These Podcasts are a fantastic opportunity to listen for free to the music of the Grateful Dead , a group who definitely deserve to be considered as one of the most significant in the history of rock and contemporary music .
They were there at the beginning in 1965 when what we now know as rock was being invented , and were part of that inventing process . They were also a part of the early " hippie movement " aspiring to find something beyond the 9 to 5 reality .
Musically , they are a combination of beautiful , subtle songs , innovative improvisation , with some partying dance music thrown in !
Jerry Garcia's guitar playing is truly wonderful in it's sweetness of tone . Listen to the creative , winding , melodic quality ; its simplicity , and its complexity . . Phil Lesh's Bass roams and counterpoints with the guitar . While the rhythm guitar and drums chop and punctuate . They all bounce off each other and play as a band .
Even their renditions of songs have an improvisational quality , making each performance different . A very rare depth and range of human feeling can be found in their music .
If you are new to the Dead you may find you need to give their music a little time and space before you get into the feel of it ; it's not quite like anything else ! But if you can do that you may find that you've discovered some real musical friends that last the rest of your life !
