Grateful Dead

pirlo21pirlo21 Posts: 534
edited May 2007 in Other Music
Just bought 'The Very Best of Grateful Dead' on Saturday.
Can't believe it's taken me so long!!
Great stuff. If I invest in a studio album, is 'American Beauty' the place to start?
Cymru Am Byth

PJ albums, at the moment!! -
1,Vs 2,Vitalogy 3,No Code 4,Yield 5,Ten 6,Backspacer, 7Pearl Jam 8,Binaural 9,Riot Act.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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  • stay away from the studio stuff and go with a dicks pick
    I don't want to be hostile. I don't want to be dismal. But I don't want to rot in an apathetic existance either.
  • IndifferenceIndifference Posts: 2,721
    stay away from the studio stuff and go with a dicks pick

    Exactly.

    SHOW COUNT: (164) 1990's=3, 2000's=53, 2010/20's=108, US=118, CAN=15, Europe=20 ,New Zealand=4, Australia=5
    Mexico=1, Colombia=1 



  • transplanttransplant Posts: 1,088
    stay away from the studio stuff and go with a dicks pick
    please take this advice.
  • upina2001upina2001 Indiana Posts: 764
    Dont get studio Dead.
    "Dozin at the Knick" is pretty fucking good live show.

    Toledo, Ohio (September 22, 1996), East Troy, Wisconsin (June 26, 1998), Noblesville, Indiana (August 17, 1998), Noblesville, Indiana (August 18, 2000), Cincinnati, Ohio (August 20, 2000), Columbus, Ohio (August 21, 2000), Nashville, Tennessee (April 18, 2003), Champaign, Illinois (April 23, 2003), Noblesville, Indiana (June 22, 2003), Chicago, Illinois (May 16, 2006), Chicago, Illinois (August 05, 2007), West Palm Beach, Florida (June 11, 2008), Tampa, Florida (June 12, 2008), Columbus, OH (May 06, 2010), Noblesville, Indiana (May 07, 2010), Wrigley Field (July 19, 2013), US Bank Arena (October 01, 2014), Lexington (April 26, 2016), Chicago Night 2 (August 20, 2018), Boston Night 1 (September 02, 2018), Nashville (September 16, 2022), St. Louis (September 18, 2022)

  • pirlo21pirlo21 Posts: 534
    Cheers guys. Been looking into it on amazon. Sounds like a good idea.
    Although, I'm not quite sure where to start! May get more familiar with the tracks of the 'Best Of' album first.
    Thanks again.
    Cymru Am Byth

    PJ albums, at the moment!! -
    1,Vs 2,Vitalogy 3,No Code 4,Yield 5,Ten 6,Backspacer, 7Pearl Jam 8,Binaural 9,Riot Act.
  • pirlo21 wrote:
    Just bought 'The Very Best of Grateful Dead' on Saturday.
    Can't believe it's taken me so long!!
    Great stuff. If I invest in a studio album, is 'American Beauty' the place to start?

    they have a few compilations out these days...when i was starting to learn the songs i bought "the best of the grateful dead...what a long strange trip it's been". its a great way to get to know the songs, but like everyone says once you get past that, the real beauty lies in their live shows.

    http://www.archive.org for live shows

    here's the track listing to the cd i bought, as described above:
    1. New, New Minglewood Blues
    2. Cosmic Charlie
    3. Truckin'
    4. Black Peter
    5. Born Cross-Eyed
    6. Ripple
    7. Doin' That Rag
    8. Dark Star
    9. High Time
    10. New Speedway Boogie
    Disc: 2
    1. St. Stephen
    2. Jack Straw
    3. Me & My Uncle
    4. Tennessee Jed
    5. Cumberland Blues
    6. Playing in the Band
    7. Brown-Eyed Woman
    8. Ramble on Rose
  • Get_RightGet_Right Posts: 13,247
    GET EUROPE 72'
    NOW!

    best offcial release IMHO

    The "pure jerry" releases are also very good
  • Gremmie95Gremmie95 Posts: 749
    The Arista years compilation is great as well.
  • pirlo21 wrote:
    If I invest in a studio album, is 'American Beauty' the place to start?


    Yes,,,, that's the one! That album is a masterpiece to me!
    I was a deadhead before most peeps on this board were born. :D
    I bought their first one when it came out.

    American Beauty was still the original lineup with some added friends, and it came out after Phil Lesh's dad died and the band's manager absconded with all their money, and they were busted in New Orleans. (Busted, down on Bourbon street :) )
    The first song, Box of Rain is for his dad and such a beautiful song.

    Attics of my life is one of the great Dead songs, too.
    Their harmonies were at their peak on this album. It's laid back and it's on my player right now, since I saw this thread! :D


    I like Wake of the Flood, too, and Workingman's Dead as studio albums, too.

    Live was their forte, though, there is so much it's hard to even start, but Europe '72 is a classic.
    Reckoning is good, too! It's a live show acoustic on CD.
    Dick's Picks also have some great sounding shows.

    Otherwise,,,,, you'll have to peruse the 7 trillion live show archives. :D

    Among several things to thank the Grateful Dead for:

    Better live sound. They always were putting together the best sound systems that they could, as they wanted their fans to have the best experience available. Bands like Pink Floyd and the Stones also did, too, and followed the Dead's lead.

    Better ways to record shows in the audience. They always allowed people to tape shows, and had "taper" sections later at their live venues where you could plug right into the soundboard.

    Bongo sales.. Haha, I've never seen so many people sitting playing bongos as before a Dead show! :)
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9OrGhedsrg

    They removed the televised version, but this is them singing the national anthem on opening day in Candlestick Park. It's hard to nail that song! :cool:
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
  • merkinballmerkinball Posts: 2,262
    There are quite a few good studio albums. American Beauty and Workingman's Dead are the place to start, make sure you get the remastered editions with extra tracks, much better than the original pressings. Wake of the Flood is good, as is From The Mars Hotel and In The Dark.

    As for Live Albums, the Dicks Picks are good, you can also download a bunch of live (audience recordings) from Archive.org. There are a number of live releases that aren't Dicks Picks - Live Dead, Reckoning, Go To Nassau, Hundred Year Hall, Without A Net, One From the Vault and Two From the Vault - That are really good as well.

    Hell, anything with a long Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On the Mountain or China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider is worth picking up.
    "You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.

    http://www.last.fm/user/merkinball/
    spotify:user:merkinball
  • merkinballmerkinball Posts: 2,262
    Among several things to thank the Grateful Dead for:

    Better live sound. They always were putting together the best sound systems that they could, as they wanted their fans to have the best experience available. Bands like Pink Floyd and the Stones also did, too, and followed the Dead's lead.

    Better ways to record shows in the audience. They always allowed people to tape shows, and had "taper" sections later at their live venues where you could plug right into the soundboard.

    Bongo sales.. Haha, I've never seen so many people sitting playing bongos as before a Dead show! :)

    You forgot parking lot Veggie Burritos. MMMM!
    "You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.

    http://www.last.fm/user/merkinball/
    spotify:user:merkinball
  • Gremmie95Gremmie95 Posts: 749
    China Cat Sunflower......amazing song!
  • pjambamapjambama Posts: 126
    dead head here. one of my favorite bands other than pearl jam
  • pjambamapjambama Posts: 126
    c what u think of this. grateful dead 24x7 including live performances from the band’s own archives, bootleg performances from fans, previously unreleased recordings, and even shows hosted by members of the band. The channel is expected to launch this summer.

    We have fans who've driven hundreds of miles to see us,” said Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. "Now you can save on greenhouse gas emissions with Sirius without driving a mile

    "Listen up, and listen good,” said Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, who currently fronts his own band, RatDog.

    http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=411112
  • TrixieCatTrixieCat Posts: 5,756
    merkinball wrote:
    You forgot parking lot Veggie Burritos. MMMM!
    And free hugs! :)
    Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
    And I don't feel right when you're gone away
  • kdpjamkdpjam Posts: 2,303
    i luv the grateful dead. i should watch my dvd live @ winterland again soon.
    lay down all thoughts; surrender to the void
    ~it is shining it is shining~
  • Uh,

    I'd have to give the thread starter a nod and say American Beauty IS the place to start ... and i would pick Hundred Year Hall as a first live release. ;)

    Beyond that, i'd also suggest sticking to early Dead ... pre '72 to get your feet warmed to them ... after around '72 (or see the Europe '72 disc) ... they had this obnoxious wench of a wife of their keyboardist singing ... and she ruins just about everything her voice touched ...
    If I was to smile and I held out my hand
    If I opened it now would you not understand?
  • adam42381adam42381 Kernersville, NC Posts: 2,515
    I'm one of the few who loves the self-titled 1968 album.
    I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me.
    __________________________________________________________
    Shameless beer-related plugs:
    Instagram/Twitter/Untappd: FtMyersBeerGuy
  • patrickredeyespatrickredeyes Posts: 8,834
    American Beauty is one of my favs of the dead. I wish I would have heard Ripple live. Jerry's voice in that song is so soothing. I picked up the five disk soundtrack from the Grateful Dead movie. :)
  • merkinballmerkinball Posts: 2,262
    Beyond that, i'd also suggest sticking to early Dead ... pre '72 to get your feet warmed to them ... after around '72 (or see the Europe '72 disc) ... they had this obnoxious wench of a wife of their keyboardist singing ... and she ruins just about everything her voice touched ...

    Yeah, but when Keith died and Donna left, they picked up Brent Mydland, who I thought added a lot to their sound. Most of the mid late 80's live output is good. Studio wise, it was pretty scary (Go To Heaven anyone?)
    "You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.

    http://www.last.fm/user/merkinball/
    spotify:user:merkinball
  • patrickredeyespatrickredeyes Posts: 8,834
    merkinball wrote:
    Yeah, but when Keith died and Donna left, they picked up Brent Mydland, who I thought added a lot to their sound. Most of the mid late 80's live output is good. Studio wise, it was pretty scary (Go To Heaven anyone?)



    The album cover to ''Go To Heaven'' is a good one. :D

    Brent's voice was perfect with the dead's songs. It's still sad about Vince taking his own life last yr.
  • patrickredeyespatrickredeyes Posts: 8,834
    Uh,

    I'd have to give the thread starter a nod and say American Beauty IS the place to start ... and i would pick Hundred Year Hall as a first live release. ;)

    Beyond that, i'd also suggest sticking to early Dead ... pre '72 to get your feet warmed to them ... after around '72 (or see the Europe '72 disc) ... they had this obnoxious wench of a wife of their keyboardist singing ... and she ruins just about everything her voice touched ...


    Wow your the first person I've heard that didn't like Donna. I love the boots and tapes with her singing.



    ''Fallout from the Phil Zone'' is a great double disk of some of Phil's fav songs. Good stuff :D
  • culot4culot4 Posts: 775

    ... they had this obnoxious wench of a wife of their keyboardist singing ... and she ruins just about everything her voice touched ...

    That is just nonsense.

    I'm real close to getting hooked up with Sirius now that the Dead have their own station.
    Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
  • patrickredeyespatrickredeyes Posts: 8,834
  • moeaholicmoeaholic Posts: 535
    personally, i'd stay away from studio albums and get live ones only. but if you're dead set on a studio album, you can't go wrong with american beauty.
    "PC Load Letter?! What the fuck does that mean?"
    ~Michael Bolton
  • taratara Posts: 293
    pirlo21 wrote:
    Just bought 'The Very Best of Grateful Dead' on Saturday.
    Can't believe it's taken me so long!!
    Great stuff. If I invest in a studio album, is 'American Beauty' the place to start?


    alright, you've probably bought something by now, but i really needed to throw in my 2 cents on this one, american beauty is a good album, but it's way too clean, and the songs are all like 3 minutes long, it was made for the radio, and is completly not representative of the dead. go with dick's picks or stuff from the vault, or if you feel like dancing go for fallout from the phil zone, or the 2/11/69 shows from the fillmore, or pretty much anything that's not studio, i just downloaded europe '72 the other day, it's pretty fuckin awsome, although i was a bit disapointed to learn that they overdubbed some vocals and stuff afterwards
    No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.
    Albert Einstein
  • jdub3001jdub3001 Posts: 194
    Wow your the first person I've heard that didn't like Donna. I love the boots and tapes with her singing.
    Really? I don't mind her singing, but I'm not a huge fan of hers. A lot of my friends that are deadheads can't stand her though. I have one buddy that will actually leave parties if someone plays a show with Donna singing....

    But to the OP - I think American Beauty is their best studio recording, hands down.
  • merkinballmerkinball Posts: 2,262
    Wow your the first person I've heard that didn't like Donna. I love the boots and tapes with her singing.

    Count me in as #2. Not a big fan of Donnas work with the dead. Too much off key wailing over the music.

    And on a side note, I'd be happy to never hear another boot with a cover of Dancin' in the Streets on it.
    "You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.

    http://www.last.fm/user/merkinball/
    spotify:user:merkinball
  • taratara Posts: 293
    merkinball wrote:
    Count me in as #2. Not a big fan of Donnas work with the dead. Too much off key wailing over the music.


    arg, same, she bothers me so much, what was the band thinking
    No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.
    Albert Einstein
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