Postcards of the Hanging: Grateful Dead Perform the Songs of Bob Dylan (Grateful Dead Records GDCD 4069) was released on 19 March 2002. It collects live performances of eleven Dylan songs by the Grateful Dead, recorded between 10 June 1973 and 24 March 1990, with sleeve notes by Mikal Gilmore. The title comes from the opening lines of “Desolation Row.” The first edition came with a bonus disc of “Queen Jane Approximately” and “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn).”
The performances come from different concerts: “When I Paint My Masterpiece” from the Meadowlands in October 1989, “She Belongs to Me” from Devore Field in September 1985, “Maggie’s Farm” from Shoreline Amphitheatre in October 1987, “Ballad of a Thin Man” from the Meadowlands in April 1988, and “Desolation Row” from the Knickerbocker Arena in March 1990. Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Phil Lesh play on every track, with Brent Mydland on keyboards, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann on drums; the 1973 track, “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry,” has Keith Godchaux on piano and guests Dickey Betts and Butch Trucks. Weir sings lead on five tracks, Garcia on three and Lesh on one, and Weir and Garcia share the vocal on “Maggie’s Farm.” The last track is a rehearsal for the 1987 tour on which the Dead backed Dylan, with Dylan himself leading. The album reached number 120 on the Billboard 200.
Tracklist
- 1 When I Paint My Masterpiece - Live, October 11, 1989 6:11
- 2 She Belongs to Me - Live, September 15, 1985 7:20
- 3 Just like Tom Thumb's Blues - Live, July 12, 1989 4:29
- 4 Maggie’s Farm alt version 6:14
- 5 Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again - Live, July 16, 1988 8:07
- 6 It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry - Live, June 10, 1973 7:36
- 7 Ballad of a Thin Man - Live, April 1, 1988 6:41
- 8 Desolation Row - Live, March 24, 1990 9:55
- 9 All Along the Watchtower - Live, July 4, 1989 5:44
- 10 Baby Blue alt version 3:27
- 11 Man of Peace - Live, June 9, 1987 5:51
- 12 Queen Jane Approximately - Live, December 29, 1988 6:12
- 13 Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) - Live, December 30, 1985 4:02
