Go to Heaven

Go to Heaven
Studio album by Grateful Dead
Released	April 28, 1980 (1980-04-28)
Recorded	Club Front, San Rafael, CA, July 1979-January 1980
Genre	Rock
Length	38:19
Label	Arista
Producer	Gary Lyons
Grateful Dead chronology
Shakedown Street (1978)Shakedown Street1978 Go to Heaven (1980) Reckoning (1981)Reckoning1981

Go to Heaven is the 11th studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was released on April 28, 1980.

The album was released for the first time on CD in 1987 by Arista Records before being re-released in 2000 by BMG International. It was then remastered, expanded, and released as part of the Beyond Description (1973–1989) box set in October 2004. The remastered version was later released separately on CD on April 11, 2006 by Rhino Records.

It was the band's first album with newcomer keyboard player Brent Mydland replacing both Donna Jean Godchaux's backup vocals and Keith Godchaux's piano playing.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	C
Rolling Stone	Negative

Go to Heaven received a generally negative response from critics, though a retrospective review in Allmusic remarked that "Time has somewhat mellowed the general disdain that critics and Deadheads alike leveled at Go to Heaven upon its release". J. M. DeMatteis's review in Rolling Stone summarized the album as "more of the same uninspired fluff that's become the Grateful Dead's recorded stock in trade", though he did praise Brent Mydland's contributions. Allmusic's retrospective review said that while the tracks were generally weak, a number of the songs were later developed into strong live numbers. Like Rolling Stone, they praised the addition of Mydland to the band's lineup. In contrast, Robert Christgau, while complimentary of the rendition of "Don't Ease Me In", called Mydland an "utter wimp".

DeMatteis, who is better known for his work writing comic books, came to regret his review of the album, and ended his career as a music critic as a consequence.

"Althea" has come to be regarded as something of a latter-day Garcia-Hunter classic, ranking #5 on Stereogum's list of the 10 best Dead songs.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Alabama Getaway" (Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter) – 3:36 (lead singer: Jerry Garcia)
2. "Far From Me" (Brent Mydland) – 3:40 (lead singer: Brent Mydland)
3. "Althea" (Garcia and Hunter) – 6:51 (lead singer: Jerry Garcia)
4. "Feel Like a Stranger" (John Perry Barlow and Bob Weir) – 5:07 (lead singer: Bob Weir)

Side two

5. "Lost Sailor" (Barlow and Weir) – 5:54 (lead singer: Bob Weir)
6. "Saint of Circumstance" (Barlow and Weir) – 5:40 (lead singer: Bob Weir)
7. "Antwerp's Placebo (The Plumber)" (Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann) – 0:38 (instrumental)
8. "Easy to Love You" (Barlow and Mydland) – 3:40 (lead singer: Brent Mydland)
9. "Don't Ease Me In" (Traditional) – 3:13 (lead singer: Jerry Garcia)

2004 reissue bonus tracks

10. "Peggy-O" (traditional) – 5:51
11. "What'll You Raise" (Hunter) – 4:10
12. "Jack-A-Roe" (traditional) – 4:55
13. "Althea" (live at Radio City Music Hall, October 23, 1980) – 8:17
14. "Lost Sailor" (live at Radio City Music Hall, October 25, 1980) – 6:41
15. "Saint of Circumstance" (live at Radio City Music Hall, October 25, 1980) – 6:35

Personnel

Grateful Dead

• Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals
• Mickey Hart – drums
• Bill Kreutzmann – drums
• Phil Lesh – bass guitar
• Brent Mydland – keyboards, vocals
• Bob Weir – guitar, vocals

Charts

Billboard

Year	Chart	Position
1980	Pop Albums	23

Singles – Billboard

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1980	"Alabama Getaway"	Pop Singles	68