Grateful Dead releases two hours of unreleased 'Wake of the Flood' recordings

Expanded edition of classic album gets 50th anniversary release this fall

In celebration of Wake Of The Flood‘s 50th anniversary, the Grateful Dead vaults have been reopened to reveal a treasure trove of studio material that Dead Heads have never heard before. For the third edition of The Angel’s Share series, more than two hours of expertly-curated, previously unreleased session tapes are now available via Rhino, for the first time ever on all DSPs worldwide. Similar to previous installments that accompanied milestone reissues of Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, Wake Of The Flood: The Angel’s Share brings together the outtakes, alternate versions, and in-studio conversations behind the creation of the album, including “Eyes Of The World,” “Stella Blue,” “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” and every other song on the LP. Some unexpected moments and revelations are found in takes of “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away,” Keith Godchaux’s first and only vocal on a Grateful Dead studio record, and Bobby Weir’s continually evolving “Weather Report Suite.” Also featured is the track “Phil’s Song (Unbroken Chain)” that appeared later on The Mars Hotel. As the lid is lifted and the curtains are pulled back on a pivotal record – filled with classics that remain instant crowd-pleasers to this day – Wake Of The Flood: The Angel’s Share transports the listener to August 6-17, 1973 at Sausalito, CA’s Record Plant, turning it into a fly-on-the-wall experience of the band’s joyous and collaborative process.

Following the recent passing of founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and the temporary exit of drummer Mickey Hart, the Grateful Dead recorded Wake Of The Flood during a period of transition and immense ambition. As the debut album that would be released on their own record label, Grateful Dead Records, it was a crucial first piece and proof of concept for the independent ecosystem and massive community the band were building. A lot hinged on the LP, yet the music on Wake Of The Flood and Wake Of The Flood: The Angel’s Share shows a fearless sense of experimentation and optimism. After playing for a record-setting crowd of 600,000 people at Watkins Glen just weeks prior – the biggest concert in North American history at that time – the Dead introduced a fresh studio lineup that included new members Keith and Donna Godchaux on keys and vocals. While many Wake Of The Flood songs had been road-tested for more than half a year beforehand, “Weather Report Suite” and “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away” had never been performed live. The Angel’s Share shows how they all took a new shape at The Record Plant.

Alongside Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and the new members, Wake Of The Flood sessions welcomed a wide range of friends and musicians who provided everything from vocals and percussion to saxophone and flute from Martin Fierro, fiddle by bluegrass legend Vassar Clements, and even synths for the first time ever on a Grateful Dead record. Guided by scratch vocal tracks and a tireless work ethic, The Angel’s Share puts everyone back together in the same room, where songs were and will always be living, breathing compositions.

In addition to the more than two hours of tapes featured on Wake Of The Flood: The Angel’s Share, the complete six hours plus of never-before-heard material from Wake Of The Flood sessions will drop on October 15th, exactly 50 years after the album was first released. The recordings will stream live as a YouTube Live Exclusive Event, synced up to the original tape box so viewers can experience it all in real time. Like its predecessors, the latest incarnation of The Angel’s Share was made possible by the work of engineer Brian Kehew, Rhino Senior Director of A&R Jason Jones, and the Grateful Dead Legacy Manager and Audio Archivist, David Lemieux, who spent countless hours compiling and piecing the reels together to create this transformative experience.

Before then, on September 29th, Wake Of The Flood (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) will arrive as two CD and digital sets via Rhino, including the album’s seven remastered songs and Jerry Garcia’s previously unreleased demos for “Eyes Of The World” and “Here Comes Sunshine,” which predate even the recordings on The Angel’s Share. Furthermore, the deluxe edition includes a bonus disc of live material from the final night of a brief tour that immediately followed Wake Of The Flood‘s release, captured at Northwestern University’s McGaw Memorial Hall on November 1st, 1973. Wake Of The Flood (50th Anniversary Remaster) will also be released on September 29th as a single 180-gram black vinyl LP, limited edition 12-inch vinyl picture disc, limited edition coke bottle clear vinyl exclusive to Barnes & Noble, and Dead.net Exclusive, limited edition “Watermark” Custom Vinyl.

In tandem with Wake Of The Flood’s 50th Anniversary, the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast’s current eighth season is dedicated to Wake Of The Flood. While the first two episodes focused on the famed Watkins Glen performances, next week begins a track-by-track breakdown of the album in full, featuring many special guests.