"Long Strange Trip" - A Film About The Grateful Dead

[NotAnotherHobby]

I find the dead an amazing acoustic band and an ok electric band. I will look for this film.

There's one called 'the other one' about bob weir which is worthwhile.

Yeah, I saw that one. Great documentary.

I'm definitely not a dead-head either, but that was great to watch.

Another documentary that I thought was outstanding - and by a band I can't stand musically - was the one that was on NetFlix not too long ago that focused on Twisted Sister. Highly recommend watching that one, even if you're not a fan (like me).

 

[Steve Ouimette]

Bold confession: despite numerous attempts, I have never, ever fallen under the spell of the Dead. I have listened to every album more than once (American Beauty and Workingman's Dead are OK), heard countless live recordings, and even saw them once in 1982... nada. Zilch. Never grabbed me. Not my cuppa. Kinda like how I feel about Les Mis.

But: Long Strange Trip, a documentary about the band from director Amir Bar-Lev is a tremendous multi-part film that does the band proud. If any American rock group deserves a four-hour documentary, it's the Dead. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime in six parts, and I have watched three so far. It's such a compelling saga that, frankly, no other act - including ones who I LOVE far more than I will ever love Jerry and his band of Merry Pranksters - can compare.

I do not know about eventual home release or streaming on other providers. But if your are a fan - and, perhaps even more so, if you are NOT a fan - you owe it to yourself to check this out.

It's almost like you wrote the post in my head. I wholeheartedly concur!

 

[william tele]

Bold confession: despite numerous attempts, I have never, ever fallen under the spell of the Dead. I have listened to every album more than once (American Beauty and Workingman's Dead are OK), heard countless live recordings, and even saw them once in 1982... nada. Zilch. Never grabbed me. Not my cuppa. Kinda like how I feel about Les Mis.

But: Long Strange Trip, a documentary about the band from director Amir Bar-Lev is a tremendous multi-part film that does the band proud. If any American rock group deserves a four-hour documentary, it's the Dead. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime in six parts, and I have watched three so far. It's such a compelling saga that, frankly, no other act - including ones who I LOVE far more than I will ever love Jerry and his band of Merry Pranksters - can compare.

I do not know about eventual home release or streaming on other providers. But if your are a fan - and, perhaps even more so, if you are NOT a fan - you owe it to yourself to check this out.

Bless you for alerting me to this production. I have never seen the Dead in person but, I swear...the beauty and intent of the band comes through the music almost as well recorded as it did in person. I get it...I always have...almost always.

I shunned them at the outset because the name had me thinking they were going down the road of Black Sabbath type metal. When I finally got to hear them I was hooked.

Guitars not always perfectly tuned...harmonies sometimes pitchy...but a product that was still perfect to my ear and the rhythms that were unique to me. I'm on number 4 of the 6 right now...thanks again!

 

[adamsappel]

Although fascinated by what was there, I was ultimately disappointed with it. Only six episodes long, the documentary spends so much time on the early years of the band that there's huge chunks of history completely left out: the couple of years the band played without Mickey Hart due to his father's mismanagement of the band, no mention of Godcheaux's death, Brent Mydland only mentioned once because he died, no Vince Welnick or Bruce Hornsby coverage, no Tapers, most of the studio albums are ignored, no Robert Hunter, one of Jerry's girlfriends is prominent but not his wives (I dislike when documentaries pretend the people who declined to collaborate don't even exist). It's 1973! Now it's 1987! Now Jerry's dead! I thought each episode was really well made, but they neglected to tell another four episodes worth of story.

 

[Endless Mike]

Yea it's really well done. It's very Jerry-heavy towards the end, which is fine, but I really enjoyed the first parts that focused more on the formation of the band and all the members.

They really had an interesting set of circumstances that formed them into what they eventually became and I think you take any one piece out and they may have never been the phenomenon they were.

Free on Amazon Prime. My only real complaint is that I wished it was even longer, which is silly considering it's 4 hours long.

Four hours long, and still Phil said in an interview that it didn't tell the entire story. He said it did a great job for what it was, but was incomplete.

 

[Endless Mike]

Bold confession: despite numerous attempts, I have never, ever fallen under the spell of the Dead. I have listened to every album more than once (American Beauty and Workingman's Dead are OK), heard countless live recordings, and even saw them once in 1982... nada. Zilch. Never grabbed me. Not my cuppa. Kinda like how I feel about Les Mis.

But: Long Strange Trip, a documentary about the band from director Amir Bar-Lev is a tremendous multi-part film that does the band proud. If any American rock group deserves a four-hour documentary, it's the Dead. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime in six parts, and I have watched three so far. It's such a compelling saga that, frankly, no other act - including ones who I LOVE far more than I will ever love Jerry and his band of Merry Pranksters - can compare.

I do not know about eventual home release or streaming on other providers. But if your are a fan - and, perhaps even more so, if you are NOT a fan - you owe it to yourself to check this out.

Their story is highly unusual and unlikely. As much as I like Zappa and Rush, those stories aren't even remotely as compelling.

 

[bsman]

Grateful Dead keyboard players = Spinal Tap drummers...

image removed

 

[Endless Mike]

Although fascinated by what was there, I was ultimately disappointed with it. Only six episodes long, the documentary spends so much time on the early years of the band that there's huge chunks of history completely left out: the couple of years the band played without Mickey Hart due to his father's mismanagement of the band, no mention of Godcheaux's death, Brent Mydland only mentioned once because he died, no Vince Welnick or Bruce Hornsby coverage, no Tapers, most of the studio albums are ignored, no Robert Hunter, one of Jerry's girlfriends is prominent but not his wives (I dislike when documentaries pretend the people who declined to collaborate don't even exist). It's 1973! Now it's 1987! Now Jerry's dead! I thought each episode was really well made, but they neglected to tell another four episodes worth of story.

I haven't finished watching it. But now I understand Phil Lesh making the statement it's incomplete.

 

[jsp737]

I was a Dead fan in the 70's when I was in high school, went to quite a few shows, but over the years, fell out of love with them. I still enjoy listening to them on occasion though.
That being said, from a historical perspective, I found the show fascinating. There were a lot of interesting little bits, including the development of dual microphones to suppress feedback, Phil's bass stack being 32' high because that's the size of the sound wave, and how The Other One has two time signatures overlaid simultaneously.
I'm pretty short attention span for most things on Netflix or Prime, but I could waste a lot of time watching programs about the history of bands like this. This one was really well done.
Another one I watched recently was "Lemmy". I'm not even remotely interested in Metal, but this was a fascinating look into the life of a guy who was one of the godfather's of the genre.
JP

 

[william tele]

I guess the real question is "to what sort of fan (or non fan) does the production appeal to?"

I don't consider myself a "fan" because I don't care about every nook and cranny of this band or any, really. I love their music and have played many of their songs. I lived at the time of their emergence from obscurity into a revolutionary cult.

It's obvious (and stated quite clearly) that the lifestyle doesn't lend itself to fending off mortality. The band was more than just music and I think that message is conveyed quite well!

I'll leave it to other, more historically anal accounts to satisfy the needs of the Grateful Dead Trivia Club...

 

[Dean James]

"I knew I should have worn more paisley."

— Neal Cassidy, 1966 ​

 

[Michael Poche]

... no Robert Hunter...

There was a segment on Hunter.

Of course, LOTS of details were omitted. Like I noted, this may be better for casual or non-fans than the converted.

 

[Mike Eskimo]

They could have done fairly lengthy docs on each one of half a dozen (or more) angles :

- The GD as cover band (huge list : http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-grateful-deads-cover-songs.html )

- And more specifically the GD as early American blues, jugband, hillbilly songbook interpreters

- The early east coast Dead phenomenon

- Bill Graham & The GD

- etc, etc...

 

[maxvintage]

count me among the people who admire the path they charted through the music biz but can't stand the music. Garcia was a fine musician with big ears but the key to the band's distinctiveness is Lesh, who I can't stand but who plays in a unique style. I just cant stand it, yeah yeah "classicAlly trained" blah blah: jut find the one, dude

 

[brookdalebill]

count me among the people who admire the path they charted through the music biz but can't stand the music. Garcia was a fine musician with big ears but the key to the band's distinctiveness is Lesh, who I can't stand but who plays in a unique style. I just cant stand it, yeah yeah "classicAlly trained" blah blah: jut find the one, dude

Amen, Phil's bass, uh, explorations bug me too.
Guess he did just fine without my support, though.

 

[WhiskeyRebellio]

Music is about conveying an emotion auditorily. and the Dead where always able to do that well. It doesn't have to be perfect to be amazing and hit somebody in the soul. I mean its cool be technically awesome with a crazy multi-meter arrangement that not everyone can play. But if it doesn't make you feel happy or sad or something other than just; "Hey, that was a cool lick. How did he do that" What is the point other than to show off? I hate to say it, but there is a reason you see chicks at a Dead/Dead and company show but not really at a Rush show......

 

[DonM]

Thanks, I'll have to check it out too. They're OK, to me, but I'm far from being a Deadhead. I've seen them twice and like Casey Jones, Uncle John's Band, Truckin, A Friend of the Devil, Ripple and a few others.

First time I saw them was here. Oh, to be young again.

 

[KyAnne]

From what I've read you probably need to be on acid to fall under that spell.

 

[adamsappel]

There was a segment on Hunter.

Of course, LOTS of details were omitted. Like I noted, this may be better for casual or non-fans than the converted.

Yeah, I meant he didn't participate. For all the screen time John Barlow had, they didn't really focus on Bobby's songs.

One thing that Phil said irks me (and I've heard similar from him before). He complained about fans jumping the fences because they "wanted to see the band for free." People don't sneak in because they don't want to spend the money, but because there weren't tickets available to buy. This is probably even more true with the 1990's audience that the documentary kind of craps on.

I was hoping to finally see some Woodstock footage. By all accounts, even themselves, they were awful.

 

[richa]

Never been to a show. Don't listen to their music much but some. Thought the documentary was interesting though. Admittedly in a somewhat "can't look away" kinda way. Used to have a boss who was a dead head in the early years. He loaned me some of his tapes to listen to. He may have been a "taper" given what I know about him but I can't say for sure. I didn't know enough about the phenomenon at the time to be more inquisitive. I actually rather enjoyed the long instrumental diversions. It's when the vocals start that I start to lose interest. The lyrics are enjoyable enough - just the actual vocals leave me behind. If nothing else the documentary will get me to go explore the music a little more again.