Grateful Dead

It should be pointed out that when I picked 3/1/69, 8/27/72, 5/8/77, and 7/8/78 for enshrinement on the mountain, I was doing so with an eye toward the museum being accessible to any and all visitors, not just to the hard-core Heads. Are there shows I enjoy more than some of the shows I picked? Yes. But if I were to hold up the entirety of the Grateful Dead's live legacy to the general public, then I would tend toward representing it with shows that held instant appeal, that had stood the test of time, and that had other intriguing qualities about them besides the music.

Similarly, the Presidents enshrined on Mt. Rushmore (which I visited last fall) are not necessarily the BEST Presidents of all time, but are very famous Presidents with many intriguing stories and qualities about them. They were Presidents during exciting historical eras, and so got a bump in the standings partially by being around when times got interesting.

The four concerts I mentioned have great sound quality, which makes them accessible to all. The 1969 show demonstrates Primal Dead without scaring off the uninitiated, as an earlier show might. Veneta has the "sound" of LSD imprinted on it, plus has a groovy video to draw in those who need to view things to understand them. Cornell has volumes written about it, which allows a newbie to take a further historical dive after being drawn in, and Red Rocks has the amazing physical setting, which a newcomer could still visit or has visited.

PERSONAL Mt. Rushmore? Well, then, I might say 11/10/67, 11/17/73, 10/29/77, and 1/22/78. But then I would regret not having 2/14/68 or something from the Fillmore West Feb./March run . . .

Well, if there has to be a 74, obviously it's Providence...........

Second tier:
10/13/68
11/8/69
9/20/70
12/14/71
5/3/72

See ya in the morgue,

Rock on!!

Doc
Providence has its appointed hour for everything. We cannot command results, we can only strive.....

Warts and all..

I like seeing 2/14/68 on that list. I have an affinity for 5/26/72 as well.

I am not sure perfection really suited the Grateful Dead.. it was more the journey than the destination.. the long strange trip.

Good conversation though.. I am not much for picking winners and losers, more the last thing I listened too.. what I am listening to now and what may (or may not) come tomorrow.

So glad they recorded so much, very thankful for that. We might have to figure a way to carve a 74 show on that mountain too.. but we would never be able to agree on which one.

Gary - the first book I read concerning the Beats was about them, rather than by one of them. Called "Kerouac" by Ann Charters ( I don't think she was "one" herself, but I may be wrong) Anyway-its a fascinating account of the real life events and characters and seemed to form the basis of many of Kerouac's best novels. Dharma Bums was the first novel I read by him. You have a treat in store!

Of the others, to me, William Burroughs seems the most interesting-although he is no one's idea of a hippy. My favourite book by him isn't a novel, its a collection of his letters from 1945-1959. There's also a great biography of him, by Barry Miles called simply "William S.Burroughs A Life". He also had a great voice - so its fascinating to hear him read his work on recordings.

Hendrixfreak - yes, it can be a bit meaningless comparing great shows from different eras. Even-especially- on their recordings. My two favourites by the Dead are "Anthem of the Sun" and "American Beauty". Good luck comparing the merits of those two before trying to decide which is best.

Yo! Rockers!!!

Let’s poke the bear, beat the beehive, stir up controversy, and then run for cover……..

My personal Mt Rushmore:
2/14/68
2/28/69
5/15/70
4/28/71
5/26/72

Of course, we need a larger mountain, so we can all add four or five shows to our list…..

Never particularly cared for Cornell. Possibly biased due to actually attending the show the previous night, and having an excellent soundboard recording of the following night. Not a bad show, per se, but I think that, like 4/29/71 and 8/27/72, one of the great overrated shows in Grateful Dead history.

There, I said it. I shall now go hide under a rock……………..

Rock on!!!

Doc
In the presence of eternity, the mountains are as transient as the clouds…..

....it's been a year since I've checked it out for dangs sake.
I'm waiting for a box packaging and art that tops July '78. Maybe the next one?
Edit....
I remember this Must Have Been The Roses. Very nice.
Edit again.....Mount Rushmore talk?
That's only 4. I'm good.

....but GarciaLive 16 more than makes up for it.
Time for baseball!! (Checks the NL East standings). Anywho....

Sounds awesome.
I have the show on DVD with AUD sound.
Nice to hear a SBD recording.

His post game interview with the highlight of the night. A pretty boring game to end the season. Too bad.

Just to toss in a grenade: I've never been impressed much by 5-8-77, Cornell. At all. It's a good show, but one of the ones in the box that precede impressed me more. But then I'm a died-in-the-wool Greaseman.

Personally I can't get into ranking stuff. I like "tiers," if you will: top-tier, mid-tier, etc. Even then, you groove with parts of a show, a whole show, is tonight vanilla bean ice cream or mint chip? Which flavor of Jerome do you like best? Is it an era? A specific guitar? What about the ensemble? Is Phil monstering and/or Billy? Is the tape exquisite cuz Bobby's high in the mix?

I guess for me it's a wonderful swirl of variables, any one or two or three that bubble to the top in a song, a sequence. And that's -- to me -- how it should be in a band of multiple humans (presumably) over time, using different instruments, playing different setlists in different venues and cities under various "conditions" (mine and theirs).

In short: Good Old Grateful Dead, a fascinating amalgam of elements, fired in the crucible of sound and time.

And I haven't hit the pipe yet............