Grateful Dead Live Recordings

The table below shows the total number of live recordings issued of each song, including Vault releases, Dick's Picks, Download Series and others. It also shows the total number of times the Grateful Dead played each song, and the percentage of those that have been issued. For a fuller explanation of these and other columns see the key at the end. Thanks to Eric Levy for his help in drawing this up - though any errors in updating it are mine not his!.

Updated to include Road Trips Volume 2, Number 1

SONG TITLE Live
Rec's
Times
Played
Percent Studio
Rec's
Video
Rec's
Jams Other
Recs
Notes
Playing In The Band 53 582 9.1 2 5 1   (b)
Sugar Magnolia 45 594 7.6 1 4      
China Cat Sunflower 43 554 7.8 1 4      
The Other One 42 583 7.2   4 2   (a)
Not Fade Away 40 531 7.5 1 7      
I Know You Rider 39 550 7.1 2 4     (v)
Me And My Uncle 31 616 5.0   3      
Truckin' 31 519 6.0 1 4     (dd)
Eyes Of The World 31 381 8.1 1 1     (jj)
Dark Star 31 219 14.2 1   2   (c)
Big River 30 397 7.6   3      
Going Down The Road Feeling Bad 30 293 10.2   2      
Morning Dew 28 254 11.0 1 2      
Jack Straw 27 473 5.7   1      
Good Lovin' 27 428 6.3 3 3      
Estimated Prophet 27 390 6.9 1 3      
Scarlet Begonias 27 316 8.5 1 3      
Let It Grow 27 276 9.8 2 2     (d)
Bertha 26 394 6.6   4   1 (aa)
Wharf Rat 26 394 6.6 1 2      
Deal 25 423 5.9 1 4     (j)
He's Gone 25 328 7.6   2      
The Promised Land 24 427 5.6 1 1      
Looks Like Rain 24 417 5.8 1 3     (l)
Sugaree 24 357 6.7 1     1 (j)(bb)
Turn On Your Lovelight 24 341 7.0   2      
Uncle John's Band 24 332 7.2 1 6 1    
Tennessee Jed 23 433 5.3   1      
Stella Blue 23 328 7.0 1 3      
Mississippi Half-Step 23 234 9.8 1 1      
Saint Stephen 23 165 13.9 1 1      
El Paso 21 388 5.4          
New Minglewood Blues 20 435 4.6 2 4      
Mexicali Blues 19 435 4.4 1 3     (l)
Samson And Delilah 19 364 5.2 1 3      
One More Saturday Night 19 340 5.6 1 2     (l)
Casey Jones 19 312 6.1 1 2   2 (h)(ll)
Johnny B Goode 19 284 6.7   3   1 (h)
Around And Around 18 418 4.3   1      
Loser 18 345 5.2 1       (j)
Cassidy 18 334 5.4 1 2     (l)
Terrapin Station 18 302 6.0 1 6     (e)
U.S.Blues 17 323 5.3 1 2      
Lady With A Fan 17 301 5.6 1 7     (e)
Row Jimmy 17 274 6.2 1 4      
Friend Of The Devil 16 304 5.3 1 2      
Fire On The Mountain 16 253 6.3 2 3     (x)
Caution 16 56 28.6 1   2 1 (g)
Brown Eyed Women 15 347 4.3       1 (f)
Black Peter 15 343 4.4 1 1      
Beat It On Down The Line 15 325 4.6 1        
Ramble On Rose 15 316 4.7   2      
Cold Rain And Snow 15 241 6.2 3 3     (ee)
The Music Never Stopped 15 234 6.4 1 2      
Cumberland Blues 15 223 6.7 1 1      
Cryptical Envelopment 15 132 11.4          
Mama Tried 14 302 4.6   2      
They Love Each Other 14 227 6.2 1       (i)
Big Railroad Blues 14 175 8.0          
Black Throated Wind 14 158 8.9 1 1     (l)
Dancing In The Street 14 123 11.4 1     1 (n)
The Eleven 14 93 15.1 1   2   (ff)
And We Bid You Goodnight 14 61 23.0   3   1 (g)
Greatest Story Ever Told 13 280 4.6 2 2     (k)
Brokedown Palace 13 215 6.0 1        
Bird Song 12 296 4.1 1 3     (j)
The Wheel 12 258 4.7 1 1   1 (j)(oo)
Franklin's Tower 12 221 5.4 1 2      
Me And Bobby McGee 12 118 10.2          
Weather Report Suite Part 1 12 47 25.5 2        
Don't Ease Me In 11 316 3.5 3 2     (ee)
I Need A Miracle 11 271 4.1 1 4      
Peggy-O 11 265 4.2 2        
Dire Wolf 11 226 4.9 1        
Candyman 10 277 3.6 1 2      
Jack-a-Roe 10 115 8.7 1 2      
Supplication 10 113 8.8     1    
Althea 9 272 3.3 1       (w)
Iko Iko 9 185 4.9 1 2      
Shakedown Street 9 163 5.5 1 2      
Stagger Lee 9 146 6.2 1 2      
High Time 9 133 6.8 1        
China Doll 9 114 7.9 2 1      
Lazy Lightnin' 9 111 8.1          
Big Boss Man 9 71 12.7       1 (kk)
Throwing Stones 8 265 3.0 1 3      
It Must Have Been The Roses 8 159 5.0 1       (i)
Slipknot 8 112 7.1 1 1      
Help On The Way 8 110 7.3 1 1      
It Hurts Me Too 8 47 17.0       1 (n)
Little Red Rooster 7 272 2.6   2      
Ship Of Fools 7 225 3.1 1 1      
Saint Of Circumstance 7 222 3.2 1 1      
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue 7 145 4.8       1 (n)(pp)
Lost Sailor 7 145 4.8 1 1      
Hard To Handle 7 105 6.7   2     (kk)
Passenger 7 98 7.1 1     1 (g)
Dupree's Diamond Blues 7 80 8.8 1        
Comes A Time 7 66 10.6 1       (i)
Alligator 7 63 11.1       1 (g)
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 7 62 11.3 1     1 (o)
Feel Like A Stranger 6 207 2.9 1 1      
It's All Over Now 6 160 3.8   3      
Alabama Getaway 6 141 4.3 1        
Walkin' Blues 6 139 4.3   1     (cc)
Next Time You See Me 6 72 8.3          
To Lay Me Down 6 63 9.5 3 1     (j)
Mister Charlie 6 48 12.5          
Cosmic Charley 6 41 14.6 1        
Doin' That Rag 6 37 16.2 1        
New Potato Caboose 6 26 23.1          
Hell In A Bucket 5 216 2.3 1 2      
Touch Of Grey 5 213 2.3 2 4   1 (qq)
When I Paint My Masterpiece 5 144 3.5   4      
Crazy Fingers 5 144 3.5 1        
All Along The Watchtower 5 123 4.1   1   1 (m)
Easy Wind 5 44 11.4 1 1      
Sing Me Back Home 5 39 12.8          
I'm A King Bee 5 38 13.2          
Viola Lee Blues 5 32 15.6 2     1 (kk)
Dark Hollow 5 29 17.2          
Man Smart (Woman Smarter) 4 199 2.0   1      
C.C.Rider 4 127 3.1          
Loose Lucy 4 98 4.1 2        
Victim Or The Crime 4 96 4.2 1 1      
Foolish Heart 4 87 4.6 1 1      
Smokestack Lightning 4 60 6.7          
Dear Mr Fantasy 4 58 6.9   1      
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues 4 58 6.9   1      
Death Don't Have No Mercy 4 49 8.2 1        
Easy To Love You 4 45 8.9 1 1      
Sitting On Top Of The World 4 44 9.1 1     1 (kk)
I Will Take You Home 4 34 11.8 1 1      
Chinatown Shuffle 4 28 14.3          
Mason's Children 4 18 22.2 1        
Mountains Of The Moon 4 12 33.3 1        
The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion) 4 12 33.3          
Queen Jane Approximately 3 129 2.3       2 (m)(mm)
Might As Well 3 111 2.7 1       (i)
Memphis Blues 3 76 3.9          
Standing On The Moon 3 75 4.0 1 2      
Far From Me 3 74 4.1 1 1      
Here Comes Sunshine 3 65 4.6 1        
Attics Of My Life 3 48 6.3 1        
In The Midnight Hour 3 46 6.5       1 (n)
Deep Elem Blues 3 45 6.7          
Maggie's Farm 3 43 7.0   1      
Ripple 3 39 7.7 1 1      
On The Road Again 3 38 7.9   1     (y)
Monkey And The Engineer 3 32 9.4          
You Win Again 3 25 12.0          
Blow Away 3 23 13.0 1        
Nobody's Fault But Mine 3 16 18.8     1    
Hey Jude 3 3 100.0         (u)
Box Of Rain 2 161 1.2 1 1     (z)
West L.A. Fadeaway 2 140 1.4 2 3      
My Brother Esau 2 104 1.9 1 2      
Wang Dang Doodle 2 95 2.1   2      
Gimme Some Lovin' 2 87 2.3   1      
Picasso Moon 2 77 2.6 1        
Knockin' On Heaven's Door 2 76 2.6   2   1 (m)
The Mighty Quinn 2 59 3.4       1 (mm)(pp)
The Race Is On 2 59 3.4          
Keep Your Day Job 2 57 3.5          
The Same Thing 2 45 4.4       1 (o)
Never Trust A Woman 2 42 4.8          
Sunrise 2 30 6.7 1        
Hey Pocky Way 2 25 8.0   1      
We Can Run 2 22 9.1 1 1      
Built To Last 2 18 11.1 1 1      
I've Been All Around This World 2 18 11.1          
He Was A Friend Of Mine 2 17 11.8          
Born Cross-Eyed 2 13 15.4 1       (gg)
Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie 2 13 15.4          
It's A Sin 2 12 16.7          
Ollin Arageed 2 12 16.7   1      
She Belongs To Me 2 10 20.0   1      
Ballad Of A Thin Man 2 8 25.0          
Visions Of Johanna 2 8 25.0         (pp)
King Solomon's Marbles 2 5 40.0 1        
Bo Diddley 2 4 50.0          
Blues For Allah 2 3 66.7 1        
Sage And Spirit 2 2 100.0 1        
Way To Go Home 1 92 1.1          
Black Muddy River 1 66 1.5 2        
Desolation Row 1 58 5.7   1      
When Push Comes To Shove 1 58 1.7 2 2      
Liberty 1 56 1.8          
New Speedway Boogie 1 55 1.8 2 1      
So Many Roads 1 55 1.8          
Spoonful 1 52 1.9          
Let The Good Times Roll 1 47 2.1   2      
Tons Of Steel 1 29 3.4 1        
From The Heart Of Me 1 26 3.8 1 1      
Just A Little Light 1 21 4.8 1        
That Would Be Something 1 17 5.9          
Rosa Lee McFall 1 16 6.3          
Gloria 1 15 6.7          
Wave That Flag 1 15 6.7          
Wake Up Little Susie 1 14 7.1          
Ain't It Crazy 1 12 8.3          
Baba O'Riley 1 12 8.3          
Jordan 1 12 8.3   1      
Tomorrow Never Knows 1 12 8.3          
Werewolves Of London 1 12 8.3          
It's A Man's World 1 11 9.1          
Katie Mae 1 11 9.1          
Revolution 1 11 9.1          
Tomorrow Is Forever 1 10 10.0          
Cream Puff War 1 7 14.3 2        
Heaven Help The Fool 1 7 14.3   1      
It Takes A ... Train To Cry 1 7 14.3          
I Second That Emotion 1 6 16.7          
Little Sadie 1 6 16.7          
Mission In The Rain 1 5 20.0 1       (i)
Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu 1 5 20.0          
Till The Morning Comes 1 5 20.0 1        
You Don't Have To Ask 1 5 20.0 1        
Hey Bo Diddley 1 4 25.0          
I'm A Hog For You Baby 1 4 25.0          
One Kind Favor 1 4 25.0          
Clementine 1 3 33.3 1       (ff)
Hey Little One 1 3 33.3 1        
If I Had The World To Give 1 3 33.3 1        
Money, Money 1 3 33.3 1        
Standing On The Corner 1 3 33.3 1        
Who Do You Love 1 3 33.3          
California Earhtquake 1 2 50.0          
Empty Pages 1 2 50.0          
Got My Mojo Working 1 2 50.0          
I'm A Man (Mannish Boy) 1 2 50.0          
Mona 1 2 50.0          
Oh Boy 1 2 50.0          
Pain In My Heart 1 2 50.0          
Sick And Tired 1 2 50.0          
Are You Lonely For Me 1 1 100.0          
Don't Mess Up A Good Thing 1 1 100.0          
Empty Heart 1 1 100.0          
Gangster Of Love 1 1 100.0          
How Sweet It Is 1 1 100.0          
In The Pines 1 1 100.0          
Keep Rolling By 1 1 100.0          
Let It Rock 1 1 100.0          
Sidewalks Of New York 1 1 100.0          
Tom Dooley 1 1 100.0          
Corrina 0 77 0         (s)
The Last Time 0 70 0          
Lazy River Road 0 65 0 1        
Easy Answers 0 44 0         (r)
Eternity 0 44 0 1        
Days Between 0 41 0 1        
The Weight 0 41 0          
Samba In The Rain 0 38 0         (t)
I Fought The Law 0 36 0          
Broken Arrow 0 35 0          
Satisfaction 0 31 0          
Wave To The Wind 0 21 0          
Rain 0 20 0          
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds 0 19 0          
If The Shoe Fits 0 17 0          
Silver Threads And Golden Needles 0 17 0 1        
Don't Need Love 0 16 0          
You Ain't Woman Enough 0 15 0          
Childhood's End 0 11 0          
Unbroken Chain 0 10 0 2        
Believe It Or Not 0 7 0 1        
Maybe You Know 0 6 0          
Walking The Dog 0 6 1          
Operator 0 4 0 1        
Reuben And Cerise 0 4 0         (q)
Stealin 0 4 0 3       (ee)
Alice D Millionaire 0 3 0 1        
The Golden Road 0 3 0 1        
Overseas Stomp (Lindy) 0 3 0 1     1 (o)
Cardboard Cowboy 0 2 0          
Early Morning Rain 0 2 0 1        
Mindbender 0 2 0 1        
Gentlemen, Start Your Engines 0 2 0 1        
Betty And Dupree 0 1 0 1        
Can't Come Down 0 1 0 1       (hh)
The Only Time Is Now 0 1 0 1        
Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues 0 1 0          
Salt Lake City 0 1 0         (p)
Tastebud 0 1 0 3       (ee)
You See A Broken Heart 0 1 0 1        
Pride Of Cucamonga 0 0 0 2        

Key:

Live Rec's: This gives the total number of live recordings by the Dead that have been issued officially on CD. Many thanks to Eric Levy for his help in preparing and checking this. It includes "pre-Vault" live recordings such as "Live/Dead", Vault releases such as "One From The Vault," all Dick's Picks, and CD soundtracks from DVD releases. I have counted "Anthem Of The Sun" as a live album.
Times Played: This gives the total number of times the Dead played the song live. It omits covers played less than 10 times for which no recordings have been issued. The figures are taken from DeadBase XI: this is the most convenient source, though it omits a number of tapes that have come into circulation recently. It is very likely that some of the early songs (eg "Can't Come Down") were played at many more 1966 concerts for which no setlists exist.
Percentages: These are the total number of recordings as a percentage of the number of times played. I am not arguing for an even proportion of recordings of every song: a much larger percentage of Dark Stars than Me And My Uncles is fine by me! But it does highlight some songs that are very much under-represented in the official releases.
Studio Rec's: This gives the number of studio recordings by the Dead. In some cases I have stretched what counts as a Grateful Dead studio recording - these are mentioned in the notes.
Video Rec's: This gives the number of releases of each song on video or DVD. It includes those that have also been released on CD soundtrack albums. This means that some of these recordings are also counted in the column "Live Rec's."
Jams: This gives the number of live versions released as jams without lyrics being sung
Other Rec's: This identifies other live recordings not included in the totals, for example because they are part of other recordings or because they have been issued only semi-officially. It lists only other recordings of the Grateful Dead themselves - not subsequent recordings by Ratdog, The Other Ones, Phil Lesh & Friends etc.

Notes:

(a) "The Other One" includes recordings with "Cryptical Envelopment" as part of "That's It For The Other One" suite.
(b) studio recordings of "Playing In The Band" are on Bob Weir's "Ace" and Mickey Hart's "Rolling Thunder" (titled "The Main Ten"); Jam on DP16, also titled "The Main Ten".
(c) the "Dark Star" studio recording was released as a single and on the compilation "What A Long Strange Trip It's Been" (and also as a hidden track on Live/Dead in the box set "The Golden Road").
(d) "Let It Grow" includes recordings as part of "Weather Report Suite"
(e) DP3 contains "Terrapin Station" not preceded by "Lady With A Fan" - the only known time.
(f) an additional recording of "Brown-Eyed Women" from 4 May 1977 issued on "Around The Fire" soundtrack
(g) additional live recordings of "Alligator", "Caution" and "And We Bid You Goodnight" have been issued on the CD The Best Of The Grateful Dead Hour
(h) additional live recordings of "Casey Jones" and "Johnny B Goode" from 2 July 1971 were issued on "The Last Days Of The Fillmore." An additional live recording of "Casey Jones" from 1978 is on the compilation "Saturday Night Live Vol 1"
(i) studio recordings of "Might As Well", "Mission In The Rain", "It Must Have Been The Roses" and "They Love Each Other" were issued on "Reflections" by Jerry Garcia
(j) studio recordings of "Deal", "Bird Song", "Sugaree", "Loser", "To Lay Me Down" and "The Wheel" were issued on "Garcia" by Jerry Garcia
(k) studio recordings of "Greatest Story Ever Told" are on "Ace" by Bob Weir and on "Rolling Thunder" by Mickey Hart (titled "The Pump Song")
(l) studio recordings of "Greatest Story Ever Told", "Playing In The Band", "Black Throated Wind", "Looks Like Rain", "One More Saturday Night" and "Cassidy" were issued on "Ace" by Bob Weir
(m) additional recordings of "Queen Jane Approximately", "All Along The Watchtower" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" were issued on "Dylan And The Dead"
(n) additional recordings of "I Know You Rider" (see note (v)), "It Hurts Me Too", "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", "Dancing In The Streets" and "In The Midnight Hour" were issued on vinyl on "Vintage Dead"
(o) additional recordings of "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", "Stealin'" "Lindy" and "The Same Thing" were issued on vinyl on "Historic Dead"
(p) "Salt Lake City" was recorded on Bob Weir's album "Heaven Help The Fool"
(q) "Reuben And Cerise" was recorded on Jerry Garcia's album "Run For The Roses." A live recording by the Grateful Dead plays as background to the contents page of the DVD "View From The Vault II"
(r) a version of "Easy Answers" by "The Other Ones" is on "FurthurMost", and a Weir/Wasserman/Neil Young version is on "Trios"
(s) a version of "Corrina" by "The Other Ones" is on "The Strange Remain", and a Ratdog version on "Evening Moods"
(t) a version of "Samba In The Rain" by Vince Welnick is on the "Missing Man Formation" CD
(u) the full "Hey Jude" was played only 3 times, but the finale was played a further 28 times
(v) the version of "I Know You Rider" on "Vintage Dead" is the same as the version on "So Many Roads", included in the left-hand column
(w) two of the live recordings of Althea (on "Without A Net" and "Terrapin Station (Limited Edition)") are from the same night
(x) the video of "Fire On The Mountain" on "Dead Ahead" is the same performance as on the "Dead Set" CD
(y) the video of "On The Road Again" on "Dead Ahead" is the same performance as on the "Reckoning" CD
(z) a recording of "Box Of Rain" is included on the DVD version of "View From The Vault II" but not on the CD or videocassette. It is included in the "video" column and not counted in the percentages - which are based on CD releases only
(aa) a live recording of "Bertha" from an unknown date is included on the CD "Huckleberry Jam" (various artists compilation) sold in the Bay Area as a fundraiser for the Huckleberry House
(bb) a live recording of "Sugaree" from 11 April 1987 is included on the CD "ONXRT: Live From The Archives, Vol. 4" (various artists compilation) sold in Chicago as a fundraiser for a tree-planting project
(cc) two of the live recordings of "Walkin' Blues" may be from the same night - those on "Without A Net" and "Terrapin Station (Limited Edition)." Because this isn't certain, I have included both in the total of recordings and the percentage.
(dd) the single version of "Truckin'" is included as a bonus track on "American Beauty" on the Rhino Box Set "The Golden Road (1965-1973)"
(ee) the CD "Birth Of The Dead" in the Rhino Box Set "The Golden Road (1965-1973)" includes two studio versions, one with vocals, one without. Another studio version is included as a bonus track on "The Grateful Dead"
(ff) the studio version is a jam, included as a bonus track on "Aoxomoxoa" in the Rhino Box Set "The Golden Road (1965-1973)"
(gg) the single version of "Born Cross-Eyed" is included as a bonus track on "Anthem Of The Sun" in the Rhino Box Set "The Golden Road (1965-1973"
(hh) the same studio version is on the box sets "The Golden Road (1965-1973)" and "So Many Roads (1965-1995)"
(jj) the video version of "Eyes Of The World" on "The Grateful Dead Movie" is the same as the version on "So Many Roads (1965-1995)"
(kk) longish excerpts from live recordings of "Viola Lee Blues", "Sitting On Top Of The World" and "Big Boss Man" from the Fillmore in 1967 are on the "Grateful Dead Documentary" CD
(ll) the performance of "Casey Jones" on "The Grateful Dead Movie" is the same as that on "Steal Your Face"
(mm) additional recordings of "Queen Jane Approximately" and "The Mighty Quinn" were issued on a bonus disc with early copies of "Postcards Of The Hanging"
(nn) the video of "Hard To Handle" is on "Backstage Pass." The audio on that comes from the same show (29 April 1971) as "Ladies And Gentlemen ... The Grateful Dead", though the video footage comes from a variety of other shows.
(oo) a version of "The Wheel" from 9 September 1982 was included on a limited edition CD "Jerry Garcia: The Collected Artworks."
(pp) the live Grateful Dead recordings of "The Mighty Quinn", "Visions of Johanna" and "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" include those on the album Jerry Garcia Plays Dylan
(qq) the additional recording of "Touch Of Grey" is on ONXRT: Live From The Archives, Vol 11 (11 Apr 1987)


 


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