Reviews (page 5 of 7)
I'm sure they are having fun playing their instruments together but nah that said I was prepared to hate this and I didn't entirely. it was a fine, if sometimes tedious, way to spend a little over an hour. (I can't really complain about "Feedback" like everyone else because I have listened to too many type o negative albums and that would make me a hypocrite) not adding to collection
Not really my cup of tea.
I couldn't tell if this was bad or if I just couldn't appreciate it because I don't know any of the original music. 2/5??
Just couldn't get into it.
Man, that was tough. I don't mind songs/albums that don't have much vocals to them, but the instrumental has to be actually good for that to work. There were a couple decent sounding moments that prevent this from a 1.
..
oof. I like a good jam. I like extended jams. I like really long songs. But a 23 minute jam with limited variation gets tedious. 23 minutes of Miles Davis or Coltrane? Sign me up. 23 minutes of this? No thanks. "Turn On Your Love Light" is both a highlight and a primary example of what's wrong with these jams. The extended solos edge toward something you'd hear from The Allman Brothers. But The Allman Brothers extended jams from this period were far more interesting, I'd much rather listen to 15 minutes of the Allmans doing this song. For the most part, this album didn't actively annoy me but didn't make a case for why I should give The Grateful Dead another chance. Toward the end of the album, however, it was really wearing out its welcome. 2 stars
I like the Grateful Dead, I like a few of their early songs. I even like a couple of their studio albums. I like it when album size or desired airplay time constraints make them distill a song down to an essence of how they will play it live. I was once told if I don't enjoy Dark Star (which I don't) then I am not a DeadHead and I agree. I can listen to Jimi Hendrix noodles around all day, I can enjoy King Crimson as they do their version of improvisational, jazz based rock, but Dark Star seems like a good opportunity to check out the merch, watch girls dance or maybe get a beverage. Listening to the remastered version only solidified this for me. This is a groundbreaking, poetic and historic album I don't enjoy... except for Death Don't Have No Mercy, which is a good song.
The album that arguably legitimized pointless noodling and inspired dozens of copycat jammers. Unlike the tight, focused performance of albums like "Workingman's Dead" or "American Beauty", this is The Grateful Dead at their most meandering and unfocused. There are moments of interest, and the live feel is captured well, but on the whole this just seems unfocused and often boring.
Not enjoyable
I like the few songs from Grateful Dead that I know, but this I could not finish.
I really don't understand the appeal, half of the time it was almost offensively detached improv and most of the other half was boring
I'm just not a jam-band kind of person
Background noise is fine I guess.
Not nearly high enough for this on a Monday. Not sure how much that would have helped though
Started to have some more appreciation for Grateful Dead after seeing Dead & Co. live but this album kind of reminded me why I never really listened to them. Some good moments but overall not for me. A solid 2.
Dang, even though I have some appreciation for the Dead having seen Dead & Co one time (lol), this album just doesn't hit for me. I'm sure I'd dig a 25 min song live at the Fillmore West in the 60's. Not the same without the ambience. Gotta round down on this one. 2.75/5
First listen. 2 It was hard for me to get into this, especially with the first track being Dark Star. I did like St. Stephen and The Eleven, and I guess the "feedback" track was interesting. I also think I'm rating this a little higher after listening to the A History of Rock Music in 500 songs episode about the Greatful Dead, since I think there's some aspects of this release I appreciate more with the context. At first I was leaning around a 1, but it's not really that bad, but it has some interesting parts.
Not of importance.
People seem to love or hate the Grateful Dead. I’m not a fan.
It's a good idea to include a live album by the Grateful Dead -- when most people think "The Dead", they think endless concerts across an almost constant touring schedule. That said, the players are solid, but they might have gone with simple instrumentals, without the bad singing. And the band should have left off "Feedback" ... annoying as hell.
Meh
See, when Hendrix was noodling non stop on his guitar, and he didn't stop for 10 minutes, I didn't mind that. This though, it just bored me. I never understood the hype they get.
The combination of freeform noodling, extra long tracks and feedback tracks, while not always a problem for me, kinda left me cold.
I’m a jazz guy, so dudes noodling around for extended periods is not a dealbreaker. But this bored me to tears, absolutely nothing going on here
My cousins were Grateful Dead fans. I think it was more about the drugs than the music. This album does not change that perspective for me.
Why is this album so long?? Maybe being a live album of a jam session explains why. However, it still is incredibly long and boring. Main reason I feel is so lengthy is because I didn't find anything to be interesting except for the song 'Feedback', because they just decide to play noise. All the other songs feel to me like bland improvisation that never achieves any point. I truly don't get it.
This a lot more listenable than the first Grateful Dead album I got but that was a low bar. This album is just a collection of live freestyle jamming. Which sounds interesting if only the music itself was actually interesting. It feels like everyone is doing their own thing and none of it is particularly exciting
I have always “not been into The Dead” despite never really giving them a chance. This album vindicated my past beliefs. I just don’t like long noodle jammy stuff. Turn on Your Love Light was decent, the rest left me cold — Feedback in particular was a real dud.
i mean yeah it has its moments but its also really fackin long so it better have em namsayin
The band and album names suck. I thought the album is over, but it was just one song! Then it was actually not so bad....as a background music. And then "feedback" song sucked so much, so I give this album 1 star less then I wanted.
I know of the Grateful Dead’s live reputation, and I’m sure they’re amazing in person but the 1st track bored me then 7 minutes of feedback followed by a 30 second goodbye ‘thing’ would piss me off as a fan, but the grateful dead’s fans were all probably on drugs so it doesn’t matter, still sadly I’m sober 2/5
In common with Frank Zappa I have never quite got what the fuss is all about with Grateful Dead. A lot of their music is a mish mash going around in circles with very few melodies. In other words just a random noise with no substance as is illustrated here with the contents of this live album. However, and this is a big one, I was recently alerted by Steven Wilson in his excellent podcast The Album Years of the existence of Terrapin Station album. The title track is excellent and could and should be regarded as a Prog classic and is the exact opposite to what I expected and described above. As Terrapin Station came 8 years after this album it has no bearing whatsoever but I mention it only to highlight that good things do come from the most unlikely sources. 2/5 17/10/25
Honestly not a huge fan of Grateful Dead. I like some studio singles of theirs that aren't overly long jam sessions, but thats about it. So a live album thats basically all jamming is honestly not doing a single thing for me. Honestly bores me. Technically it's good, and the sound is pleasing, but it's just not my thing.
Too much jam
File it under “I just can’t stand this s$*t.” I know a ton if you love it but lord almighty it drags on and on.
**a strange album. Only two tracks with vocals. Some tracks with just wierd sounds/noises
Dead studios albums are great. Live albums are a struggle.
ok, here we go. when i saw that today’s album was going to be a live grateful dead album, i cringed. i mean, i’m a sucker for a live album, but a live album by this band was going to be a beating. jam bands aren’t really my thing. as i have stated before, if a song is over about six minutes, it’s usually too long, in my opinion. the first song is OVER 23 MINUTES. hell, the vocals don’t kick in until just over six minutes. now, don’t get me wrong, i think that the guys in the grateful dead were great musicians… however much of the album just comes across as band members improvising over and over, ad nauseam. it’s often as if they don’t know how to end a song.
This had a moment or two but why does anyone HAVE to listen to this?
“Feedback” was an absolutely unnecessary track.
I just found out that I'm not a Deadhead. This live album is way too long and dull. I would've given "Live/Dead" 3 stars if the songs didn't go on forever. Maybe I'm too sober for this album. At least the songs sound nice. 2 stars for "Live/Dead".
Sweet Lord. I know that the Grateful Dead have their own committed following, and are a vibe all on their own essentially, but this did not click. Don't get me wrong, the entire middle of the album ranged from good to great, but the beginning of the album was a meandering 23 minutes (intentional I know) and ending with nearly 8 mins of literal feedback. The name of the song is Feedback but I didn't know I needed to take it literally! It was trending towards a 3 after a rough start but they solidified a 2 in the end.
I nearly tapped out half way through Dark Star, an amorphous blob of a jam. It got better from St Stephen onward but still not really my bag!
Maybe it would be more enjoyable if you knew the shorter version of the songs so you could hear how they build off those. Do these songs even have shorter versions?
Ok I hate hippies now
If it makes you sleep even on LSD, then it must be very boring.
It's still incredible that they had the courage to release this live performance over two discs. The band might have fun while playing, it's still a poor and tasteless performance to my ears.
izrazito dosadno, neka kvazipsihodelija s kantri/folk utjecajem, ne znam dal se ovo može dopast neamerima. predugo
> the Beatles The dead are talented but...I fucking hate jam bands.
2.5. Found it too unstructured and meandering on first listen. Was more tolerable after getting to know it a bit. More suitable for background music for me.
I don't think I'll ever "get" the Grateful Dead. This album is supposed to represent the live Grateful Dead experience, but the improvising just doesn't seem that great. That said, songs like Dark Star and St. Stephen are ones that are kind of drilled into my existence from how much these Dead records were played around the house when I was little. But I will still never choose to put this on for anything other than nostalgia reasonse. 2/5
Man, this was boring. I liked American Beauty, but this was a chore. Lots of jamming, but the jams aren't very interesting? 23 minute first song is a choice. 1.5/5
"IVE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS FOR AN HOUR AND IM FIVE TRACKS IN??" - me, 8 minutes ago
I’m a big fan of the Grateful Dead. Do I need a 23 minute long version of Dark Star with several minutes of droning feedback in the middle? No. I understand the point of freeform improvisation, but an album delivers a song in a clear and concise way that gets the point across. Generally that’s my preference as a listener. There’s no song in here that I would rather listen to over the studio recording.
3/10
This album started of very strong with a cool, blusey improv-type thing going on. And then 1/2 through the first track, it became more—experimental, shall we say? And then it never really recovered. There's some cool moments that keep this from being a flat out 1, but I guess it's just not for me.
I am a King Gizzard fan and I can see why they are compared a lot. But one thing King Gizzard does a lot better is make their jams interesting. This 20+ minute song had less ideas going on in it than a 1 minute punk song. This album wasn't bad, it was just boring. High 2.
Live/Dead is often held up as a landmark in capturing the Dead’s live sound, but it is a tough listen if you are not already invested in their jams. The album opens with “Dark Star,” a sprawling 23-minute piece that drifts between moments of beauty and long stretches that feel meandering. The musicianship is clearly skilled, but the lack of structure can make it feel more like background noodling than something you want to sit and focus on. There are flashes where it clicks, especially in the interplay 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.
Never have given the Grateful Dead a fair shake, and I enjoy lengthy jams (Allman Brothers, Neil Young) so I thought this album being my Day 1 generated on this 1001 album run was some type of fate. I don't think I will ever understand the Grateful Dead hype if this is what it sounds like. Long, uneventful slogs of songs with like maybe 5% of their runtime actually being interesting, with the occasional cool line, riff, improvisation. I'd be bored out of my mind if this is what the average Grateful Dead live concert sounded like - no wonder everyone was on acid. It's not offensively bad, or awful. It's just boring.
Grateful Dead: Live/Dead: This shit is really boring. There are some decent sounds, but they go nowhere and it just DRAGS. It makes it really hard to listen to the entire album. I have no idea how people enjoy this, honestly. Some parts of this album are just pretentious garbage, and even the better parts sound like if other 60s bands just dragged out their songs for an absurd amount of time. I really do not care for this. 3.5/10
First time getting the Dead and have been dreading this day. I cannot for the life of me like this band. I’ve tried for years and given them plenty of chances to “hook me” and win me over and still nothing. All their live performances sound like “alright guys let’s just mess around for 20 minutes or so and that’s the song”. Nothing but confusion listening to this. I’m even as what one would consider a pothead and I still don’t get it. They’re not the worst musicians but man is this over-rated. 2/5.
Not super into it
I don't really get it. Maybe one day, but not today.
Never really got the Grateful Dead thing. I understand their live shows are what give birth to the culture/legend surrounding the band. But I've never known how to engage with them. An album that begins with a 23min song may not be the right place. That said, it's nice to listen to people jam while I work.
Nice guitar work, but not my favorite music. Maybe it would be better after dropping some LSD?
Don’t love it, don’t hate it
Somewhere in this album is a good live album but it just goes and goes and goes. Gets old 2*
I can get down with a bit of self-indulgent guitar shit like the next 70-year old but this is too long, and too much the same.
Yeah no, I can do 8 minutes of jamming.. But 1.5 hours of it.. Impenetrable. With some good bits
Wasn't really my thing
Chaotic
I'm sober, and I'm pretty sure this isn't music made with sober people in mind.
I don’t have a big problem with the Dead, but it is more noodling than I care to listen to
There's good stuff here, but I don't think it's better than their actual studio albums.
This is not the best live Grateful Dead album — of the mass marketed, readily available albums, I’d give that honor to the Europe ’72 double album. But this version of St. Stephen is powerful and commanding. And this performance of Turn on Your Lovelight is maybe the greatest live jam on a mass market offering. Starting the album with Dark Star is a losing proposition. It’s great fun at a show, but is not a good intro to an album for anyone other than insiders. Great performances don’t always add up to a great album. This is a 2.
live albums of bands I don't know can get in the sea
You know what makes for good listening, going from a coherent song to just having all the musicians play over each other for 15 minutes. I am grateful their music careers are largely dead.
Glimrar till här och där men på det hela rätt färglöst, ibland uselt och framförallt jävligt långtråkigt.
Messy blues with soul replaced by muscular drug infused wig out then stumbling into navel gazing.
Once I saw “Live/Dead” I shuddered. This is the type of album I’m afraid of during this type of project. Even though I surround myself with “jammy” people, I never understood the jam band hype. Alas I did listen and felt that Turn on Your Love Light and The Eleven were good jams. Dark Star and Feedback were tough.
"St. Stephen" was okay. "Dark Star" and "Turn on Your Love Light" were interminable, and I *like* jam and prog. The Dead have just never clicked for me.
Did not resonate with me.
I like some Grateful Dead songs but sitting through this album felt impossible. It’s full of long, meandering jams that blend into each other. You need serious patience or some chemical help to enjoy it. The 8 minute long “Feedback” that was literally just guitar feedback was the final straw for me. I love acid rock and psychedelia but this leans too far into jazz noodling for my taste. The band clearly thrived on the live experience. But as a listening session? You feel every minute. Maybe give it a spin if you want a deep dive into Dead history. Or if you plan to light up and let the world melt. For straight listening, though, I’d pass. There are better ways to spend your time. Best song on the album was “And We Bid You Goodnight”; mercifully, it was only 35 seconds long and ended the album.
Really nothing special about this, but I don’t think it was as bad as most of your reviews were making it out to be. I’m by no means a dead head but still not terrible, just long and drawn out and repetitive
# Playlist Track - St. Stephen # Notes - The kind of experience that doesn't really translate well from the stage to a record. Never ending solos, long moments where the band is clearly chilling and enjoying. As a listener, you just feel left out. - 2 stars and one of them is because of the awesome cover.
Meh. Good background noise. Mostly noise.
I used to know two guys, brothers, the biggest "Deadheads", dismissive of any other music, and e.ve.ry.time those two - or either one of them - was around in a night of partying or whatever, they got everyone into some unnecessary, potentially violent, stressful shit situation. ☮✌ Peace and Love ✌☮. Anyways. I finished track three now and the most interesting bit in this so far was 35 minutes and 47 seconds ago: a brief moment of me as the 𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘰 𝘋𝘪𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 meme, recognising a guitar lick I've heard before, in a small excerpt on the soundtrack of "Zabriskie Point". I'm pretty confident this will have been the most interesting experience in all of the 73 minutes. 34 minutes later: Yup. To get the lowest possible rating, an album needs to truly piss me off one way or the other and this one doesn't (even) quite achieve that, but it's damn close. To quote a fellow reviewer: "hackey-sackiest music I've ever heard." (★★★★★, from me, for this. Incidentally, the aforementioned guys were pretty keen on playing hacky-sack; no I am not making this up.) Bad, not good, NEXT!
I think that you had to be there.
Non, j'suis désolé, j'suis pu capable après 23 minutes de gossage qui sait pas où il s'en va sur sa guitare désajustée, j'ai d'autre chat à fouetter
I like Dead but this wasn't great. Maybe it's one of those "you had to be there" things...
What did the Deadhead say when the acid wore off? "Hey, this band sucks!"
Meh never got into them
I really just couldn't get through it. I like instrumental jams but I think the reason I don't enjoy the grateful dead is weak songwriting
Not my cup of tea. I'm not the biggest Dead fan but this isn't my jam at all. 2/5
decent songs but they were long as hell, wasn’t that engaged, not for me personally
Muy hippie para mi
Det här är ju inte riktigt min musik och dessutom live. Dock kan jag förstå de som gillar det här.
Seems like I've never understood the appeal of The Grateful Dead, but I wanted to be open minded and use this live album to learn. The first track is just 23 minutes of aimless noodling, and only bearable if you're totally stoned - which I suspect is the state that most of the audience were in at that concert. It didn't get better from there... I still don't understand the appeal of the Grateful Dead. For me, it might remain one of life's great mysteries. 1.5/5
It's fine, not a particularly exciting live show. But that's also their reputation, as the original jam band.
I get that I'm the wrong generation for the Dead. I just don't get the appeal. Probably because I was sober.
I love their studio work, but for the life of me, I can't tell one live album from another. Please make it stop!!
Ikke dårlig spelling, men litt masete vokal. Klarte ikke fokusere.
I finally know what music is playing at those neighbourhood gatherings where people sit around bonfires and whittle spoons.
That was a struggle. I did well to make it the end of the opening 23 minute track. It's not exactly radio friendly breakfast show music. It got s little better with some of the more bluesy numbers. But I did feel like I was trapped in some weird West Coast late 60's cult.
Ok finally some Grateful Dead. I've never really given them much thought other than their popular tracks because I'm not a fan of their style. I've been told to give them more of a chance, so I was glad to get the opportunity... then I rolled my eyes when I realised it's a live album. I don't mind it. The first track, I mean, more than 20 minutes long? I gave up with that one, too noodley nonsense. There were a couple of good bluesy tracks, but usually too long and full of unnecessary jamming. Quality wasn't bad, but live albums are just a no for me.
If I have to listen to this again before I die, I will be gratefully dead.
Bastante insufrible, lo único que me ha gustado de verdad es la portada.
Poderia ser mais curto! Fora isso, é um disco até que comfy. Jam rock psicodélico final dos anos 60. Agradável. Por ser um disco ao vivo e de improviso, ele tem alguns momentos que tu fica meio "???". É perceptivel o nivel elevado de substancias toxicas consumidas na produção desse LP. Nada contra stoner rock, até curto as vezes, mas sei que o gênero tem coisa muito melhor a oferecer do que isso. 2/5
Well, which one is it?
Never really been a "Deadhead" or anything of the sort. In fact, I believe this is the first Grateful Dead album I've listened to. I always assumed Grateful Dead were more...hardcore I guess? What I was treated to instead was duller, more light rock, and plenty of improvisational jamming (which is to be expected in a 60s/70s live rock album). It just stopped being entertaining at a certain point unfortunately. Perhaps this is another "you had to be there" scenario, but I don't really care. I can only rate based on my listening experience.
If there is ONE THING my old hippie friends all insisted on when they learned I hated The Dead, it was "You have to hear their LIVE recordings!" Well, turns out they were mostly right. While it certainly didn't make me a fan, this is probably the most interesting recording of theirs that I've heard. Still not my thing, and I'm OK with that.
Not my thing. If it was all pleasant-sounding jamming then I could put it in the background and call it a 3-star, but there were enough dissonant parts that I don't feel inclined to hear it again. The worst track was "Feedback", but there were some annoying parts in other tracks.
If this challenge has taught me one thing, it is that 90% of the time I'd rather just listen to a studio album than a live album. If you take the music from a live show out of the show (with it's accompanying visuals and criwd energy) what feels spontaneous and exciting often becomes self-indulgent and often undermines the appeal of the original song. Even the Dead, whose shows were purportedly amazing (even sans chemical augmentation) suffers the same fate and I wish I was just listening to one of their studio albums.
Jam bands are just not my thing and unlike Allman Bros Band, this didn't even feel all that competent - like I needed to be on drugs to enjoy it and they were definitely on too many drugs to actually give a skilled performance.
4/10 - I’m just no a big fan of an hour+ of mostly guitar. It wasn’t bad but it was not good. I don’t understand all the hype for them
It's been a minute since I listened to some Grateful Dead and man they don't sleep on the improv riffs on this album. Not that it's always super good, some of it just sounds like it's playing a couple of tracks at the same time that just happen to include.
Yet another interesting sounding album that ends up taking the bluespill and becoming unbearably boring
I like the dead but I’m not into the whole jammin out type genre
Good god, this was a slog. So much noodling. The first track nearly killed me and I don't know why they placed it first as it seemed (to me) to be the weakest. At least some of the other ones had a hint of a melody.
I’m sorry… I’ve tried. These guys just bore me. And I enjoyed the appropriate drugs once, so I get it. I should like this, but I don’t.
I wasn't feeling it.
The Dead play this musical trick where they jam for what seems like an eternity on some atonal, arhytmic introspective self-indulgence, and it rewires your brain into an uncomfortable musical space, when suddenly they randomly land on a tune of some sort: simplistic, even immature, as if a child were in charge. And then the tension of the previous ten to fifteen minutes is released and you get a big dopamine hit. Boom. Very clever. Some of the stuff can be hypnotic, for sure. Some of Garcia's guitar is interesting, and you can spot that unique tone from miles away, very iconic. And I'm just going to leave it there because I'm trying to keep it positive. I don't love it, but it deserves a place on this list.
[three minutes into the first song] “Huh maybe I like the Grateful Dead?” [six minutes into the first song] “Ok let’s wrap this up.” [there are still eleven minutes to go in in the first song] Listened to the whole thing, but that was the experience.
Bit too rambling for my tastes
Far too experimental to the point where it was basically just noise at times - so I didn’t get any enjoyment out of it.
This ain't it
Not for me
Overall: 4/10 I'm impressed by the musicianship on display here, and I'm sure it would have been an incredible experience to witness this live. However, almost 60 years later, I just don't find myself enjoying this. It's overlong, overindulgent and, quite frankly, boring. I found it hard to get through and I certainly won't be checking it out again. Great musicians though. Fav Song: The Eleven Least Fav Song: Dark Star
There are moments of interesting spread throughout this hour, but they don't quite make up for the fact that this is over an hour of jamming. 2.5/5
Not a deadhead Only stand out was a 36 second song (truly beautiful though) “And we bid you goodnight”
Groovy, but get to the fucking point already.
I like the Dead and I am very much in the minority that probably prefers their studio stuff, especially albums that came from 1971 on, so this really did not do much for me at all. St Stephen is really the highlight and this wouldn’t come close to being my favorite version
There’s guitar noodling, and then there’s whatever “Dark Star” was in 1969. I have always been real meh about the Dead and this doesn’t make me love it that much. Not that there aren’t some decent moments, here. “St. Stephen” and “Eleven” work really well together and the “Feedback” jam is a real high point, gorgeously weaving noise in melody. But man this is a slog to get through.
Pre-listening thoughts: oh piss off Post/during listening thoughts: yeah dude a 23 min opener is almost rude. Let me just tune my instrument for five minutes (and then again for 8 more, and we’ll call it a whole separate song!) and then we can start playing, and yes we have to include this segment on the live album! WHY! This reminds me of that Hawkwind album (except not quite as egregiously terrible). Live psychedelic rock may just not be for me. Maybe I need to be high for this? Questioning why Lindsay Weir went to be a groupie for these guys. 3/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: And We Bid You Goodnight (thank god it’s over!) Least fav tracks: Death Don’t Have No Mercy, FEEDBACK (like if I was in the audience I would be throwing tomatoes.)
I reckon this'll get pretty good when they finally finish tuning up. Probably not the best way to be introduced to the Dead
When I first saw a Grateful Dead album I was definitely disappointed. I've tried listening to them many times over the years, often with little success. As a fan of psychedelic music, stoner rock and the genres surrounding those sounds, you'd think I'd love these guys, but I just don't get it. I've read books about the times they came up in, dove deep into the culture and even "opened" my mind to the "experience". I still just can't with the jam bands. As far as Dead albums go, I didn't hate this one. It dragged on for too long and meandered way off course too many times, but this is all par for the course of the Dead. Maybe I'm just tired, maybe the world is just crashing down a little too hard, maybe I just need another cup of coffee. Anyway, this one was ok. 2.25/5, but I'm rounding down.
Never been a dead head so I find it difficult to get into jam bands which is strange because I do like jazz and that's a true definition of jam band.
Typical gd
I will never understand the appeal of Grateful Dead as a band. They have a couple of songs that I do not mind listening to, but for the most part I would rather not listen to their music. Enjoy your jams Deadheads, I'm not saying no one should listen to this and I'm happy you find joy in something, but it's not for me.
was pretty meh about this
Better than unalive Dead.
Idk it was pretty good. An easy listen if I were on the smoke
This was just a little underwhelming for all the hype that surrounds this band. I don’t really understand why they’re such a big deal if this album highlights their talents. I am completely unimpressed and un phased. Like I don’t necessarily strongly dislike it or anything, but I just don’t get it…
I'm rarely moved either way by the Dead. Like "Dark Star" seems nice in/at any particular 1 or 2 minute point but it *never.goes.anywhere* - the world's longest intro to a song that never arrives. And yes that's a/the cliché with this band but that doesn't mean it isn't true. Apply to virtually all the songs. Man it's so disappointing that they made a song in 11/8 boring to me. And honestly who the hell is listening to those last 8+ minutes.... "Feedback?" what a prank - I thought Sabbath's "FX" was the biggest prank by a major band on an album but apparently they couldn't hold a candle to the Dead. I guess digesting the GD is more akin to channeling a mood rather than expecting "traditional" song structure, etc. I know this intellectually yet any time I hear them I think I expect some dramatic bridge or breakdown. They're always instantly recognizable which is probably the ultimate goal for any artist - that individuality. I could see maybe enjoying this as background music. Just for me trying to actively listen it's just too much. Or no...maybe I should say it's not ever enough. It's just bland and completely and utterly unfocused - never approaches danger or even passion? It's fine if you like this but it's .... limp. 5/10 2 stars.
Very much not bothered by this. I've never got what the guys was all about. Maybe there was a drought of good music in the ol' Americana dustbowl of the 50’s when your choice was a sticky black quiff or a washboard and a piece o' chewin' straw.
Now I like Hippy Jazz, but I also like Experimental Rock. But which is better? There's only one way to find out, FIGHT!!!
I'm dissapointed. I heard great things about this band but what I hear here is basically a long Jam session rehearsal. The ones you record and then check for ideas to turn into actual songs. But in this case, it was released as an album. Beats me why this album is so important. It's just sounds boring and disconnected to me.
I know they are a thing, but this album is not my thing.
It's just so self indulgent.
You know what you need to listen to before you die? A bunch of jackasses vamping on their guitars for twenty minutes at a time. Live!
Having praised American beauty … um. This is a record of a live performance by American psychedelic group grateful dead. Guess you had to be there. 1.5
I know that I should have liked it, but I didn't. Hard to find a good reason.
The first track which is 15 minutes long, is like a group of chimps have found instruments and they each stumble across different notes which kind of resemble music but none of it goes together. The album does pick up slightly in the middle but then deteoriates. A real tough listen overall.
2 not a huge jam band guy. You have to listen to 20 minutes of garbage for one minute of genius. Grateful Dead’s studio albums are much better
God damn that first track dragged. It came up a notch later bit it was a low floor.
Sounds like guitar center on a saturday
There’s no song structure. Feels aimless. Like they are still tuning their guitars. It’s kinda sloppy sounding. I’m all for deconstructing art, but this doesn’t sound like it was ever even written down. I couldn’t even call this jamming. Just guys trying to follow each other, with no leader. Maybe a head full of acid would help? I thought there would be more music to their music. Can’t really hang your hat on anything here.
I'm not a jam band hater, and I would never dismiss music because it chooses to improvise for extended periods. I love bands like KGLW and my first concert was Dave Matthews Band (lmao). Jazz and avant garde have always been genres I gravitate to as well. However, the entire 73 minutes of this feels so unnecessary. These are essentially basic, soulless blues songs, extended way past their welcome, meandering for far too long. The musicianship of the Dead is a highlight, but the compositions and vocal performances leave so much to be desired. I can feel that there are supposed to be those big jam "moments" on the album, like the slow blues on Death Don't Have No Mercy, or the extended solos on Turn on Your Love Light, but each of them fall so flat for me. I did not enjoy this at all. 4/10
Less a band and more a group of people playing on top of each other. At its best it’s technically gifted blues rock, at its worst it’s terrible jazz. Also the singing, when relevant, is often just bad.
Boh 76 minuti di strumentale non li concepisco
Too experimental, does not feel like a song.
I really like Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. After that you can keep the rest of their stuff. This album is brutally bad. That first track - someone should tell these guys they're not jazz musicians. And they absolutely destroy Death Don't Have No Mercy. If this is an accurate example of their live shows, I honestly do not understand what the hell all the Dead head stuff is about.
During the first six minutes I thought that maybe people were judging this a little too harshly, it was looking to be a cool jam album with some interesting arrangements. Then the rest of the album happens and it all just devolves into 6 or 7 people making random sounds that may or may not be in time and/or have anything to do with what the other people are doing. And mostly not. I don't get why people were so dedicated to this band. Actually, yes I do. Drugs. That's why. I'm sure The Dead thought this was incredible while they were whacked out of their minds on stage. But then you listen back to it and think "wow that's not even in tune". This album solidifies my contention that The Grateful Dead are the most overrated band of all time. 2/5 I guess because the first 6 minutes are cool and there are actually real instruments being played, poorly. And there are a few interesting parts here and there.
Woof
An hour and a quarter of aimless meandering. Feedback especially pointless. A generous two.
I’m rather indifferent by this. Mostly bored. Didn’t draw my attention. Should’ve know when it started with a 16 minute instrumental track.
It was slightly better than their studio album on this list but it is still just a bad album. It has no structure, they were just jamming but it sounded like they barely knew what they were playing. It was ok listening it in the background. I think this band was at the right time at the right place, I have always found them overrated and this album proved it again.
I think I'm still listening to the first song. 2.4.
No song should be 20 minutes long. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
Now I love the Dead, and I love the Dead live... but this is the most meh live album of the Dead out there. There are so many better choices than this one.
Someone said "half an album of the band tuning" and yea I think that kind of nails it. What is going on here.
Not for me.
Well, it was OK, but just not that great, in my mind.
I guess you had to be there. I feel like at this point they represent more of a brand or lifestyle than noteworthy music. Feedback is painful. OK, what's next?
Never been a Deadhead. This didn't change that. I've seen Keith Emerson physically torturing organs and it was more enjoyable than "Feedback".
Look everyone knew it was gonna be an hour and a half of janky, ambiguous jam music. The Dead is a lot like Jazz. All improv, barely any structure and understated melodies with little repitition. Lets not pretend they are or would ever be Mozart here. But think of what this did for live albums and for music in general for a second. Right in the pits of the counter culture movement. This album and band showed up to destroy and dismantle the notion that music needs structure and rules. Hell no. And thus the Grateful spearheaded the jam revolution. As for live album relevance and innovation. This album pushed the envelope of what a live album should be, so open and full of space. Admittedly with music that can only be enjoyed while tripping sack. Not just prim and polished live albums. Instead raw, live and unique albums are acceptable. All that good being said Allman Bros live at filmore east blows this shit out of the water. 2 stars.
In a nutshell: kick out the jams I'm sceptical of live albums on this list. The sound quality is variable as years go on. And it's so hard to capture the vibe the audience felt the night the concert was recorded. Which is partly where Live/Dead is unconvincing. The guitars are sharp, sometimes the drums. The vocals, not so much. It jams longer than necessary. Deadheads and psychedelic rock affectionados should love it. For me, it loses direction quickly. It's not that I don't like meandering jams (I like Khrungabin and I don't mind jazz). Maybe it's because I'm not *with it*. Or not high. Overall: 3/10
not my type
boh non mi sta a dire niente..
Mi piacerebbe dare un voto ma mi sono suicidato dopo le prima canzone
Ma è legale aprire un album con una canzone da 23 minuti? La risposta è no.
Holy hell what a boring slog. Never listened to grateful dead before. Never want to again. There were a couple moments when something got interesting but when it did I was so mind numb I couldn't remember to check which track and which minute it happened.
Noodle noodle noodle. I knew about the myth of the Dead long before I'd ever heard them and I was a bit surprised. It wasn't what I expected at all. It's fine, for them. For me it's just a bit aimless. Fun fact - they played their first UK gig at a festival in a village on a farm behind my house a month before I was born.
A live recording of a jam band does not really work for an album. The Grateful Dead are very famous and I want to give them a decent chance. About 10 minutes into the first "song" I started to get a bit fatigued listening to it and then some discordant noises made me skip to the next one. The music itself was eh okay but I'd rather listen to planned out songs rather than 4 people randomly playing stuff independently. I'll give one of their studio albums a chance.
Maybe I wasn't stoned enough.
I respect them but don’t love their music. Pretty cool how this album was recorded live for the first time using a splitter between the PA and the recording equipment though
There are a few Grateful Dead songs that I appreciate, like 'Terrapin Station' for example. Other than that I haven't listened to them that much. Grateful Dead have quite the fanbase and cult following, and if I understood it correctly it's much due to their live shows. I have to say that I don't really see it in this record to be honest. I think jamming and noodling, when done correctly, can be really thrilling live, but it just doesn't lend itself that well for a studio record in this case. There are also a few quite long segments that just doesn't work at all for me, like 'Feeback' for example. In the end I end up a bit disappointed in this, resulting in a 2 star rating.
I'm really not a fan of jam bands and jam albums, this was no exception. Any one part of the album is quite good but the endless jamming is just not for me. I see why people like it though.
Well, it's better than American Beauty at least. Still wouldn't personally base my entire personality around following these guys in a Scooby Doo van, but more power to you, 70s America. Better jam bands out there.
Okay, I thought this band was supposed to be entertaining? But it was a 23 minute song of noodling.
This is so boring. I didn't finish it :< Giving it 2 because it seems like they're good at what they're doing but it is not Pleasant To Listen To
Nope
I'm a middling Dead fan, and this was kind of a struggle to get through. Starting off with a whole side of Black Star was a strange choice - a few minutes in, and still wondering when the song was going to start. The recording quality left much to be desired. I prefer some of their later-70's live recordings, where there seemed to be a lot less self-indulgence and vague wandering.
The middle songs were alright. But it all sounded too long and too boring. Why is there a 8 min feedback song....
Live/Dead, then. First track starts nicely enough, but seventeen minutes later it's still going. It's so far all over the place that there are obviously and naturally good parts and bad parts but it's so fucking long and it's prog dressed up as rock and it's another example of overindulgence not delivering quality. Gets a 2 for the listenable parts but this isn't music to be encouraged imo.
Not really for me, this. Far too long (a 23 minute first track!!!) and self-indulgent - I don't mind something going on a bit if it really has something to say, but none of these tracks really do, although a few of them do have the odd good bit. 2/5, far too bloated.
Aimless noodling. When they get around to actually playing a song, it's generally good - but unless you've got a spliff on the go, this album is completely pointless.
Absolutely not.
Not for me, but I can see why others dig it.
Never heard the grateful dead before but they have such a huge reputation, well known for being trippy in all senses but also strong musically I thought. That's despite them getting basically no airtime but I figured the drugs were to blame for that. It is psychedelic but more than often than not it's all over the place to the point of shambolic. The couple of more sensible tracks are alright, a bit doorsy, but dark star in particular is 4 people playing separate sections of incoherent nonsense. It's almost experimental jazz but it's clearly not intentionally like that. I doubt anything sounded like this back then so probably hugely influential on the bands that made this sound coherent. It's a live album too where I imagine they are at their craziest. But I sincerely doubt I'm dead head.
Not really what I expected. Hadn't listened to the Grateful Dead before, presumed they were early psychedelic/hard rock. It is just a bit boring and middling. I didn't mind it live (it certainly sounded live, not always in harmony). A bit disappointed.
I found out something listening to this album, I like The Grateful Dead's studio albums but I find their live stuff enjoyable for the first couple of minutes and then I get bored. Their is probably nothing wrong with this album, musically it's great but just for me it's meandering and boring
I guess they need to include some Dead on here, just not sure how this was the choice. It punctuates why people don't like them and doesn't go deep enough into how good they really are.
A bit long.
joa, kann man mal reinhören, ist aber nix für dauerhaft; für damals vermutlich sehr fortschrittlich
Do they have monitors or are they just playing along with what they *think* the other guys are playing? Feedback almost made me drive off a bridge.
This is akin to jazz for me - I can appreciate (and marvel!) At the ability to improvise for so long as a group. That's just so crazy to me, since I can barely get through playing a whole song even when I have the music in front of me. As cool as that is, it just isn't something I want to listen to. 2/5
I already listened to this, it sucks.
You had to be there live, I wasn’t. That was about an hour of five or six stoners tuning their instruments and singing off key. Or maybe the drugs in 69 were just so strong that any noise (including Feedback)sounded like music. Rough one (1.6*s)
I knew there'd be some Grateful Dead on this list and I went in with open ears since Jon has been to some shows. I can def appreciate the improv-jam format but I think other people/groups/bands are doing it better. The Dead's formula seems almost too easy and this album felt a bit limp and maybe even phoned in. How were these the best takes from so many different concerts? It completely lost me on "Feedback" and I only reconfirmed what I already thought. Meh.
I can see myself in the 60s, at a Dead concert sprawled out on a blanket smoking weed and drinking beer. If I'm not in that exact scene though, I'm not that into it. The band doesn't really make separate songs...they just jam. It's impossible to have the same concert repeated by these guys cause the songs are sooooo long and improved. Probably why Dead Heads would travel with them and get a different show every time. When they start playing "Feedback", that's your cue to leave. Knew they would get an album on the list for shear fan following...1.75.
I'm not the biggest Grateful Dead fan (more of a Phish phan) but recognize their place in music history. Jam bands aren't everybody's cup of tea but I've always passively enjoyed them. While I don't necessarily think that Live/Dead specifically is a strong album it's a pretty solid example of what to expect from a jam band show. Even if it isn't in your wheelhouse, I do think you need to get exposed to a jam band at some point before you die (even if it's just to confirm it's not your thing). Jam bands are a whole vibe with their own culture and identity that goes beyond the music. I can take or leave Grateful Dead but I throw on Phish more often than I think most people expect. I can't outright recommend Live / Dead but overall I'd say this album belongs on the list. There is plenty better you can do, but plenty worse you can do from this list. 1.91 stars
Good lord how high do you have to be to enjoy this. 2.16
UGHHHHHHHHHHH: The Album
Mostly deeaadd...
Impossible to fathom the devoted appeal to Dead-Heads of the time or even more latter day fans. I've really earnestly tried with these guys, and just none of it ever sticks with me. Also unlike plenty of other artists I don't care for, the Dead don't seem to have really been influential... not to an important degree. The first 7 hours of this LP are passable, I mean it's jazz influenced psyche noodling, it's directionless and contains no fireworks at all, but it's fine. As you move into the second and third weeks of your first listen to this it really starts to drag. Listen to "Caravanserai" by Santana instead. It has more atomosphere, is far better played and has tunes and proper singing.
Groupe connu de nom uniquement, jamais écouté. En général j'aime beaucoup l'improvisation, mais le premier morceau Dark Star est vraiment long et assez peu inspiré. Pour une prise de contact c'est un morceau difficile. St. Stephen fait une transition vers The eleven (+) que j'ai plus apprécié, la partie improvisée y est bien plus intéressante, avec une ligne de basse vraiment bonne. Les deux morceaux suivant sont plus standard, des (trop long) blues parmi d'autres. Et que dire de Feedback ... Donc album difficile à noter ! =>2.5/5 pour la découverte.
Swerved them 844 times but I suppose an album by the Dreadful Grate was inevitable eventually
I love the dead, but this is excessive...even for them. Self indulgent repetitive solos that go literally nowhere. You have to be high to enjoy this. Wish I smoked before listening.
Did we get any Grateful Dead that isn't live? It's funny, I feel like they are one of the few bands that can get away with it since a lot of their magic came from their live performances. That doesn't mean I'm letting them get away with it. I'd give this album a 3 star but will be giving it a 2 for the live aspect as this is a wasted spot. Killer sound, killer cover.
I actually like the Grateful Dead but this isn’t what I would recommend to someone listening for the first time
OK, sure. This checks all the boxes and is an album with an important history and cultural milestone, it belongs on the list. However, it kinda sucks. I think that if I'm being completely honest with myself, I only ever listened to the dead when I was in a social circle that liked them and being able to relate and speak to their music was the best way to score free drugs. 2/5
the dead are basically just the kombucha girl gif for me
Jam bands meh
I dunno, didn't seem too special as a live album
No thank you, sirs.
I didn’t like this. The first and last tracks were basically just like a lot of uncohesive jamming and the last one was literally just feedback. Middle songs were average, I didn’t mind two of them. Fave Track: The Eleven Rating: 2
Kinda Boring with super long tracks
Never really listened to Grateful Dead before. This one is......fine, but honestly not super mind blowing to me. Maybe it's because I'm not super well versed in their previous output, but this didn't do much for me.
Really, really boring. The most interesting track on the album is the 7+ minutes of feedback titled… “Feedback.” At least I know what to put on the next time I run out of melatonin.
This is the second live album from an old rock band that is too long and includes 20+ min jams that I have gotten in this list. Please no more.
In theory, I see the appeal of all this cool improvising and these funky sounds. In practice, it’s just way too meandering and long winded for me as an album.
My buddy Steve who plays 17 instruments and I with my one-man-band setup including a heel-operated bass drum strapped to my head, high out of our minds on LSD be like.
Goddamn the Dead Apparently we just passed the anniversary of Jerry Garcias last performance with them a few days ago and August is like a holy holiday for Deadheads between Jerry’s birth and death dates (I forget but approx 1st-10th). Just saw something earlier this morning about it actually. So when a Dead album popped up I was psyched. And then this. Goddamn the Dead. This band has always stymied me. I love em. I respect em. Jerry and Phil and Bob are all immense talents. Robert Hunter (their primary lyricist who is not in the band at all) has written some amazing and powerful songs. And the Grateful Dead played the shit out of them in every improvisational way possible. My Mother loved Touch Of Grey and was furious that they slaughtered the National Anthem once. Liked Friend of The Devil and hated 20 minute noodling jams. Loved when my band covered One More Saturday Night and thought the Dead were just a bunch of drugged out hippy hangovers that got fat and were “never really that popular”. I watched the remaining Grateful Dead members with Trey from Phish sitting in as their “final” shows with all of my friends and it was so emotional and powerful. Even on a tv in a living room it was bordering on transformative. The Grateful Dead changed the music business forever with their touring model, their parking lot scene, their encouragement of fans taping shows and they will never get the credit they deserve for it. They single handily held off the “man” for dozens of years and let their art speak to anyone and everyone who wanted to hear it. And I LOVE about a dozen GD albums or more. And I LOVE much of their improvisational style. But this. This is the first Dead album I ever heard. And I hate it. I guess hate is too strong a word but it’s just a bunch of nonsense. Dark Star and St Stephen are amazing songs but these versions are meh to me. At least they end the show with 7 minutes of cacophony…. That mercifully ends with And We Bid You Goodnight, which has always been one of my favorites. All in all don’t give up on the Dead based on this- I did for almost ten years and was sorry I did.
Wer es mag.
way much to psychedelic for my taste. they have some nice songs but this album is just a mess imho
I’m not really a dead head and also don’t love live albums so you bet your sweet canary I found this album pretty boring. The improv rock jazz is fun for a few minutes but when it’s a majority of the album it leaves me wanting more. This just doesn’t seem great but then again when you have millions of fans who beckon to attend your concerts maybe in the idiot. 5.0/10
I know people that will fight you over this band. Aside from a couple of their studio albums I find their work unappealing to me. This live album, which I've heard before, seems like some guys just noodling around with no structure or plan, just jamming as they moved along.
I was surprised by “turn on your love light” but I really didn’t enjoy the extended jams
The last album I got before this one was a CCR record, and in the course of reading about that one I stumbled on this quote from John Fogerty: "I didn't like the idea of those acid-rock, 45-minute guitar solos. I thought music should get to the point a little more quickly than that." Pretty funny then that I got this album the next day, which is probably the purest form of what he was criticizing. While I can understand the appeal, and there's some interesting stuff on here, I'm with Fogerty on this one.
Menee enemmän jamien puolelle ja taso vaihtelevaa. Pieninä annoksina jaksaisi nauttia, mutta levyllinen kerralla on överiä.
Pitkäveteistä
This was OK, Lots of instrumentals. The album has great guitar playing but nothing was exciting on the album. Favourite song: St Stephen Least favourite: Feedback Album artwork: It is a cool cover
Look, either you like jam bands or you don’t, and I’m pretty sure I’m in the latter camp. Still, the Dead aren’t untalented musicians, and I fully acknowledge the historical significance of their work.
eh
2/5 This album is a mess, and not a very good one. I'm sure there's a great song in the jam, the endless aimless ramble of Dark Star, with a catchy riff and clearer vocal performance, but the randomness of the sometimes pleasant and sometimes annoying arrangement doesn't do it for me. I feel guilty and stupid for not taking anything particularly positive out of 23 minutes. Then the groovy St Stephen kicks in and that is forgotten, and the actual tune is amazing, but it is neglected and left behind for bad vocals and forgettable change-ups. The Eleven returns to the boring inconsistent mess of guitars found on the opener, and with them a feeling of frustration and incompletion, before a bit of repetition comes in, only for a completely banal chord progression with no feel. Turn on Your Love Light reminds us this is a band who play music, and is a fun little rocker played and sung with passion. The song can be strung out and still maintain its charm and groove to an extent, but that extent is unfortunately breached by the 15-minute runtime, even if it finishes strong. Death Don't Have No Mercy is pretty chill until it isn't, and is just ok at its best, and once again confusing and random at its worst. I feel like I am on a completely different wavelength to this band as to what plays and feels good. A strong finish cannot make me enjoy all 10 minutes. Feedback begins intriguingly, and deserves credit for being a unique psychedelic experience which continually introduces new sounds, holding deeper feelings. The album's closer is a fantastically sweet and calming ballad, as if hoping to distract from some of the mind-numbing performances heard previously. Dark Star 1.5/5 St. Stephen 3/5 The Eleven 1/5 (LEAST FAV) Turn on Your Love Light 3.5/5 Death Don't Have No Mercy 2.5/5 Feedback 4/5 And We Bid You Goodbye 5/5 (FAV)
Why are these guys back again. Author’s favourite genre
This album started out quite interesting, hooking me in with the unusual blend of jazz and rock. However, it didn’t take long before I started to zone out, until ultimately I found myself looking forward to the end. I did want to like this, but it just didn’t do much for me in the end. There just wasn’t enough to keep my attention in the end.
More like ‘500 albums to listen to before I gratefully die’ It’s so tedious
Some solid jams breaks, but just not my thing. Never been able to get into the Dead.
Live, not lively.
Live and in person a Dead show is pretty mind blowing. Listening to the dead for me personally is like Listening to 10000 cats screeching
Okay, did not listen to all of it - a bit long
Nothing Special
Maso. Muy denso.
Muita viagem que começa interessante e se perde.
Sorry, this isn't my thing. Improvisation needs a bit more structure than this, in my opinion. I'm sure people at their concerts in the 60s and 70s really enjoyed their drugs though.
Kind of fun kind of shit
This live jam seemed just like one long continuous song. A bit repetitive. I'm not sure what the Deadheads are going on about.
Ekki alveg minn tebolli. Hjálpar ekki að þetta er læv, væntanlega með allri sýrunni sem var í boði.
Ég þekkti John Perry Barlow sem var einn af textahöfundum Grateful Dead en þrátt fyrir það hef ég ekkert mikið verið að hlusta á þá. Tónlistin þeirra er vanalega mjög fín og þægileg í hlustun. Þessi plata er samt full af einhverju sem hefði alveg mátt sleppa (til dæmis var Feedback afskaplega leiðinlegt lag). Svo eru engir textar á þessari plötu eftir Barlow þannig að ég hef ekki mikið á samviskunni að lækka hana niður í 2 stjörnur því ég mun ekki setja hana á út af þessum tilraunalögum.
Embodies everything I already know but the Dead.
Boring, long, repetitive
I'm sorry to say but this is one of the most dull experiences I've ever had to displeasure to listen to. I want to get into Grateful Dead but this was an absolutely horrendous entry point for me, and I really hope this doesn't bode well for the rest of their discography. I'm giving this a 2 instead of a 1 because while it may have bored me to no end, it's better than boring me and being terrible (like a certain pebble named Robert Ritchie). I admit there's talent in this but I just do not care for portions going on for ten plus minutes. I'd rather a solid three to six minute song than a fifteen minute slog with some interesting concepts here and there.
It’s a rather dull 2.5 that I just can't bump up to a 3. Maybe it’s just because I’m not familiar with Grateful Dead, but this is basically just a 73 minute jam session that’s completely inoffensive to the ears. Boring? Eh, maybe a little. It never really perked up my ears, but I never felt outright bored or annoyed by the soundscape, it just sort of existed. It’s not a bad listen, but it’s not something I’d recommend unless you’re looking for ambient and almost relaxing background noise. There’s not really any standout bits here, and for a live album, I heard almost nothing of a crowd. It’s a rather forgettable album, but it’s not a 1 because there is some decent energy throughout, and I’d be lying if I wasn’t at least nodding my head along a few times during the few points where everything just seemed to be in perfect sync between the band. A dull 2 feels about right. Right around a 5.5/10.
You kind of know what you're getting with the Grateful Dead. A lot of the mild jammy stuff is fine, and actually there are some short vocal parts that are entirely listenable. Unfortunately, there's also far too much noodling and some annoying electric guitar as a wind chime in a unpredictable wind that tires pretty quickly. And given that we have 10, 15 and 23 minute tracks, there's plenty of reason to be tired.
💩
Best Song: Turn on Your Love Light. At least some of the musicianship is groovy here, and stays focused long enough for you to actually get into it. Worst Song: Feedback. I'd be hard pressed to even call this a song. This is awful. And based on the Spotify listen count, even Deadheads agree. Overall: I just don't understand what the point is in recording a jam band. I'm sure it "feels good" to be there live, but why go through the work of preserving this on wax? It feels a bit like lying down to do some cloud watching, but then taking pictures of the clouds. Who is going to look at the pictures? Just let the ephemeral be ephemeral.
Enjoyed a couple minutes of their Turn on Your Love Light cover. Generally this album I’d be ok with in the background at low volume, but not playing full blast.
I typed “utterly boring” on yesterday’s album, hit enter, and got shown the dead Cosmic punishment Peace love and boredom
Très longues chansons, instrumental pratiquement à 100%. Ce devait être bon en live en 1969 à San Francisco, mais en 2026 à la job c'est pas la meilleure affaire. On dirait des tests de sons avant un show.
I like st Stephen and there were some ok moments but mostly this is just bad. Grateful Dead has some great songs but the jams on this aren’t even that good. If I want to hear jamming I’d rather listen to good musicians do it. Vocals are pretty bad
I can’t imagine hiring a babysitter to go see the Grateful Dead and then they play 10 minutes of feedback. Also, is everyone silent at these concerts? Or does live mean something else? I’ve never liked jam bands
Crazy how a live album can dash all enjoyment for a band. All these songs are way too long and meander too much. But the title Live/Dead is creative along with the band themselves so I'll give it that.
I love the Grateful Dead’s studio albums but my god they are insufferable live. 2 stars because they are talented musicians.
Not a huge Dead fun but enjoy some of their jams. This is not one of them.
HL: “St. Stephen”, “The Eleven” Entering my villain era, 2nd two-star this year 👀 For real, I’m not sure why the acid-washed likes of The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, Oar & Soft Machine’s 3rd get a pass from me and this doesn’t. Maybe my own expectations got in the way, and I was looking for a finale besides a blues dirge & 8 minutes of guitar feedback to make up for the lengthy noodling beforehand. Maybe in the future I’ll get something out of “Dark Star” to understand why it’s so acclaimed. I can’t bring myself to relisten to the whole thing just yet. April 25, 2024
Pas vraiment mon genre
It's jam band sh*t. Not bad by any means, but it serves better as background music or would be a good time live, but it can really drone on. 2.5/5
A few fun minutes in Turn on Your Love Light. But a few good moments does not a great album make.
tucker carlson's favorite band
Disrespectful of my time 1.5
An ok live album, just really slow and drawn out for the most part. Best: St. Stephen Worst: Death Don't Have No Mercy
1001 albums has been brought to you today by the words "bored" and "shitless". It was probably good in its day, and as a live recorded album, it was testimony that these guys could play. I struggled big time to listen to this album, it took several goes. I've always considered the Grateful Dead very overrated. Nothing memorable here, just extended jamming sessions wrapped up and presented as a set of tracks worthy of bundling into a live album.
Finally getting around to this one. Ok. First song is 23 minutes of guitar noodling. There’s no song structure. Feels aimless. Like they are still tuning their guitars. It’s kinda sloppy sounding. I’m all for deconstructing art, but this doesn’t sound like it was ever even written down. I couldn’t even call this jamming. Just guys trying to follow each other, with no leader. I’m convinced now, that deadheads are just in it for the drugs, cause it’s clearly not about the music. Maybe a head full of acid would help? Really disappointed. After generations of hype, I thought there would be more music to their music. Can’t really hang your hat on anything here.
oke da git e noodly sach. aaah sie singed. aso de jerry garcia spielt scho seehr cool gitarre. isch jo cool dass sie improvisiered aber ich finds etz nöd sooo spannend. ok ich checks langsam wenn mer guet zuelost passiered konstant sache aber mer chunt mit. oke zweite song, fangt geil ah cooli melodie. sie singed chli weak? the eleven anschinend 11/8 takt? ghörs nonig. ah moll jetz scho aber find de viel weniger cool als de letst. turn on your love light fangt fast chli salsa mässig ah? aaah isch e cover. findi no noice. jo und s solo vom jerrerdawg goht slightly hard und d gitarre und de new orleans groove hinedra au. und nocher singeds au no recht nice, sehr gospel. groove immerno cool aber de guy redt sit 5 minute i los dir nöd zue sorry bi nöd ide schuel. death dont have no mercy isch no schö so als slow blues dings aber s trotted chli lang vor sich her. aber geg de schluss wenns wieder chli meh high energy wird isch geiler. alles schwingt irgendwie mit, mer ghört d snare ruusche und so. findi geil. feedback isch fr fr no cap afoch feedback bis etz (zwei minute) oke vier minute. haut afoch öpper en schlüsselbund uf de bode?? hets de track brucht??? find da zementiert s zwei. het vlt es 3 chöne sii. and we bid you goodnight isch huere herzig. lupfts fast wieder chli.
There's not a whole lot going on here. I don't hate it but I don't find it very interesting to listen to. Will I listen to again: 0%
Good live recorded tracks
I was pleasantly surprised at home much I enjoyed American Beauty, the studio album from The Grateful Dead in 1970. This album was actually what I had expected to hear when I first saw I was going to listen to a Grateful Dead album. Long jams that went on (and on and on) - not really my thing. I think I'm content to have listened to this once in my life, but don't really see myself wanting to delve any deeper here.
Nothing special
Live/Dead Wasn’t looking forward to this. The first song is 25 minutes. Fucking hell If I was a kid in the late 60s SF, off my tits on acid and smoking weed all day I think I would have loved this and the Grateful Dead. Hard 55 years afterward to appreciate this. Some decent grooves amongst all the noodling, and some nice guitar sounds. The vocals don’t sound great though. The lyrics, earnest mystical stoner nonsense, but with a certain amount of vaguely charming guilessness. The first listen through I didn’t mind it at all, it soundtracked doing work pleasantly enough. It started to become a bit tiresome by the 2nd listen and then I stopped halfway through the 3rd listen as the whole thing was becoming tedious. Life is too short to spend another 1hr 15 minutes listening to it. Not that’s it’s actually that bad actually it just all feels a bit futile. I had it on loop to listen a few times and couldn’t tell what was the last track and the first track. It’s all one long noodle with some bad words. I didn’t mind St Stephen, but struggled to pick much else out. The song Feedback. Why? If you like the grafetful dead then I’m sure you’d love it. If not then it just passes you by. Never listened to the Grateful Dead properly, not sure this will tempt me to, although I probably should try American Beauty one day. Don’t think I’ll start listening to their other 166 released live albums. Some grooves here and there, some good bits, some unlistenable, but overall quite a tedious endeavour ⭐️⭐️
Nott try interested in guitar solos
They first song was longer than my will to live...vibey tho
This was not my jam…
Too jamey
Never found the love for The Grateful Dead, sounds sacrilegious I know.
Could have been great, but songs are far too long without enough structure for my tastes
I really dislike live albums, and I find the Dead to be kind of a bore.
As a dead fan, this selection - the only album on this list - is a joke It's not even a top 20 live album, let alone a representation of their thirty plus year career. For that, a concert from the 70s would be needed. Their masterpiece is their 77 Cornell show, but anything between 77 and 84 would be a better entry. can list ten albums that are more deserving, including working man's dead, American beauty and terrapin station.