What’s the essential stuff? Where should new listeners go to get acquainted before going into live-tape-land? And just how influential were the Dead on modern music?
We can agree that Jerry Garcia’s playing pulled from all directions of the American musical experience to create an unparalleled playing vocabulary that persisted not only at the forefront of the Grateful Dead’s music, where he was most prominent, but also in his solo work with Jerry Garcia Band and in his bluegrass collaborations. Throughout the Dead’s rambling career, the band shapeshifted through various eras, often with very different musical values, giving fan lots to disagree about. What’s the essential stuff? Where should new listeners go to get acquainted before going into live-tape-land? And just how influential were the Dead on modern music?
