GRATEFUL DEAD - "ESTIMATED PROPHET" (reaction)

[@bobschenkel7921]

Now you've done it. You have opened what may be the deepest, widest, weirdest rabbit hole in music. By the way, Bob Weir was the lead voice on Estimated Prophet, this song was Bob's Rock Star moment at shows. He would stride up to the very front of the stage during the power chords towards the end, and the other band members would just smile at each other over Bob's antics. Also, at most shows, this song segued into another song called Eyes Of The World, we would put down Estimated/Eyes on out set lists..Jerry's voice is a little huskier and raspier, he was a HEAVY smoker. All the musicians in the Grateful Dead are, or were, very talented, and could play almost any style you would want to hear. Folk, country, gospel, acid rock, psychedelia, pure instrumentation, dare I say even disco, reggae, funk, jazz, modal, anything. You may know at least one line they created in their song Truckin', "What a long, strange trip it's been." Other more accessible tunes are: U.S. Blues, Deal, One More Saturday Night, Sugar Magnolia/Sunshine Daydream, Touch Of Grey, Shakedown Street, Cumberland Blues, Friend Of The Devil and Ripple. In the deep end of the pool you get into Dark Star, Cryptical Envelopment, Cream Puff War, Alice D. Millionaire, Birdsong, the list goes on..... Enjoy the ride, and welcome aboard the bus.

[@SightAfterDark]

Amazing. Glad to be on the Dead train! Thanks for watching Bob!

[@treebeard8475]

@@SightAfterDark check out sugaree, loser, franklins tower, man smart women smarter. I only listen to live versions never studio an older dead head told me this I never looked back 🤙

[@billbeliakoff5589]

@@SightAfterDark To Dead Heads you're "on the bus" the phrase comes from a line in their song "( That's it for) The Other One"

[@tommathews3964]

@@billbeliakoff5589 Which came from Kesey's bus "Further" used in the Acid Tests and The Merry Prankster's travels across America.

[@billbeliakoff5589]

@@tommathews3964 It could've been Kesey's Further bus, but Bobby sings "With crazy Neal at the wheel". If Neal Cassidy drove Further or not, I don't know, but I'm going to guess he did.

[@NebulizerChi]

The first GD tune that ever made me go "Whoa --what was that...?" --and less than a year later, my travels to see them had taken me to the Great Smoky Mountains, the top of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, both sides of the Rockies, and on foot across the Golden Gate Bridge and back

[@SightAfterDark]

Amazing!

[@robertvien5693]

Dudes... these guys are scary good... but scary good

[@StephenKozak]

This is one of the few "rock" songs written in 7/8 time. (Another is the instrumental section of Pink Floyd's "Money."). Though the measure repeats twice before the phrase completes so it's really in 14/8 time.

[@SightAfterDark]

Interesting! Didn't pick up on that

[@StephenKozak]

I misspoke about "Money." The main part is in 7/8 and the instrumental is in 4/4...

[@robertgrosek1124]

@@SightAfterDark Michael palmisano does a great reaction and breakdown of a classic live version of this song. lol for his video. It’s really good

[@robertjewell9727]

Bob Weir is singing lead on this track and it's his song. Grateful Dead has such an arc of different styles. My personal favorite is called UNBROKEN CHAIN, a song written and sung by vass player Phil Lesh, but I've lots of favorites. But they do spacey music, an Americana style, and definitely groove oriented style like this song that sometimes leans reggae. Glad you chose this one and thanks Steven

[@SightAfterDark]

Awesome! Thanks for watching Robert!

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Unbroken chain is a must.

[@Lchristyhastings]

Here's an inconceivable concept: The Dead never printed lyrics, or explained song meanings. They wanted listeners to interpret for themselves. So no worries about "meaning". With the Dead, you make your own.

[@SightAfterDark]

Love that!

[@doriwiljt]

I love this song. So many great live versions of this.

[@timcardona9962]

The "trippiness" usually occurs during their live jams but the songs themselves are just beautiful expressions of traditional American music forms. Even Donald Fagen covered a Dead song haha

[@SightAfterDark]

Ahh makes sense. Thanks Tim!

[@keef7224]

This song is from the album Terrapin Station, which came out during the late 70’s disco era and which was the first time the Dead worked with a true top-notch record producer (Keith Olsen). He really polished their sound and brought in strings, a vocal choir, and even ace studio pros like Tom Scott, who plays sax on this track. Disco Dead was not for everyone, but it shows how versatile they were. Btw, Burning Spear did a great reggae cover of this tune for the Dead tribute album called Deadicated.

[@HyzersGR]

They cover every genre. If you like disco or funk they have a bunch of those songs. Same goes with country, rock, folk, reggae, jazz, etc. Also, the person singing this one was Bob Weir, the rhythm guitar player. Check out Althea next.

[@SightAfterDark]

Got it. Thanks!

[@treebeard8475]

It’s gotta be a live version! :) seeing Phil and friends soon

[@johncagnettajr344]

That wasn’t Jerry singing. It is Bob Wier. Like the Beatles the Dead had multiple song writers and hence multiple singers. They’re more diverse than the casual listener may realize. In one album a listener may here blues, rock, acid rock, bluegrass, rocknroll, and jazz as well.

[@SightAfterDark]

Hell yeah. Thanks John!

[@michaelwebster8389]

That was Bob Weir singing - and it's his song. Jerry usually sings the songs he's written. There were some great live versions of this,. The dead were really strange. Jerry in particular responded very early to reggae, and started bringing it into American music very early.

[@michaelwebster8389]

Nobody expects the Grateful Dead (- riff on the Monty Python Spanish Inquisition)...

[@stretchgilbert]

That's Bob Weir singing lead. This is from their Terrapin Station album. This album and Shakedown Street were Late 70s albums that had more radio friendly songs. And several songs did get lots of radio play from both these albums. ✌

[@treebeard8475]

We gotta get the live versions the recognition they need!

[@petergiffes1239]

They can be trippy, but they can be quite straight ahead rock, country flavor, etc.

[@SightAfterDark]

Love the versatility!

[@cazgerald9471]

Bob Weir is singing lead. It's his song, with some help from John Barlow on the lyrics. Jerry's voice is prominent on side 2 of the album ("Terrapin Station").

[@kevincosta9228]

The musical breadth of the Grateful Dead catalog is huge. They incorporated more genres of music into their work than any other band I can think of, except possibly the Beatles. Beyond that though, love 'em or hate 'em, they're a musical icon.

[@SightAfterDark]

Absolutely! Definitely Iconic. Thanks for watching Kevin!

[@ganazby]

They managed to make that 7/8 rhythm very groovy.

[@SightAfterDark]

Hell yeah they did!

[@robertjewell9727]

What a great song. Looking forward to your reaction.

[@SightAfterDark]

Hope you enjoy Robert!

[@donaldcarey114]

Dead fans are known as Deadheads.A line from Don Henley song "The boys of summer" goes ":Out on the road today I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac"

[@neonpark1874]

That was NOT Garcia singing lead (although he does sing lead on many songs). That was Bob Weir singing lead on this one.

[@SightAfterDark]

Gotcha

[@rhlang11]

The Dead were democratic and all the band's members were equals. Garcia shined a little brighter.

[@treebeard8475]

@@rhlang11 he never wanted to be called the leader as a humble man he was.

[@HyzersGR]

This is a great song for new GD listeners. The title track of this album “Terrapin Station” is epic.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks!

[@HyzersGR]

@@SightAfterDark The best stuff is live but if you're new to the Dead it's good to hear a few great studio tracks before diving in the deep end. Studio "Althea" is always a great track to introduce people. "Shakedown Street" "Friend of the Devil" etc

[@neonpark1874]

@@HyzersGR I'll add Unbroken Chain to the list.

[@treebeard8475]

@@HyzersGR loser, deal, sugaree, Mississippi half step oh my god I could make a massive list but it would just end up being every song 🤙

[@timflim4149]

if you're looking for the trippy psychedelic sounds of the sixties, search for album, Two From The Vault and songs, That's It For The Other One, New Potato Caboose or The Eleven. Lots of great live tracks to choose from their Europe '72 and Without A Net releases.

[@SightAfterDark]

Awesome! Thanks Tim!

[@treebeard8475]

Hey Poky Way is a jam but it’s probably not similarly psychedelic lol

[@ZionForman]

I think maybe this song is about an individual who believes he's a prophet, and so he goes around telling everybody that he's going to be receiving some sort of message or prophecy , it's coming any day just you wait and see he says, and probably everybody is wise to him and so they roll their eyes or shrug and call him crazy,

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks:)!

[@genesiegel2884]

Yeah, The Dead funk up 7/8 with a little reggae twist. Yeah, how ‘bout that? Love it. So great you posted this. Thank you!

[@ColdAndBrew]

Awesome reaction! Would love some more live dead reactions! Dancin in the streets from Cornell 77 is a fun one!

[@SightAfterDark]

Thats all up to our patrons! Thanks so much!

[@joehynes5452]

Check out Shakedown Street for some Disco Dead

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks Joe!

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

The band Burning Spear does a rock solid reggae version of this.

[@SightAfterDark]

Nice!

[@tommathews3964]

This is Bob Weir on vocals here. It's his song. You had two distinct "teams" of songwriters in The Dead, Garcia and Robert Hunter, along with Bob Weir and John Perry Barlow, as far as original stuff goes (with the occasional lyrics/vocals by Phil Lesh). The Dead did TONS of old traditional covers as well. Check out "Peggy-O", you won't believe it's the same band, and that's the mystique for me! They kept us guessing! You will eventually graduate into the Jerry Garcia Band stuff, and Weir's solo stuff, and that's altogether different from The Dead. So much to look forward to! I love seeing young folks climbing on the bus!! Here's a fine "Peggy-O" from 94.....Jerry would be gone in little more than a year, and the world will never be the same! kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIargoN3Zc92jMk

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks Tom!

[@billbeliakoff5589]

You should check out their acoustic work.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks Bill!

[@robertallen6593]

LOVE THA DEAD!!

[@michaelosy462]

Ladies and Gentlemen, the rabbit hole has been opened

[@SightAfterDark]

haha apparently

[@Soundhypno]

Bet yous would like Attics of My Life! another unique Dead tune.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks Kevin!

[@Soundhypno]

@@SightAfterDark fyi choirs do A Capella covers of this tune! best to hear Deads version first!

[@katahdincloud9803]

4:23 sweetsounds

[@FolkSongsEtAl]

That was Bob Weir singing one of his own songs. I think Garcia was the first of them, and quite a pioneer of bringing in reggae style sounds into American music.

[@SightAfterDark]

Love it!

[@wagstaff6135]

I love the album Terrapin Station, whence this comes -- but it's kind of like their "prog album". It's not really typical of most of their output. Still, they do have a very large variety over the decades, so "typical" is not something you're going to find in just one or three songs, anyway.

[@SightAfterDark]

Gotcha. Thanks for watching!

[@plantfeeder6677]

I don't know, Sampson and Delilah and Dancing in the Streets was pretty mainstream. Sunrise is nice but not progressive. About the only two songs you could call prog is this one and Terrapin Station(although that takes up almost the entire side B.)

[@wagstaff6135]

@@plantfeeder6677 Genres, subgenres.... sure you could argue. Side B and this song is plenty enough to my mind. Prog bands had hit singles (mainstream) too. But I am not really concerned with a final pigeonhole -- kinda besides my point, anyway.

[@plantfeeder6677]

@@wagstaff6135 ya I agree...just never thought of the GD as a prog band. Which was kinda your point. Their diversity is what has always left me with no catagory to put them in and is what I've always liked about them. They are just Grateful Dead albums. You can't pigeonhole them that's for sure, which was my point.

[@bc2752]

Song rocks! She is way out of your level! Yep!

[@timcardona9962]

Interesting choice - Have you guys heard the Dead before?

[@SightAfterDark]

Not really!

[@timcardona9962]

@@Lchristyhastings yeah its interesting to start with a Bobby tune, especially one that doesnt really sound like any other GD tune haha

[@ChicoEscuela]

@@SightAfterDark have fun with it and it's okay to review studio recordings. Check out Shakedown Street, album version,

[@johnharkness7114]

Half (at least) of the people at Dead concerts were off their ass stoned on pot and/or tripping on acid, and inevitably this lead to some characters coming up to the band and explaining to them their wild visions...this is an attempt to capture one of those voices.

[@imincontrol8794]

Great pick for the Dead. I have a love hate relationship with all the artists I adore. And Bob pisses me off...often. But this tune and this recording is fantastic.

[@SightAfterDark]

Indeed!

[@carlos_herrera]

Fun fact from the available evidence it seems that Jerry Garcia may have invented the onboard effects Loop

[@SightAfterDark]

Amazing!

[@robertberger5639]

You certainly made an interesting pick for your first foray into the Grateful Dead. As others have said, the band ventured into all genres of music, including the 'spacy' psychedelic stuff. But since you like this tune - as do I - check out this cover by Burning Spear. I love it. I hope you will as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKbIpaR3dth1jZo

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks Robert! Appreciate you!

[@parshakamarsh]

robert berger that's a great recommendation. I've heard quite a bit of Burning Spear but never that cover before. Nice choice 👍🏼

[@davidbreitkopf3603]

Who said studio versions are bad? This is awesome.

[@wilecatrexy]

Thats was Bob singing this song

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks!

[@peteralba5674]

They would play a song, then mingle around, smoking and drinking, then a song, for 2 hours. After a break they would play 2 hours straight, as the songs would just flow into the next song. for another 2 hours. On the floor people would dance. And they carried squirt guns filled w liquid LSD. I never had a squirt, but it kinda felt like I did

[@SightAfterDark]

Nice, thanks Peter!

[@richardcarroll2500]

This song was about a fan at a concert who was tripping his balls off and thought he was a God .

[@SightAfterDark]

☺️

[@joelliebler5690]

A bit funky in a mellow way!

[@shakypuddin9857]

Need to do terrapin station the song from this album also called terrapin station.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks!

[@jeffdorsey6537]

Hey guys you hit the bullseye on this one. Great choice.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks for watching Jeff!

[@damonhines8187]

Not a Deadhead, so this one is new to me. Always liked 'Willing', 'Casey Jones', and the later 'Touch of Grey', for example. A friend of mine once played me a jam tape with Bob Weir of the Dead and Canada's Bruce Cockburn (pron. Co-burn lolol.... check out 'If I Had a Rocket Launcher', 'They Call It Democracy', 'Wondering Where the Lions Are' for starters) just ripping on guitars with my pal Greg and co-vocalist Linda from their hardcore band Politikill Inkorrect (sp?😂)"singing"...Bruce's daughter was a fan of P.I., and somehow this led to the meeting/thumb-it summit 👍👃😘🎶 I crack myself up. 😂 If you're lucky the pieces won't reassemble anytime soon and correspondence such as this will take a blessed big break. G'day, Sifa And Dan

[@SightAfterDark]

Sounds awesome! Thanks for the info Damon!

[@damonhines8187]

@@SightAfterDark 👍😉 S'awright. Bonus poinks😂: What's the Hanna-Barbera reference?

[@bobschenkel7921]

Just FYI, Willin' was a Little Feat song, written and sung by Lowell George. It was actually the reason he left Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, to form Little Feat.

[@damonhines8187]

@@bobschenkel7921 oops, always thought it was the Dead. Great song, great artist, Lowell George, thanks for setting me straight. Mostly knew it from friends covering it.

[@plantfeeder6677]

@@damonhines8187 Linda Ronstadt sang it at Lowell George's memorial concert. It's here on yewtube. She covered four of his songs my favorite being Roll 'em Easy.

[@framemartgallery4619]

Hopefully she finally "reacts" and digs it

[@SightAfterDark]

If you don’t think we’re reacting, you clearly aren’t watching the whole video

[@patrickbrown3135]

Not a Wah Wah pedal- Mutron lll envelope filter

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks

[@leesenger3094]

There were no horns. All Jerry's and Bob's guitar with effects!

[@SightAfterDark]

Wow!

[@leesenger3094]

@@SightAfterDark I was fortunate enough to have all lot of my “misspent” youth on the road cross country going to Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band shows. In the beginning, I was always looking for the horn players until I realized it was all Jerry and Bobs’ guitar work with effects. I did however manage to catch them once with Branford Marsalis. They did an Eyes Of The World that absolutely magical!!! You must check it out! Love and Light! Stay Grateful Friends!!!

[@rhlang11]

try wharf rat or black peter...

[@maruad7577]

This is a good version but Burning Spear's cover is a couple of levels better.

[@SightAfterDark]

Sounds cool. Thanks!

[@plantfeeder6677]

If you like reggae.

[@bc2752]

Bob was singing ass

[@rmhanseniii]

You can tell they weren’t in to it…which makes sense because the studio version is not too good

[@SightAfterDark]

We've heard the Grateful Dead is all about the live shows

[@rmhanseniii]

Sight After Dark … That’s exactly right, from a 35 year Deadhead I could tell you the the “Europe ‘72” live album is a good place to start…”Jack Straw”, “China Car Sunflower into I Know You Rider” are the best of the best for them