how can you miss them if they won't go away?

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
HMS
Never heard a single Dead-song in my life - and that´s true.
I only know them as the backing band on Dylan´s live-album "Dylan & The Dead", which is one hell of a lousy live album.

Now you have.





[www.youtube.com]

Oh Dear my , we can not save someone that does not want to see the light right in front of him , bless you for trying as you are a far better man than I could ever be .

My second favorite of all time .Jerry we love you and miss you so much .Some of my best times at live concerts .What A Blast .To me it was the circus coming to town just like the soon to be departed Ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey. Nothing like it and there never will be .Jerry what a master of the fretboard .

Quote
HMS

Quote
DandelionPowderman
Now you have.

Pretty good.
I thought there isn´t any Dead-song less than 15 min.

the dead had certain vehicles in their live shows for long jams.
dark star
playing in the band
eyes of the world
sugaree
shakedown street
turn on your lovelight
the other one
caution stop on the tracks
viola lee blues
fire on the mountain


maybe 2-3 other tunes. outside of those 10 tunes I listed most of the time the songs were between 5-7 minutes long live. sometimes something would get stretched to about 10 minutes

ROCKMAN

Quote
Koen
First time I saw them was on Rockpalast in 1981 which was broadcasted on tv. Luckily I also recorded it on cassette tape, because I fell asleep in the middle of the night

Exactly the same happened to me...but woke up just in time to watch a couple of songs Pete Townshend jamming with them...
Some of the incredible amount of live stuff which has been released I really like...

Very nice Rockman , you are a treasure and this is a perfect example

Jerry was an incredible guitarist. He had a very solid and unique tone with some very fluid leads. When the Dead were on they were fantastic. Yet they could also get pretentious and a bit boring. I don't own all their stuff, but they do have some incredible live albums. Europe 72 is phenomenal. As is The Dead Live (Skull Fvck).

When I think of The Grateful Dead, I think of VW Buses first, LSD and weed,
tie dye shirts,and then the music. I liked their culture of freedom and wandering
but the music didn't move me. My favorite Dead song is their shortest one, and
I've probably never even heard it.

Love the Grateful Dead! Seen them over 100 times since 1978. Jerry was an excellent guitarist and he also wasn't a slouch on banjo or the pedal steel! Bob Weir is one of the most underrated rhythm guitarists in rock music. One of my top three favorite bands of all time, and I've seen/heard a lot of them!

Quote
Hairball
I like some of their studio work (from all eras), but please don't tell me I have to see them live in order to 'get it'.
Saw them with my older brother in '77 or '78, and nearly fell asleep.

Read a Dylan quote where he said Jerry Garcia was either his favorite guitarist or the worlds greatest guitarist (or maybe both)- can't remember which one it was, but it says alot when you're #1 fan is Bob Dylan.

according to legend in 1989, Bob asked the Grateful Dead if he could join them and that the request was refused after a vote by band members

I first saw the Dead in 1973 in Boston,my friend won the tix on wbcn radio I was 15,at first it was ok by the end of the show I was and have been a life long dead head,I saw over 150 shows, sure some nights were not that great but the next night was spot on,after the mid 80s the crowd got bad,more dead heads woulds be at a show then the place would hold,I got to meet most of the band and party a few times,but when the STONES where on tour I was seeing them,I am still friends with many old heads some have passed away, and I miss them.

Quote
switchblade1975
I first saw the Dead in 1973 in Boston,my friend won the tix on wbcn radio I was 15,at first it was ok by the end of the show I was and have been a life long dead head,I saw over 150 shows, sure some nights were not that great but the next night was spot on,after the mid 80s the crowd got bad,more dead heads woulds be at a show then the place would hold,I got to meet most of the band and party a few times,but when the STONES where on tour I was seeing them,I am still friends with many old heads some have passed away, and I miss them.

Same here for 73 at Watkins Glen. 600,000 people to see The Grateful Dead, The Band and The Allman Brothers. Went with my older brother and friends in his VW bus. And the cops busted us going there, luckily just had to turn over our dope and on we went. What a weekend.

Can't seem to see me.

Quote
2000 LYFH

Quote
switchblade1975
I first saw the Dead in 1973 in Boston,my friend won the tix on wbcn radio I was 15,at first it was ok by the end of the show I was and have been a life long dead head,I saw over 150 shows, sure some nights were not that great but the next night was spot on,after the mid 80s the crowd got bad,more dead heads woulds be at a show then the place would hold,I got to meet most of the band and party a few times,but when the STONES where on tour I was seeing them,I am still friends with many old heads some have passed away, and I miss them.

Same here for 73 at Watkins Glen. 600,000 people to see The Grateful Dead, The Band and The Allman Brothers. Went with my older brother and friends in his VW bus. And the cops busted us going there, luckily just had to turn over our dope and on we went. What a weekend.

Can't seem to see me.

and do you know what the cops did with your stuff? they consumed it .The good old days when they would just take it away from you and tell you to knock it off.

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Now you have.




[www.youtube.com]

And one of the great MTV videos was also by the Dead:
[www.youtube.com]

I've always felt like I'm the exact moderate fan of theirs. Maybe a bit more, but there's the live aspect I never totally synced with and thats such a big part of them. Love their studio work and think for the most part its great. Too much gets made of their jamming, but there were quality songs behind those jams and the studio albums highlight that. Great playing, amazing harmonies. Yes the studio albums were basically a jumping off point for most of those songs, which were then expanded live, but not enough is made of them because it really focused the band and highlighted their great harmonies and ability to structure a song. Something like Terrapin Station, which I'd never say was perfect, really shows what they could do in a studio and make it work. As good as that could be live, I never thought it replicated how they did it in the studio.

Live they were a bit too much for me at times. Generally I thought it was very good. Jerry's playing could be extremely inspired, that band just gelled many times. But every show included multiple long jams, drum solos, etc. Thats always brought it down for me. My favorite sets are obviously the ones where I know all the songs and its a bit more focused and less jammy. But they were obviously great live and there are some great documents of that. Reckoning is a great release of their solid acoustic stuff. And because I'm less fond of the jams I tend to prefer their compilation live releases, like Steal Your Face. A perfect example of my love/hate of them live is the 5 disc Grateful Dead Movie soundtrack. 5 discs is way too long, but I cut it down to a solid 2 disc set that I edited together into basically one concert and its a joy to listen to. I frequently revisit it.

So yeah, great band. In no way am I in love with them as a diehard Deadhead, but fully understand and appreciate their impact. Again, if you seek out the studio stuff I never quite understood why people were so turned off by them. I think they weren't giving them a chance. I think even as a nonfan you can't deny their impact and that they made a career in a totally unique way that was all their own. Even if I didn't like their music I'd respect that aspect. But yeah, most of the music is killer and when they were on live it was great. On a scale of 10 I rate myself as a solid 7 fan, mainly because the jamming and culture was such a big part that I never cared for. Think the music and players are great though. Not enough is really made of Weir and the rest of the band, and Jerry is properly praised. One of the few guitarists that when on could make every lick and solo sound inspired and memorable. Dylan is right that he really stands on his own, again I think a fact you can't deny even if you don't love the guy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-03-01 17:52 by RollingFreak.

They definitely have a cool underlying reggae-bass vibe to many of their songs, which I love. But not always .. I recall my Deadhead cousin, who hates the Stones, telling how superior the GD version of Route 66 is, which he played for me back then ... WRONG!

I started appreciating the Dead as I got older but much like Reggae, which I like also, I can only take them in small doses while I have no problem bingeing on bands like the Stones or the Allman Brothers.

This we don't think much of them at all.

Quote
reg thorpe

Quote
Hairball
I like some of their studio work (from all eras), but please don't tell me I have to see them live in order to 'get it'.
Saw them with my older brother in '77 or '78, and nearly fell asleep.

Read a Dylan quote where he said Jerry Garcia was either his favorite guitarist or the worlds greatest guitarist (or maybe both)- can't remember which one it was, but it says alot when you're #1 fan is Bob Dylan.

according to legend in 1989, Bob asked the Grateful Dead if he could join them and that the request was refused after a vote by band members

That is indeed legendary...probably a myth...might have happened though as Dylans career at the time was kind of at a 'low' point.

I still can't find info. on the Dylan quote...maybe he said 'best pedal steel guitarist'?
Or maybe 'best pedal steel guitarist west of the Mississippi'?
Or maybe 'best guitarist whose missing a finger'?


*Pedal steel trivia...Teach Your Children - Jerry Garcia.
Also on I Used to be a King - Graham Nash

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-03-01 19:28 by Hairball.

Ok, I will admit it.
Im an old Deadhead. First show was Englishtown, NJ 1977 and saw them with Jerry close to 300 times all over the USA. LOVE,LOVE,LOVE Them!!

If the Stones had toured as much here in the USA, I would have been on those tours as well.

Jerry's quote comparing the band to people who like licorice is right on.
Some folks love 'em, some hate 'em.

But there was nothing like being at a live Grateful Dead concert.

Does Sam Cutler ever post here? Didn't he jump ship from managing the Rolling Stones to managing the Grateful Dead after Mick left him behind in San Francisco to deal with the aftermath of the Altamont debacle?

I'm not a fan but respect them as a band and musicians and do like some of their music/songs.

One thing I would recommend to everyone here (I think I may have posted this before):

READ PHIL LESH's AUTOBIOGRAPHY!!!!

Even if all you do is read his take on Altamont, unless you're an expert on the subject, you'll probably come away with some insight that you didn't have before. I know I did.

The whole book was a good read though as well. Although I'm not the biggest fan of Phil's bass playing, I read the book on the recommendation of my keyboard player (and he loaned it to me). He's a HUGE Dead fan. He thought, accurately, that the book would also be a good "Dead Bio" for me to read and, I must say, he was correct. I can away from reading it feeling that I knew more about the Dead than I had after reading either of the two other Dead bios that I had read previously. I'll give a thumbs up to Rock Scully's book but I'll give Phil's book two thumbs WAY UP. Well worth adding to your reading list if you want to try something new.

Peace,
Mr DJA

Quote
Hairball

Quote
reg thorpe

Quote
Hairball
I like some of their studio work (from all eras), but please don't tell me I have to see them live in order to 'get it'.
Saw them with my older brother in '77 or '78, and nearly fell asleep.

Read a Dylan quote where he said Jerry Garcia was either his favorite guitarist or the worlds greatest guitarist (or maybe both)- can't remember which one it was, but it says alot when you're #1 fan is Bob Dylan.

according to legend in 1989, Bob asked the Grateful Dead if he could join them and that the request was refused after a vote by band members

That is indeed legendary...probably a myth...might have happened though as Dylans career at the time was kind of at a 'low' point.

I still can't find info. on the Dylan quote...maybe he said 'best pedal steel guitarist'?
Or maybe 'best pedal steel guitarist west of the Mississippi'?
Or maybe 'best guitarist whose missing a finger'?


*Pedal steel trivia...Teach Your Children - Jerry Garcia.
Also on I Used to be a King - Graham Nash

Dylan was asked something like - "Who do you feel best recreates your music" and he answered either Garcia or the Dead.

Quote
2000 LYFH

Quote
Hairball

Quote
reg thorpe

Quote
Hairball
I like some of their studio work (from all eras), but please don't tell me I have to see them live in order to 'get it'.
Saw them with my older brother in '77 or '78, and nearly fell asleep.

Read a Dylan quote where he said Jerry Garcia was either his favorite guitarist or the worlds greatest guitarist (or maybe both)- can't remember which one it was, but it says alot when you're #1 fan is Bob Dylan.

according to legend in 1989, Bob asked the Grateful Dead if he could join them and that the request was refused after a vote by band members

That is indeed legendary...probably a myth...might have happened though as Dylans career at the time was kind of at a 'low' point.

I still can't find info. on the Dylan quote...maybe he said 'best pedal steel guitarist'?
Or maybe 'best pedal steel guitarist west of the Mississippi'?
Or maybe 'best guitarist whose missing a finger'?


*Pedal steel trivia...Teach Your Children - Jerry Garcia.
Also on I Used to be a King - Graham Nash

Dylan was asked something like - "Who do you feel best recreates your music" and he answered either Garcia or the Dead.

Found this -not the quote I was thinking of, but here's Dylan's eulogy for Jerry Garcia from 1995.
Jerry Garcia

There's no way to measure his greatness or magnitude as a person or as a player. I don't think eulogizing will do him justice.
He was that great – much more than a superb musician with an uncanny ear and dexterity.
He is the very spirit personified of whatever is muddy river country at its core and screams up into the spheres. He really had no equal.

To me he wasn't only a musician and friend, he was more like a big brother who taught and showed me more than he'll ever know.
There are a lot of spaces and advances between the Carter family, Buddy Holly and, say, Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes,
but he filled them all without being a member of any school. His playing was moody, awesome, sophisticated, hypnotic and subtle.
There's no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

They had one song, but Los Lobos did it better. I was going to rip GD for their tedious jams, but then remembered that our boys are not exactly blameless these days.

Love the Grateful Dead. On of my favorite American bands.

They brought country, folk, rock, hillbilly, rockabilly, blues, psychedelic, etc forms of music to an audience that wanted to shake their bones. Saw them approximately 25 times (I think) from 1988 through 1994. I was late to the game.

The band's different incarnations since Jerry G died have been unfulfilled experiences for me. Its like a cover band without Jerry . . .

If I had to choose my top five musical acts, they would certainly be in the top 5. With my Grateful Dead background, its probably why I gravitated towards Pearl Jam in the mid-1990s (if you know PJ, you probably understand).

Quote
Brown Moses
Love the Dead,I'm a current Dave's Picks subscriber.

That's the thing, GDM/Rhino keep crackin' out really good shows. Bear Owsley and Betty Canter's recording techniques were unparalleled. They definitely touched the "geek" sensibilities in a lot of audiophiles.

Another great period was Fall '90 thru Fall '91. Bruce Hornsby filled in on keyboard and kicked Jerry in the ass and the results were some fun inspired shows. Then Bill Graham's death took the life out of that balloon.

Because of the Stones relation and maybe the name "Grateful Dead" I bought Workingman's Dead and Wake of the Flood back in the early 70's great records.......but never bought any other records.............saw a lot live jamming on YouTube but for me they sound a bit the same.......

What is considered as the best GD record ?

__________________________

For me studiowise it would be American Beauty followed by Blues for Allah. The Rhino reissues with bonus material. Blues for Allah is mellower/bouncier.