{"id":18928,"date":"2020-06-22T09:24:39","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T13:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=18928"},"modified":"2022-01-06T19:38:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T00:38:20","slug":"track-by-track-grateful-dead-workingmans-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=18928","title":{"rendered":"Track by Track: Grateful Dead – Workingman’s Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grateful Dead \u2013 Workingman\u2019s Dead<\/strong><\/p>\n

50 years old. One of my top 5 Grateful Dead has turned 50 this year (2020), and it shows no signs of wear and tear or even the dreaded curse of sounding dated. Workingman\u2019s Dead was a departure for the Grateful Dead that would have them putting the psychedelic electric fueled material and re-visiting their folk roots. This move resulted in what I consider to be one of the greatest Americana albums of all time. Why do I feel this way? Well, let me break it down song for song for y\u2019all.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Uncle John\u2019s Band<\/strong>
\nConsidered by many to be one of the most accessible Dead songs, \u201cUncle John\u2019s Band\u201d is also a song that boasts a simple yet timeless message: Love and unity through music. \u201cCome hear Uncle John\u2019s Band\u2026 come along or go alone he\u2019s come to take his children home.\u201d The philosophy of many long time Deadheads was to wander and continue this search to find yourself; find your place in this crazy world. The character of Uncle John serves as a sort of Pied Piper that is to lead the people somewhere. This is a song that I find myself wrapping myself in from time to time whenever I\u2019m feeling a bit lost. A significant song to the world if they\u2019d just let it in.<\/p>\n

High Time<\/strong>
\n\u201cHigh Time\u201d is one of the single most heart-wrenching break-up songs. Seriously. I mean, this is one of the saddest fucking songs. The traditional, early-era \u201csad ballad\u201d sound of this song is what locks in with the uber-depressing lyrics to make this song captivating song. Whenever I give this song my full attention, I can almost find myself becoming and connecting with the character in this song. We\u2019ve all experienced pain and heartache, but very few of us could put it into a song that is so moving.<\/p>\n

Dire Wolf<\/strong>
\n\u201cDire Wolf\u201d is one of my all-time favorite Dead songs. It is also one of the greatest campfire songs ever written. While I generally prefer the acoustic version of this song from their live album Reckoning, this version is quite a fun song. I have played this song around a campfire or two, and you just can\u2019t help but rock back and forth with a smile on your face. This song has all of the charm, melody, and lyrical substance to be an old-time traditional folk song, but it was written by Jerry Garcia and Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. It\u2019s not easy to create a song that sounds as old as America in it\u2019s early, western days. Excellent song.<\/p>\n

New Speedway Boogie<\/strong>
\nThis is such a badass song featuring some of Jerry Garcia\u2019s best vocal work. \u201cNew Speedway Boogie\u201d is a document of the December 6, 1969 murder of Meredith Hunter, an attendee of a free concert staged by The Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones. This event (and song) were somewhat of a symbol of the end of the \u201cpeace and love\u201d era as the world headed into the \u201870s. As dark as this song is, it\u2019s so much fun to listen to. It has this gnarly groove to it, and the guitar playing is top-notch. I love this one!<\/p>\n

New Cumberland Blues<\/strong>
\nEasily another favorite Dead song of mine. \u201cNew Cumberland Blues\u201d opens the Dead\u2019s legendary Europe \u201972 live album, and this version is every bit as energetic and fun. On this song has Garcia completely unleashes holding nothing back, and the playing over the complex but subtle rhythms of Bobby Weir creates this incredibly awesome \u201cguitar\u201d song. The vocal interplay between Garcia and Weir is so much fun. Once again, it\u2019s a song that sounds like it could\u2019ve been written back in the early 1900s documenting a character\u2019s hard ass and exhausting job working in the mine, being kept up all night by a woman who wants to do nothing but fuck, and the competition of though as to whether go back to work or, well, just stay home and screw. Great, fun song.<\/p>\n

Black Peter<\/strong>
\nWith \u201cBlack Peter,\u201d we go from the fun of \u201cNew Cumberland Blues\u201d to the lowest of low moods. This song documents the death of someone called \u201cBlack Peter.\u201d In the first \u00be of the song, the lyrics are sung in the first person of a man who I assume is dying of the plague. Once again, the song seems to have a \u201ctraditional\u201d vibe to it, which leads me to associate it with the early 1900s. This song is so captivating to me because it\u2019s sung from the standpoint of someone dying. Is this what it\u2019s like to look death in the eye but to document it word for word? Garcia\u2019s voice is so painfully beautiful that he manages to channel the character and relay the story in a way that is gutwrenching. Not an uplifting song by any means but a beautifully painful and dark song.<\/p>\n

Easy Wind<\/strong>
\n\u201cEasy Wind\u201d is a gnarly, groove-driven song that, yet again, features a character working \u201cchipping rocks for the great highway.\u201d This is also the only song to feature Ron \u201cPigpen\u201d McKernan on lead vocals and harmonica. This song is so full of grit, and I can just about feel the oppressive foot of \u201cthe man\u201d on my back. I can feel the heat, smell the dust, and feel the sweat running down my back, and I wish for better times. This song is fucking fantastic and is also a sadly overlooked song in the Dead\u2019s catalog.<\/p>\n

Casey Jones<\/strong>
\nHands down one of the most iconic Grateful Dead songs. Even if you don\u2019t like the Grateful Dead or know very little about them, you have heard this song. Casey Jones is a character that has been featured in many songs in Americana music dating as far back as 1909 in a song called \u201cThe Ballad of Casey Jones.\u201d According to history, Jonathan Luther “Casey” Jones from Jackson, Tennessee, was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi. Knowing this now, even with the song\u2019s someone humorous lyrics, it tells a dark story of a real-life tragedy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In a nutshell, Workingman\u2019s Dead is an outstandingly remarkable album that has stood the test of time since its 1970 release. The songs are so perfectly crafted and executed. The songs also have such a classic, old-time vibe to them that some people to this day think that these songs are traditional songs that were just re-arranged by the Dead. Dead lyricist Robert Hunter was able to craft songs that possessed such a traditional vibe by tapping into his knowledge and passion for old-time America.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my opinion, Workingman\u2019s Dead is an album that I feel everyone should listen to at least once. You don\u2019t have to be a Grateful Dead fan, and you don\u2019t have to fear having to subscribe to a lifetime of being a Deadhead. If you appreciate roots-based Americana music, great guitar playing, and songs performed and written as good if not better than many of their peers, this is the album for you. Put aside any preconceived notions you may have about the Grateful Dead and dive into this album. You may find your new favorite album.<\/strong><\/p>\n