Rough and totally subjective guide to the eras of the Grateful Dead, for the curious or new fans.

This is a twice-modified cut-and-paste from something else I wrote a while ago. It's just my personal view of the history of the band, divided into "eras" I basically made up and named for fun, though I don't think they'd be particularly controversial among 'heads. It leaves out a lot of details that fans would probably consider vital info, but I think it's still good for basic introductory purposes. The idea is to help those who find the many phases of the Dead's music confusing to find a period that might appeal to them, and to give some idea of its musical nature. You can and should sample bootlegs of live shows from all eras at archive.org, sorted by year or popularity as you learn your way around their career. As a general rule, live Dead is (most likely to be) the best Dead.

Disclaimer: Though eras are a good way to help you find what you like about the Dead, their shows were famously varied and unpredictable. They never played the same set twice, and they never saw themselves as being "in the X era." The result, as many fans will tell you, is that some of their best examples of "the mid-'70s sound" can be found in early-'80s shows, for example. Similarly, some of their best performances take place in the middle of mediocre or even bad shows. Others will grow on you over time or depend on your mood. The good news for fans is most of it was very good, and some of it is absolutely transcendent. There are no generally accepted "definitive" live versions of any of their songs - that's up to you to decide for yourself. It's totally normal to hate some of it and passionately love some of it. So hang in there and enjoy the ride.

1965-1969 - the psychedelic/blues era, when some of their most famous songs were composed and performances often got very exploratory. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, a talented blues and R&B singer and keyboardist was their frontman during this time, keeping their performances rooted in the gritty blues numbers interspersed between the adventurous psychedelic jams. The album Live Dead is the exemplar of the period, though bootlegs exist that are arguably better reflections of their peaks during this time. Common live songs: St. Stephen, Dark Star, The Eleven, Lovelight, Morning Dew, The Other One, China Cat Sunflower.

1970-1972 - The Americana era, when their psychedelic side waned a bit and shorter, more folk- and country-influenced sounds accompanied a burst of songwriting that provided staples of their live shows for the rest of their career. Also the period in which they explored more acoustic sounds in the studio, producing the albums American Beauty and Workingman's Dead (released separately but very much of a piece) which for many Deadheads remain their crowning achievements in the studio. If you like blues, bluegrass, cowboy songs, and rock with a good dose of California psychedelia, this is your era. Pigpen died in 1972, though his blues influence could be heard for the rest of their career. Common live songs: Truckin', Not Fade Away, Casey Jones, Cumberland Blues, Sugar Magnolia, Loser.

1972-1976 - The jams era. A return to electric instruments in the studio and live and the jazz chops of their new keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who played piano almost exclusively, produced a period of electric Americana with more focus on tighter, mid-tempo grooves from only one drummer (2nd drummer Mickey Hart took a hiatus during this time). The era was also defined by a return to more R&B sounds and the long jams of their psychedelic period, which now often had the focus, maturity, and intensity of jazz as well as the anarchic/sci-fi moods of their early stuff. On the whole, it was one of their most consistent and relatable eras. If you like up-tempo rockers and funky-mellow grooves, but also some freeform jazz-influenced, psychedelic explorations, this may be the era for you. Check out the album Europe '72 for a great primer on beginnings of this sound. For the later, more developed and jazzy part of the period, a personal fav is a great bootleg of their Feb. 24, 1974 show at Winterland in San Francisco. Common live songs: Playin' in the Band, China Cat Sunflower --> I Know You Rider, Row Jimmy, U.S. Blues, Ship of Fools, Mexicali Blues, Tennessee Jed, Bertha.

1976-1979 - The Barton Hall era. This is my favorite period of the Dead, so I will try and fail to keep this short and objective. After a hiatus for much of 1975, during which the band composed and recorded the album Blues for Allah, an exploratory album full of jazz fusion and world music influences, the band returned to touring in 1976 with Mickey Hart back on second drum kit. Then, in 1977, something happened. For whatever reason, their Feb.-Jun. 1977 tour hit a sort of pinnacle of musicianship and chemistry that produced (arguably) their most varied, inspired, and consistently brilliant playing as a group. Their May 8th, 1977 show at Barton Hall in Ithaca, NY is now legendary as the exemplar of this moment in their history, mostly because a high quality bootleg of the show reached the public fairly soon after the show, becoming an underground hit. But just about any show from that tour has as many high points as Barton Hall, and all are worth hearing if you dig Barton Hall. For a good picture of the fusion-esque side of the Dead, try One From the Vault, a rare 1975 live performance in which they play all of Blues for Allah (before its release) to a small audience at the Great American Music Hall in SF. Definitely check out the Barton Hall show, available as Dick's Picks Vol. 3 or here, on Archive.org, and if you're into 70s progressive rock, try Terrapin Station, their most adventurous studio recording, or live performances of the songs from it. Common live songs: Estimated Prophet, The Music Never Stopped, Terrapin Station, Help On the Way --> Slipknot --> Franklin's Tower, Peggy-O, Cassidy, Eyes of the World, Deal, Minglewood Blues, Shakedown Street, Drums.

1979-1986 - The 80s. This is a very "highest peaks, lowest valleys" era for the Dead. Keith Godchaux and his wife, backup vocalist Donna Jean, departed in 1979 and were replaced by Brent Mydland, whose preference for organ and electric keyboards, husky voice, and precise high harmonies changed the band's sound immediately. Reinvigorated, for a time the band was able to fight off the growing negative influence of hard drugs on their playing that had begun to creep in in 1978. Some of the early shows from this period can be best described as fiery and inspired. But over time, drugs and road-weariness made 80s shows hit-and-miss. When they were good, they were really good, but more and more often, Jerry's opiate habit and the other band members' struggles with booze and other hard drugs made shows a mix of flashes of brilliance and uninspired playing. To pick up some of Jerry's slack, Bob Weir stepped forward and added a bit more more of his signature high-energy blues and early rock-n-roll sounds to the mix (watch out for his early excursions into slide guitar in the early 80s though! Ouch!). A favorite show of mine from this period is June 21, 1980 (a performance in a high school gym in Anchorage, Alaska!). Also not to be missed are their 1980 acoustic opening sets, best known from the performances captured on the LP Reckoning. Common live songs: Althea, Alabama Getaway, Saint of Circumstance --> Lost Sailor, Good Lovin', Hell in a Bucket, Bird Song, Drums.

1987-1990 The Touch of Grey era. "Touch of Grey" caused a huge jump in popularity (and as a result, pressure) for the Dead that they struggled with until the end. But after Jerry almost died of a diabetic coma and had to relearn guitar in 1986, the band was in better form than they'd been in a while. Jerry cleaned up his opiate habit, creating an audible change in the band's enthusiasm levels, and they toured with Bob Dylan in '87, cementing their reinvigorated place in American cultural history. I am no expert on shows from this era, but I know April 3rd, 1987 is very popular. Common live songs: Throwing Stones, Touch of Grey, Iko Iko, West L.A. Fadeaway, Wharf Rat, The Wheel, I Need a Miracle, Drums/Space.

1990-1995 The tragic era. Brent Mydland died in 1990, just as his playing and singing were hitting a peak of self-assuredness. Check out some summer '89 shows to hear him really leave it all on the stage. The band was under enormous pressure to keep touring and making money, to pay its large family of employees and underwrite the band's new standards of living. Vince Welnick and Bruce Hornsby filled in for Mydland, with Welnick eventually taking the seat alone but never really gelling with the group. But by then, Jerry was using again and the band was burned out, often not even listening to each other onstage. Concerts became unmanageably large and many turned into semi-riots of gate crashing and paranoia, with undercover cops and very sketchy people invading the scene. While I'm told there are a few truly great shows from this period, particularly from 1990 and 1991, I am only familiar with the famous March 23, 1990 show, in which Branford Marsalis joined them for the second half of the show - with no prior rehearsal - and proceeded to make them all (especially Jerry) sound 20 years younger. That show is available as Wake Up To Find Out: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY. Common live songs: Playin' in the Band, Truckin', Eyes of the World, Corrina, Way to Go Home, Lazy River Road, Liberty, Drums/Space.

Jerry died in Aug. 1995, after their most nightmarish and (arguably) uninspired tour. Fin