The Dead's peak years...

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I only had the chance to see The Grateful Dead play a handful of times between '92 and Jerry's death as well as a Jerry Garcia Band show. I wish I could have caught them the year I was born (1974) but I wouldn't have remembered it anyway- lol. Seeing them live at all was magic, but I agree, the 70s had some monumental shows. I think the band had played long enough that they literally didn't have to think about it, it just happened.

1971
1973
1974
1977

The Dead's style, and the evolution of that style, aren't neatly compartmentalized into calendar years. Late '72 and early '73 sound more alike than early '73 and late '73. Late '69 and early '70 have much in common, more so than early '69 and late '69. I like the early Godchaux period, late '71 thru spring '72. Also, the crest of the LIVE/DEAD material, late '68 thru spring '69. This movie belongs to a period that is a fairly lame period for most of the classic 60s acts who continued into the 1970s. The Dead's music of 1974 holds up very well against stuff being excreted by the ex-Beatles, the Stones, Donovan (!) and many others that year. It brought many people a lot of pleasure, and still does. The Dead's traveling "Wall Of Sound" was a bombastic concept that compares nicely with the Who's original QUADROPHENIA album - very impressive, but dangerously self-important.

While my fav years are the 70's already mentioned by other posters (i'm particularly partial to 72, 73, 74, 77) I don't think you should rule out summer 89 and spring 1990--there were some damn good shows in both those runs.

You're bound to get idears if you go thinkin' about stuff-- Tom Joad

The peak years 1972, 1977.

I think it's tough to say that their "peak" years were between 68 and 74, when arguably their greatest tour of all time was in the Spring of '77. That being said, I do agree that some of the greatest dead years were 1971 and 1972. Pigpen's death was a gigantic loss for them, as they lost pretty much all of their blues material, and when numbers like "Turn on your lovelight" were revived years later, they really weren't the same at all. We should also not forget 1980 as a year. Listen to "Dead Set" and tell me that version of Jack Straw is not the greatest you've ever heard. 1989-1990 were also ridiculous years and "Without A Net" in my opinion shows that Brent was really the greatest keyboarder the Dead ever had. Keith was great in 1977 but for most of the 70's he was so stoned out of his mind he could barely keep time. I could talk Grateful Dead all day I love it. The greatest thing about them is that everyone will have a different opinion on this and everyone will be correct. The dead did so many things on stage it really comes down to personal preference.

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