The Arista Years (Grateful Dead album) explained

The Arista Years
Type:	Compilation album
Artist:	Grateful Dead
Cover:	Grateful Dead - The Arista Years.jpg
Released:	October 15, 1996
Recorded:	1977–1990
Genre:	Rock, jam band, folk rock
Length:	152:07
Label:	Arista
Producer:	Jerry Garcia, Lowell George
Prev Title:	Dick's Picks Volume 6
Prev Year:	1996
Next Title:	Selections from the Arista Years
Next Year:	1997

The Arista Years is a compilation album that chronicles the Grateful Dead's studio and live albums during their time with Arista Records. The album was released on two-CD and two cassette tapes on October 15, 1996. It contains tracks from Terrapin Station, Shakedown Street, Go to Heaven, Reckoning, Dead Set, In the Dark, Built to Last, and Without a Net. The set does not contain any new or expanded recordings. A media outlet sampler, Selections from the Arista Years, was released by Arista in January 1997.

Track listing

Disc one

1. "Estimated Prophet" (Barlow, Weir)  – 5:37
2. "Passenger" (Lesh, Monk)  – 2:49
3. "Samson and Delilah" (traditional)  – 3:27
4. "Terrapin Station [medley]" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 16:20
   • Tracks 1–4 originally released on the album Terrapin Station.
5. "Good Lovin'" (Resnick, Clark)  – 4:48
6. "Shakedown Street" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 4:59
7. "Fire on the Mountain" (Hart, Hunter)  – 3:46
8. "I Need a Miracle" (Barlow, Weir)  – 3:33
   • Tracks 5–8 originally released on the album Shakedown Street.
9. "Alabama Getaway" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 3:35
10. "Far from Me" (Mydland)  – 3:39
11. "Saint of Circumstance" (Barlow, Weir)  – 5:40
    • Tracks 9-11 originally released on the album Go to Heaven.
12. "Dire Wolf" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 3:21
13. "Cassidy" (Barlow, Weir)  – 4:33
    • Tracks 12–13 originally released on the album Reckoning.
14. "Feel Like a Stranger" (Barlow, Weir)  – 5:47
15. "Franklin's Tower" (Garcia, Hunter, Kreutzmann)  – 5:37
    • Tracks 14–15 originally released on the album Dead Set.

Disc two

16. "Touch of Grey" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 5:48
17. "Hell in a Bucket" (Barlow, Weir)  – 5:36
18. "West L.A. Fadeaway" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 6:37
19. "Throwing Stones" (Barlow, Weir)  – 7:19
20. "Black Muddy River" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 5:57
    • Tracks 16–20 originally released on the album In the Dark.
21. "Foolish Heart" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 5:10
22. "Built to Last" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 5:03
23. "Just a Little Light" (Barlow, Mydland)  – 4:41
24. "Picasso Moon" (Barlow, Bralove, Weir)  – 6:40
25. "Standing on the Moon" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 5:20
    • Tracks 21–25 originally released on the album Built to Last.
26. "Eyes of the World" (Garcia, Hunter)  – 16:25
    • Track 26 originally released on the album Without a Net.

Personnel

Grateful Dead

• Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals
• Donna Jean Godchaux – vocals
• Keith Godchaux – keyboards, vocals
• Mickey Hart – drums
• Bill Kreutzmann – drums
• Phil Lesh – bass
• Brent Mydland – keyboards, vocals
• Bob Weir – guitar, vocals

Additional performers

• Jordan Amarantha – percussion
• Branford Marsalis – saxophone (soprano, tenor)
• Matthew Kelly – harmonica, harp
• Tom Scott – saxophone, lyricon

Production

• Jerry Garcia, Lowell George – producers
• Bob Bralove – programming, associate producer
• Betty Cantor-Jackson, John Cutler, Dan Healy, Gary Lyons, Keith Olsen – producers, engineers
• Guy Charbonneau, David DeVore, Tom Flye, Justin Kreutzmann, Bob Matthews, Peter Miller, Jeffrey Norman, David Roberts, Jeff Sterling, Pete Thea, Chris Wiskes – engineers
• Amy Finkle, Stanley Mouse, Gilbert Shelton, Jim Welch – art directors
• Joe Gastwirt – remastering, digital remastering
• Rick Griffin – illustrations
• John Kahn – associate producer, horn arrangements
• Cameron Sears – coordination
• Bob Seidemann – photography
• Christopher Stern – design
• Robbie Taylor – production manager

Charts

Album – Billboard

Notes and References

1. Web site: [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=grateful dead|chart=all}} ''Billboard'' album chart history-Grateful Dead]. March 1, 2009.