'Grateful Dead Movie' soundtrack gets 10-LP box set release

Mike Snider, USA TODAYMon, March 16, 2026 at 10:05 AM UTC

0

For the Grateful Dead, the music from the vault never stops.

The newest special vinyl to drop: "The Grateful Dead Movie" soundtrack, a 10-LP collection featuring 44 tracks, first made available in 2005 on CD and now finally coming to vinyl.

"The Grateful Dead Movie," directed by Jerry Garcia and Leon Gast ("When We Were Kings") and released in theaters in June 1977, captured the band's five-night run of shows at the Winterland arena in San Francisco in October 1974.

The dates were pivotal in the Dead's legendary career as it marked the end of its usage of the Wall of Sound, constructed from hundreds of loudspeakers for live performances. The shows came before a planned band hiatus, too, which brought increased focus to the gigs. (The Grateful Dead wouldn't tour again until June 1976.)

1 / 0Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career

Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78. A look back at his career in music, starting with a 2021 performance of Dead and Company at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Grateful Dead: Take a long, strange trip through 60 years of art inspired by the band

The news of this elusive vinyl soundtrack release comes about two months after the death of Dead founding member Bob Weir, who had also been the front man for Dead & Company, which continued to perform until August 2025. His death leaves only drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart as surviving members. Singer Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, died at age 78, in November 2025. Founding member and bassist Phil Lesh died in October 2024.

This new collection finally gives vinyl junkies and collectors a fully-fleshed out remastered edition. A two-LP "Steal Your Face" album from 1976 collected just 14 songs from the Winterland run.

The box set – from Mondo, in partnership with Rhino Records – is pricey at $450. Only 3,000 individually numbered units of the collection will be sold. Each of the 10 audiophile-quality LPs are in a different color vinyl.

Advertisement

"Widely considered one of the greatest runs of shows in the Grateful Dead's history, October 1974 at the Winterland featured inspired, exciting and out-of-this-world playing," said Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux in a news release announcing the box set's release. "Thankfully filmed for the Grateful Dead Movie, these five shows were the only 1974 performances recorded to 16-track analog tape. We’re proud to partner with Mondo for a vinyl release that celebrates and preserves this essential document of the band’s legacy."

"The Grateful Dead Movie" soundtrack box set encompasses 10 colored vinyl LPs.'The Grateful Dead Movie' soundtrack – what to know

Available for preorder now on at MondoShop.com, the box set is scheduled to ship this spring.

The soundtrack contains Dead setlist standards such as "Uncle John's Band," "Casey Jones," "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia" as well as pretty much every major song in the Grateful Dead's 1974 repertoire, including "Dark Star," "The Other One," "Playing In The Band," "Eyes Of The World," "Morning Dew," "China Cat Sunflower," "I Know You Rider" and "Weather Report Suite."

The box set, with artwork by Madalyn Stefan, includes a hardcover book with previously unpublished photographs from the Winterland concerts and the film production, as well as a 44-page essay by respected Grateful Dead historian Nicholas G. Meriwether.

"From the restoration to the packaging, this was treated as a true archival release," said Cam Dean, label manager at Mondo. "We hope it resonates deeply with longtime Dead Heads and offers vinyl collectors and live music fans a definitive way to experience a pivotal chapter in the band’s history."

"The Grateful Dead Movie" soundtrack, a 10-LP collection, collects 44 tracks from the band's October 1974 Winterland run.

The Grateful Dead remains a sales powerhouse. In December 2025, Guinness World Records honored the band with having the most Top 40 albums charted, with the release of "Dave’s Picks Vol. 56: Rainbow Theatre, London, England – 3/20/81 & 3/21/81," becoming the band's record-setting 66th Top 40 album.

This new box set isn't the priciest Grateful Dead release in recent memory. A special 60th-anniversary 60-CD set called "Enjoying the Ride" with 450 live Grateful Dead tracks (priced at $600), released May 30, 2025, sold out. You can still get a downloadable version on Dead.net, as well as a 6-LP or 3-CD version called "The Music Never Stopped."

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Grateful Dead Movie' soundtrack coming in 10-LP box set

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”