Grateful Dead

What do they believe? What do you think? Talk about religion as it exists today.

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John2
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Re: Grateful Dead

Post by John2 »

There's an interesting interview with John Mayer about his conversion to the Dead in a link on the above Wikipedia page that's worth excerpting.

You discovered the Dead in 2011, how?

I think Pandora was to thank. It was kind of a blind taste test -- a station that wasn't far genetically from the Dead played “Althea” and I heard this riff and went, “What's that?” I actually came in from being outside in the pool, I was dripping wet and had to see what was on the iPod. From there, I went [on] to know a few songs and started recognizing pieces of songs … I feel like my generation also has SiriusXM to thank. The Grateful Dead station on Sirius is its own experience, especially if you drive. If you live in Los Angeles, it's such a brilliant way to score the commute. That was my entrance into it -- how you could cut across town and sit there in traffic and listen to a dozen classic rock songs or you could just sort of drift and watch the sun go down or look at the billboards and take it in on a really abstract level.

They also all seemed to agree that you bring a freshness to the music, having not experienced the Dead live before Jerry died….

I think that's the way music stays alive -- young artists come in and reinterpret it a bit. The most futuristic thing you can do in 2015 is play “Ramble On Rose” in the sprit in which it was conceived. That's futuristic because my generation doesn't have that. The catalog might be the most diverse, hard-hitting, powerful and important collection in the history of any band. As a fan, and being a musicologist in my own stupid little way, if you really look at it, it's a Library of Congress of great songs. It's a universe of great songs.

You attended all five Fare Thee Well dates [in 2015], was the experience what you imagined?

It was thrilling and I have never felt that before. The feeling came over me -- I was in Santa Clara and I went, “This can't be over.” The way I look at this is carrying that spirit forward. I feel like it's the responsibility of any musician who cares to not let great, important music die. There's a lot of people who don't know what that music is yet because they weren't exposed to it culturally. They don’t know that there is that swing and that groove you need in your life. Being a deadhead or being a fan of the music sits completely separate from any other walk of life you may identify with. That means everybody can feel this pulse. It's about carrying this music forward because these songs will change your life.


http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/ ... -interview
Last edited by John2 on Thu Dec 26, 2019 4:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: Grateful Dead

Post by John2 »

If I could put my finger on what it is the Grateful Dead "do" I would pick that guitar solo in the above 5/8/77 Scarlet Begonias. While the rest of the show (aside from a couple other songs) is still not doing much for me, I have been transfixed by this solo for the last several days. If this show is the "holy of holies," then this song is the ark of the covenant and the solo is the tablets in it. It is my favorite Scarlet now and I'm glad I finally discovered it after listening to the Dead for twenty five years.

And while this version is voted number one on headyversion.com, as an example of how subjective these things can be, one commenter there says:

I just don't get this show at all. I have listened to the whole thing again and again and I don't think one moment of it is exceptional in any way. The whole show seems substandard and lackluster to me, sometimes even bad. This Scarlet is BAD. The Fire is good, but nothing special.


http://headyversion.com/song/315/gratef ... -mountain/

To each their own, then.

I also came across some interesting articles about the last Grateful Dead shows in 2015, which I was prompted to revisit by John Mayer's comments above, and was quite moved by Bill Walton's experience of the Santa Clara shows, about which he had tweeted, "I'm on my way to being healed."


https://www.relix.com/blogs/detail/see_ ... l_walton#1


I was also unaware that a rainbow had formed over the stadium during the first set of the first show and how much discussion it had generated about whether it was real or man made (and I gather that it has now been proven to have been real).
As the sun set over Levi’s Stadium on the first night, we were also treated to an astounding sight. A rainbow appeared over a corner of the stadium, and began arcing across the sky. Eventually it became a complete and pulsating bow, shifted toward the red end of the spectrum. It was so pronounced that people’s mouths were literally hanging open.

It was the most intense natural phenomenon I’ve ever seen. All 70,000 of us were blown away by that rainbow.

Nina and I took it in, thanked G-d for the manifestation, and then looked away. We actually “fell on our faces” in a gesture of acknowledging our Creator.


http://hevria.com/salvador/a-miracle-so ... ked-silly/
Last edited by John2 on Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:20 pm, edited 6 times in total.
John2
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Re: Grateful Dead

Post by John2 »

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arnoldo
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Re: Grateful Dead

Post by arnoldo »

John2
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Re: Grateful Dead

Post by John2 »

I'm still exploring those May 1977 shows, and this Peggy-O is breaking my heart.


Last edited by John2 on Wed Dec 11, 2019 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: Grateful Dead

Post by John2 »

Wow. The person above makes excellent videos. Shake it, Sugaree!


Last edited by John2 on Wed Dec 11, 2019 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: Grateful Dead

Post by John2 »

There are actually some Dead songs that I prefer in their studio versions rather than live, like Cosmic Charlie and Mountains of the Moon (which they didn't play live for long in any event). I've been looking all over the place for a "good" live Cosmic Charlie and nothing seems to satisfy me (they only played it in 1969-1970 and 1976), but the studio version works for me.








Cosmic Charlie is also in a class of songs I call "Huh?" I can't really explain it, but others that strike me the same way are Doin' That Rag and Dupree's Diamond Blues (which are on the same album as Cosmic Charlie and Mountains of the Moon and which I also don't care for live) and Stagger Lee (which I do like live).








https://archive.org/details/gd1985-11-0 ... d1t04.flac


And while I do like some of the live versions I've heard, I prefer the studio version of Crazy Fingers as well.


Last edited by John2 on Thu Dec 26, 2019 4:38 pm, edited 4 times in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
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arnoldo
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Re: Grateful Dead

Post by arnoldo »

Been thinkin' about the dead lately. . .
John2
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Re: Grateful Dead

Post by John2 »

What a cool video. Thanks, arnoldo.

I can't believe how many views this thread has! It can't be all me because I haven't been here in awhile. As I reflect on the journey I'd say I'm most grateful to have found 6/8/77. I haven't even listened to all of it yet, but based on what I have heard (mainly Jack-a-Roe to Eyes of the World) it is one of my all-time favorite shows, so let's put it here again for ease of access. "Oh, they call me Jack-a-Roe ..."


https://archive.org/details/gd1977-06-0 ... d1t09.flac
Last edited by John2 on Thu Dec 26, 2019 4:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: Grateful Dead

Post by John2 »

They're back! John Mayer is well again and the spirit is back! Just what I needed. Starts about 9:30 and really cooks by 16:00.
"Tell me the cost, I can pay, let me go, tell me love is not lost."





Wow. Alpine Valley 6/22/18 (show opener). Starts about 23:00.


Last edited by John2 on Thu Dec 26, 2019 4:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
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