Grateful Dead...where do I start?

right..well i recently came back from a short holiday on the coast...and up until then I had only heard a song called Here comes sunshine by the grateful dead...and it really does rock.

Anyways, I bought the American beauty album, and I was a little dissapointed, because it didnt really sound that good, apart from a song which i think is called "box of rain".

Is "here comes sunshine" from an album that dont sound as country-fied??? because I really love that song, but the american beauty album i didnt really go on much...

any info would be gratefully rolleyes:tee hee) accepted....

 

Grateful Dead was a LIVE band. It was all in the moment. They were never
able to really convey that on studio albums. It was all being there with the
Dead, feeding on their vibes. Listening to Jerry talk to your soul through his
guitar. Get some bootleg live recordings and you'll get a little piece of it.
But really, it is just one of those 'you had to be there' things.

 

american beauty and workinman's dead are in the same kind of format. I like anthem of the sun, and aoxomoxoa, live/dead too. They have the longer jams that the dead are known for.

 

check out any of the dicks picks series.(theyre all good).
if you wanna check out some studio albums i recomend mars motel, anthem of the sun, or blues for allah.

~shine on in love and light~
Sundance

 

my recommendations are pretty much the same as gypsy1's

Aoxomoxoa is my favourite

 

Buy "Closing of Winterland" DVD or album...it is a 4 CD set of the Dead's New Year's performance 1978-1979, the last concert in Winterland. Has lots of good performances from a good mix of old/new Dead. American Beauty was my first Dead too but I enjoyed it right away and will still say it is the best Dead album (Workingman's is probably second). I would say to check out Anthem of the Sun if you're a fan of psychedelic rock or In The Dark if would prefer a classic rock feel.

Just Give 'em another try!

 

personally i think american beauty is a beautiful album.....if you want studio stuff, get aoxomoxoa....i like closing of winterland too.....or you could just send me a bunch of blank discs and i'll hook you up with the real good stuff

 

live/dead should be a newbie's first bought album. it was mine at least. no regrets

 

thansk guys...from what ive seen of em (i watched a documentary about em a while back) they are, like you say, a live band, had to be there etc...


they really do seem a good band...thanks to the suggestions, ime gonna get the live album that someone mentioned earlier...

thanks guys

 

http://www.archive.org/audio/etreelisting-browse.php?collection=etree&cat=Grateful%20Dead


d/l some dead shows.

 

how does American Beauty not sound good...if you don't find it pretty then i doubt you'll find other dead stuff pretty. but you never know..

 

Well, of course like most others have said, American Beauty, Workingman's Dead, Aoxoxoxomoxoa, Live/Dead, Anthem Of The Sun, etc.

You should also look at Skull & Roses & Europe '72. They're amazing live albums, with some great performances.

You should also look up the box set, The Golden Road (1965-1973). It gives you the best of in the studio, and live stuff as well, from that time.

 

www.gdlive.com

 

try www.gdlive.com

this site has shows from 1965 to 1995, and they all have pretty good audio quality.

 

sorry, didnt see the other link. so stone me...

 

So you like Here Comes Sunshine? That's one of my favourite Dead songs too
1973 is what you should check out first. I don't think it was in the repertoire any other year, but that's ok because 1973 was a GREAT year.

For you're first show I'd reccomenend 1973-10-25, Madison, WI. It doesn't have everything that you should hear from that era, because you couldn't even fit them all in the longest show there is. But at least it does have quite a few '73 highlights: Here Comes Sunshine, The Love Each Other, Row Jimmy, Eyes of the world, Stella Blue, Weather report suite - Let it grow, and then some of the timeless staples. That's a fine show for 1973, though there's quite possibly better out there... after all there's a hell of a lot to choose from.

Get this show and thousands of others perfectly free and legal from www.archive.org

Once you've been converted check out 72/8/27 Veneta, Oregon my favourite Dead show of all time.

----
By the way, country (or whatever you call the exact genre) is an integral part of the Dead sound in late 69-72. after that it becomes less prominent. I'm sure you'll appreciate it if you do start loving the dead, whatever you think of it now.

 

Jerry Garcia once said "Our audience is like people who like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice."think this is true.....no....i know this is true....

 

http://www.furthurnet.com/

 

i agree, 73 was a good year... but it is missing one very important element... PIGPEN! if you want anything with pigpen in it... ya gotta go before '72 (cause he stopped playing in 72 due to illness, and died shortly thereafter).


some pigpen vehicles you might wanna check out are:
turn on your lovelight
good lovin
good mornin little school girl
big boss man
next time you see me
operator
caution (do not stop on tracks)
and...
alice d. millionaire

 

I like some things about Pigen songs but i can't really stand listening him when he's going over the top in Good Lovin' or Lovelight with (really unimaginative) lyrics he just made up on the spot. It's only sometimes that happens, usually (as on Live/Dead) it's all great

My favourite Pigpen though song is Two Souls in Communion, really beautiful instead of his usually funky/souly.

I wonder what the next set of Pigpen songs would have been like had he lived on? I don't think he could continue in the same vein of