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Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead
Book Information
Hardcover: 338 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown (April 18, 2005)
Order: Searching
for the Sound: My Life With the GD
Book Description
The bass player for the greatest
improvisational band in American history tells the full, true story
of his life, Jerry Garcia, and the Dead. Phil Lesh first met Jerry
Garcia in 1959 in the clubs of East Palo Alto, California. At Garcia’s
suggestion, Lesh learned to play the electric bass, joining him in a
new band that blended R&B, country, and rock and roll with an
experimental fervor never before heard. Now, in time for the
Grateful Dead’s 40th anniversary, Phil Lesh offers the first
behind-the-scenes history of the Dead--a story no one will ever know
as he does. From their first gigs to the legendary Acid Tests, in
San Francisco’s Summer of Love, at Woodstock, Monterey, Altamont,
and the Pyramids, the Dead have been in the center of rock’s
defining moments. Phil Lesh tells what it has been like to live at
the heart of this whirlwind, making uncompromisingly original music
with band mates Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Pigpen, Mickey Hart,
and especially Jerry Garcia, the charismatic, enigmatic soul of the
band. He tells the stories behind songs like "Dark Star,"
"Friend of the Devil," "Truckin’," and his
legendary composition "Box of Rain." And in intimate
detail, Lesh describes what it was like to storm heaven night after
night--and the price he and others have paid, up to and following
Jerry Garcia’s tragic death in 1995. SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND is a
ruthlessly honest look inside one of the greatest American bands,
written with humor, intelligence, and a deep affection that only Phil
Lesh himself could provide.
Amazon.com
Right in time for the Grateful Dead's 40th anniversary, eccentric
bass player extraordinaire Phil Lesh has delivered fans a most
welcome gift: his autobiography. There are many books out there
about the Dead told from the perspective of roadies, journalists,
third party observers, and fans. However, with the exceptions of
Jerry Garcia's ramblings in Garcia: A Signpost to New Space and
Conversations With the Dead, Lesh's Searching for the Sound is the
first time a founding member of America's favorite band tells their
own story of what it was like inside the Grateful Dead. And what a
wonderful, strange tale it is.
Phil Lesh, considered the most academic of the group due to his
avant-garde classical composition training, literate mind, and
passion for the arts, decided to write his story himself. Written
without the crutch of a ghostwriter, Searching for the Sound might
be considered disjointed in places, but overall it comes across as
conversational, intimate, informative, and candid (particularly
regarding topics of drug use and death). If you are familiar with
the band and their extended family, their history, the sixties'
musical milestones and influences and all the band's famous tales
(the Garcia/ Lesh "silent" confrontation, being busted on
Bourbon Street, the Wall of Sound), you may be a little disgruntled
there is not much new here in the way of content. However, what is
"new" and totally satisfying is Phil's warm, optimistic
perspective on the many events that helped shape his life. As
described by Lesh, his life's journey, much like the Dead's music,
is "a [series] of recurring themes, transpositions,
repetitions, unexpected developments, all converging to define form
that is not necessarily apparent until it's ending has come and
gone." For the many fans who enjoyed the fruits of his life
pursuit of sonic explorations, Searching for the Sound is a welcome
addition to their Dead library. --Rob Bracco
From Publishers Weekly
Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh has written the memoir one might
have expected: energetic and flawed, but sure to be loved by fans.
Lesh joined the band's original members—Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir,
Bill Kreutzman and "Pigpen" Ron McKernan—in 1965 and
helped morph the legendary outfit from its beginnings as a jug band
to the unique, psychedelic improvisational jam band that spawned
arguably the most loyal, iconic audience in popular music history:
the Deadheads. What a long, strange trip it was. For 30-plus years,
from being the house band for Ken Kesey's acid tests to stadium
tours in the 1980s and '90s, the band pioneered a new paradigm for
musicians, operating as an extended, albeit dysfunctional, family.
Along the way, three keyboardists died, two managers robbed the
band, bad deals were signed, massive debt was accrued and drug and
alcohol problems flared. In 1995, the trip finally ended (or did
it?), when Garcia died. Lesh infuses his prose with his wacky
personality, which is endearing, but also maddening, especially when
he's rendering acid trips or discussing music. Indeed, many fans who
twirled ecstatically at Dead shows will struggle to follow Lesh's
extended explanations of the band's compositions. Also, the second
half of the band's life gets short shrift. Nevertheless, Deadheads
will surely celebrate Lesh's honest, intimate remembrances. (Apr.)
Order: Searching
for the Sound: My Life With the GD
Archival
information from the initial release
For a limited time, with
all purchases of Phil's new book Searching For The Sound
directly from www.powells.com you will receive an exclusive new CD
produced by Phil, which includes four previously unreleased Grateful
Dead tracks, along with Phil's comments on these four songs. Of
perhaps greatest interest to all Dead Heads is the first-ever
official release of the long-lost Grateful Dead original song
"Cardboard Cowboy," presented here in its 1966 studio
version. Additionally, the CD includes the last-ever song performed
by the Grateful Dead, "Box Of Rain," from the July 9, 1995
concert at Soldier Field in Chicago, along with Phil's poignant
memories of this performance and that tour. Also on the CD are two
outstanding jams, one highlighting Brent Mydland's soulful playing,
and the other focusing on Bruce Hornsby's inspired contributions to
the band in the Fall of 1990. To top off this amazing offer, in
addition to this exclusive CD you will receive a Phil Lesh-signed
book plate. This bookplate was designed by Gary Houston to enhance
your book and is personally signed by Phil. This CD and book plate
offer is not available anywhere else. It's Phil's gift to you!
Bonus CD tracks
Cardboard Cowboy - studio recording, June 1966
Brent Blues Jam - live recording July 7, 1989, Philadelphia
Trio Jam with Bruce Hornsby - live recording September 19, 1990,
MSG, New York City
Box of Rain - live recording July 9, 1995, Chicago
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