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I agree with my fellow heads, the songs have their own way of speaking to you, and that is where the true (and most important) meaning lies...


The GD originals, besides being great tunes, can evoke such vivid imagery (think Chinacat), archetypal literary devices (think wheels, roses, wind, & moon), or epic storytelling arcs (think Terrapin).


Researching the traditional or contemporary cover tunes reveals the rich history behind them. For example, chasing Desolation Row leads you into the poetry of Dylan, and uncovering Stagger Lee opens the world to American folk music.


In addition to the sites already referenced, here are some other ideas:


For Hunter songs, this book provides some insight: Box of Rain straight from the man himself.


And to start exploring the songs the band covered, start here, but this site does not seem to include the "traditionals" such as Peggy-O or Cold Rain and Snow...you can probably google them.


Happy exploring, my friend!

The record display could be neat, but it wouldn't be my first choice to be honest. With a $20 budget you could get her The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics which is a really awesome collection of (you guessed it) academic annotations of all Grateful Dead songs.

Another solid choice is Jerry on Jerry, which was just published. It's full of unreleased interviews with the Man himself.

OR if you're feeling ripe with the charitable spirit, you could always make a donation to The Jerry Garcia Foundation.

The Archive has everything

Click on "Shows on this Day in History" and scroll to the bottom/last page. Look for the keywords "Soundboard" (I don't recommend starting with Audience recordings, but I'm a sbd snob) and "Charlie Miller" (his remasters are the best).

Start off looking for the '68 and '69 shows, riding that psych rock groove you've built up. Dark Star, The Other One, and Caution will acclimate you well to the band's free-flowing musicality and train your ear for the spacier jams that come up there and later when Playing In The Band enters the rotation (and Drums and Space in the late 70s on).

From there, jump around between '70 and '77. Things become jazzier in '72 when Keith joins and Mickey temporarily departs, and the wave crests at the end of '77.

After all that, you should be ready for '78, '79, the '80s with Brent, and the '90s. Lots of ups and downs (imho) during these years, but still quality and fun listens.

This UCSC website has all the lyrics to help you sing along (which you will).

If you're hooked on the music and want to learn more about the band, buy A Long Strange Trip by Dennis McNally: a detailed, well-written account of the band's history.

This book would probably be of some help. Honestly there are a lot things they did that would be tough to implement or understand.

https://www.amazon.com/Grateful-Dead-Gear-Instruments-Recording/dp/0879308931

I look at John Kadlecik's rig and think if you understand the ending results, there are a number of ways to get there. I mean, he uses a solid state power amp, (not sure about preamp stuff), a synthesizer, a number of pedals, four different guitars and he can make any sound he wants. They all seem to sound the same, or capable of producing essentially all the same tones. I'm going off on a tangent. End of story, he might be someone to try and get in touch with.

This one is great. Pretty comprehensive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0767911865

She's probably referring to The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics

Not that expensive and WELL worth the price, trust me :)

Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead. My uncle does lectures for PR/Marketing firms and things like that. :)

Awesome! Yea the Parish one is called “Home Before Daylight”. I think I’ve read it about 10 times haha check it out

I'd recommend Bill Graham's autobiography, thoroughly enjoyed it. Not specifically the Dead, but lots of interesting stuff. Probably not in the 'special' bracket you're asking for either!

One of the BEST Books I ever read !!!!! --
Owsley and Me: My LSD Family Paperback – April 16, 2013
by Rhoney Gissen Stanley --

https://www.amazon.com/Owsley-Me-My-LSD-Family/dp/0983358931

Phil's book was good, Billy's was ok, as was Big Steve's.

My favorite so far, Dark Star: An Oral Biography of Jerry Garcia

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Star-Biography-Jerry-Garcia/dp/0061715727

Heh once you start it's gonna go far beyond 3 weeks. Over at archive.org you can find thousands of recordings, both soundboard recordings and audience recordings. I think you should start with the first album and then listen to a show or two from that era and then do the same for each album. Maybe some older Deadheads can recommend some shows from each era, album by album. I'm a big fan of the '73-'74 sound which was when they released Wake of the Flood and From the Mars Hotel. My favorite show from then is 6/10/73 at RFK Stadium.


You'll find different Deadheads favoring different eras. Some people prefer the Pigpen years and some prefer the Brent Mydland years but each and every era is worth listening to.



While you're at it read Phil Lesh's book.

Oh man, i had the same question just a couple of days ago. Here's what I would suggest (pretty much fundamentals!):

[DK's Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip] (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grateful-dead-maurice-waite/1120824345?ean=9781465440082#productInfoTabs)

This one is a 500 page biography of the band's journey on the Golden Road from the Sixties to now (this one happens to be the slightly updated 50th anniversary edition as well.) Covers a lot of details towards major events/concerts, the phases they went through, every release and side project(s) the band members did throughout the 70s, 80s & now. Thousands of pictures as well, & the foreword is written by Robert Hunter who helped write lyrics for the band!

[The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Annotated-Grateful-Dead-Lyrics/dp/1501123327) Also compiled by Robert Hunter with David Dodd, this book provides the lyrics to every song from every album, with all the unique context & the whole process of creating the songwriting for these tunes. Plus there's a lot of original GD-inspired artwork! This one is again the 50th anniversary edition, but the older version with a completely different cover is basically the same :)

I've found this to be the best:

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Star-Biography-Jerry-Garcia/dp/0061715727

It's a compilation of quotes from different people talking about Jerry. You get to see all different sides of him, and while of course some if not many of the people are going to be biased one way or another, I found seeing the different slants enjoyable.

Personal favorite by far is Dark Star. Here is one that hasn't been mentioned. Home Before Daylight - My Life on the Road with the Grateful Dead. Steve is the shit.

Would also like to know. Haven’t come across this one yet but has to be quite interesting.

Edit: quick google search says it’s called Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Roll

Conversations with the Dead by David Gans is probably a good place to start. It is a compendium of interviews, a good read.

A Long, Strange Trip by Dennis McNally is a good book, might be another one to check out.

:)

This is a pretty fantastic source that helped me with a similar paper I wrote in a history of rock and roll class

Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470900520/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XSvUAb4PAVSKY

Have seen a couple posts talking specifically about Phil but haven't heard mention of Searching for the Sound, which is his Autobiography. He covers this at one point in good detail, so much amazingness in that book!

If you haven't read it, go.. NOW!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316154490/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1370182844&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

Amazon has it. Sunshine Daydream (Veneta, OR, 8/27/72)(3CD/1DVD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E34A9FU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GpTJDbQS9N4FM

I liked Steve Parish's book, not sure I have a fave, I read them all and find something to like about each one.
https://www.amazon.ca/Home-Before-Daylight-Life-Grateful/dp/031230353X

Yeah I think this is right. I remember reading something similar in Rhonney Stanley's book: Owsley and Me: My LSD Family

I recommend it if you haven't read it. Interesting stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Owsley-Me-My-LSD-Family/dp/0983358931

Story goes Lennon's photographer smuggled it all back to England after Monterey Pop 1967 in his camera lenses and the Owsley goodness fueled the making of the Magical Mystery Tour. Bear: The Life and Times of Augustus Owsley Stanley III is brimming with all these fun Bear facts. I am passively listening to it and just got past the Egypt trip. Wild times.

Dark Star is a good one if you're into Oral Biographies.

How about the Complete Annotated Lyrics book? I love my copy and will just sit down and flip through it while listening to a show.

The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501123327/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8wC4DbTEM8E3D

Read Steve Parish's book. It gives very clear stories about sex and drugs.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003J5UIK0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have the Annotated Book(http://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Annotated-Grateful-Dead-Lyrics/dp/074327749X) ... it is exactly the same content at the site posted above. It is a nice book to have around.

Here's a sticker I got. Looks great, but I haven't put it on anything yet so I can't speak to it's quality as a sticker.

https://www.amazon.com/Grateful-Dead-Gear-Instruments-Recording/dp/0879308931

this book is totally well done, thick, and all gear driven it's what you are looking for.

I got it off Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E34A9FU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_J1gzybETWJ1K8

I think Dead.net has an exclusive version which has a blu ray with some extra features

This book is just, well, the best.

A Long Strange Trip... has a personal favorite story about Wiz Leonard dosing very hard during 5/26/72 and leaving the sound truck unattended during Morning Dew, which ended up making the E72 album anyway!

Maybe talking about the book version of this website: http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl/

Think this is the latest edition from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Annotated-Grateful-Dead-Lyrics/dp/1501123327/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479846335&sr=1-1

It's on Amazon. I want to see how it looks on your tele when you get it!

Thanks for that. I'm reading Long Strange Trip currently, but I will put that one on my list. Also looking at Bear: The Life and Times of Augustus Owsley Stanley III

Blair Jackson wrote a book called Grateful Dead gear, has some nice photos and reference material:

http://www.amazon.com/Grateful-Dead-Gear-Instruments-Recording/dp/0879308931/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395921618&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=greful+dead+gear

Here are links to the box set and a few other officially released 89 shows. The box sets have long been sold out but you can seek them out on the secondary market or if you want to fly your pirate flag, you can seek them out on the torrent sites.

http://www.dead.net/spring1990
http://www.dead.net/store/1990s/spring-1990-other-one-box
http://www.dead.net/1980s/formerly-warlocks-box
https://www.amazon.com/Truckin-Up-Buffalo-July-1989/dp/B0009OJAJO
https://www.amazon.com/Crimson-White-Indigo-Stadium-Philadelphia/dp/B0037RBVH4/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_15_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SBNJ60PY5B57XJ6BR956

$81.96 CDN on Amazon.ca which is approx $65 USD

https://www.amazon.ca/Cornell-5-8-77-Vinyl/dp/B07B64T9YW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525970026&sr=8-2&keywords=grateful+dead+vinyl&dpID=61R5sFDqRWL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Inlay Sticker Decal For Guitar... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDVOHTG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E34A9FU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_C4grDbXJESZ3Q

Try here http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl/

or in book form http://www.amazon.com/dp/1501123327/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000009O8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0424C49PG0DD9SETDG0N

or from the man himself

http://www.amazon.com/Box-Rain-Lyrics-1965-1993-Penguin/dp/0140134514/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462560418&sr=1-1&keywords=robert+hunter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B64T9YW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is the mobile version of your link

This was from Truckin' Up To Buffalo.

The Jerry oral biography - Dark Star

There's an official release of that show

https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Times-Augustus-Owsley-Stanley/dp/1250081211

https://www.amazon.com/Cornell-5-8-77-5LP/dp/B07B64T9YW/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1537994507&sr=8-2

this isn't exactly related but check this out:

http://www.uncg.edu/soc/faculty/r_adams/courses/fms108/



and her book

http://www.amazon.com/Dea
dhead-Social-Science-Gonna-Learn/dp/0742502511

https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-Dead-Grateful-Interview-Book/dp/0306810999

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Before-Daylight-Life-Grateful/dp/031230353X

Billy's Book, Deal

Phil's Book

Dennis McNally's book

David Brown's Book

Jerry on Jerry: Unpublished Interviews

Start with these

There's actually a couple books about their approach:

https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Lessons-Grateful-Dead-Business/dp/0470900520

Not a class, but could be used in a marketing class:

https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Lessons-Grateful-Dead-Business/dp/0470900520

IT IS WRITTEN

https://www.amazon.com/Deadhead-Social-Science-Gonna-Learn/dp/0742502511

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Strange-Trip-History-Grateful/dp/0767911865

http://www.amazon.com/Grateful-Dead-Gear-Instruments-Recording/dp/0879308931

A quick Google renders this result

Haven't read it though.

There were a few details in Phil's book and Long Strange Trip but they don't get that technical.

Apparently he is quite forthcoming in Complete annotated Grateful Dead lyrics about many of his lyrics. (Sorry for the Amazon link, I’m lazy)

Did you read the autobiography? It's one of my favorite of any of the Dead books... most are about Jerry, obviously, but this one gives you a different, more logical view on the whole scene... http://www.amazon.com/Searching-Sound-Life-Grateful-Dead/dp/0316154490

There's also this book: Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History

The complete annotated grateful dead lyrics!
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Annotated-Grateful-Dead-Lyrics/dp/074327749X

Once upon a time... There were Spinners.

There's actually a good write-up in this book. I wouldn't recommend spending the money but if you have access to an .edu library you can probably get it on ILL.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadhead-Social-Science-Gonna-Learn/dp/0742502511/

basically anything written about the GD that mentions the roadies will comment on how awfully brutal they were to everyone.

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Strange-Trip-History-Grateful/dp/0767911865

My Dad worked with The Dead from 1968 until Jerry died in 1995 and also managed the Jerry Garcia Band. He wrote a book about his life called Home Before Daylight