The premiere of Grateful Dead’s Long Strange Trip documentary took place in Los Angeles last night.
The film from executive producer Martin Scorsese and director Amir Bar-Lev includes many never-before-seen interviews, footage and photos combined with a career-spanning soundtrack focusing of the Grateful Dead’s live performances.
There are no plans for it to air in Australia just yet, however, the soundtrack to the documentary, a career-spanning collection of studio and live recordings that includes several unreleased performances on 2 CDs, will be released on Friday 26th May.
Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux and director Bar-Lev co-produced the soundtrack.
“All in all, this is unlike any other Grateful Dead release we’ve ever produced—just as the film is unlike any other Grateful Dead audiovisual document ever made. Then again, it’s simply unlike any other music documentary ever made, which is appropriate considering that there’s no band like the Grateful Dead,” says Lemieux.
“This is music from the time before selfies, when things were more fun and commercial free,” says Bar-Lev. “It's just right for these troubled times and I'm honored to be a tiny part of getting it out there.”
“Long Strange Trip expertly captures the story of the Grateful Dead and at the center of it all is the true star of the film: the music,” says producer Alex Blavatnik. “This soundtrack gives you a taste of everything that makes the band magical, from their uniquely crafted studio recordings to their unparalleled live performances.”