How many Deadheads are here?

[bracheen]

Reid,
My first concert was in Dec 1969 with the headliner being Johnny Winter.  During his set he introduced his little brother Edgar. What a great experience. The rest of the show was Nazareth and Grand Funk Railroad.
 
And to keep things on track, someone mentioned Anthem of the Sun.  That album showed up in my possesion somehow, no idea where it came from.  I remember thinking man, this is strange but very compelling. How can you not like a song called New Potato Crosseyed Caboose?

[lbpesq]

Sam:
 
Close.  The songs on Anthem include New Potato Caboose and another called Born Cross-Eyed.  For total name weirdness, there is the suite entitled: That's It For The Other One: / Cryptical Envelopment / Quadlibet For Tender Feet / The Faster We Go, The Rounder We Get / We Leave The Castle.  
 
Bill, tgo

[bracheen]

Bill
Wasn't there a song on there about an alligator also? It's hard to think back almost 40 years.

[lbpesq]

Sam:
 
Alligator it was! Here's the list of songs on Anthem:
 
That's It For The Other One
    I. Cryptical Envelopment (Garcia)
    II. Quadlibet For Tender Feet (Weir)
    III. The Faster We Go, The Rounder We Get (The                                 Grateful Dead)
    IV. We Leave The Castle (The Grateful Dead)
 
New Potato Caboose (Lesh/Petersen)
 
Born Cross-Eyed (Weir)
 
Alligator (Lesh/McKernan/Hunter)
 
Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) (McKernan)
 
You should listen to Anthem again - 40 years is too long!
 
Bill, tgo

[jacko]

A week's too long Bill ;-)
 
Graeme

[alembic_doctor]

Bill:  I got Live/Dead.  I have thoroughly scrutinized it.  I like the sound.  I like the musicianship.  I like the music.  But, the vocals just kill me.  I think I may be a perfectionist when it comes to vocals.  I can't stand when vocals are out of tune.  Drives me nuts.

[crgaston]

Well, it's no mystery the Dead weren't that great when it came to singing.  Individually, they may have had their moments, but for the most part, you just had to live through the verses to get to the jams. Hey, they provide a natural place to get another beer or whatever.  Lyrics were ofen brilliant, though, thanks to Robert Hunter and John Barlow.  
 
Oh, and phylo, an alternate version for your joke is...
 
How many Deadheads does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
 
None, they all screw in the back of VW Microbusses.

[cozmik_cowboy]

OK, Doc, you've got a good start - next you need American Beauty and/or Workingman's Dead, then Europe '72.  The first 2 are the the boys finally figuring out the studio, and are chock full of exquisitely crafted songs, and the the last combines that with the improvizational majesty of Live/Dead - and the vocals on all 3 are much better that L/D; AB & WMD due to care in the studio, E '72 I guess they were just on those nights (I have concert tapes of other shows from that tour that don't sound that good) - and on E '72 you get 5-part harmony!  But, even at their best, nobody will mistake them for trained voices with perfect pitch (well, I think Lesh has it, but you wouldn't know from his singing...)  Objectively, can I say any of them sing as well as, say, Peter Cetera or Brad Delp?  No.  Would I listen to Cetera or Delp instaed of them?  Only if you chained me down and forced me.  I can't explain it, but I enjoy their singing, such as it is.
 
Peter

[adriaan]

Peter, don't expect perfect pitch to have any effect on how well somebody can sing - you really don't want to hear me sing.

[grateful]

Peter, the vocals on Europe 72 were overdubbed:  I have acquired a copy of the last night at the Lyceum featuring Truckin' and Morning Dew from E72 and the vocals are different (less good!) But hearing Truckin'>The Other One>Morning Dew>The Other One makes up for the less good vocals.  IMHO, the Dead peaked in 73-74 when Jerry was playing his Alembic through the Alembic PA.  Dick's Picks Vols 1, 12, 14 and 19 are all from this era and I prefer them to E72.
 
Mark

[lbpesq]

Doc:
 
Great improv playing, ain't it?  Ditto on all the above comments re: vocals.  If you want good vocals, then Workingman's Dead and American Beauty it is.  The boys were hanging out with CS&N during this period and the vocal influence really shows on these albums.  One other point:  for me, at least, there are some singers whose gift is not that of a beautiful sounding voice but, rather, their gift is the indescribable ability to convey emotion and feeling as they sing.  Perhaps the finest example of this phenomenon is Bob Dylan.  IMHO, Jerry Garcia was another great shining light in this category.  And I've always loved Pigpen singing the blues.  Watch out or we'll make a Deadhead out of you yet!  hehehehehe
 
Bill, tgo
 
(Message edited by lbpesq on April 17, 2007)

[kmh364]

So far, I prefer all of the other both unofficial/official recordings of the Europe '72 tour, my fave to date is the Rockin' The Rhein  release. The Steppin' Out from the English leg is decent, as is the other German release Hundred Year Hall.  
 
IMHO, they (i.e., GD, Inc.)need to make good on the promise of a COMPLETE collection of ALL (Alembic et al) documented performances of that tour, warts and all.

[olieoliver]

Wow, I always felt that Bob Dylan?s vocals were totally void of emotion. I feel his ability to relay his feelings lives in his lyrics.  
 
Now if want emotion, try Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin or Ray Charles.
 
Of course this is just my opinion. Neither right nor wrong just an opinion.

[chuck]

Olie. The same could be said for one of my favorites,Kris Kristofferson.
Chuck

[olieoliver]

Very true Chuck, likewise with Willie Nelson. Crazy is a great song but I'm sure glad Patsy Cline sang it for him.
 
Congrats to Kris too for the award last night.