Grateful Dead

Born Again (Hippy) Teenager seeks opinion on best GD Album.

Have "American Beauty" on vinyl but not sure if it is representative.

Help!!!!

Thanks

American Beauty is a gem.

They range between very psychedelic and flipped out (early stuff) to more conventional (but still rambing) country folk.

Europe '72 is probably the best live album in the whole world if you can find a copy. It's an absolute cracker, especially if you like AB - 18 minute version of truckin that just noodles off into stellar guitar and gently undulating rhythm. Double Album so lots there!

Thing is I can't remember any of the other album names, but they were a live band, so any live stuff is probably a good bet. Workingmans Dead? a late album I think.

Missed them in whenever it was 89, 90, 91? Great shame.

if you want to be a Deadhead (like me), Live Dead is a good place to start (that was the first album i bought by them anyways and i still think its great).

Then there is Live at the Fillmore East 1971 4 cd set, the closing show of the Fillmore club and the Dead at their peak (I think) playing sublime versions of their greatest numbers. Its a wonderful collection.

there is also a website - archive.org - if you go there to the Grateful Dead section, they have uploaded over 2,000 gigs that you can download for free, i once worked out you would need 8500 cd's to burn them all, so get saving.

there is another series called "Dick's Picks" too, Dick was the official Dead taper, he is rumoured to have been to every show and he taped every show. i think there's about 40 releases in this series, I only have vol 1 and its genius. If you go on the Dead site, there is a shop that sells the entire Dick's Pick's series in a boxset you can ask your granny to get you for Xmas.

All live stuff you might note, but then live is what The Dead always did best.

not really heard much dead stuff apart from a few live albums and a touch of grey

good stuff:)

ones ive had / got / liked

american beauty

terrapin station

skeletons from the closet : best of

dark star (live at woodstocks an excellent track too)

tbh im not a deadhead or owt...just like abit of hippy stuff occasionly