Live / Dead

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.

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.

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.

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

ok but they are legendary.

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So nice to listen to this one again, recorded here in my city when I was two years old. Headphones on, it transports you to another time.

Yes

God acid rock? Tror jeg. Der er også sådan lidt swing over det, synes jeg. Jeg kan virkelig godt lide live albums det er super chill. Sidder og lytter til det i bussen på vej mod Østrig for at skulle stå på ski første gang. Der er også blues over det med stemmen og instrumenterne og de sådan lidt uforudsigelige sangstrukturer. Det er næsten også lidt soulet nogle gange med vokalen og at det virker sådan intimt. Forestiller mig af en eller anden årsag at jeg sidder på sådan en jazz bar i New York og folk ryger cigarer og der er fuldt af mystiske mennesker.

4.5/5

When you think of great live rock albums, you think of At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers and Live/Dead by the Grateful Dead (I also think of the still under-appreciated Band of Gypsys, but that's another matter). What makes this record so rich is that it teaches you what the 'jam' is and what it isn't, or at least what it oughtn't be. To jam is to improvise w/ an emphasis on extension rather than mere invention, a dangerous game to play if you don't know where or why to lean into the moment, i.e., flow states abased by noodling. But the Dead are tuned in here. Their jamming is a soulful, cerebral, and salubrious piece of the psychedelic puzzle, w/ intimations of the black church on 'Turn on Your Love Light' & modernism on 'Feedback.'

Bob

Classic Dead!!

Great album that I believe captures the energy of early dead shows. (I was not born yet so I can not say for sure)

Not for everybody, but love it.

No fajne

Fantastic early Dead.

# 🎸 *Live / Dead* (1969) – An In-Depth Review Released in November 1969, *Live / Dead* was the **first live album** by the Grateful Dead and the **first live rock album** recorded on 16-track tape. Captured over several nights in early 1969 at the Fillmore West, it’s a **psychedelic odyssey** that distills the Dead’s improvisational ethos into a **double-LP suite** of extended jams, blues reveries, and sonic experiments. Below, we break down its **lyrics, music, production, themes, influence**, and weigh its **pros & cons**. --- ## 🎤 Lyrics: Cryptic, Cosmic & Rooted in Tradition | Track | Lyric Focus | |-------|-------------| | **Dark Star** | A **haiku-like mantra** (“Dark star crashes / pouring its light into ashes”) that evokes **cosmic dissolution** rather than narrative. Hunter’s words are **impressionistic**, open-ended, designed as a **launchpad for improvisation**. | | **St. Stephen** | A **mythic American riddle**—part 19th-century outlaw, part spiritual seeker. The **internal rhymes** (“Did he run or did he try?”) create a **sing-song folk lyric** that contrasts with the **odd-meter jam** underneath. | | **The Eleven** | **Wordless** except for the **11-beat chant** “*Eight-sided whisper hallelujah*”—a **phonetic texture** rather than semantic message. | | **Turn On Your Love Light** | Pigpen’s **blues-shouter vocabulary** (“Baby, baby, baby…”)—**no original verses**, just **extemporized exhortations** that turn the song into a **26-minute secular sermon**. | | **Death Don’t Have No Mercy** | A **traditional gospel** borrowed from Rev. Gary Davis; the **repetitive refrain** (“Death don’t have no mercy in this land”) becomes a **meditation on mortality**, delivered in **Garcia’s fragile tenor**. | | **Feedback / And We Bid You Goodnight** | **No lyrics** in the **6-minute feedback collage**; the **a cappella lullaby** that closes the set is a **folk farewell**, sung in **tight harmony**, offering **closure after the chaos**. | **Take-away**: Lyrics function as **ritual incantations** rather than storytelling devices—**minimal, cyclical, and porous** enough to let the music seep through. --- ## 🎶 Music: Improvisation as Composition | Element | What Happens | |---------|--------------| | **Harmony** | **Modal vamps** (Dorian & Mixolydian) in *Dark Star*; **rapid 11/8 meter** in *The Eleven*; **I-IV-V blues** skeleton in *Love Light*. | | **Melody** | **Fragmented motifs**—the *Dark Star* riff is only **four notes**, yet becomes a **universe** through variation. | | **Rhythm** | **Bill Kreutzmann & Mickey Hart** shift from **swing shuffle** to **polyrhythmic pulse**; the **bass-drum conversations** in *The Eleven* prefigure **prog-rock odd times**. | | **Texture** | **Two-drummer stereo field**, **Phil Lesh’s high-register bass melodies**, **Garcia & Weir’s interlocking guitars**, **Tom Constanten’s avant-garde organ drones**. | | **Improvisation** | **Type-II jamming**: they **abandon the chord grid**, exploring **atonality** before **re-composing** the theme—**a jazz approach** rare in rock at the time. | **Signature moment**: The **13-minute mark** of *Dark Star* when Garcia’s **liquid legato** dissolves into **echo-laden shimmer**, the band **whispering** rather than rocking—**ambient before ambient existed**. --- ## 🎛️ Production: Betty Cantor’s 16-Track Breakthrough - **First-ever 16-track live recording** → **spatial separation** of drums, bass, guitars, vocals; **no overdubs**. - **Betty Boards** (engineer Betty Cantor) captured **clarity** without sacrificing **room ambience**—you hear **cymbal splash reflections** and **audience gasps**. - **Mix philosophy**: **instruments are panned** as they stood on stage—**Garcia left**, **Weir right**, **bass center**, **drums stereo spread**—creating a **“you-are-there” hologram**. - **Tape edits** between nights are **seamless**; only **Feedback** was **spliced** from multiple shows to create a **collage of ring-modulator squeals**. --- ## 🌀 Themes & Aesthetics | Theme | Manifestation | |-------|---------------| | **Impermanence** | *Death Don’t Have No Mercy* + *Dark Star*’s **supernova metaphor** → **psychedelic memento mori**. | | **Communal Ritual** | *Love Light*’s **call-and-response** turns the audience into **participants**, blurring **performer/spectator** divide. | | **Technology & Transcendence** | **Feedback** as **electronic prayer**—using **machines** to reach **beyond language**. | | **American Mythos** | *St Stephen*’s **outlaw-saint** embodies the **Dead’s fusion** of **Victorian balladry** with **Haight-Ashbury anarchism**. | --- ## 🌋 Influence & Legacy - **Blueprint for jam-rock**: **Phish, Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident** all adopt the **suite-style continuous set** pioneered here. - **Live album paradigm shift**: Prior to *Live / Dead*, live LPs were **hit-parade cash-ins**; afterwards, they became **art statements** (cf. *The Allman Bros – At Fillmore East*, *Miles Davis – Live-Evil*). - **Bootleg culture catalyst**: The **high fidelity** convinced fans to **tape shows**, birthing the **taper section** and **archive culture** that still fuels the band’s **post-career economy**. - **Ambient & post-rock foreshadowing**: The **textural passages** in *Dark Star* prefigure **Brian Eno**, **Tortoise**, **Godspeed You! Black Emperor**. --- ## ✅ Pros 1. **Historical firsts**: **First 16-track live rock album**; **first seamless live psychedelic suite**. 2. **Peak improvisation**: **Dark Star** & **The Eleven** capture the **quintessential 1969 Dead**—**fearless, telepathic, exploratory**. 3. **Sound quality**: **Betty Boards** remain **reference-grade**; **warm, dynamic, three-dimensional**. 4. **Cultural document**: **Encapsulates** the **cusp** of **’60s idealism** before **Altamont & Manson** soured the dream. 5. **Gateway drug**: For many, the **least intimidating** entry into the **Dead’s 2,000+ show universe**. --- ## ❌ Cons 1. **Accessibility cliff**: **23-minute opener** (*Dark Star*) is **impenetrable** to **casual listeners**; **no hooks, no choruses**. 2. **Vocal limitations**: Garcia & Weir were **never powerhouse singers**; **pitch wavers** during **quiet passages**. 3. **Pigpen’s endurance test**: **26-minute Love Light** can feel like **blues-shouter excess** if you’re not **invested in the ritual**. 4. **Feedback fatigue**: **7 minutes of literal amp squeal** is **avant-garde** for some, **unlistenable** for others. 5. **No songcraft safety net**: Unlike **studio Dead**, there are **overdubs or edits** to **rescue a meander**—**you get the warts & all**. --- ## 🏁 Verdict *Live / Dead* is **not a compilation of songs**—it’s a **single, breathing organism**. If you approach it seeking **tight three-minute singles**, you’ll leave **bewildered**. If you **surrender to its flow**, it becomes a **psychedelic sacrament**, a **time machine** to the **last moment** when **rock & roll** still believed it could **re-invent reality** in real time. > “There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert” — and this is the **closest vinyl equivalent**.

Well, I like the Dead, so this is an easy 5 for me. I do understand the 1’s it gets though. Certainly not for everyone

By 1969 the Grateful Dead were approaching the peak of their powers. They were still straddling the bronco of their experimental exploits but were beginning to seek out a more solid, amiable terrain in which they can lay their roots. Live/Dead captures this jumping off point well, allowing the band to be documented for who they truly are. Through peaks and valleys, from soaring start to muffled finish, Live/Dead is the quintessential place to start if one wants to understand the Dead and their exhaustive live escapades. Don't feel daunted by the length of the songs, for it is only part of the strange trip. Either consume it or let it consume you; regardless one won't walk out the same.

4.5

Feedback made me feel like I was having my brain scratched, other than that 5/5

What America means to me

10/10 Favorite: The Eleven

This is a solid collection that leans into the jam band element of them that is my fav part of the dead - low 5

Never heard this band before but heard of them. Didn't expect such sophisticated rock n roll jazz. Would have been amazing live but instead they passed the time driving on an over cast day in Western France

Live/Dead - What a beautiful, primal thing. Words can not quite capture the essence, you must absorb the acid-fried interplaying improvisational fury to know it. The musical danger of a band who could disintegrate and fall apart at any moment, but never seem to do so. The rawness of unpretentious musical exploration. Something fresh, exciting, and uncharted. Tapping into the cosmos and transmitting it to our mortal antennae. Repeated listenings welcome, and it can sound like a very different album depending on where your focus falls. “Dark Star is going on all the time. It’s going on right now. You don’t begin it as much as enter it. You don’t end it so much as leave it.” If you’re on the bus, chances are you already know and love this one. If you’re not, drop your preconceived notions of the Dead, jam bands, all that crap, and give it a real chance. Bathe yourself in the album (loudly). Maybe it’s not for you, like all those sucker MCs spewing vitriol in the top reviews (why does this album make you so irrationally angry?). Maybe it’s not for you YET…our lives are long and perspectives change; their career is long and different periods have different sounds (72-74 or 77 might be more palatable) - and I encourage you to test the waters again one day. This is Dead towards the end of the “primal” phase (the loud, direct, experimental, psychedelic, bluesy times), before more folk, country, and jazz influences infected their sound. Maybe IT IS for you, and the lightbulb in your head shone as bright as the fucking sun. Listening to music may never quite be the same again. That’s what the Dead can do for someone it clicks with, and what it’s done for me. As Jerry said “People who like the Grateful Dead are like people who like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice”. I really fucking dig this licorice, man.

The Jamler This album is really fucking cool

++: Dark Star, The Eleven, Turn On Your Love Light, Death Don't Have No Mercy, Feedback, And We Bid You Goodnight +: St. Stephen 9,7/10

Super fucking garbage

I’ve gone from disliking to grudging respect to genuinely liking the Dead, and this is the best Dead album I’ve heard yet. The joke of songs taking forever and meandering around with no purpose is clearly misguided, the longer songs are given room for exploration, and when it’s good, it’s downright thrilling. A couple songs kind of stay in the standard blues arrangements that don’t do as much for me. But the rest was pretty great.

was pretty underwhelmed and took it as a sign of how far jamming has come in the last 55 years - and then Turn On Your Love Light came on and oh boy it's fantastic

Live / Dead is the fourth album from the Grateful Dead, and their first live release. The album was much more successful than their first three, and came close to capturing the live, improvisational dynamic of their live performances. The Grateful Dead was primarily a live act, and their shows became a cultural phenomenon. The Grateful Dead's songbook is an iconic element of modern music, and their improvisational sound is the model for jam bands of a range of genres. Their impact on modern popular music cannot be overstated, and this live recording is a snapshot of the magic that was a Dead show.

интересное исполнения рока

Grateful Dead picked up where Cream left off (at least live) and took it even further. This is psychedelic blues improvisation at its finest. They would go on to have a very long career but it was built on live performances. This album was the first live release and opened up the band to a much larger audience outside the Bay Area.

I’m the perfect amount of high. Bi-rite sammy hitting hard. I think I’m two songs in and I have pro-shot of one of their performances on tv, muted, and the AirPods play the album. Turn on Spatial Audio and center it on the tv. Honestly doesn’t matter that the song I’m hearing is not what’s on tv. I guess that’s the … lost my train of thought. Oh I meant to say that I recommend that while listening to this, you get so high you think that you’re seeing is what you’re hearing can transcend time and connect the present with the past. I hear the jazz influences on this rock (?) band! Even how the keyboard can sound like a horns section. Blues! They look like hippie early garage startup individual contributors that met in music school 30 years ago and decided to reconnect in their midlife and do hallucinogenic drugs and try to play instruments like the good old days. Maybe that’s just Jerry Garcia. Man if I move my head with Spatial Audio, it’s like right in front of me. My legs and arms are all tingly. If this just The first song, I’m screwed. Oh ok thank god it’s the 4th song. Turn on your love life, singing is very southern rock. I bought crunchy snacks because that’s what usually love but now I want something sweet! Mercy song. Found chocolate cereal and creamy peanut butter. I keep feeling the jazz and blues in this. But then there will be like a very classic guitar riff that pulls you back into this tumultuous genre bending song. One and a half eternities left in Death Mercy song. I have these chickpea snacks. Not hitting. Need way more flavor, Biena. Bbq like turns bitter. Ho shit there were flames on stage. I got cold and put two jackets on because I don’t trust myself to light a pilot light right now. Oh now I’m getting dizzy looking at my phone with this feedback track. Oh I might throw up if I keep looking at my phone. Looking at TV for a bit. Need candy. Found frozen fruit. A fave. Jerry isn’t wearing shoes. Awwwww this little lullaby is so cute and good! Railroad song and Beatles. AWW THAT’S IT?!? I want like TEN MORE MINUTES OF THIS LULLABY! 5 star idgaf

A legendary Dark Star for a perfect 5 stars

Who knew I was a Dead Head? I even loathe live albums and this just felt like an hour long song. Very little crowd interaction good or bad which I prefer, just straight up funky, groovey, bluesy jam session.

Jedna od boljih death starova je ovdje. I ovo im je možda najbolji live period. Strašno organska i intuitivna svirka.

obviously a huge part of the grateful dead experience is a sort of Ritual aspect that i cant get from just listening to one show...becoming familiar with the songs as frameworks from which New but Metatextually Related experiences are to be grown each time. thankfully im atm perfectly fine just being left with The Music here which is so obviously incredible lol...ive been most prepared for this by my dives into live frank zappa and the like, but i already prefer this to a lot of that. the hypnotic, mind-expanding qualities are so sincere and carried to a great variety of places, from colorfully dexterous jazzy explorations to crushing churning blues to fucked up noise...extremely inviting for such supposedly difficult music, they just wanna blow ur mind!! intensely likable as a vibe and extremely pleasurable as a collection of sounds. im sure ill carve out more time for the dead at some point

Damn, I loved this album as a creativity boost. Got me in the zone.

10/10

Grateful Dead - Live/Dead The first live album by the Dead. I first discovered the Dead in 1987 when they released their song, Touch of Grey. I still remember the video and watching it on MTV. Then I never thought about them again for many decades. In 2000ish I started my fascination with Phish and with the advent of the internet, I found my way back to the Dead. Starting that journey I started listening to American Beauty. It became my starting point into their catalog. I never got fully obsessed with the band, but I did respect their contribution to the music landscape. One thing I did find out was that their live shows reflected their true musicianship and while I enjoyed the studio albums, they couldn't hold a candle to the live stuff. Live/Dead is the beginning of what would become their legacy. The live shows and tape trading made them immortal. We still get new live shows released that have been remastered from those tapes. While I never got to see the Dead play live, I can sit back with any of their live recordings and feel like I was there. 5/5

If I had a time machine I would travel back to the late 60's and be a Deadhead. A surefire way to get rid of the upright squares is to open your gig with a 20 minute banger. I still miss Jerry.

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

Long live the live legends.

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

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

Squeaky hinges in the band

Good live album

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 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.

i am grateful for the grateful dead type xi

it's the dead

Fav- death don’t have no mercy 4/5

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.

Long jam, live Grateful Dead

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

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".

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

Big cat twitter reaction!!!

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

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.

Wow i understand why this joks favourite;(

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.

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

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.

Egész jó volt!

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

I've come around a lot more on the dead in recent years. Within the context of this list, pretty excellent album. Great guitarwork, the band's chemistry is phenomenal and these are some great tunes to jam while doing something.

I would have become a Dead fan significantly sooner had they followed the jazzy space rock thread. I need to steep myself in this era a bit.

The original improvers St stephen Dark star

Nice

Very experimental

I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this. I’m hit or miss with the Grateful Dead in general, and I don’t love live albums. But wow this was fantastic. I figured a 20+ minute opening track was going to be a struggle to get through, but it was the best song on the album. The instrumentation and musicianship was phenomenal. I could have listened to hours of just them playing music. Admittedly whenever the lyrics came in it kind of killed the vibe of each song. Not quite a 5 star album, but still fantastic.

The original jam band? This live album was a real pleasure. A little funky, with excellent musicality throughout. Easy listening for 99% of it for me.

Enjoyed it, which was a surprise after reading some of the reviews. It's a great example of capturing a bands live essence.

I have always been on the outside of Dead fandom looking in. I think this album finally clicked something for me. This was just a really great rock album with some jam jaunts that, despite playing out for longer than I am used to, were entertaining. I liked it.

a groundbreaking album

Classic old school Dead. For live albums, I prefer Without a Net

3.5

I did this for the 1969 deep dive, and it was just inside my top 50. Quite honestly I could probably go higher for this if it wasn't for the "Feedback" song, which I would have only taken as a slight annoyance if it didn't go on for almost eight minutes. But the real strength of this album comes in the St. Stephen/The Eleven/Turn On Your Love Light/Death Don't Have No Mercy run which is practically a five star run right there. "Dark Star" is pretty darn good as well. (8.65) ★★★★

It would have been better if it was les jamming, but they aare really good at it. The only miss is "Feedback". High 4 stars

The perfect music to smoke that kush and space out to. Easily the most common complaint I see for this album is the fact that every song is "too long." Of course, as someone with an unhealthy obsession with modern-day Swans, a band infamous for constantly releasing songs longer than 20 or even 30 minutes, the length of these tracks don't bother me as much as other people, so I feel more comfortable meeting this record at its level. The Grateful Dead as a band place more emphasis on the vibe of their music rather than any sort of deep lyrics or artistic grandeur, which serves as this album's greatest strength. Instead of creating some grand musical statement, this record is nothing more than guys being dudes and having a jolly ol' time jamming with each other. While I do prefer when my ridiculously long songs feature tighter performances and a sense of progression, the more casual feel of the Grateful Dead is still a worthwhile listen for me. Absolutely underrated by this website in my opinion, and I will most definitely consider myself an honorary Deadhead from this point forward. If this is your first exposure to the Grateful Dead, I'd honestly recommend you just skip the opener "Dark Star" on your first listen and save it for last. It's not terrible by any means, but a 23-minute track that could come across as too relaxed and aimless can definitely leave a bad taste in one's mouth. Meanwhile, the two jams on side B are far more engaging and newbie-friendly. Standout Tracks: St. Stephen, The Eleven, Turn On Your Love Light, Feedback Score: A+

Love it. Such a fun blend of music

good, songs were really long

This is a great live album. But, it would've been of the greatest, were it cut down to a single LP. There are definitely parts of the jams that drag on too long, including the piece Feedback, whuch is mostly, well, feedback. All in all, this is a band that you can hear was having fun while playing. 4/5

It's pretty good

This is a good live album, but I just can't give it 5 stars based mostly on the fact that it is a live album, let alone all the jamming and the parts that I think are huge for fans of the band and "genre" but just aren't going to hit or make an impact on the rest of music listeners.

Fair

Never was a Dead head and this album didn't turn me into one. Either way the album was a nice surprise. Heard it while watching the night sky doing line to a Imperial Triumphant concert and it moved me to a zen state. Going to hear it again and probably going to check more GD live albums. The lyrics of Dark Star are amazing.

FYI!!! WARNING!!!! IF YOU ARE A DEAD NOOB (yes, I said noob) DO NOT LISTEN TO dark star FIRST!!!! YOU MAY VERY WELL HATE THE DEAD IF YOU DO! The reason being is Dark Star is one of their signature jams: a daunting, dark, sprawling, 23 minute excuse to improv experimental psychedelic noise. This one is one of the more infamous renditions. If that sounds good to you, listen as intended. If not, place Dark Star before And We Bid You Goodnight & you may have a better first impression. Jerry, Bobby & Phil are grabbing you by your wrists & ankles & throwing you in the fire by putting it first. Dimery is laughing in the corner. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! "We are like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice." -Jerry Garcia on Grateful Dead Fandom. People like piss on the DEAD due to the whole hippie thing. That's a disservice to an amazing, historical significant band. This is a band that died when Jerry died in 95 but continued on in various versions of the band. With the recent passing of Bob Weir, there are only a couple of original members left. Yet, the band & the MUSIC will carry on. Do have any idea how many bands tour playing the Dead? It is an insane amount both regional & nationally. Probably internationally. To name a few: Dark Star Orchestra Joe Russo's Almost Dead Graciously Departed (local) Grateful Grass Grateful Shred Other than Dark Star, the vast majority of these songs are blues based. Lovelight & St Stephen are great. I have to be in the right frame of mind to truly enjoy Dark Star. -wink- Feedback is just trippy noise. But hey continue to shit on this band because: HIPPIES! 4

Another one that is so hard to judge in one day, I feel there is a lot here, I'm keen to listen more. Obviously have heard of this band, but the couple of times I've tried to engage it hasn't stuck. Did enjoy this tho!

Overall great, some bits I didn't like as much as others

I don’t like live albums but this one was alright!

Dark Star

This was actually really enjoyable! Definitely had me hyped up at times!

Is the Grateful Dead that generation's Tool? I liked parts of this so much and parts were.... Very meandering. The Gospel breakdown in Love light pushed it up to 4 stars.

Neat bit of history here, you can hear how the Dead worked the crowd so well!

I luv the dead, started rough bc of dark star which I don’t love (I know boo hiss) but I liked the rest bc it was very CCR

I like the sound. A lot. It's just very stretched out and doesn't do a lot. Some of the guitar is wonderful, I just wish they were actual songs and not extended jams. If it was 1969 and I was off being a hippy I'd probably buy in to it, but I'd likely fall asleep listening to them, miss the bus to the show, and be kicked out of the club for not being committed enough a deadhead. Alas, it's not 1969 so I'm working and sober... this isn't the right fit for today. Maybe next week.

Decent 4

Like the Grateful Dead. Not my favorite of theirs but compared to most of the albums on this list?

Biggest shitposters of the 60s and 70s

pleasant

There were some sections of this where it gets too "experimental" for me, but I love the Dead. St. Stephen is one of my faves and The Eleven and Turn on Your Lovelight jams were full of great energy.

I will be going back to this with a better stereo. There were times this was falling flat to my ears with discordant noise, but mostly I was driving along. I'm wondering if the discordant bits will grow on me in future listening.

23 minutes of noodling on dark star is wild

The first live album from the band that is known for live performances. I always assumed that they would be more rock or a little heavier, but they are really more like a psychedelic Americana/Country band.

Huh. Well that was something different. I really enjoyed the energy from most of this and was leaning towards 5 stars but it lost steam about 2/3 through and I couldn't listen to any more feed back noise :). So I'll go with an overall 4 here.

Live albums are such a mixed bag and I really don’t get why a lot of them are considered to be must listens compared to studio recordings. Unless the artist is doing significant variation on music that is exclusive to that performance, or that concert is particularly notable or improvised, it’s more of a musical time capsule This album in particular seems to be notable for being one of the first live performances recorded on a 16 track, which explains why it doesn’t sound like garbled shit. I really enjoyed listening to this album, but I don’t know that I’d say it’s a MUST listen.

This is a good album. The real story here is about Owsley Stanley AKA the guy that the Steely Dan song Kid Charlemagne is about. I am not a proponent of great man history but there are undeniably some individuals who have a staggering, profound impact on human history. This guy personally produced MILLIONS of doses of LSD that basically fuelled the whole flower child psychedelic scene that the 60s is known for. He was not trained in chemistry, he just understood the vibe. He did not 'get into' LSD, he manufactured this shit on an industrial scale. Having said that, he definitely was not acting alone. This guy was to LSD what Jeffrey Epstein was to human trafficking. This guy was 100% a tool of the CIA when the cleanshirts at Langley decided they wanted to experiment on people with LSD just to see what would happen. One day when the Empire collapses we will find documents that vindicate easily excitable idiots like me confirming every single half-baked conspiracy theory that’s ever been spouted. He was the Grateful Dead's freaky wizard-vizier companion. Like a DMNPC that you pick up in a tabletop game that just gives you all the answers. Yeah whatever this album is known for pioneering sound engineering technology or something and you can credit that to Mr Stanley and his ingenuity as a sound guy. But more importantly than that, this guy was convinced that the northern hemisphere was going to suffer an ecological collapse due to global warming. So he moved to Australia, but not just anywhere, he went to fucking CAIRNS. I don't know what level of MKULTRA he was subjected to in order to fry his brain enough to move to the most humid, BOILING HOT, storm-battered city in Australia but I commend him. As the unlikely forerunner of the drug-fucked cooker health/sex freak archetype, he became convinced that human beings are carnivores and you could cure diabetes (which is fake and caused by insulin) by having a zero carb diet. Like many intelligence assets, he died in a car crash. Highlights: Reading about Owsley Stanley while listening to a pretty good live set.

#JazzRock not as many words today, but this was enjoyable. I'd love to listen to this on a really nice sound system, there are a lot of layers

The masters of the jam sesh are demonstrating their abilities.

80/100. A strong live record that captures the essence of the Grateful Dead’s early psychedelic and experimental sound. It’s a vibe heavy album, perfect for zoning out or diving deep.

Ahead of it's time. Serious guitar.

Favorite Track: St. Stephen

4/5

I like a lot of Dead songs in general, but can often do without the long, meandering jams.

I'm one of those outliers that likes studio Dead better than the live stuff. I can see the appeal of their live stuff, but the jams just go on too long, for my taste. Probably enjoyed more with an altered state of consciousness. 3.5* rounding up, I guess.

I first loved Grateful Dead's sound when i was studying for history of Rock I. We were talking about the hippie's era and what hippie meant musically.We defined that hippie meant virtuosity for the bands and that's exactly what i get here along with complexity.I think in this album GD embraced the fact that each member can play a different melody which is an almost impossible thing to do,especially live. A very liberal thing yes but it can cost in keeping rhythms tight and pleasure to the listener.It is funny though that this one was the first album recorded in 16 separate channels i think, and the levels of the guitar channel for example was piercing my ears in high notes.CAUTION in Feedback song-hear it low.Foremost i must say that there was bad drumming throughout the whole album. The songs now: Ambitious Dark Star has it's up and downs,detunements and tensions but that's kind of music art,it gave me the feel that they destruct and rebuild again although my ears really hurt at times maybe it's the playing maybe it's the master level,it's like phychedelia reachin experimental jazzy levels though,i wish it had more vocals as well which were few but clear and good. St.Stephen has a more tight band sound and i absolutely loved it.Great vocals and nice trippy lyrics as well. The Eleven has long improvisation but in around 3:40 or so it progresses beautifully,you feel it's getting somewhere,vocals pop up as well a bit later and only for a while again.great and complex improvisation closes the song,kind of. Turn On Your Love Light is absolutely fantastic like an Elvis deeped in phychedelia,like Blues Brothers on LSD! James Brown and Jim Morrisson vibes in the vocals too! The drums though, as in every song,could be better.Don't forward or skip this song as it is groovy as hell ( if you can bear the bad drumming). Death Don't Have No Mercy is a slow,moody,bluesy number with some tensions,the guitar solos and keys are quite good here,the vocals though not so much. Feedback starts off literally with band's feedback so be careful with your ears-don't hear loud at any circumstances like i did.It gives a spacey,trippy feel and an experimental tone which is quite artful but way too long!Makes you feel darkness and despair with some odd otherwordly tones. Some high frequencies left me almost deaf but in the end i find it highly creative. And We Bid You Goodnight is a harmonised accapella Jesus loves you sort of thing. I really enjoyed this album more than i thought i would.Later albums were much better though but not live. 4/5

This was enjoyable for the most part but a couple songs near the end felt unnecessary.

I've never really given The Grateful Dead a chance. I really enjoyed this album, so maybe I need to change that! 4.5 - I will round down.

Good live album, I like the grateful dead though always have lol

Cannot not listen without my hazy Santa Cruz nostalgia for the Dead--this one was always on rotation, and the spacey psychedelic explorations stay rooted in rock and song and are just excellent. Jerry's guitar tone is brilliant and Lesh is all over the place. Great record.

So according to the Apple music I am really into what they call "Jazz-rock". Had heard parts of this album in passing but never in one listen. There were fantastic moments where the groove just hit and you saw what they were doing....then we came down from the high and just kind of wallowed in noise. Would listen the first half again.

Bra album mye artige ideer. Overaskende bra produksjon på dette. Gode vokaler blir litt lange sanger noen ganger, men det er ikke noe store greier

classic Dead

Ya know, I think I might get it now. The Grateful Dead cover a lot of ground here; gospel, prog rock, blues rock, soul, rock and roll. And all under the same banner. They lose me the most with the meandering lulls and builds, but they inspire with diversity and unapologetic patience.

Pretty good, favorite song mightve been death dont have no mercy. (Also first time listening to Grateful Dead!! Woo-hoo!!)

It's all fine and dandy if I had a whole night to sit and trip out and listen to the Dead. Not terrible music, but just not what I'm into anymore. 3.5 / 5 because the music is really good, but not my jam.

3.5 Grateful dead was known for their impro on live and this album is no disappointment on that aspect. Even if I don't really know their music and this album was a bit messy, I really enjoyed the guitar vibe

Oddly Relaxing

Lekker langdradig, maar zeker niet verkeerd

If you don't understand how amazing Grateful Dead music is, then you don't understand music. 4.75

Haven’t listened to much Grateful Dead, I keep trying to get into them. But maybe better to just stick with the BMFS train at this point. I thought Dark Star was a bold choice to start the album off with a 23 minute song. Every time I felt the song going somewhere it got turned back down or mellowed out, rinse and repeat for another 10 minutes. The end of St. Stephen flowed into The Eleven so well, I thought it was the same song. The Eleven really jammed, I enjoyed it. Wasn’t too repetitive and drums were killer in the track. I enjoyed the shouting part in Turn on your love light and then how the song decrescendos before slowly building back up again. Feedback was not my favorite track, sounded exactly like that. Maybe interesting if you’re tripping, but that’s about it. Album had a good closer. Overall it was a good album, but not what I expected for this monumental jam band.

Sounds like one very very long song

Some absolute solid guitar work....and it was live too, what talent. To have watched them perform this must have been mesmerising. Incredible stuff.

Oh cool live at the Fillmore. It’s also at SF? Strange that this is an album as it isn’t recorded at the same sesh. Still good though. Enjoy the jammin. 4 stars.

It's the Dead. Live! : )

Very good

3.7

I think it'll take more than one listen to really get into the Dead, but obviously skilled musicians making great music.

Was all set to give this a 3 because I don’t like live albums, but this was really good and if anything I liked it better than some of their studio albums.

I really liked it. Don’t think I’d seek it out again, but don’t understand why the Grateful Dead gets so much hate and also why they have such a following

Gotta give it at least a 4 to help counter all these 1s (one star off for Feedback). Yes it's weird early Dead but it still far superior to several of the random 80s pop bands that somehow make the list. 4⭐️

4.0 Yep. That's very good. I think I've been underwhelmed by their appearance(s?) on this list so far so it's good to find something that explains the cult status. Imagine it being 1969, this drug has come out that no one has ever heard of before, there's very little pop culture or knowledge surrounding it, you take it and watch this performance. I mean that is probably on my fantasy bucket list of experiences to experience. Easy 4*

So as mentioned in my review of American Beauty, I've never got the Dead, even though I've definitely tried as I love other acid rock banks like Jefferson Airplane, the Doors and Hendrix. The Dead's usual twangy near country sound has always just seemed kind of bland for me. And I've even listened to some of their live albums and still wasn't sold. Their sound just didn't seem to match their whole marketing and legend for me. This is all to say I went into this album with low expectations. I even procrastinated it on my 1001 albums list--I got this one like a week ago. I'm happy to say that I finally found some Dead that sounds pretty decent. At least the first live segment, Dark Star, sounds psychedelic and spacy rather than boring country rock. Maybe they were on the right drugs for this show. Turn on Your Love Light is great as well. 4/5

LOL it’s my first day using this app and I have to talk about “Dark Star” I like the Dark Stars that are more spooky sounding personally. This one has a lot of energy and veers off in cool unexpected directions but not the “definitive” one for me. I like Dark Star when the next song feels like you’ve emerged from a spaceship on some new planet (“Stella Blue” or “El Paso” for example), and I don’t get that here. Jerry’s voice in the early days has a nice Roky Erickson-ish twang to it. “The Eleven” goddamn, that stood out the most to me this time. The late 60s garage/blues version of the Dead isn’t my favorite, but that track is really loose and unstructured and exciting in a way that’s unique to this era.

4/5 I don’t know what kind of prejudices I had against the music of Grateful Dead, but whatever they were, they were proved wrong. This live performance oozes of musical talent, and beeing a big fan of instrumental tracks, the tracks on this album were a joy to listen to. With all songs being particularly long, it’s the perfect ’put on in the background for a hood mood’ album, and I’m really happy to have listened to this cool blend of rock/blues.

Pretty good.

I am more of a fan of studio Dead than live Dead and there’s parts of this album that reinforce that and others that make me question it. “Dark Star” feels meandering and self-indulgent with a lot of noodling that doesn’t feel cohesive. It probably sounds good if you’re tripping on acid. But then “Turn On Your Love Light” is a jam-filled blues number with much more energy and focused direction. Giving this four stars because while it isn’t the most seminal album, it’s worth listening to so that you can understand what the Gratful Dead playing live were all about in their earlier days. I’m sure Deadheads will say there are better ones and maybe you should start there but this is a great picture of a particular sounds during a particular time.

I really enjoyed this, more than I thought I would. I never really enjoyed the Grateful Dead, or cared much for jam bands, but there was some really good stuff. I think the extended jams seemed sort of uninteresting at first but they were relaxing and cool, and made the climaxes all the better

4.5

3.9 2x cool live album, catch up 6/2/2025

You either love or hate the Grateful Dead. While I usually don't like live albums, this is a band whose legacy is primarily related to their live performances. This was a solid example of their live sound and performance, and a good listen when you are in the mood for 20+ minute jams.

The Grateful Dead are an acquired taste for sure and a 24 minute Dark Star isn’t the song you want to play for a first time listener. But once you’re hooked, they’re so good. They’re more than just a band, they’re a way of life and culture that is stronger than ever 30 years after Jerry’s death.

Good live album

4.5 this

I generally liked this but it dragged on and on and on and on...

I like the Dead, and I liked this record, but it wasn't the right time of day for it, if that makes sense.

Let them boys jam, they're pretty good at it

Good instrumental work and decent vocal work. Things ran somewhat too long, especially Feedback.

Pure jam. Long tracks. Dead gentle high.

Far from their best live album, but still a classic.

4. 5 if I were stoned. As a guy that is a casual Dead fan and saw Dead & Company at The Sphere, I can confidently say that this was good. Man, it must have been fun to be in this band. And fun to see them live. They could play and they could jam.

In the context of time - groundbreaking

A jam band jamming With effortless grace and timing To keep you engaged

strange, some parts feel like disgruntled messing and jamming, and some feel very cohesive, progressing songs. I like how the first 3 or 4 songs are actually just one long song divided into multiple sections. Lack of vocals aren't a problem, and when there are (other than the 4th song) they aren't bad. Clearly a very talented band who have the improvisational thing down. Favourite songs: all except the 4th one ( I don't really want to count the last 2 as proper songs, although the feedback one does get better throughout) Overall around 7/10

Overall, it's not bad. Some of the sounds in the first track were a little annoying, but then it was quite comfortable. 7 out of 10.

I love the Dead so I enjoyed this very much. Not necessarily a fan of everything by the Dead. Great way for me to start my day. Sit back and relax.

En parte entiendo el desdén que hay hacia este álbum en esta web. No es una escucha fácil; son temas largos y con mucha improvisación. Pero eso es precisamente lo bueno. Aunque no soy gran fan de las jam bands, hay que reconocer la influencia que tuvo Grateful Dead en incontables grupos dentro de un estilo que, además, sigue estando muy vivo. Además, musicalmente es buenísimo. Hacen una mezcla de estilos única y difícil de superar, incluso con influencias gospel, pero siempre bajo la estética psicodélica de los 60. Será largo y a veces lento o repetitivo, pero a mí me parece genial.

Great jam music.

cool live

just background music but pretty solid background music

Ja vet maar moet ik zeker nog een keer luisteren, klinkt wel echt als iets dat ik tof vind

This sits firmly alongside At Fillmore East in terms of the great Jam Band live recordings, with exponential guitar mastery across a multitude of often double-digit length tracks, long in their listing but short in actuality - solidifying the Dead as one of the greatest live acts in history. Producing something this explorative to the mass market in ‘69 was surely no mean feat. There’s no taster for what’s to come in this album, because the ‘what’ is given permission to land straight away with the twenty three minute opener of Dark Star, crawling through and highlighting every aspect on that stage in San Francisco. What follows does not pale in comparison, the concentrated yet crazed Turn On Your Love Light leading disc 2, into a mellow, mean blues in the form of Death Don’t Have No Mercy, serving as the real closer before a truly confident addition of Feedback, certainly an acquired taste. An infamous live performance functioning just as well as a studio album, with added extended flair exclusive to the Dead’s all-encompassing stage presence.

4.0

Oh the songs are long Favorites: St. Stephen, The Eleven It wasn't boring, rather relaxing

I understand Deadheads now

long, sympathetic jams and grooves, with lovely improvisational feel

Plays exactly like you would expect from a long live album from Grateful Dead.

A really fun vibe session that ends on a bit of an overstayed note. The songs were a lot of fun to listen to - I've heard the Dead were a huge improv group, but this album was some truly excellent musical chemistry. I do think the last 8 minutes could have been left off, but there is something neat about making a song from feedback.

Listened Before? N Like, allllright man! The Dead! Love these guys. I have not heard this particular recording before, and it's a good one. The inclusion of a 23 minute version of Dark Star as all of side one of the double album is spectacular. I was groovin. This is early stuff, so not as polished as some of their later publications but they were tight and awesome jammers even back then. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: St. Stephen

I enjoyed everything but the feedback session.

Never been a fan of the Dead, never quite got what all the hype was about. But then I never really got into Phish either. I do understand from this album how creative they were, and fairly talented, with all their jamming and improvisation. Yeah, it can go on a little long but I still marveled a bit. Feedback was the biggest slog to listen to given the piercing instrumentals - but I do give them props for making it sound exactly like feedback (or nails on a chalkboard)...for 8mins. Wow. I don't know that I'll go back to this album much but I do think I will tell others about it, just for the unique experience.

Enjoyed the record more than I thought I would, perfect for headphones on the couch

Excellent guitar

Love the Dead. One of the most influential bands of my life. This is an album that would probably not turn someone onto them. “Lovelight” is an amazing song, and “St. Stephen” is fantastic, but “Feedback” is kind of rough. They get so much better in the next year. 4/5 Will listen again. RIP Phil

Heavy instrumentation, a mess, a thing I like. However it's a bit too long...I still like it though.

Quite enjoyable

Excellent album with great guitar work. No real songs per se, but great jams

Ah yes, Grateful Dead. A band I've heard so much about but have never actually listened to. And by the sounds of it, this live 'Live/Dead' album was a great place to start. For as much as I enjoyed this though, I don't have much to say about the songs individually. They were fun to space out to, starting from the very jammy, improvisational, jazzy, and sparkling cut 'Dark Start'. The song 'The Eleven' was probably the best fusion of relentless jamming and catchiness - I love the vocals that come in alongside that killer riff 3/4th of the way through. The bass tone here also sounds super fat, likely as a result of the live nature of the recording, which goes over fairly well for the majority of this album. The best bassline though has to be the jovial one driving the following 'Turn on Your Love Light', it's so fun and familial. I love the way this particular track ramps up in its final couple minutes with the riffy-vocals coming to a head alongside these building drums patterns. I don't know how to feel about the closing 'Feedback' - it certainly lives up to the title and there are some hints of direction and melody here, but ultimately you are just getting a bunch of noise for like...7 minutes. Hey, I guess it's ahead of its time, even proto-done in its final minutes or so. I really had no idea what to expect from this band - but this long, satisfying, jammy live album was exactly what I needed to unwind tonight. I think I really like this band, though maybe I'll need to listen to some of their studio records before reaching that conclusion.

I’ve been listening to shakedown street for 3 days and they just got the end of the first verse…..

I love the Dead, but I’ve never really been too interested in their meandering live jams. Maybe that keeps me on the square side of the Deadhead line, but I’ll own that. I’d always skipped this one because I didn’t want to sit through Dark Star and knew I’d heard most of the rest elsewhere at other points, but I’m glad I finally gave it a spin. I still don’t love the Dark Starry jams, but I have a lot more appreciation for the no holds barred declaration of freedom that it implies these days.

Pretty great, both music and the cover

“Turn On Your Love Light” & drop out. Dead live is a perfect recorded example of the times. Groovy.

Liked this a lot more than "American Beauty" - some sections of the jams were a definite bop. Probably coulda done without the bluesy number, but otherwise, yeah, I guess I can see more why they gained the cult following they did. Fave tracks - chunks of "Dark Star" were great. "The Eleven" was cool too...

These guys can jam.

I've never listened to a Grateful Dead album before this. I quite enjoyed it.

Iconic St Stephen and Lovelight here, but as with most live stuff--I want more! Is 3.5, but going to 4.

Album 496 of 1001 Grateful Dead - Live / Dead Rating : 4 / 5 Live albums aren't a favorite of mine but I've presented with several that have made me rethink that. This is one of them. Their "American Beauty" album is one of my favorites and really the only one of theirs I have listened to more than once. This was a pleasant surprise. I never got to catch a show of theirs. Would have been a blast...especially back in the day.

Good

really loved this album - chill and easy listening :)

Never been a big Dead fan but I do enjoy their live albums more than the recorded ones! This one has always stood out as my favourite of their recordings that I've heard. It's really nice, I love a meander-y guitar... fun zone for me

As far as live albums go, this is pretty great

#48 - I definitely want to return to this. Feedback was a slog but the rest is quite special, unhurried, in the moment. Musicians playing for themselves. I liked it.

Man, I wish I was a Deadhead before the Dead stopped touring

Warm fuzzies from my childhood with this one

Rock aus 1969, wenig Gesang, viel Atmosphäre 4/5

Love Live Dead.

I like this album far more than the studio ones I have previously heard. The Grateful Dead certainly carved out their own niche in music.

The first Grateful Dead. The Dead sort of lived and died by their live act, and everyone knows it. It's an impressive feat of rock improvisation that showcases the band's ability to hold down songs even when the structure gets loose. The problem is that it rarely demands your attention, ultimately becoming relegated to background music. That is until it hits a fever pitch, then it's a sort of religious experience and the sky opens up to reveal a big beautiful glow. Oh, that's the sun? It's always been there? Well I only noticed it's majestic light just now and frankly I'm reveling it's warmth. It's kind of amazing despite it's consistency, rising and setting every day. And in it's light, flowers will bloom and life will flourish. And even on rainy days, when the sun isn't there or when we find it overwhelming, we'll know that it's light is good, and that we are better off with it. Creation matters. Art matters. We're tied to it, or else we would go crazy and die in madness. Take it out of storage every once and a while to dust it off. Practice or experiment. Learn rules to bend them, eventually break, but always learn. Weather patterns can be tracked through meticulous study. Thorough in description. Tedious. Sound breaks silence yet it remains an element of sound, as negative space. Invert it, pressure it's features, and turn it back out again. Have patience. Lay down my dear brother, lay down and take your rest, Won't you lay your head upon your savior's chest, I love you all, but Jesus loves you the best And we bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.

Despite the weirdness of Feedback, this is still a great live set from one of the best jam bands out there.

I’m not sure what the fuss is about with this one - either way. Feels like a good jam with quality players, self-indulgently noodling away. I would not give up my life to follow these guys are California, nor do I despise it enough for 1 start of hate. I just about land on the positive side, as I feel like there’s more to get into than I could take in with just one listen.

It's the dead. Its awesome. I hadnt heard this album before. Certainly not their best but still great. This kind of music is slow burning and you can only like it when you've let yourself synchronize with it. Early dead still feels more like a rock band and hasnt found the sound that they move towards. Even still its awesome. I won't rate every dead album 5 stars

Grateful Dead is a weird band for me. My main exposure to them is from a public radio station that has a segment on Friday nights that plays various live recordings. I really like what I've heard as background music while driving. When I listened to this, I was just sitting around the house and focusing more on the music and that was actually a detriment I think. It is not the kind of music you stare directly at ( with your ears). It is top tier background noise. Listening to such improv with the expectation of following it doesn't work for me. I am fascinated by the following they have, and the absurd collections of live music. If I had satellite radio, this would probably be one of my main stations. My rating of this is a bit different because it only applies while driving, and is more or less grateful dead in general rather than this specific album. Favorite track---maybe the first one? I couldn't tell ya. 4/5

One will have to take historians' word for it that this accurately captures the good old days. Certainly this is better (darker, richer, deeper) than what one heard in the rather more ragged late '80s eras when one was seeing shows (too many as it would turn out). This doesn't reach Coltranean levels of exploration (and doesn't get close, really, if only because there's too much jug band in "Turn On Your Love Light") but still definitely worth hearing.

I really enjoyed this. There is a love for music and creating together something on the spot that matters to them, that is quite beautiful. The thing being created is also not about them. Even though they are obviously very gifted musicians, I do not feel like I am not just watching them (or listening to them) do their thing. I am part of it, being taken for a ride in the best way. The chemistry is palpable, and the songs feel epic without being pretentious. I can freely wander in them, without getting lost. This album, for me, plays to an old idea of music being something that one participates to, even if the role is to listen. It makes me think of music as a form of ceremony, where listening is a form of action as important as playing. There is a simplicity to this, even as the songs take on such complex, travelling shapes. In the end, we are here together and that matters. I will definitely come back here.

Brilliant, soundtrack of my youth - but that feedback is totally unnecessary - costs a star.

No matter how much I try to get into the Dead, it never really sticks. Talented musicians though.

Exactly what an old rock live album should be

Pleasant listen, would revisit again

i love a good live album. the dead's music lends well to it.

find dark star nöd schlecht, schöne ufbau, meh en klangteppich als es lied aber eig na cool uhhh gsang, zwar sehr selte aber es passt na guet au mega gueti Qualität für 1969?? lieb d interaktion mitem Publikum ABER langsam hoff ich trz dass es endi in sicht isch hahahaha oke nach allem isch d atmosphäre doch sehr ahgnehm und schön gsi. schwanke zwüscheme 3 undeme 4i

The birth of the Jam Band

That's some jam

Dark Star - Mad version, but great St. Stephen - very interesting The Eleven - nice and raw Etc. This is an album I'll listen to again. I was expecting twanging country, so this was a pleasant surprise. Good 4

Meget hyggeligt album, kunne godt lide det. Så det bliver nok 4/5

Hvorfor er der så mange live albums på den her liste? Hahah Synes det er meget godt, kan godt lide det - lyder som noget min far ville høre på sin håndværkerradio Solid 3/5 måske 4/5

Good jam band live album. Standout songs: Turn on your love light Death dont have no mercy

Such a terrific early Grateful Dead album!

Favourite song - Turn on your love light

I enjoyed all but one of the tracks. I think I want to listen to a studio version of the Grateful Dead, as I found the live very distorted. Maybe that is why people like their sound though. I would listen to a non-live version of some of the songs.

Much less challenging and enjoyable than expected, besides "Feedback".

A little weird at times, but overall very groovy and chill

Fun jam album 7/10

good background music but i dont think i would seek it out bc the tracks are so long and rambling

The only GD album I own. I find the studio albums a bit underwhelming but this (especially the first disc!) Is joyous. A band that feels each other in performance.

I love The Dead, but I’m not into live albums as I’ve mentioned. But this one is a bit more than just some live recording of some concert some time ago. It is a beautiful time capsule of a bygone era. I understand it was a quasi-religious experience to see The Dead live or even give up a conventional life altogether to follow them on the road. That is so fucking cool, and I would have loved to be a carefree Deadhead hippie had I been born in the right decade to do so. Instead I’ll have to settle for lighting some incense at home so I can vibe to Jerry and the boys from the confines of my inflexible normcore life while considering what is and what might have been.

I'm still not convinced live albums belong on the list, but if they do, this is a good one. Proto prog, still with masses of psychedelic influence, with extended (to an average of over 10 minutes a song) versions and jams. Good background music, but doesn't really grab my attention much. I really liked it, but would have preferred to see the show as well (or to have been there!)

all you haters are lucky they didn't put triple LP Europe 72 on the list instead :P

As a Deadhead , kind of a disappointment that they chose this live album to be on this list. This does not show how a much of a powerhouse live band they were, like their further live albums such as Europe 72 and Cornell 77 would. If you're a Deadhead, this album is going to be enjoyable, but everyone else is going to hate it. This album is not going to convert anyone to be a Grateful Dead fan anytime soon.

Groovy funky jazzy hippie rock at its finest. 4 stars.

I feel an unfortunate amount of this gets lost in translation from the live sound to the grooves in wax. It is still excellent, but my goodness do I wish I could have been there in the moment.

A pretty good live album, almost a 3 but you can just tell this would be killer live.

Listened Before? No Album Art: 4 / 5 - not enough orange albums in this world; plus titties. I'll take any excuse to listen to some live Dead. Surprisingly I haven't listened to this particular album before. I mostly focus on early 70s Dead when listening to archived shows as I'm a sucker for American Beauty and Workingman's Dead. This one appears to be a collection of cuts from SF shows in '69, just before they established commercial success with those two releases I just mentioned. Album opens with Dark Star, a storied jam from the Dead's catalog, known for stretching its original <3 minute playtime upwards of 40 minutes. This one weighs in at a modest 23 minutes, for which the first several minutes are intro noodling. I contend that no one records live shows better than the Dead. Their micing is (generally) fantastic and they strike a perfect balance of cleanliness and live aroma in the recording. For a late 60s recording (remastered in 2001) this is super clean with great mixing. Sure there is some crust on the overall guitar tone, but that's more a feature than a bug to all Dead recordings. As far as Dark Star's go, this one is a bit more spacious through its midsection, with a jam that almost sounds self destructive around the 13 minute mark. Kind of peters out towards the end -- not my favorite DS, but honestly its never bad. Transitions over to St. Stephen, which is a more traditionally formatted folk-rock jam. I'll never not love this song. IMO songs like these are what separate GD from many other jam bands; they could actually write solid songs and put together compelling studio recordings. Segues seamlessly into one of the more blistering renditions of The Eleven that I have heard. Not the tightest I've heard them play (they go out of sync a bit around the 5 minute mark), but they make up for it with soul. Death Don't Have No Mercy is a wonderful blues jam with IMO the best / most coherent jam on here. Jerry brings straight fire with solid accompaniment from Pigpen on the organ. I have a soft spot for their bluesier numbers and this is no exception. Feedback is just what it says it is. Amazing that they went for nearly 8 minutes of this over, I dunno, a song. Even so, it certainly captures a mood that I'm sure soured many a long strange trip. While this is not the best live Dead recording I have heard by any stretch of the imagination, I imagine this was a very important album to its time. Apparently this is the first official live release from the band, that allowed the masses to appreciate their live magic from their living rooms. High quality recording that captured several of the Dead's staples in their fullest form. On a Dead curve this is a low 3 show, but on a global scale I give it a solid 4 / 5. Added to Library? Yes Songs Added to Playlists:

Heard this a number of times growing up but always thought it was weird to open up the set with Dark Star. Imo that's a perfect song for the middle. Picks up strong with St. Stephen, although I could do without that weird western part at the end. The eleven is one that I think is a pretty good look at where the Dead end up in their career. Perfect transition from Eleven into Turn on Your Love Light, a classic sung by Pig Pen RIP. Bassline towards the end is tasty. Death Don't Have No Mercy is a long bluesy one with some eerie organ work towards the end. Allie would HATE Feedback. Could very well see people on psychedelics freaking out at this one. I personally love the controlled chaos of it all. Overall great live album that was revolutionary in its recording techniques, but there are also better live Dead (hehe) albums out there. 3.5 but I'm rounding up.

First time listening to a Grateful Dead album. Pleasantly surprised

the music is very good, the singing not so much

Classic early dead. No Franklin's Tower or Uncle John's Band, but DarkStar/StStephen is a classic. Love the warm sound of them live, tight recording.

I grew up with a deadhead for a dad (not a euphemism to be clear) so I've always had them around but rarely actively explored myself. I've been meaning to though so this was a great album to pop up here. I really dug it too. The jams are just awesome.

7/10. Yeah, the 8-minute track of feedback really cements this band as the greatest of all time... But really, the Grateful Dead are fine, and I liked this album in general because they didn't sing much, which is how I prefer them.

First time with Grateful Dead and very unimpressed at first listen but a few listens more and I started to get with the vibe - a fascinating rock jazz psychedelic fusion. Sure, a little meandering at times, but there’s a genuine buzz in the interaction between the musicians and between the band and the crowd.

Cool guitars. Easy listening. Great background music. Those guitars were talking. Would revisit for vibes

I am a definite fan if live concert albums and this is one if my favorites. I particularly enjoy them if the bands just hang out and jam for the crowd. Dark Star by itself is reason enough for this album to make the list.

The first Grateful Dead live album, even before their two famous studio albums. It propelled them to fame and showcases their insane ability to improvise. A double album with just 6 songs, it's very easy to digest and leave in the background. Still very early in their career, and also dated by jam band standards, a lot of ideas don't work or tend to drag on too much. We start off with the jazzy groovy "Dark Star", one of their most iconic songs, and certainly mind blowing for a lot of first-time listeners. It's a fantastic introduction where they mess around with a lot of techniques, including abrasive distortion and atonality. You never know where the song is going, but you're excited to see what happens next. "St. Stephen" is our pop song, "short" and catchy with plenty of cool moments. Gets quiet, gets loud and explodes, has a satisfying coda that jumps straight into the next song. "The Eleven" is an acid rock instrumental (with some vocals for a minute), very groovy and entrancing. Love the consistent flow and high energy, good teamwork all around. Awesome transition to the next song. "Turn On Your Love Light" is a fun bluesy dance song. Good mix of loud and quiet moments. "Death Don't Have Mercy" is an ok song (a bit Beatlesesque) but doesn't offer much. "Feedback" shows has several psychedelic attributes and is a forerunner to space rock music, but it's pretty bland and not very satisfying. Pink Floyd was doing much better distortion work at the same time. Their later live albums show they could do better, but the first four tracks show they have so much to offer. The last two tracks do drag down the overall quality. But very enjoyable and a good introduction to the Dead, jam bands, and the power of live recordings in general.

one of the best live album

Read the negative reviews first and expected to hate it. Then I listened to it. This is an amazing album. Just goes to show you not to follow other but make your own mind up. It's pretty 'jammy' and really good for chillin- there's some fine musicianship on show here too: these guys were at the top of their game. One of the best 60's rock albums - certainly considering it's a live album too and not studio recorded.

Not a huge Grateful Dead fan but this was enjoyable. Maybe I need to experience more of library.

listened to again truly great live jam album

Just the noodliest thing.

Kinda sad I missed the tour

Not sure how this one made the list when "Europe '72" (or "Skull & Roses" for that matter) didn't. I doubt this album is going to win over any new fans. That being said, I really like licorice. 4/5

"Live/Dead" is the first official live album (fourth overall) by American rock the Grateful Dead and a double album at that. It was recorded over a series of San Francisco concerts in early 1969 and to mitigate debt accrued from their previous album "Aoxomoxoa" and fulfill their record contract. They wanted a more representative version of their live performances. It also was the first live rock album to use 16 tracks. The album received positive reviews with critic Robert Christgau commenting that it "contains the finest rock improvisation ever recorded." High praise from a guy that I rarely see something completely positive from. Slow guitar, percussion and bass start their epic 23-minute "It" song "Dark Star." Honestly, this sounds like their tuning their instruments for a good long time. The song picks up and sort of gets a groove. Jerry Garcia in total jazzy improv mode. The vocals come in at the 6:00 mark. Is this an acid trip? About patterns of life? The start and end of life? Maybe all the above. The song continues with chaotic guitar, guitar interplay, improv and feedback. Yeah, what a journey. The second side kicks off with "St. Stephen." Hey, we have a melody here with the guitar. Prominent organ. This is more bluesy. St. Stephen was the first matyr of the New Testament and was stoned to death or is this about Stephen Gaskin, a 60's counterculture figure who formed a community. I'm saying both. The song transitions right into "The Eleven." This is fast pace. The rhythm and percussion stand out. Unique time signature. More blues-based guitar and even more trippy lyrics with fantasy and nature imagery. Imagine that. Side three begins with Ron "Pig Pen" McKernan on vocals on the Bobby Bland cover "Turn On Your Love Light." They do a great job fusing R&B and jam band. And, they do another unique cover with Blind Gary Davis' "Death Don't Have Mercy." This is their most bluesy song with organ. It adds a gospel vibe. Jerry bringing it on the vocals. And, why not end with nearly eight minutes of feedback on they do that with "Feedback." I'm of a fan of irritating noises but this takes right to the limit. The album actually ends with a 30-second a capella song "And We Bid You Goodnight." This album has incredible improvisation, pyschedelia, blues, jamming and guitar interplay. Each songs raises the intensity as the song progresses. I would have to give the slight live album edge to Europe 72' but this is really good. I wouldn't say this is for the casual music fan but any of the jam band and even jazz fans will appreciate most of this. And Deadheads? Well, you're already there with this.

Great live album.

Definetely a great live record, arguably one of the best ever made.

Eerste livealbum van de Grateful Dead, toentertijd opgenoment met state of the art opnameapparatuur. Tracklist bestaat uit lange versies van nummers zoals Grateful Dead dat wel vaker deed op concerten, waaronder enkele covers. Niet heel toegankelijk, maar zit wel erg goed in elkaar. leukste nummer: St. Stephen - Live at the Fillmore West Het nummer "Black Star" werd legendarisch door de lange solos live - tot wel drie kwartier lang - en het feit dat het niet vaak live gespeeld werd. Voor Deadheads werd het een heilige graal om bij een concert te zijn waarin het nummer werd gespeeld.

This is the one. This is what a Grateful Dead album is supposed to sound like. It's everything that the Dead are known and loved for. They've always been a musician's band and that's super evident here. It's so easy to get lost in the layers and transitions and the interplay between the instruments. I really enjoyed it.

grateful dead man what can i say

það getur vel verið að þeir séu bestir á sviði. þetta er mun betra en annað efni frá þeim. fær 4, þarf aðra yfirferð en var mjög gott.

Much much better than American Beauty. World's greatest jammers (King Gizz will take the crown eventually but they need the context of history behind them more)

This is it: the transition from jazz and blues and psychedelic rock to jam bands in recorded form. Utilizing the new 16 track recording, to capture a lot of the finer details of and emotion of a live show

Effectivement parfait avec le pétard du matin

Started off really slowly and experimental and I wasn’t sure what the heck I was listening to. But then it felt like it came to a nice place. Place of psych rock haha, so that works out. I’m still not super keen on live recordings though Saved songs: St. Stephen, Turn On Your Love Light, Death Don't Have No Mercy

This album was hugely influential and remains one of the highest regarded live albums. However, the jam rock format is dated and many of the improvisation sections are overlong. There are moments of brilliance scattered throughout, but the listener definitely needs to be able to sit with moments that don't really go anywhere. Having said that, I am consistently amazed with the Grateful Dead's ability to to deconstruct a song, and send it to truly interesting places before bringing it all back together. They were certainly tapped into each other in a special way.

I was never a deadhead for some reason, Not quite what I was expecting from a band that was once one of the loudest in the world. Reminded me of Man but more "mellow" if you know what I mean. Would I buy it - probably not, but I would definitely listen again.

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.

Didnt click at all its fine I guess

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

3,5

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.

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.

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.

Blues rock with some jazz and country parts.

Lowkey een vibe maar die nummers zijn zo lang

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.

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.

Start was quite interesting but after a while it got boring

Beaucoup de branlette pour quelques trucs pas mal.

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.

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

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