An album made by legendary rock group Grateful Dead was dubbed the “most unreasonable project” by record label executives.
The suits were not best pleased with the laxadaisical manner of the Jerry Garcia-featuring band’s recording process. While they had hoped to shift the band’s second album in February 1968, the label heads were clearly not expecting much to come from the band. A letter dated to December 1967 saw music industry executive Joseph B. Smith write to The Dead’s at-the-time manager, Danny Rifkin. Smith, who would become president of Warner Bros. in 1972, made it clear he and the other executives were unhappy with Grateful Dead’s lack of output, and that they were intending to put Anthem of the Sun on store shelves in February 1968. The album would actually be released in July 1968, and just two years later, the band were recording two albums at once to cover costs accrued by extensive touring and previously delayed records.
Smith made it clear he believed Grateful Dead had “many problems” but insisted the group would be ready to record the album at the start of 1968. His full letter, found below, would seemingly fall on deaf ears. The band would use five different studios to record Anthem of the Sun, which released five months later than Smith had been hoping.
Smith would claim the group had been unprofessional and that The Dead were viewed as an “undesirable” group across Los Angeles. While the band would work their way through a series of studios, they did eventually get the album out. Smith’s full letter can be found below.
“Dave Hassinger is back from his New York trip and the tapes are being sent from New York. We plan to release the LP in February and must have all art work in her almost immediately. There is no time for delays or indecision as we must have the package on the market as quickly as possible.
“The recording in New York turned out to be very difficult. Lack of preparation, direction and cooperation from the very beginning have made this album the most unreasonable project with which we have ever involved ourselves.
“Your group has many problems, it would appear, and I would believe that Hassinger has no further interest or desire to work with them under conditions similar to this last fiasco. It’s apparent that nobody in your organization has enough influence over Phil Lesh to evoke anything resembling normal behaviour. You are now branded as an undesirable group in almost every recording studio in Los Angeles. I haven’t got all the New York reports in as yet, but the guys ran through engineers like a steamroller.
“It all adds up to a lack of professionalism. The Grateful Dead is not one of the top acts in the business as yet. With their attitudes and their inability to take care of business when it’s time to do so would lead us to believe that they never will be truly important. No matter how talented your group is, they’re going to have to put something of themselves into the business before they go anywhere.
“Recording dates have been firmly fixed for January 3rd and two days thereafter. We expect that you will be on hand to complete this drawn out project and get the art work going. Your artistic control is subject to reasonable restrictions and I believe that the time and expense involved along with your own freedom has been more than reasonable. Now let’s get the album out on the streets without anymore fun and games.”
