The Grateful Dead

This captures the GD in their prime and in front of a loving, hometown audience in 1974. There is concert footage mixed with some trippy animation, but the real time capsule is all the footage of their fans that is included. You get to see a lot of Deadheads grooving to the music, goofing around, dancing, and verbally expressing themselves. Apparently the post-production and editing were very expensive, time-consuming, and stressful. I don't think it was a big hit in the movie theatres, but like most of their music, it stands the test of time very well. There would be plenty more live GD videos in the years to come. The same group of shows also led to their "Steal Your Face" live album and its famous logo.

... and I LOVE this movie! Now expanded on DVD, this movie is even better, and I consider it among the very best in rock'n'roll films. Why? First, the performances are good and capture The Dead at one of it's many creative peaks. But the real show is the audience, those lovable Deadheads who party as if it's their last night on earth. The movie shows the whole scene, warts and all, from tech support to the band backstage.

Now, I don't get into that scene, never did. We can have a good time without trendy chemical amusement aid. But it was a part of the peak years of stadium tours of the 1970s. The music was the catalyst and the fan support unwavering. That was the strength and weakness of the rock'n'roll scene of that time, which, while not void of trouble, certainly led to the tragedies of the late '70s that changed seating arrangements at large venues. Frankly, I have stopped going to large concerts where the cattle mentality is capable of violence. In contrast, I found my sole Grateful Dead show to be among the most peaceable shows I've ever attended, a testament to the music-loving crowd that has faithfully followed the band for generations.

That love of music comes through loud and clear on "The Grateful Dead Movie". Some of the fierce loyalties make for superior humor and the sole connection for many of the attendees at these shows.

At times there are sad undertones: some fans are getting their acts together and just spending some quality time with friends while others seem completely lost to the scene. For some show goers, drugs were the catalyst. But that's the way it was back then; and perhaps always will be. Some people are drawn into whatever their hearts desire and choose to make that obsession their lives, which is fine when that endeavor is a creation of their own, when it's not, that's a real loss. A groupie for life is not the life worth living, folks. Still, the love is mutual: the film clearly shows the love the band has for it's listeners. At one point, a shirtless fan is escorted onstage and presents drummer Bill Kreutzmann with a custom "California Dead" license plate. The two shake hands, and the plate is proudly displayed on the bass drum.

The first disc is the original movie with the usual DVD options. I chose to have subtitles activated to enjoy the lyrics as I watched the film. There are also several audio options for the listener to enjoy, which will really impress the true fans. The second disc features eleven songs left on the cutting floor the first time around and for me, it was overkill, truly for the fan. Still, I listened to two of them. Several documentaries round out the package, and I found them all truly fascinating, particularly the "Making of the Animation" sequence. The Photo Gallery was for the discriminating fan, I found endless shots of production papers overkill, though some of Garcia's notes fascinating. Which leads me to the only downer of the package: the documentaries don't interview the entire band. It's great to see Donna Jean again reminiscing with buddy Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir's spacey recollections have a melancholic tone, but where's the rest? Phil Lesh has GREAT insight of the band and life philosophies in general, and he's missed. So is Mickey Hart. But the real cavity is Garcia's absence.

His recollections would have truly been the ace in the hole, particularly since "The Grateful Dead Movie" was his baby. The interviewees do the best they can to speak Garcia's piece but it's no substitute. Further, I'm sure if not for his death this project would have been hastened, as unrest hit The Grateful Dead camp upon Garcia's premature parting.

Part rock show, part documentary, 100% fun, "The Grateful Dead" movie will satisfy lifelong fans and surely convert new ones, as this is as close to the real thing as one can get, since the real thing is now a part of history. One thing is for sure, if you're not a fan, you may find yourself at least liking it by the end of the film.

After all, if you weren't interested, you wouldn't have picked it up, would you?

Cheers: The definitive time capsule of The Grateful Dead in it's prime; fantastic animated opener; great song selection; photo gallery has great shots of the band in the early days; great natural spontaneity; good flow from band to fan and back; records the dynamics of a rock show; good for any rock'n'roll listener, fan or not; multiple audio choices; very humorous; witty; engaging; lovingly produced; superb DVD interactivity.

Caveats: May be overindulgent for some; bass is muddy on some songs; some fans will disturb viewers; drug use aplenty; not all of the band is interviewed; photo gallery indulgent in places; NOT FOR KIDS!!! Let it roll!!!

I saw the Grateful Dead twice in my life, so I'm not a true Deadhead by Deadhead standards (ie: I didn't follow them around the USA) although I fell in love with "Morning Dew" at 15 years of age (I'm now 53) and listened to "Live In Europe" endlessly in my college years. The first time I saw them was in 1969 in a free concert and then several years later in a paid concert. This DVD represents in my mind, the free concert years. The free concert was totally free in mind and body. It lasted over four hours. Little children and mama's were on stage along with the musicians. The atmosphere was extremely laid back. I have attempted to describe the experience to friends and youth who never experienced a free concert of that magnitude. Thankfully, "The Movie" came along. Now I can only direct those who are inquisitive enough and wise enough to understand the ramifications of such a period in time to this DVD. One more comment: Garcia was an artist in more than musical terms as illustrated by his graphical and fine art and film sense of the movie. He produced this masterpiece. Enough said. You decide for yourself after viewing. One thing that I will state is this: You will never see anything similar in your entire lifetime. This is a totally unique experience of awesome creative magnitude. -Big Wave Dave

They were the ONLY ones who did what they did.

I think for people that don't know anything about The Grateful Dead (or but think they do, but their entire knowledge of the band consists of the songs they've heard on Classic Rock Radio, and that stoner kid in one of their classes) the hardest thing for them to grasp as they're watching this movie is that it Actually Happened.

This is not Fiction, and it ain't CGI. All of those speakers are not Props. None of those people are Extras.

The best part is - none of it was Planned. NOBODY in the Organization ever would have thought in 1965 that someday they would be as big as they were in 1974. At the time this movie was filmed, they (the Organization) were wildly out of control, and were needing to just STOP.

These concerts were the last ones before the band took a badly needed year and a half hiatus from touring. When they came back to the road in 1976, they assumed the form they would pretty much take until 1995. Up to October, 1974 - they were in a continual state of flux. This film documents one of their peaks, even it it is on the down-side of it.

What people who still believe in Corporate Media (older-type folks) and MTV (kids - most of whom believe the world MTV portrays is real) will never understand is that The Grateful Dead were so much bigger than all of that.

Forget 'Casey Jones' (although the version on this film is Smokin') and 'Touch of Grey'. If you want a peak into the most important social phenomenon of the Twentieth Century - this is a good place to start.

I've tailored this review towards people who don't know anything about the Dead, because those that do have already seen this film. I've watched this movie at least two hundred times since 1990. It hasn't bored me yet. It's a different film each time I watch it - much like the concerts I went to.

Last advice - if you don't have a good sound system, don't bother. Wait until you can watch the movie at your buddy's house with the killer system. Watching this movie with the sound coming out of a TV set speaker is like having sex without a partner.

TURN IT ON, TURN IT UP - and most importantly - RELAX! The worst thing that can happen to you is that two hours and twenty minutes after you push Play is that you'll like the Grateful Dead! (Imagine what your friends will think!) PEACE!

Thanks to this film, we can pretend we are a curious "eye" at a Dead gig in 1974. We are free to reflect on many different types of concert goers, without other people's comments or moral judges. Here are common teens and youngsters, healthy, curious, seekers, and cracked. Of course, we'll also meet some hippies, a member of Hells Angels, policemen and sausage selling guys. All this alongside the bass show of Phil Lesh and the fragile voice and glittering guitar sounds of Jerry Garcia.

Of course, much of the repertoire is standards without any deeper meaning. With Dead, it's under the improvised parts that we'll experience something bigger, something that no other rock band I know of has been close to. To illustrate this, the "eye" chooses to enjoy free dance, a visual description of Dead's greatness. The rhythm section with Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann (drums) and Bob Weir (rhythm guitar) should be enough. But on top of that, Garcia's lead guitar takes us away from everyday life on trips that doesn't feel repetitive.

44 years afterwards, the music still inspires. Sadly, the time atmosphere can't be regained in real life - we are committed to the future. However, like the song "Eyes of the World", we can still look back at the seventies, at a time that sure was no utopia but a time where people still were searching for something new and original.