What a Long Strange Trip It's Been
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| What a Long Strange Trip It's Been | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Greatest hits album by Grateful Dead | ||||
| Released | October 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1962 - 1972 | |||
| Genre | Rock, Country, Folk, Jam | |||
| Length | 85:38 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. (original release) Rhino Records (2009 reissue) |
|||
| Producer | Grateful Dead Paul L. Wexler |
|||
| Grateful Dead chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (B) [2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [3] |
What a Long Strange Trip It's Been — subtitled The Best of the Grateful Dead — is a compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It was initially a two record LP released in October 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. Even though the band left Warner Bros. after their contract was up in order to form their own label, Grateful Dead Records, Warner Bros. continued to release older material from during the contract period.
The title of the compilation comes from one of Robert Hunter's most famous lyrics, the line from "Truckin'": Lately it occurs to me: What a long, strange trip it's been.
The album was reissued as both a 2-CD set and on cassette tape, by Warner Bros. in 1989 when the band was revitalized by their latest albums In the Dark and Built to Last.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Side one
Track four was recorded live in concert.
- "New Minglewood Blues" (traditional, credited to McGannahan Skjellyfetti) – 2:34
- "Cosmic Charlie" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:30
- "Truckin'" (Garcia, Hunter, Lesh, Weir) – 5:03
- "Black Peter" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:27
- "Born Cross-Eyed" (The Grateful Dead) – 2:55
[edit] Side two
- "Ripple" (Hunter, Garcia) – 4:10
- "Doin' That Rag" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:40
- "Dark Star" (Garcia, Hunter) – 2:41
- "High Time" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:12
- "New Speedway Boogie" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:05
[edit] Side three
All songs on side three were recorded live in concert.
- "St. Stephen" (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 5:22
- "Jack Straw" (Weir, Hunter) – 4:48
- "Me and My Uncle" (Phillips) – 3:03
- "Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:11
[edit] Side four
All songs on side four were recorded live in concert.
- "Cumberland Blues" (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 5:41
- "Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 4:38
- "Brown-Eyed Woman" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:37
- "Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:01
[edit] Personnel
- Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
- Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - keyboards, harmonica, vocals
- Tom Constanten - keyboards
- Keith Godchaux - keyboards, vocals
- Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass
- Bill Kreutzmann - drums
- Mickey Hart - drums
Production:
- Betty Cantor, Bob Matthews - producers, engineers
- David Hassinger, Owsley Stanley Producer
- Paul Wexler - executive producer
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Pop Albums | 121 |
[edit] Certifications
| Certification | Date |
|---|---|
| Gold[4] | August 24, 2001 |
| Platinum[4] |
[edit] Production details
- "New, New Minglewood Blues" from The Grateful Dead.
- "Dark Star" and "Born Cross-Eyed" from Dark Star/Born Cross-Eyed 7" single.
- "Cosmic Charlie" and "Doin' That Rag" from AoXoMoXoA.
- "St. Stephen" recorded live in concert and from Live/Dead.
- "High Time" and "New Speedway Boogie" from Workingman's Dead.
- "Truckin'" and "Ripple" from American Beauty.
- "Me and My Uncle" and "Playing in the Band" recorded live in concert and from Skull and Roses.
- "Jack Straw", "Tennessee Jed", "Cumberland Blues", "Brown-Eyed Woman" and "Ramble On Rose" recorded live in concert and from Europe '72.
- "Black Peter" from History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice).
[edit] Recording dates
- "St. Stephen" was recorded live in concert February 27, 1969.
- "Black Peter" was recorded live in concert February 13, 1970.
- "Playing In the Band" was recorded live in concert April 6, 1971.
- "Me and My Uncle" was recorded live in concert April 29, 1971.
- "Cumberland Blues" was recorded live in concert April 8, 1972.
- "Brown-Eyed Woman" was recorded live at the Tivolis Koncertsal, Copenhagen concert April 14, 1972.
- "Jack Straw" and "Tennessee Jed" were recorded live in concert on May 3, 1972.
- "Ramble on Rose" was recorded live in concert on May 23, 25 or 26, 1972.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. What a Long Strange Trip It's Been at Allmusic
- ^ Grateful Dead album ratings at RobertChristgau.com
- ^ Grateful Dead Album Guide, Rolling Stone
- ^ a b "RIAA Gold & Platinum database-What a Long Strange Trip It's Been". http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=strange&artist=grateful%20dead&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved February 28, 2009.
