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One week from Friday – July 10 – Rhino will team with Grateful Dead to release the latest titles in the band’s rolling 50th anniversary celebration. 1970’s Americana classic Workingman’s Dead arrives that day as a 3-CD set featuring the remastered original album and a previously unreleased concert; and also as a limited edition picture disc vinyl LP with just the remastered album. Today, in anticipation of that reissue, the Dead has announced a digital streaming exclusive sure to whet the appetites of fans and collectors alike.

Workingman’s Dead: The Angel’s Share, streaming now on Amazon and all of the usual services, premieres over 2.5 hours of previously unissued studio outtakes from the original Workingman’s Dead sessions. This release, overseen by the band’s legacy manager David Lemieux, engineer Brian Kehew, and archivist Mike Johnson has been compiled from dozens of recently-discovered 16-track reels and serves as a supplement to the upcoming reissues.

Recorded at San Francisco’s Pacific High Recording Studio over three weeks in February and March 1970, these tracks encompass both full and partial takes of every song on Workingman’s Dead. These work-in-progress and alternate takes are joined by studio chatter from Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and Bob Weir as they discuss arrangements with one another and confer from the studio floor with producers Bob Matthews and Betty Cantor-Jackson in the control room.

These recordings represent Workingman’s Dead in its purest, most stripped-down form, with several instrumental takes and most tracks free of overdubs. Most songs, however, do feature at least one take with vocals. The Dead had already been honing the tunes on the concert stage in summer and fall 1969; for the album they would be able to present their new songs to the world in accessible, surprisingly compact form. One song developed in the studio was “New Speedway Boogie” which the band had only played three times prior to the sessions. Around 30 minutes of takes reveal Garcia and co. shaping its timeless groove.

The press release for The Angel’s Share explains the title: “The collection takes its name from a term used by whiskey distillers. The ‘angel’s share’ is the percentage of whiskey that’s lost to evaporation each year as the liquid is aged in oak barrels. 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.’ If not for good fortune, these outtakes would have been lost to the angels as well, just like those gallons of whiskey. In this case, everyone gets to share a taste of the ‘angel’s share.'”

Though this curated presentation certainly cries out for a deluxe physical release, no CD or vinyl edition has yet been announced for The Angel’s Share. But its 64 tracks are available to stream today.  The 50th anniversary versions of Workingman’s Dead are due on CD and vinyl on July 10. You’ll find the track listings for all releases below.

Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead: The Angel’s Share (Grateful Dead/Rhino, 2020) (Available to stream now)

“Uncle John’s Band” (Session) – Total Playing Time 10:15

1. False Start 1 (Not Slated)
2. Breakdown (Not Slated)
3. False Start 2 (Not Slated)
4. Complete Track (Not Slated)
5. Take 6 Breakdown (Slated)
6. Take 7 Breakdown (Slated)

“High Time” (Session) – TPT 16:00

7. Breakdown 1 (Not Slated)
8. Breakdown 2 (Not Slated)
9. Take 3 Breakdown (Slated)
10. Complete Track 1 (Not Slated)
11. Studio Chatter
12. Complete Track 2 (Not Slated)
13. Take 6 Breakdown (Slated)
14. Take 7 Breakdown (Slated)

“Dire Wolf” (Session) – TPT 26:54

15. Breakdown 1 (Not Slated)
16. Complete Track 1 (Not Slated)
17. Complete Track 2 (Not Slated)
18. Take 2 Breakdown (Slated)
19. Take 3 False Start & Breakdown (Slated)
20. Breakdown 2 (Not Slated)
21. Take 6 Breakdown (Slated)
22. Breakdown 3 (Not Slated)
23. False Starts 1 (Not Slated)
24. Breakdown 4 (Not Slated)
25. False Starts 2 (Not Slated)
26. Complete Track 3 (Not Slated)
27. Complete Track With Vocals (Not Slated)
28. False Start 3 (Not Slated)

“New Speedway Boogie” (Session) – TPT 29:12

29. Demo With Acoustic Guitar, Drums & Vocals (Not Slated)
30. Complete Track With Vocals 1 (Not Slated)
31. Take 2 Breakdown With Vocals (Slated)
32. Take 3 Breakdown With Vocals (Slated)
33. Mis-named As Take 3 False Start With Vocals (Slated)
34. Take 4 Complete With Vocals & Lead Guitar (Slated)
35. Arranging Take With Vocals (Not Slated)
36. Breakdown With Vocals 1 (Not Slated)
37. Breakdown With Vocals 2 (Not Slated)
38. Complete Track With Vocals 2 (Not Slated)
39. Take 8 Complete With Vocals (Slated)

“Cumberland Blues” (Session) – TPT 3:26

40. Various Breakdowns & Take 9 (Slated)

“Black Peter” (Session) – TPT 20:17

41. Breakdown 1 (Not Slated)
42. Breakdown 2 (Not Slated)
43. Studio Chatter
44. Breakdown 3 (Not Slated)
45. Breakdown 4 (Not Slated)
46. Complete Track With Vocals (Not Slated)

“Easy Wind” (Session) – TPT 35:29

47. Complete Track With Vocals 1 (Not Slated)
48. Breakdown With Vocals 1 (Not Slated)
49. Breakdown With Vocals 2 (Not Slated)
50. Breakdown With Vocals 3 (Not Slated)
51. Breakdown With Vocals 4 (Not Slated)
52. Complete Track With Vocals 2 (Not Slated)
53. False Starts & Breakdowns With Vocals (Not Slated)
54. Incomplete Track With Vocals (Not Slated)
55. Take 17 With Vocals (Slated)
56. Take 18 Breakdown With Vocals (Slated)
57. Take 19 Breakdown With Vocals (Slated)
58. Take 20 With Vocals (Slated)
59. Take 21 False Start With Vocals (Slated)
60. Take 22 Breakdown With Vocals (Slated)
61. Take 23 Breakdown With Vocals (Slated)

“Casey Jones” (Session) – TPT 10:37

62. Breakdown 1 (Not Slated)
63. Breakdown 2 (Not Slated)
64. Complete Track With Vocals (Not Slated)

Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Warner Bros. WS 1869, 1970 – reissued Grateful Dead/Rhino, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: 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”

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

1. “Cold Rain And Snow”
2. “Me And Bobby McGee”
3. “Loser”
4. “Easy Wind”
5. “Playing In The Band”
6. “Bertha”
7. “Me And 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”

CD 3: 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”

Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead: 50th Anniversary Picture Disc (Warner Bros. WS 1869, 1970 – reissued Grateful Dead/Rhino, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

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”