Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead (1970, reissue 2015)

The Dead's previous release, Live/Dead, was filled with winding and intense psychedelic jams, and it did nothing to prepare the world for Workingman's Dead's stunning,understated country rock. A closer look, however, reveals that the turn was not so surprising after all. For one, the Dead had strong roots in acoustic folk and bluegrass before they began to plug in and turn on. What's more, the country bug had already started to bite the rock world as artists recoiled from the excesses and chaos of the late '60s. Boasting beautiful harmonies, well-crafted songwriting, and a deep appreciation of country, blues, and folk, 1970's Workingman's Dead proved that the band was as adept with sharp-eyed acoustic roots music as it was with free-form rock odysseys. Most of these cuts--from twangy rockers like "Casey Jones" and "New Speedway Boogie" and sublime ballads like "Uncle John's Band" and "High Time" to country romps like "Dire Wolf" and "Cumberland Blues"--found a permanent home in the Dead repertoire for decades to come.