uReview: Grateful Dead “Grateful Dead”
[ratings]
I thought I would spice up this uReview section with a rating system. You can rate the album up or down out of 10 now. I added the rating system to past reviews as well, so just click this uReview tag (also located at the top of every post) to rate the rest of them.
While we’re working on the next podcast, let’s hear what you have to say about the GD debut.
CD Reissue | Rhino | 2003 | amazon
Original Vinyl | 1967 | Warner Bros | ebay ]
MP3 Album | download @mazon
Spotify link | listen ]
A1 The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) 2:09
A2 Beat It on Down the Line 2:29
A3 Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 5:56
A4 Cold Rain and Snow 2:26
A5 Sitting on Top of the World 2:01
A6 Cream Puff War 2:25
B1 Morning Dew 5:00
B2 New, New Minglewood Blues 2:31
B3 Viola Lee Blues 10:09
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Nice site. We have very similar tastes in terms of classic country rock, alternative country, Byrds, mixed in with some vintage punk, etc.
Not a Deadhead by any means, altho I played one back in High School, but love the early blues-drenched stuff from their early days. This has always been the most timeless Dead album for me, altho the best would probably still be American Beauty/Workingman’s — take your pick.
Classic. A good mix of originals and reframed tradsong, thus laying a solid foundation for the remainder of their work. Nice diversity of energy, too — good to hear such crashbang coming out of a band sadly known so much for chunky slowbeat rockers and slow noodlers. Jerry in rare form, and the band in solid party mode. 9 of ten, i think, with the lost point primarily for being so short.
I love the Dead but it’s far from their strongest album: 7 stars.
I was surprised by how much I liked this LP. As a younger Dead fan, this album speaks to my love of punk/garage/Velvets style guitar music. The Dead would make better albums for sure. This LP is a little dated and the singing would improve (as would the lyrics), but I still like this album for the what it is. The CD reissue from a couple years ago is GREAT. I would recommend it highly.
Not my favorite Dead album by far, (that would go to Europe ’72), but a strong first effort. Some songs are pretty weak (“Cream Puff War’ was the only song Jerry wrote lyrics for & for good reason), but the covers, especially “Morning Dew” and “Viola Lee Blues” are very well done. The Dead were never a great studio band, much better live, although some efforts (American Beauty, Workingman’s Dead, Mars Hotel & Wake of the Flood) are classics I still listen to frequently. The live stuff, almost all of it including Dick’s Picks, are the best way to appreciate what the Dead were about. The much-overlooked Without A Net, the last live album with Brent Mydland on keyboards, has an incendiary “Eyes Of The World” featuring Branford Marsalis.
There’s no other Dead album like this one. Although they haven’t yet developed into what I guess is commonly recognized as that mature Dead sound – the seeds for that development is here. I really love this album and think it’s a raw, spirited, & very ambitious effort. Cream Puff War & Sitting On Top of The World with their swing and syncopation, Viola Lee glues the seams. I give it a high 9.
This and anthem of the sun are my all time favorites. As odd as it sounds!
Every song is like a fast paced punch. A sonic ride through the acid tests and the further bus. Their first two LPs were the soundtracks to the Merry Pranksters intrepid journeys.
thanks you owsley
Say, this album is underrated if under 8-10. I enjoy each song, which carried through the dead’s career. Golden Road recording is a diamond. This is a fantastic site!