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 (but not 30 Days of the Dead). 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 Dave's Picks Volume 49, Dave's Picks Volume 48, Dave's Picks Volume 47, Here Comes Sunshine, Dave's Picks Volume 46,

SONG TITLE Live
Rec's
Times
Played
Percent Studio
Rec's
Video
Rec's
Jams Other
Recs
Notes
Playing In The Band 151 582 25.9 2 7 1   (b)
Sugar Magnolia 130 594 21.9 1 5   1 (ss)
China Cat Sunflower 119 554 21.5 1 7 7    
The Other One 118 583 20.2   5 2   (a)
I Know You Rider 116 550 21.1 2 6     (v)
Not Fade Away 116 531 21.8 1 7   1 (tt)
Me And My Uncle 114 616 18.5   3      
Truckin' 111 519 21.4 1 5   2 (dd)(uu)
Jack Straw 109 473 23.0   3      
Bertha 96 394 24.4   4   1 (aa)
Tennessee Jed 93 433 21.5   1      
Big River 93 397 23.4   3      
Good Lovin' 88 428 20.6 3      
The Promised Land 88 427 20.6 1 2      
Deal 87 423 20.6 1 4     (j)
Eyes Of The World 86 381 22.6 1 1     (jj)
Brown Eyed Women 86 347 24.8       2 (f)
Beat It On Down The Line 84 325 26.2 1        
El Paso 84 388 21.6   1      
Going Down The Road Feeling Bad 82 293 28.0   2      
Sugaree 80 357 22.6 1     1 (j)(bb)
Looks Like Rain 77 417 18.5 1 3     (l)
Wharf Rat 77 394 19.5   3      
Dark Star 77 219 35.2 1 5 2 1 (c)(rr)
One More Saturday Night 76 340 22.4 1 2     (l)
Casey Jones 76 312 24.4 1 1   2 (h)(ll)
Estimated Prophet 75 390 19.2 1 5      
Mexicali Blues 73 435 17.0 1 3     (l)
Uncle John's Band 71 332 21.4 1 6 1    
Loser 70 345 20.3 1 1     (j)
Scarlet Begonias 70 316 22.2 1 4      
Around And Around 67 418 16.0   1      
Ramble On Rose 67 316 21.2   2      
He's Gone 66 328 20.1   2      
New Minglewood Blues 65 435 14.9 2 4      
Samson And Delilah 64 364 17.6 1 3      
Morning Dew 62 254 24.4 1 2      
Johnny B Goode 61 284 21.5   3   1 (h)
Let It Grow 61 276 22.1 2 3     (d)
Row Jimmy 59 274 21.5 1 4      
Stella Blue 58 328 17.7 1 3      
Cumberland Blues 55 223 24.7 1 1      
Cassidy 54 334 16.2 1 3     (l)
U.S.Blues 54 323 16.7 1 2      
Black Throated Wind 53 158 33.5 1 1     (l)
Mississippi Half-Step 52 234 22.2 1 1      
The Music Never Stopped 52 234 22.2 1 2      
Greatest Story Ever Told 51 280 18.2 2 3     (k)
Black Peter 50 343 14.6 1 1      
Saint Stephen 50 165 30.3 2 1      
Cold Rain And Snow 49 241 20.3 3 3     (ee)
They Love Each Other 48 227 21.1 1       (i)
Terrapin Station 47 302 15.6 1 6     (e)
Lady With A Fan 45 301 15.0 1 7     (e)
Bird Song 43 296 14.5 1 4     (j)
Fire On The Mountain 43 253 17.0 2 5     (x)
Friend Of The Devil 41 304 13.5 1 4      
Big Railroad Blues 40 175 22.9          
Dancing In The Street 38 123 30.9 1     1 (n)
Mama Tried 37 302 12.3   2      
It Must Have Been The Roses 36 159 22.6 1       (i)
Franklin's Tower 35 221 15.8 1 2      
Candyman 35 277 12.6 1 2      
Dire Wolf 35 226 15.5 1 1      
The Wheel 34 258 13.2 1 1   1 (j)(oo)
Ship Of Fools 34 225 15.1 1 1      
China Doll 34 114 29.8 2 1      
Peggy-O 33 265 12.5 2        
Me And Bobby McGee 32 118 27.1          
Cryptical Envelopment 31 132 23.5          
Mister Charlie 31 48 64.6          
Don't Ease Me In 30 316 9.5 3 2     (ee)
Brokedown Palace 30 215 14.0 1        
Supplication 30 113 26.5     1    
Lazy Lightnin' 29 111 26.1          
Weather Report Suite Prelude 29 52 55.8 2        
Next Time You See Me 28 72 38.9          
Big Boss Man 28 71 39.4   1   1 (kk)
I Need A Miracle 27 271 10.0 1 4      
High Time 26 133 19.5 1        
Weather Report Suite Part 1 26 47 55.3 2        
Slipknot 25 112 22.3 1 1      
Help On The Way 25 110 22.7 1 1      
The Eleven 25 93 26.9 1   2   (ff)
Throwing Stones 24 265 9.1 1 3      
And We Bid You Goodnight 24 61 39.3   2   1 (g)
Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) 24 56 42.9     2 1 (g)
Little Red Rooster 22 272 8.1   3      
Shakedown Street 22 163 13.5 1 4      
Chinatown Shuffle 22 28 78.6          
Jack-a-Roe 21 115 18.3 1 2      
It Hurts Me Too 21 47 44.7   1   1 (n)
Saint Of Circumstance 20 222 9.0 1 2      
Passenger 20 98 20.4 1     1 (g)
Comes A Time 20 66 30.3 1       (i)
Feel Like A Stranger 19 207 9.2 1 1      
Box Of Rain 19 161 11.8 1 1   1 (z)(vv)
Hard To Handle 19 105 18.1   2     (kk)
Here Comes Sunshine 19 65 21.2 1        
The Race Is On 19 59 32.2          
Althea 18 272 6.6 1       (w)
Hell In A Bucket 17 216 7.9 1 3      
Iko Iko 17 185 9.2 1 3      
It's All Over Now 17 160 10.6   3      
Loose Lucy 17 98 17.3 2        
Lost Sailor 16 145 11.0 1 1      
Crazy Fingers 16 144 11.1 1        
When I Paint My Masterpiece 16 144 11.1   4      
Touch Of Grey 15 213 7.0 2 4   2 (qq)
Man Smart (Woman Smarter) 14 199 7.5   2      
Sing Me Back Home 15 39 38.5   1      
Stagger Lee 14 146 9.6 1 2      
Walkin' Blues 14 139 10.1   1     (cc)
To Lay Me Down 14 63 22.2 3 1     (j)
Might As Well 13 111 11.7 1       (i)
Dupree's Diamond Blues 13 80 16.3 1        
Alligator 13 63 20.6       1 (g)
Cosmic Charley 13 41 31.7 1        
You Win Again 13 25 52.0          
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue 12 145 8.3       1 (n)(pp)
Alabama Getaway 12 141 8.5 1     1  
Foolish Heart 12 87 13.8 1 1      
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 12 62 19.4 1     1 (o)
Dear Mr Fantasy 12 58 20.7   1      
Sunrise 12 30 40.0 1        
Queen Jane Approximately 11 129 8.5       2 (m)(mm)
C.C.Rider 11 127 8.7          
All Along The Watchtower 11 123 8.9   1   1 (m)
Death Don't Have No Mercy 11 49 22.4 1        
New Potato Caboose 11 26 42.3          
Victim Or The Crime 10 96 10.4 1 1      
Picasso Moon 10 77 13.0 1        
Easy To Love You 10 45 22.2 1 1      
Sitting On Top Of The World 10 44 22.7 1     1 (kk)
Viola Lee Blues 10 32 31.3 1     1 (kk)
Mason's Children 10 18 55.6 1        
West L.A. Fadeaway 9 140 6.4 2 4      
My Brother Esau 9 104 8.7 1 2      
Memphis Blues 9 76 11.8   1      
Easy Wind 9 44 20.5 1 1      
Doin' That Rag 9 37 24.3 1        
The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion) 9 12 75.0          
Gimme Some Lovin' 8 87 9.2   1      
Knockin' On Heaven's Door 8 76 10.5   2   1 (m)
Standing On The Moon 8 75 10.7 1 3      
New Speedway Boogie 8 55 14.5 2 1      
In The Midnight Hour 8 46 17.4       1 (n)
Deep Elem Blues 8 45 17.8   1      
I'm A King Bee 8 38 21.1          
Smokestack Lightning 7 60 11.7          
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues 7 58 12.1   1      
I Will Take You Home 7 34 20.6 1 1      
Dark Hollow 7 29 14.1          
Wang Dang Doodle 6 95 6.3   2      
Keep Your Day Job 6 57 10.5          
Attics Of My Life 6 48 12.5 1        
Ripple 6 39 15.4 1 1      
On The Road Again 6 38 15.8   2     (y)
Monkey And The Engineer 6 32 18.8          
Hey Jude Finale 6 28 21.4         (u)
Blow Away 6 23 26.1 1 1      
We Can Run 6 22 27.3 1 1      
Nobody's Fault But Mine 6 16 37.5 1   1    
Far From Me 5 74 6.8 1 1      
Liberty 5 56 8.9          
The Same Thing 5 45 11.1       1 (o)
Hey Pocky Way 5 25 20.0   2      
Built To Last 5 18 27.8 1 1      
He Was A Friend Of Mine 5 17 29.4          
You Ain't Woman Enough 5 15 33.3          
Wave That Flag 5 15 33.3          
Mountains Of The Moon 5 12 41.7 1 1      
The Last Time 4 70 5.7          
Black Muddy River 4 66 6.1 2        
The Mighty Quinn 4 59 6.8       1 (mm)(pp)
When Push Comes To Shove 4 58 6.9 2 2      
So Many Roads 4 55 7.3          
Maggie's Farm 4 43 9.3   1      
Never Trust A Woman 3 42 9.5          
The Weight 4 41 9.8          
Just A Little Light 4 21 19.0 1        
I've Been All Around This World 4 18 22.2          
Ain't It Crazy 4 12 33.3       1  
Werewolves Of London 4 12 33.3          
She Belongs To Me 4 10 40.0   1      
Run Rudolph Run 4 6 66.7          
King Solomon's Marbles 4 5 80.0 1        
Way To Go Home 3 92 3.3          
Corrina 3 77 3.9         (s)
Desolation Row 3 58 5.2   1      
Spoonful 3 52 5.8          
Let The Good Times Roll 3 47 6.4   2      
Days Between 3 41 7.3 1        
Broken Arrow 3 35 8.6          
Satisfaction 3 31 9.7          
Tons Of Steel 3 29 10.3 1        
Born Cross-Eyed 3 13 23.1 1       (gg)
It's A Sin 3 12 25.0          
Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie 3 13 23.1          
Jordan 3 12 25.0   1      
Katie Mae 3 11 27.3          
Revolution 3 11 27.3          
Visions Of Johanna 3 8 37.5         (pp)
Cream Puff War 3 7 42.9 2        
It Takes A ... Train To Cry 3 7 42.9          
Mission In The Rain 3 5 60.0 1       (i)
You Don't Have To Ask 3 5 60.0 1        
Hey Jude 3 3 100.0         (u)
Money, Money 3 3 100.0 1        
Samba In The Rain 2 38 5.3         (t)
Silver Threads And Golden Needles 2 17 11.8 1        
That Would Be Something 2 17 11.8          
Gloria 2 15 13.3     1    
Wake Up Little Susie 2 14 14.3          
Ollin Arageed 2 12 16.7   1      
It's A Man's World 2 11 18.2          
Tomorrow Is Forever 2 10 20.0          
Ballad Of A Thin Man 2 8 25.0          
Heaven Help The Fool 2 7 28.6   1      
The Frozen Logger 2 6 33.3          
Little Sadie 2 6 33.3          
Long Black Limousine 2 6 33.3          
Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu 2 5 40.0          
Bo Diddley 2 4 50.0          
One Kind Favor 2 4 50.0          
Stealin 2 4 50.0 2     1 (ee)
Blues For Allah 2 3 66.7 1        
Clementine 2 3 66.7 1       (ff)
Standing On The Corner 2 3 66.7 1        
Cardboard Cowboy 2 2 100.0       1 (vv)
Hey Little One 2 2 100.0          
Keep Rolling By 2 2 100.0          
Sage And Spirit 2 2 100.0 1        
Lazy River Road 1 65 1.5 1        
Easy Answers 1 44 2.3         (r)
Eternity 1 44 2.3 1        
I Fought The Law 1 36 2.8          
From The Heart Of Me 1 26 3.8 1 1      
Don't Need Love 1 16 6.3          
Rosa Lee McFall 1 16 6.3          
Baba O'Riley 1 12 8.3          
Tomorrow Never Knows 1 12 8.3          
Believe It Or Not 1 7 14.3 1        
I Second That Emotion 1 6 16.7          
Let Me Sing Your Blues Away 1 6 16.7 1        
Maybe You Know 1 6 16.7          
Till The Morning Comes 1 5 20.0 1        
Hey Bo Diddley 1 4 25.0          
I Just Want To Make Love To You 1 4 25.0          
I'm A Hog For You Baby 1 4 25.0          
La Bamba 1 4 25.0          
A Voice From On High 1 4 25.0          
Hey Little One 1 3 33.3          
If I Had The World To Give 1 3 33.3 1        
Little Star 1 3 33.3          
She's Mine 1 3 33.3          
Who Do You Love 1 3 33.3          
Ballad Of Casey Jones 1 2 50.0          
Bring Me My Shotgun 1 2 50.0          
California Earthquake 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          
That's All Right Mama 1 2 50.0          
Are You Lonely For Me 1 1 100.0          
Black Snake 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          
Gathering Flowers For The Master's Bouquet 1 1 100.0        
How Sweet It Is 1 1 100.0          
In The Pines 1 1 100.0          
Let It Rock 1 1 100.0          
The Mighty Flood 1 1 100.0          
Roberta 1 1 100.0          
Salt Lake City 1 1 100.0         (p)
Sidewalks Of New York 1 1 100.0          
Tastebud 1 1 100.0 3       (ee)
Tom Dooley 1 1 100.0          
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          
Childhood's End 0 11 0          
Unbroken Chain 0 10 0 2        
Walking The Dog 0 6 1          
Operator 0 4 0 1        
Reuben And Cerise 0 4 0         (q)
Alice D Millionaire 0 3 0 1        
The Golden Road 0 3 0 1        
Overseas Stomp (Lindy) 0 3 0 1     1 (o)
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          
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) additional recordings of "Brown-Eyed Women" have been issued on "Around The Fire" soundtrack and Live Jive (KSAN Benefit CD)
(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. The additional recording of Stealin' was released on "Historic 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 recordings of "Touch Of Grey" are on "ONXRT: Live From The Archives, Vol 11" and "The Music Never Stopped: Music From The Motion Picture"
(rr) the additional recording of "Dark Star" is from 16 Aug 1969, released on "Woodstock--40 Years On: Back To Yasgur's Farm"
(ss) the additional recording of "Sugar Magnolia" is from 26 Apr 1971, released on "Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective"
(tt) the additional recording of "Not Fade Away" is from 19 May 1974, released on "Best Of The Grateful Dead Hour Vol 2"
(uu) the additional recordings of "Truckin'" were released on "Best Of The Grateful Dead Hour Vol 2" and "The Music Never Stopped: Music From The Motion Picture"
(vv) the additional recordings of "Box Of Rain" and "Cardboard Cowboy" were included on a CD given away with some copies of Phil Lesh's book "Searching For The Sound"


 


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