Completely Conspicuous 496: Dead Ahead

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we dig into the catalog of the Grateful Dead, starting with the band's 1967 debut. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ - Other podcasts have focused on catalogs of U2, R.E.M., Phish, The Tragically Hip - Looking at the Dead album by album - Phil's a tie-dyed in the wool Deadhead, Jay has only superficial knowledge of the band - Phil: Got into the Dead in the mid-'80s, saw them live in '89 - Attracted by the musicianship, lyrics - Live is where the band really shines - Every show was different - The solo work from Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir was pivotal as well - Songs would be played live years before it showed up on an album - Band's biggest hit, "Touch of Grey," was first played live in '82 but became a single five years later - Jay: More into hard rock, metal as a kid - Got into alternative and punk - Would hear some Dead songs on classic rock radio - The tribute comp Deadicated introduced me to more Dead songs - Self-titled debut has a different sound than the one they evolved into - Recorded in four days - Only got up to #73 on album charts - Mostly covers of folk and jug band songs - Band took a lot of speed during recording, which shows in the songs - Garcia rips on guitar throughout - Not too much jamming on record - Psychedelic rock was starting to happen in general - Live versions of these songs were much longer - Most Dead shows were 2.5 to 3 hours - Jay: Really liked "Cold Rain and Snow," "Viola Lee Blues" - "Sitting on Top of the World" bears some resemblance to Allman Brothers - Phil: Garcia was very prolific, always playing guitar - Bob Weir gave up the short shorts for cargo pants - John Mayer plays with Dead and Co. now - Surviving Dead guys are in their 70s now - Not your typical Dead album - The band didn't like how it was recorded - Next up: Anthem of the Sun Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.