. Johnny B. Goode

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Disc Three: Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY (2/21/71)

1. China Cat Sunflower >
2. I Know You Rider
3. Bird Song
4. Cumberland Blues
5. I’m A King Bee
6. Beat It On Down The Line
7. Wharf Rat
8. Truckin’
9. Casey Jones
10. Good Lovin’
11. Uncle John’s Band

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Workingman’s Dead 50th Anniversary Picture Disc Tracklist

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

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