Legendary bands – or those with longevity – must start somewhere. It is up to the creatives at the heart of any outfit to make it work and for many, the strokes of luck come much later. Bands and artists coming close to giving up, moved by some desperation, may have in them a masterstroke which necessitates a struggle beforehand. Such is the case for Grateful Dead and their self-titled debut. Lose yourself to Reddit threads on whether “The” should precede the band’s name and then dive in, begin the long journey through their discography with a messy but monumental experience where Bob Dylan drifted in and out of focus, Jerry Garcia penned some of the finest songs out there and the band stomped on through a period of massive cultural change in the United States. Grateful Dead were at the heart of it – a part of the counterculture movement which spawned the likes of Hunter S. Thompson.
Take the first steps on a journey through the golden road then. Grateful Dead at this early stage is far more recognisable than first expected. The Golden Road has the blues rock and slight psychedelic blur of the times and it makes for a fun listening experience. There is still an overhaul needed to their sound at this point, in an understandably early phase where The Rolling Stones’ influence ran wild on just about everyone. Pieces like Beat it on Down the Line have a swinging joy. A rockabilly 1960s styling to many of the songs throughout. Grateful Dead are not playing around in the past for no reason, but the influences on their sound at this time are no different to everyone else fighting for a spot in the genre. Yet there is something so fundamentally enjoyable about Grateful Dead here, their smooth harmonica tones on Good Morning Little School Girl are an instrumental delight.
Much of their music at this stage is instrumentally dependent. Joyous guitar riffs, exceptional percussion and a mono masterclass for both ears. Psychedelics are not quite there for the band at this point and instead, their rocking ways are more in line with the regular rock of the time. No trouble there, though, it makes for great sounds in a genre bearing too much. Cold Rain and Snow feels like the standout track of this debut effort. Nothing strikes through as genre-shifting brilliance but it does not need to. What Grateful Dead proves here is they are capable musicians with a keen ear for understanding the principles of blues rock, something they would develop further down the line. A focus on the boogie-rock for this debut does well to set it apart, but there was a bigger shift yet to come.
Adapting the blues charm of Sonny Boy Williamson and Noah Lewis, the fundamental changes made to the jug genre and everything in between is a fascinating beginning. There is depth to this self-titled release which marks Grateful Dead as, at the time, a band of real interest. Garcia may not have cemented himself as lead vocalist on all these songs but Bob Weir and Ron McKernan are serviceable in their spots. Morning Dew makes for a wonderful cover, a complete overhaul of the presence felt by such a song from a band finding their place in a genre overwhelmed by quality. Great fun to be had with this one, the rip-roaring style heard on New, New Minglewood Blues lasts on. Contemporary adaptations of bluesy tracks made for a delightful listen, but there was more to come from Garcia and the gang.
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