As they did with Anthem of the Sunin 2018, the Grateful Dead did with Aoxomoxoa in 2019.

Namely the band’s management and marketing arms repackaged the LP’s two mixes, in this case the original 1969 version and the 1971 redux, placed them on one disc and paired it with a collection of previously unreleased live material recorded Jan. 24-26, 1969.

As with Anthem, the Dead did a disservice – although less of one – to Aoxomoxoa when they revisited it in the wake of Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty and sought to tamp down the weirdness to appeal to their new hordes of Americana fans. The songs are slightly shorter – by a factor of seconds – and while the music is occasionally less dense and therefore less interesting, the vocals do benefit, particularly on tracks such as “Doin’ That Rag” and “Rosemary,” which to this day sounds like a missed opportunity, a gem that never got properly polished.

In either mix, Aoxomoxoa, featuring Robert Hunter masterpieces such as “China Cat Sunflower,” “St. Stephen” and “Cosmic Charlie” is a spectacular Grateful Dead studio album; however, “What’s Become of the Baby” was and remains hopeless.

Consisting of songs that quickly disappeared from the repertoire – “New Potato Caboose,” “Clementine” – and early versions of numbers with more staying power – “Dupree’s Diamond Blues,” “And We Bid You Goodnight” – the live disc paints a colorful portrait of the Dead in early ‘69. 

Expanded to a septet with percussionist Mickey Hart and keyboardist Tom Constanten joining the original five – guitarists Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh, drummer Bill Kreutzmann and nominal frontman Pigpen – this Grateful Dead had a wildly diverse sonic palate. The performances benefit from exceptional mixing that makes ample use of both channels and from what had to be state-of-the-art recording equipment in 1969. 

Housed in a sleeve emblazoned with a holographic image of the original, psychedelic cover, the updated Aoxomoxoa might have benefitted from some studio outtakes. But it is nevertheless a fitting way to wrap up the Dead’s primal period as fans await expanded editions of the folksy records that followed.