What's Your Favorite Grateful Dead Song, If Any

[Jingthing]

This is a deadhead thread. Meant to say, were you a deadhead, not where you a deadhead, ooops, flashback ...

Yes, this is mostly for the oldies here.

Were you a deadhead? I was to the degree that I drove to different states to see their concerts.

The way I picked my favorite Dead song was by the first Dead tune that came into my brain when thinking about the question.

It was Casey Jones.

Although Casey Jones isn't "analyzed" here, if you picked any of the others, here is the diss on what your favorite Dead song says about you:

http://www.slate.com/id/2217149

Casey Jones:

Driving that train, high on cocaine,

Casey jones is ready, watch your speed.

Trouble ahead, trouble behind,

And you know that notion just crossed my mind.

This old engine makes it on time,

Leaves central station bout a quarter to nine,

Hits river junction at seventeen to,

At a quarter to ten you know its travlin again.

Driving that train, high on cocaine,

Casey jones is ready, watch your speed.

Trouble ahead, trouble behind,

And you know that notion just crossed my mind.

Trouble ahead, lady in red,

Take my advice youd be better off dead.

Switchmans sleeping, train hundred and two is

On the wrong track and headed for you.

Driving that train, high on cocaine,

Casey jones is ready, watch your speed.

Trouble ahead, trouble behind,

And you know that notion just crossed my mind.

Trouble with you is the trouble with me,

Got two good eyes but you still dont see.

Come round the bend, you know its the end,

The fireman screams and the engine just gleams...

Edited May 2, 2009 by Jingthing

[bina]

box of rain, sugar magnolia and lay down the roses cant remember the name of the song itself. besides i went to hampshire college home of the ultimate frisbee sport regs and grateful dead head official newsletter creators-- as final projects for graduation...

also, slept in back of pickup to see them in various new england states....

no one in israel has ever heard of them unless they originally came from the states or they heard from me and here and there others that may have been exposed when in the states.

sad really, my kids like the grateful dead but all my cds and albums have disappeared (leant out, or permanently borrowed).

which is why this thread caught my eye.

bina

israel

[Jingthing]

Hampshire College? Ultimate frisbee? Me too. Hilarious.

[mauGR1]

Well,i'm not from US,but a big fan of GD,i picked a song,but my favourite is "The eleven" from the album Live/Dead year '69,great times where those!I consider music from the sixties still the best,and lots of very young people agree.

[pluto_manibo]

"Ripple" is the first one that crossed my mind.

[Jingthing]

I don't know if the first one crossing your mind is a great way to pick your favorite, but in my case even though I followed them for years, I never thought about which song is my favorite. Could have been the "additives."

[fitzgma]

"Friend of the Devil" is a friend of mine!

[bina]

well, i guess i am from the last group of hippies, theres some couple on my kibbutz that were at woodstock. now, that is old!! ) externally i dont look 'hippie'... but the genetics are there as my kid (the one in army) is hippie rainbow material with both feet (bare, usually, yech..) on the ground- a veggie tree hugger... it must be genetic...

jinthing, when about were u there? hampshire, i mean...

its wierd how the GD didnt really get out of the states if u consider the fact that they never limited bootlegging tapes or anything else... but thats just it. i dont really like most music from the 'american' sixties (the israeli sixties is the american 50's, i drives me nuts every time to explain that to my kids)... i really only still like grateful dead. i think because musically they were so variable, flexible, with an extensive repertoire of playing styles and amazing jam sessions, so that u really have to listen to them with or w/o the 'additives', and with or w/o u can still enjoy them. i find pink floyd tedious for instance w/o doing the stuff i did before i became a suburban kibbutznik.

i must be conditioned to the music actually like pavlov's bell... strange.... a long strange trip...

bina

israel

[Kickstand]

Other Dead Song:

Mexicali Blues

Not a deadhead, but have always liked their music.

[rgs2001uk]

well, i guess i am from the last group of hippies, theres some couple on my kibbutz that were at woodstock. now, that is old!! ) externally i dont look 'hippie'... but the genetics are there as my kid (the one in army) is hippie rainbow material with both feet (bare, usually, yech..) on the ground- a veggie tree hugger... it must be genetic...

jinthing, when about were u there? hampshire, i mean...

its wierd how the GD didnt really get out of the states if u consider the fact that they never limited bootlegging tapes or anything else... but thats just it. i dont really like most music from the 'american' sixties (the israeli sixties is the american 50's, i drives me nuts every time to explain that to my kids)... i really only still like grateful dead. i think because musically they were so variable, flexible, with an extensive repertoire of playing styles and amazing jam sessions, so that u really have to listen to them with or w/o the 'additives', and with or w/o u can still enjoy them. i find pink floyd tedious for instance w/o doing the stuff i did before i became a suburban kibbutznik.

i must be conditioned to the music actually like pavlov's bell... strange.... a long strange trip...

bina

israel

G Dead, lyric wise always liked, the greatest story ever told, for a jam session always liked playin in the band, classic stuff.

Floyd tedious, boring I would have said, but only after dark side of the moon, pre dark side they used to jam and improvize, no two concerts being the same, examples can be found on smoking blues from 1970, perhaps the last time Floyd played blues and the fillmore concert from the same year.

It was only after songs were recorded that they kept playing these versions of the songs, however colmar from 1974 has a 30 minute version of probably the first ever live performance of shine on you crazy diamond.

Boston gardens from 1975 also has raving and drooling, and you gotta be crazy, which eventually appeared on animals,as dogs, and sheep,in 1977, both radically different from what appeared on album.

From what I recall, the last time Floyd played anything new or different would be the infamous Montreal show in 1977, where they ended the show with a song known as (drift away) blues.

I always likend a Floyd concert as going to a spectacular light show set to music, as oppossed to being at a music concert with a light show. Certainly one of the greatest live concerts I have ever seen, however the music was always the same, probably due to the computer generated effects, background tapes and loops used, and the screen show which was always synched to the music, awesome.

Sorry for going on for so long, going to have to pull out my pulse dvd, thats this afternoon taken up.

[staggerlee]

What a tough question! It depends on what mood I'm in but I have some songs that I forward to more often than others, and some that I tend to skip.

Crazy Fingers is at the top of the list that I try to find and forward to a lot. Maybe because I don't have as many Crazy Fingers on the shows I have. My favorite lyric is "midnite on a carousel ride, reaching for the gold ring, down inside". The imagery to me reminds me of my childhood riding teh merry-go-round, and always wishing that this merry-go-round would have rings to reach for. Many of them didn't. Great song.

Bertha rocks!

howlin' Pigpen on Smokestack Lightning!

Black Throated Wind - one of Bob's finest. Reminds me of Jack Kerouac

Mission in the Rain - This one was usually played by the JGB, but the Dead played it a couple of times as well.

They Love Each Other - the really fast versions they played in the early seventies.

Sing Me Back Home

I could go on and on, but I guess Crazy Fingers would be my favourite!

Some songs I tend to skip are :

One MOre Saturday Night

Johhny be good

Playin in the bande

[Birdman]

well, i guess i am from the last group of hippies, theres some couple on my kibbutz that were at woodstock. now, that is old!! ) externally i dont look 'hippie'... but the genetics are there as my kid (the one in army) is hippie rainbow material with both feet (bare, usually, yech..) on the ground- a veggie tree hugger... it must be genetic...

jinthing, when about were u there? hampshire, i mean...

its wierd how the GD didnt really get out of the states if u consider the fact that they never limited bootlegging tapes or anything else... but thats just it. i dont really like most music from the 'american' sixties (the israeli sixties is the american 50's, i drives me nuts every time to explain that to my kids)... i really only still like grateful dead. i think because musically they were so variable, flexible, with an extensive repertoire of playing styles and amazing jam sessions, so that u really have to listen to them with or w/o the 'additives', and with or w/o u can still enjoy them. i find pink floyd tedious for instance w/o doing the stuff i did before i became a suburban kibbutznik.

i must be conditioned to the music actually like pavlov's bell... strange.... a long strange trip...

bina

israel

[mahtin]

I'm shopping around for something to do that no one will like.

Jerry Garcia

Edited May 12, 2009 by mahtin

[mauGR1]

Grateful Dead don't have a lot of fans in Europe,i was one of them in the 70s,but the few who knows them,love them.They are unique.If i only had a time machine....

[the fast]

Grateful Dead don't have a lot of fans in Europe,i was one of them in the 70s,but the few who knows them,love them.They are unique.If i only had a time machine....

Are you kidding,the Dead were huge in Europe,especially UK.I seen them in London many years ago,I still put DVD on now and again. " There:s nothing like a Grateful Dead concert".Workingmans Dead was my Ist album but Europe 72" brings back a lot of memories.We used to go down the local park at night and listen to the Dead,Airplane,Quicksilver,Hot Tuna etc ,smoke a few,sometimes go to the moon,what a long strange trip it's been,the ultimate

[thetitan99]

Excellent thread topic. I've been to over 35 shows between 80 and 95. I was at the 4th and 3rd to the last shows in St. Louis. Drove a rusted out Gran Torino to the first one and a Cadillac De Ville to the last!!

Love them all, but these are my favorites.

Jack Straw

Scarlett Begonias/Fire on the Mountain

China Cat/I Know You Rider

Women are smarter

#1 STELLA BLUE

Thanks again for the cool thread!!

[pampal]

Scarlet-Fire

Mississippi Half Step

[mauGR1]

I could be wrong,but i find the GD a bit disappointing after '71 or '72.Maybe there are some GD fans who don't agree,and can suggest me something really good to listen to,recorded after that golden era.

[rgs2001uk]

I could be wrong,but i find the GD a bit disappointing after '71 or '72.Maybe there are some GD fans who don't agree,and can suggest me something really good to listen to,recorded after that golden era.

Ah Pigpen, king of the west coast blues, thats more like it.

Suggest you try the following,

1 google archive.org

2 select live music archive

3 by band

4 bands listed from a-z, choose, henry kaiser, download the following shows, club muse 2002 and fukora dome 1994

5 select, psychedelic guitar circus, download both shows, awesome

6 select phil lesh and friends, sorry too many to choose from, just check out the reviews and song selection and download as you please

7 the greatful dead selection is beyond belief, will keep you busy for at least 6 months

another link to try is sugarmegs.org, also of interest is phil lesh.net

happy downloading, sure you will enjoy, remember only suckers pay for music.

[Ulysses G.]

The Dead SUCK!

I don't know how many times I walked out on them when they headlined in the San Francisco Area and I wanted to see the other bands on the bill. I took some powerful sheet in them days, but it was never good enough to make me appreciate the Grateful Dead.

Give me Jefferson Airplane and Grace Slick anytime!

[Jingthing]

The Dead SUCK!

I don't know how many times I walked out on them when they headlined in the San Francisco Area and I wanted to see the other bands on the bill. I took some powerful sheet in them days, but it was never good enough to make me appreciate the Grateful Dead.

Give me Jefferson Airplane and Grace Slick anytime!

And you were indulging in additives?

[onnut]

i am 32 years old and love the Grateful Dead. I sometimes wish I was born in the 50s so I would of been around for the great music from the 60s. I missed woodstock by years and really wish I could go back in time to see these concerts. I cant listen to the crap they play now, give me grateful dead and Janis Joplin any day of the week.

[Ulysses G.]

The Dead SUCK!

I don't know how many times I walked out on them when they headlined in the San Francisco Area and I wanted to see the other bands on the bill. I took some powerful sheet in them days, but it was never good enough to make me appreciate the Grateful Dead.

Give me Jefferson Airplane and Grace Slick anytime!

And you were indulging in additives?

All of Garcia's faves!

[tasasc]

For me, without a doubt it would have to be "Terrapin Station". Ambitious, majestic and unlike anything I'd heard before!

[lomatopo]

#1 Till the Morning Comes

Rounding out my top 10:

Sugar Magnolia

Uncle John’s Band

Ripple

Not Fade Away

Me and My Uncle

Friend of the Devil

Truckin’

I Know You Rider

Playing in the Band

[anothertorres]

i'm absolutely stunned no one has mentioned the greatest Dead song... Eyes of the World.

i spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on the Dead following them around. i'm a better man today for it (or so i like to tell myself).