The Grateful Dead's - 'Wall Of Sound'

For more on the Dead's awesome '70s sound system see: www.audiojunkie...

[@tdrewke]

I was the electrical engineer working for the Dead's East Coast promoter, John Scher. The Dead's crew built this Wall of Sound generally with the help of a large union crew, and us, the local promoter's staff. I "supported" the construction process for several years, on the East Coast shows, and heard the sound live. I think it's something that has been widely misunderstood. ---First of all it was, and I agree with Bob Weir on this one, wretched excess. That is to say, it wasn't wrong to try this noble experiment and it did sound good when it was all working, but my God, it needed to stay at home, not tour. --Second, it was the kind of thing that although it was a great idea and brilliant to try, there needed to be an adult somewhere who needed to say, "OK, we tried it and it costs more than it's worth." It took the Dead's non-existent decision making hierarchy way too long to eventually face the fact that it was absurd to drag an experiment like this, around with you like an albatross. --Third, everyone in concert sound today with phased arrays and similar advances should from time to time take a moment and honor what these crazy-assed kids did to move concert sound forward about twenty years. The Bear and the rest of those nutcases, like Dan Healey (love ya Dan), proved that large venue concert sound didn't have to sound like crap. In that, they were innovators like Jack Weissberg (Woodstock). Last but not least, the phase-cancelling dual mic experiment seemed like a worthwhile idea on paper, but in the real world, the phase cancellation made the voices into a bad joke, and the public never should have heard that, um, error. --I did love the way Phil's bass sounded through that wall, but vocals not so much...

[@unacat09]

+Thom Drewke Phil's bass sure was delightful through the Wall of Sound. But this is coming from a real Phil freak.

[@evilrob58]

+Thom Drewke When did they stop using it?

[@jimhannon]

+Thom Drewke Great analysis and agreed. I slept out at the box office for a week at The New Haven Coliseum and was the first one in line and bought the first five rows center stage tickets for the Dead in 1976 and turned my high school buddies onto the seats. We were disappointed because the sound went right over our heads. I started working gigs for CSC from the 1980's on and worked a lot of east coast coast Dead shows during the 1980's and standing center stage inside the barricade was then best place to be. MUCH BETTER. I must've worked some gigs with ya, bro'. ROCK ON.

[@rik061154]

"There needed to be an adult somewhere who needed to say, OK, we tried it and it costs more than it's worth." Too funny. "take a minute to honor what these crazy-assed kids did to move concert sound ahead about twenty years"...This, too. :-)

[@jazzmanchgo]

Great story, man!

[@clarkewi]

That was the peak of the band. Everything was firing on all cylanders. Amazing era.

[@CrimsonJam]

drugs were good

[@vladdrakul7851]

That's funny as I look at late 1972 to early 75 (ie pre Blues for Allah) as their first musical trough. Their first disappointing LP after their very first in 1967 was the live 'Steal your Face' from 1974. Timid, samey and hyped. Nothing like the explosive creativity of 1968 to 1971 under a HEALTHY Pig Pen pushing Acid Blues or the rejuvenated Dead returning with genius Jazz Rock late 75 to Jerry's Stroke in 1979 from which the band never regained their vigor, as Phil and Bill put it.

[@clarkewi]

@@vladdrakul7851 Were you there? Because I was. The peak was '73 with Kieth and Donna. For my money. "Mars Hotel". I saw them at Universal Amphitheater and Hollywood Bowl and they were firing. However, I wish Mickey could have been drumming with Bill as although the sound was clean, it lacked the power of Mickey's addition.

[@monkface]

"Lunch break" riiiightttt...

[@NolalanD]

yeah...."that left two hours for (you thought he might say 'sleep'...nah)" ..."we partied for two hours"

[@ZooomaCW]

So you think they didn't eat like regular human beings, especially when doing work???

[@tompoynton]

Cocaine is one of the major food groups

[@johnnyribcage1]

Man those goddamn out of phase tiny little condenser vocal mics sounded like shit. Really detract from the shows of that era. I can listen past it, but it takes some effort, which sucks because the band was on fire from 73-74.

[@pipeandslippersman]

the lesh! lover of nutty sounds... the only guy who would consider strapping an old tube video camera to his alembic bass coz it makes a nice 'buzz'. the way he's fiddling with his controls trying to get more out is just mad! and as for his actual playing...no-one comes close. whaddaguy!

[@nataliezementbeisser1492]

Hahaha amazing situation hahaha I laughed so hard

[@stevengoldman9328]

The wall of sound was actually fantastic in concert.UNbelievable to look at. I blame it for much of my loss of hearing today. Never too many Grateful Dead Shows! RIP Jerry

[@stevengoldman9328]

I was at that show as well. Totally amazing. The mid range Bose drivers were ridiculous. It allowed them to be both loud and clear. Perfect sound. It demolished my hearing over time. My hearing was sacrificed to the Gods. I do not regret it one bit. Their is nothing. like a good old Grateful Dead concert. Party on my fellow Dead Head! Jerry lives in the music.......

[@aaaaaaaaardvark]

Agreed. My first Dead concert was Syracuse in Nov 73 with the Wall of Sound. I was astounded at how good it sounded. The opening notes of Tennessee Jed were amazing. They didn't use it to sound loud - they used it to sound GOOD. It spoiled me, and stood as my favorite Dead show that I ever saw.

[@garyhenderson1717]

aaaaaaaaardvark dude I'm from Syracuse I got this show old school taper

[@gasfr]

i love all these moronic comments about how there is nothing NOW like there was then in music bla bla something that people have been saying since the beginning of time. it's always THEIR generation and time that had better music and everything these days is shit. what a coincidence. the music never stopped. every period of time that people were saying that (which is EVERY period of time), you can look back and find good music

[@scotthilton6495]

I FELT this system at UCSB in May 1974. They didn't even really blast it until the second set....some guy kept yelling "turn it up".....so they did and the Phil bombs would vibrate the ground and your bones. It was incredible.....but they seemed to hold back it's FULL CAPACITY until just the right time. Once in a lifetime experience!

[@thunderwontdalightningwill1062]

Yup, the Just Exactly Perfect Brothers Band, they wuz known as.. (as per Bobby one fine evening) That sound system may have been a nightmare at times, but the sound could be so crystalline, so quiet, and so damn perfect that you could hear everything the band played. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium was a night I remember for that incredibly complete concert sound that The Wall could produce, and it wasn't loud at all.. just freekin' amaze'n. I left that place all dazed in a brand new way.

[@markbreeland6836]

I too, was at that show. We were back at least 150 feet on a big chunk of turf on peyote and cheap wine. The sound was clear and balanced. Occasionally the wind would blow the sound around which just added to the effect.

[@joeguy6351]

Can anyone explain the physics behind the out of phase concept and the standing bass wave at 3:00

[@24Korova]

I wanna bring this back the good times of music

[@malbuff]

I love the guy trying to tune the piano while Phil is twenty feet away crunching those chords on his bass. "Oh, well, I'm gettin' paid by the hour..."

[@battyroy666]

***** That last second they show him I swear he's shooting a dirty look around at Phil. But I like your version!

[@sambac2053]

Tuners are paid by the job , not by the hour

[@malbuff]

No union scale? That bites.

[@sambac2053]

Not really - top tuners are the ones who get make 160k a year , and the rate for concert tuning is really high . It 's a great gig for those who have the temperment

[@paulmegna210]

holy shit man. good gig? f'n great gig.

[@drmarshall19]

Man I loved going to Dead shows. The Wall of Sound was amazing. So many good times...

[@Sandoz53]

A little bit of incite into the famous 'Wall of Sound'!! I like how Bill Kreutzmann referred to it a carrying around a "herd of elephants"!! Phil showing of his Alembic bass is pretty cool too!

[@A_New_Yorker_Lost_In_Florida]

☺️😜✌️💙 this, I needed ...."he still has an uncontrollable urge to throw things" I miss my good ole grateful family! hey y'all out there.... I still have random hugs for u!

[@wolfspider8665]

I love, love, love, love Donna Jean Godchaux!!!!!

[@jeffreyday2414]

I'm assuming Phil's bass weighs close to 60 pounds. Based on the strap and its fur coat.

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

He discusses it in this great interview kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2KoqnukgN-bjpY

[@ffffffvgggggggjyds]

Awesome

[@Magnetron33]

Like a giant stereo. The clearest cleanest sound I ever heard. The low end shook the ground.

[@jom.6181]

it was specifically not stereo, one of the motivations behind building the wall was to overcome stereo, which they found "inherently deceitful"

[@rdrioane]

I first heard the wall in Kyzar stadium. There they employed delay towers on about the 50 yard line. Must have used tape because it was long before digital to get the feed to match up. Waylon Jennings, NRPS and the Dead. I was really high on blotter. I called it God's own stereo.

[@rhmayer1]

I was there. Kezar Stadium, '75. NRPS opened. Waylon Jennning's first outdoor rock concert performance. One of my favorite Dead shows (of many). We brought grocery bags of roses that we harvested from the neighborhood. People let us up to the front. We damn near covered the stage in roses. The wall of sound, with the JBL towers and the stacks of Macintosh 2300 power amps gave the Dead the well-earned reputation of having the best sound system of any rock band in the history of rock and roll. To this day I don't think anyone has had a better sound system. The wall sounded even better inside; at Winterland in '74 it was like the whole back wall of the auditorium was the sound system - to the roof and across, just one huge wall of speakers, with the radial array in the middle. Kezar had a smaller (but still huge) radial array on one side for the keyboards. What a clean sound. The band were like ants standing before it.

[@georgewells6597]

Waylon nprs and dead at one show? Those are in my top 5 artists lol

[@chookin1]

All that power and then put so much garbage music through it. Worst. Band . Ever.

[@speedspeed121]

I like when bass players talk about the different sounds and effects the use on their instruments. :)

[@1234DaveG]

Not the best at what they do. The only ones who do what they do God Bless The Grateful Dead

[@pekalec]

Nicely done....loved the shot of moi (left side, beard, glasses 1:50 to 1:59) pushing the center cluster out of the truck..... More images of the WOS on my photo website; look on rpechner Richie

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

Nothing screams SCIENCE like Steve Parish

[@jwinslow5661]

I hear Steve Parish on SiriusXM all of the time. Was surprised he didn't look like Tommy Chong. Good stories!

[@musicandcoffee2853]

I got to experience that wall many times, pure magic ⚡️💀🌹

[@dannyadamson5580]

I was lucky enough to hear the wall a couple of times It really was a different sound Even if you were sitting a long way from the stage the sound was loud and balanced nothing quite like it .

[@sireel]

RIP my genius cousin Owsley. Thanks for introducing me to music!

[@ftlpope]

When I saw them in 74 they used it but it was not loud and surely the quality was the point not the volume.

[@Patrick_Roach]

@riderpoet because the grateful dead had better drugs than todays musicians do

[@aviduser1961]

I don't know if she wants to or is able to, but it sure would be great to see Donna perform with the band.

[@venniey]

@riderpoet WHY? Well, the the Grateful Dead is the most awesome music, straight from the muse. Total shame it couldn't go on live forever. But.....Their music will never stop. They will always be blissed to, danced to, loved to, sung to...enjoyed and embraced forever. Loved those boys! R.I.P. Owsley. I remember you showing up at Millbrook, with your two lady friends with "something" for the "guinea pigs". Sleep in the stars.

[@knuckle47]

When I first saw this setup, needless to say, I was flabbergasted 😮. It was a long time ago but I’m guessing RFK stadium in DC? Then several shows afterward. I still have some amazing photos from back them

[@MichaelHansenFUN]

donna off key? never heard of it!

[@oOShutts97]

sounded okay to me

[@grizmileham7029]

Lol

[@michaelxz1305]

She's the absolute worst at auto tune

[@TheDudeMinds89]

What ended up happening with the Wall of Sound? It should be in the Smithsonian

[@maxperez-stable6796]

TheDudeMinds89 most of it got melted down turing the 1975 break. some of it was saved, however, and the vocal mics hanging above billy were used in winterland in june 1977. in addition, some speakers have been found and sold for a shit ton of money.

[@blummedia9781]

It is at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[@paulmegna210]

Excess ain't rebellion, to quote Cake singer John McCrea on the song "Rock and Roll Lifestyle". The Wall of Sound almost goes against that way of thinking.

[@wajobu]

All powered by McIntosh amps, valve and sand.

[@rayreynolds1381]

Many of them tube amps.

[@rhmayer1]

They each used stacks of Mac 2300's. They're solid state. They were pretty much the most powerful and cleanest power amps on the market. To this day I don't think there's been any rock band in history even close to having as good of a sound system.

[@rhmayer1]

@Gary Daniel - mostly JBL's. I know because we (our old band) got a couple of their speaker cabinets years later as hand-me-downs. But there might've also been Cerwin-Vegas in the mix.

[@tripjet999]

...if it's "Clean," actually.

[@bacculus]

Phil...that was seriously about 30 basses ago!

[@ClydeWPhillipsJr]

A show in Ohio? Iowa? Corn Feild. 104 degrees? I was down front. At the intermission we were all so lilting that Phil (bass) stayed on stage and just pulled the strings in an out and FLOODED the first 39 rows with a BREEZE!

[@kaislivesoundchannel4706]

So the band soundchecked for two hours and played for six hours ? Wow.... but if it took until four in the morning for the load out and then they partied for two hours before driving to the next city how can you then get up at six ? There is something wrong in that schedule. Anyway, I am glad not to have been a part of that production.

[@flaccidego9468]

Ayyy! That Donna Jean is still one foxy chick

[@RommelEGH]

only if she could sing

[@paulmegna210]

she could sing just not live and without monitors, and I think she was took it less serious then she could''ve, and was always super high (she would take 15 hits if the acid wasn't strong enough for her tastes for christ sake). She was a session vocalist who worked well in the studio, and during the Terrapin years had several tunes stick out. 'Sunrise' live is good. Don't forget her great work on 'The Music Never Stopped'. We can blame the band itself for allowing her yowling too on songs like 'Playing in the Band' and so forth. But she was a singer, just not what we would call a 'diva' using today's parlance.

[@jlwaddey9579]

jerry loved her voice! she can definitely sing. just not always in key, on those night beneath the piano... and yes, she looks great!

[@frontbum420]

not a good enough reason to be in the band

[@frontbum420]

Paul ,there are times when I listen to gd and get really into it and all of a sudden.........she sings(yowells).It has been to the point where I wont listen to any shows dated 72-79 just too many bad notes.Ironically ,some of there best jams are from the songs played in those years,it cuts both ways,so it hurts

[@gavrilopricip11]

wall of spoiled upper middle class suburban white kids .......kkk rallies are more diverse and inclusive crowed then a dead show!

[@bailinnumberguy]

Why'd they go to all of the trouble? The fans and the band were all stoned out of their minds during the show.

[@gratefuldrifter6588]

44 dislikes = 44 headaches .The wall of sound history forever.Thank you dead

[@nrfx01]

What is this video from? I have to see it.. I had always written off the dead as old dirty hippy music. I must know more about them! I had no idea what they gave us in live sound technology...

[@dickhedd8490]

nrfx Live Under A Rock Much!!!

[@tombiondi9969]

8 years later that was a helpful reply. NRFX if you’re still looking get the Winterland DVD and you’ll see all of this....

[@deanl0]

Phil did go to '' He's Gone'' there '''He Goes" Whatever way you wanted...

[@Yngeldorf]

Phil Lesh, god damn you are groovy sir

[@hemigtx395]

Owsley Stanley designed all of this.

[@Swigzabrewski]

It's like playing tetrus with amps

[@radioguy262]

*Bear and Dan Healy designed this

[@darrendix5163]

AND PAID FOR IT!

[@voix9209]

@@radioguy262 Bear is owsley ya goof.

[@radioguy262]

@@voix9209 I'm aware. I was just editing, not adding to the comment.

[@magicpez]

Thanks for sharing! As a stagehand I can really appreciate this. At least once out of every 5 gigs I do the wall of sound and those mics are mentioned. GD crew had an overwhelming impact on how live sound is produced today.

[@ioriorioriorio]

Is that a stealy she is making with her hands at the end there????? I gotta try that!!

[@crustycobs2669]

This was the ULTIMATE in clean sound engineering at the time, or ever

[@john8451]

Definitely not ever! 😂

[@PinkFloydrulez]

fuck, I wish I could have experienced this

[@PolarisDawn]

i don't see a legion of fans following you around for the last 40 years

[@markbreeland6836]

Experienced one time. UCSB Stadium in 74.We were 50 to 70 yds away and I couldn't believe the sound quality. Peyote may have helped. I went up close to the stage and wasn't impressed. Muddy too from all the dancing.

[@Dylanoakhill]

@riderpoet Because there are way too many people who are ignorant to the power of grateful dead and everything surrounding them. Sad right? Well I keep listening to the tapes, every day till the day I die!

[@TheExoticFruit]

@MrMeddled Hey man. Chill out. I know a ton of dead heads. The Grateful Dead did a ton of great stuff. Did you even watch the video? These guys are great! They are always in tune! Jerry Garcia was one of the best guitar players ever. They wanted every show to be different. Today if you go to see a band live its just some guy rapping over the same beat. And its gets repetitive. And dont call him a Nazi when you're just hating on him for liking a great band.

[@thomasbedell4770]

I wanted to hear Phil and Bob speak about these things. Why record the music over the audio of them talking so their soft spoken moments can’t be heard? Geez!

[@paulmegna210]

"and we partied for 2 hours". "it was like carrying a herd of elephants around with you" wow. I would be careful partying around a herd of elephants. even if they only had 2 hours, I am sure they packed 8 hours into those 2, with all that hard work must've came hard partying. But seriously, this kind of work seems silly, almost slavish. Reminds me of the pharaohs making slaves build them pyramids just to be buried in. also notice Donna (i like her for some reason, I must cuz i just keep babbling about her. I'd like to do her badly i think) cupping her hands to her mouth when she is saying 'monitors'. Wonder if there is a little resentment still there. lol.

[@tjw3999]

people today are brainwashed , the music industry hung itself..all you have to do is open your mind to other cultures. thats what the grateful dead did and thats what made them so special....

[@chuck6033]

That looks like S.I.R. San Francisco in the background of the Steve Parish interview.

[@paulmegna210]

back to Donna, lol, she sure wasn't shallow though cuz Keith was one Frankenstein lookin' like dude.

[@BlissedMiss1]

Word -- had same experience. Gigantic bully a-hole.

[@jerseygirlsoap4529]

It also never worked for the vocals . They had to run the two mics for all vocals out of phase so it sounded like a police radio. Bose has since figured it out

[@sambac2053]

The Bose system is based on the WOS

[@Seanalbertt]

Jersey Girl SOAP you mean Blose?

[@Kati626]

Steve Parish walked around back stage like he was the King Shit when basically he was a big bully. Watching this makes me think about how he was just some stupid guy who by chance landed himself an amazing gig that began because he was in the right place at the right time and was strong enough to lug some speakers around.

[@ToddWCorey1]

When the camera started doing its thing, I wanted to hear Phil play Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom." Just me?

[@TheSharipaula]

phil: you look like a person....

[@mythtree]

Bear hugs will ever be in our hearts and minds beyond all that is seen, unseen, hear the things of dreams, he did - does! He did so much, I figure he still does... he "had a recurring dream"... and made it manifest for us! So they named some laws after him. Bear hugs...last forever

[@gratefuldrifter6588]

Love it all,anthing dead,and you all.

[@Filthycougar]

"Lunch break"

[@drspin155]

@riderpoet It's because all America barely has any creativity anymore.

[@ToldAlthea]

@MikeDirnttribute Well Mike......you said it right. We were lucky. Dead Shows were the balls. Old School...like Good ole Grateful Dead Shows. Son....it was quite a party. The people and the music just made for a great few days. Period.

[@setboy1]

So you want to give all the credit of what this band was to a drug? It's not the fact that they are great musicians, or that they have one of the best song writers in the last 100 years writing words for them?, or all the hard work they put into it? It all comes down to a drug? :P LSD played it's part like it did for a lot of bands back in the day, but to say this band was great all due to acid is just dumb

[@456subway]

I dunno, I do have a memory of how loud and clear the music sounded at Roosevelt Stadium in 1974.

[@paulmegna210]

On a more serious note those roadies should get as much credit as anyone for production of every concert. Certainly they worked harder.

[@devonkripaitis4490]

I can't wait to hear dead and Company play Johnny B Goode it all just makes so much sense now

[@banksmc311]

I wonder if they slept at all ...

[@SFShoim]

It really worked for me many times!! From the front of the stage... That "tune" sounds like Dark Star to me....

[@007KrausBean]

Those mics look like they would knock out teeth when you sign into them and bump your face. No foam covers look dangerous. The live video at the end sounds really damn good!

[@jonasbutterworth2881]

The ending is from The Grateful Dead Movie!!

[@paulmegna210]

Donna Jean is prettier now then she was in the 70's. She just didn't do it for me with the hippie style i guess.

[@michealcurrie8272]

Dark star....Wall of sound.

[@john8451]

RIP Kid Charlemagne

[@TheStarsgift]

@bailinumberguy: just imagine what they could have done without being stoned. They did stuff that changed the sound of music "stoned out of their minds" and did it so fantabulously great, why concern yourself with their state of mind? Their fan base was why they stayed around for so long, it was their love, life, bread and butter and they valued them like no other band did or does now!

[@tippersdad5152]

What are they saying? They act like they've been on drugs all their lives.

[@wjhandy]

I know one that I hated over the years were soundmen. They always scoffed at anything you did.

[@klezmando]

Does any one know the guy is 19 seconds with the mustache? He looks just like I did at that time

[@nataliezementbeisser1492]

Beautiful to see how everybody is happy and dancing at the end of the video

[@rscottmurray]

what's the tune Phil plays at the 6-min mark? always dug it, sounds like more than just noodling

[@markwentland3147]

I was at the outdoor show in Reno that wall of sound was a mind bender for sure !!

[@Mikes1800]

Amazing footage. Can it be safely said that this audio reinforcement concept did not stand the test of time?

[@stevengoldman9328]

If you want to hear an example of the Wall of Sound go to the Utica, NY "73" archives. Just back from Europe 72. Unforgettable shows.

[@Pro3737pro1]

@riderpoet no pretense at all.. just pure beautiful music.

[@setboy1]

I believe it was on the DVD of the grateful dead movie they released a few years ago

[@Kati626]

That's a hopeful way to look at it. :-) But no, I rarely ever, ever would say a bad word about a person and would never make a judgement on a 1 time meeting. Maybe it was the circumstances you met him under and I am really glad that was your experience. But I was around enough to know that in the setting I saw him in, while he was "working" that is absolutely what I consistently observed.

[@sjbing65]

Haha Bill is a riot- "what was it 10 years ago? 20?" Try 30 plus Bill. Never saw the wall but will always be grateful for the 51 shows I did see.

[@chiefmojorising1]

this is sooo cool!

[@sirhcsuiris]

You're right about finding good music from every where and every time. However, I think it's not so much about better or worse music rather than an issue of originality and innovation. It really seems to be lacking lately.

[@ASDMarauder007]

@riderpoet well if you checked out some indie and alt bands, who don't get any mainstream recognition, you'd be surprised at what they can create

[@bailinnumberguy]

@phyuckyeu I'd take you up on the wager, but I'm pretty sure you don't have 'lots of money' from your job at McDonald's.

[@bernlin2000]

Wow...I had no idea Lesh use to have a beard: damn, he should have kept that thing, it's fantastic!