Grateful Dead Steal Your Face Rare Vintage Album Promo Poster 1977 | Happiest Kid Finds

GRATEFUL DEAD - Steal Your Face 
rare and vintage music album promo poster 

dimensions: 12 1/2" x 12 1/2"  
date: 1977
condition: Very good. Evenly toned, consistent with its age. A couple of smudges on the right side.

artist: The Steal Your Face logo was a collaboration between the band's sound engineer, Owsley "Bear" Stanley, and artist Bob Thomas - "he needed a quick way to identify the band’s equipment cases during chaotic tour setups.

Originally intended for practical use, the logo gained fame when it was featured on the cover of the band’s 1976 live album, Steal Your Face. Fans began referring to the image itself by the same name.."

printer: Atlantic Recording Corp.

This is a great example of the convoluted change of working relationships that occurs in  the music industry.  The album "Steal Your Face" was released in 1976 under the band's own label, Grateful Dead Records.

Based on information that I was able to locate, here's a loose timeline:

• Atlantic Recording Corp was involved in the initial release of the album.
• "Steal Your Face" was released in 1976, shortly before Arista Records took over.
• Arista Records promoted the album after acquiring the Grateful Dead's catalog.
• The album received mixed reviews, impacting its promotional strategy.
• The Grateful Dead's live performance reputation contributed to the album's visibility.
• Marketing efforts included concert promotions and radio play to reach fans.

Atlantic Recording Corp. became a subsidiary of Warner Communications Inc. around 1975. 

After a few years, the added stress of handling business matters took its toll, and the bandmates opted out of operating the label and signed with Arista Records in 1977.

It turned out that this was the band's least favorite album, " due to the poor sound (some songs had to be fixed in the studio) and song selection (it focused on the band's songs rather than jams). 

Based on these details, I can surmise that this promo poster was never distributed because of all of the changes between the band and record companies, which makes it a superb addition to any Grateful Dead collection with its missing bits of info and offers a little more clarity with regard to the timeline and such.