Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
Helpful Score: 1
Phil Lesh, one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, sets out a fine line to walk in this memoir how much of his life is best told in the history of the band, and how much of the band's history is told in the life of its bass player and other members? (And, in a unique subset, how much of the band is "Jerry Garcia" and how much is the other members?)
In my opinion, he finds the proper balance between the various sides of the topic in "Searching for the Sound: My Life With the Grateful Dead". One cannot understand the history of the band without knowing the background of the members, and one cannot get a feel for Phil Lesh without understanding the band.
I do not consider myself a Deadhead; while I enjoy the tunes and jams that I've heard, I've never attended one of their concerts nor purchased any of their music. However, the Grateful Dead IS a unique piece of America, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone fan or not would be interested in learning about how a group of individuals join together to form a unique sound.
Aside: I listened to the book on CD, read by the author. Lesh's decision was not an egotistical decision which the readership might wish he had not made rather, his calm tones enhance his selection of words, and each disk concludes with a short snippet from one of the Dead's songs.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.
In my opinion, he finds the proper balance between the various sides of the topic in "Searching for the Sound: My Life With the Grateful Dead". One cannot understand the history of the band without knowing the background of the members, and one cannot get a feel for Phil Lesh without understanding the band.
I do not consider myself a Deadhead; while I enjoy the tunes and jams that I've heard, I've never attended one of their concerts nor purchased any of their music. However, the Grateful Dead IS a unique piece of America, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone fan or not would be interested in learning about how a group of individuals join together to form a unique sound.
Aside: I listened to the book on CD, read by the author. Lesh's decision was not an egotistical decision which the readership might wish he had not made rather, his calm tones enhance his selection of words, and each disk concludes with a short snippet from one of the Dead's songs.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.
