What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

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What The Long Strange Trip Has Been is the second compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It was released August 18, 1977 by Warner Bros. Records, three years after the compilation of Skeletons of the Closet. Both albums were subtitled "The Best of the Grateful Dead". Unlike previous compilations, What a Long Strange Trip It Been is a double album.

Video What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

Accounts

After the Grateful Dead have completed their contract with Warner Bros. and started releasing themselves from their recordings, the label released the Skeletons from the Closet . The compilation of songs from their back catalog was successful and when the band moved to Arista Records in 1977, to record Terrapin Station Warner Bros. released a second compilation of songs larger than the period 1967-1972.

What The Long Strange Trip Has Been is a two-note set, with most studio tracks being collected on first disk and all live songs on the second. Sixteen tracks were taken from previously released albums. Two songs are single versions that were not previously available on the album: studio version of "Dark Star", and its B-side, a single mix of Born Cross-Eyed Anthem of the Sun's. Like the most familiar Grateful Dead song, "Truckin '" is the only song used on both compilations. "St Stephen" appears again, though this time in the live version (excerpt from the song Live/Dead ). Of the original nine Warner Bros albums, the only one not represented is Anthem of the Sun (apart from related singles).

Maps What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

Release

The title comes from the "Truckin" choir, which ends with a stanza:

Lately it happened to me Truly a long and strange trip.

Obviously, if the effort is not good to attract fans of hard rock/heavy metal, cover art is a dark theme, with red writing, Old English Gothic and black frame images with a black background. The metallized frame (less clear on some prints) is an air-brushed image by Rick Griffin, who has created several previous album covers for the band. The rear cover shows the rear view of the skeleton, with the text reversed. The inside of the front gate displays the first appearance of the iconic "dance frame" icon, shown in white. Also displayed photos of the band being concert. However, rather than dating from the Warner Bros era, they came from October 1976 (see Dick's Picks Volume 33 ).

What Long Strange Trip Has Been was released as a double CD in 1989, after band album sales have been revitalized by In the Dark . Like its predecessor, it has achieved Platinum sales certification (in 2001).

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Track list

Side one

1. "New, New Minglewood Blues" (trad., credited to McGannahan Skjellyfetti) Ã, - 2:35
   • of The Grateful Dead
2. "Cosmic Charlie" (Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) Ã, - 5:31
   • from Aoxomoxoa
3. "Truckin '" (Garcia, Hunter, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir) Ã, - 5:06
   • of American Beauty
4. "Black Peter" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 7:31
   • from Bear's Choice ; live, February 13, 1970, Fillmore East, New York City
5. "Born Cross-Eyed" (single version) (Weir) Ã, - 2:58
   • from "Dark Star" single

Two sides

6. "Ripple" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 4:10
   • of American Beauty
7. "Doin 'That Rag" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 4:43
   • from Aoxomoxoa
8. "Dark Star" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 2:41
   • from "Dark Star" single
9. "High Time" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 5:14
   • from The Worker's Dead
10. "New Speedway Boogie" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 4:05
    • from The Worker's Dead

Three sides

11. "St. Stephen" (Garcia, Hunter, Lesh) Ã, - 5:24
    • excerpt, from Live/Dead ; live, February 27, 1969, Fillmore West, San Francisco
12. "Jack Straw" (Weir, Hunter) Ã, - 4:53
    • from Europe '72 ; live, May 3, 1972, Olympia Theater, Paris
13. "Me & My Uncle" (John Phillips) Ã, - 3:04
    • of Grateful Dead (untitled) ; direct, April 29, 1971, Fillmore East, New York City;
14. "Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 7:12
    • from Europe '72 ; live, May 3, 1972, Olympia Theater, Paris

Four sides

15. "Cumberland Blues" (Garcia, Hunter, Lesh) Ã, - 5:40
    • from Europe '72 ; live, April 8, 1972, Empire Pool, London
16. "Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hunter, Mickey Hart) Ã, - 4:42
    • of Grateful Dead (untitled) ; live, April 6, 1971, Ballroom Hammerstein, Manhattan Center, New York City
17. "Brown-Eyed Woman" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 4:38
    • from Europe '72 ; directly, April 14, 1972, Tivolis Koncertsal, Copenhagen
18. "Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) Ã, - 6:02
    • from Europe '72 ; directly, May 26, 1972, Lyceum Theater, London

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Personnel

Grateful Dead

• Tom ConstantenÃ, - keyboard
• Jerry GarciaÃ, - guitar, vocals
• Donna Jean GodchauxÃ, - vocals
• Keith GodchauxÃ, - piano, keyboard
• Mickey HartÃ, - drum
• Bill KreutzmannÃ, - drum
• Phil LeshÃ, - bass guitar, vowel
• Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - organ, vowel
• Bob WeirÃ, - guitar, vocals

Technical personnel

• Betty Cantor, Bob Matthews - production, technique
• David Hassinger, Owsley StanleyÃ, - production
• Paul WexlerÃ, - executive production

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Certification

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Reference

Source of the article : Wikipedia