In May of 1969, the Grateful Dead finally completed the recording of Aoxomoxoa. The original studio work for the album was finished at the end of 1968, with a tentative title of Earthquake Country. The Dead being the Dead, chose to re-record the album on a newly-available 16-track Ampex recorder. Endless tweaking, overdubs, and madcap experimentation took a few more months, leaving the band knee-deep in debt to Warner Brothers for a whopping $150,000 buckeroos. Given this hefty financial obligation, the Dead did the only thing they could do—they embarked on a vigorous schedule of regional and national touring. The May dates alone included a few nights at Winterland with the Jefferson Airplane & Mongo Santamaria, The Aztec Bowl at San Diego State College, a Campolindo High School event, two appearances at The Big Rock Pow Wow in Hollywood, Forida, and a show at UC Santa Barbara’s Robertson Gym with the Youngbloods.
Grateful Dead—Springer’s Inn, Gresham, OR, w/Palace Meat Market, May 30, 1969
Grateful Dead—Springer’s Inn, Gresham, OR…
Grateful Dead—Springer’s Inn, Gresham, OR, w/Palace Meat Market, May 30, 1969
In May of 1969, the Grateful Dead finally completed the recording of Aoxomoxoa. The original studio work for the album was finished at the end of 1968, with a tentative title of Earthquake Country. The Dead being the Dead, chose to re-record the album on a newly-available 16-track Ampex recorder. Endless tweaking, overdubs, and madcap experimentation took a few more months, leaving the band knee-deep in debt to Warner Brothers for a whopping $150,000 buckeroos. Given this hefty financial obligation, the Dead did the only thing they could do—they embarked on a vigorous schedule of regional and national touring. The May dates alone included a few nights at Winterland with the Jefferson Airplane & Mongo Santamaria, The Aztec Bowl at San Diego State College, a Campolindo High School event, two appearances at The Big Rock Pow Wow in Hollywood, Forida, and a show at UC Santa Barbara’s Robertson Gym with the Youngbloods.