WORKINGMAN'S DEAD POLL

first thought is uncle john's band for sure but fuck there are so many good songs on this album, could easily be a half-dozen others

Man, what is this bonus track stuff. That ain't Workingman's.

Voted "Cumberland Blues", but really I'm thinking of the version on Europe '72.

yea there's no need to poll the bonus stuff

Don't know the extra stuff, but I agree with the people above--it's not really the album, is it? Anyway, "Uncle John's Band."

yeah whatever i thought someone might've chimed in baout the bonus shit on the cd reissue.

Been listening to this a lot on the car lately. i <3 all this dead tunes

SORRY I OFFENDED YOU MARKS

anyway might vote casey

This album has such perfect opening and closing numbers. I went with the dark horse, though.

I never did like "Casey Jones" -- it felt like it was about 9:38 instead of 4:38. I'm voting "Cumberland Blues."

Going with Dire Wolf since it may be the best pure country song they ever did.

agreed. the whole first side is amazing

Great driving record, no doubt about that.

"Casey Jones" -- it felt like it was about 9:38 instead of 4:38

Funny, I was about to say the same thing about Black Peter. I had the cassette, and now I'm stunned to see it's only 5:43.

New Speedway Boogie, narrowly over Uncle John's Band and Cumberland Blues.

This, American Beauty and best of all the Garcia solo record from that era are all tremendous.

cumberland blues or new speedway boogie

basically a perfect album though.

"Uncle John's Band". I feel like "American Beauty" was a much better album in the same style though.

cumberland blues or new speedway boogie

^ this but also easy wind. went with new speedway boogie cuz when i think of this record the "i spent a little time on the mountaiiiiiin" line always comes to mind

radio promo gets the lolvote

easy wind yesssssss

should've voted that. overlooked burner

Uncle John's Band. Took the easy way out.

high time

"Cause I'm a stone jack baller and my heart is true."

I voted for "Easy Wind" because it's as close as the band comes to liftoff on this album. The drumming is excellent too, not so different from some of the songs on Rolling Thunder. Pigpen's vocal works too, nice and crude. The live version on the rerelease is just ok (cymbals?) until the solo, when it erupts.

High Time by a length or two.

Man, this is between Black Peter and Dire Wolf for me.

I underrated Black Peter for years, I think because I was impatient for it to get where it was going, but when it gets there - "Sun coming up and then/the sun...going...down/Shine through my window/and my friends they come around" - is one of my favorite Grateful Dead moments.

But then so is "six hundred POUNDS OF SIN!"

Hmmmmm...

not a bad song here imo. hard to say that about any of their others studio or live.

not a bad song here imo.

That's how I feel about the Garcia solo album from 1972. That fits right in with American Beauty and Workingman's Dead.

Speedway

xp:

the first side on Garcia is ultra classic but all in all it's no Ace

still haven't heard any garcia solo

i love Garcia front to back (probably more than any dead studio album), but have never heard Ace. i should track that down.

I prefer Garcia to Ace, but they're both a great part of the whole early-70s dead thing. The one I haven't heard is Kingfish.

Sorry, I meant Rolling Thunder.

I haven't heard Ace either. If it's anywhere near as good as Garcia I'll be very happy.

Garcia has a bunch of songs that were Dead concert staples:
Deal
Sugaree
Birdsong
To Lay Me Down
The Wheel

never heard Ace but the first side on Garcia is ultra classic is otm all day.

B-b-but Side 2 has The Wheel!

the wheel is def A++, i'm having a hard time remembering the rest of side 2

it's got all the fun spacey stuff with synths.

also, "to lay me down" is quite lovely.

Both sides of Garcia are A+ imo.

Ace is also chock full of songs that became Dead staples. Bobby songs, mind you.

Garcia has a bunch of songs that were Dead concert staples:
Deal
Sugaree
Birdsong
To Lay Me Down
The Wheel

There's no reason to omit "Loser" when listing the classics from this album!

Ace is like the best first-set ever if jerry was too stoned to make it out to the stage that night

Casey Jones, cause it was the most memorable show of their sets when I saw them.

Er, most memorable song from the sets.

Now I don't know but I been told
in the heat of the sun a man died of cold
Do we keep on coming or stand and wait
with the sun so dark and the hour so late?

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Ace is like the best first-set ever if jerry was too stoned to make it out to the stage that night

If you take out Saturday Night, Ace is like most first-sets ever.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

only 1 lolvote

That's kind of cool.
The poll results mimic the original order of the tracks.

okay, "Easy Wind" is effin incredible .. I think I voted "Black Peter" originally... but I was wrong.

"Easy Wind" is insane .. that bridge/jam is insane ... It's everything I love about the West Coast guitar scene ... "Easy Wind" studio jam might be better than even anything by Quicksilver! OK, no, nothing tops "The Fool" by Quicksilver. BUt "easy Wind" jam is probably next!!! hell yes

i beg of you, please, don't murder me

Wanted to poll this but it's been done! Speedway and Easy Wind for me but yeah, everything on here is wonderful. Garcia and Ace also rule (I like Barlow!). This era of Garcia/Hunter is as good as songwriting gets.

Poll got it right. Godly harmonies

Not a bad song on the album. Hard to pick a favorite, but probably High Time, Dire Wolf or Black Peter.