Grateful Dead were the greatest band of my generation.

[OAITW r.2.0]

Heard them all. Awesome. But none like the Grateful Dead.

[rampartd]

1. should be on any one's short list

[rubbersole]

2. They were unique, tight and had the most dedicated followers.

Boomers definitely had the best music. Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dylan and The Band, Simon and Garfunkel, Allman Brothers, Moody Blues, Beach Boys, CSN, Joni Mitchell, Eagles, all the "British Invasion" groups of the '60s and the California groups (that wished they were the Dead) plus the hundreds of individual musicians that shaped the coolest generation ever.

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. We were bombarded with insanely great music over 10 years,

That made me happy.

?si=5zAysaEVyryVxFZQ

[SonOfNebanaube]

4. no they were not....

You just dug the scene...

[SCantiGOP]

5. Reminds me of an old joke:

What did the Deadhead say when they attended a concert without doing acid? “Hey, this music sucks.”

I saw the Dead several times and loved it, but they were definitely a concert band and not an album band. There was nothing quite like a Dead concert with a head full of shrooms.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Agreed

Their appeal escapes me.
I've been a musician for almost 65 years & I don't hear the musicianship their fans extol.
I also don't hear "tight". And, the vocals are marginal at best.

[OAITW r.2.0]

7. I don't get it either.

I guess I really heard them when Pigpen was fronting them. The Blusiest white guy I ever heard. But then Skull and Roses, American Beauty, Workingman's Dead....and I probably imprinted.

[BluesRunTheGame]

8. The Dead were one of the most "interesting" bands of...

…the last few decades. I don’t know if I’d call them “great”. But I don’t really care about “great”.

They had wonderful songs. Garcia/Hunter were a phenomenal songwriting team. I love the way the songs reach back and connect with the cultures and folklore of an earlier America.

The culture and community that they were able to build around their art was also really interesting. No one else has been able to do that.

The jam band thing could get a little tedious if you weren’t pretty high. I usually liked Jerry’s voice. Donna’s sometimes. Bobby I could tolerate, I guess. (sorry Bobby).