# Grateful Dead



## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

Astoundingly, a search didn't turn up a general thread for Heads on this forum. So what do you think about this band, that has become more of an institution and maybe a punch line than a band? 

I really enjoy their music and wonder if anyone else here does? I'm probably the last person people who know me in person would suspect is a Deadhead (I'm culturally and politically extremely conservative, after all I'm a regular on a classical music forum) and I don't do drugs. But I've found this isn't as rare as it would seem.

To start, let's talk about keyboardists. Who do you like? Give me Brent.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Do you have to be a conservative to enjoy classical music? You certainly don't have to participate in the rock n roll lifestyle to listen to the music. I have quite a few Dead albums although I'm not a diehard fan. I listen to them occasionally. Mostly the live stuff even though I have all of the studio albums up through Terrapin Station. I like Brent's organ work. I wasn't crazy about some of the more pop-ish keyboard sounds but he always played great accompaniment for the songs and could solo as well. He was a talented guy and it's too bad he was blitzed out of his mind on drugs a good deal of the time. But mostly I listen to the 70s material. I have the 5 disc movie soundtrack, and several other live releases.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

I don’t really consider myself a Deadhead simply because I came to them much later in life when I was in my late fifties about eighteen years ago. Having said that I have all of their official studio albums, live albums and all of the Dick’s Picks and Dave’s Picks releases. The curse of the completist.  I love it when they find that groove and you can just sit there and sway along to that groove. Their playing has a cunningly disguised looseness which belies their ability to connect with each other. Great band and great music.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

In the course of my life I have met a few die-hard Deadheads and one or two of them have come across as dedicated to the point of being outright partisan - if not actually being in denial - in their determination to find virtue even in the bad albums. I also remember stumbling across an online dissertation on the infamously moribund live album _Steal Your Face_ in which the author pompously claimed to hear depths to the music which was obviously lost on virtually everybody else (even the band themselves, presumably...). To me that was a bit like an Elvis die-hard defending the crap soundtracks and MOR covers as vigorously as the great early rock 'n' roll material. However, I admire their dedication to the cause and have always been impressed with their depth of knowledge.

That said, I do like the Grateful Dead - I had in my collection - or at least heard - virtually all the official albums up until _Built to Last_ but since re-collecting on CD the only album I could be bothered with after _Europe '72_ was the _Reckoning_ double-live acoustic set from 1980.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

The Grateful Dead were always known to me but I never listened to their albums except for _Workingman's Dead_ which I happened to hear and like. But I never understood the fanaticism that accompanied the band throughout its history. I was more interested in Old and In The Way (Jerry Garcia) and Phil Lesh's association with the avant-garde, and his *creative bass-playing*.

Because they didn't seem to have a strong vocalist, and the songs did not seem to be the focus, I never could pin down what they were about. I came to believe that their style was based on extended jams and the live experience of the band.


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## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

starthrower said:


> Do you have to be a conservative to enjoy classical music?


You don't have to be anything to enjoy but if you do enjoy classical music you very well might be a cultural conservative. It's okay we're in a safe space! Meetings every Tuesday, good coffee, so-so cookies provided.


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## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

I also prefer 70s, specifically early 70s. In fact that was all I really listened to when I got into them some years ago. On revisiting them lately I've been listening to the Spring 1990 shows and liking them quite a bit; that is why I said I prefer Brent on keys even though the Keith era is my favorite. When I first got into the band I basically never listened to anything but late 60s and 70s Dead, to my detriment I'm finding.

I do think the Grateful Dead benefited from having 3 primary vocalists (so Donna Jean doesn't count) and that's why I think Brent was tops. Pigpen was good too but he wasn't a keyboard player, and the band had so much growing to do by the time he was dying. Live Dead is a great album but that's about all of the pre-1972 Dead I generally find myself listening to.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

bz3 said:


> You don't have to be anything to enjoy but if you do enjoy classical music you very well might be a cultural conservative. It's okay we're in a safe space! Meetings every Tuesday, good coffee, so-so cookies provided.


The conservative stuff is fine to listen to on records but when I go out to hear live music I prefer something modern or contemporary. If others prefer to sit and listen to polite music that's fine but I'll stay home.


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## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

Listened to the show from 5/7/77 (the day before the very famous Cornell show) and it's great. I've known 5/8 and 5/9 quite well but I never listened to the two previous shows released in the Get Shown the Light boxset. All of them are very good and in good audio quality but I think, except for some flubs, 5/7 is every bit as good as the infamous 5/8.


Barbebleu said:


> I don't really consider myself a Deadhead simply because I came to them much later in life when I was in my late fifties about eighteen years ago. Having said that I have all of their official studio albums, live albums and all of the Dick's Picks and Dave's Picks releases. The curse of the completist.  I love it when they find that groove and you can just sit there and sway along to that groove. Their playing has a cunningly disguised looseness which belies their ability to connect with each other. Great band and great music.


Got any favorite Dick's or Dave's picks? I only have Dick's 4 and Dick's 16 but I have probably heard some of the others on archive.org.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

That famous Cornell '77 show is okay. No where near as great as the hype.


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## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

starthrower said:


> That famous Cornell '77 show is okay. No where near as great as the hype.


I think it mostly deserves its reputation because of the consistency, Other than Scar>Fire it doesn't have any jams that are among my favorite - St. Stephen is a favorite but I prefer earlier versions. If I were to pick a favorite it would probably be one of the Europe '72 shows (4/24/72 currently), one of the November 1973 shows at Winterland, or Veneta. Glad I don't have to pick though because there are a lot more than I could enjoy as much or more on a different day.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Consistently not that exciting for me. The '72 tour is much more adventurous.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Great lyrics and music a lot of the time. I prefer studio material, but haven't heard enough to really have an opinion on favorite albums other than American Beauty.

I love Bob Weir's album Blue Mountain.


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