The DavidCyrus Blog of Wisdom

Evolution of Grateful Dead Song Preferences

I really started enjoying the Grateful Dead in the mid-80's, and I have my brother to thank for the introduction. At the time, the only song I can remember recognizing was Truckin'. After attending a concert in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena, I also fell in love with The Women are Smarter. I prepared for the concert by dressing in my best costume of what, I thought, protrayed hippie flair. Walking into the arena, I saw that the Deadheads surrounding me were from a completely different class and mindset; while my attire was an occasional and humorous imitation, there's was a home-grown and honest membership badge.

As CD's gained popularity in the late 80's, I started listening to the studio albums. Consequently,China Cat Sunflower represented the psychedelica of the Dead to me, with Scarlet Begonias in a close 2nd place. I also spent some time listening to "American Beauty", and learning to play Ripple on the piano. Shortly thereafter, Sugar Magnolia also drew my attention, and after Purchasing their Terrapin Station album, that suite then moved into my favorites position.

I then purchased an album titled, "Gray Folded", which is a compilation of literally dozens of Dark Star jam sessions from different shows. The movie "Rain Man began with a cover of Aiko, Aiko, and when I learned that it was a staple of the Dead, I enjoyed the cover even more (but I guess that doesn't really count as a true Dead song favorite). Susanne Vega's cover of Cassidy also drew the coveted number one postion for a while.

During a show at Red Rock's, CO, I was sitting outside the seating areas, on the side of a hill, near a small bonfire, when the Dead themselves asked the crowd to please extinguish the Fire on the Mountain. This became a favorite after my relatives expressed their exasperation from repeated listenings, during a visit.

My son was sick with a week's worth of flu once, and as he forced himself to move from couch to bed and back again, I could here him muttering, Playin' in the Band, which was enough to get me to consider that my favorite for a while. A similar event, when my other son admired the lyrics of Franklin's Tower, propelled that song (with, of course, the preceding Help is On the Way/Slipknot!) into the favorite spot.