In the early days of the Haight-Ashbury, the Dead used to say that “every place we play is church.” If Dead shows were religious services, then DeadBase was our bible. And if every show courted devotion, then the songs were incantations, and set lists were spells—recipes and formulas that showed how the Dead’s restless experimentations could combine and recombine musical elements to invoke mystery, conjure magic, and create alchemy.
DeadBase recorded it all. While the project’s lasting achievement is a detailed performing history of the band, DeadBase is much more than just that record: part dictionary, part encyclopedia, and part statistical analysis, DeadBase is the Deadhead’s Swiss Army knife of reference works, providing a dazzling array of tools for approaching and appreciating the Dead’s achievement. - Nicholas Meriwether
For an article that describes the long tradition of DeadBase and the Rex Foundation
For a great interview about DeadBase 50 on dead.net
Robert Hunter's Eulogy at Jerry's funeral and the letter that he wrote to Garcia one year after Jerry's passing
To read how Bob and Pigpen were fired from the band in 1968
To see how Jerry spent his Thanksgiving in 1972
For a paper on the "Thanksgiving Massacre" and the controversy surrounding the access to Grateful Dead concert recordings on the Internet Archives
For DEAD & CO and Bob Weir and Wolf Bros setlists
DEADBASE 50
Continuing the tradition of providing the most complete collection of data regarding Grateful Dead concerts and recordings, both from a statistical perspective and more personal experiential recollections, DeadBase 50 is a mixed bag of a reference book (992 pages worth!). In response to the countless requests to reprint the last complete edition, this 50th anniversary edition contains a reprint of DeadBase XI plus updates to the master list (DeadBase) of Grateful Dead shows, updates to GarciaBase and WeirBase, and new sections for NedBase, Phil Lesh and Friends, The Dead, and Furthur. Along with new reviews, analysis and a brand new discography, this book also includes a number of new photos from Jay Blakesberg, Herb Greene, Bob Minkin, Rosie McGee, Susana Millman and others. Forewords were kindly provided by Dennis McNally, David Lemieux, Nicholas Meriwether, David Dodd, Blair Jackson, David Gans and Rob Koritz.
deadbase50@gmail.com
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