History of the Grateful Dead, Vol. 1 (Bear's Choice) (1973) [Grateful Dead]

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On May 5 2023, a 50th Anniversary Edition of History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice) was released. Unlike other 50th Anniversary releases, it's not an extended version, but a remaster: The album has been remastered by David Glasser using Plangent Processes from the original analog 2-track tapes recorded live by Bear and it is said that it has never sounded better. I didn't check the remaster, though, and gave the regular version (without bonus tracks) a few spins, and I still find this a somewhat strange album. In itself, there's nothing wrong with the quality of the songs. Drawing from concerts from February 13th and 14th 1970, Stanley 'Bear' Owsley (the Dead's sound engineer, and although not a band member, his influence on the band's history cannot be underestimated) has compiled a beautiful tribute to Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan. McKernan passed away during the production of this record, but that's precisely why it doesn't feel like a full-fledged Grateful Dead album.

As much as I enjoy the performances of songs like Katie Mae and Hard to Handle, the full concerts from February 13th and 14th 1970, are 100x more interesting. Yet, Bear's Choice is an iconic album in the Dead's oeuvre, but not for any musical reason. It's on the back cover of the record that the Dancing Bears make their debut! A symbol still used today for everything related to the band (during Covid, I even saw a version where they placed a 5-foot sign between the bears to indicate social distancing), making this an album that deserves its place in the band's extensive oeuvre. It's funny, by the way, that someone was convinced this might become a whole series? However, a volume 2 was never released, and Warner should have expected that. The Grateful Dead were already busy establishing their own record label, and this release was primarily intended to terminate their contract with Warner. I'll pick up the 50th Anniversary sometime to hear if it truly is "never sounded better," but that's more likely to be online.

Tracklist:

  1. Katie Mae
  2. Dark Hollow
  3. I've Been All Around This World
  4. Wake Up Little Susie
  5. Black Peter
  6. Smokestack Lightnin'
  7. Hard to Handle


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