Grateful Dead discography

The discography of the rock band the Grateful Dead includes more than 200 albums, the majority of them recorded live in concert. The band has also released more than two dozen singles and a number of videos.

The Grateful Dead formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965 amid the counterculture of the 1960s. They had many musical influences, and their music evolved to a great degree over time. They made extensive use of improvisation, and are considered one of the originators of jam band music. The founding members were Jerry Garcia on guitar and vocals, Bob Weir on guitar and vocals, Phil Lesh on bass and vocals, Bill Kreutzmann on drums, and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan on organ, harmonica, percussion, and vocals. Pigpen died in 1973, but the other four remained with the band for its entire 30-year history. Second drummer Mickey Hart was also in the band for most of that time. Others who were band members at different times were keyboardists Tom Constanten, Keith Godchaux, Brent Mydland, Vince Welnick, and Bruce Hornsby, and vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux.

While they were together, from 1965 to 1995, the Grateful Dead released thirteen studio albums and nine contemporary live albums. The nine live albums were recently recorded and mostly contained previously unreleased original material. They filled the role of traditional studio albums, and were an integral part of the contemporaneous evolution of the band. (The Dead's second album, Anthem of the Sun, was an experimental amalgam of studio and live material.)

In 1991, the band started releasing retrospective live albums, a practice that has continued to the present time. There are several series of these albums. The "traditional" live releases were created by remixing multitrack recordings of concerts. A second series of live albums, from 1993 to 2005, was Dick's Picks, concert recordings selected for their musical excellence but made using stereo recordings that did not allow the different musical parts to be remixed. Another series of albums was released in 2005 and 2006 in the form of digital downloads. This was followed by a series from 2007 to 2011 called Road Trips, and then, starting in 2012, by Dave's Picks.

The Grateful Dead's video albums include some albums that were released as both audio CDs and concert DVDs, either separately or together, and some that were released only on video, as well as two theatrical films. The band has also released several compilation albums and box sets.

Studio and contemporary live albums
Unconventionally, the Grateful Dead made the release of live albums a common occurrence throughout their career. Because many were recently recorded and included previously unreleased original material, they often filled the role of traditional studio albums. An integral part of the contemporaneous evolution of the band, such live albums are included in this section.

Dick's Picks
In the 1990s and 2000s, the Grateful Dead released numerous live concert recordings from their archives in three concurrent series. The "From the Vault" series are remixes of multi-track recordings made at the time of the concerts. The "View from the Vault" series are also multi-track remixes, but are released simultaneously as albums on CD and as concert performance videos on DVD. (The first three volumes were also released on VHS videotape.) Both of these series are included in the "Retrospective" live albums list above.

The third series of concert releases is Dick's Picks, which are based on two-track concert recordings. Unlike multi-track recordings, two-track recordings cannot be remixed, only remastered. Therefore, the sound quality of the Dick's Picks series, while generally very good, is not quite as high as that of the other official releases of live recordings, as explained in the various "caveat emptor" notices on the CD boxes.

The Dick's Picks series, which started in 1993, was named after Grateful Dead tape vault archivist Dick Latvala. Latvala selected shows with the band's approval and oversaw the production of the albums. After Latvala's death in 1999, David Lemieux became the Dead's tape archivist and took over responsibility for producing subsequent Dick's Picks releases, as well as his own Dave's Picks series. Latvala and Lemieux worked with recording engineer Jeffrey Norman, who was in charge of mastering the CDs. The last Dick's Pick's compilation was released in 2005.

Volume 15 and later were released in HDCD format. This provides enhanced sound quality when played on CD players with HDCD capability, and is fully compatible with regular CD players.

Digital downloads
In the summer of 2005 the Dead began offering download versions of both their existing live releases, and a new Internet-only series, The Grateful Dead Download Series, that was available through their own online store (which offered the albums in both 256 kbit/s mp3 files and FLAC files – a preferred audio standard for those who archive Dead and other fan-made live recordings on the Internet) and the iTunes Music Store (which offered them in their 256 kbit/s AAC format). Not surprisingly, these Internet-only albums have met with the same success as their CD-based brethren. The Download Series is no longer available for purchase on the Grateful Dead's website. However, they are still available for purchase from the iTunes Music Store as well as from Nugs.net, which offer them in FLAC, Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) and mp3 formats. Amazon also has them available in mp3 format.

Road Trips
The Road Trips series of albums is the successor to Dick's Picks. The series started after the Grateful Dead signed a ten-year contract with Rhino Records to release the band's archival material. The Road Trips releases are created using two-track concert recordings, but unlike Dick's Picks they each contain material from multiple concerts of a tour. The production of the CDs is supervised by vault archivist David Lemieux, with mastering by sound engineer Jeffrey Norman. Like the later Dick's Picks, the Road Trips albums are released in HDCD format.

Dave's Picks
The Dave's Picks albums followed the Road Trips series. They are named after Grateful Dead tape archivist David Lemieux.

Unauthorized legal releases
These albums are not bootlegs. They were released legally, but without the band's consent or cooperation.

Videos
This section does not include the following videos which were also released as audio CDs and are listed in "Retrospective live albums" above:


 * View from the Vault, Volume One
 * View from the Vault, Volume Two
 * View from the Vault, Volume Three
 * View from the Vault, Volume Four
 * The Closing of Winterland
 * Truckin' Up to Buffalo
 * Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978
 * Crimson White & Indigo
 * Giants Stadium: June 17, 1991

7" Singles Collection
In 2017, the Grateful Dead began offering the 27 singles released throughout the band's history on 7-inch colored vinyl, for sale exclusively on their website, dead.net. Each 7-inch vinyl features remastered audio, and packaging designed by artists for each single and B-side.

Live albums by recording date
Following is a list of Grateful Dead live albums in recording date order. The dates listed are the principal recording dates and do not include bonus tracks or bonus discs.


 * Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966 (live tracks) – February–July 1966
 * Birth of the Dead (disc two) – July 1966
 * 30 Trips Around the Sun – July 3, 1966 – February 21, 1995
 * 30 Trips Around the Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965–1995 – July 3, 1966 – February 21, 1995
 * So Many Roads (1965–1995) (live tracks) – July 16, 1966 – July 9, 1995
 * So Many Roads (1965–1995) Sampler (live tracks) – July 16, 1966 – March 30, 1994
 * July 29 1966, P.N.E. Garden Aud., Vancouver Canada – July 29, 1966
 * The Grateful Dead (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition – disc 2) – July 29–30, 1966
 * Vintage Dead – Late 1966
 * Historic Dead – Late 1966
 * Fallout from the Phil Zone – September 3, 1967 – March 18, 1995
 * Anthem of the Sun (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition – disc 2) – October 22, 1967
 * Shrine Exposition Hall, Los Angeles, CA 11/10/1967 – November 10, 1967
 * Anthem of the Sun (live material) – November 10, 1967 – March 31, 1968
 * Grayfolded – January 20, 1968 – September 13, 1993
 * Road Trips Volume 2 Number 2 – February 14, 1968
 * Dick's Picks Volume 22 – February 23–24, 1968
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 6 – March 17, 1968
 * Grateful Dead Origins – August 21, 1968
 * Two from the Vault – August 24, 1968
 * Aoxomoxoa (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition – disc 2) – January 24–26, 1969
 * Live/Dead – January 26 – March 2, 1969
 * Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69 – February 11, 1969
 * Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings – February 27 – March 2, 1969
 * Fillmore West 1969 – February 27 – March 2, 1969
 * Fillmore West 1969: February 27th – February 27, 1969
 * Fillmore West 1969: February 28th – February 28, 1969
 * Fillmore West 1969: March 1st – March 1, 1969
 * Fillmore West 1969: March 2nd – March 2, 1969
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 12 – April 17, 1969
 * Dick's Picks Volume 26 – April 26–27, 1969
 * Road Trips Volume 4 Number 1 – May 23–24, 1969
 * Dave's Picks Volume 43 – November 2 and December 26, 1969
 * Dick's Picks Volume 16 – November 8, 1969
 * Dave's Picks Volume 10 – December 12, 1969
 * Dave's Picks Volume 6 – December 20, 1969 – February 2, 1970
 * Dave's Picks Volume 30 – January 2, 1970
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 2 – January 18, 1970
 * Dave's Picks Volume 19 – January 23, 1970
 * Grateful Dead Download Series: Family Dog at the Great Highway – February 4, 1970
 * History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice) – February 13–14, 1970
 * Dick's Picks Volume 4 – February 13–14, 1970
 * Family Dog at the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 4/18/70 – April 18, 1970
 * Dick's Picks Volume 8 – May 2, 1970
 * Road Trips Volume 3 Number 3 – May 15, 1970
 * American Beauty (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition – disc 2 & 3) – February 18, 1971
 * Three from the Vault – February 19, 1971
 * Workingman's Dead (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition – disc 2 & 3) – February 21, 1971
 * Dave's Picks Volume 51 – April 13, 1971
 * Grateful Dead – March 24 – April 29, 1971
 * Ladies and Gentlemen... the Grateful Dead – April 25–29, 1971
 * Winterland: May 30th 1971 – May 30, 1971
 * Grateful Dead (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition – disc 2) – July 2, 1971
 * Road Trips Volume 1 Number 3 – July 31 – August 23, 1971
 * Dick's Picks Volume 35 – August 6–24, 1971
 * Dave's Picks Volume 3 – October 22, 1971
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 3 – October 26, 1971
 * Dick's Picks Volume 2 – October 31, 1971
 * Road Trips Volume 3 Number 2 – November 15, 1971
 * Dave's Picks Volume 26 – November 17, 1971
 * Dave's Picks Volume 48 – November 20, 1971
 * Dave's Picks Volume 22 – December 6–7, 1971
 * Listen to the River: St. Louis '71 '72 '73 – December 9, 1971 – October 30, 1973
 * Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12-10-71 – December 10, 1971
 * Dick's Picks Volume 30 – March 25 – 28, 1972
 * Dave's Picks Volume 14 – March 26, 1972
 * Europe '72 – April 7 – May 26, 1972
 * Europe '72: The Complete Recordings – April 7 – May 26, 1972
 * Europe '72 Volume 2 – April 7 – May 26, 1972
 * Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72 – April 7 – May 26, 1972
 * Rockin' the Rhein with the Grateful Dead – April 24, 1972
 * Hundred Year Hall – April 26, 1972
 * Dark Star – May 4, 1972
 * Lyceum '72: The Complete Recordings – May 23 –26, 1972
 * Lyceum Theatre, London, England 5/26/72 – May 26, 1972
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 10 – July 21, 1972
 * Dave's Picks Volume 24 – August 25, 1972
 * Sunshine Daydream – August 27, 1972
 * Dave's Picks Volume 46 – September 9, 1972
 * Dick's Picks Volume 23 – September 17, 1972
 * Dick's Picks Volume 36 – September 21, 1972
 * Dick's Picks Volume 11 – September 27, 1972
 * Light into Ashes – October 18, 1972
 * Dave's Picks Volume 11 – November 17, 1972
 * Houston, Texas 11-18-1972 – November 18, 1972
 * Dick's Picks Volume 28 – February 26–28, 1973
 * Dave's Picks Volume 32 – March 24, 1973
 * Dave's Picks Volume 16 – March 28, 1973
 * Dave's Picks Volume 21 – April 2, 1973
 * Here Comes Sunshine 1973 – May 13 – June 10, 1973
 * RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. 6/10/73 – June 10, 1973
 * Postcards of the Hanging – June 10, 1973 – March 24, 1990
 * Pacific Northwest '73–'74: The Complete Recordings – June 22, 1973 – May 21, 1974
 * Pacific Northwest '73–'74: Believe It If You Need It – June 22, 1973 – May 21, 1974
 * Dave's Picks Volume 38 – September 8, 1973
 * Dick's Picks Volume 19 – October 19, 1973
 * Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings – November 9–11, 1973
 * Dave's Picks Volume 5 – November 17, 1973
 * Road Trips Volume 4 Number 3 – November 21, 1973
 * Dick's Picks Volume 14 – November 30 – December 2, 1973
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 8 – December 10, 1973
 * Dick's Picks Volume 1 – December 19, 1973
 * Dave's Picks Volume 42 – February 23, 1974
 * Dave's Picks Volume 13 – February 24, 1974
 * Dick's Picks Volume 24 – March 23, 1974
 * Dave's Picks Volume 9 – May 14, 1974
 * Playing in the Band, Seattle, Washington, 5/21/74 – May 21, 1974
 * Road Trips Volume 2 Number 3 – June 16–18, 1974
 * Dave's Picks Volume 34 – June 23, 1974
 * Dick's Picks Volume 12 – June 26–28, 1974
 * Dave's Picks Volume 17 – July 19, 1974
 * Dave's Picks Volume 2 – July 31, 1974
 * Dick's Picks Volume 31 – August 4–6, 1974
 * Dick's Picks Volume 7 – September 9–11, 1974
 * Steal Your Face – October 16–20, 1974
 * The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack – October 16–20, 1974
 * One From the Vault – August 13, 1975
 * Road Trips Volume 4 Number 5 – June 9, 1976
 * June 1976 – June 10 – 19, 1976
 * Dave's Picks Volume 28 – June 17, 1976
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 4 – June 18, 1976
 * Dave's Picks Volume 18 – July 17, 1976
 * Dave's Picks Volume 4 – September 24, 1976
 * Dick's Picks Volume 20 – September 25–28, 1976
 * Dick's Picks Volume 33 – October 9–10, 1976
 * Live at the Cow Palace – December 31, 1976
 * Dave's Picks Volume 29 – February 26, 1977
 * Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, 4/25/77 – April 25, 1977
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 1 – April 30, 1977
 * Dave's Picks Volume 50 – May 3, 1977
 * May 1977: Get Shown the Light – May 5 – 9, 1977
 * Boston Garden, Boston, MA 5/7/77  – May 7, 1977
 * Cornell 5/8/77 – May 8, 1977
 * Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY 5/9/77 – May 9, 1977
 * May 1977 – May 11–17, 1977
 * Dick's Picks Volume 29 – May 19–21, 1977
 * Dick's Picks Volume 3 – May 22, 1977
 * Dave's Picks Volume 1 – May 25, 1977
 * Dave's Picks Volume 41 – May 26, 1977
 * To Terrapin: Hartford '77 – May 28, 1977
 * Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings – June 7–9, 1977
 * Dick's Picks Volume 15 – September 3, 1977
 * Dave's Picks Volume 45 – October 1 – 2, 1977
 * Road Trips Volume 1 Number 2 – October 7 – 16, 1977
 * Dave's Picks Volume 33 – October 29, 1977
 * Dave's Picks Volume 12 – November 4, 1977
 * Dick's Picks Volume 34 – November 5, 1977
 * Dave's Picks Volume 25 – November 6, 1977
 * Dick's Picks Volume 10 – December 29, 1977
 * Dave's Picks Volume 23 – January 22, 1978
 * Dick's Picks Volume 18 – February 3–5, 1978
 * Dave's Picks Volume 37 – April 15, 1978
 * Dave's Picks Volume 15 – April 22, 1978
 * Dave's Picks Volume 7 – April 24, 1978
 * Dick's Picks Volume 25 – May 10–11, 1978
 * July 1978: The Complete Recordings – July 1 – 8, 1978
 * Red Rocks: 7/8/78 – July 8, 1978
 * Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978 – September 15 – 16, 1978
 * Road Trips Volume 1 Number 4 – October 21–22, 1978
 * The Closing of Winterland – December 31, 1978
 * Live at Hampton Coliseum – May 4, 1979
 * Road Trips Volume 1 Number 1 – October 25 – November 10, 1979
 * Road Trips Full Show: Spectrum 11/5/79 – November 5, 1979
 * Road Trips Full Show: Spectrum 11/6/79 – November 6, 1979
 * Dave's Picks Volume 31 – December 3, 1979
 * Dave's Picks Volume 47 – December 9, 1979
 * Dick's Picks Volume 5 – December 26, 1979
 * Road Trips Volume 3 Number 1 – December 28, 1979
 * Road Trips Volume 3 Number 4 – May 6–7, 1980
 * Go to Nassau – May 15–16, 1980
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 7 – September 3–4, 1980
 * Reckoning – September 25 – October 31, 1980
 * Dead Set – September 25 – October 31, 1980
 * The Warfield, San Francisco, California, October 9 & 10, 1980 – October 9 – 10, 1980
 * Dave's Picks Volume 8 – November 30, 1980
 * Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81 – March 9, 1981
 * In and Out of the Garden: Madison Square Garden '81, '82, '83 – March 9, 1981 – October 12, 1983
 * Dick's Picks Volume 13 – May 6, 1981
 * Dave's Picks Volume 20 – December 9, 1981
 * Road Trips Volume 4 Number 4 – April 6, 1982
 * Dick's Picks Volume 32 – August 7, 1982
 * Dave's Picks Volume 39 – April 26, 1983
 * Dave's Picks Volume 27 – September 2, 1983
 * Dick's Picks Volume 6 – October 14, 1983
 * Dave's Picks Volume 35 – April 20, 1984
 * Dave's Picks Volume 49 – April 27–28, 1985
 * Dick's Picks Volume 21 – November 1, 1985
 * Dave's Picks Volume 36 – March 26 – 27, 1987
 * Dylan & the Dead – July 4–26, 1987
 * Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 – July 12, 1987 – June 17, 1991
 * View from the Vault, Volume Four – July 24–26, 1987
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 5 – March 27, 1988
 * Road Trips Volume 4 Number 2 – March 31 – April 1, 1988
 * Infrared Roses – 1989–1990
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 9 – April 2–3, 1989
 * Truckin' Up to Buffalo – July 4, 1989
 * Crimson White & Indigo – July 7, 1989
 * Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C., July 12 & 13, 1989 – July 12–13, 1989
 * Formerly the Warlocks – October 8–9, 1989
 * Without a Net – October 9, 1989 – April 1, 1990
 * Nightfall of Diamonds – October 16, 1989
 * Spring 1990 (The Other One) – March 14 – April 3, 1990
 * Terrapin Station (Limited Edition) – March 15, 1990
 * Spring 1990 – March 16 – April 2, 1990
 * Spring 1990: So Glad You Made It – March 16 – April 2, 1990
 * Dozin' at the Knick – March 24 – 26, 1990
 * Wake Up to Find Out – March 29, 1990
 * View from the Vault, Volume Three – June 16, 1990
 * Dave's Picks Volume 44 – June 23, 1990
 * View from the Vault, Volume One – July 8, 1990
 * Dave's Picks Volume 40 – July 18 – 19, 1990
 * Dick's Picks Volume 9 – September 16, 1990
 * Road Trips Volume 2 Number 1 – September 18–20, 1990
 * View from the Vault, Volume Two – June 14, 1991
 * Saint of Circumstance – June 17, 1991
 * Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 11 – June 20, 1991
 * Dick's Picks Volume 17 – September 25, 1991
 * Ready or Not – June 23, 1992 – April 2, 1995
 * Dick's Picks Volume 27 – December 16, 1992
 * Road Trips Volume 2 Number 4 – May 26–27, 1993

Albums and concert films by various artists
Performances by the Grateful Dead are included in these albums and concert films by various artists.