Wake of the Flood

Wake of the Flood
A painting of a man wearing a robe harvesting grain
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 15, 1973 (1973-10-15)
RecordedAugust 4–15, 1973
StudioThe Record Plant, Sausalito[1]
Genre
Length45:34
LabelGrateful Dead
ProducerGrateful Dead
Grateful Dead chronology
History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice)
(1973)
Wake of the Flood
(1973)
Skeletons from the Closet: The Best of Grateful Dead
(1974)
Singles from Wake of the Flood
  1. "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away"
    Released: October 1973
  2. "Eyes of the World"
    Released: October 1973
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
Rolling Stone(not rated)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Wake of the Flood is the sixth studio album (and tenth album overall) by the rock band the Grateful Dead. Released on October 15, 1973, it was the first album on the band's own Grateful Dead Records label. Their first studio album in nearly three years, it was also the first without founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who had recently died. His absence and keyboardist Keith Godchaux's penchants for bebop and modal jazz (rather than McKernan's tendencies toward the blues and rhythm and blues) contributed to the band's musical evolution. Godchaux's wife, vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, also joined the group and appears on the album.[8]

The release fared better on the pop charts than their previous studio album (1970's American Beauty), reaching No. 18.[9] An expanded version was released in 2004.

  1. ^ "Grateful Dead Family Discography". DeadDisc.com.
  2. ^ Ham, Robert (December 28, 2018). "Record Time: New & Notable Vinyl Releases (December 2018)". Paste. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  3. ^ Planer, Lindsay. "Wake of the Flood". AllMusic. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (March 12, 1993). "Discography: Grateful Dead | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Miller, Jim (January 3, 1974). Wake of the Flood, Rolling Stone
  7. ^ "The Grateful Dead: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  8. ^ "Wake of the Flood – Product Information". cduniverse.com.
  9. ^ "Billboard Charts". billboard.com.