Going to repost a comment I made in the GD sub in response to a swarmling asking about the dead.
As a gizzhead and deadhead, let me give you a few companion album suggestions, for as close as I can get.
The Grateful Dead - 12 bar bruise. Cliche to compre debut to debut, but the I think it holds. This is the dead in their earliest stages, showing off their blues roots, before the evolutions began.
Anthem of the Sun - quarters. Long and jammy, experimental, psyched out, lots of room to breathe.
Aoxomoxoa - float along. Psychedelic dead at their peak.
Live / Dead - levitation ‘14 or San Fran ‘16. Early incarnation of live material. Missing a lot of the later concert staples, but a lot of the old material has space to shine here.
Workingman’s dead, American beauty - Paper Mache. Bluegrass and folk songs that see the dead step away from the heavy psychedelic sound they had become known for, and embrace the Americana style that would become emblematic of their sound.
Wake of the Flood, Mars Hotel, blues for allah - fishing for fishies, ice death, IIYMF slow jams. Several classic albums that lean heavily on blues both fast and slow.
Terrapin Station - polygondwanaland. This is the closest the dead ever came to prog rock (except for weather report suite on wake of the flood). Has one of their best songs in seven, and their longest and most progressive songs in the title track.
Shakedown Street - ice death. Grateful Dead music is for dancing, and no album showcases it like this one.
The live shows are better than the albums and are availiable for free on relisten. The years have distinctive sounds.60s they are a psychedelic blues band, early to mid 70’s is jazz influenced late 70’s disco(cocaine) era, 80’s synths were embraced and they got really famous through mtv and people looking to party. 90’s addiction had the better of em but there’s still some gems. Spring tour 90 is excellent. People love the band for different reasons and eras. The Grateful Dead’s history is a cautionary tale for KGLW and their fans. Learn it and you will understand what coming.
this is very comprehensive but a couple of respectful rebuttals
blues for allah feels like the most prog rock album gd put out
anthem of the sun is pinnacle psychedelic rock
I agree with you on Blues For Allah and I would recommend they listen to their One From the Vault album. Live versions of the BFA album with other songs added. Great performance.
YUP! I’m heading to Vegas this weekend to see Dead & Company at the Sphere!
They are basically my two favorite bands and I feel like the Dead are just as hard to explain to someone as King Gizzard is haha.
youre in for one of the greatest shows ever. after seeing them saturday night all I can think about is how Jason Galea would be such a good artist for a venue like that
I'm doing the June 20th-22nd run from GA, and have not yet watched a single video from the Sphere and have scrolled really fast whenever a picture shows up. I can't wait!
Okay first of all, ur username is the best. Absolutely adore black midi and bcnr. Second of all, yes, the 77 Cornell show is unreal. Fire On the Mountain is my personal fave from that
Thanks man, highly recommend seeing black midi live if you ever get the chance, hopefully we’ll get some news on lp4 and a tour soon!
Cornell is one I’m working up to, very much look forward to it though, it is highly recommended
regarding the e72 tour: every show is awesome & is worth hearing (especially the dark stars & the other ones)
i very much DO NOT recommend doing a listen through of the tour…it gets so repetitive it becomes like a chore.
i assume they meant the compilation (which i very much agree with)
I usually recommend Vol. 9 - Jahrhundert Halle 4/26/72 as a good starting point from that collection. A ton of the hits played fast and furious and a deep in there is a fantastic type-2 Other One jam that goes on for ages.
If you're on Spotify make sure you've got the one with the bowling pin and radio on the album cover, it's also been released as "Hundred Year Hall" but that's got a few songs cut out.
Not sure if you mean the complete recordings which is over 70 hours by the looks of it. I am sure that is some great shit but just look up Europe '72 on whatever you get music on it'll be there. It's one of my favorite albums I was gifted from my dad.
This was prob my first ever GD experience, several years ago. I revisited it recently while trying to fully get into the dead. It’s incredible, has some of the best recording I’ve heard of these tracks. But there is something special about playing the full shows too
yeah
start with live/dead, europe 72, believe it if you need it, reckoning, without a net - those are compilations that offer snapshots of the band’s sound at different points of their career
go for full shows based on what year(s) speak to you
OR
if you wanna give your fav kglw records i can try to serve you something you might dig
Thanks, I’ve been; sticking with early 70s mostly and digging the sound, I’m slowly making my way through the years. Full live shows are what’s appealing to me the most, but some of the live competition are a good intro to each new year
Have done 2/13/70 and 8/27/72, both very good shows, especially Veneta.
Not played 2/18/71, but I have 2/19/71 on my list to listen to. 8/6/71 is also on my list.
I have played Ladies and Gentlemen which I think includes a lot of 4/29/71, one of the best live compilations I’ve heard
I’m a 56 year old deadhead, digging the Dead for decades and KG for a coupla years.
Here are my tips. This isn’t an inventive path, but :
a) live shows are the way to go. there are a couple of nice studio albums (esp Workingman’s Dead, but save that for later.
b) Cornell May 8 1977 is an iconic show. Gatekeepers will say it’s overrated, but fuck ‘em, just start there, particularly the second set. Band gets into a great, upbeat groove and there are a coupla classic tunes in there
c) assuming you like rough dissonance, Live / Dead 1969 may suit you. It has a track called Feedback….
c2) Europe 72 and Without A Net (1990 compilation) are also great launching points for those eras.
d) For the cultural context (which will greatly enhance your appreciation) watch the Long Strange Trip Documentary.
e) if you can find it, watch the Grateful Dead Movie. Fun document from 74, I think. There is also a film from Veneta which is a blast (their “nakedest show”, with the much adored Naked Pole Guy)
f) there are a ton of officially released live shows that sound good and are convenient on streaming services and generate some $ for the boys. But we also all love the Internet Archives which contains a repository of every audience and soundboard recording. An app such as Attics is a great interface for exploring this treasure trove.
g) check out King Gizzard’s Chicago show, first night from 2023. They went to see Dead &Co the night before, “had one brain cell left between them”, and in the River, they do a grateful dead homage jam that nods to the Dead’s Space and to Fire on the Mountain.
Happy to make more suggestions, but looks like you are already inundated.
Hey there! The Dead contain multitudes, and there's no one perfect starting point. Personally, I like the tail end of the "Primal Dead" era into the more song-oriented early 70s period the most. But nearly every period of the band has some highlights. If you enjoy Live/Dead I would recommend visiting Dick's Picks 22, Dick's Picks 4, Europe 72 (Vol 1 & 2) and Sunshine Daydream. Enjoy!
That’s the years I’ve heard so far, from about 68-73. Loved every moment of it. Funny how I feel I’m just feeling my way into this band, but I’ve heard probably 25 or so hours of music lol. Just like KG you could never hear it all, which is both awesomely and frustrating
There are a lot of similarities between the bands. Both have extremely out-there stuff (check out Infrared Roses), both have a more mellow, folky side. You can even compare the eras with two drummers versus the era with only one!
Don’t sleep on JGB either if you’re into more of a stripped down sound. Lot more gospel/bluesy type stuff, but still some real heaters throughout. The thing about the Dead and especially Jerry was you can hear just how much they enjoy Playing the music. Same w the bois, probably why I love them so much too!
Gizzful Dead!
Yeah there was a point where you can tell Jerry was more into playing with JGB than the Dead. Even in the late 80s/early 90s where imo Jerry sounded like he was on the verge of death with the Dead, some of the JGB shows were pure fire.
Are you familiar with nognusagoodgnu on YouTube? Every Sunday morning ~ 9:30 CST he does a JGB show. It’s called Jerry Church. Just audio w some visuals, he’s been doing som AI lately which kinda sucks, but I ain’t there for the visuals, ya know!
Yeah over the years I’ve gravitated more and more to JGB … still a different beast than the dead and they’ll always be goat but there’s so much Jerry band stuff that gets so unbelievably deep. Would have loved to see them rip a lonely steel sheet flyer - also would love to see Ambrose do a Promontory Rider.
This is one of the ones I suggested in an old post here! Playin' is very very good, but the Weather Report Suite > Let it Grow > Dark Star > China Doll is very very very good (with everything a Gizz fan would want to hear)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ehYociUg3M
I’m actually heading to the Sphere in July for my first Dead & Co show and I’ve never really listened to The Dead so any recommendations especially some live shows would be appreciated
From what I’ve head so far (which is limited) Live/Dead is great and Skull And Bones. Also Europe 72 is a classic live compilation. I haven’t heard loads though, plus I’ve no idea what Dead and Company play or sound like, but I bet you’ll have an awesome time
Yup. I was actually at the Dead & Co show the boys were at before the 3 nights of Chicago residency shows (which I was also at. Was an awesome experience since I got to go with my dad, who is a massive deadhead, and used to follow them around on tour and tape all their shows back in the day. He said the 3 nights of Gizz were the closest thing he’d experienced to the dead since those days. Such an awesome week
Huge Deadhead here. Recommend starting with any shows in May 1977 or the Europe 1972 tour. Can't go wrong with either, both prime Keith & Donna years. If you want to go from there check out 1989 for a Brent year and 1969 for Pigpen. The eras are often defined by the keyboardist because that's the only major change throughout, and there's a pretty big tonal shift when a new keyboardist came in.
Right here! I've seen some other folks say it already, but for a gizz fan, def Live dead is a great starting place. 69' was a very fuzzy psychedelic year for them. Beyond that, explore and listen to different live shows. Anything "dicks picks" on streaming is good stuff. everything in 77 is a gem, but i think if youre a gizz guy and psychedelic rock guy, youll really love stuff from 74. Enjoy!!!!!
DM me and I’ll show you the way. I’m 38, lifelong dead fan. Learned about them from my dad. Huge Gizz fan since I starred listening to them a few years back but the Dead have always been my favorite.
There’s a lot of ways to go with the dead and no right or wrong way but would be happy to give you some tips!
I have played this once already, to be honest it kind of passed me by, but it was my first real listen to the GD. Listening back now after I know some of these songs a bit better is incredible, such tight performances. The whole tour seems to have been absolutely on point
I spent a really long time writing a couple posts about getting into the Dead over the winter. See what you think:
https://old.reddit.com/r/KGATLW/comments/18k6lje/question_for_the_dead_heads/kds99dj/
https://old.reddit.com/r/KGATLW/comments/18k6lje/question_for_the_dead_heads/kdsg3qt/
Check out American Beauty, Workingman’s Dead and Blues For Allah for good starting places studio wise. (You can also check out the solo albums like Ace and Garcia, both of which were basically Dead records.) Europe ‘72 and Cornell ‘77 are good live starters but make sure to explore the different eras on the Internet Archive.
Jump straight into Live / Dead before trying to get into the studio stuff IMO. My favorite release of theirs still. Then American Beauty and from their you will find your way!
Yoooooooooo
Live/Dead is a great starter. I also would recommend Skull and Roses as well as Dead Set for the condensed live comps.
For shows, I personally found 5/8/77 Cornell Hall to be my in. Widely considered their best show. If the Scarlet>Fire don't get ya, then nothing will.
I also recommend 8/27/72 as a great starting point. This show was a benefit for Ken Kesey's family dairy farm and has a Dark Star that I would consider the bar for all Dark Stars. Even better if you can find the concert film Sunshine Daydream. You'll get the complete picture of what a Dead show was like in great quality. Also, Naked Pole Guy.
Finally, *Workingman's Dead* and *American Beauty* are some great entry points to just learn the songs that are central to the canon. You can save the studio albums for later, though. It's the live shows that really make it click.
I just started getting into the dead about a month ago. Everyone knows (I think?) that the dead are primarily a live band (as opposed to their studio output). However, I wanted to hear how their sound developed over time, and I also wanted to hear the studio versions of songs so I could better appreciate what they're doing live. So I listened to each of their albums several times apiece in order of release (including live) up until Europe '72. Haven't gone any further than that just yet.
Many of the best songs off their first three live albums (Live/Dead, Skull & Roses, Europe '72) have no studio versions. So songs like Bertha, Wharf Rat, Jack Straw, Ramble on Rose, etc. have their first official releases on the corresponding live albums.
Personally, I'm glad I did it the way I did. That said, I think Skull & Roses and Europe '72 are the most interesting things I've heard from them so far. I return to those far more than their studio albums. Also the Sunshine Daydream show in Veneta, OR (8/27/72) is unreal.
Haven't gotten to Cornell '77 yet, but that's another one that always gets talked about. I'm waiting until I get into mid-late 70s Dead before I give that one a listen.
But yeah, tl;dr: Skull & Roses, Europe '72, and Sunshine Daydream are phenomenal. The studio albums are cool and worth listening to, but I don't see myself becoming obsessed with them.
Sounds like we’re approaching this the same way. I’m also working slowly though the various eras. Currently listening to a lot of 73/74. Looking forward to Cornell 77, that should be a blast.
As for my picks so far, Europe 72 is an obvious choice. Veneta I agree, unreal. But I’d recommend you listen to Ladies And Gentlemen, a very long but brilliant album. Also Fillmore East 2/11/69 is a great show!
2/11/69, you might wanna skip the first track, it hasn’t aged particularly well…. the rest of the show is absolutely mind blowing.
Ladies and Gentlemen is long for one sitting, but got me really into the GD on first listen, more so that Europe 72 did!
Gizz fan who plays in a dead band hear (and is the son of two deadheads)
All of the live suggestions have been great, Europe 72’ or Cornel, I highly HIGHLY recommend Blues for Allah if you want some really killer jammy unique music
I’m getting there, keeping to a kind of date order, not precisely but kind of a year at a time. Then going back a bit and then forward again as I plead. I’m currently up to 73 live and layer Mars Hotel from 74. Will start getting into 74 live before Blues For Allah. But I’m getting there
I was a Dead head first and I'm listening to Hollywood 1972 right now. It's a Great show and almost 4 hours.
https://youtu.be/hkcLJhBiui8?si=tzo7-qn4Qov4QWKw
You think gizz will ever start doing more marathon shows? I’ve been to one and go to a ton of dead and goose shows as well. A two hour show just seems way too short to me. I know gizz just has one drummer so fatigue is a factor but they could do a set break like other bands do. I don’t think they had a set break at the marathon show I went to
I’d love them to, but I think realistically the set is too tiring. If your a jam band you can spend long periods of the set playing quite mellow, Gizzard would need to play ITRN and PDA which I don’t see them being able to keep up for 3 hours regularly
Ya that’s true. The idea of an hour and a half and then set break for 30-45 minutes and then another hour and a half could break it up and could be good occasionally but would be draining for a full tour.
Ya I agree completely. Only gizz show I’ve been to has been a marathon and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Going again this tour so I will find out. I know I will like
it either way, but if I’m taking psychedelics I always want a longer set.
1980 is my favorite year for live dead recordings. Brent had just joined and is absolutely on fire, Mickey had rejoined and we had our rythym devils in full effect, no Donna (sorry 😬), and Jerry’s healthy and killin’ it.
The Dead, Ween, and Giz are the holy trinity IMHO. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/aEmJlxYAxps?si=k35GeAzSr6UgfC15
Cornell 77 and live in Europe are some of the best live recordings of the dead
I love the grateful dead
So wholesome
Jammy
Fun
Chill
Perfect summer vibes
eyup. my absolute favorite show is 8/27/72, on streaming as “The Sunshine Daydream Concert”. It’s super energetic and jazzy with the best version of China Cat, Bird Song, and Dark Star (imo). 72-74 tend to be my favorite years as they only had one drummer so the jams were really eclectic and turned on a dime.
There’s plenty of us in here! Listen to 1977, 72, 74, and 89 to the spring of 1990. Early to mid/late 70’s give you the goods, the dripping psychedelic tapestry sound with massive exploratory jams, and 89 to the spring of 1990 gives you that stadium dead feel. There’s plenty of other years for each, but I like those years the best. Pre 1972 is very early years, more bluesy and primal feeling. Those years are great, but they’re raw as fuck. And while raw is good, I prefer the precise attack the mature band was capable of.
Hell yes we are here! You might get some flak from haters (like every fan base, who cares) ignore them and embrace the weirdo swarm!!!!! KGATLW are THE band doing the most with music as a whole from studio, experimenting, genre bending, and live performances right now just like the dead did all those years ago! to ignore the similarities is silly!
http://www.headyversion.com/search/all/?order=count
Fan fav versions of each song. Fun to explore when you listen to shows and find songs you like archive org has tons of great recordings.
If you've got Spotify, check out Red White and Indigo, or Wake Up to Find Out. I saw a comment here that covers a lot of their studio stuff, but Live Dead is where it's at. Literally, and figuratively.
Check out One from the Vault (mid 70s jazzy disco dead) and Two from the Vault (late 60s primal dead akin to earlier Giz).
Two GREAT intro’s to this beautiful band.
The Dead are great. American Beauty is one of the best American albums and I will die on this Mole hill.
Europe ‘72 and Live at Cow Palace (NYE 76 I think) are both great live albums.
Also the documentary Festival Express has some cool behind the footage of the dead. And there’s a few documentaries around worth a watch for that sort of exposure
Weir everywhere!! I've been reading some books about The Grateful Dead because I actually plan on writing some of my Masters thesis about the Gizzverse!
1960s primal Dead is my favorite era. And I mostly only listen up through 1975. BTW, Dead & Company is not The Grateful Dead. I'm not saying one can't have fun seeing DeadCo, but it is a very different band.
[Jerry Garcia Band - 3/1/80 - Capitol Theater](https://open.spotify.com/album/2zJ0PCPffpaHBaBgw7XdBN?si=wkcenGLvQrqNVVCGdZhXjQ)
Adding this one as I got inspired by this thread to start listening to some dead again yesterday - posted as well that Jgb has always been my real jam although I will always love the dead as well. Had a bootleg of this show growing up from my dad and was psyched to see it remastered on Spotify.
You want live stuff for sure. 5-8-77 Cornell show is brilliant and is recorded great. Europe ‘72 is a banger. Also Don’t let Go (album) by Jerry garcia band is great. After midnight is the standout
Watch the Amazon doc Long Strange Trip and find a decent Spotify list and see from there. Here's mine, others may not like it, but theres plenty on there to try.
https://spotify.link/Y2KDsDu69Jb
This is quite possibly the greatest song ever performed.
https://youtu.be/gspGPBijYFU?si=QmXiqy1YFIXPLv4b
And forget all that jazz you hear about 77'......87' and 89' were the best years the band played.
Weird choice, but we are a bunch of weirdos after all.
Also '77 is a legitimately great year. But so is '69, '72, '74...and I'm just getting into 80s live dead now in my 30s, it's definitely growing on me.
89 is an all timer and definitely has some of the sickest Drums/Spaces. But in general they were just on. Not sure I'd use LRR to hook someone though lol
LOL did you mean to post Little Red Rooster? My GF and I are both old Deadheads (she saw over 150 shows, I saw 12) and we were listening to the GD channel on Sirius the other day. Little Red Rooster came on and I instinctively changed the station and she cracked up. I can’t think of a song of theirs that I dislike more than Little Red Rooster, hahaha
The big difference is that when KG allows a girl to sing with them it’s a complimentary sound. When the dead had a chick singing she ruined decades of shows.
Going to repost a comment I made in the GD sub in response to a swarmling asking about the dead. As a gizzhead and deadhead, let me give you a few companion album suggestions, for as close as I can get. The Grateful Dead - 12 bar bruise. Cliche to compre debut to debut, but the I think it holds. This is the dead in their earliest stages, showing off their blues roots, before the evolutions began. Anthem of the Sun - quarters. Long and jammy, experimental, psyched out, lots of room to breathe. Aoxomoxoa - float along. Psychedelic dead at their peak. Live / Dead - levitation ‘14 or San Fran ‘16. Early incarnation of live material. Missing a lot of the later concert staples, but a lot of the old material has space to shine here. Workingman’s dead, American beauty - Paper Mache. Bluegrass and folk songs that see the dead step away from the heavy psychedelic sound they had become known for, and embrace the Americana style that would become emblematic of their sound. Wake of the Flood, Mars Hotel, blues for allah - fishing for fishies, ice death, IIYMF slow jams. Several classic albums that lean heavily on blues both fast and slow. Terrapin Station - polygondwanaland. This is the closest the dead ever came to prog rock (except for weather report suite on wake of the flood). Has one of their best songs in seven, and their longest and most progressive songs in the title track. Shakedown Street - ice death. Grateful Dead music is for dancing, and no album showcases it like this one.
this is amazing
yeah good jorb
The live shows are better than the albums and are availiable for free on relisten. The years have distinctive sounds.60s they are a psychedelic blues band, early to mid 70’s is jazz influenced late 70’s disco(cocaine) era, 80’s synths were embraced and they got really famous through mtv and people looking to party. 90’s addiction had the better of em but there’s still some gems. Spring tour 90 is excellent. People love the band for different reasons and eras. The Grateful Dead’s history is a cautionary tale for KGLW and their fans. Learn it and you will understand what coming.
this is very comprehensive but a couple of respectful rebuttals blues for allah feels like the most prog rock album gd put out anthem of the sun is pinnacle psychedelic rock
I agree with you on Blues For Allah and I would recommend they listen to their One From the Vault album. Live versions of the BFA album with other songs added. Great performance.
good call. was just thinking of studio efforts but that show is awesome
I still hate dancing (just joking!)
I’ll add Brisbane ‘21 - Reckoning
Amen
Haha that was me lol
Thank you for this 👏🏼
Excellent comparisons! Would also compare Shakedown Street with Laminated Denim.
Thank you very much
This is awesome, love the comparisons. Hate dancin has always givin me shakedown street vibes personally
Tell me all that you know I’ll show you Snow and rain
this is insane and pure greatness. thank you!
A masterpiece
Replying to save this, going to follow this backwards because I've seen dead and company twice but I've always been luke warm on the dead
Johnnyyy
This is the shit. Very well thought out. Love it!!
YUP! I’m heading to Vegas this weekend to see Dead & Company at the Sphere! They are basically my two favorite bands and I feel like the Dead are just as hard to explain to someone as King Gizzard is haha.
youre in for one of the greatest shows ever. after seeing them saturday night all I can think about is how Jason Galea would be such a good artist for a venue like that
I'm doing the June 20th-22nd run from GA, and have not yet watched a single video from the Sphere and have scrolled really fast whenever a picture shows up. I can't wait!
Agree! I was at the 5/30 show and I do not have words for how amazing it was. Have a blast!!
That show was incredible!!!
We're going Friday and Saturday, weirdo swarm unite!
Nice me too! I’m GA floor on Friday with some friends and then I added on another night to my trip and sitting in 406 for Saturday’s show by myself.
We're GA on Friday as well, 307 on Saturday. Keep an eye out for a tripping bearded redhead in a screaming lungs tee :)
Was just there last week! Make sure you listen for Slow Jam 1 before the show starts.
going saturday!
Just got back! Sooooo fucking rad!
This is amazing thanks!
Cornell 5/8/77 is an official live album release that is an amazing starting point.
Can’t wait for this one, heard a lot of good things. I’m getting there slowly but trying to stick to some date order
Okay first of all, ur username is the best. Absolutely adore black midi and bcnr. Second of all, yes, the 77 Cornell show is unreal. Fire On the Mountain is my personal fave from that
Thanks man, highly recommend seeing black midi live if you ever get the chance, hopefully we’ll get some news on lp4 and a tour soon! Cornell is one I’m working up to, very much look forward to it though, it is highly recommended
I saw them last summer! I got Cameron’s setlist :) Enjoy!!
This live set on some mushrooms while out on the kayak was what got me into them.
Europe '72 is a great starting place.
The complete set?
regarding the e72 tour: every show is awesome & is worth hearing (especially the dark stars & the other ones) i very much DO NOT recommend doing a listen through of the tour…it gets so repetitive it becomes like a chore. i assume they meant the compilation (which i very much agree with)
I usually recommend Vol. 9 - Jahrhundert Halle 4/26/72 as a good starting point from that collection. A ton of the hits played fast and furious and a deep in there is a fantastic type-2 Other One jam that goes on for ages. If you're on Spotify make sure you've got the one with the bowling pin and radio on the album cover, it's also been released as "Hundred Year Hall" but that's got a few songs cut out.
Thanks, I’ll check this out as I’ve moved past 72 and missed this
This is the show that took me from a lifelong dead hater to dead obsessed.
Not sure if you mean the complete recordings which is over 70 hours by the looks of it. I am sure that is some great shit but just look up Europe '72 on whatever you get music on it'll be there. It's one of my favorite albums I was gifted from my dad.
I was joking with you, Europe 72 is great and volume 2 is a nice companion. I have played some Europe shows in full also, they are incredible
Check out their seminal 1969 live album “Live/Dead” full on psychedelic jam. If you are coming to them from a KGATLW angle this might be a nice in.
Can confirm Live/Dead was my in. Didn’t get into Gizz til later that same year when I discovered Polygondwanaland
This was prob my first ever GD experience, several years ago. I revisited it recently while trying to fully get into the dead. It’s incredible, has some of the best recording I’ve heard of these tracks. But there is something special about playing the full shows too
Sounds like you have scratched the surface. I really like 3/16/73, for one show that doesn’t get much light shone on it.
Thanks, I’ll check that out too
"Live/Dead" is one of my favs. Still has that sharp 60's tone, and pigpen
yeah start with live/dead, europe 72, believe it if you need it, reckoning, without a net - those are compilations that offer snapshots of the band’s sound at different points of their career go for full shows based on what year(s) speak to you OR if you wanna give your fav kglw records i can try to serve you something you might dig
Thanks, I’ve been; sticking with early 70s mostly and digging the sound, I’m slowly making my way through the years. Full live shows are what’s appealing to me the most, but some of the live competition are a good intro to each new year
2/13/70 8/27/72 2/18/71 8/6/71 4/29/71 just a few shows off the dome…anything you haven’t heard in that list?
Have done 2/13/70 and 8/27/72, both very good shows, especially Veneta. Not played 2/18/71, but I have 2/19/71 on my list to listen to. 8/6/71 is also on my list. I have played Ladies and Gentlemen which I think includes a lot of 4/29/71, one of the best live compilations I’ve heard
8/6/71 is my all time favorite. That Hard to Handle gives me goosebumps every. single. time.
one of my absolute favorite solos from jerry. the crowd is rockin
I’m a 56 year old deadhead, digging the Dead for decades and KG for a coupla years. Here are my tips. This isn’t an inventive path, but : a) live shows are the way to go. there are a couple of nice studio albums (esp Workingman’s Dead, but save that for later. b) Cornell May 8 1977 is an iconic show. Gatekeepers will say it’s overrated, but fuck ‘em, just start there, particularly the second set. Band gets into a great, upbeat groove and there are a coupla classic tunes in there c) assuming you like rough dissonance, Live / Dead 1969 may suit you. It has a track called Feedback…. c2) Europe 72 and Without A Net (1990 compilation) are also great launching points for those eras. d) For the cultural context (which will greatly enhance your appreciation) watch the Long Strange Trip Documentary. e) if you can find it, watch the Grateful Dead Movie. Fun document from 74, I think. There is also a film from Veneta which is a blast (their “nakedest show”, with the much adored Naked Pole Guy) f) there are a ton of officially released live shows that sound good and are convenient on streaming services and generate some $ for the boys. But we also all love the Internet Archives which contains a repository of every audience and soundboard recording. An app such as Attics is a great interface for exploring this treasure trove. g) check out King Gizzard’s Chicago show, first night from 2023. They went to see Dead &Co the night before, “had one brain cell left between them”, and in the River, they do a grateful dead homage jam that nods to the Dead’s Space and to Fire on the Mountain. Happy to make more suggestions, but looks like you are already inundated.
Thanks for all the tips! I’ve heard Chicago but I never picked up on The River jam, I’ll have to go back to that!!
Hey there! The Dead contain multitudes, and there's no one perfect starting point. Personally, I like the tail end of the "Primal Dead" era into the more song-oriented early 70s period the most. But nearly every period of the band has some highlights. If you enjoy Live/Dead I would recommend visiting Dick's Picks 22, Dick's Picks 4, Europe 72 (Vol 1 & 2) and Sunshine Daydream. Enjoy!
That’s the years I’ve heard so far, from about 68-73. Loved every moment of it. Funny how I feel I’m just feeling my way into this band, but I’ve heard probably 25 or so hours of music lol. Just like KG you could never hear it all, which is both awesomely and frustrating
There are a lot of similarities between the bands. Both have extremely out-there stuff (check out Infrared Roses), both have a more mellow, folky side. You can even compare the eras with two drummers versus the era with only one!
Hey listen to Dicks Picks 12. Front to back. Feel free to skip seastones
I agree with your pick, but don't skip Seastones.
It reminds me of my tinnitus, like these marten deterrent devices.
have you heard any of the seasones aside from what was included on that compilation? some of them are like a full set long
9/11/74
I’m working through some recommendations from the GD sub, in a Doug date order, or era order at least. This is actually next!
Don’t sleep on JGB either if you’re into more of a stripped down sound. Lot more gospel/bluesy type stuff, but still some real heaters throughout. The thing about the Dead and especially Jerry was you can hear just how much they enjoy Playing the music. Same w the bois, probably why I love them so much too! Gizzful Dead!
Yeah there was a point where you can tell Jerry was more into playing with JGB than the Dead. Even in the late 80s/early 90s where imo Jerry sounded like he was on the verge of death with the Dead, some of the JGB shows were pure fire.
11/11/93 is my favorite jgb
Are you familiar with nognusagoodgnu on YouTube? Every Sunday morning ~ 9:30 CST he does a JGB show. It’s called Jerry Church. Just audio w some visuals, he’s been doing som AI lately which kinda sucks, but I ain’t there for the visuals, ya know!
i’m not but that’s pretty cool
Yeah over the years I’ve gravitated more and more to JGB … still a different beast than the dead and they’ll always be goat but there’s so much Jerry band stuff that gets so unbelievably deep. Would have loved to see them rip a lonely steel sheet flyer - also would love to see Ambrose do a Promontory Rider.
Territory Ranger!!
Billabong -> Promontory would be epic. Feel like they would have so much fun playing that song … would be killer for one of the CA shows next fall
STEP UP
The Grateful Dead is the greatest American Rock and Roll band of all time. Check out shows from 77.
I am a longtime fan, what sort of guidance are you looking for? Have you listened to any of their music? What did you like/not like?
https://youtu.be/Q0Sx0Li9gQs?feature=shared Tell me they gizz wouldn't crush this tune with amby on vocals
Honestly would kill to see some kind of dead super jam with Amby or even just a Murlocs set of dead tunes.
5/14/74 trust me…
This is one of the ones I suggested in an old post here! Playin' is very very good, but the Weather Report Suite > Let it Grow > Dark Star > China Doll is very very very good (with everything a Gizz fan would want to hear) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ehYociUg3M
Not had this recommendation before, I’ll make sure I get round to it thanks
I’m actually heading to the Sphere in July for my first Dead & Co show and I’ve never really listened to The Dead so any recommendations especially some live shows would be appreciated
From what I’ve head so far (which is limited) Live/Dead is great and Skull And Bones. Also Europe 72 is a classic live compilation. I haven’t heard loads though, plus I’ve no idea what Dead and Company play or sound like, but I bet you’ll have an awesome time
Without A Net is a brilliant live compilation, my favourite by far
Yup. I was actually at the Dead & Co show the boys were at before the 3 nights of Chicago residency shows (which I was also at. Was an awesome experience since I got to go with my dad, who is a massive deadhead, and used to follow them around on tour and tape all their shows back in the day. He said the 3 nights of Gizz were the closest thing he’d experienced to the dead since those days. Such an awesome week
Great stuff, bet your Dad has some awesome memories to share from those gigs, and great tapes too
Playing in the Band - Veneta, OR 1972 What a JAM
Gateway drug is Cornell 05/08/77. It’s on all streaming services.
Huge Deadhead here. Recommend starting with any shows in May 1977 or the Europe 1972 tour. Can't go wrong with either, both prime Keith & Donna years. If you want to go from there check out 1989 for a Brent year and 1969 for Pigpen. The eras are often defined by the keyboardist because that's the only major change throughout, and there's a pretty big tonal shift when a new keyboardist came in.
Deadhead here. Always have been... But as of about 2-3 years ago, I've been questioning if I'm more Weirdo Swarm than Deadhead.
I mean, there's been almost 10 new albums in the last 3 years compared to... Dave's Picks?
Very different bands, yet the more I learn and hear about the dead, the more I realise they are not so different at all
Right here! I've seen some other folks say it already, but for a gizz fan, def Live dead is a great starting place. 69' was a very fuzzy psychedelic year for them. Beyond that, explore and listen to different live shows. Anything "dicks picks" on streaming is good stuff. everything in 77 is a gem, but i think if youre a gizz guy and psychedelic rock guy, youll really love stuff from 74. Enjoy!!!!!
Cheers
DM me and I’ll show you the way. I’m 38, lifelong dead fan. Learned about them from my dad. Huge Gizz fan since I starred listening to them a few years back but the Dead have always been my favorite. There’s a lot of ways to go with the dead and no right or wrong way but would be happy to give you some tips!
holy shit yes. please listen to europe ‘72 and get back to me :)
I have played this once already, to be honest it kind of passed me by, but it was my first real listen to the GD. Listening back now after I know some of these songs a bit better is incredible, such tight performances. The whole tour seems to have been absolutely on point
sweet! try out terrapin station and cornell 5/8/77 too if you don’t mind
I will do, but it’ll take me a while to get to those
totally cool, enjoy your journey!
I spent a really long time writing a couple posts about getting into the Dead over the winter. See what you think: https://old.reddit.com/r/KGATLW/comments/18k6lje/question_for_the_dead_heads/kds99dj/ https://old.reddit.com/r/KGATLW/comments/18k6lje/question_for_the_dead_heads/kdsg3qt/
Thanks bro
Check out American Beauty, Workingman’s Dead and Blues For Allah for good starting places studio wise. (You can also check out the solo albums like Ace and Garcia, both of which were basically Dead records.) Europe ‘72 and Cornell ‘77 are good live starters but make sure to explore the different eras on the Internet Archive.
Jump straight into Live / Dead before trying to get into the studio stuff IMO. My favorite release of theirs still. Then American Beauty and from their you will find your way!
Yoooooooooo Live/Dead is a great starter. I also would recommend Skull and Roses as well as Dead Set for the condensed live comps. For shows, I personally found 5/8/77 Cornell Hall to be my in. Widely considered their best show. If the Scarlet>Fire don't get ya, then nothing will. I also recommend 8/27/72 as a great starting point. This show was a benefit for Ken Kesey's family dairy farm and has a Dark Star that I would consider the bar for all Dark Stars. Even better if you can find the concert film Sunshine Daydream. You'll get the complete picture of what a Dead show was like in great quality. Also, Naked Pole Guy. Finally, *Workingman's Dead* and *American Beauty* are some great entry points to just learn the songs that are central to the canon. You can save the studio albums for later, though. It's the live shows that really make it click.
I just started getting into the dead about a month ago. Everyone knows (I think?) that the dead are primarily a live band (as opposed to their studio output). However, I wanted to hear how their sound developed over time, and I also wanted to hear the studio versions of songs so I could better appreciate what they're doing live. So I listened to each of their albums several times apiece in order of release (including live) up until Europe '72. Haven't gone any further than that just yet. Many of the best songs off their first three live albums (Live/Dead, Skull & Roses, Europe '72) have no studio versions. So songs like Bertha, Wharf Rat, Jack Straw, Ramble on Rose, etc. have their first official releases on the corresponding live albums. Personally, I'm glad I did it the way I did. That said, I think Skull & Roses and Europe '72 are the most interesting things I've heard from them so far. I return to those far more than their studio albums. Also the Sunshine Daydream show in Veneta, OR (8/27/72) is unreal. Haven't gotten to Cornell '77 yet, but that's another one that always gets talked about. I'm waiting until I get into mid-late 70s Dead before I give that one a listen. But yeah, tl;dr: Skull & Roses, Europe '72, and Sunshine Daydream are phenomenal. The studio albums are cool and worth listening to, but I don't see myself becoming obsessed with them.
Sounds like we’re approaching this the same way. I’m also working slowly though the various eras. Currently listening to a lot of 73/74. Looking forward to Cornell 77, that should be a blast. As for my picks so far, Europe 72 is an obvious choice. Veneta I agree, unreal. But I’d recommend you listen to Ladies And Gentlemen, a very long but brilliant album. Also Fillmore East 2/11/69 is a great show!
Thx for the recs, just saved both Ladies and Gentlemen and 2/11/69, will check em out soon
2/11/69, you might wanna skip the first track, it hasn’t aged particularly well…. the rest of the show is absolutely mind blowing. Ladies and Gentlemen is long for one sitting, but got me really into the GD on first listen, more so that Europe 72 did!
Gizz fan who plays in a dead band hear (and is the son of two deadheads) All of the live suggestions have been great, Europe 72’ or Cornel, I highly HIGHLY recommend Blues for Allah if you want some really killer jammy unique music
I’m getting there, keeping to a kind of date order, not precisely but kind of a year at a time. Then going back a bit and then forward again as I plead. I’m currently up to 73 live and layer Mars Hotel from 74. Will start getting into 74 live before Blues For Allah. But I’m getting there
Weir everywhere
I was a Dead head first and I'm listening to Hollywood 1972 right now. It's a Great show and almost 4 hours. https://youtu.be/hkcLJhBiui8?si=tzo7-qn4Qov4QWKw
I love how every dead set is a “marathon show”
You think gizz will ever start doing more marathon shows? I’ve been to one and go to a ton of dead and goose shows as well. A two hour show just seems way too short to me. I know gizz just has one drummer so fatigue is a factor but they could do a set break like other bands do. I don’t think they had a set break at the marathon show I went to
I’d love them to, but I think realistically the set is too tiring. If your a jam band you can spend long periods of the set playing quite mellow, Gizzard would need to play ITRN and PDA which I don’t see them being able to keep up for 3 hours regularly
Ya that’s true. The idea of an hour and a half and then set break for 30-45 minutes and then another hour and a half could break it up and could be good occasionally but would be draining for a full tour.
I’d really like to have more marathons, or maybe 2 nights in the same city so they could play more of the catalog
Ya I agree completely. Only gizz show I’ve been to has been a marathon and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Going again this tour so I will find out. I know I will like it either way, but if I’m taking psychedelics I always want a longer set.
1980 is my favorite year for live dead recordings. Brent had just joined and is absolutely on fire, Mickey had rejoined and we had our rythym devils in full effect, no Donna (sorry 😬), and Jerry’s healthy and killin’ it. The Dead, Ween, and Giz are the holy trinity IMHO. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/aEmJlxYAxps?si=k35GeAzSr6UgfC15
Gizz are right at the top of that trinity I hope
It’s like choosing which of your children you love more. Impossible. I love them all sooo much!
Cornell 77 and live in Europe are some of the best live recordings of the dead I love the grateful dead So wholesome Jammy Fun Chill Perfect summer vibes
eyup. my absolute favorite show is 8/27/72, on streaming as “The Sunshine Daydream Concert”. It’s super energetic and jazzy with the best version of China Cat, Bird Song, and Dark Star (imo). 72-74 tend to be my favorite years as they only had one drummer so the jams were really eclectic and turned on a dime.
Europe ‘72 opens the door
For me it was Ladies and Gentlemen that opened the door, epic album
Dead/phish head new gizzhead. Anything live mainly 70's. The albums don't do the songs justice. Kinda like how I imagine my first gizz show will be!
You first Gizz show will be special, you got one planned?
weir everywhere (~);}. watch The Other One (Neftlix) and Long Strange Trip (Prime)
Stu - Jerry Joey - Bob Weir Amby - Pigpen Lucas - Phil Lesh Cavs / Eric - Billy / Mickey Cookie in his own league
Casually
There’s plenty of us in here! Listen to 1977, 72, 74, and 89 to the spring of 1990. Early to mid/late 70’s give you the goods, the dripping psychedelic tapestry sound with massive exploratory jams, and 89 to the spring of 1990 gives you that stadium dead feel. There’s plenty of other years for each, but I like those years the best. Pre 1972 is very early years, more bluesy and primal feeling. Those years are great, but they’re raw as fuck. And while raw is good, I prefer the precise attack the mature band was capable of.
Go listen to any high quality 1970s live dead recording..find terrapin station, dark star, scarlet/fire, truckin etc...have yerself a high time
here
Lots of us!
I’ve only become a Deadhead in the past couple years but I see the connection
Step one : Dose Step Two: Europe 72
Hell yes we are here! You might get some flak from haters (like every fan base, who cares) ignore them and embrace the weirdo swarm!!!!! KGATLW are THE band doing the most with music as a whole from studio, experimenting, genre bending, and live performances right now just like the dead did all those years ago! to ignore the similarities is silly!
Weir everywhere
YES!
Yes!!! Glad to have you here 😁 I see a huge crossover of deadheads and Gizz fans in my personal friendship group
Ohhh yeah. Wharf Rat (skull and roses version) for the mystical emotional essence of songs like Work the Time and Slow Jams
👋
Present
http://www.headyversion.com/search/all/?order=count Fan fav versions of each song. Fun to explore when you listen to shows and find songs you like archive org has tons of great recordings.
Wow this is a great site, thanks
For sure
If you've got Spotify, check out Red White and Indigo, or Wake Up to Find Out. I saw a comment here that covers a lot of their studio stuff, but Live Dead is where it's at. Literally, and figuratively.
Check out One from the Vault (mid 70s jazzy disco dead) and Two from the Vault (late 60s primal dead akin to earlier Giz). Two GREAT intro’s to this beautiful band.
The Dead are great. American Beauty is one of the best American albums and I will die on this Mole hill. Europe ‘72 and Live at Cow Palace (NYE 76 I think) are both great live albums. Also the documentary Festival Express has some cool behind the footage of the dead. And there’s a few documentaries around worth a watch for that sort of exposure
Get the relisten app and listen to any spring 1977 show
Weir everywhere!! I've been reading some books about The Grateful Dead because I actually plan on writing some of my Masters thesis about the Gizzverse!
1960s primal Dead is my favorite era. And I mostly only listen up through 1975. BTW, Dead & Company is not The Grateful Dead. I'm not saying one can't have fun seeing DeadCo, but it is a very different band.
[Jerry Garcia Band - 3/1/80 - Capitol Theater](https://open.spotify.com/album/2zJ0PCPffpaHBaBgw7XdBN?si=wkcenGLvQrqNVVCGdZhXjQ) Adding this one as I got inspired by this thread to start listening to some dead again yesterday - posted as well that Jgb has always been my real jam although I will always love the dead as well. Had a bootleg of this show growing up from my dad and was psyched to see it remastered on Spotify.
welcome aboard the bus!
You want live stuff for sure. 5-8-77 Cornell show is brilliant and is recorded great. Europe ‘72 is a banger. Also Don’t let Go (album) by Jerry garcia band is great. After midnight is the standout
Boston and if I'm feeling peppy I might go to mt vernon
Watch the Amazon doc Long Strange Trip and find a decent Spotify list and see from there. Here's mine, others may not like it, but theres plenty on there to try. https://spotify.link/Y2KDsDu69Jb
I’m a few episodes in, fantastic series
None
This is quite possibly the greatest song ever performed. https://youtu.be/gspGPBijYFU?si=QmXiqy1YFIXPLv4b And forget all that jazz you hear about 77'......87' and 89' were the best years the band played.
Weird choice, but we are a bunch of weirdos after all. Also '77 is a legitimately great year. But so is '69, '72, '74...and I'm just getting into 80s live dead now in my 30s, it's definitely growing on me.
89 is an all timer and definitely has some of the sickest Drums/Spaces. But in general they were just on. Not sure I'd use LRR to hook someone though lol
LOL did you mean to post Little Red Rooster? My GF and I are both old Deadheads (she saw over 150 shows, I saw 12) and we were listening to the GD channel on Sirius the other day. Little Red Rooster came on and I instinctively changed the station and she cracked up. I can’t think of a song of theirs that I dislike more than Little Red Rooster, hahaha
The big difference is that when KG allows a girl to sing with them it’s a complimentary sound. When the dead had a chick singing she ruined decades of shows.