Live / Dead

I generally like the Dead but this album just didn't do it for me.

Some really good stuff here. The issue is you have to get through too much meh.

I really enjoyed that until "Feedback" The first three sides flowed very nicely! Impressive considering they weren't all from the same concert.

Wonderful

I am very glad to be listening to a dead record. Never have before. Fitting that it is a live record seems that is where they shine. First track was an eye roll. Meandering practice. Bad jazz. But then something happened. A couple of parts actually rocked. Heard some allman brothers jam parts here. Overall. I liked it. Not sure if 4 stars for me though. Need more listens but I probably won’t bother.

Nice

Couldnt finish it, not for me

Jedan od bendova oko kojih najmanje razumijem hype, baš bljutava muzika.

Good intro to Grateful Dead, though some songs are ridiculously long.

I had the pleasure of being in the White Mountains of New Hampshire this summer and while there I saw a combination restaurant motel that was entirely Grateful Dead themed. I also just the other day saw the beloved Philadelphia Flyers mascot in the same style as the bears that they use. Imagine my horror, as I learn this massive institution fucking sucks ass. They’re awful. The first song lasts 20 fucking minutes and nothing happens. There’s no hooks or memorable movements, or anything. Just guys fucking around. Why anyone would see this live, baffles me. I’m at least going to work. I’m doing something. But I guess you go to these things to be high and also an idiot so fuck do I know. And then!!! They sing! And they fucking suck at that too. There are high schoolers bungling through bad musicals that sound better. Fuck this band and fuck their inexplicable popularity.

Who is Dead?

I can’t really make heads and tails of this album. It sounds nice but I feel like I’m just in for the ride. Perhaps that’s the point. 2/5

Grateful it's over.

Interesting to see the Dead turn up here - I guess I would assume to see American Beauty at some point but they weren't really known as a studio band and their live stuff never seemed to translate very well to vinyl/tape/CD. Then again, 1001 albums is a LOT of albums so I guess I'm not surprised. I was never a big fan of anything beyond what was on Skeletons in the Closet, but as I have gotten older I have grown to appreciate their place in history. "Dark Star" and "The Eleven" are kind of what people who hate the Grateful Dead have in mind when they imagine GD music. And "St. Stephen" and "Turn on Your Love Light" are kind of what I have in mind when I imagine GD music. I do like my songs with at least a LITTLE bit of structure. "Feedback" is aptly named and seems a little odd to commit to tape, but I get that it was 1969 and also that they wanted to give the fans at home a live experience.

Didn’t realize they were such soft rock

what a waste of thought. i hate live albums with a burning passion, and for a band whose music always struck me as lackluster, it just left a lot to be desired.

I can appreciate some great jamming. This live album has it. You can easily get lost in the songs. Could’ve done without the feedback track though.

Not gr8

Great live band

Chill background music

I don't have great feedback for "feedback"; but the rest is rather interesting, if perhaps a bit chaotic and convoluted. 7/10

Live/Dead is a really interesting snapshot of the Grateful Dead at their most free-flowing. The extended jams are obviously the main attraction, especially "Dark Star" and "The Eleven", and when they lock into a groove, it's incredible. That said, it's definitely not an album I reach for every time. Some of the improvisations feel a little too loose for me, and the long tracks can make it feel like a bit of a commitment.

First Listen Favorites: Dark Star Turn On Your Love Light The Eleven

The noodling is fun but def a bit tiring by the end of it.

I’d heard of Grateful Dead but never listened to them. I expected something darker and less wiggy! This is a “live” album but it’s really just them jamming in a studio. One of the better prog/improvised albums I’ve heard. Could get into this sort of thing. As with all prog some of the tracks do go on for waaaay too long

I expected worse based on the reviews, but it still didn’t convince me of the grateful dead hype. You hear so much about their loyal fan base following them around, but the music doesn’t represent this seeming awe that people have for them. I personally don’t get it

It’s not a bad track, but I think I’d have preferred to hear the studio version. Two stars…

The album cover is gorgeous. There’s something so unpolished about Jerry Garcia’s voice that appeals to me. The album is quite noodly, but in an entrancing way, like I’m meandering through a sonic forest à la Alice in Wonderland. I can definitely sense a large caterpillar blowing smoke rings awaiting me and bread-and-butterflies soaring around my head as I explore. Feedback feels like the unwelcome meeting with the Queen of Hearts where she’s trying to take off my head. Overall, I enjoyed this album, but would rather listen to my other favorite Dead tracks instead.

Pretty good album, like it sounded like a really nice jam sesh, I would’ve loved to be their live, but as a live album this works, it’s always nice to hear a bands raw energy on the stage, I don’t have much to say, but I don’t really count live albums as albums unless it’s something drastic like MTV unplugged or something like Metallica with the San Francisco symphony, but either way, some songs were great

Dark Star - 3.5/5 Saint Stephen - 3.5/5 The Eleven - 4/5 Turn On Your Love Light - 3.5/5 Death Don’t Have No Mercy - 3/5 Feedback - 2/5 And We Bid You Goodnight - 3/5 This probably would have been a better experience if I was high as a kite like a plethora of the people in the audience for this show. Unfortunately everything's a bit too long and rambling where the songs do tend to go on a bit longer than they really should. It's fun to improvise, but if the opening track is 23 (!) minutes long with not really much to it than is it really needed? Also not needed is them screwing around with the guitars in "Feedback" for nearly 7 minutes. I see what the Dead is offering but it's rather hit-or-miss at points. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: The Eleven

Hard to get into

You hear about this band all the time but i couldn’t tell you a single of their songs before listening to this album. Now i know one - “Feedback”. Not my thing, what the hell guys - is this band just an excuse to get high and skip work?

I was looking forward to this since the Grateful Dead has a huge reputation, with a huge audience even today. I was pretty disappointed! It hardly even sounds like music. It's fairly sparse fragments of songs. I feel that the megafans of this are bringing a lot of their own stuff to the table here and seeing a reflection here. I don't get a sense of feeling or skill behind this.

5/5 album cover Mostly good vibes music, but some of the stuff is kind of grating. Feedback the track especially.

Obviously I want to say that the Grateful Dead sucks and this is unlistenable. I hate their aesthetic. I hate their vibe. I hate their voices. I hate the way most of the instruments sound. But sadly my cold cold heart has warmed just enough to appreciate "the groove" they got into eventually in Dark Star and I have to admit I liked it. Time to give away my worldly possessions and get into tie-dye it's all over for me.

a truly fantastic jam band journey with dark star, followed by 50 minutes of less good filler. definitely prefer it when they let the instruments do the talking. overall this album reminds me of Terry Riley, Shine On you Crazy Diamond, and Bitches Brew, but without the same sense of epic-ness. like the sound of entering a flow state while working at a cafe, then getting kinda distracted since one of the nearby tables talks a little too loud

Just what I thought it was. I cannot comprehend this meandering non sense. Did not finish 3/10

Rating: 4.4/5 Short Review I get why this album has such a devoted following, but I also get why it doesn’t click with everyone. The first 10 to 15 minutes, I honestly wasn’t sure. I kept thinking, “Where is this going?” Then I realized that asking that question was missing the point. The Grateful Dead aren’t trying to arrive anywhere. They’re just seeing what happens if they keep playing. Once I accepted that, the album became much more enjoyable. That said, I still think a couple of sections drift longer than they need to. Sometimes the wandering feels magical. Sometimes it just feels… like wandering. Favorite Track “Dark Star” It wasn’t love at first listen. It slowly pulled me in. It’s less of a song and more of an experience

The best live album from the best jam band of all time.

ok first off i did not expect these guys to just be psych rock. with a name that hard i always assumed they were like an early punk or metal band or something?? but u can just name ur shit anything i guess. whatever..... anyway yeah most of the album sure is some more fuckin psych rock, as if the list didn't have enough of that already. there's a few bits where it gets more abstract and experimental that are kinda neat but for the most part it was just turning into background noise..... until i got to the last 10 minutes and they finally started playing some real god damn music!! "feedback" blows the rest of this shit out the water. fuck the rest of the album! why did i just listen to 65 minutes of psych rock when i could've been listening to this exploration of how freaky a guitar can sound when u hold it up to the amp and fuck about with it in unintended ways? its cold and scary in here and its awesome. this track made me wanna buy a cheap electric guitar (or even just a pickup) and try this type of shit myself. it whips. i was gonna give this album a 3 before i heard "feedback" but that track alone is enough to bump it to a 4. if this whole album had just been that type of shit tho, i'd be trying to figure out how to trick this site into letting me give it 6 stars. music is pretty fuckin sick sometimes....

I've never understood the following this band is able to produce. I always thought it was a mindless group who enjoyed the company rather than the music. This album is proof of that idea. Musically, they can play the instruments, but it's not thoughtful and together.

Sorry, but I do not understand the whole Deadhead thing. To me, a cult band needs awesome songs, and I did not find any of those on this "iconic" live record.

I briefly dabbled with the Dead years ago and just didn't get it. I still don't get it. I liked the parts that were more distinguishably songs and not just long sprawls of sound that happened to be recorded. There's no one minute of any one track that I can really point to and go "that sounded bad and I didn't like it" because it's all just kind of nice and easy to have on. Except for Feedback, which sucks from start to finish and ends an otherwise pleasant album on a visceral sour note. Having suffered through Chicago's 7-minute track of guitar feedback just two weeks ago, another one starts to feel like a targeted attack by the 1001 gods. Within moments I'd gone from "I guess that album was OK" to "that album was shit on a plate". I do admire the band's prolific live-album output and how they were the blueprint for Pearl Jam's "official bootleg" scheme and diligently archived live culture. But I'm just not enough of an old stoner to really love this music. It seems like a fun cult to be in but it's not for me.

If I had been in a pub with this band performing this double album I could have enjoyed my evening by hopefully ignoring them whilst talking to my drinking companions. Unfortunately, I was at home and wasted an hour and a quarter trying to find something in this collection to appreciate or even something worth commenting on. I didn’t. Sub-standard pub/jam rock performed in a 3,000 seating venue is/was just poor. I remember dipping into various Grateful Dead albums over the years and giving up. The fact they had a pretty big following by some in the ‘70s (I clearly remember their name was one of those bands scratched into my first wooden desk-top at secondary school!) made me think I was missing out. This confirms I wasn’t. As I’d never heard any live Grateful Dead before I had hoped this would have more energy and change my view of them. False hopes. Considering this is a live album the audience were very quiet for most of it. Probably asleep. I also disagree with the concept of “Death Don’t Have No Mercy”. It would have saved me from the following track called “Feedback”.

I was absolutely dreading listening to this record …. And it wasn’t too awful! By Turn on Your Lovelight I was kind of in the groove of things. I bet it was absolutely brilliant being a deadhead and I imagine watching them live would have been great.

Noodly nonsense but it moves and there’s a certain charm to their brand of stoned shuffling. At least until ‘Feedback’, which is entirely pointless and dreadful

I would have been grateful to be dead so I didn't have to listen to this

Never listened to the grateful dead, and I'm not stoked it's via live album. I'm generally disappointed by live albums. This is a meandering jam session where no one plays with each other. What a mess. Like letting a bunch of dudes dick around on instruments for the first time in their lives. 1*

Rate: 7/10.

I had my expectations set to "low" and this exceeded expectations. Really good music and very chill.

I just cannot enjoy listening to endless guitar solos by bearded hippies on acid. No thanks

This album is already pretty annoying, then Feedback is a thumb in the listener's ear at the end. I love the Dead, but I do not enjoy the experience of this album, despite some of the good moments buried in this.

"damn the reviews are harsh. I know im a dead fan, but these people are overreacting" *Opens Album* *Darkstar is the first song* *It's all from 1969* "Ahhh.... fair enough."

Solid

Missed opportunity that this list didn’t include one of the dozens of better Dead live albums.

I personally wouldn't spend 20 years on the road with these guys after listening to this

On the spectrum of love and hate for the Dead I lean love, relative to the general population. I think this album is a good microcosm of their music. Some great and some really bad stuff. Lately I’ve been listening to this Live at Cornell album and I think generally the live albums I enjoy are later on, mid to late 70’s. Dark Star here really tests patience but they right the ship immediately afterwards. I’ve learned to enjoy the nonsense, but I can see how this would be insufferable to someone. Check out the Live in Europe, the new years Winterland show and Cornell. Much better than this IMO. Probably deserving of 3 but I’m going 4 because I’m a Jerry simp.

I’m pretty neutral to positive on the Grateful Dead in general but these are mostly inferior versions of songs I like and I found the 6 minutes of noodling to start the album to be offensive

Ooo fun! Dead album. A lot of great ideas and (as expected) some pretty raw work mixed with the earlier hits. I dont know what it would be like to have heard Dark Star in the late 60s. Today, I genuinely think, its still fairly interesting and brings out enough pizazz to make me actually listen. Mixing in St Stephen after that was really wise (because my head was thoroughly melted by that track). Theres better live Dead albums 🤷‍♂️

When I started listening to this, I was just glancing at the track titles and saw "Feedback". I thought, "That couldn't possibly mean they just play a bunch of feedback, right? It's just a title?" They did play a bunch of feedback with some instruments, it was not just a title. This album is another in the "play a bunch of bullshit and call it psychedelic rock" genre. I was gonna give this a 2 cause it sounded okay but since this album was 72 minutes of this same-sounding shlock it's actually a 1. Favorite Track: Turn On Your Love Light - This one sounded the most like a normal rock song.

I’m just confused with this one. The opening song was a 23 minute jam session which I was vibing out to but as it was a jam session didn’t really go anywhere. The album really begins with St Stephen. From here to Death Don’t Have No Mercy the album really get rocking. Fuzzy sounding guitars, the drumming is infectious and the electric keyboard might be my favourite part. Not sure what the point of a 7 minute song of random feedback is all about. Felt a bit pretentious that. I will be back for the middle of the album

Overall a fun listen but “Feedback” was a unique inclusion.

Classic recording of a Grateful Dead show from back in the day.

nah

Me gustó por momentos, pero demasiado mucho en algunas partes. No sé, confuso. Quizás otro día.

Meandering nothing

Pretty rough live album. I liked some of the grooves at least.

# Album Name: Live/Dead # Artist: Grateful Dead # Rating: 1/5 # Comments: Rubbish. I dont mind a bit jam but this is extremely long, repetitive and boring # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

*sighs* won't be needing this anymore: *throws entire stockpile of Cherry Garcia in the trash*

More noodling than a Vietnamese restaurant

Just the blandest cultural appropriation.

I love when a record I know every single note of by heart comes up on the list. It forces me, or perhaps inspires me, to listen with fresh ears. If there were ever a record that exemplified Jerry’s quip about the GD being like black licorice, it's Live Dead. We dive in head first with 20 plus minutes of Dark Star. And not just any Dark Star but THE Dark Star, the one that is inscribed on some alien signpost to a new space out in the universe. A hard left into St Stephen, I suppose the most accessible track here, until they start chanting about high green chilly winds. Then the Eleven, the song I'd most want to see in person when the Time Machine at Costco is up and running. One 8 sided whispering hallelujah hatrack later, we're in Pigpen territory. I'm not the biggest Pig fan but the Live Dead Lovelight, it’s perfection. The run home gets real weird (in a world where the weird part isn't the one with the entire band shouting about jingle bell rainbows and transitory dream dolls). A dirge blues, 8 minutes of squealing feedback, and an acapella prayer. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Grateful Dead!

I never really liked Grateful Dead, but until I heard this album I thought it was just my high expectations whenever someone spoke well of the band. Now all that's left is the fact that I don't like them. They're talented, there are worthwhile things in their live performances, but it doesn't connect with me. 3 stars is fair.

Amazing!

🔵🟢🟡🟠🌸

Oh, my god this is awful. Why is it on this list? Why should anyone listen to this amateurish nonsense? I'll never understand the appeal of the Dead.

I get why people followed the bad doing acid with them

Whaaaaa??? This be garbagio.

1,5/5

Gave up at 13 minutes in, fairly certain they were still tuning

Love Light was fun, liked the jazzy sound, but it carried on too long. St. S also ok. Overall just not for me.

I feel genuinely sorry for the people who either can't or won't hear the improvisational alchemy of The Eleven because "it's The Grateful Dead". Are you not genuinely curious if you are listening to this project? Was it too much effort to follow the strands of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, organ and drums as they progressed, tethered together but on their own journeys? Was that too confusing, you who gave Miles Davis 5 stars? Is this not what this exercise is all about?

It is my understanding that seeing the Dead live was "an experience" and you couldn't fully appreciate their genius through studio albums (don't capture the magic) or even in their live albums, but they're supposed to come closer to "the experience." I listened to a multi-part podcast about Grateful Dead ("A History of Rock Music in 500 songs," highly recommend) and learned a lot about this band, including the fact that at one point, they were actually all decent musicians; they devolved into whatever this was, both by choice and what I can only imagine is the result of lots and lots of drugs and booze. I don't think you should have to ingest drugs to get through an album. I didn't have any drugs, and I couldn't make it through this album. Jeezus do I hate these vocals. These meandering noodles. the whatever the fuck "feedback" song called "feedback." Stab me in my ears this was boring.

Live/Dead entstand aus Mitschnitten dreier Konzerte im Januar und Februar 1969 im Avalon Ballroom und im Fillmore West in San Francisco, gemixt im dortigen Muggles-Gramophone-Studio, und erschien noch im selben Jahr auf Warner Bros. Records – als erstes Livealbum einer Band, die auf der Bühne längst zu etwas anderem geworden war als im Studio. Für eine Gruppe, die ihre Identität im Moment des gemeinsamen Improvisierens fand, war das kein Nebenprodukt, sondern die konsequenteste Form, sich selbst zu dokumentieren. Im Zentrum steht die gut 23-minütige Version von "Dark Star", die sich von jedem Songbegriff löst und stattdessen wie ein offenes Gespräch zwischen den Musikern klingt – gefolgt vom Medley "St. Stephen" / "The Eleven", das die Band fast wöchentlich spielte und dabei nie zweimal gleich interpretierte. Mit "Turn On Your Love Light" und "Death Don't Have No Mercy" verschiebt sich der Ton spürbar, hin zu Pigpens erdigem R&B und Garcias düster-blueshaftem Ausdruck, ohne dass das Album seine Kohärenz verliert. Was Live/Dead bis heute besonders macht, ist die Ehrlichkeit seiner Machart: keine nachträgliche Politur, sondern ein 16-Spur-Mitschnitt, der die Band so einfängt, wie sie tatsächlich war – tastend, riskant, im besten Sinne unfertig. Es ist ein Album, das man nicht nebenbei hört, sondern das Zeit verlangt und sie mit Zinsen zurückgibt. Selten hat ein Livealbum eine Band so treffend porträtiert wie dieses.

Ive been into the jam scene for a long time...but I never understood the appeal of the dead, probably because I came well after their heyday. To me, theyve always kind of been a boring folk band. I want to like them and dig their scene snd appreciate what they did, but it all sounds so thin and boring to me. Do more!

The 'Dead are capital wankers and noodlers, but their live albums just aren't for me.

I have not heard this before, at least I do not think I have heard this before. A very good friend of mine in college was a huge fan of the Dead and played lots of their records when we were hanging out to get me into them so it’s possible this was in the mix of all his various bootlegs. Upon listening to this I still don’t know if I’ve heard it before because it sounds like a lot of other concert tapes I’ve heard. I don’t hate jam music and there is some that I really love, however I like a longwinded solo to have some semblance of structure—not that it needs to be free from improvisation or even thought out at all, just not aimless. The first song is over 20 minutes of guitar noodling with no verb to the solo. I gotta have a verb to the solo, it can’t be all noun. One standout is a section of maybe 7 minutes of guitar feedback noise at the end, which is usually my bread and butter and not real typical of Dead bootlegs, and even that is aimless. It sounds like they are just standing still and not manipulating the noise at all, and having the same feedback noise going on for that long becomes tedious. Underneath all of this, there are a few good songs among the shorter ones that at least have a plan for ending the jam, and it closes with a song less than a minute that is a nice cap on the whole thing. I definitely don’t need to hear it again.

The transitions between songs are smooth as hell Dark Star - really like it (but damn 23 minutes is crazy) St. Stephen - only like the slower singing halfway through The Eleven - really like it Turn On Your Love Light - reminds me of Oh When The Saints Go Marching In (really like the bass too) Death Dont Have No Mercy - first half pretty alright, last half pretty good Feedback - interesting And We Bid You Goodnight - even more interesting

Un disco en directo que no aparta nada excepcional. Son mucho mejores en estudio.

Cool and psychedelic, long and trippy, interesting set of songs and an experience worth taking the time to take it all in.

I dont get it, they sound mediocre at best and amateur compared to their contemporaries. How tf do they have this big of a following?

Good moments, but far, far, far, too long, even for a jam band. Huge portions of this were completely unnecessary and added nothing except time to the album. 1.5/5.0: Bad

this is the third dead album ive listened to this month and with each one my patience wanes. i just cant do a 70 minute live recording of a jam band. its not that they are bad, but the production quality is. when they arent jamming the songs themselves are pretty run of the mill. there are worse things to listen to but this isnt topping my list anytime soon.

Not a fan of jam bands but with some jam bands like The Allman Brothers or Widespread panic you at least get great musicians plying their craft. This sounded like amateurs noodling on instruments.

Nice music nothing extraordinary, didn't hate it. Feel like there should be a 2.5 star option but 3 will do

Have been meaning to listen to them for a while now and they did not disappoint. Very chill funky psychedelic rock, my favourite :> perfect soundtrack for an afternoon running around London. a bit more fuzz and this would have been 5 stars.

el primer tema es una obra de arte. me daba ganas de poner 4 estrellas, despues se me bajo un poco con el resto, pero estaba en un 3..5 asique seguia por un 4 por que en general me utsaba. los ultimos temas quedaron ahi medio raris, asique 3.5 a 3

Parte poco promettente, poi sale, scende, risale. Un po' Led Zeppelin, un po' Deep Purple, non mi ha estasiato ma mi ha catturato

It almost makes me want to hunt down my old VW microbus.

Psychedelic impro rock! This album seems to get mostly extreme ratings (good and bad), I'm typically me though and I can see both sides. I do NOT thing this is just noodling or tuning instruments (if it was, their instruments would at least be tuned, which the guitars, regrettably, are not!) I like how the relentless bass holds it all together (the rhythm section is pretty good). The more chaotic sections aren't entirely without purpose - they create tension which often leads to a nice resolution. I quite enjoy listening to this, at times it grooves well. Still no more than a 3*, they should just have tried a little harder. And tuned their guitars.

4/10

Really wanted to like this after seeing their house in San Francisco. This album was an easy 1/5. Wouldn't listen again, was too long and felt like a jam session with no coherent songs.

Look, I GET it. But I don’t LIKE it.

Didn't know them. I mean, the name rang a bell, but I didn't have any knowledge about their music. Very cool album. 4,5/5.

Live albums deserve more love, and this one definitely deserves more praise (but maybe skip Feedback).

As a Dead-hater, I'm actually almost getting this. Maybe it's the jazz that came immediately before it, but I'm willing to accept the pointless noodling of Dark Star in a way that I otherwise wouldn't. But then again, it is still a lot of pointless noodling. And you know what? While I don't hate it, and I think I like it more than American Beauty, this shit just sucks the life out of me. It's like a vampire, my energy just bottoms out. If I had to listen to this live I'd probably end up doing something else, like trying to find a cool bug or something. So much for live energy.

A truly interesting live album. Offering a number of long tracks - the first one being 23 minues long! - it shows what the band can do live on stage. And whilst there are plenty of amazing passages, I think some lack any musically interesting ideas. Especially on the first track, where the music seems to "zone out". I don't think that is a bad thing in general, but here, it seems to happen too often for my taste. And while I do like experimental rock, "Feedback" is still a bit much for me. So, in total a musically intersting album with a high quality (regarding the date of recording), but not the best live album I've heared.

Dead / Dead

So so. Not my thing.

Gefällt mir sehr gut

Eigentlich ganz ok aber 1h und 13 min quasi nur psychadelic Instrumentals ist schon sehr abverlangend. Und dann kam Feedback... 2/5

I have Spotify, I have headphones. What I don't have is the huge bag of weed needed to fully unlock the full potential of this live album. Moments of musical cohesion pop up occasionally and surprise you but most of the time it's an extended jam session. Said jamming is rambling, often not that interesting musically and sadly leaves you in no doubt that they're improvising as they go. Probably fantastic if you're lying in a field getting stoned but otherwise not something I'd recommend. All that being said, it's an easy enough listen and I wasn't desperate for it to end

Didnt click at all its fine I guess

That was so tough to get through. 1/5.

I will be grateful when I don’t have to listen to another live album. Even if it is good I just don’t think they need to be on this list. This is a live jam album that is basically just a concert. The sound quality is that of a concert and I would just rather listen to the original songs from a studio album. 5/10

My first Grateful Dead album and a very enjoyable listen (apart from feedback track!). Less psychedelic than I was expecting and a bit more bluesy.

Fácilmente se puede sentir Paz

Neither good songs nor interesting improvisation, plain awful. Must be one of the most overrated bands and albums of all time.

Over an hour long? Check. Only 7 (really 6) tracks because it’s a jam band? Check. Live album? Check. This is the trifecta of shit I hate. And yet… even I have to admit that the jams are pretty tasty. And the worst parts of live albums (hollering fans, clapping off rhythm, talking interludes, etc.) are largely muted. But then I got to “Feedback” which is exactly what it sounds like. Sorry, but you can’t assault my ears like that and not get dinged for it. 2/5

3,5

Imagine putting your life on hold to follow this bunch of crusty fucks around for years listening to this shit night after night.

Favorite songs: St. Stephen

I’m honestly torn on Live / Dead. I went in knowing it’s a 1969 time capsule of the band at their peak, but the actual listening experience is all over the place. When I can just turn my brain off and sink into the trippy, improvised jams like the "Dark Star" into "St. Stephen" suite, it feels totally hypnotic and adventurous. But the second I lose that vibe, it just feels like an endless, aimless slog where it sounds like five guys are stubbornly playing five different songs at once. My patience was definitely pushed by how long these tracks go on, especially that brutal seven minutes of pure feedback at the end.

23 minute instrumental? 7 minute all feedback?! 15 minute songs... Can't deny the talent and I love a few I've heard over the years, but this one was a bummer.

I love this album. I've listened to it for 50 years. It's part of my musical DNA.

Long live the live legends.

I love the dead but a 22 minute song was kinda crazy. Doesn’t Chang ethe fact that I love the dead. 5 stars

I understand the Dead hate in these comments. I was not a fan until a few years ago. The music grows on you.

I went through all sorts of ratings throughout the listen. It isn't brutal but it also doesn't really do that much. It's overly long. I didn't hate it.

This is not a great album, but I'm kind of a fan of it. I enjoy the fact that it's a bit of annoying. I really only enjoyed the song The Eleven. I'd be willing to listen to this again in the future. It has it's moments.

Boring

Big fan of the Dead; not a big fan of live albums

Squeaky hinges in the band

Really not finding myself to be a deadhead. Starting out on a 23 minute track of mostly jamming is certainly something. But I respect that they are a thing unto themselves, and the culture around them is worth experiencing even if it's not for me.

J’aurais tellement aimé aimer cet album, un côté psychédélique avec des musiques qui montent progressivement ça m’a transporté mais certaines parties de l’album le rendent difficile à écouter Je réécouterai probablement c’est ça le pire

Went in with an open mind as not familiar with their work. It was a struggle on first listen, after persevering I did get it but can’t see myself going back as found it a bit meat n potatoes 1.5/5

Good live album

Live album = I’m not really interested. But I can appreciate that a grateful dead jam would’ve been a good time. 2.5/5

kinda mid, based on just personal preference. maybe I would like their studio versions better. not bad, but just a bit boring to me.

I realized that I haven't heard much more of Grateful Dead than what is commercial and overplayed. I really enjoyed this album! Am I a Deadhead?????

I don't get it

Damn hippies

LONG! So long. There were parts I enjoyed but in general I'm not a fan of a jam album. 4/10

Blues rock with some jazz and country parts.

I've tried to appreciate the Grateful Dead on a few occasions as, on paper at least, they're right up my street, but there's just so much of it and it all kind of sounds the same. This album, and to be honest, I'm no fan of live albums, seems to start with what felt like a 25 minute noodly warm-up which was completely lost on me. They might as well have recorded their bus trip to the venue, it would have been just as interesting. The whole album seems to bend space and time. Each time I checked to see how much was left, there were about three days remaining. I'm worried I may have missed my kids' birthdays. If you're a fan of the Dead, this record probably epitomises everything that's great about them. Maybe I just don't have that gene. Personally, I came away feeling like I'd been lobotomised.

This is the embodiment of prog I guess? If you're a good musician I don't think it means you have to play for 23 minutes to show me. So dull it makes me want to tear my ears off.

Lowkey een vibe maar die nummers zijn zo lang

I have a friend who's a working musician. He's my age and seemingly has a never-ending number of projects, bands, side projects and side bands going at any given time. One of those is a Grateful Dead cover band. He's not a huge Deadhead or anything, but he spent months with Dead music going in endless loops in his earphones as he tried to learn how to play a whole bunch of their songs. The whole endeavour sounded like the seventh circle of hell to me. That said, I've been to a handful of gigs and turned out i really enjoy them, this cover band. They always attract a bunch of legit Deadheads, now senior citizens, but still perfectly willing to hug each other and wear tie-die. The running joke amongst us attendees who are "friends of the band" is that we'd rather see this cover band live than see the Grateful Dead live. I really was dreading this album. Like I mean REALLY dreading it. But turns out I was dreading too much. It was fun vibe. One of the better live albums we've been assigned so far.

Birds sing. There’s not a cloud in the sky. August 8th is a beautiful day. I see a bunch of hippies crying. Yeah August 8th is a beautiful day.

This is difficult to rate because there is clearly good music in here, but it's effectively like a sketch book. It's long and ambling and you could be forgiven for not noticing when one song ends and another begins. If this was background music in a bar or something, it would probably be great. It was a little grating to sit down to and listen because of its nature. I flipped a coin between 2 and 3 and it landed on a 3. So there you go.

For me, unlistenable.

I’ve been a Deadhead for 34 years. I’ve never cared for this album. There are significantly better live Grateful Dead albums than this.

Live/Dead captures the Grateful Dead at their experimental peak, though whether that peak is a summit or a sheer cliff depends entirely on your patience for the "long jam." The album is a polarizing masterclass in psychedelic exploration, moving from the cosmic, jazz-inflected wanderings of "Dark Star" and "The Eleven" to the gritty, blues-driven soul of "Turn on Your Lovelight." While the drumming is undeniably sharp and the haunting atmosphere of "Death Don't Have No Mercy" rivals the gloom of early Pink Floyd, the album’s indulgent runtimes and the abrasive, avant-garde noise of "Feedback" make it a challenging sit for the uninitiated. It is a vivid time capsule of 1969 ballroom culture—perfect if you want to lose yourself in a sonic trip, but potentially tedious if you’re looking for a concise, memorable hook.

Doesn’t really feel very alive to me It’s kinda cool to just see a band jam for 20 minutes sometimes; I think it’s pretty pleasant for the most part. It’s pretty fascinating to see a band that basically just ignores all commercial practices other groups follow and just play what they want. It’s just a bit too low energy for me. I’m sure if you were drugged out and you went to a live concert of theirs it would be the greatest thing ever but it just kinda feels like you’re there and there happens to be a band playing rather than the swelling excitement you expect from a live performance Very interesting execution, I didn’t think we’d have a live album that was more background noise than anything else. I could see them growing on me eventually, but I don’t see myself really becoming a fan

Controversial take; I do like the space. really fun to work to. I think the rest is just a little alright; like if they didn't have the space I probably wouldnt remember this album lol

Some cool stuff out of the Grateful Dead, always rated highly. Considered one of the great live albums of all time (of all bands). Weirdly, this was released before the idea of taping really took hold with Deadheads. So this was a sort of journal about the Grateful Dead sound. But here's the thing: this album was culled from several shows in early 1969, and now the Dick's Picks series has cataloged and published several "perfect" shows from opening notes to last. Album starts with their classic at the time, Dark Star into St. Stephen. This was a regular feature from the group back then, as this was the height of their psychedelic phase (and before Workingman's Dead, American Beauty, and Europe '72, which changed their sound and their approach). Next comes The Eleven, so called because of a unique time signature of 11/8. Rest of the album good, but not great. Love Light, Death Don't Have No Mercy, and And We Bid You Goodnight. I love that the original pressing was in the 1-4-2-3 lp style, where you could play sides 1 & 2 back to back, then flip both to hear sides 3 & 4. Old School stuff. Like I said, though, this was from multiple shows. There is an album that came out in 1992 called Two From The Vault that is a single show from 1968 with almost every song from Live Dead and a few others. As this was a single show, I think it holds more interest for me as a snapshot in time as opposed to a compilation like Live Dead. Still good, and recorded when the band was a cohesive unit who could anticipate each other's moves like jazz musicians. Their music changed shortly after and they also lost some of that groupthink in the 70s, but Live Dead captured them at the peak of their psychedelic power. Also, side note, but anyone interested in their stuff could look up a website called Grateful Dead Of The Day. You would gain access to every Dead show ever recorded (basically 1966 through 1995) and there's a lot there to like. Probably a 3 1/2, but not a 4.

It's cheating for a live album to be on this list. Sure this album sounds good and grooves a bit, but it's not a real album. I would rate this album higher, but I just don't like live albums.

The Grateful Dead feels like a massive prank that the boomers have played on the younger generations. Every time I hear a grateful dead song I think, no way does anyone actually enjoy this music for real... there's just nothing there. No soul, no substance, and the band can't even decide on the same song to play. everyone's noodling around on their instruments and not particularly well. it feels like I’m standing in the middle of a guitar shop while middle schoolers holding their first guitar try to play Smoke on the Water and Iron Man. There are flashes where it clicks, especially between the guitars and rhythm section, but just as often the energy dips and the songs blur together. It is easy to see why fans love it, since it showcases the improvisational side of the band in full force, but for someone coming at it fresh it feels indulgent and inconsistent. Live/Dead has historical importance, but as an album experience it struggles to hold attention all the way through. And while this album is probably a 2. Anything positive I have to say about the album is completely counterbalanced by the fact that these guys made me listen to feedback for 8 minutes straight at the end which equates to roughly 11% of your total listening.

My first introduction to the legendary group, Grateful Dead and its just good to me. I can appreciate the musicianship in this album, but it's just not my personal taste. This being a live set though is especially impressive with the really long songs like Dark Star and Turn on Your Love Light though. Neat sounds throughout.

I tried. I couldn't get through it.

Nie wiem za dużo nie posłuchałem niestety, ale nie było to raczej nic szczególnego.

I guess you had to be there.

Start was quite interesting but after a while it got boring

Beaucoup de branlette pour quelques trucs pas mal.

I like the Dead at their best. This is not that though. I’m glad that they got the jams down eventually but it’s clear that they don’t have it down here. Disjointed, poorly mixed, and admittedly I don’t love Dark Star as an opener either.

This mostly makes me feel like we’ve made Industrial Revolution-level advancements in jamming since the 60s. The four actual songs on this album aren’t enough to justify the double album.

Love Grateful Dead but I cannot believe they listened to "Feedback" and thought it would be good to add to this album

Number: 133 Date: 05/17/2026 Artist: Grateful Dead Album: Live / Dead Year: 1969 Style: Psychedelic Folk Rock Familiarity: Familiar (3) Rating: 2 Before: ======= I had friends that were really into them and even went to a couple of shows in the late 80s and camped out at one of them. It was OK but I never did really get what the appeal was. I'm was much more of a punk rocker myself and just could not relate. During: ======= 2 Dark Star 3 Saint Stephen 2 The Eleven 3 Turn On Your Love Light 3 Death Don't Have No Mercy 1 Feeback 1 And We Bid You Goodnight ----------------------------------------------------- 2.31 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= They were obviously a very important American band, but imo their significance comes more from the cultural phenomenon they created than from the music itself. So this album a little difficult to rate for suitability and impact. Apparently Live/Dead is considered the most faithful representation of what their late‑’60s concerts actually felt like, so I gave it a 4 for suitability. But musically, I don’t think it was that different from what other bands were doing at the time and had limited impact on the music that followed. 2 my personal rating 4 suitability for this list 2 impact ----------------------------------------------- 2.7 composite rating

I like these guys... you have to be in the right mood to listen to it and it's hard when sitting at a computer. They provide the soundtrack to a relaxing gathering. You can listen intently or let it wash over you and get whatever experience you're in the mood for at the time and it offers a satisfying experience for either mood, which I think is rare.

It's pleasant enough noodling but it never really goes anywhere. I'd happily have it on in the background while doing something else, but I'm not sure I'd sit and listen again.

Ужас как долго.

there are some good parts between...something the chances that i love a live album from this decade are actually nearly non existent

i am grateful for the grateful dead type xi

it's the dead

It was chill but live jam albums are tiring. No highlights

The most overrated band in history. Absolute garbage.

3/10 Overall a decent listen but I'll probably never listen to these 8-23 minute songs again.

Fav- death don’t have no mercy 4/5

I really enjoyed this but I felt ungrateful about the 2nd last track, so annoying. It's really brought the rating down for me.

Well, I feel like I've been a jammin' journey.. and I think I liked it? Probs could've done without the feedback track though.

Shoutout Nitrous for allowing people to enjoy this pinnacle of mediocrity.

This was recorded in 1969, and for the time it was groundbreaking. This type of rock improv had never been recorded. If I'm going with a live Dead record, it's gotta be Cornell '77, but this record is still SICK without the context. It's a great listen. I had a natural aversion to jam music after graduation from UVM, the birthplace of Phish. So, it took me a while to get into this record. But once you settle into the type of mindset you've got to reach to appreciate the Dead, it's magic.

whole lotta noodling goin on. there would be like 30-40 seconds where I'd be feeling it, and then it would be back off into the noodly murk. the presence of vocals seldom improved the situation. there are a couple rockin minutes of "St. Stephen" and "The Eleven" that I dug. I also enjoyed some portions of "Feedback" and the simplicity within noise. I can't hear the vamp from "Turn On Your Love Light" without thinking of the Blues Brothers movie, "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" a lot of Deadheads talk about the freedom of their live shows, and I'm sure that's liberating for a lot of people in-person with the community around you, but the only thing I was compelled to do after hearing this album was to never spin it again.

I liked “The Eleven” and “Turn On Your Love Light.” The rest was fine.

This album was not for me. It went on forever, and ever, and ever...

He spent his entire summer drifting from venue to venue, sleeping in the back of his van, heating cans of Beefaroni over a campfire, and searching the trash-strewn grounds outside arenas for pocket change that might fill his gas tank just enough to get him to the next stop, wearing the same filthy clothes until they practically carried their own shape. Body odor, shaving, and haircuts were no longer priorities. After enough nights pressed against the stage and enough hours lost in clouds of purple haze and feedback, the music itself stopped sounding like separate songs; it became one long, shapeless jam that only paused long enough for the band to catch their breath before tumbling right back into itself again. Somewhere in the middle of it all, he quietly wondered what kind of life would still be waiting for him once the tour finally ended. I can’t believe people traveled all over the country following Grateful Dead on tour just to hear them play the same fucking song for an hour and thirteen minutes. That’s the first impression — and maybe the only impression — I get listening to their first live album, Live/Dead.

The Dead have always been considered a live band by most people. After listening to this I can't understand their allure unless you have a copious amount of drugs flowing through your system. Jam bands bore the shit out of me. There are some Dead songs that I find enjoyable, but this...... this is just garbage coated garbage with garbage filling. Most of these tracks are a cornucopia of madness because each member is playing a different song all at the same time. The rest like "Feedback" are just noise with no inkling of becoming anything more. When he does sing, Garcia's vocals sound like he's having stomach spasms and is about to vomit at any moment. Just not worth the time lost.

Very boring dad rock.

Wonderful. I’ve never listened to a Grateful Dead live album, and I completely understand why their fan culture is so centered around recordings of their live performances. This sounds ahead of its time, and I can detect a throughline to many of the bands I adore today.

Not the Dead record I what put on this list. Not even the live record I’d include. But it was nice.

I liked some parts but there was way too minutes where not much was going on, and felt unnecessary. The feedback song is a bizzare choice to include

Ugh… painful

Not for me.

Aw shit. Refreshed page lost my review. I’m not rewriting it. I got more expansive, but the gist was that this is not as good as their fans think, and the Dead aren’t good enough to pull off the improvisations they do. I can listen without drugs to 4x side-long tracks of Miles Davis, electric in the 70s, but that’s because he wouldn’t let any musician of Grateful Dead calibre anywhere near his stage; shit-hot or forget it. The summary was that it’s “ok” and I’m sure that’s the worst insult a deadhead would want to hear. Santana are better.

I can only assume this excruciating album is on the list because as a live Grateful Dead album it represents the experience of seeing them live which I guess the Grateful Dead live is considered a quintessential experience of 20th century music. Having never seen them live myself I was curious about this album but now having listened I can say I have the opposite of FOMO. GFMO. Grateful for missing out.

I really really wanted to like this but 20 minute meandering songs with no real hook and fairly boring solos were just not for me.

Songs are too long! Feedback hurts my ears - sounds like trouble with a microphone.

The first track was so bad it made the second track sound like a masterpiece. I didn’t like the second track. The Eleven was tolerable but I felt the jamming went on too long. Turn on Your Love Light marginally better. Death Don’t Have No Mercy my favourite. But overall just not my thing. Despite my head I’m not a head. 2.

Overly jammy but has a certain something

Confession. I didn’t finish it. I found this very, very dull.

I used to assume I wasn't really a fan of the Grateful Dead. And now I know that to be true 😉 Only joking, I was pleasantly surprised by this as Sunday morning spaceout mood music. If you let yourself relax into it, there's some outrageously good playing.

No just no

Just dead

Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland Nicht meine Tasse Tee.

An important album in the history of the band as it captures the type of live performance that put them on the map. That said, as far as Dead Shows go this is a little too jammy for me. My favorite Live Dead years are the 71 to 76, but obviously there's great shows to discover throughout their history. I love the Dead but I'm more of a "radio edit" Dark Star person than a 20 minute live version person. That is of course unless I'm there in the moment, and under the influence of hallucinogenics and various other substances...

я всё время забываю какие они, в этот раз они максимально джем бэнд, ничего не запомнила кроме джемов)

Yet another live album that only really works if you were there. And even then, I’m not so sure. If you’re at the concert and, stoned and fueled by the energy and cheers of the other fans, can really get into it, it’s a fantastic, unforgettable experience. Even then, the recording can be disappointing. I wasn’t at the concert—I couldn’t have been, anyway :-)—and it doesn’t really grab me. I’ll probably only listen to it again once I’ve heard a lot more of the Dead and want to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. So, probably not. 3/5

probably a 3.5 for me; good music for background, being high or just being out in da sun

Love the Dead and the Dead live. This recording is tedious though. Several much better live recordings out there. Rarely do I hear the Dead come on and look at my watch. I did while listening to this one. Do like the rendition of St. Stephen though. Overall, mediocre at best. Not sure why THIS particular recording ended up on here (give me Barton Hall, Cornell ‘77 or Without a Net, or one of the many other mindblowing shows).

One of my favourite songs of all time is «Anesthetize» by Porcupine Tree. That song is 17.46 minutes long, but it is so good because of the theme changes, the buildups (and downs) something is happening all the time… The first song of this album is 22 minutes long, but it feels like an eternity because it’s just the same thing over and over again. After that song I had another 50 minutes or so of aimless jamming to look forward to. I kind of lost my will to live… I think I would enjoy it more if it wasn't live.

Nógvar góðir sangir, nógvar lítiðsigandi sangir á fløguni

First track starts off cool, then turns into an almighty slog to get to the end of it, which funnily enough sets the theme for the rest of the album. First of all, the absolute audacity to start a live album with a 23 minute song. Secondly, if you’re going to do that, make it vibrant and interesting. Unfortunately this album falls flat on all fronts for me and fails to hold my attention long enough to enjoy any of the tracks. It gets some points for the instrumental work being decent at points, and that's being generous.

Thinking I outgrew live Jam Band stuff. I enjoy the Grateful Dead's albums, and they have some very classic stuff for sure. The thing is, beyond the obvious technical ability needed in order to pull off these epic jams and play off each other so well, I just don't really get much out of it. It would be one thing to actually be there probably, or to have experienced something like this in person at one point or another, but just as a listener, I need there to be a certain amount of structure and intention behind what's happening. Which is why the album's best moments are during "Turn On Your Love Light" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy". On the former, the song's presence is felt the entire time even when the band jams out, therefore making this one feel like it has a point to me. The latter song accomplishes it's goal in wrenching out some rather dour emotions about life and mortality while the Dead jam out some rather deftly played blues rock. Otherwise, this thing is too meandering, and too dependent on factors I can't honestly connect to. The feedback track was also unnecessary. That kind of thing would be cool in person after having physically been through that past hour's worth of drug induced hullabaloo, but to me here at work mopping floors and counting inventory, it felt perplexing and rather annoying honestly. So yeah, it's just uh... not my speed.

Listen, I get the genius of these guys, but this album was mostly random strumming. Maybe if I was very high, the almost 8 minutes of feedback would maybe seem like more of a must listen than it ended up being.

Robert Christgau said this album "contains the finest rock improvisation ever recorded". I think I agree, and it also reminds me of this one time we went over to some friends' house. They had a pizza oven and were making home made pizzas for us. I myself cannot eat gluten, and they lovingly prepared a gluten-free option for me. It was made with care and the ingredients were best in class. They asked me how it was. I told them this was the finest example of a gluten free pizza I've ever eaten....then after a short beat, added: which puts it slightly below a Domino's pizza that has been sitting on the counter all night. That's how I feel about rock improvisation....even if its the finest example ever.

A live album that takes 15 minutes to get going, lasts for hours, and can only really be described as unremarkable. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) Total reviewed : 299 Already owned : 68 Purchased : 15 To buy : 3 Nope : 213

Sometimes, I’m shown an album and my first thought is, “Oh no.” This was one of those times. My mood about this was not improved by the first song being a million years (or twenty-three minutes) long. I realized that I was being a bit sore about this and tried to get a better outlook on it. I realized that it was no worse than any random band playing at a festival. So there’s that.

Not bad. Just too long. Not really my thing.

No jam bands please

i prefer silence

don't have much else to say about this other than that it's fine. some nice guitar work in here but doesn't do a whole lot for me

I cannot handle hippies or the Grateful Dead I'm sorry .

Rambly psych rock

It probably goes crazy to just be able to make stuff up like this with the homies and play it and have it sound half decent. I liked a little more than I thought I would but the positive bits don’t outshine the excessive length and directionless nature of this album. It won me over enough to see the appeal but this genre is really just not for me.

First time listening to Grateful Dead in any meaningful capacity. There’s a lot of times that I’m enjoying what I’m hearing, but a lot of other times that it’s a bit of a mess. I’m ultimately left with not wanting to revisit this particular album but the right one might hit for me.

There are only two Grateful Dead albums on the list: American Beauty, and Live/Dead, which was recorded at the Fillmore West in 1969. The fact that this album starts with a 24 minute version of Dark Star seems to have alienated many listeners, as the album has a cumulative score of 2.82 stars. As Dark Stars go, it’s appropriately spacious and exploratory, but certainly not directionless. St. Stephen-> The Eleven->Lovelight is prime Dead. I love the pre-1970 version of St. Stephen because they do the “high green chilly winds” coda, which is so epic every time. And of course they jam right into The Eleven, which is played in 11/8 time. It’s high energy, psychedelic bliss and one of my favorite Dead jams. And then, after they’ve journeyed into peak psychedelia, they come back down to earth with an absolutely rocking Lovelight, with Pigpen at his most soulful. How can you not be rocking out at this point? The energy is so high, followed up with a slow, bluesy Death Don’t Have No Mercy so everyone can catch their breath. The only dud on this album is Feedback, which is spacey weirdness. It’s all part of the experience of seeing the Dead, but doesn’t translate as well to an album vs seeing it live. They end with a gorgeous version of I Bid You Goodnight. I was essentially raised by the Grateful Dead, so my experience of this album is different than someone who hasn’t seen them 111 times. I feel like there are more accessible live Dead albums that they could have chosen, but the list would have been incomplete without one.

just jammin and groovin. holy crap this album is long as heck wow I was going to have this be 2 stars but feedback was so offensive that I turned it off. what the heck.

too experimental

The Dead is an acquired taste, unless you like drawn out songs or have a lot of time/drugs available. I know their hits, but like the covers of their songs better than the originals. The Tom Wolfe book The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test gave an interesting look at their roots in Ken Kesey’s drug-soaked world, and showed how they rose to fame in the San Fran Jam-band and drug cultures, which at the time were not that separate. However, this album is respectable, but it presents as something that would have been better to experience and then reflect rather than experience in headphones, which is probably still preferable to heating with speakers and the family giving non-stop critique. The opening tracks Dark Star incorporated a lot by of jazz elements that, when isolated, showed the talent of musicians. However, and maybe it’s because I like a well structured song, the Bobby Bland cover of Turn On Your Love Light was my key track as it was (1) structured; (2) gave a window to clearly hear the musicians; and (3) is a classic blues song. Admittedly, I kind of got bored with even that about seven minutes in. The following song Death, with the bluesy interludes, felt like the high had worn off and I just wanted to sleep in the grass. Due to the roots of this album I am rating higher than I would on a personal level, which respectfully hasn’t changed much since I first heard them.

Random thoughts: * I swear I like the Grateful Dead but this one was a slog to get through. * there was so much to get through to get to something recognizable. * I gotta think there are better Dead albums to have on this list * This one seems like you had to be there and you had to be on acid to really get this one.

The Grateful Dead must only have one good song and it automatically followed this album up when it was over.

Not a fan of jam bands

Long jam, live Grateful Dead

I'm a big Grateful Dead fan, and yeah this one doesn't really do them the justice that they deserve. Some of these reviews are just flat out wrong, but it is hard to argue against the overall rating that this album has. As a dead fan, I'd suggest listening to Cornell '77 or MSG '81 if you really want to get a good taste of their real prowess. If this one turned you off completely to the idea of the Grateful Dead, then I get it.

Welp, this was the first time listening to the Grateful Dead, and the experience was exactly what I thought it would be. I guess if you listen to the Dead it has to be a live album, but I’ve said it before - they shouldn’t be on this list. This album was pretty miserable. The only thing that made it better was not having to be at a live show with all the Dead Heads.

Very enjoyable album. Got my researching their music and I'm a big fan of their album terrapin.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-grateful-dead/live-dead-17/ Too. Much. Jamming.

Probably great but I couldn't make myself care so 1 star it must be considering I only lasted 1 song.

Album incroyablement efficace. En effet, j'ai pour ma part adoré mon écoute du groupe sur l'album, avec une technique au top et un style psychédélique qui apporte une énergie démentielle à l'enregistrement. Il est vrai que l'écoute n'est pas très accessible, déjà à cause de la durée des morceaux, surtout quand on pense à "Dark Star" et ses 23 minutes, mais aussi à cause du live, qui peut rendre le tout assez confus à certains moments. Néanmoins, je trouve à titre personnel que la prouesse technique de cet album est absolument remarquable. En effet, le fait d'avoir un dechainement complet de guitare aussi énergique pour une session jam de plus d'une heure est pour moi très impressionant. De plus, les musiciens parviennent constamment à bien retenir l'attention pour ne pas perdre l'auditeur dans trop d'instrumental complexe, témoignant à mon sens d'une maîtrise dans la gestion des mélodies particulièrement notable. Enfin, il y a aussi le changement entre instrumental et chanson qui aide aussi à élargir les stratégies de captation d'attention du public qui peut être notifié, mais qui selon moi est loin d'être le plus grand point fort de l'album, avec à mon sens, une trop grande répétitivité après la voix introduite sur certains morceaux comme "Turn on your light love".

Forgettable..

Der er måske 2 tracks der halvdelen af tiden er gode bluesrock numre. Resten af albummet udfordrer mig lige lovligt meget. At lave et næsten 8 min. langt nummer der udelukkende er feedback fra en guitar kan vist kun tilskrives 1/3 fascination af et forholdsvist nyt instrument, og 2/3 syretrip.

definitely not my style

Grateful Dead do nothing for me. I am left freezing cold by their 'cosmic' meandering.

A Grateful Dead live album is going to be a "love it or hate it" proposition and I'm not sure there is a way around that. The listener either really likes 23-minute songs and extended jams or the listener does not enjoy 23-minute songs and extended jams. For the history of music, does there need to be a live album from the Grateful Dead included in this book? No matter my thoughts on the music, there is a compelling argument one of the most popular live bands of all-time (and a band that the studio cannot appropriately display the virtues of) probably should have a live album as part of the 1001 albums to be heard before we all leave this mortal coil. If you are looking for long jams with a 7-minute song that is just feedback, then this is the album for you.

There are at times some cool riffs and groves but they are few and far between. In between those moments are a bunch of musicians noodling in a manner closer to jazz than a jam band. You have to be high to like this because it’s honestly not great. They might be iconic but it doesn’t mean that they are great.

Not my style Loved the cover art though

Grateful Dead must be about the most overrated band to have ever existed. This is appallingly bad from start to finish, it's like a band tuning up, and failing to do so, rather than actual music. This is the sort of album I might expect from a kindergarten group of kids who are handed musical instruments and have literally no idea how to play them. It's just utter shite, and it's also over an hour of utter shite, so it gets one star from me.

I consider myself a fan of the Grateful Dead. They are admittedly a band whose influences have chiefly always been stateside, they never really broke in over here the way they did in America, but I have long considered them a band I enjoy and have owned some of their work physically as a core part of my collection. I have always heard them referred to as a "live band", a band who differs so wildly from the recording studio to the stage and are held up as being an experience best understood in the moment of a live show, which is of course not a luxury we can experience in this age. As such, I was happy to see this pop up as the next album for me to listen to. I can't say I see why their live side is held up to such a high regard. Perhaps this truly is the way to experience the Dead; in a field or auditorium decades in the past, with all the culture that comes with it, but strip that away and smash it onto two sides of vinyl and so much of that is lost. To my ear this album is akin to the worst excesses of the ever wonderful King Crimson: long dithering riffs that don't turn into much except the next riff, an unconventional lyricist who works well in a studio where takes can be redone that don't translate into phenomenal recordings on stage, and psychedelia overpowering the music. I would be wrong to call it a bad album, and I am glad to have listened to it, but I am never a particular fan of the reality of the live album compared to the sterile perfection of the studio, and I would take any of the Dead's extensive studio release over this other side of the coin. Worth your time, not worth a higher grade than 3.

A perfect live album. The transition from The Eleven to Turn on Your Love Light was amazing.

Liked. Grateful Dead, I should've checked them out for a long time now.

De vorige keer brachten de Grateful Dead een soort reserve-Eaglesmuziek, live slaan ze aan het experimenteren, à la Jimi Hendrix maar dan minder virtuoos. Ik heb dit album meerdere keren geluisterd, en aan sommige stukken, ook de wat meer geestverruimende, kon ik goed wennen. Maar het beste is het eigenlijk wanneer ze het kunstzinnig geïmproviseer achter zich laten en gewoon lekker gaan spelen, zoals in Turn your love light of Death don't have no mercy. Maar dan moet er in 'Feedback' weer een bak gepiep en gekraak worden geproduceerd. Sorry jongens, dat drukt het cijfer naar beneden.

Als ze met het album starten is de band springlevend. Vrolijk jammend nemen ze het publiek mee het spontane jazzy leven in. En ondanks de spelerij, weten ze daarbij af en toe ook het blues-gevoel van het leven mee te geven. De inspiratie lijkt dan van meneer Hendrix te komen. Ondanks de knulligheden en dode stukken luistert het nummer erg makkelijk. Ik zou het op 4 sterren zetten. En dat is relevant, want na het nummer zitten we alweer op 1/3 van het album. Moet ik bij het eerste nummer toch ook nog even mijn terugkerende ergernis kwijt. Ja hoor, weer een paar scheurtjes erbij in mijn trommelvliezen door die feedback. Nou, als ik dat al moeilijk kan hebben, hebben ze voor mij nog een verrassende kijk op de dood in petto. De afsluiter heet zelfs Feedback. Grapje natuurlijk. Maar daar geef ik toch strafpunten voor.

Een beetje valsspelen, zo noem ik live-albums altijd. Veel artiesten zouden beter af zijn met een greatest hits of live-album in de lijst, maar niet iedereen krijgt zo'n notering. Als ik de wiki doorneem, dan wilde de Grateful Dead in de 1e plaats een live-album om aan hun contractverplichtingen te voldoen. Ik lees daar dan wat spanningen tussen de regels door. Waarschijnlijk hadden ze een contract getekend, toen ze niet bij hun volle verstand waren (lees: zo high als een garnaal), of iets te naief, wat op zich niet onlogisch is, want in die tijd regeerden de platenbazen natuurlijk. In de 2e plaats waren ze de eerste die 12 sporen opnamen en wilden ze op die manier hun live-geluid proberen op plaat te krijgen; blijkbaar hadden ze daar een goede reputatie. Als het album zo hoor, dan moet ik zeggen dat ze daar vermoedelijk aardig in geslaagd zijn. Het klinkt als een grote jamsessie, waar het plezier wel degelijk vanaf spat. Er wordt veelvuldig gepingeld op de gitaar. Ik heb daar eerder bij andere bands wat op af gegeven, omdat het soms wat te snobberig overkomt op me. Dit album heeft dat ook wel, maar omdat ze gelijk beginnen met jammen en ik de nummers niet ken, heb ik niet echt door wanneer ze oeverloos uitweiden. En dat is hun geluk, want daardoor vermaak ik me redelijk met dit plaatje. 3+ sterretjes, maar niet genoeg om af te ronden naar boven.

I don't mind the Dead. I don't mind long, drawn-out jams. I don't mind okay-ish live albums. But put them all together and it's not for me.

Big cat twitter reaction!!!

What absolute nonsense, genuinely annoyed that I wasted over an hour listening to this.

A few dull moments but the album that really sets the stage for the Dead being a legendary live band with uneven studio work.

ok but they are legendary.

Fine but not my jam.

Of course it’s impossible to pick only one record from classic rock’s most massive and forbidding catalogue (it has to be 500+ records by now), but if you had to do so, I’d say this one probably goes the farthest towards illustrating what the Dead were all about. There’s a colossal acid jam (“Dark Star”), pop (“St. Stephen”), guitar heroics (“The Eleven”), an upbeat blues jam (“Turn On Your Love Light”), a dark, moody blues track (“Death Don’t Have No Mercy”), and, uh, more dicking around on the guitar (“Feedback”). Or just avoid it entirely if you don’t want to get sucked down that hole; to paraphrase Pope, with the Grateful Dead, you have to drink deep, or taste not the stream. Best track: “Dark Star”

I might just be getting a little impatient in my final days of this project, but I really struggled to get through another double album. A jam band double album. A LIVE jam band double album. With an 8 minute long track of random feedback sounds. Is this the worst thing I've heard in the past three years? Not at all. But I just felt really bored for a lot of this one, which is one of the worst experiences I can have in this challenge. Bad but interesting is always better than boring. The Grateful Dead had a place on the list already, this was fair. But they really didn't need this one too. I get that they have a rabid fanbase and I'm happy for them that they have so much material to choose from. But it's just not my cup of tea.

I've accepted at this point that with most of these live albums from the vinyl era, there are bound to be limitations, such as not having the full set from the performances. I've also accepted that the Grateful Dead are known for their long, sprawling, improvisational jams. With all that in mind, how did I feel after listening to their first live record, Live/Dead? Well, let me start by saying this record started strong. The 23-minute noodling fest of "Dark Star" was something to behold, as the band effortlessly swayed through several musical passages with the occasional feedback noise, engaging all the way through. From there, the psychedelic sweep of "St. Stephen," with Tom Constanten's prominent organ embellishments, was an intoxicating delight, and "The Eleven" was an instrumental behemoth in 11/8 time. It's evident that the band had fine-tuned this opening medley of songs by this point. Even their blues covers of Bobby Bland's "Turn On Your Love Light" and Blind Gary Davis's "Death Don't Have Mercy" were fleshed out into these eclectic, masterful jams that justify their extended runtimes. I figured I was fully invested in the album by this point. But then, there was "Feedback", a nearly eight-minute formless feedback loop. Now, I'm not against the notion of feedback incorporated into the music, as I've pointed out earlier on this very record. Hell, as someone who's come to appreciate noise rock, I can appreciate it when it accentuates an underlying groove or melody. But here, there isn't much of a foundation for the noise to go off of, outside of some occasional improvisational organ whirring and Jerry Garcia's light guitar plucking. Could it be argued that this is more of an atmospheric piece? I guess, but as someone who's also come to appreciate atmospheric music, there's usually some guiding purpose, a sense of direction to where the ambiance was heading. I don't get any sense of purpose or direction from "Feedback" outside of general noise, and noise for the sake of noise doesn't seem all that appealing to me. After that, the album closes on a short little traditional ditty, bidding farewell to the audience, and I'm left wondering what got cut that could have helped bolster this package, especially given how later live releases would encompass more of the Fillmore West 1969 performances. It sucks because I wanted to like Live/Dead more. The opening half was so strong, and for the performance to peter out like that hurts me. I know for many Deadheads, the first live album is often revered, and I can see the appeal in the opening medley of tracks alone. But at this point, there are plenty of other live recordings from the Grateful Dead over the years, more comprehensive than this release.

So it's just an hour and thirteen minutes of noodling huh

Just not for me. Found it to be a slog to listen to with some parts here and there being enjoyable, but not a cohesive performance

Best Song: St. Stephen I'm not going to lie, from a big Grateful Dead fan, this choice is a bit of a head scratcher. It's not a bad album per se, but it should be nowhere near this list. This is a "hardcore" Dead fan album and not meant as an introduction to the band. It is almost like the author's wanted to include more Dead and just picked an album. If they would have chose Europe '72 it would have made perfect sense. This can be a tough listen even for a Deadhead, let alone someone who isn't versed in the Dead experience. How this is on here and not Workingman's Dead, Europe 72, or even In the Dark is a travesty. 4/5 from a Deadhead and expecting 1s and 2s from anyone who is not for this. Bad call on the author's part.

un tanto ruidoso

It was a fun ride. Feedback definitely lived up to it's name. I'm sure it sounded better live on LSD. 2.75/5.

I do not like the Grateful Dead. I find them boring and pointless. Jam bands can be fun in person, or on enough drugs to where you’re just feeling it, but nothing on this album was noteworthy to me. It was generic and just felt like one long song. Also, as I’ve said before, I don’t like live albums, so this was a doomed experiment from the start. I will say, I’m giving it a 2 because this was fine as background music. But gods is it boring as an active listening exercise.

Not bad.

I thought this album was going to be pretty rad, until they started singing. It might be just me, but they're kinda more interesting when they're jamming when no one is singing.

Wow i understand why this joks favourite;(

Don’t like them very much due to an interaction they had with my friend’s mom at their hotel back in the day so I don’t listen to them.

Never fully dug The Dead. There's nothing on this that I liked. Nothing awful, just ... dull.

I am guessing this band had such a following because the live shows were a drug induced communal event. This recording doesn't showcase any of that. An hour of disjointed aimless noodling. Most of it sounds like everyone is playing something that doesnt mesh and then every once in a while it lines up and is really good for like 2 minutes then off we go on our separate ways again.

Grateful Dead always makes me smile. I do prefer the studio albums to the live ones, though.

Like many in Britain, I have never knowingly heard any Grateful Dead before, despite how significant they obviously are in the US. This fell some way below my expectations. Even the track of feedback was boring

Comparatively listening to Dead live sets is usually preferable to their studio output, but this collection is not essential. I'd say spin Cornell 77 instead, but you could find better examples of this Dead era without much effort. Pro tip: do not add a 7 minute Feedback track if it's not 7 minutes of cool Feedback.

The people who say that they hate the Grateful Dead must find this album to be absolute torture. Even loyal Deadheads lament the waste of perfectly good vinyl that is "Feedback". Otherwise, it's a Deadhead's delight.

From Mr. Show: "I know my best friends used to charge me 35 bucks to listen to them dick around on guitar."

3 stars. This one is fine. Not a big jam band guy though.

No está mal, supongo... Reconozco que parecen buenos músicos, pero al menos acá no es del todo apreciable. No encuentro la gracia en poner un álbum de música en vivo en este listado, siendo que no es posible apreciarla de igual manera en persona que escuchándolo desde mi casa, más cuando presenta tanta improvisación. Espero no verme nunca más forzada a tener que atravesar temas de +10 minutos, porque se vuelve insoportable y pierden completamente la gracia cuando no parece que haya conexión entre las distintas partes de la canción, y ni hablar de la falta de cohesión entre las distintas canciones en general. Pensé en ponerle un puntaje de 2 estrellas, pero el disco se me hizo tan insoportable de atravesar que un 1 refleja mucho mejor mi experiencia.

I've tried to get into the Dead many times, and they do have a few gems, but this album feels like a meandering stoner practice session

My first Grateful Dead experience - didn't hate it - didn't really get into it, but I can kind of see how people might if you were in the right state of mind / with a crowd. Will listen to more of their stuff, but not quite sure why people followed them around the country...

I can appreciate on some level pretty much any kind of music. But despite many attempts at the Dead, I am forced to conclude that people who like this have some sort of defect in the part of their brain that processes music.

Grateful Dead have always been a difficult band for me and sometimes I’m not sure I like them. On other occasions I find them amazing. This album frames that ambiguity perfectly. It’s one of the first things I ever owned by them a still sits in my collection, which may be a testament to something but I’m not sure what. The album does present the GD in all their early glory of experimental noodling and for anyone who’s in anyway interested in the band it’s a good enough starting point

You can only listen to this when you're high - when you play it sober it's just a recording of someone "what are you doing playing Grateful Dead sober? Go get high"

Genuinely convinced Grateful Dead might be one of the best live bands of all time. They just get out there and play shit. I think there's a special sort of magic that they inject into their live shows that they just never capture on a studio record, and for that I commend them. Favorite track was The Eleven.

Since I last reviewed the Dead I made an effort to understand their appeal. And well? I get it now. I went through live album after live album to the point where they were my number one most listened artist of 2025. I don’t think this is their best live recording, but it shows flashes of why people love them so much. Are they the best musicians? No, but they have an ethos about them that makes it compelling. The massive length Dark Star, the way St Stephen leads into the next two tracks, the weirdness of Feedback. Is this good? Still not exactly sure. I’ll listen to fifteen more live shows and then get back to you.

There is no doubt that this is a good album, and I'm pretty sure this must be great in a concert. However, I did not find it very exciting. In any case, definitely worth a re-listen.

Sorry Deadheads, but there is virtually nothing interesting about this slog of an album. It actually baffles me it was recorded at a concert with homosapiens, because it sounds quieter than a studio. Out of curiosity, is the track length difference between the opening, and closing tracks the biggest disparity in album history? Believe it, or not, figuring that out is more interesting than this album. Live, or dead? Unfortunately, neither. If it was dead, at least we would bask in silence. If it was alive, we would actually hear something. It's on life support. Favorite Track: "Turn On Your Love Light".

Egész jó volt!

It's alright jam band stuff. Nice to have on in the background but I've never been a big fan. More music you would go hear live.

"Hey Mackey, why don't you go to a Grateful Dead Concert?" "I can't man, Jerry Berry's dead!" 3/5

Although I understand there's something of a culture / cult of Grateful Dead followers and completists, they simply never made it here to Australia. They never toured, received little to no air play, had no hits and remain little more than a name. So I went into this pretty much blind. It does go on a bit. After an hour without a break you start to reminisce about the good old days of more modest, succinct records like Tales from Topographic Oceans. The level of playing is fine and the level of invention is often high, but when they're stretching out Bobby Bland or Gary Davis to 10 or 15 minutes you can't help wondering if it's entirely necessary. Not to mention that Reverend Gary Davis did it better. And be honest, the Feedback thing is a pretty much a bit of silliness. Possibly it seemed like a good idea at the time, although it might have been the drugs talking. I think if you worship at the shrine, or if you were there (or at a similar show) then it will seem like a life changing experience. But if you're coming at it cold, then it all seems a bit self indulgent and in need of a pruning.

Really good album. Dark Star was the standout but the rest of it held its own

DNF Its not unlistenable, but i totally have no interest in continuing this album.

No standouts

This album seemed to drag a bit, it was quite experimental-sounding and I’m surprised that this was chosen over other Dead records (the other from the project I enjoyed much more). Dragged out a bit, maybe I got this on a bad day or waited too late in the evening. Overall 2.75/5, may have to revisit

It was alright I suppose... I'd hate to see a whole concert of it though...

I won't mince words. This is terrible.