Professional ratings| Review scores | 
|---|
| Source | Rating | 
|---|
| Allmusic |  | 
| The Music Box |  | 
Birth of the Dead is a two-CD compilation album chronicling the early years of the San Francisco psychedelic band the Grateful Dead.  The set was originally part of the twelve-CD box set The Golden Road (1965–1973), released on October 16, 2001, then was released as a stand-alone album on March 25, 2003.  The album consists of various studio and live tracks of seven original songs and a number of covers.
Birth of the Dead, Volume One (The Studio Sessions), containing the music from the first CD, was released as a vinyl LP on the Friday Music label on December 17, 2013.