THE GRATEFUL DEAD THE GRATEFUL DEAD WS 1689 ORIGINAL

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The album was recorded primarily at Studio A in Los Angeles in only four days. The band had wanted to record the album in their hometown of San Francisco, but no good recording studios existed in the area at the time. The group picked David Hassinger to produce because he had worked as an engineer on the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow album (the latter of which Jerry Garcia had guested on as a session musician as well as donated the album title to). Demands by Warner Bros. resulted in four of the tracks, originally longer, being cut short.Phil Lesh comments in his autobiography that "to my ear, the only track that sounds at all like we did at the time is Viola Lee Blues. ... None of us had any experience with performing for recording ... although the whole process felt a bit rushed."

The album was seen as "a big deal in San Francisco."Even though this was true, it did not see much air play on AM radio stations outside San Francisco. It would be a couple of months before free-form FM radio stations began to take shape. Warner Bros. threw the band a release party at the Fugazi Hall in North Beach. Joe Smith is noted for saying he is "proud that Warner Bros. is introducing the Grateful Dead to the world."

The Grateful Dead formed during the era when bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were dominating the airwaves. "The Beatles were why we turned from a jug band into a rock 'n' roll band," said Bob Weir. "What we saw them doing was impossibly attractive. I couldn't think of anything else more worth doing" Former folk-scene star Bob Dylan had recently put out a couple of records featuring electric instrumentation. Grateful Dead members have said that it was after attending a concert by the touring New York City band The Lovin' Spoonful that they decided to "go electric" and look for a dirtier sound. Gradually, many of the East-Coast American folk musicians, formerly luminaries of the coffee-house scene, were moving in the electric direction. It was natural for Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, each of whom had been immersed in the American folk music revival of the late 1950s and early '60s, to be open-minded toward electric guitars. But the new Dead music was also naturally different from bands like Dylan's or the Spoonful, partly because their fellow musician Phil Lesh came out of a schooled classical and electronic music background, while Pigpen was a no-nonsense deep blues lover and drummer Bill Kreutzmann had a jazz and R&B background. For comparison purposes, their first LP (The Grateful Dead, Warner Brothers, 1967), was released in the same year that Pink Floyd released The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The cover of the album American Beauty (1970), which is considered to be the Grateful Dead's studio masterpiece. In 2003, the album was ranked number 258 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.The Grateful Dead's early music (in the mid 1960s) was part of the process of establishing what "psychedelic music" was, but theirs was essentially a "street party" form of it. They developed their "psychedelic" playing as a result of meeting Ken Kesey in Palo Alto, CA and subsequently becoming the house band for the Acid Tests he staged. After the Dead relocated to the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco, their "street party" form developed out of the many psychedelic dances, open-air park events, and closed-street Haight-Ashbury block parties at which they played. The Dead were not inclined to fit their music to an established category such as pop rock, blues, folk rock, or country/western. Individual tunes within their repertoire could be identified under one of these stylistic labels, but overall their music drew on all of these genres and more, frequently melding several of them. It was doubtless with this in mind that Bill Graham said of the Grateful Dead, "They're not the best at what they do, they're the only ones that do what they do." Often (both in performance and on recording) the Dead left room for exploratory, spacey soundscapes.

Their live shows, fed by their improvisational approach to music, made the Grateful Dead different from most other touring bands. While most rock and roll bands rehearse a standard show for their tours that is replayed night after night, city after city, the Grateful Dead never did. As Garcia stated in an 1966 interview, "We don't make up our sets beforehand. We'd rather work off the tops of our heads than off a piece of paper." They maintained this operating ethic throughout their existence. For each performance, the band drew material from an active list of a hundred or so songs.Due to the band's varied song selection and the improvisational nature of their playing, no two Grateful Dead concerts were exactly the same.

VISUAL GRADING:

     AT RECORDMART-165 WE USE GOLDMINE (MAGAZINE) STANDARDS.ALBUMS ARE VIEWED UNDER THREE FORMS OF LIGHTING; NATURAL (DIRECT SUNLIGHT),FLORESCENT AND DIFFUSED LIGHT.RECORDS ARE INSPECTED FOR SCRATCHES, ABRASIONS, SLEEVE WEAR ,WARPING AND LUSTER.OUR GRADING IS CONSERVATIVE AS WE NEITHER WANT TO WASTE OUR TIME NOR DISAPPOINT YOU.SPECIFIC QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THE STATE OF THE ALBUM ARE WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED.WE DO NOT LISTEN TO THE RECORDS AND FOR THE MOST PART ,HAVE NOT SINCE THEY WERE ISSUED.

GRADING STANDARDS

Near Mint (NM or M-)

A nearly perfect record. Many dealers won't give a grade higher than this implying (perhaps correctly) that no record is ever truly perfect. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling. An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects. No cut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like. Basically, an LP in near mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap. Near Mint is the highest price listed in all Goldmine price guides. Anything that exceeds this grade, in the opinion of both buyer and seller, is worth significantly more than the highest Goldmine book value.

Very Good Plus (VG+)

Generally worth 50 percent of the Near Mint value. A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount. In general, if not for a couple things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. All but the most mint-crazy collectors will find a Very Good Plus record highly acceptable.

Very Good (VG)

Generally worth 25 percent of Near Mint value. Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, only two or three of them. Goldmine price guides with more than one price will list Very Good as the lowest price. This, not the Near Mint price, should be your guide when determining how much a record is worth, as that is the price a dealer will normally pay you for a Near Mint record.

Good (G), Good Plus (G+)

Generally worth 10-15 percent of the Near Mint value. Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear (on a styrene record, the groove will be starting to turn white). A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the object. It is a common item, you'll probably find another copy in better shape eventually. Pass it up. But, if it's something you have been seeking for years, and the price is right, get it...but keep looking to upgrade.

Poor (P), Fair (F)

Generally worth 0-5 percent of the Near Mint price. The record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams and heavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover barely keeps the LP inside it. Inner sleeves are fully seam split, crinkled, and written upon. Except for impossibly rare records otherwise unattainable, records in this condition should be bought or sold for no more than a few cents each.

THIS RECORD

 RECORD/VINYL IS IN NM(-) SHAPE ,THE JACKET IS IN NM SHAPE .SHRINKWRAP IS TAUGHT. SPINE AND JACKET ROBUST AND LP ITSELF HAS GREAT SHEEN. WE JUDGE THIS RECORD AS A VERY SOLID (NM-).THERE IS NO RINGWARE OR YELLOWING.ALL IS CRISP AND CLEAN .THERE ARE "DINGS" ON OPENING CORNERS (WHERE RECORD IS REMOVED) ON A SCALE OF 1-10 WE JUDGE THESE AS A 3.

 HAPPY BIDDING

-NO SPINEWARE or RINGWARE

-NO SPLIT SEAMS

-LABEL IS INTACT AND CONTAINS NO MARKINGS OR WEAR WHATSOEVER

-NO MOLD OR GENERAL WATER DAMAGE

-NO SCUFFS OR MARRING OF VINYL

-NO BARCODE OR RIAA LABELING

-NO CUT OUTS OR DRILL HOLES

THE RECORD WILL SHIP IN A STURDY CARDBOARD MAILER WITH FOAM PADDING SO AS TO ARRIVE IN THE SHAPE IT IS SHIPPED OUT IN.RECORD IS REMOVED FROM JACKET AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITTING.

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Payment Must Be Received Within 5 Days After Auction Close

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INVOICE SENT WITHIN 24 HOURS OF AUCTIONS CLOSE.PLEASE DO NOT MAKE PAYMENT UNTIL INVOICE IS RECEIVED.

SHIPPING

USA: I can send this LP to you by Media Mail for $4.00,or Priority Mail which will be calculated after the auction using your zip code. Most of my customers prefer Media Mail because it is very cheap. Please keep in mind that it's cheap because it is SLOW. 1st class is NOT an option because I pack my inventory amply. Cardboard record mailer,cardboard stiffeners inside (2) and foam padding.The weight on these usually add up to a least a pound which falls outside of the USPS 1st  class limit. I do not make a profit from mailing nor seek to , so bid with confidence.

CANADA: If you are in Canada, I can send this LP to you by 1st Class Airmail for $7.00.

MEXICO: If you are in Mexico, I can send this LP to you by 1st Class Airmail for $11.00.

EVERYWHERE ELSE: Due to questionable customs problems in Italy we will no longer ship there. If you are not in the USA, Canada, or Mexico,  STANDARD INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING (AIR MAIL) IS $14.50 .I can send this LP to you by PRIORITY for $29.50. International customers please contact before  completion of transaction (ie: Invoice Sent) so as to discuss shipping requirements or requests. THE ADDITIONAL COST FOR PRIORITY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS FOR PROTECTION OF BUYER AND SELLER ALIKE. TRACKING AND CONFIRMATION ARE PROVIDED WITH THIS SERVICE. IN THE EVENT ITEM CLOSES FOR MORE THAN $150(USD) THERE IS AN AUTOMATIC SHIPPING REDUCTION OF 25%.