Beyond Description cover

Beyond Description

Grateful Dead · 2004

924 min · 162 tracks · psychedelic rock

A sprawling collection of live and studio recordings that encapsulates the Grateful Dead's improvisational spirit and eclectic sound.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • dynamic journey with peaks
  • long-form explorations of sound
  • sprawling collection for deep dives
  • for late-night listening
  • improvisational spirit and flow

Maybe skip if you want

  • prefer concise, standalone tracks
  • seek immediate gratification

Where this album fits

Career context
Released in 2004, 'Beyond Description' is a comprehensive box set capturing the band's evolution from 1973 to 1989. This period marked the Grateful Dead's peak creativity and collaboration, showcasing both iconic live performances and lesser-known studio outtakes. The album serves as a bridge between their earlier experimental works and their later, more polished sound.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

Disc 1

  • 1 Mississippi Half‐Step Uptown Toodleloo 5:43
  • 2 Let Me Sing Your Blues Away 3:19
  • 3 Row Jimmy 7:15
  • 4 Stella Blue 6:27
  • 5 Here Comes Sunshine 4:40
  • 6 Eyes of the World 5:21
  • 7 Weather Report Suite 12:42
  • 8 Eyes of the World (live) 17:02
  • 9 Weather Report Suite (studio acoustic demo) 12:36
  • 10 China Doll (studio outtake) 4:02

Disc 2

  • 1 U.S. Blues 4:42
  • 2 China Doll 4:11
  • 3 Unbroken Chain 6:47
  • 4 Loose Lucy 3:22
  • 5 Scarlet Begonias 4:19
  • 6 Pride of Cucamonga 4:18
  • 7 Money Money 4:23
  • 8 Ship of Fools 5:28
  • 9 Loose Lucy (studio outtake) 4:41
  • 10 Scarlet Begonias (live) 9:09
  • 11 Money Money (live) 4:20
  • 12 Wave That Flag (live) 5:34
  • 13 Let It Rock (live) 3:19
  • 14 Pride of Cucamonga (studio acoustic demo) 4:24
  • 15 Unbroken Chain (studio acoustic demo) 6:21

Disc 3

  • 1 Help on the Way / Slipknot! 7:20
  • 2 Franklin’s Tower 4:37
  • 3 King Solomon’s Marbles, Part 1: Stronger Than Dirt, Part 2: Milkin’ the Turkey 5:13
  • 4 The Music Never Stopped 4:35
  • 5 Crazy Fingers 6:41
  • 6 Sage & Spirit 3:07
  • 7 Blues for Allah / Sand Castles & Glass Camels / Unusual Occurrences in the Desert 12:33
  • 8 Groove #1 (instrumental studio outtake) 5:42
  • 9 Groove #2 (instrumental studio outtake) 7:32
  • 10 Distorto (instrumental studio outtake) 8:10
  • 11 A to E Flat Jam (instrumental studio outtake) 4:35
  • 12 Proto 18 Proper (instrumental studio outtake) 4:16
  • 13 Hollywood Cantata (studio outtake) 4:14

Disc 4

  • 1 Estimated Prophet 5:37
  • 2 Dancin’ in the Streets 3:17
  • 3 Passenger 2:48
  • 4 Samson and Delilah 3:39
  • 5 Sunrise 4:04
  • 6 Terrapin Station (medley) 16:10
  • 7 Peggy‐O (instrumental studio outtake) 4:42
  • 8 The Ascent (instrumental studio outtake) 1:58
  • 9 Catfish John (studio outtake) 4:40
  • 10 Equinox (studio outtake) 5:14
  • 11 Fire on the Mountain (studio outtake) 6:25
  • 12 Dancin’ in the Streets (live) 16:17

Disc 5

  • 1 Good Lovin’ 4:51
  • 2 France 4:03
  • 3 Shakedown Street 4:59
  • 4 Serengetti 1:59
  • 5 Fire on the Mountain 3:46
  • 6 I Need a Miracle 3:36
  • 7 From the Heart of Me 3:23
  • 8 Stagger Lee 3:25
  • 9 New Minglewood Blues 4:14
  • 10 If I Had the World to Give 4:50
  • 11 Good Lovin’ (studio outtake) 4:54
  • 12 Ollin Arageed (live) 6:30
  • 13 Fire on the Mountain (live) 13:41
  • 14 Stagger Lee (live) 6:36
  • 15 All New Minglewood Blues (live) 4:34

Disc 6

  • 1 Alabama Getaway 3:36
  • 2 Far From Me 3:41
  • 3 Althea 6:54
  • 4 Feel Like a Stranger 5:10
  • 5 Lost Sailor 5:54
  • 6 Saint of Circumstance 5:39
  • 7 Antwerp’s Placebo (The Plumber) 0:40
  • 8 Easy to Love You 3:41
  • 9 Don’t Ease Me In 3:16
  • 10 Peggy‐O (studio outtake 7/16/79) 5:49
  • 11 What’ll You Raise (studio outtake 7/16/79) 4:08
  • 12 Jack‐a‐Roe (studio outtake 7/14/79) 4:51
  • 13 Althea (live at Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY 10/80) 8:17
  • 14 Lost Sailor (live at Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY 10/25/80) 6:42
  • 15 Saint of Circumstance (live at Radio City Music Hall, New York City, NY 10/25/80) 6:35

Disc 7

  • 1 Dire Wolf 3:20
  • 2 The Race Is On 2:58
  • 3 Oh Babe, It Ain’t No Lie 6:28
  • 4 It Must Have Been the Roses 6:56
  • 5 Dark Hollow 3:49
  • 6 China Doll 5:22
  • 7 I’ve Been All Around This World 4:31
  • 8 Monkey and the Engineer 2:37
  • 9 Jack‐A‐Roe 4:05
  • 10 Deep Elem Blues 4:51
  • 11 Cassidy 4:38
  • 12 To Lay Me Down 8:59
  • 13 Rosalie McFall 2:54
  • 14 On the Road Again 3:15
  • 15 Bird Song 7:34
  • 16 Ripple 4:38

Disc 8

  • 1 To Lay Me Down (studio rehearsal) 9:13
  • 2 Iko Iko (live) 4:23
  • 3 Heaven Help the Fool (live) 6:18
  • 4 El Paso (live) 4:40
  • 5 Sage & Spirit (live) 3:13
  • 6 Little Sadie (live) 2:44
  • 7 It Must Have Been the Roses (alternate live version) 7:00
  • 8 Dark Hollow (alternate live version) 4:30
  • 9 Jack‐a‐Roe (alternate live version) 5:07
  • 10 Cassidy (alternate live version) 5:06
  • 11 China Doll (alternate live version) 5:52
  • 12 Monkey and the Engineer (alternate live version) 2:36
  • 13 Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie (alternate live version) 7:12
  • 14 Ripple (alternate live version) 4:39
  • 15 Tom Dooley (live) 3:32
  • 16 Deep Elem Blues (alternate live version) 3:41

Disc 9

  • 1 Samson and Delilah 5:02
  • 2 Friend of the Devil 7:28
  • 3 New Minglewood Blues 4:41
  • 4 Deal 4:36
  • 5 Candyman 7:15
  • 6 Little Red Rooster 4:31
  • 7 Loser 5:45
  • 8 Passenger 3:21
  • 9 Feel Like a Stranger 5:41
  • 10 Franklin’s Tower 5:22
  • 11 Rhythm Devils 4:02
  • 12 Space 2:29
  • 13 Fire on the Mountain 6:30
  • 14 Greatest Story Ever Told 4:04
  • 15 Brokedown Palace 5:42

Disc 10

  • 1 Let It Grow 9:38
  • 2 Sugaree 9:51
  • 3 C.C. Rider 7:17
  • 4 Row Jimmy 10:14
  • 5 Lazy Lightnin’ 3:24
  • 6 Supplication 5:49
  • 7 High Time 8:40
  • 8 Jack Straw 6:16
  • 9 Shakedown Street 10:41
  • 10 Not Fade Away 4:49

Disc 11

  • 1 Touch of Grey 5:47
  • 2 Hell in a Bucket 5:35
  • 3 When Push Comes to Shove 4:05
  • 4 West L.A. Fadeaway 6:39
  • 5 Tons of Steel 5:15
  • 6 Throwing Stones 7:18
  • 7 Black Muddy River 5:58
  • 8 My Brother Esau (single B‐side 6/16/87) 4:17
  • 9 West L.A. Fadeaway (alternate version 3/84) 7:08
  • 10 Black Muddy River (studio rehearsal 12/5/86) 5:38
  • 11 When Push Comes to Shove (studio rehearsal 12/5/86) 4:21
  • 12 Touch of Grey (studio rehearsal 8/82) 5:44
  • 13 Throwing Stones (live at Schaefer Stadium, Foxboro, MA 7/4/87) 9:36

Disc 12

  • 1 Foolish Heart 5:11
  • 2 Just a Little Light 4:43
  • 3 Built to Last 5:04
  • 4 Blow Away 6:11
  • 5 Victim or the Crime 7:35
  • 6 We Can Run 5:32
  • 7 Standing on the Moon 5:20
  • 8 Picasso Moon 6:42
  • 9 I Will Take You Home 3:45
  • 10 Foolish Heart (live at Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, WI 7/19/89) 11:31
  • 11 Blow Away (live at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA 7/7/89) 12:02
  • 12 California Earthquake (Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On) (live at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 10/20/89) 5:59

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata