Anthem of the Sun was the second
GD album released on July 18,
1968 on
Warner Brothers records. It got to #87 on the charts.
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from the
Rolling Stone review: (9/28/68)
...The end product is one of the finest albums to come out of
San Francisco, a personal statement of the rock aesthetic on a level with the
Jefferson Airplane's
AFTER BATHING AT BAXTERS...
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Musicians:
Jerry Garcia--Lead guitar, acoustic guitar,
kazoo and
vibraslap
Bob Weir--Rhythm guitar, 12 string guitar, acoustic guitar and kazoo
Ron McKernan--Organ and celesta claves
Phil Lesh--Bass, trumpet, harpsichord, guiro, kazoo, piano and timpani
Mickey Hart,
Bill Kreutzmann--Drums, orchestra bells, gong, chimes, crotales, prepared piano, finger cymbals
Tom Constanten--Prepared piano, piano and electronic tape
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Tracks:
That's It For
the Other One
Cryptical Envelopment
Quodlibet for Tenderfeet
The Faster We Go, the Rounder We Get
We Leave the Castle
New Potato Caboose
Born Cross Eyed
Alligator
Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)
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The Dead's second album did a much better job of capturing the essence of the dead's live performances (which was the nectar of the distilation of the dead experience) than their first album. Anthem is even mixed with live segments, although it is sometimes difficult to discern them (as they were overdubbed in the studio on top of the studio tracks).