History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice)
Encyclopedia
History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice) is the ninth album and the fourth live album
by the Grateful Dead
, released in July 1973 on Warner Bros. Records
, catalogue BS 2721. It offers concert highlights from the band's performances of February 13 and 14, 1970 at the Fillmore East
in New York City, and peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200
.
, underground chemist turned Dead sound man. The original album was recorded and produced by Stanley, and fans often simply refer to the album as Bear's Choice. Side one consists of acoustic performances by McKernan, Jerry Garcia
, and Bob Weir
on country blues
material, with one original from Workingman's Dead
and a cover of one 1950s rock and roll
number by the Everly Brothers. The second side features performances by the entire band backing McKernan on two repertoire items, "Smokestack Lightning
" by Howlin' Wolf
, and "Hard to Handle
" by Otis Redding
.
The album was originally intended to be a first in a series, but Volume Two never came to be as this was the band's last album on their record contract with Warner Bros. Records. Dick's Picks Volume 4
from the archive release series also chronicles these performances.
The album was remastered for compact disc in 2001 as part of The Golden Road (1965-1973)
box set, and later released separately in 2003. Four bonus tracks were taken from the same shows, as well as shows from a week earlier at the Fillmore West
in San Francisco. In keeping with the tribute nature of the original record, three tracks feature lead vocals by McKernan.
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, released in July 1973 on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, catalogue BS 2721. It offers concert highlights from the band's performances of February 13 and 14, 1970 at the Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
in New York City, and peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
Content
The album was compiled as a tribute of sorts to Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, the band's original keyboard player and blues aficionado, who died while the album was being prepared. The "Bear" of the title is Owsley StanleyOwsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley also known as Bear, was an essential and transitional personality in the development of the San Francisco Bay counter-culture. Spanning the Beat-era years of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters scenes, he was equally pivotal to the explosion of 1960's Psychedelia culture...
, underground chemist turned Dead sound man. The original album was recorded and produced by Stanley, and fans often simply refer to the album as Bear's Choice. Side one consists of acoustic performances by McKernan, Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, and Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
on country blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
material, with one original from Workingman's Dead
Workingman's Dead
Workingman's Dead is the fourth studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded in February 1970 and originally released on June 14, 1970....
and a cover of one 1950s rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
number by the Everly Brothers. The second side features performances by the entire band backing McKernan on two repertoire items, "Smokestack Lightning
Smokestack Lightning
"Smokestack Lightning" is a classic of the blues. In 1956, Howlin' Wolf recorded the song and it became one of his most popular and influential songs...
" by Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
, and "Hard to Handle
Hard to Handle (song)
"Hard to Handle" is a 1968 song originally recorded by Otis Redding and written by Redding, Al Bell and Allen Jones. It was released posthumously after Redding's death in 1967 on the album The Immortal Otis Redding...
" by Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
.
The album was originally intended to be a first in a series, but Volume Two never came to be as this was the band's last album on their record contract with Warner Bros. Records. Dick's Picks Volume 4
Dick's Picks Volume 4
Dick's Picks Volume 4 is the fourth live album in the Dick's Picks series of releases by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on February 13 and February 14, 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City, and released in February 1996. It was the first of the Dick's Picks CDs to have three discs...
from the archive release series also chronicles these performances.
The album was remastered for compact disc in 2001 as part of The Golden Road (1965-1973)
The Golden Road (1965-1973)
The Golden Road is a twelve-CD boxed set retrospect of the Grateful Dead's studio and live albums during their time with Warner Bros. Records from 1965 to 1973. After 1973, the band went on to create its own label, Grateful Dead Records....
box set, and later released separately in 2003. Four bonus tracks were taken from the same shows, as well as shows from a week earlier at the Fillmore West
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
in San Francisco. In keeping with the tribute nature of the original record, three tracks feature lead vocals by McKernan.
Side one
- "Katie Mae" (Lightnin' HopkinsLightnin' HopkinsSam John Hopkins better known as Lightnin’ Hopkins, was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist, from Houston, Texas...
) – 4:44- Ron McKernan – guitar, vocal
- "Dark Hollow" (Bill Browning) – 3:52
- "I've Been All Around This World" (traditional) – 4:18
- "Wake Up Little SusieWake Up Little Susie"Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957.The song is best known in a recording by The Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337...
" (Felice and Boudleaux BryantFelice and Boudleaux BryantFelice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team best known for songs such as "Rocky Top," "Love Hurts" and numerous Everly Brothers hits, including "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Bye Bye Love".-Beginnings:Boudleaux was born Diadorius...
) – 2:31 - "Black Peter" (Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, Robert HunterRobert Hunter (lyricist)Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
) – 7:27- Tracks 2–5: Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, Bob WeirBob WeirBob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
– guitars, vocals
- Tracks 2–5: Jerry Garcia
Side two
- "Smokestack LightningSmokestack Lightning"Smokestack Lightning" is a classic of the blues. In 1956, Howlin' Wolf recorded the song and it became one of his most popular and influential songs...
" (Howlin' WolfHowlin' WolfChester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
) – 17:59 - "Hard to HandleHard to Handle (song)"Hard to Handle" is a 1968 song originally recorded by Otis Redding and written by Redding, Al Bell and Allen Jones. It was released posthumously after Redding's death in 1967 on the album The Immortal Otis Redding...
" (Allen JonesAllen Jones (record producer)Allen Jones was an American record producer.Jones produced several albums for Albert King, and became the producer and manager for The Bar-Kays. He produced all of their records including their last records for Mercury Records. He formed their production company, and produced other acts such as...
, Al BellAl BellAl Bell is an American record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Bell is best known as one of the key figures behind and a co-owner of Memphis, Tennessee-based Stax Records during the latter half of the label's nineteen-year existence...
, and Otis ReddingOtis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
) – 6:15
2001 reissue bonus tracks
- "Good Lovin'" (Rudy ClarkRudy ClarkRudy Clark is an American songwriter about whom little biographical information seems to be known. Supposedly a former mail carrier hailing from New York City, he was most active from the early 1960s through the early 1970s...
, Arthur Resnick) – 8:56 - "Big Boss ManBig Boss Man (song)"Big Boss Man" is a blues song written by Luther Dixon and Al Smith in 1960 and first recorded by Jimmy Reed. The song was a hit for Reed and has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of artists, including Elvis Presley and B.B...
", (Al Smith, Luther DixonLuther DixonLuther Dixon was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 60s, and were recorded by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Jackson 5, B.B. King, Dusty Springfield, and others...
) – 4:53 - "Smokestack Lightning" (Burnett) – 15:11
- "Sitting on Top of the WorldSitting on Top of the World"Sitting on Top of the World" is a folk-blues song written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon, core members of the Mississippi Sheiks, a popular country blues band of the 1930s...
" (Lonnie Chatmon, Walter Vinson) – 3:20- Tracks 6–11: Garcia, Weir – electric guitarsElectric GuitarsElectric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy...
, vocals; McKernan – organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, percussion, vocals; Phil LeshPhil LeshPhillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
– bass, vocals; Bill KreutzmannBill KreutzmannBill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
, Mickey HartMickey HartMickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
– drums, percussion
- Tracks 6–11: Garcia, Weir – electric guitars
Track production details
- "Katie Mae," "Wake Up Little Susie," "Black Peter," and "Smokestack Lightning" (album version) recorded on February 13, 1970 at the Fillmore EastFillmore EastThe Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
, New York. - "Dark Hollow", "I've Been All Around This World" and "Hard to Handle" recorded on February 14, 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City.
- "Big Boss Man" and and "Good Lovin'" (reissue version) recorded on February 5, 1970, at the Fillmore WestFillmore WestThe Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
, San Francisco. - "Smokestack Lightning" (reissue version) and "Sitting on Top of the World" recorded on February 8, 1970, at the Fillmore West, San Francisco.
Personnel
- Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
– acoustic guitar, lead guitar, vocals - Bob WeirBob WeirBob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
– acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals - Ron "Pigpen" McKernan – acoustic guitar, organ, percussion, harmonica, vocals
- Phil LeshPhil LeshPhillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
– bass - Mickey HartMickey HartMickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
– drums - Bill KreutzmannBill KreutzmannBill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
– drums
Reissue production personnel
- James Austin and David Lemieux – reissue producers
- Peter McQuaid – executive producer for Grateful Dead Productions
- Joe Gastwirt – mastering consultant
Charts
Album – BillboardBillboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Pop Albums | 60 |
See also
- Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
- Grateful Dead discographyGrateful Dead discographyThe discography of the rock band the Grateful Dead includes more than 130 albums, the majority of them recorded live in concert. The band has also released more than two dozen singles and a number of videos....
- Owsley StanleyOwsley StanleyOwsley Stanley also known as Bear, was an essential and transitional personality in the development of the San Francisco Bay counter-culture. Spanning the Beat-era years of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters scenes, he was equally pivotal to the explosion of 1960's Psychedelia culture...
- Dick's Picks Volume 4Dick's Picks Volume 4Dick's Picks Volume 4 is the fourth live album in the Dick's Picks series of releases by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on February 13 and February 14, 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City, and released in February 1996. It was the first of the Dick's Picks CDs to have three discs...