The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics Paperback – Import, 8 May 2007

Any Dead Head would love this book, super interesting and tons of information you may not know.

Ein sehr schönes und hochinformatives Buch! Die Aufmachung wirkt locker wissenschaftlich und wirkt wie eine Reise in lang vergangene Zeiten…

Fantastico!!!! Meraviglioso!!!

The book in and of itself is good for what it is, although it was not as compelling a read as I had expected. There are some colour plates but nothing as psychedelic as I had hoped. Most pages have a cartoon-like sketch along with the lyrics and notations (many of which are long and tedious). A great reference for lyrics even though I have never felt that stoned rock stars had anything significant to say. I was curious to know what the lyrics were to incomprehensible dirges like "Whatever Happened to the Baby?" (from their third album) and now I know that they are what I had expected all along: nitrous oxide-induced gibberish. Be that as it may, my problem with this book is that about 40 pages or so were MISSING, and in their place were reprints of other pages in the same book. Unfortunately, I discovered this too late to return the book, so I threw it in the recycled paper bin. I do like The Dead but I'm not a true and DEAD-icated Deadhead so perhaps I don't need to reorder, but absolute believers will love and cherish this book. Depends on how committed you are to the band. But be aware as others have had this same problem,,, check the pages of the book as soon as you receive it to make sure they are all there and in proper sequence.

If you are a fan of the Grateful Dead, this book is a must. If you are not that familiar with the Grateful Dead, I recommend any of the following books about them to give you some background: "This is All A Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead" by Blair Jackson and David Gans; No Simple Highway: A Cultural History of the Grateful Dead by Peter Richardson; "A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead by Dennis McNally."The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, 50th Anniversary Edition" is a well organized and very attractive book. All of the original songs by the Grateful Dead are presented chronologically. The complete lyrics are provided as well as commentary about the lyrics that include: references to factors influencing the lyrics and what certain words in the lyrics refer to. The foreword to this book is written by Robert Hunter who wrote the lyrics to most of their songs.If you don't know, the Grateful Dead is the most iconic of American rock bands and one of the top earning bands in our music history. They are a true American rock band and their song lyrics typically tell a story.The approach to the book that I took is this. I would read the lyrics and commentary of three to four songs each day. Then I would sit down at my work station and play the songs I just read about with the book open so I could follow the lyrics and see how the lyrics related to the music. I found this to be a very interesting and education approach to the book. When you hear the songs and follow the written lyrics, it all makes sense and demonstrates how versatile the Grateful Dead were.Five stars for this beautifully put together book. It is a real collector's piece that should be in any library of American Rock & Roll Music.