Any live album. I would begin with "Reckoning"; http://new.music.yahoo.com/grateful-dead/albums/reckoning--2976

The answer you seek might depend on whether you prefer the Dead plugged or unplugged. You might also prefer "Dick's Picks"; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick's_Picks_Volume_1

The classic answer is the Dead's first live album, 'Live Dead,' which neatly captures the band at its early high point.

That said, I'd pick 'Europe '72,' which (I think) has the best balance between the band as songsters and as jammers. It's also unusually disciplined for a Dead album - as the years go by, I think of it more and more as the concluding act in a trilogy that started with 'Workingman's Dead' and carried through 'American Beauty.'

I'm particularly fond of the "Jack Straw/Know You Rider" medley and the "Morning Dew" at the end.

Serious fans of the band, (I'm not one) debate live performances like scholars of the Torah, and there is a seemingly limitless supply of live albums to fuel the debate. A lot of it requires (IMHO) that you be familiar with the 'standard' performance of a given tune so that you can compare and contrast.

I'll second Jan's cite for 'Reckoning,' but as as a second or third choice. It's quite wonderful, and again - unlike the Dead many nights - it's pretty tight. However, it's not a jam album at all. I think 'Reckoning' and the companion 'Dead Set,' especially in reissued form are not far back from 'Live Dead' and 'Europe 72.' After that, listen to taste.

Scott A.

My best suggestion would be to tune in to Grateful Dead Radio and find out what you like. http://www.gdradio.net/

They all suck equally bad.

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They all suck equally bad.

GD is an acquired taste.

go to www.archive.org

folks love this one..

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1980-06-21.mtx.dan.28470.sbeok.flac16

and the Doug Oade recordings are supposed to be the holy grail....He designed his own recording gear just for capturing that band..

http://www.archive.org/details/gd84-10-12-oade.sacks.8795.sbefail.shnf

just do a search on live music archive for doug oade...

http://www.archive.org/details/gd85-06-16.oade.sacks.7087.sbeok.shnf

those are .shn files, which you can decode with MKWACT

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,23936-order,4-c,mp3/reviews.html into wave files and play on your media player of choice..also, foobar (and most of the other media players) handle the format..

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They all suck equally bad.

GD is an acquired taste.

On the bus, or off the bus.

American Beauty(and Old and in the Way)

are the only two I can remotely stand..

definitely OFF. Never got on. Ive hated that band as long as ive been aware of em. I was always a punk rock/country guy

I would get One from the vault. Great album from start to finish, then go from there.

Agreed that Dead are an acquired taste. But once you acquire it, it's hours and hours of fun.

I would get live shows performed between 1972-1974 and/ or 1977. A lot of good jams. The Rhino recordings such as To terrapin (1977) are quite good. Dicks picks are excellent live shows, but sound quality varies. Forget the studio albums. Check out dead.net store.

Live Dead on vinyl record is excellent. I use it as a reference.

My favorite is Dick's Picks Volume 4.

Basically, to me virtually all of the dead music is a long jam - there is some singing, but mostly improvising. If the guitar is not jamming, it's the keyboards, if it's not the keyboards, it's the bass- which is played like a lead instrument.