NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2025 50th anniversary remastered reissue on 180 gram vinyl. Remastered by David Glasser for Rhino Records.
Blues for Allah is the eighth studio album by the Grateful Dead, released on September 1, 1975, through their own Grateful Dead Records label. Recorded during the band’s mid-1970s hiatus, the album marked a period of experimentation and renewal for the group. Working at Bob Weir’s home studio in Mill Valley, California, the Dead explored a more intricate and improvisational sound, drawing inspiration from jazz fusion and Middle Eastern tonalities. Produced collectively by the band, it remains one of their most adventurous studio efforts.
The album’s creation was largely studio-driven rather than road-tested, resulting in compositions that were complex and atmospheric. Tracks such as “Help on the Way,” “Slipknot!,” and “Franklin’s Tower” became essential parts of the Dead’s live canon, blending tight rhythmic interplay with open-ended improvisation. The contemplative “Crazy Fingers” and the multi-part title suite “Blues for Allah” showcased the group’s willingness to push beyond conventional rock structure, while “The Music Never Stopped” provided one of the album’s most accessible and enduring singles.
Upon its release, Blues for Allah reached number 12 on the Billboard 200, the band’s highest placement to that point. Though initial reviews were mixed, the album’s reputation has grown over time, praised for its fluid musicianship and sense of creative risk. Its unique fusion of American roots, jazz complexity, and global influences captured the spirit of a band redefining itself on its own terms. The 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, released in 2025, reaffirmed the album’s place as one of the Grateful Dead’s most innovative studio statements.
TRACKLIST:
A1a Help On The Way
A1b Slipknot!
A2 Franklin's Tower (Roll Away The Dew)
A3a King Solomon's Marbles
A3b Stronger Than Dirt Or Milkin' The Turkey
A4 The Music Never Stopped
B1 Crazy Fingers
B2 Sage & Spirit
B3a Blues For Allah
B3b Sand Castles & Glass Camels
B3c Unusual Occurances In The Desert
