I met Jerry at my first live show. I was one of first through the door and he was sitting on the edge of the stage. I asked him if I could sit behind the amps and he said yes. I get to a space between the amps and I find Bear dropping liquid acid on the back of peoples hands and then they licked it off. I stuck my hand out and he put four big drops on it and I licked it off. I herd Grace Slick say that they would put a pill in a empty film can shake it around and just put a small amount of the dust an lick it off and I know that they did that though out there playing. I got Bears dealer number and sold it at shows. I like everything from the beginning up to Brint Midland death. So I met my wife at a show. If you were in a show with thousands of people on acid it was incredible. Anything is not for everybody. You are to young the Dead was and still the greatest band in the world. The original people I got to meet were always very kind. They also made live sound great for all. Roll Away The Dew.⚡️🎸⚡️
@@toddmills2651 2-3 shows per day for the most part. A lot of the earlier shows are partial recordings. I highly recommend it. You could listen to all yours in 9 months, 10-11 hours per day!!
I almost always point people to the '72 "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" from the "Europe '72" album. To me it perfectly encapsulates the psychedelic side of the band in the first part, and their respect for old traditional music in the latter. And Lesh's bass run when "China Cat" kicks up into E will never NOT blow my mind.
Jerry played live with the Dead and his own band about 280 days out of any given year [for 30 years] and the man never played the same solo twice. That in and of itself, is amazing.
I was lucky enough to see The Dead a dozen or so times between '87 and '94. It might've been two dozen. I really can't remember, but I will can tell you this with certainty: when they were on, they were ON. I also think Bob Weir had a lot to do with it; guitar weaving.
Looking at the Grateful Dead in different eras can easily be defined by their keyboard players. Each one represents a unique feel in the band’s history. My favorite is Brent. Thank you Jerry for being my favorite artist.
Agree about keyboardists defining different eras, although my favorite era happens to be the Keith era. The 70s Dead sound sounded so much clearer/less sloppy than the '80s Dead; Keith playing acoustic piano had a lot to do with that, not to mention that Garcia was in much better shape in the 70s.
@@tompoyntonspot on. Keith era is my favorite for this reason. Love Brent, but Keith was more subtle and smooth and gave the band a swanky elegance with his piano playing
I always have this discussion with people at DSO shows: I can tell by the first song if it's a Pig Pen / Godchaux / Mydland era show. When I listen to live dead, I'm exclusively a Godchaux era guy. Godchaux era, specifically '76-'77 was their peak as a live band, in my opinion.
If we’re to ask Jerry, I think he’d want you to focus on his later acoustic stuff. Give the “Shady Grove” album with David Grisman a spin… his vocals and planning are as legit as anything ever was.
I have to admit Jerry was a honest man. I remember him saying that acid and guitar playing don't really mix. I also remember reading that he believed the Greatful Dead's performance at the Monterey Pop Festival totally had sucked. He also mentioned he had a problem with not playing more horizontally and that he usually reverted to playing vertically which is more limiting. That last observation of his made me think about my own playing to which I have to thank him for the insight. RIP
Those quotes are more self-deprecating and self-critical than "honest". You don't get better without being self-critical, and Jerry had no need to brag to anyone about how great he was.
How many Miles Davis covers you hear people playing? How many Miles Davis cover bands you see? How many stadium tours did Miles Davis play? Saying Jerry Garcia was no Miles Davis is just silly talk. No one is Jerry Garcia is the way that should be said. The Grateful Dead is Sui Generis. There is nothing like it in all culture. Hugley influential beyond the credit it could ever be given . Whether you dig it or not. The Grateful Dead is the one band no one needs to turn anyone on to yet its always a topic. Think about that. Its everywhere already. From The Gear, Alembic and Myer sound, Owsley Freakin Stanley, The Music, The two set show with drums/space, The Lifestyle, The Fashion, The LSD, The Merry Pranksters to the fact that it defines American counterculture and history. You can try and say just a band, but you are incorrect. If your there at a Dead show back in the day you wouldn't want anyone else but Jerry playing lead guitar. Reckoning, the Dead's live Acoustic album and concerts broadcast on PBS, at Radio City Music Hall defined the Acoustic shows that became the "Unplugged" fad, years before. And is now required material for any self-respecting Bluegrass musician. And makes a great introduction to the Dead. And if they don't Dig that, maybe try The Eyes with Branford Marsalis from Live without a net. Play Hell in a Bucket for your friends of the Devil. The Terrapin Station suite is a Prog classic. Is not Shakedown Street a disco classic? Put US Blues on and you hear America.
@@farrelltimlake9732 Totally! That was when Miles had just introduced Bitches Brew and his band was, well, I'm not sure I know the right word. However I hear Miles recognized the Dead were no slouches.
The best chemistry and overall playing of Jerry and the band for me is the comeback after the coma in 1986 until Brent died in 1991. And the Jerry Garcia band stuff from the same period is amazing too until Jerry’s health started to take a dive again towards the end. Any of the Jerry Garcia Band stuff from 1987 until like 1993 is amazing. The Jerry Garcia Band after 1980 is awesome. Obviously there’s gems here and there throughout every period but there are times when there’s a lot of consistency. I think in the early 80s when Jerry was having a lot of problems with cocaine and heroin sometimes it didn’t always work out but then you hear some shows in your jaw hits the floor. And that happens in every era. It’s the whole flying by the seat of your pants thing they did which kept it interesting but also there are times when it’s not gonna be executed so perfectly because of all the chances that they were taking. But when it all comes together, it’s something otherworldly because they’ve basically gotten out of the way and the spirit of the music is carrying the whole movement of everything. The band , the audience, the whole Grateful💀Dead experience is this indescribable THING. but if you’re talking about great playing, great overall band chemistry, as well as the adventure of them, basically just jumping in and letting the flow take them and then everything working out sometimes even to the point of being completely magical, those type of things are peppered all throughout every year every era and I guess it’s just maybe a personal preference but I really like what happened after Jerry got back into it after he was in the coma and then it started to kinda make a slow turn after Brent died
Really cool to hear a non-deadhead discuss Jerry and the band. The little new info there is to find is largely by those who've drunk the koolaid, as it were. I do have a few thoughts to share: 1. The Grateful Dead definitely are the greatest American rock band, from the perspective that they created an entire genre of music that didn't exist before, all that music you keep referring to as jamband music. In that way, Jerry is the Bill Monroe of jamband music. What other band has created an entire genre of music? Metallica maybe? Bob Marley? 2. To me the specific thing about Jerry that drew/draws me in is his ability to access a certain type of grief, disappointment, and broken-ness. His use of bending too much or too little, odd-timed pinch harmonics, and his heavy vibrato, coupled with a voice when at the edge of its range plays into the songs like Loser and Jack Straw with a real sense of almost confused desperation that's palpable to someone who's felt it before. I have a theory that his early childhood trauma and how it was dealt with in his family connects him to the many of us who also struggle with complex emotions from similar early life trauma. His unique playing and singing brings it right out for us to examine and feel. Thanks for the discussion, guys
@@LionAndALamb I think southern rock is less about the influence of one band, and more about an existing cultural identity and mythology they and other bands tapped into. The Band and even Skynyrd are part of that, it's awesome, it's not a movement created by mainly the influence of one band, however. Whoever created indie/art rock seems irrelevant since I don't think that genre could be as clearly corralled, it seems much more like a movement defined by many influences. What the Dead have done is rare, like Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, or Bob Marley and the Wailers. They truly changed things.
Old musician/music teacher here (who came of age in the late '60s in the Bay Area)...Nobody mentions the first Live Dead here--the one recorded at the Haight Ashbury street festival before the Haight fell apart. St. Stephen-The Eleven-Turn On Your Love Light is one of the greatest jamming lessons for all time, including the whole jazz world. Sure, it's a long sit-down (or dance-up), it's two whole record sides, so for most kids these days--who are not serious musicians, I mean--it will be a near-impossible lesson in attention...and then of course there's the classic first side, Dark Star, as well. The last side is great too but, unless you treat the whole double album as a single acid trip, you probably won't appreciate the "coming down" aspect of side 4. At any rate, it's a lesson in LISTENING--both for the audience (listening with the body included), AND how band members let completely go of ego and listen beyond intimately, to each other, creating a whole 'nother entity entirely. THAT is the deepest root of the Grateful Dead.
One thing you only touched lightly on was the songs. There are so many damn good songs and they aint easy, even if they sound easy at first. Hunters lyrics and Jerry arrangements were just so tasty. My main project right now is an acoustic duo with me on upright bass and and my partner on a big ol Gibson J200 doing exclusively Dead covers. Stripping those songs down to their bare bones has been challenging but really fun and enlightening.. Even something long and jammy like Birdsong or Warf Rat still holds up with such minimal instrumentation.
I’m 68 been into the Grateful Dead since I first heard Worlingman’s Dead when I was 14 then gradually added their albums going in both directions. Eventually saw a show in 76 then kind of been off to the races since. Right now I feel you can hear them learning how to play through their career. Able to get quite sophisticated yet the main structure just basic for the most part. As they were learning they played with such exuberance and joy trying to convey the spirit to the audience. That’s what I think right now. Have fun.
87-early 90 is my favorite. the era of the Jerry comeback when he got out of a coma and was clean(ish) for a while and not on the heroin, Before Brent died. They were experimenting with Midi sounds and alot of crazy stuff at the time. They were bringing back old songs they had not played in forever at that point as well.
I also have a bias for that era and tend to listen to it the most. (I include 91 in that range. The momentum of their late 80's revival carried over past Brent's death with Hornsby. The decline started in 92 IMO.) Objectively, they were better in the 70's. I would never argue that their playing was as sharp, or as free/creative and inspiring and beautiful as it was in the various phases of the 70's - stripped-down 72, Wall of Sound 74, almighty 77 etc.. The really old heads even have a case when they argue that the '60's Electric Dead/Pigpen era was their peak! But I have a real soft spot for 87-91. I guess it's subjective, since I first learned to like their music in 90. But when I listen to 87-91, I can sense an energy and power coming through the music, based in their renewed success & popularity, filling stadiums across the land (before it got out of hand). Brent was a real gem too. I don't love his original songs (I love Mr. Fantasy & Pocky Way!) but he was a talented and fiery singer & keyboardist. He didn't let them drag. I like the short, crisp first sets, highlighting the songs and the influences and Americana with short jams that only teased their potential to open up. Then they'd give it to us proper in the second set with a nice, solid extended musical journey, the ones that leave your mind a smoking crater. Then they reeled the crowd gently back to reality with some closing rockers or ballads. I have a strong preference for this pattern. I've seen successor jam bands, and while the rest of the crowd exults when they open with a surprise, big 20 minute jam, I'm always like "meh, I like it better when they start normal and gradually get crazy - like an '89 Dead show"
Well, Jerry was such a touch sensitive player meaning he intentionally emphasized certain notes with a harder strike with more volume. He knew which notes he really wanted to stick out in his melodic playing and he used quite a bit of staccato notes and those were often the ones he punched. He also played the changes as they say so just like playing rhythm guitar he had to run the chord changes through his head because with each change he was going for the chordal notes that would build melody.. He was probably the most music theory trained player I love to listen to because I normally just listen to all the Mick Taylor or Peter Green type players that are great at just going for it without having to analyze a whole lot.
The Dead had a different approach to performance that affected the music. They weren't entertainers trying to amuse a crowd. They opened themselves up to collaboration with the audience, making us responsible for filling the vibe. When you opened yourself to the Dead and joined the flow, damn, you got transported. A bad note, a missed lyric, or an instrument out of tune hardly mattered. It makes sense that people pick that stuff apart now, but you're focusing on the incidentals and missing the whole thing. We called them shows instead of concerts cause it was way different than seeing the Stones or the Clash, both of whom I love. The Dead lived in their own category. Jerry conveyed an opera full of pathos, grief, joy, and playfulness. How do you quantify such qualitative experiences? Many of us would say, when life got too heavy, I need a show. Because time and time again, Dead Shows set us right. Oteil Burbridge nailed it when he said, Jerry's playing "would just fix stuff in me."
The Grateful Dead were just a part of the SF music world in the 60's and 70's. They were the largest grossing live act in the world in the 80's. Like Bill Graham said "They're not the best at what they do, they're the only ones that do what they do ". I went to a lotta shows. JGB at the Keystone Berkeley was memorable.
My all-time favorite, just to hear Jerry’s soul, is “So Many Roads” 7-9-95. Health in decline, forgets lyrics, fades in and out: but you really get a sense of how Jerry lived what he sang and I love the tone of his playing in this: ua-cam.com/video/6sFyRQPraJ8/v-deo.htmlsi=TYKeJaT8EIidbKWt
I basically agree with Jason, except with some modifications; they were at their best from 1972 to 1980. The Barton Hall Cornell concerts were excellent, but I think they were more "on" in the Winterland concerts of October 1977. The charity concert they did in Veneta, Oregon in August, 1972 where people were dancing naked was excellent; Jerry's guitar playing there on Dark Star, China Cat Sunflower, and Playing in the Band (his right hand technique in the song Dark Start provides "wow" moments for guitar players). Those three concerts: Veneta, '72; Winterland, October 1974; Barton Hall, Cornell, May, 1977 were their best, mostly because Jerry was truly inspired during those concerts and his guitar playing was on fire (but everyone else was "on" at those concerts also; everything came together to create moments of satoric perfection ). Here are some performances where he was "transcendent": Eyes of the world: Winterland, October 19, 1974. ( ua-cam.com/video/FtNGQiSRPI0/v-deo.htmlsi=-D_aIlS2LWygyysb ); China Cat Sunflower/ I Know You Rider, Winterland, October 17, 1974 ( ua-cam.com/video/EvPe4CEkSbE/v-deo.htmlsi=3dfZ-XXxGN8rdejC ); Uncle John's Band, Winterland, October 19, 1974; his guitar playing here is just so beautiful, and his singing was never better ( ua-cam.com/video/PqB-2HcFCvs/v-deo.htmlsi=0-i8xf5XpqSjSEyI )(they seem to play their best at Winterland); Playing in the Band, Veneta, Oregon, August 27, 1972; the intensity of his guitar playing here is beyond belief; ( ua-cam.com/video/KhWc8WUJQkg/v-deo.htmlsi=mpgMRVRggRw-GaTl ); Not Fade Away, Barton Hall, Cornell University, May 7, 1977 ( ua-cam.com/video/ZiEy6GFPzk8/v-deo.htmlsi=qJrI6FCPXFpRK1se ). I am looking at all this from the point of view of a person who loves intense, passionate, beautiful guitar playing, and Jerry provided that at the highest level of guitar artistry by achieving his personal best guitar playing performances in these above songs. But ... there are many, many others ... for example: The Live Dead, Dark Star; hauntingly beautiful already in 1969 ( ua-cam.com/video/-Xic-CHInek/v-deo.htmlsi=g2yPDCj7lBHgQ-77 ); Historic Dead, The Same Thing, pure blues, (ua-cam.com/video/gTM95FtD5dw/v-deo.htmlsi=1PnZyRKVU2tInfD7); Samson and Delilah, Winterland, December 31, 1978, ass kicking guitar playing (I think this was the longest Jerry's hair ever got); (ua-cam.com/video/RMwTK6IgXUo/v-deo.htmlsi=C3Ef-zCAhXAEd7WA ); Me and My Uncle, Fillmore East, April 29, 1971; more ass kicking guitar playing, my only complaint is the song's too short, they never jammed this one out; (ua-cam.com/video/trJcxc55YvM/v-deo.htmlsi=cApAZAchbHwB2WHK ); Deal, Gizah, Egypt, September 16, 1978, nice singing by Jerry; he's got his hair done sphinx style; (I can't end this comment without saying something about Donna Jean; I've read many comments from fans complaining about her, but she's always added something, she's in all their best performances, and she's so good to look at, she must have inspired Jerry; the band's best years were when she and Keith were in it) ; (ua-cam.com/video/q0BznyjqEt8/v-deo.htmlsi=Z2JDE9fX--anuRvO ), and to show both his singing and guitar artistry in the acoustic realm theres the Ripple in New York, October 31, 1980 : ua-cam.com/video/5yJmBC7cMTM/v-deo.htmlsi=684pMZfN6oUTlYgO.
imo the thing about Jerry is that he truly did what the music needed for the moment, anything else be damned. He was fully committed in the moment, and yep, that meant some nights were clankers. Oh well, that's life, we all make mistakes and keep going... & THAT'S what they were all about. There was no ego, no certain expectation of reaching a particular "level" any given night for some minimum experience to be had by all... it was true real deal music for you without pretension based on how the crowd was feeling + the band too, and they EXPECTED people to be seriously tripping & that's a heavy responsibility to desire a place to provide that for people in a society that mostly shunned it. Hard fuckin' core stuff that most don't have anywhere near the balls to attempt because the risk of failure is so high & that would damage ego. So as an outlier in an industry FULL of ego's it's an easy target & gets made fun of & called lame easy meandering noodling hippie stuff (see Dunning Kreuger effect), but in reality Jerry's style was more like Miles Davis than other guitarists. If that was "too risky" of an evening for you, then you probably shouldn't be there anyways. And there's truly something to be said about that experience, which I had many of... unless you do it, there's no way to truly realize just how profound and amazing that is. If you've had it, listening to others critique it is like listening to a virgin nun explain away sex & orgasms. It's simply absurd & you know there's no reaching them. Luckily they recorded so many killer shows that are available to us you can still have almost the same experience... IF you allow yourself to ;) In today's world there seems to be a big emphasis on perfection & virtuosity / technical skill, but he not only existed before that was really a thing (which explains his meh opinion of EVH type shreddy "look at me" style), but he actually could have played anything he wanted as shreddy or as much virtuosity as the next person, but then the whole entire premise of the music he was involved with wouldn't be authentic... in which I'm sure he'd be called a sellout by same critics calling it lame noodling.
Miles Davis reportedly liked the Dead and called them "a rock band that plays jazz." If they're good enough for Miles Davis they're good enough for me.
@@Halcyon156 Miles also opened for the Dead! There's a 1970 show at the Fillmore where they both played that was particularly heady. He said the only rock musicians that earned his respect at that level were in Santana, Grateful Dead, and Band of Gypsys (maybe the Experience too but mostly Band of Gypsys)
Jerry is on my top3 guitarist for years, besides his magical versatility with electric, acoustic, banjo and playing different styles what I find most appealing is how he built this long musical lines that seemed not to repeat ideas because of the good taste and panache he showed. His control changing between leads and a huge chord vocabulary is just amazing
The reason Cornell '77 has such a glowing reputation is that a very high quality tape was available right away. I saw the night before, which was also a great show, and 3 or 4 days later, we all had the Cornell tape. But there are certainly shows from the that tour that equal or better it. The album that seems to have gotten more people into the Dead than all the others seems to be Europe '72.
I think one of the main reasons the 77 tour is held in such high regard is the quality of Betty’s recordings, as good (or better) as anything made today
IMO, Cornell 77 is legendary because there are several songs played that night that were the best performances they ever did of those songs. Brown eyed woman. Scarlett/Fire, They love each other, Deal, Row Jimmy, Jack Straw, and Estimated Prophet. You can’t find better performances of those songs on any other night.
It's the songs guys! So many of those tunes are timeless beauties. Someone asked Paul McCartney how it felt to be in the greatest band ever and he said I wouldn't know I was never a member of the Grateful Dead. They would come to town and turn a stadium into a psychedelic juke joint. They were the definition of Americana.
I liked early dead recordings. I also really enjoyed what Ted Nugent had to say about Jerry’s guitar abilities. Anyway, I have to beg to differ with Ted for a few reasons. Jerrys steel guitar work on Crosby stills Nash and Young teach your children lent masterful greatness to that song. And what a song it is.❤
What the Dead did that was unusual was to tour with the goal that every show would have the possibility of being not just great, but uniquely great. What they did that has never been completely duplicated was to assemble a massive audience that was happy to take unpredictability instead of consistency in the performances. That is why 1977 is not, in my view, really their best year: too much consistency. And this is why so many musicians and fans can't "get" the Grateful Dead, because consistency is normally such an important goal for professional musicians.
You are sooooo right Jerry isnt the best lead guitarist but his interpretation of blues blue grass and rock guitar is legendary and part of that secret sauce is Bob Weir is the greatest rhythm guitarist of all time which in part frees the lead guitarist to create a masterpiece i love john Mayer and Warren's interpretation of Jerry's songs because their free to express their blues and bluegrass influences but Bob's the guy who set them free and he was taught by wait for it Jerry García enough said
@@perryolsen1370 he is my favorite too I agree but humbly even he said he's not the best ,steel guitar banjo Takamine and all his great electric especially alligator he played them incredibly and will always be my favorite interpretation of the blues folk bluegrass and dare i say country and rock but it was his opinion but truthfully not ours I've seen many but he's my favorite
Yes Jerry was amazing muscian & inspiring leader. U r spot about Weirs masterful rhythm playing too. All those chord inversions. You can only achieve that by playing as a brotherhood! I love Warren n Trey. Find Mayer ( great musician) an odd fit. Just like no Beatles w/o Lenn, there is No Grateful Dead w/o Jerry, period.
Search grateful dead archive. Start watching shows from 73 then listen to shows from 77. When you soak that in listen to shows from the 80s so you can get a feel for the different keyboard styles. Dont point people to songs, point them to eras. Don't listen to the albums, listen to shows. A lot of people say to start with Cornell 77...
Branford Marsalis, reflecting on the first time he sat in with the Dead on 3.29.90. Before he went onstage with them for the second set, he asked Jerry, "What will we be playing?" and Jerry replied, "Oh, I have no idea, we'll figure it out when we get out there." Branford said he walked out in front of 15,000 screaming fans and thought, "Wow, the audience has no idea what's about to happen, and the musicians onstage have no idea what's about to happen. This is really exciting." What ended up happening was a 90-minute seamless set of music, where one song segued into another, without a break, covering a lot of musical and emotional territory. Branford said it reminded him of why he even wanted to play music in the first place. Total risk, total payoff. Or the merriest Prankster, Ken Kesey: They weren’t just playing what was on the music sheets, they were playing what was in the air. When the Dead are at there best, the vibrations that are stirred up by the audience is the music that they play. Consequently when they play in LA you get one kind of thing, when you go to Portland Oregon you get completely other music. That means that the band needs to be supple enough to read the notes written on the wall and that they’re changing all the time. I don’t know of any other kind of rock band that could have done it. There's a moment when you see something like that, there's a crack in your mind. You know it's a trick but you can't figure it out. That crack lets in all the light and opens up all the possibilities. When that little split second thing happens when the Dead are playing, everybody in the audience goes "Wow, did you see that", that's the moment. Kids will watch 5 hours of mediocre music to have that one click happen because that puts them in touch with the invisible. Put in my own words, Becoming a deadhead isn't really a choice I or anyone consciously make, it comes from that magic trick that Kesey speaks of which was whether alone or with 50,000 fans, that we all have got that feeling that they were playing for me
Jerry might not be technically the ‘best’ guitarist.. but he’s my favorite guitarist ! I like how he weaved around melodies seamlessly… when he was playing good.
Always great to hear people talk about the Dead. They were so smart to record their live shows and let fans record without worrying about the money they might be losing(hello Pink Floyd). Fans have been trading show tapes for years. People talk about Swifties now but it all started with Deadheads which officially started with the shoutout in Skull and Roses AKA Skull F*ck. They keep releasing live shows through Dave’s Picks now which keeps the music alive. I love both their studio albums and live stuff. I saw the Dead in 3 different decades, the Jerry Garcia Band and Dead and Company. If you like or love them, great. If not, move on. Long live the Dead. Rock on!
I love that you guys focus on Loser and Deal. I really like all the eras of dead but its harder for me to love how rough jerrys voice got. He was angelic aounding from 70 to early 80s
My favorite studio albums are probably Anthem and Aoxomoxoa. In general, I agree with Nick. Of course, seeing Terrapin and Estimated Prophet before the record came out was a revelation. The best thing about them is that at least through the early 80s they kept reinventing themselves.
IMO, the 1968-1972 version of guitar playing Jerry, was the more aggressive, perhaps more assertive version of himself. There was a shift after Pigpen’s departure, both musically, and not long thereafter chemically, which delineated a shift in Jerry’s approach to playing. Yeah, 77 was nice, 80-82, 89-91, even Spring 93 marked a period of elevated live playing from Jerry himself, but I really loved, in addition to his playing, his guitar tones back in the primal days and through the Europe 72 tour when he played a Gibson and Fender Strat guitar. Those mass produced guitars that he played, to me, sounded better than all the custom guitars he used for the rest of his career. For context I’m an amateur musician myself, and I’ve listened to all the eras, hundreds of shows and been a fan since 89.
first saw 'em in SF in the park; and throughout there career (with a couple of years of for a mandated "vacation" from mid-86 to dec. '89)... back stage, on stage, out front, down front... caught the Lindley Meadow show in '75 during their "hiatus" as well. could always find the light when looking at it right... just caught D & C0. in Vegas; the music never stopped...
They are easily the greatest American band of all time. I would also say that they were/are the most influential American band, perhaps worldwide, but the Beatles, Who, Stones, Floyd, and Kinks probably could make claims to that title. Bob Dylan would be the only possible other American option, but he is a single person, not a band. Just the sheer number of tribute bands demonstrates how influential they really were. Not even the Beatles can boast those numbers.
I think one thing you missed completely about Jerry and his influence is that he came of age before the whole guitar hero thing, ala Jimi or EVH. Once guitarists get past the whole super fast technical playing thing, they seem to get back to the understated melodic playing Jerry epitomized. Mayer spoke about this exact thing.
Such a great call on recommending the GD Movie version of Eyes for a beginner!! It is pure Grateful Dead in my view. I think the movie in general is a great intro for someone who wants to get into the Dead. Its both a documentary and an awesome concert experience from the band at, in my opinion, their peak. Love it.
Listen to Jerry Garcia when playing with his Solo Bands from 1972 thru 1976 - were his best and most creative years musically - Merle Saunders, Nicky Hopkins, Saxophonists Martin Fierro, Buchanan on Drums, Ronnie Tutt on Drums and of course long time bassist John Kahn
Why do people like the Grateful Dead? A) Because they are real! B) Because they approached live performance with relentless creativity. C) Because they put improvisation and intential psychedelicness in a place of prominence and no other bands have as - effectively done this....... Start with Skull & Roses - It's GD everyone loves.
For me it's 2/11/69, 2/13/70, 5/8/70, and 8/27/72, 10/12/84, and 10/9/89. Those would be my dessert island disc Dead shows. There are a lot of good shows from '82 and '83 that shouldn't be overlooked.
I saw the GD many times. I know many people who dislike them. I can understand how the Grateful Dead is great and awful at the same time, I have a love/hate thing going with them. Eyes of the World, great song, but that song could go on endlessly and with too much noodling, the Eyes off So Many Roads box set, as you mentioned, that is really great, I believe from Long Island in 1973. beyond that, Jerry Garcia, IMO, was a great musical artist who definitely belongs in the pantheon of greats. if I need to suggest a go to album, I like the Skull & Roses live set from Fillmore East 1971
Great show and thank you for tipping your hat to Jerry. I would say you guys may want to take another pass at it though. Jerry was the man for sure but Bob Weir is among the most obscure , underrated guitar players that fit with Jerry in a totally unique way. Nobody has ever played anything like him before or since. He is a one of one. He was technically rhythm but not really.
And another thing...for people really interested in musical/lyrical COMPOSITION, not just guitar, the whole first side of Terrapin Station--a bleeping studio album, yes--is one of the masterpieces of all time--certainly of the '70s, right up there with Yes's Close To The Edge. A pinnacle of musical composition. And it's probably the last Dead album that didn't start to reek of Garcia's heroin problem. He clearly wanted to go in new directions but the Dead Family was hooked on the money the band was shoveling to them...he couldn't say No.
at the point where your talking about Jerry's tone, sustain, etc, it reminded me that, in my opinion, the best tone he EVER had was with the Travis Bean... and then if you look up that Cornell show, guess what guitar he's playing.... also remembered attending the early Garcia Band show at the La Poloma with Nickey Hopkins on piano; unreal!
I don’t know that I can think of the Grateful Dead and think of one song or the other, they are this entity that exists in all time and space. They manage to fit in all spaces cracks and crevices. They are outta this world and yet they created one completely new and all their own here on earth for us all to enjoy.
One other thing. David Crosby said CSNY were envious of the GD musical talent and would study how they went about making their sound. Jerry was on Teach your Children on steel peddle. Additionally, David said it best about Jerry. He was fluid, there was no distance between his brain and his fingers , as he thought, he played….. hence the noodling. If he hit an odd note he would just change direction and follow that. Total fluidity.
I think you should have spent more time talking about Jerry's wide range of guitar influences and how he pulled from all areas to capture within his playing. Hands down Jerry's versatility is unparalleled.
pretty sure at this point that they’re both… there have to be dozens if not hundreds of bands( not just GD cover bands either) currently playing/ touring that derived their name from a Grateful Dead lyric… let alone the fact they HAVE to be the most covered band these days, above Floyd or Beatles.. i’m just guessing but i KNOW the first part is true. Just one example: Dogs in a Pile is NOT a GD cover band ( they might do 1-2 Dead songs per show) and yet still they chose to take their name from a lyric in “ He’s Gone”… too many bands to count have done similar .. absolutely the most influential American band here in 2024- which is just insane.. unless you saw some GD/ JGB shows … there’s so many reasons they are so important to so many..🤷🏻
i realized i said something dumb there!👀neither Floyd nor Beatles are American bands, Obviously.. i was just thinking in terms of previously “ most-covered” bands.. but that’s still pretty spacey of me🤷🏻🙄
To actually answer the question, what would I play to introduce a stranger to the Grateful Dead? The sequence from 1969's Live/Dead starting with Saint Stephen, then The Eleven, on through Turn On Your Lovelight. If possible, continue on into Death Don't Have No Mercy.
Fun discussion. You both made some good points and insights. A few comments: On Dead eras: If you listen to a lot of Dead shows from late 60s through maybe early 80's, you come to realize that the eras don't have clear boundaries. In fact, there were many micro-eras; Yes, there were tangible changes; Hart left for awhile (an improvement IMO, as it gave the very underrated Bill Kreutzman freedom to blossum), lots of new songs, they changed instruments, sound systems, and so on. But beyond that, It was more like a period of semi-continuous organic transformation, somewhat analogous to biological evolution. If you listen to just the meat of 2nd sets from '72-'74, you can almost hear the transformation happening show to show. A huge part of this was of course Garcia. On Garcia's playing: A few things I think you missed. First is his remarkable and maybe unique ability to translate feelings, emotions, and experiences through his ax(es) and also his voice; real artistic expression. You can hear and feel joy, humor, anger, fear, sadness, confusion, or a sense of questioning wonder. Second, he often spoke about the notes he didn't play...creating spaces that allow music to breath. Finally, his playing was flawed, sometime even pretty bad....but it was as in-the-moment and creative as anybody I've heard. I love the story about a studio guy who got exasperated that Garcia would never play a take the same way twice.
Where to start? My big 3 are Cornell '77, Closing of Winterland NYE 1978 and 12/26/79 (my first show). Of the later years, '89 was a good year. Jerry without the Dead? Garcia/Saunders at the Keystone "It's No Use". That solo gives me chills every time
Listen to Jerry Garcia when playing with his Solo Bands from 1972 thru 1976 - were his best abs creative years musically - Merle Saunders, Nicky Hopkins, Saxophonists Martin Fierro, Buchanan on Drums, Ronnie Tutt on Drums and of course long time bassist John Kahn
Talking about the Grateful Dead and wearing a Neil Young and Crazy Horse t-shirt. Sounds good. I've loved both of those artists for over 50 years. I was blessed to see them multiple times over those years. Thanks
There's a recording of Vince Welnick rehearsing with Jerry and going over the songs he should learn. They start talking about Terrapin, it's great. Vince says he listened to the record and Jerry chuckled and says, well there's a lot there, it's a 93 page score, you don't need all that. Just listen to a live version, that's more what we're doing.
20:39 some prime Jerry guitar on Bobby songs: The Other One, Playin', Lost Sailer, St. of Circumstance, Estimated Prophet, Minglewood Blues, Samson & Delilah Great discussion, boys. ⚡🌹🎅
I never thought of Jerry in the Dead as "noodling". Yes, he could play really long lines, but they didn't just wander around with no real direction. He always knew where he was going, and there was always a point to what he was doing. And I think that was necessary in the Dead because even if he was the front man he had to share the space with five other people. So I agree with you that the melody was always a priority to him. He was a tremendously melodic player. Where I think he did a lot more "noodling" was in the JGB, where he was the main guy and everyone was there to support him. Then I often felt he would just wander off into tangents. Do you have a link to the Grateful Dead tuning supercut you mentioned? So far I haven't found it and I really want to hear it!
The catalog is so deep. The Jimmy Buffet theory doesn’t really apply to certain artists, the Dead being one of them. Try narrowing this to a top 8 and see look how many quality tunes are left over. Here Comes Sunshine, Brown Eyed Women, To Lay Me Down, Wharf Rat, Loser, Deal, US Blues, Beat it on Down the Line, Box of Rain, Unbroken Chain, Althea, Sugar Magnolia, Black Throated Wind, Althea, Uncle John’s Band, Friend of the Devil, Candy Man, Doin that Rag, Duprees Diamond Blues, Dark Star, St Stephen, Franklins Tower, Let It Grow, Scarlet Begonias, Fire on the Mountain, Truckin, Mexicali Blues, Ripple, Bertha, Eyes of the World, Jack Straw, Cassidy, Stella Blue, Ramble on Rose, Tennessee Jed, Shakedown St and on and on. I can name 20 more really great songs. I can understand why people don’t like them but the disrespect they get in some corners is undeserved. Their contribution to American music is second to noone.
Cool show. @42:42, I'd call in. Do you know the David Crosby album, "If I Could Only Remember My Name"? It's a collaborative work featuring the Dead, Stills, Nash, Young, Joni Mitchell, Kantner, Slick, Freiberg, basically everybody from those scenes: Laurel Canyon, San Fran, you name it. That album is the sleeper of the last half of the Twentieth Century. It shall endure. *Jerry also does some stunning pedal steel on Graham Nash's "I Used To Be a King".
If someone was to approach me & ask where they should start listening to the Grateful Dead, I would first ask them what are their own tastes & favourite genres. Given the answer I would then direct them to compare versions, both studio, earlier & later live versions. That would allow them to compare Jerry's playing & the development of jams. If only they wish to listen to Jerry in particular, I might also direct them to his work with the Jerry Garcia Band & some of his pedal guitar work with David Crosby & New Riders of the Purple Sage.
LOVE the Dead! JGB is fire too! i didn't get into them until i discovered the live stuff. when i was a kid people went on and on about the Dead but i didn't really care for them, because all i had heard was the studio stuff. this was way before all their stuff was available on the internet. at the local record store i never saw or noticed any live Dead albums. Live Dead is best Dead!
The correct term is "Cheesesteak". And you order it as "Whiz wit", that get's you a Cheesesteak with CheezWhiz and Onions. Just FYI. Had the great good fortune to see The Dead about 50 times, not enough but that's what I got, from 1980-1995, and all over the Eastern U.S.. Jerry and Bobby were amazing, but I also saw a lot of other great guitarists. A couple you have listed already, Neil Young, four times, and Trey Anastasio, 10 times, plus Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, Eddie Van Halen, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, Johnny Winter, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Peter Frampton, Dave "The Edge" Evans, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, David Lindley, Johnny Ramone, Ray Davies and Dave Davies, Mick Ronson, Pete Townshend, Martin Barre, Billy Gibbons, Ric Ocasik and Elliot Easton, Roy Buchanan, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Dickie Betts, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Willie Nelson, George Thorogood, Lowell George and Paul Barrere, Taj Mahal, and Joe Walsh, and quite a few more. And Jerry Garcia was my favorite.
Like anyone, you have to be in the right mood / headspace to want to hear Jerry / the Dead. Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. If I’m not in a Jerry mood… doesn’t mean he ain’t great! I guess this applies to any band or piece of music. Personally I’m not a huge fan of 80s/90s dead, partially because the keyboard tones… “Casio” ain’t for me. Like someone else said, they just had so many amazing tunes. A couple of my faves that weren’t mentioned - Help on the way from dicks picks vol 33… 1976… this solo is soooo sick and unique - Terrapin station Hartford Connecticut… what a ballad - Studio? Dire wolf. That pedal steel sounds amazing - Row Jimmy from fox theater… so much soul, Jerry with a slide(?) - Kean College - after midnight > Eleanor rigby (!!) > after midnight. So many sick runs - Fire on the mountain live at the palladium… that envelope filter… yikes! - Ship of fools (1974) off dicks picks 12 - Mississippi half step off English town dicks picks - wharf rat from red rocks Ugh I could go on for daysssss. Thanks for this episode, I also loved reading the comments.
I dont think its really arguable they are the most important American band in history. Many tribute bands, STILL partnering with big brands to collab on merch, over a DOZEN shows at the sphere...There's no argument, and Jerry was a crucial component of that Also, youve found a new subscriber!
I think you guys missed the late creative burst of songwriting creativity of the 90’s.. only live performance exist of Too Many Roads, Days Between, Lazy River Road and Liberty. This contradicts your assertion that they just were treading water or stagnant in the late late period.
One thing about the Dead is their immense captured output. So many years of so many shows, all those audience tapes, then all the board recordings, and all available to the public, including the good, bad and ugly. Plus the fundamental difference in the band's and Garcia's playing is, yes the eclectic elements, but also the improvisational approach that spawned an entire genre, the jam band. This meant that their nightly search for magic resulted in a lot of belly flops along with the beautiful swan dives and double back flips they would pull off. So... people who didn't make it to the scene back in the day might listen to one piece of it and say this sucks, and they're probably right. Even an old deadhead like myself (50-something shows 74-94) has heard some of these later warts-and-all live releases and thought Grateful Dreck. I wonder what we would think of CSNY (or whoever) if we had every bad show they ever did to hear along with the ones they carefully chose to put out. If the Dead had curated their recorded output the way other artists have, their true excellence as musicians might be more appreciated.
I’m partial to 67-72. They were a psych rock and roll band. 73-81 is good too. But for me it’s pretty off from 81 onward. 80s 90s has a lot of midi guitar & keyboard sound’s that I don’t care for. Some good stuff to be found but it doesn’t speak to me like the first 15ish years.
and at the end of the "arguement", where you guys are discussing the Americana genere, I agree with the "pro" that the DEAD definitely were the biggest "creator" of it, through their unique blending of folk, country blues, country, and jazz; the American songbook. Their Working Man's and American Beauty LP's brought them huge notoriety in and out of the emerging "country rock" (later dubbed "Americana") field. That the "con" arguement trys to put the Burrito Brothers (especially) on the same plane is laughable! They were good, but basically played straight country. I saw them a number of times in LA, including a thursday student body free lunch hour show at SMCC (fall of '69) where they introduced a "friend" from Oklahoma and had him come up and play a couple tunes; Leon Russel, just pre-Cocker! And remember "con" guy, Graham Nash had Jerry play steel pedal on "Teach Your Children", not Sneaky Pete, who was right there in LA. Or Rusty Miller of POCO, also in LA, who was probably the "pedalist" who was pushing the boundaries of the instrument the most back then. AND, remember that Graham Nash gifted Alligator to Jerry; not the other way around. David Crosby especially liked jamming with Jerry and other Bay Area musicians at the then state-of-the-art Wally Heider Studio.... the SF musical scene was the heart & soul of this new American blend of music (and don't forget the mostly-forgotten Quicksilver Messenger Service, early Dead buddies from the Family Dog/Haight Ashbury tribes days), and stars like CSN and others knew it, and knew that the Grateful Dead (with their unparalleled lyrisist Robert Hunter) were at the heart of that movement. ✌
The Grateful Dead are an aquired taste for sure. A large part of the magic IMO is dervied from actually having lived during the arc of their career. (30 yrs). Removed from the context of those times may make it difficult for new/ younger listeners to find the Dead accessible compared to bands within other chandres of music. The categorization, corporatization and commercialization of music over the last 45 yrs does a disservice to soulful bands from that era. Led by Jerry they were an embodiment of the psychedelic space cowboy American songbook and the experimental /communal times in which they lived. They were able to cross boundaries and live vocals aside, were adept at many forms of music: Folk, Country, Cowboy, Blues, Bluegrass, RocknRoll, Psychedelic, Free-form & Jazz elements. They were self taught improvational innovators and story tellers. STUDIO:Anthem of the Sun,Workingmans Dead, American Beauty, Mars Hotel, Wake of the Flood, Blues for Allah,Terrapin Station . LIVE: Europe 72, Bears Choice, Live Dead. Too many vault issues to mention. Its all there. They remain 1 of the best live bands ever! Yes they could be hit or miss just like real life. Absent today's slick technology they forged ahead warts and all. For me Jerry Garcia should be remembered as one of America's great story tellers like Dylan n Guthrie. So to wrap up this long winded diatribe I say to new listeners: Research Jerry / Dead and go from there. I hope you will find something that you will enjoy. Peace n Love to all!
Another comment: While I'd agree that Cornell May '77 is a good intro to the Dead, there are better shows, not only in other years but even in that same tour (I like Dick's Picks #3 a bit better...just a few weeks later I think). A fun theory on why this show is "legendary". It was one of the few shows with high quality sound that was circulating as a bootleg tape before soundboard recordings from the Dead's vault were "leaked" and digitized en mass, and long before official CDs went on market (e.g. Dick's Picks). So, it blew people's minds and became legend because most hadn't heard all the other great shows, except for maybe a few that sound like they were recorded in a phone booth.
Their best era was definitely 65-95
hilarious and so true
Don't forget brief journeys back to the moments after the big bang!
Got a bit iffy after Brent but love the sentiment
I met Jerry at my first live show. I was one of first through the door and he was sitting on the edge of the stage. I asked him if I could sit behind the amps and he said yes. I get to a space between the amps and I find Bear dropping liquid acid on the back of peoples hands and then they licked it off. I stuck my hand out and he put four big drops on it and I licked it off. I herd Grace Slick say that they would put a pill in a empty film can shake it around and just put a small amount of the dust an lick it off and I know that they did that though out there playing. I got Bears dealer number and sold it at shows. I like everything from the beginning up to Brint Midland death. So I met my wife at a show. If you were in a show with thousands of people on acid it was incredible. Anything is not for everybody. You are to young the Dead was and still the greatest band in the world. The original people I got to meet were always very kind. They also made live sound great for all. Roll Away The Dew.⚡️🎸⚡️
NFA
I once listened to every ‘65-‘72 Grateful Dead concert for which there is a recording in chronological order, took about 9 months and changed my life!
That's kind of hard to believe.I have 1900 90 minute tapes.And i've had them for twenty years and I have not heard everyone of them
@@toddmills2651 2-3 shows per day for the most part. A lot of the earlier shows are partial recordings. I highly recommend it.
You could listen to all yours in 9 months, 10-11 hours per day!!
I almost always point people to the '72 "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" from the "Europe '72" album. To me it perfectly encapsulates the psychedelic side of the band in the first part, and their respect for old traditional music in the latter. And Lesh's bass run when "China Cat" kicks up into E will never NOT blow my mind.
Jerry played live with the Dead and his own band about 280 days out of any given year [for 30 years] and the man never played the same solo twice. That in and of itself, is amazing.
Jerry was the man.. there is no viable argument to the contrary
Disagrees in Robert Hunter
I was lucky enough to see The Dead a dozen or so times between '87 and '94. It might've been two dozen. I really can't remember, but I will can tell you this with certainty: when they were on, they were ON. I also think Bob Weir had a lot to do with it; guitar weaving.
@@zephanefjones2013 there were definately times when Bob covered Jerry's ass on stage while nodding out from Heroin.
A truly great guitarist is consistent. He was a crapshoot.
@@Acemechanicalservices he was skilled BUT scattered
Looking at the Grateful Dead in different eras can easily be defined by their keyboard players. Each one represents a unique feel in the band’s history. My favorite is Brent. Thank you Jerry for being my favorite artist.
@@flynnzephyr7907 same here, he was a better vocalist too than both Keith and Donna combined.
Agree about keyboardists defining different eras, although my favorite era happens to be the Keith era. The 70s Dead sound sounded so much clearer/less sloppy than the '80s Dead; Keith playing acoustic piano had a lot to do with that, not to mention that Garcia was in much better shape in the 70s.
Brent was the best player but the sounds he used sound really dated now, whereas Keith’s instruments sound timeless
@@tompoyntonspot on. Keith era is my favorite for this reason. Love Brent, but Keith was more subtle and smooth and gave the band a swanky elegance with his piano playing
I always have this discussion with people at DSO shows: I can tell by the first song if it's a Pig Pen / Godchaux / Mydland era show. When I listen to live dead, I'm exclusively a Godchaux era guy. Godchaux era, specifically '76-'77 was their peak as a live band, in my opinion.
If we’re to ask Jerry, I think he’d want you to focus on his later acoustic stuff. Give the “Shady Grove” album with David Grisman a spin… his vocals and planning are as legit as anything ever was.
1967 to 1978 they were legendary
'65- present day they are legendary ;)
1982 was maybe their best year. 87 was nice as well.
I can't narrow it down that far. 90 Nassau Wake Up to Find Out concert is phenomenal.
I have to admit Jerry was a honest man. I remember him saying that acid and guitar playing don't really mix. I also remember reading that he believed the Greatful Dead's performance at the Monterey Pop Festival totally had sucked. He also mentioned he had a problem with not playing more horizontally and that he usually reverted to playing vertically which is more limiting. That last observation of his made me think about my own playing to which I have to thank him for the insight. RIP
@@bobsebring2819 acid always either makes someone hyper focused OR easily distracted.
@@elijahwilson1422i tried mowing a 6 acre lawn once on it. Easily distracted i was.
Those quotes are more self-deprecating and self-critical than "honest". You don't get better without being self-critical, and Jerry had no need to brag to anyone about how great he was.
"We're ugly but we're honest. Actually, we're not all that honest." - J. Garcia
Never trust a Prankster
How many Miles Davis covers you hear people playing? How many Miles Davis cover bands you see? How many stadium tours did Miles Davis play? Saying Jerry Garcia was no Miles Davis is just silly talk. No one is Jerry Garcia is the way that should be said. The Grateful Dead is Sui Generis. There is nothing like it in all culture. Hugley influential beyond the credit it could ever be given . Whether you dig it or not. The Grateful Dead is the one band no one needs to turn anyone on to yet its always a topic. Think about that. Its everywhere already. From The Gear, Alembic and Myer sound, Owsley Freakin Stanley, The Music, The two set show with drums/space, The Lifestyle, The Fashion, The LSD, The Merry Pranksters to the fact that it defines American counterculture and history. You can try and say just a band, but you are incorrect. If your there at a Dead show back in the day you wouldn't want anyone else but Jerry playing lead guitar. Reckoning, the Dead's live Acoustic album and concerts broadcast on PBS, at Radio City Music Hall defined the Acoustic shows that became the "Unplugged" fad, years before. And is now required material for any self-respecting Bluegrass musician. And makes a great introduction to the Dead. And if they don't Dig that, maybe try The Eyes with Branford Marsalis from Live without a net. Play Hell in a Bucket for your friends of the Devil. The Terrapin Station suite is a Prog classic. Is not Shakedown Street a disco classic? Put US Blues on and you hear America.
Jerry’s Miles album with Grisman is superb btw
How many bands had Miles Davis OPEN for them? The only one I know is......the Grateful Dead.
@@mcdaniels6188(Lesh was a bit embarrassed about that btw) but that was Bill Graham's call for the record
@@farrelltimlake9732 Totally! That was when Miles had just introduced Bitches Brew and his band was, well, I'm not sure I know the right word. However I hear Miles recognized the Dead were no slouches.
mcdaniels6188, True, and Miles recorded "Black Beauty" at that Fillmore gig.
The best chemistry and overall playing of Jerry and the band for me is the comeback after the coma in 1986 until Brent died in 1991. And the Jerry Garcia band stuff from the same period is amazing too until Jerry’s health started to take a dive again towards the end. Any of the Jerry Garcia Band stuff from 1987 until like 1993 is amazing. The Jerry Garcia Band after 1980 is awesome. Obviously there’s gems here and there throughout every period but there are times when there’s a lot of consistency. I think in the early 80s when Jerry was having a lot of problems with cocaine and heroin sometimes it didn’t always work out but then you hear some shows in your jaw hits the floor. And that happens in every era. It’s the whole flying by the seat of your pants thing they did which kept it interesting but also there are times when it’s not gonna be executed so perfectly because of all the chances that they were taking. But when it all comes together, it’s something otherworldly because they’ve basically gotten out of the way and the spirit of the music is carrying the whole movement of everything. The band , the audience, the whole Grateful💀Dead experience is this indescribable THING. but if you’re talking about great playing, great overall band chemistry, as well as the adventure of them, basically just jumping in and letting the flow take them and then everything working out sometimes even to the point of being completely magical, those type of things are peppered all throughout every year every era and I guess it’s just maybe a personal preference but I really like what happened after Jerry got back into it after he was in the coma and then it started to kinda make a slow turn after Brent died
Really cool to hear a non-deadhead discuss Jerry and the band. The little new info there is to find is largely by those who've drunk the koolaid, as it were. I do have a few thoughts to share: 1. The Grateful Dead definitely are the greatest American rock band, from the perspective that they created an entire genre of music that didn't exist before, all that music you keep referring to as jamband music. In that way, Jerry is the Bill Monroe of jamband music. What other band has created an entire genre of music? Metallica maybe? Bob Marley? 2. To me the specific thing about Jerry that drew/draws me in is his ability to access a certain type of grief, disappointment, and broken-ness. His use of bending too much or too little, odd-timed pinch harmonics, and his heavy vibrato, coupled with a voice when at the edge of its range plays into the songs like Loser and Jack Straw with a real sense of almost confused desperation that's palpable to someone who's felt it before. I have a theory that his early childhood trauma and how it was dealt with in his family connects him to the many of us who also struggle with complex emotions from similar early life trauma. His unique playing and singing brings it right out for us to examine and feel. Thanks for the discussion, guys
Allman Brothers created "southern rock". Velvet Underground created "indie/art rock."
@@LionAndALamb I think southern rock is less about the influence of one band, and more about an existing cultural identity and mythology they and other bands tapped into. The Band and even Skynyrd are part of that, it's awesome, it's not a movement created by mainly the influence of one band, however.
Whoever created indie/art rock seems irrelevant since I don't think that genre could be as clearly corralled, it seems much more like a movement defined by many influences.
What the Dead have done is rare, like Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, or Bob Marley and the Wailers. They truly changed things.
@@pedalpoet204 I agree with you that Dead may be the most unique America band of all times in terms of longevity and influence.
Old musician/music teacher here (who came of age in the late '60s in the Bay Area)...Nobody mentions the first Live Dead here--the one recorded at the Haight Ashbury street festival before the Haight fell apart. St. Stephen-The Eleven-Turn On Your Love Light is one of the greatest jamming lessons for all time, including the whole jazz world. Sure, it's a long sit-down (or dance-up), it's two whole record sides, so for most kids these days--who are not serious musicians, I mean--it will be a near-impossible lesson in attention...and then of course there's the classic first side, Dark Star, as well. The last side is great too but, unless you treat the whole double album as a single acid trip, you probably won't appreciate the "coming down" aspect of side 4. At any rate, it's a lesson in LISTENING--both for the audience (listening with the body included), AND how band members let completely go of ego and listen beyond intimately, to each other, creating a whole 'nother entity entirely. THAT is the deepest root of the Grateful Dead.
Dark Star.
One thing you only touched lightly on was the songs. There are so many damn good songs and they aint easy, even if they sound easy at first. Hunters lyrics and Jerry arrangements were just so tasty. My main project right now is an acoustic duo with me on upright bass and and my partner on a big ol Gibson J200 doing exclusively Dead covers. Stripping those songs down to their bare bones has been challenging but really fun and enlightening.. Even something long and jammy like Birdsong or Warf Rat still holds up with such minimal instrumentation.
I’m 68 been into the Grateful Dead since I first heard Worlingman’s Dead when I was 14 then gradually added their albums going in both directions. Eventually saw a show in 76 then kind of been off to the races since. Right now I feel you can hear them learning how to play through their career. Able to get quite sophisticated yet the main structure just basic for the most part. As they were learning they played with such exuberance and joy trying to convey the spirit to the audience. That’s what I think right now. Have fun.
Jerry's playing was warm, whimsical and deep.
87-early 90 is my favorite. the era of the Jerry comeback when he got out of a coma and was clean(ish) for a while and not on the heroin, Before Brent died. They were experimenting with Midi sounds and alot of crazy stuff at the time. They were bringing back old songs they had not played in forever at that point as well.
I also have a bias for that era and tend to listen to it the most. (I include 91 in that range. The momentum of their late 80's revival carried over past Brent's death with Hornsby. The decline started in 92 IMO.) Objectively, they were better in the 70's. I would never argue that their playing was as sharp, or as free/creative and inspiring and beautiful as it was in the various phases of the 70's - stripped-down 72, Wall of Sound 74, almighty 77 etc.. The really old heads even have a case when they argue that the '60's Electric Dead/Pigpen era was their peak! But I have a real soft spot for 87-91. I guess it's subjective, since I first learned to like their music in 90. But when I listen to 87-91, I can sense an energy and power coming through the music, based in their renewed success & popularity, filling stadiums across the land (before it got out of hand). Brent was a real gem too. I don't love his original songs (I love Mr. Fantasy & Pocky Way!) but he was a talented and fiery singer & keyboardist. He didn't let them drag. I like the short, crisp first sets, highlighting the songs and the influences and Americana with short jams that only teased their potential to open up. Then they'd give it to us proper in the second set with a nice, solid extended musical journey, the ones that leave your mind a smoking crater. Then they reeled the crowd gently back to reality with some closing rockers or ballads. I have a strong preference for this pattern. I've seen successor jam bands, and while the rest of the crowd exults when they open with a surprise, big 20 minute jam, I'm always like "meh, I like it better when they start normal and gradually get crazy - like an '89 Dead show"
Well, Jerry was such a touch sensitive player meaning he intentionally emphasized certain notes with a harder strike with more volume. He knew which notes he really wanted to stick out in his melodic playing and he used quite a bit of staccato notes and those were often the ones he punched. He also played the changes as they say so just like playing rhythm guitar he had to run the chord changes through his head because with each change he was going for the chordal notes that would build melody.. He was probably the most music theory trained player I love to listen to because I normally just listen to all the Mick Taylor or Peter Green type players that are great at just going for it without having to analyze a whole lot.
The Dead had a different approach to performance that affected the music. They weren't entertainers trying to amuse a crowd. They opened themselves up to collaboration with the audience, making us responsible for filling the vibe. When you opened yourself to the Dead and joined the flow, damn, you got transported.
A bad note, a missed lyric, or an instrument out of tune hardly mattered. It makes sense that people pick that stuff apart now, but you're focusing on the incidentals and missing the whole thing. We called them shows instead of concerts cause it was way different than seeing the Stones or the Clash, both of whom I love. The Dead lived in their own category.
Jerry conveyed an opera full of pathos, grief, joy, and playfulness. How do you quantify such qualitative experiences? Many of us would say, when life got too heavy, I need a show. Because time and time again, Dead Shows set us right.
Oteil Burbridge nailed it when he said, Jerry's playing "would just fix stuff in me."
The Grateful Dead were just a part of the SF music world in the 60's and 70's. They were the largest grossing live act in the world in the 80's. Like Bill Graham said "They're not the best at what they do, they're the only ones that do what they do ". I went to a lotta shows. JGB at the Keystone Berkeley was memorable.
My all-time favorite, just to hear Jerry’s soul, is “So Many Roads” 7-9-95. Health in decline, forgets lyrics, fades in and out: but you really get a sense of how Jerry lived what he sang and I love the tone of his playing in this:
ua-cam.com/video/6sFyRQPraJ8/v-deo.htmlsi=TYKeJaT8EIidbKWt
Sweetness
I basically agree with Jason, except with some modifications; they were at their best from 1972 to 1980. The Barton Hall Cornell concerts were excellent, but I think they were more "on" in the Winterland concerts of October 1977. The charity concert they did in Veneta, Oregon in August, 1972 where people were dancing naked was excellent; Jerry's guitar playing there on Dark Star, China Cat Sunflower, and Playing in the Band (his right hand technique in the song Dark Start provides "wow" moments for guitar players). Those three concerts: Veneta, '72; Winterland, October 1974; Barton Hall, Cornell, May, 1977 were their best, mostly because Jerry was truly inspired during those concerts and his guitar playing was on fire (but everyone else was "on" at those concerts also; everything came together to create moments of satoric perfection ). Here are some performances where he was "transcendent": Eyes of the world: Winterland, October 19, 1974. ( ua-cam.com/video/FtNGQiSRPI0/v-deo.htmlsi=-D_aIlS2LWygyysb ); China Cat Sunflower/ I Know You Rider, Winterland, October 17, 1974 ( ua-cam.com/video/EvPe4CEkSbE/v-deo.htmlsi=3dfZ-XXxGN8rdejC ); Uncle John's Band, Winterland, October 19, 1974; his guitar playing here is just so beautiful, and his singing was never better ( ua-cam.com/video/PqB-2HcFCvs/v-deo.htmlsi=0-i8xf5XpqSjSEyI )(they seem to play their best at Winterland); Playing in the Band, Veneta, Oregon, August 27, 1972; the intensity of his guitar playing here is beyond belief; ( ua-cam.com/video/KhWc8WUJQkg/v-deo.htmlsi=mpgMRVRggRw-GaTl ); Not Fade Away, Barton Hall, Cornell University, May 7, 1977 ( ua-cam.com/video/ZiEy6GFPzk8/v-deo.htmlsi=qJrI6FCPXFpRK1se ). I am looking at all this from the point of view of a person who loves intense, passionate, beautiful guitar playing, and Jerry provided that at the highest level of guitar artistry by achieving his personal best guitar playing performances in these above songs. But ... there are many, many others ... for example: The Live Dead, Dark Star; hauntingly beautiful already in 1969 ( ua-cam.com/video/-Xic-CHInek/v-deo.htmlsi=g2yPDCj7lBHgQ-77 ); Historic Dead, The Same Thing, pure blues, (ua-cam.com/video/gTM95FtD5dw/v-deo.htmlsi=1PnZyRKVU2tInfD7); Samson and Delilah, Winterland, December 31, 1978, ass kicking guitar playing (I think this was the longest Jerry's hair ever got); (ua-cam.com/video/RMwTK6IgXUo/v-deo.htmlsi=C3Ef-zCAhXAEd7WA ); Me and My Uncle, Fillmore East, April 29, 1971; more ass kicking guitar playing, my only complaint is the song's too short, they never jammed this one out; (ua-cam.com/video/trJcxc55YvM/v-deo.htmlsi=cApAZAchbHwB2WHK ); Deal, Gizah, Egypt, September 16, 1978, nice singing by Jerry; he's got his hair done sphinx style; (I can't end this comment without saying something about Donna Jean; I've read many comments from fans complaining about her, but she's always added something, she's in all their best performances, and she's so good to look at, she must have inspired Jerry; the band's best years were when she and Keith were in it) ; (ua-cam.com/video/q0BznyjqEt8/v-deo.htmlsi=Z2JDE9fX--anuRvO ), and to show both his singing and guitar artistry in the acoustic realm theres the Ripple in New York, October 31, 1980 : ua-cam.com/video/5yJmBC7cMTM/v-deo.htmlsi=684pMZfN6oUTlYgO.
imo the thing about Jerry is that he truly did what the music needed for the moment, anything else be damned. He was fully committed in the moment, and yep, that meant some nights were clankers. Oh well, that's life, we all make mistakes and keep going... & THAT'S what they were all about. There was no ego, no certain expectation of reaching a particular "level" any given night for some minimum experience to be had by all... it was true real deal music for you without pretension based on how the crowd was feeling + the band too, and they EXPECTED people to be seriously tripping & that's a heavy responsibility to desire a place to provide that for people in a society that mostly shunned it. Hard fuckin' core stuff that most don't have anywhere near the balls to attempt because the risk of failure is so high & that would damage ego. So as an outlier in an industry FULL of ego's it's an easy target & gets made fun of & called lame easy meandering noodling hippie stuff (see Dunning Kreuger effect), but in reality Jerry's style was more like Miles Davis than other guitarists. If that was "too risky" of an evening for you, then you probably shouldn't be there anyways. And there's truly something to be said about that experience, which I had many of... unless you do it, there's no way to truly realize just how profound and amazing that is. If you've had it, listening to others critique it is like listening to a virgin nun explain away sex & orgasms. It's simply absurd & you know there's no reaching them.
Luckily they recorded so many killer shows that are available to us you can still have almost the same experience... IF you allow yourself to ;)
In today's world there seems to be a big emphasis on perfection & virtuosity / technical skill, but he not only existed before that was really a thing (which explains his meh opinion of EVH type shreddy "look at me" style), but he actually could have played anything he wanted as shreddy or as much virtuosity as the next person, but then the whole entire premise of the music he was involved with wouldn't be authentic... in which I'm sure he'd be called a sellout by same critics calling it lame noodling.
I dont have anything to say other than this is a really good and poignant comment and I'm on a noticeable amount of psilocybin
I agree. No comparison to all those corp posers playing for thier own adulation. Unfortunately substance abuse took many of the grate ones...
Miles Davis reportedly liked the Dead and called them "a rock band that plays jazz." If they're good enough for Miles Davis they're good enough for me.
@@Halcyon156 Miles also opened for the Dead! There's a 1970 show at the Fillmore where they both played that was particularly heady. He said the only rock musicians that earned his respect at that level were in Santana, Grateful Dead, and Band of Gypsys (maybe the Experience too but mostly Band of Gypsys)
Jerry is on my top3 guitarist for years, besides his magical versatility with electric, acoustic, banjo and playing different styles what I find most appealing is how he built this long musical lines that seemed not to repeat ideas because of the good taste and panache he showed. His control changing between leads and a huge chord vocabulary is just amazing
They are like licorice. I really like licorice.
The reason Cornell '77 has such a glowing reputation is that a very high quality tape was available right away. I saw the night before, which was also a great show, and 3 or 4 days later, we all had the Cornell tape. But there are certainly shows from the that tour that equal or better it. The album that seems to have gotten more people into the Dead than all the others seems to be Europe '72.
100% its a clean well played show with an outstanding recording
I think one of the main reasons the 77 tour is held in such high regard is the quality of Betty’s recordings, as good (or better) as anything made today
@@tompoynton So true. She is a fantastic engineer.
Pembroke Pines 1977
IMO, Cornell 77 is legendary because there are several songs played that night that were the best performances they ever did of those songs. Brown eyed woman. Scarlett/Fire, They love each other, Deal, Row Jimmy, Jack Straw, and Estimated Prophet. You can’t find better performances of those songs on any other night.
It's the songs guys! So many of those tunes are timeless beauties. Someone asked Paul McCartney how it felt to be in the greatest band ever and he said I wouldn't know I was never a member of the Grateful Dead. They would come to town and turn a stadium into a psychedelic juke joint. They were the definition of Americana.
yes! a truly unique mixture of all American experience
I liked early dead recordings. I also really enjoyed what Ted Nugent had to say about Jerry’s guitar abilities. Anyway, I have to beg to differ with Ted for a few reasons. Jerrys steel guitar work on Crosby stills Nash and Young teach your children lent masterful greatness to that song. And what a song it is.❤
Ted Nugent is a total hack musician,
Honest take. Just followed. Well done lads.
Jerry guitar, and entire band, 12/31/78, Sampson and Delilah. Rippin'
Great point about Deal. I’ve always felt the exact same way, that it’s sits nicely next to a Gershwin or Berlin.
What the Dead did that was unusual was to tour with the goal that every show would have the possibility of being not just great, but uniquely great. What they did that has never been completely duplicated was to assemble a massive audience that was happy to take unpredictability instead of consistency in the performances. That is why 1977 is not, in my view, really their best year: too much consistency. And this is why so many musicians and fans can't "get" the Grateful Dead, because consistency is normally such an important goal for professional musicians.
Americana was spawned by Music From Big Pink by the Band. The Dead was influenced by that as well.
You are sooooo right Jerry isnt the best lead guitarist but his interpretation of blues blue grass and rock guitar is legendary and part of that secret sauce is Bob Weir is the greatest rhythm guitarist of all time which in part frees the lead guitarist to create a masterpiece i love john Mayer and Warren's interpretation of Jerry's songs because their free to express their blues and bluegrass influences but Bob's the guy who set them free and he was taught by wait for it Jerry García enough said
Jerry is the best. You can have your opinion though and I have mine.
@@perryolsen1370 he is my favorite too I agree but humbly even he said he's not the best ,steel guitar banjo Takamine and all his great electric especially alligator he played them incredibly and will always be my favorite interpretation of the blues folk bluegrass and dare i say country and rock but it was his opinion but truthfully not ours I've seen many but he's my favorite
Yes Jerry was amazing muscian & inspiring leader. U r spot about Weirs masterful rhythm playing too. All those chord inversions. You can only achieve that by playing as a brotherhood! I love Warren n Trey. Find Mayer ( great musician) an odd fit. Just like no Beatles w/o Lenn, there is No Grateful Dead w/o Jerry, period.
there is no such thing as best
And lets not forget Phil. No jerry no phil no Dead@waynekenworthy5391
Search grateful dead archive. Start watching shows from 73 then listen to shows from 77. When you soak that in listen to shows from the 80s so you can get a feel for the different keyboard styles. Dont point people to songs, point them to eras. Don't listen to the albums, listen to shows. A lot of people say to start with Cornell 77...
Branford Marsalis, reflecting on the first time he sat in with the Dead on 3.29.90.
Before he went onstage with them for the second set, he asked Jerry, "What will we be playing?" and Jerry replied, "Oh, I have no idea, we'll figure it out when we get out there." Branford said he walked out in front of 15,000 screaming fans and thought, "Wow, the audience has no idea what's about to happen, and the musicians onstage have no idea what's about to happen. This is really exciting." What ended up happening was a 90-minute seamless set of music, where one song segued into another, without a break, covering a lot of musical and emotional territory. Branford said it reminded him of why he even wanted to play music in the first place. Total risk, total payoff.
Or the merriest Prankster, Ken Kesey:
They weren’t just playing what was on the music sheets, they were playing what was in the air.
When the Dead are at there best, the vibrations that are stirred up by the audience is the music that they play. Consequently when they play in LA you get one kind of thing, when you go to Portland Oregon you get completely other music. That means that the band needs to be supple enough to read the notes written on the wall and that they’re changing all the time. I don’t know of any other kind of rock band that could have done it.
There's a moment when you see something like that, there's a crack in your mind. You know it's a trick but you can't figure it out. That crack lets in all the light and opens up all the possibilities. When that little split second thing happens when the Dead are playing, everybody in the audience goes "Wow, did you see that", that's the moment. Kids will watch 5 hours of mediocre music to have that one click happen because that puts them in touch with the invisible.
Put in my own words, Becoming a deadhead isn't really a choice I or anyone consciously make, it comes from that magic trick that Kesey speaks of which was whether alone or with 50,000 fans, that we all have got that feeling that they were playing for me
Jerry might not be technically the ‘best’ guitarist.. but he’s my favorite guitarist ! I like how he weaved around melodies seamlessly… when he was playing good.
Always great to hear people talk about the Dead. They were so smart to record their live shows and let fans record without worrying about the money they might be losing(hello Pink Floyd). Fans have been trading show tapes for years. People talk about Swifties now but it all started with Deadheads which officially started with the shoutout in Skull and Roses AKA Skull F*ck. They keep releasing live shows through Dave’s Picks now which keeps the music alive. I love both their studio albums and live stuff. I saw the Dead in 3 different decades, the Jerry Garcia Band and Dead and Company. If you like or love them, great. If not, move on. Long live the Dead. Rock on!
I love that you guys focus on Loser and Deal. I really like all the eras of dead but its harder for me to love how rough jerrys voice got. He was angelic aounding from 70 to early 80s
My favorite studio albums are probably Anthem and Aoxomoxoa. In general, I agree with Nick. Of course, seeing Terrapin and Estimated Prophet before the record came out was a revelation. The best thing about them is that at least through the early 80s they kept reinventing themselves.
IMO, the 1968-1972 version of guitar playing Jerry, was the more aggressive, perhaps more assertive version of himself. There was a shift after Pigpen’s departure, both musically, and not long thereafter chemically, which delineated a shift in Jerry’s approach to playing. Yeah, 77 was nice, 80-82, 89-91, even Spring 93 marked a period of elevated live playing from Jerry himself, but I really loved, in addition to his playing, his guitar tones back in the primal days and through the Europe 72 tour when he played a Gibson and Fender Strat guitar. Those mass produced guitars that he played, to me, sounded better than all the custom guitars he used for the rest of his career. For context I’m an amateur musician myself, and I’ve listened to all the eras, hundreds of shows and been a fan since 89.
100 percent agree
“77 was nice” is uh, quite the understatement lol
Spring of 1990. That’s all I have to say.
first saw 'em in SF in the park; and throughout there career (with a couple of years of for a mandated "vacation" from mid-86 to dec. '89)... back stage, on stage, out front, down front... caught the Lindley Meadow show in '75 during their "hiatus" as well. could always find the light when looking at it right... just caught D & C0. in Vegas; the music never stopped...
4-12-1978 eyes. Trust me. That intro. Jerry flies!
Killer!
Haven’t finished but did they mention Dylan wrote a eulogy for JG?
Th fact that there is video of that show is just wonderful.
This show is their latest official release! Coming out Sept 20th.
The video of it is epic. Jerry windmilling it during Truckin!
They are easily the greatest American band of all time. I would also say that they were/are the most influential American band, perhaps worldwide, but the Beatles, Who, Stones, Floyd, and Kinks probably could make claims to that title. Bob Dylan would be the only possible other American option, but he is a single person, not a band. Just the sheer number of tribute bands demonstrates how influential they really were. Not even the Beatles can boast those numbers.
A very good, tightly played, underrated show is 9/8/1987 Providence RI. Many very fine, sparkling moments especially in the first set.
That JS kills 🎉
I think one thing you missed completely about Jerry and his influence is that he came of age before the whole guitar hero thing, ala Jimi or EVH. Once guitarists get past the whole super fast technical playing thing, they seem to get back to the understated melodic playing Jerry epitomized. Mayer spoke about this exact thing.
Such a great call on recommending the GD Movie version of Eyes for a beginner!! It is pure Grateful Dead in my view. I think the movie in general is a great intro for someone who wants to get into the Dead. Its both a documentary and an awesome concert experience from the band at, in my opinion, their peak. Love it.
Listen to Jerry Garcia when playing with his Solo Bands from 1972 thru 1976 - were his best and most creative years musically - Merle Saunders, Nicky Hopkins, Saxophonists Martin Fierro, Buchanan on Drums, Ronnie Tutt on Drums and of course long time bassist John Kahn
+79, 80 playing with a mesa boogie and a lot of flakes
Why do people like the Grateful Dead? A) Because they are real! B) Because they approached live performance with relentless creativity. C) Because they put improvisation and intential psychedelicness in a place of prominence and no other bands have as - effectively done this....... Start with Skull & Roses - It's GD everyone loves.
For me it's 2/11/69, 2/13/70, 5/8/70, and 8/27/72, 10/12/84, and 10/9/89. Those would be my dessert island disc Dead shows. There are a lot of good shows from '82 and '83 that shouldn't be overlooked.
I saw the GD many times. I know many people who dislike them. I can understand how the Grateful Dead is great and awful at the same time, I have a love/hate thing going with them. Eyes of the World, great song, but that song could go on endlessly and with too much noodling, the Eyes off So Many Roads box set, as you mentioned, that is really great, I believe from Long Island in 1973. beyond that, Jerry Garcia, IMO, was a great musical artist who definitely belongs in the pantheon of greats. if I need to suggest a go to album, I like the Skull & Roses live set from Fillmore East 1971
Great show and thank you for tipping your hat to Jerry. I would say you guys may want to take another pass at it though. Jerry was the man for sure but Bob Weir is among the most obscure , underrated guitar players that fit with Jerry in a totally unique way. Nobody has ever played anything like him before or since. He is a one of one. He was technically rhythm but not really.
And another thing...for people really interested in musical/lyrical COMPOSITION, not just guitar, the whole first side of Terrapin Station--a bleeping studio album, yes--is one of the masterpieces of all time--certainly of the '70s, right up there with Yes's Close To The Edge. A pinnacle of musical composition. And it's probably the last Dead album that didn't start to reek of Garcia's heroin problem. He clearly wanted to go in new directions but the Dead Family was hooked on the money the band was shoveling to them...he couldn't say No.
gotta love the Midland years
at the point where your talking about Jerry's tone, sustain, etc, it reminded me that, in my opinion, the best tone he EVER had was with the Travis Bean... and then if you look up that Cornell show, guess what guitar he's playing....
also remembered attending the early Garcia Band show at the La Poloma with Nickey Hopkins on piano; unreal!
I don’t know that I can think of the Grateful Dead and think of one song or the other, they are this entity that exists in all time and space. They manage to fit in all spaces cracks and crevices. They are outta this world and yet they created one completely new and all their own here on earth for us all to enjoy.
One other thing. David Crosby said CSNY were envious of the GD musical talent and would study how they went about making their sound. Jerry was on Teach your Children on steel peddle. Additionally, David said it best about Jerry. He was fluid, there was no distance between his brain and his fingers , as he thought, he played….. hence the noodling. If he hit an odd note he would just change direction and follow that. Total fluidity.
I think you should have spent more time talking about Jerry's wide range of guitar influences and how he pulled from all areas to capture within his playing. Hands down Jerry's versatility is unparalleled.
Grateful Dead may not be the most influential American band but they are the most American band
pretty sure at this point that they’re both… there have to be dozens if not hundreds of bands( not just GD cover bands either) currently playing/ touring that derived their name from a Grateful Dead lyric… let alone the fact they HAVE to be the most covered band these days, above Floyd or Beatles.. i’m just guessing but i KNOW the first part is true. Just one example: Dogs in a Pile is NOT a GD cover band ( they might do 1-2 Dead songs per show) and yet still they chose to take their name from a lyric in “ He’s Gone”… too many bands to count have done similar .. absolutely the most influential American band here in 2024- which is just insane.. unless you saw some GD/ JGB shows … there’s so many reasons they are so important to so many..🤷🏻
i realized i said something dumb there!👀neither Floyd nor Beatles are American bands, Obviously.. i was just thinking in terms of previously “ most-covered” bands.. but that’s still pretty spacey of me🤷🏻🙄
Yessssss. Jason!
Great podcast guys!
26:37 I believe it was Mike Gordon of Phish who said this! I can’t find the exact quote but I’m almost positive it was him
To actually answer the question, what would I play to introduce a stranger to the Grateful Dead? The sequence from 1969's Live/Dead starting with Saint Stephen, then The Eleven, on through Turn On Your Lovelight. If possible, continue on into Death Don't Have No Mercy.
Fun discussion. You both made some good points and insights. A few comments:
On Dead eras: If you listen to a lot of Dead shows from late 60s through maybe early 80's, you come to realize that the eras don't have clear boundaries. In fact, there were many micro-eras; Yes, there were tangible changes; Hart left for awhile (an improvement IMO, as it gave the very underrated Bill Kreutzman freedom to blossum), lots of new songs, they changed instruments, sound systems, and so on. But beyond that, It was more like a period of semi-continuous organic transformation, somewhat analogous to biological evolution. If you listen to just the meat of 2nd sets from '72-'74, you can almost hear the transformation happening show to show. A huge part of this was of course Garcia.
On Garcia's playing: A few things I think you missed. First is his remarkable and maybe unique ability to translate feelings, emotions, and experiences through his ax(es) and also his voice; real artistic expression. You can hear and feel joy, humor, anger, fear, sadness, confusion, or a sense of questioning wonder. Second, he often spoke about the notes he didn't play...creating spaces that allow music to breath. Finally, his playing was flawed, sometime even pretty bad....but it was as in-the-moment and creative as anybody I've heard. I love the story about a studio guy who got exasperated that Garcia would never play a take the same way twice.
Where to start? My big 3 are Cornell '77, Closing of Winterland NYE 1978 and 12/26/79 (my first show). Of the later years, '89 was a good year.
Jerry without the Dead? Garcia/Saunders at the Keystone "It's No Use". That solo gives me chills every time
Listen to Jerry Garcia when playing with his Solo Bands from 1972 thru 1976 - were his best abs creative years musically - Merle Saunders, Nicky Hopkins, Saxophonists Martin Fierro, Buchanan on Drums, Ronnie Tutt on Drums and of course long time bassist John Kahn
73-74 Dead is the best
twin towers become the wall of sound.
Wickersham, Owsley, Healy,
I’d include 72 but agree 💯
@@joshphillips9033 you’re right. I love the country Bakersfield sound in 72. I song that Hunter wrote from 70-74 are just amazingly
The 80 s were the best ever for us older Deadheads ! ❤️🐇🐰🌹☠️💀⚡️✨👻👽🪐🛸🚀💥🌛💕💜✌️
Huge fan here and honestly, the best eras are late 70's and then 88-90. Every single show from 89 is just so good. Fork to my nose....I'm an 89 guy.
Talking about the Grateful Dead and wearing a Neil Young and Crazy Horse t-shirt. Sounds good.
I've loved both of those artists for over 50 years. I was blessed to see them multiple times over those years. Thanks
There's a recording of Vince Welnick rehearsing with Jerry and going over the songs he should learn. They start talking about Terrapin, it's great. Vince says he listened to the record and Jerry chuckled and says, well there's a lot there, it's a 93 page score, you don't need all that. Just listen to a live version, that's more what we're doing.
20:39 some prime Jerry guitar on Bobby songs: The Other One, Playin', Lost Sailer, St. of Circumstance, Estimated Prophet, Minglewood Blues, Samson & Delilah Great discussion, boys. ⚡🌹🎅
Great discussion. I’m a huge Dead fan but just a glance at their family tree shows the most influential American band was The Byrds.
I never thought of Jerry in the Dead as "noodling". Yes, he could play really long lines, but they didn't just wander around with no real direction. He always knew where he was going, and there was always a point to what he was doing. And I think that was necessary in the Dead because even if he was the front man he had to share the space with five other people. So I agree with you that the melody was always a priority to him. He was a tremendously melodic player. Where I think he did a lot more "noodling" was in the JGB, where he was the main guy and everyone was there to support him. Then I often felt he would just wander off into tangents.
Do you have a link to the Grateful Dead tuning supercut you mentioned? So far I haven't found it and I really want to hear it!
The catalog is so deep. The Jimmy Buffet theory doesn’t really apply to certain artists, the Dead being one of them.
Try narrowing this to a top 8 and see look how many quality tunes are left over.
Here Comes Sunshine, Brown Eyed Women, To Lay Me Down, Wharf Rat, Loser, Deal, US Blues, Beat it on Down the Line, Box of Rain, Unbroken Chain, Althea, Sugar Magnolia, Black Throated Wind, Althea, Uncle John’s Band, Friend of the Devil, Candy Man, Doin that Rag, Duprees Diamond Blues, Dark Star, St Stephen, Franklins Tower, Let It Grow, Scarlet Begonias, Fire on the Mountain, Truckin, Mexicali Blues, Ripple, Bertha, Eyes of the World, Jack Straw, Cassidy, Stella Blue, Ramble on Rose, Tennessee Jed, Shakedown St and on and on. I can name 20 more really great songs.
I can understand why people don’t like them but the disrespect they get in some corners is undeserved. Their contribution to American music is second to noone.
And for me, I prefer 70-77. I like the early Brent era but never really could listen to much beyond 81.
Where do you start? Watch the Rockpalast video!
...With Pete Townsend?
I just saw that one. I think I saw on TV as a kid too.
Watch Jerry turn into a greedy gremlin toward the end.
Cool show.
@42:42, I'd call in.
Do you know the David Crosby album, "If I Could Only Remember My Name"?
It's a collaborative work featuring the Dead, Stills, Nash, Young, Joni Mitchell, Kantner, Slick, Freiberg, basically everybody from those scenes: Laurel Canyon, San Fran, you name it.
That album is the sleeper of the last half of the Twentieth Century.
It shall endure.
*Jerry also does some stunning pedal steel on Graham Nash's "I Used To Be a King".
If someone was to approach me & ask where they should start listening to the Grateful Dead, I would first ask them what are their own tastes & favourite genres. Given the answer I would then direct them to compare versions, both studio, earlier & later live versions. That would allow them to compare Jerry's playing & the development of jams. If only they wish to listen to Jerry in particular, I might also direct them to his work with the Jerry Garcia Band & some of his pedal guitar work with David Crosby & New Riders of the Purple Sage.
For the uninitiated, I would start with the Great Amercan Music Hall, 1976, I believe.
LOVE the Dead! JGB is fire too! i didn't get into them until i discovered the live stuff. when i was a kid people went on and on about the Dead but i didn't really care for them, because all i had heard was the studio stuff. this was way before all their stuff was available on the internet. at the local record store i never saw or noticed any live Dead albums. Live Dead is best Dead!
Postcards of a Hanging cd is all Dead doing Dylan. Great stuff.
Indeed. Strat Jerry is the best sound by far.
The correct term is "Cheesesteak". And you order it as "Whiz wit", that get's you a Cheesesteak with CheezWhiz and Onions. Just FYI. Had the great good fortune to see The Dead about 50 times, not enough but that's what I got, from 1980-1995, and all over the Eastern U.S.. Jerry and Bobby were amazing, but I also saw a lot of other great guitarists. A couple you have listed already, Neil Young, four times, and Trey Anastasio, 10 times, plus Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, Eddie Van Halen, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, Johnny Winter, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Peter Frampton, Dave "The Edge" Evans, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, David Lindley, Johnny Ramone, Ray Davies and Dave Davies, Mick Ronson, Pete Townshend, Martin Barre, Billy Gibbons, Ric Ocasik and Elliot Easton, Roy Buchanan, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Dickie Betts, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Willie Nelson, George Thorogood, Lowell George and Paul Barrere, Taj Mahal, and Joe Walsh, and quite a few more. And Jerry Garcia was my favorite.
David lee Roth & Van Halen cover'd "dancing in the streets" all the while the Dead were still doing it live .
Like anyone, you have to be in the right mood / headspace to want to hear Jerry / the Dead. Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. If I’m not in a Jerry mood… doesn’t mean he ain’t great! I guess this applies to any band or piece of music.
Personally I’m not a huge fan of 80s/90s dead, partially because the keyboard tones… “Casio” ain’t for me.
Like someone else said, they just had so many amazing tunes. A couple of my faves that weren’t mentioned
- Help on the way from dicks picks vol 33… 1976… this solo is soooo sick and unique
- Terrapin station Hartford Connecticut… what a ballad
- Studio? Dire wolf. That pedal steel sounds amazing
- Row Jimmy from fox theater… so much soul, Jerry with a slide(?)
- Kean College - after midnight > Eleanor rigby (!!) > after midnight. So many sick runs
- Fire on the mountain live at the palladium… that envelope filter… yikes!
- Ship of fools (1974) off dicks picks 12
- Mississippi half step off English town dicks picks
- wharf rat from red rocks
Ugh I could go on for daysssss. Thanks for this episode, I also loved reading the comments.
I dont think its really arguable they are the most important American band in history. Many tribute bands, STILL partnering with big brands to collab on merch, over a DOZEN shows at the sphere...There's no argument, and Jerry was a crucial component of that
Also, youve found a new subscriber!
I think you guys missed the late creative burst of songwriting creativity of the 90’s.. only live performance exist of Too Many Roads, Days Between, Lazy River Road and Liberty. This contradicts your assertion that they just were treading water or stagnant in the late late period.
One thing about the Dead is their immense captured output. So many years of so many shows, all those audience tapes, then all the board recordings, and all available to the public, including the good, bad and ugly. Plus the fundamental difference in the band's and Garcia's playing is, yes the eclectic elements, but also the improvisational approach that spawned an entire genre, the jam band. This meant that their nightly search for magic resulted in a lot of belly flops along with the beautiful swan dives and double back flips they would pull off. So... people who didn't make it to the scene back in the day might listen to one piece of it and say this sucks, and they're probably right. Even an old deadhead like myself (50-something shows 74-94) has heard some of these later warts-and-all live releases and thought Grateful Dreck. I wonder what we would think of CSNY (or whoever) if we had every bad show they ever did to hear along with the ones they carefully chose to put out. If the Dead had curated their recorded output the way other artists have, their true excellence as musicians might be more appreciated.
The Dew ending & there’s a 17 ‘ Sugaree out where he rips it.
The Grateful Dead are definitely the best American band of all time. Weir everywhere
sorry i gotta go gents. but you have to talk about Morning Dew.
Dylan and the Dead rehearsals is on YT, 5 and 1/2 hrs of Dylan and the Dead goodness. much better than the shows or official album.
I’m partial to 67-72. They were a psych rock and roll band. 73-81 is good too. But for me it’s pretty off from 81 onward. 80s 90s has a lot of midi guitar & keyboard sound’s that I don’t care for. Some good stuff to be found but it doesn’t speak to me like the first 15ish years.
@17:04 This was bout the part of the podcast where Pig threw his liquor bottle at his computer.*
* for those with current acess to time travel
VIOLA LEE BLUES: PLAY IT!
and at the end of the "arguement", where you guys are discussing the Americana genere, I agree with the "pro" that the DEAD definitely were the biggest "creator" of it, through their unique blending of folk, country blues, country, and jazz; the American songbook. Their Working Man's and American Beauty LP's brought them huge notoriety in and out of the emerging "country rock" (later dubbed "Americana") field. That the "con" arguement trys to put the Burrito Brothers (especially) on the same plane is laughable! They were good, but basically played straight country. I saw them a number of times in LA, including a thursday student body free lunch hour show at SMCC (fall of '69) where they introduced a "friend" from Oklahoma and had him come up and play a couple tunes; Leon Russel, just pre-Cocker! And remember "con" guy, Graham Nash had Jerry play steel pedal on "Teach Your Children", not Sneaky Pete, who was right there in LA. Or Rusty Miller of POCO, also in LA, who was probably the "pedalist" who was pushing the boundaries of the instrument the most back then. AND, remember that Graham Nash gifted Alligator to Jerry; not the other way around. David Crosby especially liked jamming with Jerry and other Bay Area musicians at the then state-of-the-art Wally Heider Studio....
the SF musical scene was the heart & soul of this new American blend of music (and don't forget the mostly-forgotten Quicksilver Messenger Service, early Dead buddies from the Family Dog/Haight Ashbury tribes days), and stars like CSN and others knew it, and knew that the Grateful Dead (with their unparalleled lyrisist Robert Hunter) were at the heart of that movement. ✌
there will be bands in bars playing their music from here on out
Jerry is music. Case closed.
The Grateful Dead are an aquired taste for sure. A large part of the magic IMO is dervied from actually having lived during the arc of their career. (30 yrs). Removed from the context of those times may make it difficult for new/ younger listeners to find the Dead accessible compared to bands within other chandres of music. The categorization, corporatization and commercialization of music over the last 45 yrs does a disservice to soulful bands from that era. Led by Jerry they were an embodiment of the psychedelic space cowboy American songbook and the experimental /communal times in which they lived. They were able to cross boundaries and live vocals aside, were adept at many forms of music: Folk, Country, Cowboy, Blues, Bluegrass, RocknRoll, Psychedelic, Free-form & Jazz elements. They were self taught improvational innovators and story tellers.
STUDIO:Anthem of the Sun,Workingmans Dead, American Beauty, Mars Hotel, Wake of the Flood, Blues for Allah,Terrapin Station .
LIVE: Europe 72, Bears Choice, Live Dead. Too many vault issues to mention.
Its all there. They remain 1 of the best live bands ever! Yes they could be hit or miss just like real life. Absent today's slick technology they forged ahead warts and all. For me Jerry Garcia should be remembered as one of America's great story tellers like Dylan n Guthrie. So to wrap up this long winded diatribe I say to new listeners: Research Jerry / Dead and go from there. I hope you will find something that you will enjoy. Peace n Love to all!
Another comment: While I'd agree that Cornell May '77 is a good intro to the Dead, there are better shows, not only in other years but even in that same tour (I like Dick's Picks #3 a bit better...just a few weeks later I think). A fun theory on why this show is "legendary". It was one of the few shows with high quality sound that was circulating as a bootleg tape before soundboard recordings from the Dead's vault were "leaked" and digitized en mass, and long before official CDs went on market (e.g. Dick's Picks). So, it blew people's minds and became legend because most hadn't heard all the other great shows, except for maybe a few that sound like they were recorded in a phone booth.