Grateful Dead-Live Dead (1969)

In 1967, the Grateful Dead released their self-titled debut album, a work with a repertoire of still somewhat undefined songs influenced by the blues and the band members' distinctive personalities. Afterward, the group expanded with the addition of keyboardist Tom Constanten and percussionist Mickey Hart, two musicians who would be fundamental to the band's career in the years to come. At that time, the rest of the lineup consisted of guitarist, leader, and driving force Jerry Garcia, drummer Bill Kreutzman, bassist Phil Lesh, keyboardist Ron McKernan, and guitarist Bob Weir. With this lineup, the band released their first major masterpiece, "Anthem of the Sun", in 1968, followed a year later by another seminal work, "Aoxomoxoa". These albums showcased the group's impressive power, with their intricate and original themes, instrumental jams, hazy atmospheres, and the incredibly long solos of all their virtuoso musicians. However, it was live that the Grateful Dead truly unleashed the full potential of their repertoire, delivering extensive performances that stretched until dawn, leaving audiences stunned by the avalanche of creative and breathtaking sounds. Due to these memorable performances, a phenomenon known as the "Deadheads" grew up around the group—massive fan groups organized throughout the United States that never abandoned them until the band's dissolution in 2015. Even today, the "Deadheads" movement is one of the most powerful and influential in the United States. To best share the magic of those concerts, the double album "Live Dead" was released near the end of 1969. It consists of a repertoire recorded on various nights at the Fillmore West in San Francisco during the first months of that year. However, it was also released to help offset the debt the Grateful Dead had incurred with Warner Bros. for their album "Aoxomoxoa", which, due to its extensive and meticulous production, had cost them a staggering $180,000. The album didn't sell particularly well at the time, but their live shows were significantly expanding their cult following, thanks to their extended performances, which ranged from three to six hours each night. It's worth noting that the Grateful Dead were an exceptionally dedicated band, striving for perfection in their performances, musical originality, the production of their recordings, and extensive live improvisations. At this point, we mustn't forget their famous and legendary "Wall of Sound", a massive and sophisticated sound system built exclusively for the band, about which you can find more information in the link at the end of this post. "Live Dead" opens with the monstrous and monumental "Dark Star", which, at 23 minutes long, is undoubtedly the "Holy Grail" of the aforementioned "Deadheads," and one of the groundbreaking and exploratory tracks that became an art form in rock. Built on two simple main chords, it is undoubtedly the band's most complete and complex sonic passage, requiring a superhuman amount of telekinesis, confidence, and...LSD (the band's and their fans' preferred drug) for listening and understanding (or at least that's what the band members and fans claimed). At their most indulgent, the Dead could play "Dark Star" for literally hours on end, unfolding walls of feedback, avant-garde exploration, and lengthy improvisations, before returning to the two simple opening chords. The rest of this double album consists of the ramshackle and psychedelic "St. Stephen", the brilliant "The Eleven", the lengthy experimental blues "Turn On Your Love Light", the lilting blues "Death Don't Have No Mercy", and the avant-garde and lysergic "Feedback". “Live Dead” is considered by the most purist fans of live music as the best live recording in history, mainly because no one ever sounded as supernatural as they did in their memorable and unique shows of those longed-for years.

Grateful Dead-Europe´72 (1972)

Grateful Dead have been elevated to myth status by American society, their philosophy of life and in particular their music earned them popularity throughout the United States.
Already in the early 70s, his works "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" (1970) had meant a radical change in his sound, drifting towards folk rock and, apparently, leaving his most psychedelic sound of the Previous jobs.
These two albums were followed by several years of continuous tours where they explored this new facet while maintaining their psychedelic side and their never ending.
Two years later the triple album "Europe ´72" was released, recorded in different concerts for the European tour and where and as usual, the band savagely expands with vibrant blues like "Cumberland Blues", the psychedelic jam blues "Truckin", the precious "Morning Dew", the anthology "I Know You Rider", the country "Tennessee Jed" or the irresistible "Brown Eyed Woman" and "Ramble On Rose".
"Europe ´72" is one of the great live shows of rock music, magnificent both for its sound and for everything that this mythical band could do on stage, with sublime and faultless performances.

Grateful Dead-Workingman´s Dead (1970)

The Grateful Dead's fourth studio album, "Workingman's Dead" (1970), marked a stylistic shift from the psychedelia of their earlier work, embracing American roots sounds like folk and country. This album also showcased the songwriting talent of the duo Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter. Echoes of the folk-rock of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at the time appear in songs like "Uncle John's Band", a memorable composition brimming with acoustic guitars, rich vocal harmonies, and a rustic, traditional feel. Similar paths are followed by other tracks such as "Casey Jones", "High Time", "Dire Wolf", and "Black Peter", while country rock makes an appearance in "New Speedway", and the psychedelic rock of yesteryear resurfaces in "Easy Wind", the only song that hints at their earlier, more vibrant sound.

Grateful Dead-Grateful Dead (Skull And Roses) (1971)

The Grateful Dead were undoubtedly one of the most intriguing and unique bands in rock. Their mind-blowing live shows made them the epitome of a live band. In 1971, the Grateful Dead were at the height of their success, and it was in that year that they decided to release the self-titled double live album "Grateful Dead", also popularly known as "Skull and Roses". This became their second live effort after the monumental "Live/Dead", released several years earlier. Released in late September 1971, this was the band's seventh album chronologically. On this live recording, the band performed many of the tracks that have become classics in their repertoire over the decades. At that time, the Grateful Dead consisted of Jerry Garcia on lead guitar and vocals, Bob Weir on second guitar and vocals, Ron McKernan on organ and harmonica, Bill Kreutzmann on drums, and Phil Lesh on bass, plus keyboardist Mel Saunders on several of the tracks featured here. While the previous live album showcased expansive, distorted guitar solos influenced by psychedelic rock, blues, and folk rock, this album prioritizes the arrangements of simpler compositions, with Jerry Garcia opting for a low profile in contrast to the band's prominence. This tendency to emphasize the songs themselves over lengthy, drawn-out arrangements is evident in tracks like "Bertha" and "Mama Tired", which barely exceed four minutes. However, there are also moments of frenetic energy, clarity, and instrumental virtuosity, as in "The Other One", an almost 20-minute epic jam that stands as one of the Dead's iconic songs. The rest is a succession of tracks ranging from the free-flowing improvisations of "Wharf Rat" and "Not Fade Away/Goin' Down the Road" to the catchy, more conventionally lengthy rock of "Me and My Uncle", "Big Boss Man", and "Me and Bobby McGee".