The Grateful Dead

With a very Sixties name plucked from a 1912 dictionary by founder/guitarist Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead were born in San Francisco just as the counter culture was emerging, and wandered the meandering course of their long strange trip for thirty years. Notable for their endless touring and epic stage shows, the music of the band incorporated many influences over the years. From the folk/jug band roots of Garcia and Phil Lesh (who were in a pre-Dead band called The Warlocks) through exploratory psychedelia (Live/Dead is an outstanding example) to classic Americana sets such as American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead, the band’s commitment to its music and its legions of fans (known affectionately as Deadheads) was admirable. Even their brief flirtation with disco (be careful before you venture down Shakedown Street !) was forgiven by their followers. That is because although some of the studio albums have brief lapses, The Grateful Dead were one of the great touring bands. Recording every show—and there were many hundreds; your correspondent has a US mate who saw them live over fifty times—and encouraging Deadheads to do the same, there is an oceanic catalogue of live albums to choose from. One excellent starting place is the 2LP set Reckoning which demonstrates wonderful songwriting as well as the live sound. One From The Vault is similarly exciting. There are also two volumes of The Best of the Grateful Dead, lovingly compiled compilations.

They may sound like heavy metal demon worshipers, but The Grateful Dead are in fact a melodic, amiable and accessible band who deserve the label Legends.