Grateful Dead to Release Rare, All-Acoustic Set on Vinyl for Record Store Day’s Black Friday

The Grateful Dead will release the recording from an all-acoustic, “incognito” show at the Great Highway in San Francisco on April 18, 1970 on vinyl for Record Store Day’s Black Friday event. The two-LP set, Family Dog at the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 4/18/70, will be available at participating independent record stores on November 29.

The 80-minute, 17-song Grateful Dead performance was originally billed as “Mickey Hart and His Heartbeats and Bobby Ace and His Cards from the Bottom of the Deck.” The one-set show featured a combination of original material (“Friend of the Devil,” “New Speedway Boogie”), covers (“Mama Tried,” “Wake Up Little Susie”) and traditionals (“I Know You Rider”), which were followed by six solo acoustic songs from Pigpen.

The long lost, recently discovered tapes were mastered by Jeff Norman. Only 7,500 copies of the 180-gram vinyl, which includes new artwork by frequent Grateful Dead designer Scott McDougall, will be made available.

Family Dog at the Great Highway – San Francisco, CA 4/18/70 tracklist:

Record 1

Side A:

I Know You Rider

Don’t Ease Me In

Silver Threads and Golden Needles

Friend of the Devil

Deep Elem Blues

Side B:

Wake Up Little Susie

Candyman

Cumberland Blues

New Speedway Boogie

Record 2

Side A:

Me and My Uncle

Mama Tried

Katie Mae

Side B:

Ain’t It Crazy (The Rub)

Roberta

Bring Me My Shotgun

The Mighty Flood

Black Snake