OMMA Catalogue Number

OMMA-0083

Artist

The Grateful Dead

Title

“Don’t Ease Me In / Stealin’”

Release Details

Issued in June or July of 1966 as a 7-inch single by Scorpio Records Inc. (catalogue number 201). Pressed in the United States and intended for distribution as a commercial retail release before immediately being withdrawn by the band.

Edition & Variant Identification

First pressing, corresponding to the original commercial issue produced for Scorpio Records.

Matrix & Pressing Data

Runout A: 002/201 – Don’t Ease Me In – Commercial Recorders Inc. – SLS
Runout B: 003/201 – Stealin’ – Commercial Recorders Inc. – SLS

Physical Description

7-inch vinyl single on black vinyl. The present copy was issued without a picture sleeve and is currently housed in a UV protected record frame with no sleeve. No inserts are present.

Factory-Origin Characteristics

Factory-origin characteristics include the flowing-script inscription “Commercial Recorders Inc.,” the name of the respective side’s track in hand-printed block letters, and hand-printed matrix numbers in the runout area, consistent with the manufacturing markings described for this release. An icon-style design that resembles SLS or 5L5 is also etched into the dead wax of each side. No additional anomalies are noted on the present copy.

Condition Report

The vinyl is in Good condition, with glossy, near-spotless vinyl except for a hairline storage crack that extends from the edge to the dead wax. Despite the crack, no surface noise, clicks, pops or skips are present (see YouTube video posted in right margin for play test). The crack has been professionally stabilized using John Manship’s repair method. The labels are crisp and sharp with minimal signs of handling. The A-side label is in Near Mint condition while the B-side label shows an area of minor staining near the spindle hole.

Provenance

Archivist, musician and producer Alec Palao reportedly acquired six copies of this record from the family of an individual responsible for the record’s original 1966 release. These six copies were consigned in 2017 to Derek See, owner of the boutique record label and online seller Psychedelphonic Records. See, himself an accomplished musician, collector and psychedelic rock historian, purchased the present copy for his personal archive and featured it on his video blog in 2018 before selling it online in January 2026 to the Origins of Modern Music Archive.

Photomatching & Verification

Label details and condition of the present copy are visible in the video documentation at right, confirming the present copy is the described specimen.

Market Context & Historical Notes

“Stealin’ / Don’t Ease Me In” documents the earliest commercial recording issued by the Grateful Dead and represents the group’s first studio record. Produced at Gene Estribou’s short-lived label Scorpio Records, the single was recorded at Commercial Recorders in San Francisco. Estribou’s studio on the fifth floor of 737 Buena Vista West placed the Dead’s genesis at the western edge of the Haight-Ashbury district during the formative period of the San Francisco psychedelic scene. The original issue of approximately 250 copies was withdrawn shortly after release, reportedly because the band didn’t like it, with the few remaining copies filtering into the market from people who had been close to the band or the label. The single mix differs from later archival appearances, making the original pressing a primary document of the band’s pre-album recording identity.

Canonical Status in OMMA

This release is recognized by the Origins of Modern Music Archive as the artist’s canonical debut recording.

References and Source Documentation

Slabicky, Ihor W. The Compleat Grateful Dead Discography. Updated 09 April 2016.

Personal correspondence with Derek See.