I watched The Other One last night. It was EXCELLENT, even better than I expected. I was never a Dead Head, but I saw them many times, from S.F. in 1970 to their last show with Garcia at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1995. Lots of strange trips in between. RIP, Bob. I hope you reconnected with Jerry and Phil and are jamming still.
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Ok. Out of respect, I am going to give a shot here. I want a Dead recommendation for something that isn’t a nine minute jam wankfest, is a solid song with something to learn from, and isn’t a pop attempt like “touch of grey”. I know Morning Dew is of but want something better. @MikeC @TheMaartian any faves to check out?
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I have many personal Dead favorites, all tied to memories of friends, lovers and shared experiences that I’ll carry with me forever.
The Dead’s American Beauty album sold over two million records. Both fans and those unfamiliar with the Dead’s storied career made this album a classic. Jerry, Bob and lyricist Robert Hunter penned a collection of poetic stories wrapped in intricate instrumentation and arrangements.
I honestly can’t say how many times I’ve listened to American Beauty but I’ve dug it every single time.
Just a few of my fave cuts off of it are Friend of the Devil, Ripple, Attics of My Life, and Truckin’, but I truthfully love all the tunes.
These songs might not hit anyone the same or as much as they have me, and that’s perfectly fine. We each like what we like. But when music of any style or genre affects me on a level beyond being more than just entertainment, I pay attention and I hold it close. It becomes deeply personal.
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Yeah, basically anything from American Beauty. There are also some great classics from the previous album “Workingman’s Dead”. The first cut, “Uncle John’s Band”, was a concert staple and has a fun bassline to play. Also, check out “Estimated Prophet” from “Terrapin Station” and “Shakedown Street” from, you guessed it, “Shakedown Street” (another fun bassline; a personal fav).
And, yes, there’s a much longer live version!
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Yes, I had preconceived ideas of what The Dead’s music (and Jerry Garcia) would be like. I had never listened to one song. That live cut was fantastic.
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Thanks for the tips!
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One of the most harmonically intricate and intimate Dead songs: Stella Blue. Lyrics by Robert Hunter. Music by Jerry. Its arrangement, vocal harmony and instrumentation are achingly beautiful to me. Worth a listen.
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@Howard Attics of My Life is an all-time favorite song of mine. Some of the most beautiful lyrics ever written. @MikeC is absolutely right on the American Beauty recommendation.
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Many Dead songs are so often played together and just end up getting abbreviated as one song, like for instance China Cat Sunflower and I Know You Rider get played together and referred to as China/Rider.
In that same vein, there’s the trifecta of Help on the Way / Slipknot / Franklin’s tower. Highly recommend. When trying to find links to share, this page popped up, so I’ll just link to it instead:
Also, hard to go wrong with a little Sugaree. It might be sacrilege, but here’s the Dead & Co version from the first concert I took my youngest to. They opened the second set with it and while it might be a bit more jam wankery than you’re after, but holy crap can JM play. I dig Oteil’s groove on bass as well.
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68 Is So Flipping Young - Love Live Siouxsie & The Banshees
We just lost another great, Ralph Towner, on the 18th in Rome. He was 85. A multi-instrumentalist, he focused later in life on nylon 6-string and steel 12-string acoustic guitars. RIP, Ralph.
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Ralph gifted the world a legacy of superb music during a life well played. Rest in peace and harmony, man.
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Sad day for the Reggae community
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both gone, man.
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Damn, I was just working on a cover from a song he played on.
Yeah, Robbie Shakespeare not too long ago, right? Sad 
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