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Searching for the Sound (Abridged): My Life in the Grateful Dead Audiobook
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(3.04) - 893 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Phil Lesh first met Jerry Garcia in 1959 in the clubs of Palo Alto, California. At Garcia's suggestion, Lesh learned to play the electric bass and joined him in a new group that blended R & B, country, and rock 'n' roll with an experimental fervor never before heard.
In time for the Grateful Dead's fortieth anniversary, Phil Lesh offers the first behind-the-scenes history of the Dead. Lesh chronicles how the Dead's signature sound emerged, flowed, and swelled to reach millions of devoted fans, from their first gigs at Frenchy's Bikini-A-Go-Go for an audience of three, to the legendary Acid Tests, to packed stadiums around the world.
In San Francisco during the Summer of Love, at Woodstock, Altamont, and the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Grateful Dead have been at the center of some of rock's defining moments. Phil Lesh recounts what it's been like to live at the heart of this whirlwind--impressing Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, sharing the stage with Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and the Rolling Stones. Lesh describes what it was like to storm heaven night after night--and the price he and others have paid. Bad management, drug addictions, depression, and insecurities persistently plagued the band members and would culminate with the most tragic blow of all--the death of Jerry Garcia.
Searching for the Sound is a ruthlessly honest look inside one of the greatest American bands. It includes a bonus live recording of Box of Rain performed on March 19, 1990 at the Hartford Civic Center, Hartford Connecticut.
Look for The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics 1965-1995 available in hardcover October, 2005 from Free Press.
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"I love the Grateful Dead and always wonder what it would have been like to see them play live. By reading this book, I feel as though I have somewhat more of an understanding of what it must have been like. I have read some memoirs by "non-writers" that fell flat, but Phil really makes his time with the band come alive. As he describes live shows, jam sessions, recording, I could almost hear certain songs being played. I love that he speaks with honesty, not highlighting nor ignoring his or his band mates' faults or strengths, but creating an accurate (it seems) picture of a group of real people, just like all of us, who just happened to be in a 30-year "search for the sound." As a side note, being obsessed with the 1950's literary and social counterculture as I am, it was great to read about familiar characters (Ken Kesey, Neil Cassidy, Janis Joplin, etc) from a fresh point of view."
— Ms. (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Lesh proves to be as capable and enthusiastic a writer as he is a musician; whether he’s describing the ‘immense, turbulent, druidic’ snoring of Jerry Garcia, the ‘saber-toothed crotch cricket’ hum of the Woodstock sound system or a roadtrip travel game called ‘Radio I-Ching,’ he consistently exhibits a peculiar and poetic fondness for language, transforming what could have been a routine exercise in nostalgia into a work as graceful and sublime as a box of rain.”
— New York Times -
“Energetic and flawed…Lesh infuses his prose with his wacky personality…honest, intimate remembrances.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Conversational, intimate, informative, and candid…totally satisfying…a welcome addition.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“A literate piece of rock history by a genuinely historic figure in rock music.”
— Booklist
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
Searching for the Sound Listener Reviews
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" granted the writing, for the most part, is sub-par, i really enjoyed this book. being a huge fan of the dead since i was younger, i was completely fascinated by lesh's insight on the band's development musically and spiritually. my favorite period of the band's career was it's inception in '65 until about 1973, when wake of the flood< was released. While the remainder of the music from the 70s was good, I think that their earlier period was most interesting (as is often the case), mainly due to their constant experimentation and evolution from genre to genre, while still maintaining their own unique sound and vision. it seems that much of the blame can be placed on drug use, which really pushed the members apart from one another, in terms of why they fell apart musically. "
— Dan, 2/17/2014 -
" Surprisingly fast-paced and compact (from a member of the Grateful Dead), this book gives an awesomely trippy account of the band's heady early days, the peak of their musicianship in the early 1970s, their drug-fueled decline and resurgence during the 1980s til Garcia's death. A must-read for fans and an interesting read for those not on the bus. "
— Nick, 2/11/2014 -
" A thorough book given the short number of pages from beginning to end. Lesh takes the story from the very beginning of his interest in music and his meeting up with Jerry Garcia. The book does not stray form the main concept of music and expanding their sound, which created a cult like following. "
— Glenn, 1/29/2014 -
" The only memoir by a member of the band, I enjoyed it very much but was disappointed that there wasn't more attention paid to the songwriting process and the actual relationship between the members. Maybe that's what you get when you have a book written by a guy. :) Still, interesting and informative. "
— Kaelie, 1/19/2014 -
" If you're a Grateful Dead fan and want an insight into the development of their sound through the eyes of an original member, this is a good book and a quick read. "
— Patrick, 1/11/2014 -
" Fed my recent Grateful Dead obsession by reading the bassist's memoir. Fascinating and well written. "
— Niklas, 1/8/2014 -
" great read. very fast. what impacted me the most from this book was the love that phil has for his family and his bandmates. "
— Brandon, 1/3/2014 -
" Grateful Dead bass player and founding member Phil Lesh gives us his autobiography, what his life with the Dead was really like. And "what a long, strange trip it's been." Fascinating story. "
— John, 1/2/2014 -
" I am so not the right audience for this book. I don't like the Grateful Dead, but yet there I went reading about it. Call me curious, but I just didn't buy it. This is more about my tastes than the book's merits. Really, why did I read it? "
— David, 1/1/2014 -
" I loved learning what happened behind the scenes with the Grateful Dead. Phil writes quite well, too. Fun to read for an old Deadhead. "
— Dot, 1/1/2014 -
" even if you aren't a deadhead this book is worth the read. very insightful in regards to music and life and what it means to be part of something larger then yourself. "
— Lorena, 12/30/2013 -
" If you love the grateful dead this book will interest you. Phil Lesh does a great job of retelling his experiences and life with the band. "
— Robb, 12/20/2013 -
" The first book by a member of the Grateful Dead, about BEING IN the Grateful Dead! "
— Nora, 12/8/2013 -
" This is a fast read. I love music books that are written by someone in the band. Phil Lesh was there for all of it. He's a cool guy. "
— Damon, 12/6/2013 -
" interesting in that Phil gives you an insider's look at the intellectual, emotional and technical efforts that went into constructing the Grateful Dead's music. A must read for any Deadhead. "
— Will, 12/4/2013 -
" Get Phil's POV of this iconic bands trials and tribulations. This is the only Grateful Dead memoir I've read so far, but it was a great read. I think even all you non-heads out there will find this book entertaining. "
— Paul, 11/30/2013 -
" Awesome learned a lot about Jerry Garcia I didn't know. "
— Tony, 9/21/2013 -
" This is a great autobiography that held many surprises for me. Plus, the audiobook has snippets of songs at the end of each CD. "
— Susan, 2/3/2013 -
" Interesting read if you're a Deadhead. "
— Christian, 11/12/2012 -
" Interesting reading for the Phil-zone heads! Phil is lucid, smart (as always as a player) & extremely honest. "
— Debanjan, 3/28/2012 -
" full of historical information as well as thoroughly enjoyable story telling. i laughed, i cried, i learned. Phil's brilliant sense of remembrance brings these pages into three dimensional form from cover to cover. i absolutley adore this man, his music and his story. gdf. "
— Maura, 11/7/2011 -
" I had fun reading this. "
— Joe, 6/8/2011 -
" Amazing. Love the memoir vibe. <br/> <br/>Read this book when you're studying vocab for the GRE's. Or want to expand just for fun. Seriously, it's got all the words in it. "
— Jennifer, 4/5/2011 -
" very enjoyable and pretty fair, albeit one man's version. fairly frank and direct, though some controversies are skipped (and that's not necessarily a criticism). if you're a fan, read it. "
— Lawrence, 1/23/2011 -
" interesting in that Phil gives you an insider's look at the intellectual, emotional and technical efforts that went into constructing the Grateful Dead's music. A must read for any Deadhead. "
— Will, 5/12/2010 -
" The first book by a member of the Grateful Dead, about BEING IN the Grateful Dead! "
— Nora, 3/1/2010 -
" This is a fast read. I love music books that are written by someone in the band. Phil Lesh was there for all of it. He's a cool guy. "
— Damon, 2/9/2010 -
" Wow, Phil Lesh is a great writer!!!!! I'm not that electronically savvy so a lot of the sound parts baffled me but his music history and the relationship of the Grateful Dead family was powerful. I especially admired his intelligence, wry sense of humor and honesty. "
— Barbikat60, 10/23/2009 -
" Fed my recent Grateful Dead obsession by reading the bassist's memoir. Fascinating and well written. "
— Niklas, 10/4/2009 -
" I forgot that the dead were at Altamont and woodstock <br/>Phil Lesh is a pisces! "
— Jojono, 3/11/2009 -
" Interesting read if you're a Deadhead. "
— Christian, 1/14/2009
About Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and founding member of The Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their thirty year career. After the band broke up in 1995, he continued the tradition of Grateful Dead family music with side project Phil Lesh and Friends, which paid homage to the Dead’s music by playing their originals, common covers, and the songs of the members of his band. He opened a music venue called Terrapin Crossroads and has been performing with Furthur alongside former Grateful Dead bandmate Bob Weir.