Completely Conspicuous 499: Live/Dead

Completely Conspicuous

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead's first official live album, Live/Dead.

Show notes:

- Recorded at CompCon world HQ

- Live/Dead was released in 1969

- There weren't a lot of live albums released then

- The band did it as a make-good to the label after some poor-selling albums

- Recorded at the Fillmore West

- Songs evolved in live setting

- At the time, it was unusual to play extended jams

- Music fans really focused on albums back in the heyday of vinyl

- The first thing you hear on the album is 23-minute "Dark Star"

- Now for the tuning section

- Phil: Have listened to 250-300 Dead bootlegs

- Bootleg tape trading was huge in the '70s and '80s

- Archive.org, Nugs.net have tons of Dead shows

- On a lot of '70s-era live albums, bands went in and re-recorded songs or parts of songs

- Some bands perfectly recreate their studio sound

- "Death Don't Have No Mercy" is reminiscent of Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You"

- When this album came out, FM radio was in a very experimental place

- Some stations would play album sides or even entire records

- "St. Stephen" is a standout

- Jay: I've been impressed so far

- Phil explains the Dead to his kids

- Seeing a dude doing coke off his dashboard at a Dead show

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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.