I don't get the whole grateful dead thing. why did a bunch of hippies get attached to a band that plays generic sounding country rock? and why do they all dance out of time to the music?
LULZ / Music
I don't get the whole grateful dead thing. why did a bunch of hippies get attached to a band that plays generic sounding country rock?
Because they could follow them around the country and have a constant supply of drugs without having to work or pay for anything. It was a lifestyle as much as a band
ok but how did they get attached to this band in the first place? They aren't even remotely psychedelic
I don't hate their music. I like some of it but it's hardly remarkable or ground breaking stuff
>They aren't even remotely psychedelic
you have listened to their live shows, right?
listening to studio dead albums is actually niche among deadheads
source: both my parents are deadheads and I grew up hearing them all the time
I've always felt that while live concert recordings are essential, some of the studio albums are quite enjoyable, while others are only good when performed live. Can't stand Terrapin Station as a studio album, but, on a good night, those songs are mind blowing when performed live.
I can smell the house you grew up in from here.
>how did they get attached to this band in the first place?
Geography mainly, they started out in San Francisco, ground zero for the west coast hippies. They were the soundtrack to the huge LSD parties thrown by the Merry Pranksters known as Acid Tests.
See
You had to have been there I guess
>They aren't even remotely psychedelic
I thought this at first, I was expecting some mind-blowing Hendrix-style pyrotechnics and solos. Their brand of psychedelia is a very subtle one, you have to sorta be in the right mood and give it time to set in.
As I said earlier, it was Anthem of The Sun that made me realize how psychedelic they really were. I've already talked about AOXOMOXOA, Live/Dead, Infra Red Roses, The Rhythm Devils Apocalypse Now Sessions, Grey Folded, and the various concert recordings between 1968-72.
>generic sounding country rock
>hardly remarkable or ground breaking stuff
>LULZ once against pretends a band widely regarded as experimental, ground-breaking, truly great, and original is actually run-of-the-mill and mundane because they've confused a couple-ten hours of experience with being an actual expert on a subject.
You can just admit you don't actually know anything about music, music history, or Grateful Dead. It's okay. Absolutely no one besides teen-agers and people with the mentality of teen-agers experts you to be an expert on everything you enjoy.
It's okay to admit you're actually a total novice and barely more than an initiate when it comes to music. In fact, it's infinitely better to admit that than pretend you're some hidden sage with wisdom beyond your experience, because it's painfully fucking obvious that you are absolutely are not.
Don't make the same mistake of OP and the anon you're responding to, by rushing to judgement.
There are many of us, myself included, who thought The Grateful Dead were nothing bout stoner country rock, until, thorough our own personal experiences decided to get out of our comfort zones, and explore FURTHER.
The band didn't click with me until I heard Anthem Of The Sun for the very first time. It was then, and only then that I "Got it".
>without having to work or pay for anything
how did they do that, trust funds?
Actually, although it was a struggle a lot of times, your average Dead Head made money by being creative. Lots of people sold food, home made one of a kind t-shirts, artwork, and other various creations of sorts. Also, if you went on tour and attended enough concerts long enough, you got to know people, and make friends who would help you out in a pinch. It really was very much an insular community unto itself.
This. After Hippies faded into obscurity as a mainstream movement in the mid 70's, The Grateful Dead were the last bastion of mainstream Hippie culture, so they just obsessively followed the band. It's more of a lifestyle than a band at this point.
>They aren't even remotely psychedelic
Hey, Aoxomoxoa is a psychedelic rock album! A bad one except for St. Stephen, but it still counts.
Dude. China Cat. Discovered Krazy Kat Komix as a result.. generally better live.
As the old joke goes, who are The Grateful Dead, and why do they keep following me around the country?
And as far as AOXOMOXOA is concerned, have you ever heard the original 1969 version? It's definitely better than the 1971 remix, and a bit more psychedelic. Also, Live/Dead, and Anthem of The Sun are worth checking out. (I've already talked about the other psychedelic excursions, and don't want to be repetitious)
So goes the myth, but seasoned tour-heads and road dogs will tell you different.
Don't believe everything you hear in a Frank Zappa song.
not a hippy or druggie but i like the greatful dead because they're a jam band
its kinda how i play (sometimes) just making shit up noodling as a guitarist, idk i guess its relatable from that perspective, it's just fun to play like that, fun to hear sometimes
On a good night, Jerry knew exactly what he was doing.
Acid, lots of acid.
BUT, WAIT! THERE'S MORE.....
It is obvious that you haven't really heard too much Grateful Dead.
If you want the full blown psychedelic experience, you should listen to Anthem of The Sun (Both 1968 and 1971 versions), AOXOMOXOA, (Original 1969 version is preferable, but the 1971 version is also good), and LIVE/DEAD, then you'll understand what the psychedelic hoopla is al about. I didn't think they were psychedelic either until I heard Anthem of The Sun. Also try to secure some concert recordings between 1968-1972. The live versions of these songs can get pretty out there at times. The one show at Ken Kesey's farm is pretty gone. And you might want to investigate The Vault series as well as Dick's Picks. And, even into the 80s and 90s, during the second set the drums/space segments could be quite trippy. In conclusion, I would also recommend Infra Red Roses, The Rhythm Devils Apocalypse Now Sessions, and Grey Folded by Jon Oswald.
You want psychedelic? You GOT IT!
Drugs and community and liking the band.
Drugs aren't as much of a prerequisite as one might think.
There are many fans who don't do drugs, and many who have cleaned up their act.
On the other hand, you do you.
they were one of the first bands to be affiliated with LSD and psychedelia because of the kool aid parties or whatever, look it up.
grateful dead are amazing but they never really scratched that psych itch for me either, i don't know, i don't do acid so maybe it makes more sense on that.
Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Ade Acid test is a good book to read about The Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey's LSD parties before LSD was outlawed.
To a lesser extent, Living With The Dead by their former manager, Rock Skully goes into details about the so called "Acid Tests" along with the time they moved to L.A. and live with Stanford "Bear" Owsley who had the reputaion of making the best LSD on the west coast throughout the 1960s, but I would take certain things that Rock Skully said with a grain of salt.
I was always confused by this as well.
It was probably a "you had to be there" type of thing. My band plays some dead songs, I was resistant to them at first (and honestly I never listen to them) but they are fun to play and get people dancing.
>It was probably a "you had to be there" type of thing
In many ways it was, and still is, but, even though you can't recapture the past, there are many true believers out there who still keep the vibe going as best they can. There's still Dead and Company, Micky Hart's Planet Drum, and Phil Lesh, either with Phil and Friends or Terrapin Family Band. Phish also do a good job at keeping the vibe going, (Please NO COMMENTS from Phish haters) and there's also MOE, Widespread Panic, and The String Cheese Incident. I'd see Dead and Company if Phil was part of it, but I'd rather see Phil Lesh, with either line up. Micky's project is also good, but it's an acquired taste.
ground breaking sound system + prevalent drugs = blowing boomers fucking minds
As I said, drugs aren't necessary to enjoy the music, but you are right about their sound system. Almost all live concert sound systems used in stadiums and arenas are the result with Stanford Owsley coming up with "The Wall of Sound". Yes, next time you go to an outdoor concert, weather it be a huge music fest, or at a stadium, arena, and/or ampitheater, you can thank The Grateful Dead for pioneering that field.
If you're basing your opinion on The Grateful Dead's music because you're only familiar with Workingman's Dead, and American Beauty, The Grateful Dead are a lot more varied in musical styles than country rock.
You should listen to more Grateful Dead before drawing any conclusions.
Did you ever attend an actual Grateful Dead concert when Jerry was alive? They were lots of FUN, even on a bad night, one could still have a good time.
And as for the dancing out of time to the music, well, they're just having fun. They're not hurting anybody. Leave them hippie dancers alone.
iunno, I'd join in on that if someone offered. What part sounds so disagreeable to you that hippies would share your view? Whoops I forgot, you don't care, you just felt wanted to feel better than something for a moment. I think they dance out of time because of how all the drugs and rubato fun melted the part of their brains responsible for motor functions and safe sex.
As I said, they dancers are just having fun.
Hey, nobody's expecting an Arthur Murrey or Fred Astair at a show. Not even Gene Kelly.
[log in to view media]
theyre havin fun taking crazy drugs!
Hijacking the thread to say that the Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station Medley deserves to be considered one of the great prog epics up there with Supper’s Ready and 2112 and whatever else.
If you're going to bring up Rush, and make those kinds of comparisons, then the first half of Hemispheres belongs in that category.
[log in to view media]
I'm gonna keep posting this til I find what I'm looking for...
This might not be the right place to request this, but since this is a Grateful Dead thread, I thought I would ask for people's help.
I'm looking for a download of a compilation bootleg called The Birth of Grateful Dead. (NOT to be confused with the official release entitled Birth of The Dead)
This came out in the early 1990s on the "Unbelievable Music" label with the number UM 033.
It has early studio recordings from 1966, I believe. I don't know if they were The Grateful Dead yet, or still The Warlocks. Also on this bootleg is an outtake from AOXOMOXOA called "The Grateful Dead Meets The Mothers of Invention" (On other studio bootlegs, I've seen this piece under the title Barbed Wire Whipping Party. It's basically a recording of the band huffing nitrus oxide while a group of people in the background chant "Give me my meat") It also has Micky's "Rap" version of Fire On The Mountain, a rather nice studio version of Mason's Children, and one of the few and rare Lovelight performances where Janis Joplin joins Pig Pen.
Any help in finding a download would be appreciated.
I have a friend who think they don't like The Grateful Dead because they've met nothing but the stereotypical "Drop LSD and save the world" type of head, and thinks all Grateful Dead are Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, and I just KNOW that if they heard this bootleg, they would instantly change their mind.
Again, any help in tracking down a download would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
And now,.... a PUZZLE
Can you spot the mistake made in this artist's rendition mock up poster?
not on soulseek?
Soulseek does not work for me.
unironically CIA mindcontrol. ever notice Deadheads say "maaannnn you have to hear it live to understand it". Listen to a GD recording sober and it is boring shit. And I can appreciate basically every kind of music, except GD.
They plied the audiences with acid, and the guy who built the Grateful Dead's state of the art never before seen sound systems back in the day was working on audio weapons and sonic crowd and mind control for the CIA
the "Manufacturing the Deadhead" video has been removed, but here is a similar one from the same guys
this shit really pisses off deadheads because they like to think they are counterculture and STICKING IT TO THE MAN, but they were created and cultivatedby The Man
[log in to view media]
As a musician, I have listened to The Grateful Dead sober, and they are just as enjoyable, so there goes your bullshit theory.
Also your video is nothing but conjecture, innuendo, and speculation, if even that.
Now please stop with these "CIA Circus Music" type of posts, because, frankly, it's old, it's worn out, and we're all rather sick and tired of the same bullshit over and over again.
Or, as Jerry sang in New Speedway Boogie, PLEASE DON'T DOMINATE THE RAP, JACK, IF YOU'VE GOT NOTHING NEW TO SAY...
I've never done recreational drugs but Live/Dead should be recognized as one of the best live albums ever
Side four is my favorite.
>generic sounding country rock
it wasn't generic then
>why do they all dance out of time to the music?
because they're on drugs
>because they're on drugs
these people don't look high. they just look obnoxious
[log in to view media]
I fucking hate hippies.
When you do drugs anything is entertaining