Dead to the Core: An Almanack of the Grateful Dead

By Eric Wybenga

Book Overview

The Grateful Dead have left us a musical bounty of thirty years and thousands of shows. Now Dead to the Core: An Almanack of the Grateful Dead takes Deadheads through the seasons and years of the Dead's dazzling array of music, with lavish treatment of those "bumper crop" eras from which their most succulent songs and shows and shows can be harvested. It is part reference, part critical companion to the best the Dead have to offer, a work liberally stocked with trivia, lore, humor, and arcana. No Head "farmer" wanting to reap the dankest of the Dead kind will want to be without this essential resource.

Includes...

Show-a-day seasonal calendars
Detailed show reviews from key years
Musical and lyrical analyses of the Dead's core tunes
Annotated lists of hot versions of key tunes
Capsule reviews of shows from throughout the Dead's career
Personal anecdotes and observations from Deadheads
A guide to the best Dead-related sites on the Internet
In-depth essays on the Dead's prime eras

...And much, much more, including the Dead-Dylan connection, the Dead and Garcia's place in the musical universe, the Deadhead pantheon, tour lore...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385316836
• ISBN13: 9780385316835
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: Delta
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable reading and lots of good lists

It's Eric's personal opinions of dead shows, now somewhat dated. But it's fun reading if you're a deadhead. There's some "must have" shows he describes, lots of anecdotes and "oh by the ways" . He's got a lot of enthusiasm and it's clear he has the true religion. It's a good book to pick up if you find it remaindered, or used. I bought it new and it's dog eared, highlighted, and back broken. Obviously I liked it and kept it around.

so many roads

This book sneaks up on you. Is it definitive? No. Is it all-encompassing? No. Is it authoritative. No. It is, however, a unique love letter to a unique organization. I fell in love with this book little by little, often while having a beer or ten. A feeling of old friends reminiscing about shows gone by creeps over me until I can stand no more, put the book down, and head for the tapes. And ultimately that is the reason I recommend this book so highly. It'll make you want to taste the dead again for the first time. Or something like that... Cheers

Absolute must for Dead tapers!!!

This book is an essential for both new and long-time dead tape collectors. On the newbie side, it is the best reference I have seen to this point discussing must have shows and best song versions to collect. On the long-time side, it opens up subjective discussions as to what exactly is the best show of a particular year or version of a song. At times you can't agree more with Mr. Wybenga and at others you think, how can he say that? In fact I'm about to purchase another because the first one is falling apart because I have opened it one too many times.

An in depth exploration of the Dead and Head psyche

One of the best GD books I have had the opportunity to read. Eric Wybenga is deadhead 1st and foremost, then a writer. Writes from a familiar perspective and delves beneath the surface of Dead original and cover tunes. He successfully captures the true exhilaration and excitement experienced by "heads" about the meaning/magic that comes accross through the music and atmosphere of a Dead Show. Not merely history, Eric's work inspires the reader to rediscover some great music and memories hidden in his/her personal "vault". A very unique and well executed deviation from the "norm" established by most other books about the Dead.

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL READING FOR DEAD HEADS

Of all the authorized and unauthorized Dead tomes, this one is the absolute best I've come across. Concert sets, trivia, history and so much more. A LOT MORE! This is an absolute must for those who weren't around to witness the classic shows or for those of us whose memories that aren't what they used to be...