Grateful Dead. Ready or Not

Official live collection consisting of tracks recorded 1992-95, none of which have ever been released as studio recordings. Curated by David Lemieux, the band's archivist, this is the nearest we'll get to what the Dead's next studio album, following 'Built To Last' in 1989, might have been like had Jerry Garcia not passed in 1995. Also available on Vinyl.


The legendary Haight-Ashbury sextet - that formed in 1965 and who took a long strange trip from acid-testing jugband to worldwide countercultural institution - the Grateful Dead are proud to announce the release of ‘Ready Or Not’. This album is an unprecedented collection, curated by David Lemieux, the band’s archivist, which is a stirring conclusion to the Grateful Dead's three-decade career, music filled with adventure and possibility, big questions, big punchlines, and cosmic wisdom... featuring nine unreleased live versions of late-period Grateful Dead songs that debuted in 1992 and 1993, a reflection of what could have been the band's next official studio album.

Maybe you were lucky enough and caught a glimpse of what might have been. You swayed to the unfamiliar, floating along with an unknown melody, joining in for a chorus when you felt confident you had it down. Maybe you jotted a fat question mark in your meticulous setlist, certain you'd figure it out before the next show, anticipating a formal introduction in due time.As if their repertoire wasn't tall enough to reach the endless sky, the band began adding new tunes to their sets in 1992, working them into "quintessential Grateful Dead romps," with the intention of a new studio album. By the mid-90s, they set out recording with the wisdom of Willie Dixon's blues, Neil Young's fuzzed-out guitar, newcomer Vince Welnick's tried-and-true sketches, and Bobby reunited with Robert Hunter on a duo that had quickly become fan-favorites. Alas, it was not meant to be. Until now.

The Grateful Dead were known for their unique and eclectic songwriting style which fused elements of rock, folk music, bluegrass, blues, country and jazz and also for live performances of long modal jams. This stunning album consist of tracks debuted in 1992-93, none of which have ever been released as studio recordings. Including tracks such as ‘Days Between’, ‘Easy Answers’ and ‘So Many Roads’, this album includes some of their best live performances, all mastered from the original digital soundboard tapes. The album track list mirrors what would have been the Grateful Dead’s next studio album, following ‘Built To Last’ in 1989, had Jerry Garcia not passed in 1995.