Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock, folk and countryband that was active in the period 1965-1995. During its existence the band knew a remarkably stable occupation;only on keys are there been changes. Lead guitarist Jerry Garcia acted for the outside world as figurehead of the group, within the group itself, however, there was a large degree of equivalence. The Grateful Dead is because of their experiments with different musical styles and live reputation regarded as the ultimate jam band.



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[hide] *1 Background  ==Background[ Edit] == Grateful Dead came on halfway through the 60 's, along with other psychedelic bands of names from San Francisco, Jefferson Airplane , Quicksilver Messenger Serviceand during the development of the hippie and youth culture in the United States. The Group started as Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, later became The Warlocks, but finally chose for the name The Grateful Dead. The choice of name is always a source of speculation, but finds its origin in the pricks in a dictionary.
 * 1.1 Recordings
 * 2 Original members
 * 3 Other members
 * 4 external links

The Grateful Dead (later without The) was the house band of the Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, which with the money he earned with his book One Flew Over the cuckoo's Nest various "happenings" organized (see, for example, Tom Wolfe's book "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test"). Psychedelic drugs, especially lsd (legal in the u.s. until October 1966), were more than present to the mind to release, and it affected the music of the Grateful Dead dramatically: in a few years time was the original dance and r & b band turned into a psychedelic band with far-reaching musical ambitions.

The Grateful Dead performed often for nothing on in the parks and halls of San Francisco, which in the first years very little money, but at the same time earned much goodwill. Warner Brothers offered the group a contract, with spacious conditions for current concepts. So if the band themselves decide what music was put on the albums there, and there they still see gray hairs of had at Warners.

The first eponymous LP (1967) was recorded in 3 days and sounds very energetic, but is not representative of the concerts the group then, and in retrospect the band there was also not great excited about. That was corrected with Anthem of the Sun (1968) that took about 8 months to make and an attempt to combine live and studio recordings. An artistic success, but not the commercial success that the band and the record company were hoping. That failed to improve at the masters made in recording studios from existing 3rd LP, Aoxomoxoa (1969). (The title is a Palindrome, conceived by Rick Griffin)

In that year, then from both economic (cheap) as artistic point of view (the Dead had to have it right by live performances) the most logical step: a double live LP appeared under the title Live/Dead. This highlight in the oeuvre with long drawn-out improvisations and the "signature tune" Darkstar, the chances of the band, but it supplied is not sufficient to meet all debts.

Just like Woodstock symbol was for the sunny side of the youth culture, was the fiasco at Altamont (which the Rolling Stones film "Gimme Shelter" is based) symbol for the dark side. One in San Francisco could no longer turn a blind eye to the pressure and acidification which the infinite flow fortune-hunters entailed. The Grateful Dead-consciously or unconsciously returned back to her country roots (finally was lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, among others, banjo player in a bluegrass band) and brought in 1970to the surprise of friends and enemies the plates also about the railroad Dead and American Beauty with only short, strong and on acoustic-style songs, without the so well-known drawn-out improvisations. This brought finally the necessary commercial success, although the band members until years later would the financial fruits picking the really hard work.

Financial management has never been a strong point of the band, and the Dead has in most of her are actually touring must continuously to keep their heads above water and in ever larger halls, on a break in the mid-1970s after. Of course in their own country and in Canada, but also in Europe (the first tour there in 1972) and Egypt, where even the Dead as first Western Group has allowed to play at the pyramids of Giza.Furthermore, the Watkins Glen festival worth noting, where reportedly attracted more than 600,000 people at a concert of only 3 bands: The Allman Brothers Band, The Band and the Grateful Dead.

The break in the Underground (culture) in 1969 had a lasting impact on the music of the Dead. Live there was initially not yet so much going on: innovation, intensity and the sharpness of the first years were gone, but the great experience and the willingness to enter unknown paths supplied in the first half of the 1970s still many beautiful moments. The concert visitor had nothing to complain about: concerts of 4 hours were no exception, often with 1 acoustic set and 1 or 2 electric sets. On the studio albums by that decade is better to hear that a slow decay is committed: the songs are less strong and the band gradually turns increasingly to external producers, while the band in the early years, wanted to keep everything in your own hands. A positive exception in that row of albums is quite jazzy Blues for Allah.

But along the way began the endless touring taking its toll. The tension between the band members ran in those years, partly caused by the changed drug abuse: the mind-altering (and group strengthening) resources were exchanged for alcohol and more sinister (and solitaire) drugs as heroin and cocaine. So poised a few months Jerry Garcia in 1986 on the verge of death when he lay in coma, caused by a combination of diabetesand prolonged drug use.

Strangely enough had the Dead in 1987, in the autumn of her career, a real hit in the form of Touch of Grey, a catchy song about aging. Despite the fact that the band in the 80s and early 90s over her artistic highlight was, began to roll the money earned within the band: concerts annually more than illustrious greats as The Rolling Stones, U2 and Paul McCartney. Large groups of fans (Deadheads) followed the band on tour, which is an indication of their fanaticism, but what at the same time, says something about the concerts themselves: in the history of the band is to find any identical show.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Unfortunately, Jerry Garcia, died the most imaginative Group (though he likes to afschoof the leading role on Bob Weir), in 1995 of a heart attack in a rehab clinic. His death marked the formal end of the Grateful Dead.The other members followed in later years still under the name The Other Ones. Act since 2003 former members of the Grateful Dead with guest musicians back on as The Dead. Bob Weir may occur in addition regularly with his band RatDog and Phil Lesh Phil Lesh & Friends, with his group with every now and then members of Phish, Grateful Dead, Ryan Adams, John Scofield, Warren Haynes, Chris Robinson and others. On internet is the Grateful Dead very much alive, witness (among others) the comprehensive website www.dead.net.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The cultural value of the Grateful Dead is especially that it has remained for thirty years standard-bearer of the ideals of the hippie movement, and it is remarkable that there are ever new generations (American) fans have presented themselves. Furthermore, the Grateful Dead jam band stood at the cradle of the ' genre ', a kind of popular music, especially in the United States with groups like Phish and The String Cheese Incident.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The musical value is, beside a pile in the excellent songs, often virtuoso explorations on the avantgardeliefhebbers for jazz and interesting field of group improvisation. That musical quality is still not widely recognised-the flowerpower image has the view of the great musical wealth of the band quite clouded.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">For the Dead are countless psychedelic concert posters, including the famous graphic artists Rick Griffin and Victor Moscoso. ===Recordings<span class="mw-editsection" len="327" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Grateful Dead were always amateur recordings of their performances. This led at gigs, more and more amateur equipment near the stage, making the official equipment even in. It was decided to special "sound board"-selling tickets, where amateurs the opportunity to shoot in a permanent location. These recordings were as a result of high quality. The Internet Archive website host nowadays these recordings.

<p lang="en" len="153" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After negotiations with the remaining members of The Grateful Dead is decided that the sound board recordings only if stream can be listened to. ==Original members<span class="mw-editsection" len="341" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Other members<span class="mw-editsection" len="332" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * Jerry Garcia (guitar and vocals)
 * Bob Weir (guitar and vocals)
 * Phil Lesh (bass and vocals)
 * Bill Kreutzmann (drums)
 * Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (keyboards, vocals, harmonica and percussion)
 * Mickey Heart (drums)
 * Tom Constanten (keys)
 * Keith Godchaux (keys)
 * Bruce Hornsby (keys)
 * Robert Hunter (author)
 * Donna Jean Godchaux (vocals)
 * Brent Mydland (keyboards and vocals)
 * Vince Welnick (keyboards and vocals)