In my last Monday Music post I mentioned a band that has had a powerful impact on me, so I decided that they deserve their own post in this ever growing series, where I discuss my favorite music. Some of you are probably highly familiar with this group, while others may have heard the name, if that much at all. I'm talking about none other than the American psychedelic rock group from the last part of the 20th century: The Grateful Dead.
Endless Tours, Crossover Styles, Cult Following
A thing that made this group unique was their heavy focus on live shows. Sure, they did have a couple of studio albums, but the best way to listen to their music is browsing their seemingly infinite list of live recordings. Is there a song you don't like that much? Chances are, you just haven't found the right interpretation for you! Since the band kept touring during most of the year, for close to three decades, most of their songs evolved on the road, so to speak. Also, fans were encouraged to tape their shows, and spread the music by distributing bootleg tapes. This not only increased their following, but helped collectors find their favorite version of each song. And with such an immense databank of live concerts, this could become an endless task.
As for their musical style, The Dead managed to combine their staples of rock, folk, and blues with psychedelic and experimental sounds, as well as lots of country and bluegrass in it. This created a complex and colorful mix of sounds, conjuring interesting emotions you never knew you had. Okay, this could also have to do with the lyrics, but let me get back on that in a bit. In any case, unlike many lay people assume from their name, The Grateful Dead were never so much about hard and heavy rock, or metal. Instead much of it could be described as country-blues, or simply plain old rock-and-roll... with jams that can go on forever.
Since they were so keen on touring, mostly in the United States, they created a huge following of fans who toured with them. Between the mid 60s and the mid 90s "following the Dead" was a favorite pastime among hippies, which could last the better part of the year. An entire community of Deadheads would tour together with their favorite band, extending the musical experience of their shows with other forms of entertainment, or selling Grateful Dead merchandise and other stuff. This is why, especially in the US, the band is more known for their followers than their music.
Weird Imagery Full of Americana
Okay, so here we have a typical hippie band from the sixties, touring the States every year to maintain some semblance of their hippie fantasy. What is it about their music that has captured my attention and fascination, so that up to this day I consider it to be among my favorites? It's an interesting question, because I have been pondering this myself, ever since I first heard their music.
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My first impression of The Dead, even before hearing any of their tunes, were their trippy T-shirts I saw deadheads in my school wear. They featured colorful bears, skeletons, terrapins, and a whole lot of psychedelic art of forests, oceans, landscapes drenched in sunlight, and the like. I already found all this intriguing enough, but interestingly when I first heard their music, I somehow knew it had to be them. Once I paid attention to their lyrics, I felt something else!
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It's hard to pinpoint what it was. Kinda like a memory of things you know you have never experienced. Like a feeling you once had as a child about things you knew nothing about. In a way, it was like a message from the past... maybe not even OUR real, actual past, but some alternative one. As it turned out, I was not the only listener who had these weird feelings. Deadheads have been discussing the meanings of songs and their lyrical imagery on the internet, not only on this site, though it could be the most complete one.
In the end, there is no definite explanation for most of their cryptic lyrics. While they do rely on a whole plethora of symbology, infused by actual Americana, the final result is a collage of railroad hobos and sailors, cowboys and moonshiners, gamblers and convicts, and a little boy trying to fly his kite. As the listener, you feel like a leaf being picked up by a gentle wind, rising gradually higher, perceiving the world from far above, making it strange and familiar at the same time.
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Okay, I am already past 1000 words, and I feel I still haven't even begun to scratch the surface of presenting The Grateful Dead properly. Maybe it's not something that's meant to happen... or it is only really possible in a number of subsequent posts. We'll see how much of a Deadhead I have become, just by being fascinated by this cool music.
Take a Look at the Previous Posts in my Monday Music Series:
The Sound of the Hungarian Zither
Obligatory Line-Dance at Mexican Parties - El Payaso del Rodeo
Floating Into the Night by Julee Cruise
Classic Canadiana - Stan Rogers
Party Like There's No Tomorrow, Cry Like Everything Is Lost - Hungarian Gypsy Music
The Harder Sound of the Middle Ages - Corvus Corax
The First Hip-Hop I Actually Liked - Things Fall Apart by The Roots
No Prophets in Their Own Land - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Beyond the Boundries of Styles and Genres - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Accordion-Rock You May Not Know (But Really Should) - Los Tabascos
Songs of the Mexican Revolution - La Adelita
Memorable Weirdness - What Do You Want A Japanese To Do Again?
Gloomy Sunday - The Hungarian Suicide Song
Party Tunes from the Wild East - The "Russendisko" Experience
Folk Songs from Your Home Village - Hungarian Regional Sound Archives
Polynesian Salt Water Music
Images Conjured up by Tom Waits' Music
In Country: Folks Songs of Americans in the Vietnam War
Somebody Tell Me - Translating a Hungarian Song Into [EN] and [SP]
Somebody Tell Me - first trial & live performance [HU] [SP] [EN]
Horst Wessel in Mexico
Playing for Change - Old Favorites Played Around the World
Soothing Tunes and Gentle Rhythms of Mali Music
What Is It About Music? [Ecotrain's Question of the Week]
Halász Judit, Memories from my Childhood
Discovering Rocksteady
The New Generation of Banda
Horrible Music From Hungary: Dáridó or Wedding Rock
[ENG - ESP] 3 Songs From My Youth / 3 Canciones De Mi Adolescencia
Surfer Tunes from the 60's: Dick Dale
Tiny Desk Concert with the Kronos Quartet
Ghymes, Palmetta, Deep Forest: The Love-Hate of Hungarian Crossover
Crossover Styles : Cooking With Many Ingredients
Shady Grove: My First Impression Leading up to Discovering The Grateful Dead