should i give the grateful dead a chance?

xpost Then, like me, this might probably be your favorite GD release.

https://plunderphonic.bandcamp.com/album/grayfolded

The vox just murder this band for me, and I can actually take some Jerry without running screaming for the hills (I will rep for Shady Grove with David Grisman as one of the alltime great albums of renditions of folksongs).

I just tried to imagine what singer would make the Dead appealing to me, and after some soul-searching it turns out it’s Perry Farrell (circa Ritual), triple-tracked vocals and treatments and all. I think I could listen to that all day. (Not sure how it would fare on chuggers like “Casey Jones” or whatevs, but I’d listen to a lot of “Dark Star” in that mode.)

But then who am I kidding? I could listen to a lot of “Dark Star” in any mode. I put together a playlist of every version I could find on Spotify in chronological order — about 20 hours’ worth. AND I’VE LISTENED TO IT

Also have only seen bits of the Sunshine Daydream concert show, although album is good. Excerpts incl. ugly dancing and sweat, glaring radiation ov Sun.

Naked pole guy! Honestly, the "Dark Star" from that show is essential Dead viewing imo. It's a killer version, probably my favorite ever, by itself, but paired with the encroaching dusk as they played makes it a little harder (provided of course you get past the crap animations they dropped in between the footage).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG2lkIRoCqc

the "Dark Star" from that show is essential Dead viewing imo.

That "Dark Star" was what made me do a complete (and completely unexpected) 180 on the Dead. Despised them for decades, then suddenly, "...hm...this is...good...?"

And therein lies my contradictory Dead opinion: I have yet to be transported by a "Dark Star." I like the earliest ones best, when they're 5 or 6 minutes. After that became one of their lengthy exploratory vehicles I just lose patience. One person's lovely twinkly bits are another's self-indulgent nonsense, I guess.

Even though I've already been a big fan of "Dark Star", I've been enjoying this blog, Every Dark Star, that does what the title says and has some folks going through every "Dark Star" in chronological order, noting the developments of the various themes and modular jams over the years. Paired with specific timing notations, I've found it to be a really great supplement while I'm listening.

Well that's why I linked Grayfolded above there. It kinda IS the ultimate "Dark Star."

I could take or leave "Dark Star," it's definitely never been a cornerstone of my Dead appreciation (just to provide a contrasting experience).

Well that's why I linked _Grayfolded_ above there. It kinda IS the ultimate "Dark Star."

one of my quarantine projects has been to listen to all my Dead shows in order. I'm up to November '77 and all three shows I've heard absolutely rip. that Colgate show in particular is as good if not better than the best May shows.

One of my favorite little corners of the live catalog is in the mid-80s when Jerry’s voice is really fading and he does slow, often death-related, ballads. 83-85 Baby Blues and Stella Blues tend to be good examples of this. His croaky voice makes it sound like It Really Is All Over Now, Baby Blue.

The She Belongs to Me from the Greek Theater in June ‘85 is prob my favorite example. The series of killer guitar solos don’t hurt.

I've never minded their voices, but now it occurs to me that one could make copies of mostly instrumental performances, edit out the vocal bits---also, I like David Murray's Dark Star---The Music of the Grateful Dead, with his Octet, except the final track feat. just him and Weir (playing acoustic guitar). The 'Tube usually has at least one show clip of Murray onstage with the Dead---when they were trying to make up for Garcia's fade by bringing on the guests (wish I could find Ornette's appearance). Think there might be more w Murray in the Dead section of archive.org.

The late jerry ballads are too real
Like Elvis doing American trilogy live in 76-77

thanks for that link, Ned.

Grayfolded rules, happy to see more love here (Oswald is also a genius, deep digging is rewarding)

Yeah you can pick up all five of his releases on Bandcamp there for $25 I think — well worth it.

Wow, listening to the Doors album, it’s great! Eccojams

https://plunderphonic.bandcamp.com/album/elektrax

yeah Elektrax is amazing, "vane" is my fave there

And therein lies my contradictory Dead opinion: I have yet to be transported by a "Dark Star." I like the earliest ones best, when they're 5 or 6 minutes. After that became one of their lengthy exploratory vehicles I just lose patience. One person's lovely twinkly bits are another's self-indulgent nonsense, I guess.

― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Monday, May 9, 2022 12:27 PM (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think I said similar a few times upthread. BOOOOOring.

also, many xps: I've always disliked most of the Dead graphics (other than the skull as others said), and I think it was an impediment to me getting into them. They really have some of the most uniquely terrible yet iconic art.

I kinda want a poster of the dead set cover art

https://www.dead.net/sites/g/files/g2000007851/files/dead_site_files/images/19810826_1551.jpg

I mean in aggregate their album art isn't the worst ever, but the dancing bear, the ice cream guy as noted above, etc.

HIGH-STEPPING BEAR!!

Here come the highsteppa (owsleybear)

Hold up, bear!

EXCLUSIVE: A podcast about the disappearance and murder of a number of Grateful Dead fans is the latest audio series to be adapted for television.

Joe Berlinger, the filmmaker behind iconic rock doc Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and a slew of true-crime docuseries, has teamed up with Wheelhouse Entertainment to develop Dead and Gone as a scripted series.

The podcast, a true crime music mystery set in the world of Jerry Garcia’s psychedelic rock band, comes from To Live and Die in LA producer Tenderfoot TV and Disgraceland producer Double Elvis.

...“Joe Berlinger’s contribution to the true crime space is simply unmatched, and there is no one we’d rather partner with to adapt this complex investigation to the small screen. Many people don’t realize this larger story behind the Grateful Dead, and even though they’re so associated with ideas of freewill and positivity, it’s important we draw attention to these terrible occurrences existing within the fanbase,” added co-hosts Payne Lindsey and Jake Brennan.

it’s important we draw attention to these terrible occurrences existing within the fanbase

xps re: late Jerry ballads, most of my Dead listening is pre-1980 but he absolutely sings the shit out of this “Ship of Fools” from 8/11/87:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIS3HtR_s1M

Also “Dark Star” is forever and always my favorite Dead thing, and I realize there’s nothing I can say to change anyone’s mind about it, but I would urge anyone who hasn’t heard the version from 8/1/73 to check it out. Peak blissed-out space fusion Dead with a long ambient post-verse jam with Jerry on searing slide guitar. And imo an even better -> “El Paso” than Veneta.

Also never skip an “El Paso”

Agreed about 8/1/73. There’s a version on the archive where the sound quality on Dark Star etc is prob the best I’ve heard for any 1973 recording. Stonerific.

I'm disgusted with myself for saying "I don't mind" their vocals: most of my fave studio performances involve very effective solo/group singing/vocalizing, and I'm always ready for another live "El Paso" and "Estimated Prophet" (tend to dread "Stella Blue," because Garcia tends to be too good at squeezing out every drop of pathos).
Hadn't thought of Pigpen as songwriter, but yeah: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-only-self-penned-pigpen-track-on-a-grateful-dead-album/ (Despite title, several songs are mentioned here).

I always have time for the studio “help on the way,” especially the opening

one of the more unexpected musical detours of my life has been the sheer amount of time i've spent listening to the dead over the past few years. i spent a long time late last year actually putting together a rough sketch of a "grayfolded"-style dark star focusing only on the tom constanten era of the song. i don't think anybody else has actually heard the result, but i did write up my results here:

https://www.alanauch.org/wtob/2021/11/19/dark-star-69/

i'm pretty happy with the result, and i have listened to it a fair amount in the six months since, so i think it was worth doing!

One of my main interests in bootleg recordings is what I pretentiously call “terroir”, the unique way in which any particular recording reflects its particular sense of place and the circumstances under which it was made. Is it an outdoor gig? Indoor? Audience tapes, by their nature, have a tremendous sense of terroir to them, but even soundboard tapes can differ widely based on the venue and the mix.

this is a super interesting take that concretizes some of my sentimentality for bootlegs, thanks for the link! great stuff.

also not pretentious, imho <3

this is A+ funny as well:

TC’s old organ was one of the shittiest excuses for an organ used by a major rock group, making Mike Ratledge’s Lowrey sound positively sophisticated in comparison.

hands off mike ratledge's lowrey! all organs shd sound like that

I learned to listen to their music without looking for an aim or purpose, learned to see their songs as a series of moments rather than a trajectory.

this is the key, took me a little bit to understand this but it frees you from expectation

I think it would be really funny if alternate Grayfolded tracks were compiled of other Dead songs, but only using the worst moments from the performance. Imagine a 2LP of just Weir’s vocal vamping on “Estimated Prophet.”

“Money Money” slowed down 800%

I think it would be really funny if alternate Grayfolded tracks were compiled of other Dead songs, but only using the worst moments from the performance. Imagine a 2LP of just Weir’s vocal vamping on “Estimated Prophet.”

I sometimes think about compiling all of Donna’s “Playing In The Band” entrances and re-entrances into a single massive chorus of Donnas. But the main reason I haven’t is because she gets unfairly shit on for that part by Deadheads, and I wouldn’t want it to seem like a piss-take. I also genuinely like that part of the song.

Aquarium Drunkard:

Back by popular demand: for the first time since 2018, we’ve just re-upped the entirety of the music featured in our Dead Notes column, as penned by D Norsen from 2013-18. Get ’em while they’re hot. The two PDF zines included.

Dead Notes :: The Re-Up, Vol. 1-15https://t.co/X1iDZdNMQG pic.twitter.com/0NPJZXRSPc

— aquarium drunkard (@aquadrunkard) May 21, 2022

put on sunshine daydream bc it seemed to suit this hot hot day

the grateful dead rules

omg are you gonna journey through the years with the Dead like you did with Phish?

The "Sing Me Back Home" from Sunshine Daydream destroys me every time

8/27/72 might be my favorite Dead show of all time, due in part to my experience wandering the Desert Botanical Garden in AZ in 95 degrees while listening to it on headphones.

huh that might be fun xp

I've mentioned it before, but the "Dark Star" on the DVD of that show is outstanding, watching the sun slowly go down as the band plays (well, that is once you get past the cringeworthy animation).

My recent discovery has been 11/14/1973 with the second set starting with Truckin'>The Other One>Big River>The Other One>Eyes of the World>The Other One>Wharf Rat. I mean that is a helluva jam.