The Grateful Dead – Workingman's Dead (2xLP, MOFI, 45RPM, Numbered)

Grateful Dead's Workingman's Dead on numbered, limited edition 180-gram 45 RPM LP!

Ranked No. 264 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

Airy harmonies, simple structures, concise arrangements anchor songs

Workingman's Dead defies the erroneous belief that the Grateful Dead never attained brilliance in the recording studio. Forever prized for natural sonics, Workingman's Dead attains audiophile reference status courtesy of this 45 RPM 180-gram double LP. As flawless as any rustic album ever released, the 1970 set now brims with soaring harmonies, organic execution, intertwined textures, and uncomplicated structures.

Workingman's Dead acts as a retreat from chaos and uncertainty, its songs emblems of simpler times and pleas for compassion in the face of hardship. Lyricist Robert Hunter said he aimed to capture the vintage elements of late 1940s country-and-western jukebox singles as well as old blues classics. In that vein, fare such as the Bakersfield-leaning "Cumberland Blues," pastoral ballad "Dire Wolf," and bluesy "Easy Wind" hit the mark. Leader Jerry Garcia's occasional pedal-steel underpinnings arrive as a bonus.