Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Grateful Dead is 1000% the most overrated band of all time. Bunch of burned out stoners that would ramble on for hours live and somehow the smelly hippy people thought it was awesome.

I've tried at least two dozen times to get "it" and failed.

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

The Dead are really about song writing and melody. They're also more importantly a studio band not a live band. Or were, I mean. Both their fans and critics generally misunderstand them.

If you don't like Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, to each his own, but those records are in no way directionless endless blues jams.

They've always hung their hats on good songs.