Grateful Dead – Wake of the Flood (50th Anniversary Remaster LP Vinyl)
Read more about the Grateful Dead's Wake of the Flood's 50th Anniversary Remaster release in our featured coverage from October 2023 on jambands.com.
Wake of the Flood (1973), pressed on vinyl for its 50th Anniversary with new remastering, marks the Grateful Dead's debut on their own Grateful Dead Records label after departing Warner Bros. Recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito with the post-Pigpen lineup (Garcia, Weir, Lesh, Kreutzmann, Hart, and new keyboardist Keith Godchaux), the album captures the Dead creating their first self-produced studio work with complete creative control. The 50th Anniversary remaster brings new clarity to the original analog recordings while preserving the warmth that makes the album special.
Wake of the Flood balances accessible songwriting with the Dead's tendency toward musical complexity. "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" opens with Robert Hunter's lyrical imagery and Garcia's singing guitar work, "Eyes of the World" established one of the Dead's most beloved compositions with its jazz-influenced groove and optimistic spirit, and "Stella Blue" showcases Garcia's ability to convey emotional depth through both voice and guitar. Keith Godchaux's piano work throughout emphasizes harmonic color and melodic counterpoint, representing a different approach than Pigpen's blues-based organ style.
What makes this 50th Anniversary remaster significant is how it reveals details in the original recordings that previous pressings obscured. The Dead's self-production on Wake of the Flood emphasized their musical priorities—interplay over polish, feel over technical perfection—and this remaster honors those priorities while bringing sonic improvements. For fans who know Wake of the Flood from older pressings, this anniversary edition offers fresh perspective on a transitional album.
Single LP vinyl. 50th Anniversary remaster. Debut on Grateful Dead Records (1973). Keith Godchaux era. Self-produced.