The Grateful Dead’s long strange trip reached its golden anniversary in 2015 and the influential band celebrated the 50 year feat with a pressing of The Best of the Grateful Dead on 180g double vinyl LP and a trio of final shows at Chicago's Soldier Field billed as “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead." An essential collection of the legendary group’s best studio work from 1967-1977, this compilation features 19 tracks and covers all the signature songs that made the band’s mystical musical journey so memorable. 

Arranged chronologically, the tracks reflect the evolution of the group’s sound and its membership from 1967’s “The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)” to essential fan favorites like “St. Stephen,” “Casey Jones,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Friend of the Devil,” and “Scarlet Begonias.” The set also highlights original versions of songs that later became staples of the band’s transcendent concerts, such as “Truckin’,” “China Cat Sunflower,” “Uncle John’s Band,” and, of course “Dark Star.” Included here, the rare single version of "Dark Star" is only two-and-a-half minutes long. On stage, the Dead transformed it into an improvisational showcase that often stretched out for 30 minutes.