In Print

The Deadhead's Taping Compendium Volume 1:
An In-Depth Guide to the Music of the Grateful Dead on Tape, 1959-1974
By Michael M. Getz and John R. Dwork
Henry Holt and Co.
598 pages; $50 hardcover, $29.95 softcover
Of all the rituals and ceremony that surrounded the Grateful Dead's nearly 30-year history, perhaps the group's most enduring legacy is the legions of fans who religiously taped its concerts. In fact, to satisfy fan demand, the band formally instituted a "tapers' section" at its concerts in 1984.
This guide, an attempt to document each tape, complete with reviews, is a wealth of information for Deadheads. The book begins with some general information regarding the history of taping the Dead.
Interviews with official tape archivist Dick Latvala (of "Dick's Picks" fame) and sound man Owsley "Bear" Stanley (the same Owsley who perfected the early doses of LSD that fueled some of these tapes) are interesting, but it's the interviews with fans that are the most entertaining. The lengths these folks went to in order to record the Dead were sometimes astonishing, and the stories surrounding these escapades make for fascinating reading.
According to the authors, the taping phenomenon increased exponentially during the Dead's brief "retirement" from touring in 1975. During this period, tapes began to trade hands at an accelerated rate in an effort to satisfy the Deadheads' thirst for shows. Since Jerry Garcia's death in 1995 and the subsequent breakup of the band, tape trading is once again on the rise, aided by the advent of the Internet as a way to connect fans from all over the world.
The reviews included in the book are an excellent and exhaustive exploration of the changes the Dead's music went through over the years.
Tapes are graded on sound quality, and peak performances of many songs are listed in the "Resources" section in the back of the book. The authors even go so far as to try to map out the genealogy of each tape in their possession, tracking the original recording source of each tape all the way through to when it played on their tape decks.
Additionally, many contributors have written reviews that help keep the writing and opinions varied.
The book is so comprehensive that the earliest tape reviewed is of a trumpet performance by a then 19-year-old Phil Lesh in April 1959 with the College of San Mateo Jazz Band. Other pre-Dead tapes showcase the early folk leanings of Garcia and first wife Sara in a 1963 recording. Also included is a 1964 tape of Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, the aggregation of musicians (Garcia, Bob Weir, and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan) who would soon change their name to the Warlocks and ultimately become the Grateful Dead.
Along the way, the reader will encounter extensive write-ups on the Dead's performances during Ken Kesey's Acid Tests of the mid-'60s, the legendary Fillmore East shows of February 1970 (now available directly from Grateful Dead Merchandising as "Dick's Picks IV"), and the transcendent gig at Oregon's Old Renaissance Fairgrounds in August 1972‹a show that co-author John R. Dwork calls "the most important show of their career."
Since the Dead appeared at many milestone events of the '60s, this guide sometimes reads like a chapter in the history of the period.
For the uninitiated, the nearly 600 pages in this book may seem excessive. But, by ending in 1974, the authors still have more than 20 years of Dead shows that would fill at least another two volumes.
For Deadheads, though, and especially tape collectors, this book is a treasure and serves as a wonderful complement to the bible of Dead show guides, the fan-generated "DeadBase." Casual readers may be less impressed, but for hardcore fans, this book is an invaluable resource.