[TonyTripleA]

Hi and thanks,

I buy a lot of music based on the suggestions here. Having never heard Grateful Dead (that I could remember) I took the plunge and bought "Greatful Dead: Skeletons from the closet: the best of, with mastering authorised by Greatful Dead".

The first track alone (the Golden Road) made me drop what I was doing and just listen: wow. How many albums sound this GOOD!!! Hmm, what's that, a red HDCD light is on on my CDP. Yep, undisclosed on the album jacket, but its HDCD. Double wow!!!

I would actually rate the sound quality from this CD as one of the best I have in my collection.

I just couldn't believe how I missed this band earlier in my life. Musta been busy I guess.

Anyhow. Now I'm hooked. What's the next Greatful Dead album I should be looking towards? Any suggestions for more than one are welcome.

Cheers,

TonyAAA

 

[ilikemonkeys]

I copied your question to the Dead Zone

THere are a couple audiophiles there.

I hope they can help.

BILL

 

[agile_one]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyTripleA ... Anyhow. Now I'm hooked. What's the next Greatful Dead album I should be looking towards? Any suggestions for more than one are welcome.

The Dead have always cared about sound quality - they had probably the best and most expensive sound system of all touring groups. Their sound guys would sometimes let tapers plug into the mixing board at concerts, thus the high quality of many bootleg tapes.

Probably the most accessible albums are American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, both of which have been remastered.

To really get the true Dead experience, though, you need live stuff like on bootlegs, or the Fillmore East '71 or Europe '72 albums.

Have fun, and welcome to a new deadhead

 

[ilikemonkeys]

Speaking of live shows.

Almost every single GD show was taped. They championed free taping and trading of their music go here To download lossless free, totally legal shows. There are entire years worth of shows added every month now.

Enjoy my friend. Its very addicting!

BILL

 

[tyrion]

I have been listening to the dead for longer than I care to remember. I just picked up a new release Grateful Dead Rockin' the Rhein. It from the same tour that brought us Europe '72. It is also HDCD and is one of the best dead recordings I have heard. I highly recommend it.

 

[acs236]

The DVD-A of Workingman's Dead is amazing, and it is probably one of their best studio albums.

 

[erix]

My IT guy will hate you soon.......

ok,
erix


Quote:

Originally Posted by ilikemonkeys Speaking of live shows. Almost every single GD show was taped. They championed free taping and trading of their music go here To download lossless free, totally legal shows. There are entire years worth of shows added every month now. Enjoy my friend. Its very addicting! BILL

 

[erikzen]

The Grateful Dead is one of those rare bands that actually sounds better live than in the studio. The Dead were all about four hour concerts and 20 minute songs that turned into jam sessions. "Europe 72" is a classic example of this with "Chinacat Sunflower" "into" "I Know You Rider" probably being the best cut on the album. The Dead did a lot of that "into" stuff, segwaying one song into another creating giganitc jam-packed medelies.

The Grateful Dead really were a touring band more than anything and as such their studio albums just don't have the sparkle that their live recordings do. There are literally thousands of bootleg recordings running around, some of them of very good quality, as stated previously. But beware, there are also many poor quality bootlegs out there. Because The Dead probably gigged at least 250 nights each year for 30 years and because they did allow unlimited taping of their shows there are many, many concerts on tape. But because of how many nights they would gig and because the quality of the taping is completely unregulated, there are quite a few "bad shows" that have been captured. The Dead are a bit streaky. Whether it's because of the fact that they weren't afraid to jam on stage or because of all the drugs, or both, there were more than a few concerts that really weren't very good. Of course if you're tripping on acid, as a vast number of Deadheads tended to do, the music is always good and really becomes secondary to "the experience".

A stellar example of a classic bootleg is the Great American Music Hall concert from August 13, 1975. This recording truly captures both the spontenaity, creativity and musicianship of the Greatful Dead. When I was in high school this tape circulated widely among Deadheads and was even pressed on vinyl. Despite the fact that this recording was widely circulated it wasn't until 1991 that the Grateful Dead actually released it commercially. It is available as a two CD set called "One From the Vault", which actually became the first in a series of previously unreleased live recordings. The 21 minute "Blues For Allah" track may be a little unaccesable but it is true Grateful Dead and luckily it is the last cut on disc 2 so if you're not "in the mood" it's pretty easy to skip. I strongly recommend getting this album right away if you want one album that captures the essence of the Grateful Dead.

One other quick recommendation is the album known by Deadheads as "Skull and Roses" but this title does not appear anywhere on the jacket. The album is just titled Grateful Dead (Warner Bros 2WS1935) and is recognized by, surprise, surprise, the skeleton wearing roses on its head. The classic track on this album is the Buddy Holly song "Not Fade Away" "into" "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad", a traditional folk song that actually is heard in the movie "The Grapes of Wrath". It sounds a little different here.

 

[ilikemonkeys]

Tony,

a couple of my buddies at that link I posted up top want to send you some music.

It would be a nice introduction to some live stuff if you dont have the ability to download.

Deadheads are really nice people.

BILL

 

[augustwest]

Reading this thread caused me to put on "From The Mars Hotel", which I haven't listen to for a while. . . . . It's good to see some interest in the Dead here at Headfi. The Dead are uniquely American often taking "roots" music of a variety of flavors and blending them into their own original sound. Ranging from "the cowboy songs", to space music for "the acid tests".

Here are my recommendations for commercial releases:
"Europe '72"
"Skull & Roses" (sometimes called "Skull ******" by deadheads)

Recommended download concert:
University of Montana 1974

Also, don't forget to explore the various Dead spin-off groups: "Jerry Garica Band", "Rat Dog", "New Riders of the Purple Sage", "Old & In the Way" & "The Other Ones". For anyone interested in this type of music be sure and check out KPFK's < www.kpfk.org > Sunday night program called "The Music Never Stopped", (8pm - 10pm California time) which features many rare Dead performances, along with other related "jam" bands. The program is available in a "streaming" format.

- augustwest
"sometimes the music plays the band"

 

[tyrion]

You can download a bunch of dead shows at nugsnet or internet archives I've seen the dead over 30 times and those shows were the 30 best concerts I have been too. Every show was different. We are fortunate that so much of their music is just a download away. I would be more than happy to put some shows on disc for you and send to you.

 

[Norbert]

As I write this I'm enjoying "Rockin' the Rhein with the Grateful Dead", a 3 cd set, remastered in HDCD format from a concert in Dusseldorf in 1972 which I just purchased as a rare treat for graduating with a Masters degree yesterday. I am floored by the sound quality. I have listened to more Dead shows in person than I can remember (ah the good ole days!). I have listened to many bootleg tapes also (which I own and share). But this! This is the best quality in terms of sound I have ever heard in a live recording. Period. And if you really want to enjoy the Dead you MUST hear them live. Given that Jerry has shuffled off the mortal coil, this is the next best thing. This is, without a doubt, the best quality live recording I have ever heard. Which is amazing given it is a 30+ year old recording from their archives--which is a superb testament to their pursuit of high fidelity. I highly recommend it, but be prepared to spend about 31 bucks for this puppy. Worth every penny in my mind. Turn down the lights, Heat up the lava lamp, smoke what you have, put your headphones on and dance my friend, dance.

 

[tyrion]

Norbert,
I just finished listening to the same cd. I agree that it is one of the best live dead recordings I have heard, especially on an HDCD capable player. What a great show. Thank god for the 12 foot equinox cable, I have room to dance.

 

[Norbert]

ilikemonkeys,

oH MY GOD! Thank you for that link. I am now listening to a show I had the honor of attending back in 1985 at the Cumberland Civic Center! What an unbelievable show. The venue was like a high school auditorium, complete with fold away bleachers. People were climbing the walls to get to the balcony. The lights were blue. The hall was packed. Some guy was dancing in a clown mask. The Dead Princesses were shaking their skirts. Un-freaking believable! I think that nearly everyone in that place was on some type of psychotropic medication, including myself, and I think Jerry and the guys picked up on that and just enjoyed themselves. What a show. This is a MUST listen.

 

[TonyTripleA]

What can I say guys... 24 hours since I logged onto this thread and you guys are fantastic - thanks!!! Those links are the next thing I'm going to do tonight. And I didn't realise I had stumbled onto a "lifestyle" but it sounds like I did. I'll be scouring the shops for those live albums, especially the HDCDs. I just cannot believe how "flat" my treasured Floyd albums sound (from a SQ point of view that is) compared to the quality of the GD recordings.

These guys already stand out to me after just listening to one album. I imagine I'm about to plunge into a large pool of rockin' bliss! That's a great feeling! The GD were probably a band I just missed as I was growing up. No money as a kid for records (I'm making up for that now, not the money just the CDs). In fact, back then there was no music at my house sadly... now, my house is the reverse. Every night my wife and I go to bed listening to an hour of music (sleep timers are the best) and that's after I've had a good session with the headphones. Oh, I should add I married an amateur opera singer and accomplished musician... but my real luck was finding a partner to put up with my obsessions. He, he and I'm devoting a lot of time to making up for the omissions of my childhood.

I'll go nuts listening and report back my "newbie" favourites.

What do you guys make of the album I bought that had the wrong title and track names though... it was actually recognised by my ipod on-line as "The very best of The Grateful Dead". It had 17 tracks but the album cover only showed 11... I listed them on the HDCD thread. Odd for a commercial release?

And Bill, special thanks to those mates of yours. If they are ever passing through Sydney I've got a beer on ice for 'em.

Cheers,

Tony