Behind the album: The Grateful Dead’s “Workingman’s Dead” and how it helped create a template for their upcoming studio albums

The Grateful Dead have earned a reputation as an unparalleled live band. Their studio production is also respected from start to finish. But the general consensus among fans and critics is a 1-2 punch in 1970 the worker died and American beauty represents a high point in their studio.

What’s cool about The worker died is how much of a departure from what the band had done previously. They pretty much ended up setting the mold for the rest of their career, at least their studio albums. Here’s a look back at how the dead took root and never came back.

Account of the Dead

When the ’60s gave way to the ’70s, the Grateful Dead had already established themselves as one of the leading stars of the psychedelic rock movement. The trouble with that was twofold. The first: It didn’t make them big album sellers. Two: The movement was on its way out, as many rock bands and artists returned to the basic musical genres from which rock ‘n’ roll first emerged.

These were not the only issues facing the Dead. Legal troubles stemming from a recent drug bust hung over their heads. They were financially crippled after their manager (who happened to be drummer Mickey Hart’s father) absconded with a large chunk of their money.

All of these factors combined to convince them that they needed to change their ways. Instead of trying to make their studio album capture the spirit of their live shows, they were going to create a song-oriented album. This would also help them minimize costs in the studio.

To that end, they rehearsed and perfected the material, much of it written by lead singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia and his lyricist collaborator Robert Hunter, before they set out to record it. It was a process that would rein in some of the improvisation they had often done in the past.

Another major change: The band incorporated vocal harmonies to an extent they had never tried before. Influenced by the example of Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Dead discovered that their vocal blend was also powerful. Even the album title Worker’s Deadhinted at a return to simpler music, as he was counting on the band recently playing the country classic “Workingman’s Blues” in concert.

Music Revisited Working blues

The gentle interplay between the acoustic guitar of the opening track “Uncle John’s Band” is instantly transformative for listeners, and sets the tone for the rich pleasures to come. The song’s message is to step back from turbulent times, with the music acting as a balm and unifying element. When the band goes without instrumental accompaniment to sing the chorus, this point is gently but unmistakably pushed home.

At the other end of the album is “Casey Jones,” which allows the band to acknowledge their outlaw and self-destructive ways. But it does so in a way that, thanks to the music’s cool but controlled movement, feels rather benign and gentle.

Between these two songs, which gave the band the first radio success of their career, there are six expertly written and meticulously played tracks that affect a variety of moods and textures. “High Time” gives Garcia a mournful vocal presentation, while “Dire Wolf” finds those shimmering harmonies trying to charm the Grim Reaper to prevent him from doing his duty.

“New Speedway Boogie” with its memorable opening line (Please don’t dominate rap music, Jackk) brings a touch of shimmering R& B to the proceedings, even as Hunter’s lyrics offer great cosmic wisdom. Throughout the entire recording, the band seems completely comfortable in their instrumental alchemy. They’ve proven that they are just as capable of delivering musical nuance within a defined structure as they are of embarking on imaginative jamming journeys.

They didn’t return until six months after the release of this album American Beautyriding the Americana groove they stumbled into to even more vertiginous heights. The Grateful Dead were forced to spin when they made that The worker diedbut ended up forming a path that they would continue on for most of their recording careers.