In 1975, the Grateful Dead found themselves at Bob Weir’s home studio in Mill Valley, California, recording a new album. This time, though, was a bit different than their previous sessions: they recorded almost entirely without any pre-written material. “The whole idea was to get back to that band thing, where the band makes the main contribution to the evolution of the material,” Jerry Garcia said.
The result was the experimental Blues for Allah — an album that’s jazzy, otherworldly, and at times straight swamp-rock — that arrived after a rare hiatus from the road. For the 50th anniversary, the album will be celebrated with a deluxe edition, out Sept. 12.
Blues for Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) contains 3 CDs: the remastered album (you can hear “The Music Never Stopped” below), rehearsals/soundcheck from their Aug. 12, 1975, show at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, and performances from their June 21, 1976, concert at Pennsylvania’s historic Tower Theatre.
The second CD contains portions of the Dead’s set at Bill Graham’s SNACK (Students Need Athletics, Culture, and Kicks) Benefit at Kezar Stadium on March 23, 1975. That show featured one of the only three known performances of the groovy instrumental “King Solomon’s Marbles,” and was a wild, three-keyboard set with Keith Godchaux, Ned Lagin, and Merl Saunders. (The benefit is also famous for Neil Young and Bob Dylan’s performance, the first time the two rock icons played together.)
In addition to the 3-CD set, Blues for Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) will be available in a variety of formats, including a picture disc, limited-edition “Midnight Fire” vinyl (which features a replica lyric sheet with English and Arabic translations, like the original LP), and more.
“Blues for Allah is the Dead’s unique vision, a deeply humane parable that framed their own artistic renewal in the most inclusive, expansive terms,” Nicholas G. Meriwether, Executive Director of the Grateful Dead Studies Association, wrote in the liner notes. “Fifty years later, it remains one of their most musically successful and resolutely experimental albums.”
Editor’s picks
This year also marks the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary, which is being commemorated in a number of ways, from the massive 60-CD box set Enjoying the Ride to a screening of 1977’s The Grateful Dead Movie on IMAX. Dead & Company will also perform three nights at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park next month. As we’ve always known, the music never stopped.
Blues For Allah 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) CD Track List
Disc One
2025 Remaster
1. “Help On The Way” / “Slipknot!”
2. “Franklin’s Tower”
3. “King Solomon’s Marbles”
4. Part I: “Stronger Than Dirt”
5. Part II: “Milkin’ The Turkey”
6. “The Music Never Stopped”
7. “Crazy Fingers”
8. “Sage & Spirit”
9. “Blues For Allah”
10. “Sand Castles & Glass Camels”
11. “Unusual Occurrences In The Desert”
Disc Two
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA Soundcheck/Rehearsal (8/12/75)
1. “Help On The Way” >
2. “Slipknot!”
3. “Franklin’s Tower”
4. “Help On The Way” >
5. “Slipknot!”
6. “Franklin’s Tower”
7. “King Solomon’s Marbles”
8. “Crazy Fingers”
9. “Sage And Spirit”
Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, CA (3/23/75)
1. “Blues For Allah”
2. “Stronger Than Dirt (Or Milkin’ The Turkey)”
3. “Drums”
4. “Stronger Than Dirt (Or Milkin’ The Turkey)”
5. “Blues For Allah”
Trending Stories
Disc Three
Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA (6/21/76 and 6/22/76)
1. “The Music Never Stopped”
2. “Help On The Way” >
3. “Slipknot!” >
4. “Franklin’s Tower”
5. “Crazy Fingers”
6. “Comes A Time”
7. “Eyes Of The World” >
8. “Dancing In The Street”
