Wait, you guys think that was a knock on some other songwriters and singers? While Bob & Jerry can’t/couldn’t sing very well (everyone agrees about that, right?), they did write some good tunes. Dead fans are SO defensive! I’ve played "Friend Of The Devil" in a band---love it. And their early psychedelic albums (2nd and 3rd) are my favorites in the genre.
I saw The Dead live for the first time in '67 (I loved their debut album), with Pig Pen singing, of course. They were then still kind of a garage band, and I mean that as a compliment. When they, like everyone else, tried to duplicate The Band's brown album (with Workingman's Dead), their limitations became glaringly obvious. Play them improvised jams fellers, leave the singing to others.
