Grateful Dead

Evans wrote: Jim Garten wrote: Jim Garten wrote: OK - just got them & now listening to 'Dark Star' from "Live Dead"; very good initial impression. Not unlike The Allman Brothers in full on jamming mode... Hmmm - I may have spoken too soon - 'Live Dead', although it does have its moments, especially the rambling blues of "Death Don't Have No Mercy", does go on a bit, doesn't it? I take back the Allman Brothers comparison, too - they had structure in their jams, but GD... well, they just seem like a bunch of guys playing around a bit, and to be honest, I don't even find their musicianship of a particularly good quality. I've now started listening to 'Workingman's Dead', and thus far, I have to say (although more structured & tighter than 'Live Dead'), it's just... ...dreary. I shall continue.      How's it working, Jim? :)

Er - not well at all, actually...

I gave these three 'iconic' albums a damned good listen & went back & revisited the other three albums; I just cannot do it - whatever it is they do, it just doesn't flick my switch.

All albums now sold on Amazon.

I failed.
    

The best place to start are the Dick's Picks or some good boots if they're available. The band is best experienced when listening to a live performance. The 6-CD mammoth set Dick's Picks Volume 29 captures two performances from May '77 that are just on fire.

Jim Garten wrote: Jim Garten wrote: OK - just got them & now listening to 'Dark Star' from "Live Dead"; very good initial impression. Not unlike The Allman Brothers in full on jamming mode... Hmmm - I may have spoken too soon - 'Live Dead', although it does have its moments, especially the rambling blues of "Death Don't Have No Mercy", does go on a bit, doesn't it? I take back the Allman Brothers comparison, too - they had structure in their jams, but GD... well, they just seem like a bunch of guys playing around a bit, and to be honest, I don't even find their musicianship of a particularly good quality. I've now started listening to 'Workingman's Dead', and thus far, I have to say (although more structured & tighter than 'Live Dead'), it's just... ...dreary. I shall continue.

How's it working, Jim? :)

the icon of sin wrote: There's no doubt that their albums between 1974 and 77 are progressive

That's amazing news, since all I have of theirs is that mammoth boxset that covers the period between 1965-1973.  Looks like I've got some great music to explore in the future! 

Reading this thread I've decided to give them another chance - looking around, I managed to find a 3 CD set of 'Live Dead', 'Working Man's Dead' and 'American Beauty' for £5 (thank you Amazon) - these are all albums which individually had 5 star ratings (I had to have a damned good trawl, as there are so many releases out there); so, let's see how I (a non Dead-Head) get on, eh?

Terrapin! Terrapin!

The Grateful Dead are one of those bands my younger self thought I should be into; then I heard some...


...don't get it.

I dont get the adulation, I don't get the praise heaped upon the late Jerry Garcia (good guitarist, sure, but nothing special) & I don't get their iconic status.

As far as I see it from hearing several albums, and owning a couple myself (Mars Hotel, Steal Your Face, Blues For Allah), they're a good band, but nothing exceptional, bluesy, west-coast country-rock - nothing challenging (apart from staying awake during one of the 5 hour noodling sessions they called 'concerts'); in fact, in my opinion, they rate as highly as Earth does in the Hitchhikers Guide:

"Mostly Harmless"

Sorry.

if any of the so-called 'jam bands' (Umphrey's McGee, String Cheese Incident, The Grateful Dead, m.o.e., etc...) should be in a rightful sub-genre of prog, it should be Phish (prog-related, according to this site) who are, IMHO, are more prog than any of the bands i mentioned (even UMcG, who are listed as jazz-rock/fusion)

^^ If you also mean "West", the only other bands I know as West coast are Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, and The Doors. The style is probably accociated with this: http://www.answers.com/topic/psychedelia (look at the Wikipedia section). Probably mostly because of San Fransisco connection.

Asyte2c00 wrote: Yes Prog Related   If Jefferson Airplane is in PA, you must have Grateful Dead in PA as well.    You cannot have one without the other.