The songs were recorded with an Ampex 16-track machine. The band's soundman, Owsley 'Bear' Stanley, asked electronics designer Ron Wickersham to invent a microphone splitter that fed both into the PA and the record inputs, with no loss in quality. They were also interested in releasing an album more representative of their live performances and actual musicianship, as opposed to the in-studio experimentation of previous albums. To assuage debt accrued with their record label from their recent album Aoxomoxoa, as well as fulfill their record contract, the band decided to record a live album. 'Feedback' and 'We Bid You Goodnight' were also released on the triple disc, highlights release Fillmore West 1969.

Stephen', ' Death Don't Have No Mercy', 'Feedback' and 'We Bid You Goodnight' were released, in their original sequence and with a new mix, on the respective Februand Madiscs of the Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings box set (the first 1:34 of 'Dark Star' can be found on the previous track, 'Mountains of the Moon').

Recorded over a series of concerts in early 1969 and released later the same year, it was the first live rock album to use 16-track recording. Live/Dead is the first official live album (and fourth overall) released by the rock band Grateful Dead.

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