Grateful Dead’s ‘Workingman’s Dead’ gets high fidelity upgrade

Grateful Dead’s 1970 album Workingman’s Dead has gotten a high fidelity upgrade.

Rhino High Fidelity has just released limited-edition audiophile editions of the album on reel-to-reel and vinyl. The vinyl reissue, cut from the original master tapes, is limited to 5,000 copies pressed on 180-gram vinyl, while the reel-to-reel, which was duplicated in real time from the original flat analog master tape, is limited to only 300 copies. 

But that’s not all. A Dolby Atmos mix of the album, created by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart in 2023, is now available on Blu-ray for the first time. According to the press release, Hart’s mix “expands the sonic depth of the original recording while preserving its essential character.”

All formats are available now.

Released June 14, 1970, Workingman’s Dead was the Grateful Dead’s fourth studio album and was considered a breakthrough for the band. It featured future Dead classics like “Uncle John’s Band,” “Casey Jones” and “High Time.”