What a life – I will resist the temptation to fill this with lyrics from Grateful Dead songs or to agonize over the list or the descriptions below and will instead focus on the expediency of shining a light on the singular Phil Lesh, bassist, frequent background vocalist, and occasional songwriter for the Grateful Dead. He brought an indispensable experimental sensibility with him to the band when it formed and yet vibed perfectly with the folksy, song-based elements that made them so much more than a “jam band.” His sometimes-grounded and sometimes-meandering bass playing could anchor the music as one more traditionally expects from a bassist (e.g. “Shakedown Street”) or take it into uncharted territory (e.g. “Dark Star”). His charming place in Dead lore then led to multiple fruitful decades of Dead-amplifying touring projects, most notably Phil Lesh and Friends, which is particularly striking given that to do all that he had to first survive a liver transplant.   

Though of course he contributed greatly to the Garcia and Weir tunes as a bassist and harmony vocalist, not to mention their cover songs and composer-less jams, all of these are songs on which Phil is credited as composer or co-composer. Except for item 10, all of these are by the Grateful Dead, and they are presented in chronological order.

1 ) “New Potato Caboose” from Anthem of the Sun (1968)

This is an early psychedelic boogie from the pen of Phil and poet Robert McLane Petersen, who also wrote the lyrics for items 6 and 7 below.

2 ) “St. Stephen” from Aoxomoxoa (1969)

Phil co-wrote one of the Dead’s signature songs in the “it’s catchy and evocative and psychedelic and esoteric and hard-rocking-all at once” category, and his bass playing is particularly strong here as well.  

3 ) “The Elveen” from Live/Dead (1969)

One of the most important jam-songs (save for ”Dark Star”) on their first live album is an odd-metered yet catchy Phil tune.

4 ) “Box of Rain” from American Beauty (1970)

The lead track of the second of the Dead’s classic folk-rock records is Phil’s signature moment as a frontman and it’s perhaps his most iconic songwriting credit as well.

5 ) “Cumberland Blues” from Europe ‘72 (1972)

Though the studio version of this song (co-written by Phil) on Workingman’s Dead is great too, I particularly love this more stretched-out version as well as the greater prominence of Phil’s bouncy bass lines.

6 ) “Pride of Cucamonga” from From the Mars Hotel (1974)

This country-infused song is another of Phil’s rare lead vocals.

7 ) “Unbroken Chain – Studio Acoustic Demo” from Complete Sudio Rarities Collection (1974)

Though I love the fully-produced version of this, probably Phil’s best-loved composition aside from “Box of Rain,” it’s fascinating to hear this acoustic work-in-progress.  

8 ) “King Solomon’s Marbles” from Blues for Allah (1975)

This is a gnarly instrumental tune from Phil’s pen.

9 ) “Passenger” from Terrapin Station (1977)

In the forefront of this Lesh tune are Weir and Donna Godcheaux’s vocals and Garcia’s slide guitar.

10 ) “Rock-n-Roll Blues” from There and Back Again by Phil Lesh and Friends (2002)

This nostalgic, old-timey song features Phil’s last in-studio lead vocal as well as spirited playing from his friends, Jimmy Herring, Warren Haynes, Rob Barraco, and John Molo.