Rhino Releases Audiophile Vinyl, Reel-To-Reel & Atmos Versions Of Grateful Dead's 'Workingman's Dead'

On June 14, 1970, the Grateful Dead released Workingman's Dead, an album that was unlike anything they'd ever done, one that showed the world a new side of the Dead. It was clearly the same band as before, but now with a distinctly different sound and approach to the music, pivoting from psychedelic improvisation to folk-rock storytelling for the "everyman," as the album's title suggests. Now, Rhino High Fidelity presents new audiophile editions of the album on reel-to-reel and vinyl, plus Mickey Hart's 2023 Atmos mix, available on Blu-ray for the first time.

Workingman's Dead (Rhino High Fidelity) was cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180-gram black vinyl at Optimal in Germany. It features glossy gatefold packaging with newly written liner notes by author and Grateful Dead historian David Gans. The album is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively at Rhino.com and select Warner Music Group stores internationally.

In the liner notes, Gans says the songs reflect a more direct, stripped-down approach, calling them "concise, countrified, and catchy as hell." As bassist Phil Lesh recalled in his autobiography Searching for the Sound, the shift moved the Dead "from the mind-munching frenzy of a seven-headed fire-breathing dragon to the warmth and serenity of a choir of chanting cherubim."

Workingman's Dead (Rhino High Fidelity R2R) was duplicated in real time from a 1:1 copy of the original flat analog master tape. The result is a master-quality listening experience that captures the full dynamics of the recording. The 15 i.p.s. half-track 1/4" tape is produced to the IEC equalization standard on premium RTM LPR90 tape stock and housed on a 10.5" metal reel. The Reel-to-Reel edition is limited to 300 copies worldwide and available exclusively at Rhino.com.

In 2023, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart created a new Dolby Atmos mix of Workingman's Dead, revealing remarkable instrument separation and nuance in the album's harmonies and arrangements. Hart's immersive mix expands the sonic depth of the original recording while preserving its essential character. Hart's new Atmos mix will be available on Dead.net and Rhino.com. 

While the Dead's first three studio albums appealed to many, the group didn't yet have the mass breakthrough that would make the entire world take notice of this band of misfits from the Bay Area. Workingman's Dead changed all that. With eight perfect songs – like "Casey Jones" and "High Time" – the album solidified the Jerry Garcia-Robert Hunter songwriting tandem as one of the best and most important songwriting collaborations in music history. The album reached the Top Thirty and included the single "Uncle John's Band," which climbed to #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart recorded the album in about 10 days at Pacific High Recording Studio in San Francisco with Bob Matthews and Betty Cantor – the band's live-sound engineers – as producers.

Yes Announce 24th Studio Album 'Aurora' For Early Summer Release

 

Yes have announced their 24th studio album Aurora will be released on June 12 via InsideOutMusic and Sony Music. The album will be available as a Limited Deluxe 180g Light Green 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook & Poster, as well as a Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, both featuring the stunning artwork of Roger Dean and Freya Dean, as well as a bonus disc of instrumentals, and a Blu-ray featuring Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound & 24bit stereo mixes (by Curtis Schwartz). The album is also available as a Gatefold 180g 2LP + LP-booklet, Special Edition CD Digipak & as Digital Album. 

Pre-order Aurora

Check out the first single from the album, with a beautiful animated video for the title track, created by Matt Hutchings (Greg Lake, Oasis, Iron Maiden) below. 

"Making this record was joyful, a chance to play, explore and give everything to the music," guitarist Steve Howe says. "It's always been about collaboration, somebody can write a song, but until everybody puts their contribution in it isn't really a Yes song. We’re not trying to echo the past; we’re carrying the spirit of Yes forward and turning it into something new."

 When Yes — Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood, and Jay Schellen — first began sketching out ideas for what would become Aurora, the process was loose and exploratory. There was no preconceived concept at the start, just a collection of musical fragments that gradually began to find one another and take form. Among these early sketches was a piece titled “Aurora,” and it quickly became clear that the name carried certain gravity. It suggested light, emergence, and a sense of vastness, qualities that resonated deeply with the band. Davison remembers how "the title immediately resonated with Howe and sparked visual inspiration for artist Roger Dean, setting a conceptual tone that would guide the project."

Work on Aurora began almost as soon as the ‘Classic Tales of Yes’ tour ended in 2024. The idea of a new album surfaced quickly and with the label’s encouragement, the band had the time to develop material organically. Rather than gathering in a single studio for months, they embraced a modern workflow; ideas were born in home studios, shaped independently, and then woven together through constant collaboration. Downes and Howe often acted as the central creative axis, with Howe, as producer, serving as the point through which all ideas eventually flowed.

Across Aurora, each track carries its own character. Some echo the classic approach, others push into new territory, but together they form a cohesive whole that honors the band’s heritage while embracing forward motion. With their 24th studio album, Yes demonstrate not just longevity, but a sustained curiosity, a desire to keep exploring, refining and discovering their capacity to create.

For more info, visit yesworld.com. 

Jethro Tull Announces 'Under Wraps: The Unwrapped Edition' Box Set

Jethro Tull's Under Wraps: The Unwrapped Edition brings together 1984’s Under Wraps with Ian Anderson's debut solo album Walk Into The Light, released in 1983. The two albums hold significant importance in Anderson's vast body of work, marking a notable shift from Jethro Tull's established sound. At the time, Anderson embraced cutting-edge technology, integrating synthesizers and drum machines. This was a considerable move away from the band's traditional folk roots and illustrated their ability to adapt to the evolving musical landscape.

This comprehensive five-CD, single Blu-Ray box set has been overseen by Anderson and includes both original albums extensively remixed twice by Bruce Soord - ‘2026 Drums’ and ‘Original Drums’ remixes. These discs also include associated recordings from that period. The fifth CD is a live recording from a BBC Radio 1 concert at The Hammersmith Odeon in 1984 and the Blu-Ray contains stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes, along with promo videos from the era. The set comes complete with a 100-page book offering an extensive article on the making of the records.

Additionally, Walk Into The Light is available as single vinyl featuring Bruce Soord’s 2026 Drums remix and includes its own booklet. 

Pre-order Under Wraps: The Unwrapped Edition

Under Wraps is perhaps one of Jethro Tull’s most misunderstood albums, where the band fully embraced the electronic and synth-pop sounds of the ’80s focusing heavily on keyboards, drum machines, and a polished, synthetic production. Once reflecting on this period, Anderson said “We wanted to do something completely different with Under Wraps. It was about exploring the technology of the time and seeing how far we could push our sound into new territories. It was an experiment, and not everyone was ready for that kind of change from Jethro Tull.” 

Tracks like "Lap of Luxury" show Anderson’s attempt to fuse his lyrical storytelling with the cold, often detached soundscapes of the era, creating a unique, if divisive, chapter in their discography. The album has grown to be appreciated for its bold experimentation, showcasing Anderson’s willingness to risk the band’s established identity for artistic exploration.

Walk Into Light combines sophisticated, cutting-edge electro-pop songs with typically pointed and uncompromising sociological lyrical observations. This album was a brave reinvention of an established identity – made in conjunction with keyboardist Peter-John Vetesse – the album reflected Anderson’s growing fascination with modern life, technology, and isolation.

In other Jethro Tull news, the UK leg of the band’s The Curiosity Tour starts on April 19. Tickets are available from jethrotull.com/tour-dates/ and from venue box offices.

April 2026

19 – Perth, Concert Hall

20 – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall

22 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall

23 – Newcastle, O2 City Hall Newcastle

25 - Bradford, St George’s Hall

26 – Salford Quays, The Lowry

28 – Liverpool, Philharmonic

29 – Sheffield, City Hall

May 2026

2 - Stoke-on-Trent, Victoria Hall

3 – Birmingham, Symphony Hall

5 – Leicester, De Montfort Hall

6 – London, The London Palladium

8 – Basingstoke, The Anvil

9 – Swansea, Brangwyn Hall

10 – Bristol, Beacon Theatre

12 – Truro, Hall for Cornwall

13 – Bournemouth, Pavilion Theatre

15 – Southampton, Guildhall

16 – Eastbourne, Congress Theatre