Grateful Dead Release ‘Workingman’s Dead: The Angel’s Share’ Outtake Collection

The Grateful Dead continues to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Workingman’s Dead studio album with the release of the Workingman’s Dead: The Angel’s Share outtake compilation. The first such compilation in the band’s history contains 64 tracks spanning two hours and 32 minutes that displays the process which led to the making of Workingman’s Dead.

Recorded at Pacific High Recording in the band’s hometown of San Francisco, Workingman’s Dead marked a big transition in the Dead’s sound from psychedelic rock to Americana. The Angel’s Share finds the group hard at work developing the road tested songs into standout studio tracks. The new compilation contains at least one outtake featuring each of the eight songs that would appear on Workingman’s Dead ranging from a lone cut for “Cumberland Blues” to 15 “Easy Wind” tracks.

In addition to music, The Angel’s Share also includes a handful of tracks featuring banter from the studio. The new release from Rhino is available on digital services only for now and gets its name for a term used by whiskey distillers for alcohol lost in the distillation process. “Much like the whiskey-distillation process, there were also ingredients that were vital to the creation of Workingman’s Dead that were lost and did not end up on the final album, the band’s own version of the ‘angel’s share,” noted Rhino in a statement as per Rolling Stone.

The collection of outtakes comes in addition to a Workingman's Dead 50th Anniversary reissue due on July 10. Audio used in The Angel’s Share was found on unlabeled tapes in the Grateful Dead’s vault late in the process of creating the reissue. “The complete takes show the development,” Lemieux told Rolling Stone. “The Dead had been playing these songs for so long, in some cases nine months, so they had them down. But this is where the nuances developed.”

Stream Workingman’s Dead: The Angel’s Share below:

Workingman’s Dead: The Angel’s Share Tracklist

1. Uncle John’s Band (False Start 1)
2. Uncle John’s Band (Breakdown)
3. Uncle John’s Band (False Start 2)
4. Uncle John’s Band (Complete Track)
5. Uncle John’s Band (Take 6 Breakdown)
6. Uncle John’s Band (Take 7 Breakdown)
7. High Time (Breakdown 1)
8. High Time (Breakdown 2)
9. High Time (Take 3 Breakdown)
10. High Time (Complete Track 1)
11. High Time (Studio Chatter)
12. High Time (Complete Track 2)
13. High Time (Take 6 Breakdown)
14. High Time (Take 7 Breakdown)
15. Dire Wolf (Breakdown 1)
16. Dire Wolf (Complete Track 1)
17. Dire Wolf (Complete Track 2)
18. Dire Wolf (Take 2 Breakdown)
19. Dire Wolf (Take 3 False Start & Breakdown)
20. Dire Wolf (Breakdown 2)
21. Dire Wolf (Take 6 Breakdown)
22. Dire Wolf (Breakdown 3)
23. Dire Wolf (False Starts 1)
24. Dire Wolf (Breakdown 4)
25. Dire Wolf (False Starts 2)
26. Dire Wolf (Complete Track 3)
27. Dire Wolf (Complete Track With Vocals)
28. Dire Wolf (False Start 3)
29. New Speedway Boogie (Demo With Acoustic Guitar, Drums & Vocals)
30. New Speedway Boogie (Complete Track With Vocals 1)
31. New Speedway Boogie (Take 2 Breakdown With Vocals)
32. New Speedway Boogie (Take 3 Breakdown With Vocals)
33. New Speedway Boogie (Mis-Named As Take 3 False Start With Vocals)
34. New Speedway Boogie (Take 4 Complete With Vocals & Lead Guitar)
35. New Speedway Boogie (Arranging Take With Vocals)
36. New Speedway Boogie (Breakdown With Vocals 1)
37. New Speedway Boogie (Breakdown With Vocals 2)
38. New Speedway Boogie (Complete Track With Vocals 2)
39. New Speedway Boogie (Take 8 Complete With Vocals)
40. Cumberland Blues (Various Breakdowns & Take 9)
41. Black Peter (Breakdown 1)
42. Black Peter (Take 1 – Breakdown)
43. Black Peter (Studio Chatter)
44. Black Peter (Breakdown 3)
45. Black Peter (Breakdown 4)
46. Black Peter (Complete Track With Vocals)
47. Easy Wind (Complete Track With Vocals 1)
48. Easy Wind (Breakdown With Vocals 1)
49. Easy Wind (Breakdown With Vocals 2)
50. Easy Wind (Breakdown With Vocals 3)
51. Easy Wind (Breakdown With Vocals 4)
52. Easy Wind (Complete Track With Vocals 2)
53. Easy Wind (False Start & Breakdowns With Vocals)
54. Easy Wind (Incomplete Track With Vocals)
55. Easy Wind (Take 17 With Vocals)
56. Easy Wind (Take 18 Breakdown With Vocals)
57. Easy Wind (Take 19 Breakdown With Vocals)
58. Easy Wind (Take 20 With Vocals)
59. Easy Wind (Take 21 False Start With Vocals)
60. Easy Wind (Take 22 Breakdown With Vocals)
61. Easy Wind (Take 23 Breakdown With Vocals)
62. Casey Jones (Breakdown 1)
63. Casey Jones (Breakdown 2)
64. Casey Jones (Complete Track With Vocals)