Wrong Impressions of The Grateful Dead

[JKL2000]

Do those of you who like The Grateful Dead get this a lot? Very often if someone who's not familiar with the Dead hears that I like them, they'll say something like "I didn't know YOU liked The Grateful Dead," and if they should HEAR some Grateful Dead music, they'll say something like "THIS is The Grateful Dead?" They seem to expect, for some reason, that the band's music is going to sound like Black Metal or something. They're really surprised that the band is more of a folk/jazz/Americana type band. Even if they heard one of the trippy-er or more proggy albums, they're still suprised to find it's far more musical and accessible than they expected. I guess it comes from getting, overall, very little radio play and not being used in movies or anything like that. And also from the band not needing to market itself much.

[Sean]

Yes, but I get the same thing about prog. I mentioned it to a girl at work and she is like "that's the stuff people in Colorado listen to, isn't it?" as if you need to be stoned to like this stuff. I explained if anything you might wanna have your wits about you when you listen, that this music is stuff you actively listen to, not wallpaper while you work out or whatever. She looked perplexed. Then I went into a rant about stereotypes. She is a country fan so I told her I just figured all country was for inbred rednecks that live in trailers. I am not sure she got my point but I enjoyed making it.

As for the Dead. Yeah, many assume they were just a bunch of stoned hippes that could barely play. Then you play them Blues for Allah tracks and they kinda shit, all while eating crow.

[tom unbound]

The only Dead album I have is Terrapin Station. Love it, it's amazing, I play it quite often actually. But I can't stand any of their other albums, only good for shingling an outhouse I say.
Why is that ??
They're great musicians,a great party band,really popular, but .... I just don't like them.Sorry.
I think most people have a sort of prejudicial impression against them because they only see the burned-out-stoned-out-drugged-out-dead heads. Superficial stereotyping at its worst. They need to hear the music, and don't tell them who it is before playing it !

Bands on the edge always create the 'wrong' imperssion.
Tangerine Dream
Black Sabbath
Rolling Stones
Alice Cooper
Hawkwind

[rapidfirerob]

I liked them until Pigpen died. Fairly boring for the most part after that, with some exceptions. I saw them once when Pigpen was too ill to play. They played for 4.5 hours. I enjoyed about a half hour of it. I went with a Dead Head friend of mine who fell asleep. I understand their performances were inconsistent. I do love Jazz Is Dead though.

[spellbound]

Lyricist Robert Hunter's famous quote regarding the Dead song "Cumberland Blues:"

"The best compliment I ever had on a lyric was from an old guy who'd worked at the Cumberland mine. He said: "I wonder what the guy who wrote this song would've thought if he'd ever known something like the Grateful Dead was gonna do it.""

Rarely has a band been more unjustly stereotyped because of its name.

[Trane]

Yes, but I get the same thing about prog. I mentioned it to a girl at work and she is like "that's the stuff people in Colorado listen to, isn't it?" as if you need to be stoned to like this stuff. I explained if anything you might wanna have your wits about you when you listen, that this music is stuff you actively listen to, not wallpaper while you work out or whatever. She looked perplexed. Then I went into a rant about stereotypes. She is a country fan so I told her I just figured all country was for inbred rednecks that live in trailers. I am not sure she got my point but I enjoyed making it.

You didn't mean to denigrate those who like country music....

Oh yeah!! For the record: denigrate means "to put down"

As for the Dead. Yeah, many assume they were just a bunch of stoned hippes that could barely play. Then you play them Blues for Allah tracks and they kinda shit, all while eating crow.

Yeah, the stoned-out San Fran aura keep sticking to them... But having seen them 7 times, I always came out wasted from their concerts... no energy left after 4 hours of dancing to RnR....

[Jerjo]

I tried and tried to get into the Dead. I've got a few friends that were Dead Heads and have had so many cassettes pressed into my hands with the fevered promise "this one's gonna do it for you man." And every time I heard the same thing - a band locked into that mid-tempo swaying hippie rhythm with plenty of noodling but not nearly enough dynamics to merit the song length. I like my rock with either some raw edge, power, and dynamics. A 15 minute song at the same drugged tempo was just a waste of time for me.

Now some of the singles (not that this was a singles band) work for me: Casey Jones, Touch of Grey, Friend of the Devil but the heart of the band, the live stuff, does not work for me in the slightest. When you cut your teeth on the big British bands it's really hard to listen to a live show where the band never gets the songs going about a slow steady trot.

[Baribrotzer]

They showed frustrating glimpses of greatness, among all that sloppy noodling the Deadheads just go berzerk for:

- The borderline prog of Terrapin Station and Blues for Allah had their moments, as did a number of Bob Weir's songs.

- Live, there'd be the occasional flash of improvisational brilliance, when they were actually all on the same page

rather than stumbling in half-a-dozen directions.

- And on record, they could be a good, solid, eclectic, and interestingly non-purist blues/country/folk/rock hybrid, whose best songs

genuinely managed to add to the canon of Americana instead of just copying the greats. Not my favorite style, but they did it well. Workingman's Dead is a classic of that sort.

[AcousticWalden]

They covered a lot of ground over the years, some great music, when they were on they were excellent. But when they were on an off night, they sucked big time. Dark Star, Terrapin and acoustic 70s are some favorites

[scags]

I couldn't imagine anyone thinking they were metal- they're too well known. I can imagine most people thinking they were a bunch of boring hippies that couldn't sing or play in tune.

[JKL2000]

Scags, I agree that they are very well known by name, but as Spellbound implies, there are a lot of people who are expecting some kind of menacing music rather than bluesy Americana. I'm talking about misperceptions because of the band's name.

[trurl]

I can imagine most people thinking they were a bunch of boring hippies that couldn't sing or play in tune.

That's certainly what I think Terrapin Station excepted.

[Reid]

There's some good stuff on the massive 1990 tour box. Unfortunately they didn't include it on the more affordable 2 CD sampler.

[Facelift]

They seem to expect, for some reason, that the band's music is going to sound like Black Metal or something.

I can't say that I've never had this happen, but it never involved anybody over the age of 18.

[Rael]

For me, The Grateful Dead are probably the greatest American rock and roll band. Many of their songs are quite accessible and when they were "on" as many of their live releases show, they were simply magical. The Dead's music encompassed so many influences and was so eclectic, I'm surprised more proggers don't like them. It's too bad they will always be the band that everyone associates with hippies and LSD.

[Baribrotzer]

The Dead's music encompassed so many influences and was so eclectic, I'm surprised more proggers don't like them.

I can only speak for myself, but -

- The idea of the Dead always seemed far better than the reality, at least to me.

- Too much hokey C&W, too much watered-down blues.

- They tended to be unbelievably sloppy live.

- Rhythmically, they constantly fell into that characteristic Dead schlip-schlop-shuffle, which sounded like

everybody in the band was trying to play further behind the beat than anybody else.

[Rixx]

I keep coming back to this show (Cornell 77), the sound qual is great, as are the performances..if it's meant to be..then this should do it for you...it just has an 'IT' factor.

I'll point you to Jerry's solo in 'Loser'...I've heard many many versions of this song, and something about the 'pinch harmonics' of this version does it for me...this song drips with emotion..and if you like bass..Phil Lesh is killing it all night here..

http://archive.org/details/gd77-05-0...982.sbeok.shnf

If you dont know the dead archives site..it's incredible..over 8000 shows on here!...what a gift...all free..

[Trane]

Scags, I agree that they are very well known by name, but as Spellbound implies, there are a lot of people who are expecting some kind of menacing music rather than bluesy Americana. I'm talking about misperceptions because of the band's name.

that's exactly it... Some people would link it to Cannibal Corpse or sometjhing of that lk

[MudShark22]

I keep coming back to this show (Cornell 77), the sound qual is great, as are the performances..if it's meant to be..then this should do it for you...it just has an 'IT' factor.

For me, back in 1991; it was Cornell '77 that finally made me a Dead fan instead of a critic.
I will go on to say that it is now 'not' my fave show; but it was the catalyst to collecting shows and attending the final few tours.

[Rixx]

For me, back in 1991; it was Cornell '77 that finally made me a Dead fan instead of a critic.
I will go on to say that it is now 'not' my fave show; but it was the catalyst to collecting shows and attending the final few tours.

What are some of your other fave's MudShark? I'm really into soundboard from the 10/10/82 show from the Archive Site..TONS of energy this night.
I'm also really digging the stuff the 'Europe '72' record.

[Vic2012]

Never been into this band. I've never really tried either but maybe I'll get into them someday. My only exposure to them was growing up (in San Francisco no less). My older brother was the first Dead Head I ever met. He was fanatical about them so I'm sure I heard all their early albums as a kid. I always loved those album covers too. My brother was into the whole psychelic scene at the time but then they went "Country." I think the first one that was a complete departure from the psychedelic era was "American Beauty" or "Working Man's Dead" (I forget wich one, I could look it up). I figure my brother would jump ship after that. Nope. He loved 'em even more.

[jupiter0rjapan]

I am a fan, but not a fanatic. I think many people associate them with loose jamming and sloppy playing, but that is hardly the band I fell in love with. It was however the band they became later in life. There were certain eras of the band that really appeal to me, a lot of them earlier in their time. Pigpen era is great. I think the first peak was the "Live Dead" album and other shows from those years. Unlike other times this was a well oiled machine of a band, able to pull off twists and turns, tight vocal harmonies and still rumble some great blues tunes.

Then you have the Workingman's Dead era, stripped down, folksy and focused on great songs. BTW, Great songs is the main thing that sets GD from the jam band children they spawned. In order to jam a tune for a while, it better have a great tune to hang that jam on or it is pointless.

I'm cool with the live stuff (though Donna could be annoying after she joined) later on. Some albums were very weak. Blues For Allah and Terrapin Station are pretty awesome. Shakedown Street and Go To Heaven sounded very stiff, though live many of those tracks kicked ass.

Brent was a great addition to the band, but the band in general got looser and looser live, and some shows were so pathetic and sloppy they were hard to take for me. When they were on, they still could kick ass. I wish Brent would have lived and went to join Gov't Mule or a band like that. He would have kicked ass in a situation like that. After Brent's death, The band was broken, and Jerry struggled so much I couldn't bear to watch them anymore.

[CybrKhatru]

Sure, there's lots of examples of sloppy playing and loose noodly jams in their repertoire, especially for a band that is so well-documented. But when they're on, there's no one like them.

The thing I love about the Dead are the songs. (Yes, Virginia, there are bonafide songs under all that collective schtuff!)

[Planechant]

I can't say that I've never had this happen, but it never involved anybody over the age of 18.

My ex-mother-in-law, around 1990, I'm playing the CD, she picks it up and enunciates in a sort caricatured way: "The Grateful DEAD. The GRATEful Dead. The GrateFUL Dead."

[Planechant]

I can only speak for myself, but -

everybody in the band was trying to play further behind the beat than anybody else.

Brilliant.