should i give the grateful dead a chance?

If you're still hell bent on checking out the Dead, I'd start with any of the Dick's Picks live releases from 1972 or earlier. Even then, listening to them are like trying to dig for gold in a mine that's been completely played out. There's a lot of shovelling involved for very little payoff.

How is the Grateful Dead any different?

There must just be a neurotransmitter that makes people like SHIT, that is the explanation.

i so hope this is the guy i had a crush on at school

and how did you carry out yr study? was the sample large enough?

but seriously: yes I agree that by taking drugs you alter experiences to music. But i have never taken drugs and yet i enjoy the dead's music.

Anyway, which drug would make you like the dead? or is it a combination? Can you try it kate and give me some 'feedback'.

i'd also throw in Zappa and the Mothers, but they weren't really hippies

The jams. Yes, you often have to wade through a fair bit of aimless noodling (which still sounds OK, even if the attention does wander a bit). But that's the price you pay for when they're really ON, when the band really kick off, find a great groove or head off in some unexpected direction. It's because they take the risks that they're capable of producing such great stuff when it comes off.

The synthesis they reach of all strands of Amercian music. In a similar way to The Band, but if anything broader, they bring together blues, bluegrass, rock 'n' roll, r&b, country, jazz, folk and avant garde experimentation. They're the closest anyone's come to achieving Gram Parsons' concept of 'cosmic American music'.

The songs. As with the music, they've made a conscious attempt to create/embellish mythic American tales. Whether it's from their own history ('Truckin', 'The Other one'), classic myths ('Casey Jones', 'Staggerlee'), new tales ('Friend of the Devil') or well-chosen covers ('Mama tried').

And yes, they do sound good on drugs as well.

If anyone's not been put off by the 90% slagging they get above, then apart from the recent box set you'd get a good range of what they're about by getting 'Workingman's Dead', 'Live Dead', 'Hundred Year Hall' and the 'Grayfolded' collaboration with John Oswald as mentioned by Chris above.

(i'm usually not this irrational and flat-out dismissive, but if you can't already tell i see no redeeming qualities to the Grateful Dead's music whatsoever)

now you must die, then! ;-)

(me, I've been on a slow conversion for several years from antipathy to grudging appreciation to modest admiration. which I admit started with a crush on a hippy chick.)

thx I was very confused for a sec

wondering if it was some lost 7" like the studio Dark Star

Pretty weird in hindsight to include Mexicali in a greatest hits comp

Yeah, it's the one song I reliably skip when listening to the Dead with other people.

Hunter mentioned somewhere that he was in a National Guard unit that entered Watts during the designated Riot or Riots. Wonder if he had a chance to really look at the Watts Towers and if he ever wrote about them.

I don't know if this has been shared here before, but this Mini Wall of Sound project is pretty cool:

https://www.instagram.com/mini_wall_of_sound/

was listening to the Ace episode of the Good Ol' Grateful Deadcast and someone referred to Bob Weir as the "Noam Chomsky of the band", which coming from the guy who sang "Mexicali Blues", is probably not the comparison he'd have wanted at the moment.

So I assume some of you here will appreciate this:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-bVoEIhmk6mOULmXjnrjv1RHmIzwzFuC?usp=drive_link

As described by Mr. Completely/brokensymmetry.art on Bluesky:

Grateful Dead (and friends)
Ace's Studio, Feb-Sept 1975
The Complete Circulating Collection

FLAC or MP3 download
398 audio files, ~26 hours of material & notes PDF

By me, @bourgwick.bsky.social, @jeremyerwin.bsky.social & John H of saveyourface.posthaven.com

And bourgwick aka Jesse Jarnow has added:

we sorted through the utter mess of circulating "blues for allah" tapes, triangulated correct-as-possible dates, re-tracked files with proper titles (including a bunch of songs unique to the sessions & a few unidentified pieces), weeded out many duplicates, & found lots of underloved deliciousness.

i've been digging into the 10-hour highlight reel lol. obviously for sickos, but some revelatory moments, heady jams, insights into the creative process, etc.

this is such a cool thing, not sure I need the whole 26 hours but I'm glad this exists. planning to dig into the highlight reel for sure.

yeah jarnow has put together playlists that let you hear the songs/jams develop in a pretty listener-friendly fashion, very cool

As I think we've mentioned upthread, xgau was good on the early East Coast shows (and passed some inside dope, like Garcia wanted to put Pig and Weir in a "sideband" for keeps. "It never did happen," because they couldn't afford it, didn't have the business model together for a while).
So now he's reposted his vintage Newsday dispatch re the 7/18/72 Joisey City show, replete w link to YouTube post of thee concert (though note what he says about the second set).
https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/the-big-lookback-the-grateful-dead-865

https://www.powmag.net/p/a-little-deeper-than-usual-joan-didion

cool interview with the early band

yeah they practiced at the Helioport in Sausalito, where the seaplanes are currently parked... the building looks the same

https://gimg.wolfgangs.com/m/large/GAP0009-10-FP/grateful-dead-fine-art-print-1967.jpg

that's a cool photo, thanks for the link!

They say never miss a Sunday show and that was certainly true back on 12/14/80. What a show! Matt Kelly swings by to help even the "Little Red Rooster" hit right.

The first set has killer versions of "Bertha", "Althea", "Loser", "Bird Song" and "Passenger". But man, it's all about the second set that starts with an absolutely raging "Estimated Prophet". If you only have time for part of the show, absolutely dig into this meaty "Estimated > Wheel > Drums > Space > The Other One > Stella Blue" section. Flora Purim and Airto Moreira guest on the "Drums > Space" and really bring something special. Just one of those nights when everything clicked.

nice, bookmarked for later