Deadheads... would like Grateful Dead recommendations.

Cafe Society
1

I’m not a Deadhead by any means, though I’m certainly old enough to be one of their original fans. I mostly knew of the Grateful Dead’s work through the songs that got radio airplay (probably not the best representation of any artist’s work), and neither loved nor hated their music. Shrug.

Then by chance a couple months ago I heard the song Terrapin Station (the 16 minute opus) on satellite radio, and I really liked it. Frankly, I was surprised when I checked who the artist was. So I bought the full album off iTunes and have enjoyed it greatly.

Terrapin Station played again on my iPod tonight while driving home and I wondered if perhaps the Grateful Dead recorded other albums that I might like as well. Rather than try to sample snippets via iTunes I thought I’d tap the vast resources of the Straight Dope.

So. Based on the fact that I like Terrapin Station, does anyone have any suggestions for other Grateful Dead albums that had a similar style?

I should disclose that I think the reason I like the long song itself is due to the orchestral and choral accompaniment. (I know, I know… there are those of you out there cringing right now cursing this combination of the Dead and strings as an abomination of nature. I should confess that I also really like the Metallica album S&M where they’re joined by the San Francisco symphony. Do two data points comprise a trend?)

2

IANADH, but I have a friend who is big time. While he’s not much on their studio work, he does like Anthem of the Sun quite a bit.

3

I’d recommend Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty or The Grateful Dead (the skull and rose album.)

But if you really want to figure it out go to http://tinyurl.com/3o3r9 (a shortcut to archive.org). They have thousands of Grateful Dead songs performed live, all for free and pretty much legal download.*

*Greatful Dead songs in the archive are legal, but there’s a question about downloading songs by other composers that the Dead performed. Still, they are in the archive, too.

4

If you liked Terrapin Station’s qualities, then try Wake of the Flood. Beautiful tunes from the start to the finish. “Eyes of the World” shines, but “Weather Report Suite” is the best song on the album and I don’t remember it getting any airplay.

Follow that up with Blues for Allah

Really, if you liked Terrapin Station (my absolutley freakin’ favorite album they ever did), you would like a lot of the stuff from the 70’s when they had Keith and Donna Godchaux.

I could go on and on about The Dead.

5

I would also recommend Anthem of the Sun. The first side is a suite of sorts. Besides the great songs there is interesting production techniques and some improvised percussion and electronic bits that lead into a fantastic song, New Potato Caboose. It’s a real gem.

Keep in mind, though, that it was made in '67-'68 I believe, so it’s not going to be as slick as Terrapin.

6

I’m sure you will love In The Dark (1987)

7

Along those lines, you should also check out Tommy as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Of course if you really want to do it right, you should get the vinyl, which comes with a booklet. I don’t know what literature the CD has, but it’s probably tiny.

8

I agree with all of the above recommendations. I personally was more into the live stuff than the studio recordings so I recommend getting a hold of some live recordings.

Bootlegs may be hard for you to get a hold of unless you have friends with them that would let you dub them. Check out the **Dick’s Picks ** CD’s and I’m also partial to **Dozin’ at the Knick ** which was recorded live at Knickerbocker Arena.

9

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I appreciate the guidance. I plan on checking out your recommendations. (But don’t let this deter other readers from making their own suggestions, or seconding the suggestions of others.)

Of all the vinyl albums I once owned, this is one of the very few that I’ve hung onto. Someday I’m going to transfer this to my computer (but alas, I first need an amp, and a turntable that hasn’t been broken for 15 years). I guess this gives me three data points. :slight_smile:

I was surprised when I heard Donna on the song Sunrise from the Terrapin Station album. Until then, I had no idea that the Dead ever had a female vocalist in the band.

10

There’s nothing else quite like Terrapin Station in the Dead’s catalog, but Blues for Allah comes closest.

11

One of my favorites–“Casey Jones”–is on that one.

12

There is a massive discrepancy between studio Dead and live Dead. The band underwent many stylistic changes over the years, although they definitely maintained their ‘Deadness’

To really get a grasp on the whole thing, I’d strongly recommend the book A Long Strange Trip. In fact, it’s only going for $3.95 used at Amazon. There’s a lot of good histories and bios of the band and its impact on music and counterculture, but this is the best starting place I know of.

As for the music, to really get a feel for the band, you can’t go wrong with the Dick’s Picks series - they’ve been releasing these for several years, and all are remastered and recorded/maintained/selected by Dick Latvala, the band’s archivist.
There’s a complete discography here.

If I had to recommend some albums (not Dick’s Picks), they would be, in order of personal preference

American Beaty
Workingman’s Dead
Reckoning
Europe '72
Steal Your Face
Terrapin
Mars Hotel
Wake of the Flood
Without A Net
Live/Dead
Dylan & The Dead
Grateful Dead
Anthem of the Sun
Bear’s Choice
Dead Set

Skeletons From The Closet is a good place as well, although it’s not terribly cohesive as a whole (as any ‘greatest hits’ from a band like the Dead is wont to be)

13

I should point out that Steal Your Face has been derided by generations of Deadheads as “Steal Your Money”. Bad sound, sloppy playing, it’s all there. But I agree with the rest of the list pretty much.

The “From The Vault” series is good, too, though there are only two installments I’m aware of. “From the Vault II” is an alternate take on “Live/Dead” and most of “Anthem Of The Sun” as it contains most of the same songs. But just having one doesn’t mean you don’t need the other.

14

The album that got me into the Dead was the 1990 live album Without A Net. Sure, this is well past what most consider their prime, but they playing is really quite tight and the song selection favors their more complex, suitelike material.

And I think that the keyboardist at that time, Brent Mydland, was the best for the Dead–his backing vocals as well as playing–but I’m probably in the minority here.

15

I agree with RealityChuck’s suggestions of Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty or The Grateful Dead. I closely follow that with Europe '72.
I still have all of those on vinyl.

16

I’m going to recommend against any of the live material released on the commercial labels (with the possible exception of Europe '72). Without looking too hard you’ll be able to find superior versions of any show that was recorded and commercially released.

That leaves the studio work, which is pretty hit and miss.

Their recording career breaks down along some pretty easy to identify lines:

Grateful Dead (1967)
Anthem of the Sun (1968)
Aoxomoxoa (1969)

All heavily pschedelic, Anthem of the Sun is actuall a mixture of studio work and live material. Of the three, it is the keeper.

Workingman’s Dead (1970)
American Beauty (1970)

They’ve settled into the idea of actually writing and singing songs. Lots of good vocal harmonies. Also a big helping of Cocaine Cowboy chic.

Wake of the Flood (1973)
Mars Hotel (1974)
Blues for Allah (1975)

“Hey, let’s form our own record company!” Much more introspective and jazz influenced material. “Wake of the Flood” is a masterpiece except it gets marred by Keith and Donna’s “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away.” “Mars Hotel” has “Unbroken Chain,” which, like “Terrapin Station,” plays BIG. A really under-rated album, to my way of thinking.

Terrapin Station was the band’s first studio release after the 1974 - 1976 hiatus (they had released Blues for Allah in 1975, but didn’t tour behind it). It was also the first time they’d used an outside producer since their first album. The song “Terrapin Station” kind of stands alone on the album, having practically no stylistic similariety to the other material. They followed Terrapin Station with “Shakedown Street,” also produced by an outsider (Lowell George of Little Feat). Ugh. Too much coke and not enough interest in the tunes. “Go To Heaven” follows, also produced by an outsider. Ugh, again. Gun shy, they wouldn’t release another studio effort of new songs 'til “In the Dark,” followed by “Built to Last.” A bit too commercial, in my opinion.

I’d also recommend Jerry Garcia’s solo album, “Cats Under the Stars.” A perfect little jewel, if a tad too short. It’ll fit well with “Terrapin Station.”

As you may be able to tell, I spent entirely a whole bunch of time driving to GD shows, listening to their music, and generally living in a skull and roses universe.

17

Oh, and I forgot.

You HAVE to listen to “Seastones.” It’ll change your DNA.

18

I loved Brent’s voice, both as a lead or as a backing vocalist. A few years ago Phil Lesh and Friends were touring with Warren Haines of Government Mule - Haines sounded exactly like him.

19

I’d recommend “Weather Report Suite” as well, although I’m not sure it’ll have any effect on your genetic structure…

20

[aside]
FWIW, I don’t know where they got the skull-and-roses iconography, but I read in an old tourists’ guidebook to Rome that there is a St. Valentine’s Church where they keep the skull of the real St. Valentine. Every year on his feast day, February 14, they display his skull surrounded by roses.

If anyone knows how the Dead came to take up this image, I’d be glad to know.
[/aside]