Aoxomoxoa by The Grateful Dead released on Warner Bros label, 1969, value £60

THIS album has always been a difficult one to pronounce, writes MICHAEL BROOKS. It was Rick Griffin who came up with the title. He had a fascination with palindromes - words that read the same forwards and backwards; it is pronounced 'ox-oh-mox-oh-ah.' Rick was an authentic Californian surfer, devoted to the ocean waves and surf culture lifestyle. After graduating from high school he went to work for Surfer magazine where his images led to producing his famous psychedelic posters and album cover artwork.

After meeting founder member Jerry Garcia backstage at one of the band's concerts he was asked to design anything he visualised for the band's forthcoming album cover and was given total artistic freedom. The cover represents a surfer's paradise of sunshine, blue sky with life growing all around. The cryptic skull and crossbones symbolises life and death in a circle of the sun, paradise, the Garden of Eden and planet Earth awareness. The band members were all in agreement, they loved the design and decided to use it.

It is often speculated that the origin of the band's name was taken from the Egyptian Book Of The Dead, a theory denied by each member of the band. The popular theory is that Jerry Garcia was browsing through an old dictionary and suggested the name to the band which was accepted. Roughly translated it reads, "the soul of a dead person or their angel, showing gratitude to someone who, as an act of charity, arranges their death."

Formed in 1965 as The Warlocks, they had a 30 year musical career. This was their third studio album and is acclaimed as one of their best. The Grateful Dead felt all the emotions of folk, soul, blues and jazz, including country music, and they played it always from the heart. The resulting sound became a hybrid that was unique to them. Their fans were affectionately known as 'Deadheads.' After Jerry Garcia's death from a heart attack in 1995, the band finally disbanded the following year. Rick Griffin lost his life shortly after a motorcycle accident; he was thrown from his Harley Davidson hitting the road. He was not wearing a helmet and sustained fatal head injuries.