i saw a life-concert from the "deads" a few weeks ago on DVD. Great stuff. Never was involved with their music, but wanna buy a greatest hits Compilation of them. any suggestions?

Skeletons from the Closet would be a good start

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doubledoor
Skeletons from the Closet would be a good start

Yes that's a good starting point.

"What a Long Strange Trip its Been" is a 2 disc greatest hits set, and its good too --- Although its missing some great songs, that ARE on Skeletons in the Closet (Friend of the Devil, Sugar Magnolia).

imo get the very best of that has a skeleton on the front. it covers the most well known songs from their entire career.

to be honest though you are better off finding which era of the dead you like and getting the live and studio stuff from that era

europe '72 is still the best entry point, imo...band at peak form and playing arguably the best of their best....

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StonesTod
europe '72 is still the best entry point, imo...band at peak form and playing arguably the best of their best....

i like to get full concerts instead of compilations of concerts plus europe '72 has more overdubs than a normal dead album

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keefriffhard4life

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StonesTod
europe '72 is still the best entry point, imo...band at peak form and playing arguably the best of their best....

i like to get full concerts instead of compilations of concerts plus europe '72 has more overdubs than a normal dead album

for an entry-level interest, though, it's still a great way to start. their best work was never in the studio...american beauty and workingman being the almost exclusive exceptions

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StonesTod

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keefriffhard4life

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StonesTod
europe '72 is still the best entry point, imo...band at peak form and playing arguably the best of their best....

i like to get full concerts instead of compilations of concerts plus europe '72 has more overdubs than a normal dead album

for an entry-level interest, though, it's still a great way to start. their best work was never in the studio...american beauty and workingman being the almost exclusive exceptions

agreed on that. i live LIVE/DEAD too. i am a fan oft the pigpen years

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keefriffhard4life

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StonesTod

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keefriffhard4life

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StonesTod
europe '72 is still the best entry point, imo...band at peak form and playing arguably the best of their best....

i like to get full concerts instead of compilations of concerts plus europe '72 has more overdubs than a normal dead album

for an entry-level interest, though, it's still a great way to start. their best work was never in the studio...american beauty and workingman being the almost exclusive exceptions

agreed on that. i live LIVE/DEAD too. i am a fan oft the pigpen years

69 was a good period for them - many fans think it was their peak, but the songs on E72 represent them better for a newbie, i think....

i just can't stand when donna started "helping" with the vocals

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keefriffhard4life
i just can't stand when donna started "helping" with the vocals

nice ass, donna

Grateful Dead/Grateful Dead

AKA Skull and Roses...

My favorite Dead song is side two (to use "vinyl language" ) of TERRAPIN STATION. It's actually a combination of songs melded together, and it's beautiful and it's the equivalent of what A DAY IN THE LIFE is to the Beatles. I'm amazed it's not a better known "piece" considering the fame of the band itself. I'm actually not a huge Dead fan, don't like Bob Wier's bland voice, (love Jerry's) but I love side two of TERRAPIN STATION.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-01-13 22:37 by Title5Take1.

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Title5Take1
My favorite Dead song is side two (to use "vinyl language" ) of TERRAPIN STATION. It's actually a combination of songs melded together, and it's beautiful and it's the equivalent of what A DAY IN THE LIFE is to the Beatles. I'm amazed it's not a better known "piece" considering the fame of the band itself. I'm actually not a huge Dead fan, don't like Bob Wier's bland voice, (love Jerry's) but I love side two of TERRAPIN STATION.

I agree, Terrapin Station is excellent! I seem to remember Jerry Garcia saying that he was disappointed with the production, though. I like the album track a lot but I liked the live performances of it even better.

I think the two greatest hits albums mentioned before are a good introduction, but Workingman's Dead and American Beauty are pretty accessible and I think they represent the band well. They also contain the only two songs that got much airplay before Touch of Grey: Casey Jones and Truckin', so you get two stand-alone albums that each have a greatest hit.

Shakedown Street. Their finest album ever. The peak of all that is the Grateful Dead, everything else pales in comparison.

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bustedtrousers
Shakedown Street. Their finest album ever. The peak of all that is the Grateful Dead, everything else pales in comparison.

haha. please tell me you're laughing with me.

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keefriffhard4life
i just can't stand when donna started "helping" with the vocals

That's so true. I never got into Blues for Allah for instance.
Ah? Where to start with the Dead?
I was 17 when I bought a 2LP set with the first two albums.
'Alligator' from the second album is something I enjoy as much as I did it 25 years ago.
But where do you start?
I guess Europe 72, unless you're into full blown sixties psychedilic music, as I was at 17. Then maybe that second album 'Anthem of the sun' is a good starting point.

To me they sold out after the Warlocks.

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likecats
I think the two greatest hits albums mentioned before are a good introduction, but Workingman's Dead and American Beauty are pretty accessible and I think they represent the band well. They also contain the only two songs that got much airplay before Touch of Grey: Casey Jones and Truckin', so you get two stand-alone albums that each have a greatest hit.

+1, I agree 100%. I first got into the Dead through a roommate's copy of Workingman's Dead.

With the exception of Workingman's / American Beauty / Live Dead (Amazing Dark Star - still sends chills up my spine) and Europe 72, the best places to start if you really want to "get it" are the live shows. You can stream these for free...

Going back to my high school days, here are some of the shows that I got (on cassette bootlegs) that really turned me onto the Dead)

5/8/77 set II (start with track 13 - many people call this their best show ever)
[www.archive.org]

8/27/72 (Veneta Oregon full LSD infused Merry Prankster Chaos)
[www.archive.org]

6/10/73 RFK Stadium (Killer 3rd Set with the Allmans - Not Fade Away > Going Down The Road > Drums > Not Fade Away is Epic)
[www.archive.org]

3/1/69 (Fillmore West) and 4/29/71 (Fillmore East) No longer on Archive due to being commercial released, but worth checking out as powerhouse shows from the Pigpen era.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2011-01-14 06:21 by goinhome.

Europe '72 was my intro (as a 12-year-old in 1973). That works as well as anything as a gateway album, severely overdubbed vocals notwithstanding. I'd also recommend Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead, which is also culled from that tour, but has no overdubs. Live/Dead is aces, but may require initiation.

Stay away from Steal Your Face: in hindsight, that album seems as though someone in their organization was suckered into compiling the worst possible combination of songs from their 10/74 "retirement" shows.

Apart from American Beauty and Workingman's, the first side of Blues for Allah might be their vital studio recordings, even with Donna's yowling on The Music Never Stopped.

Of the later ones, Terrapin Station ain't bad, but the keepers on that one were much better live. Shakedown and Go to Heaven are terrible, but In the Dark is pretty good, and half of Built to Last is just that.

The aforementioned boots are also worth having. Once one gets a taste of the Dead, whole shows can become addictive.

Also get Garcia's first solo album aptly named "Garcia".It has a couple of the best Garcia's tunes which later on became The Dead's concert staples.

Europe 72 thinks The MEZ. Good luck on your journey it's a fascinating discovery becoming a Deadhead!! MEZ

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StonesTod

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bustedtrousers
Shakedown Street. Their finest album ever. The peak of all that is the Grateful Dead, everything else pales in comparison.

haha. please tell me you're laughing with me.

I'm not laughing. It's the album anyone new should start with.

Oh yeah, check out the film Festival Express that came out about 7 or 8 years ago. Great footage of the Dead, Janis, Buddy Guy, the Burritos and more on their legendary train tour of Canada in 1970. Also features Sam Cutler. Some great footage that would be a good intro to the music of the Dead.

Any of the Dick's Pick's is nice.
NightFall of Diamonds
LiveDead
Steppin' Out
The Closing Of Winterland
Skull and Roses
American Beauty
Workingman's Dead
Reckoning
Take your time and sort through because there is alot. You've got your '67 to '69 psychedelic sort of band, your '70 to '75 jazzier cowboy song band, '77 nice fine playing band, '79 to '90 Brent years and Jerry's health issues...