Hiro11

Maybe racism played a part, but certainly the fact that he was struggling in the blues circuit in the US, befriended Keith Richard's girlfriend, garnered a British manager who set him up with a successful set of gigs in London and had a British girlfriend were factors in his move to London as well. I'm quite sure that Greenwich Village in 1966, where Hendrix was living, was not a place rife with "rampant racism". Certainly when he returned to the US a few months later as a conquering hero he certainly didn't encounter "rampant racism".

Steerpike

Easy Rider I saw as a teenager in UK, and it was definitely an important 'historic' marker for me. Interesting that the Peter Fonda character was a 'biker', but not a 'Hells Angel' type. Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test should be required reading for anyone trying to understand the 60s, and especially interesting if you live in the Bay Area! I used to drive over to La Honda on Woodside Rd, and marvel at the historic context of that location (it's where Kesey started his commune). Also, it's amazing now to think that Kesey was actually paid to take LSD at the Veteran's Hospital in Palo Alto (funded by the CIA!). I read everything I could find about Kesey, ater EKAAT. I adored 'Cuckoos Nest' even before knowing who Kesey was; it was doubly-amazing after learning his background! The scenes describing the 'Indian' in the book were fabulous; knowing he was tripping on Acid at the time helps understand how he came up with that!

Just found this - looks like a great read - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/wh...rs-and-the-bi/ "Kesey supplemented his income by working as a night orderly in the psychiatric wing of the hospital. It provided him with the material for his first novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, ... The book, written partly under the influence of hallucinogens and published in 1962, was a powerful metaphor for the crushing forces of conformity and the indomitability of the free spirit. ... At his ranch at La Honda (a sign at the entrance announced "No Left Turn Unstoned") he hosted a series of "acid tests", at which the Grateful Dead were he house band, the Hell’s Angels were honoured guests and Allen Ginsberg played finger-cymbals. Thus was born the psychedelic age. "

Hiro11

Definitely do that if you're even tangentially interested in the Dead. The series takes advantage of the fact that the Dead were obsessive about documenting their career. As a result there are literally warehouses full of video footage, audio tape, paper archives etc... The makers of "Long Strange Trip" were the first to be granted access to this sea of information.

One thing that becomes clear from the documentary: for all of their perceived naivete and childishness and despite the fact that they made some remarkably stupid decisions, the Dead were actually remarkably influential visionaries. For example:
- They built a true community that no other band has been able to replicate. The community was remarkably long lasting, stable and safe for its size and volatility. No band cared more about their fanbase and no band ever was less interested in trying to make money off of their fan base. Ironically, this authenticity towards and love of their fans made them arguably the top concert earners year after year for literally decades. Many would argue that the Dead created social media long before the internet existed.
- The Dead were visionaries when it came to liberalizing fair use of their intellectual property. They understood that liberalizing the availability of their music was the best way to garner new fans. This was remarkably against the grain of the big record companies of their time. The Dead actively encouraged recording of their shows and actively fostering tape trading. Some of the earliest uses of the internet were Dead message boards. It's no surprise that one of their lyricists went on to found the Electronics Frontier Foundation, an important IP liberalization think tank.
- They were remarkably technology aware and drove remarkable technological innovation. They were obsessed with the quality of their output and extremely nerdy when it came to technology. They kept numerous engineers on staff full time. Many of the biggest Silicon Valley success stories were huge Dead fans and directly inspired by the Dead.
- The Dead perfected band branding to a degree that no band and few entities of any kind since have been able to match. The dancing bears, the "steal your face", the skull and roses, the terrapins. They Dead hired some of the best graphic artists of the era to create iconic images that you still see everywhere to this day. The Dead as a brand are still a billion-dollar-a-year industry despite the fact that Jerry Garcia died 24 years ago.

Steerpike

Fantastic information - thanks! I will start it tonight!

I knew some of what you say above about the Dead (encouraging recording, nerdy sound, etc) and I love their image and branding. Funnily enough, though, I could never quite get 'into' their music when it was released ... the music seems to ramble on. I think that's because their music is true 'concert music', and true 'tripping' music ... it just flows and flows, which is hard to just snap into for one song (though I did used to like some of the weirder Pink Floyd stuff, like 'Set the Controls....', 'Meddle', etc). More recently, though I've seen them 'on TV' and its a much better experience - watching them seems to be an integral part of the performance, more so than most bands. So I think it's high time (pun?) to start watching them! With Marijuana now legal in CA, I could even get stoned while watching!

Pulaski

I think you have just confirmed what I have long suspected, that you need to be on drugs to get into that sort of music.
Only once? I think I have seen them eight times, or maybe nine, but only after they reformed. There are other bands I really like, and some I have seen many times, but for all-round talent and professionalism I don't think there is a band that tops the Blackmore/ Gillan/ Glover/ Lord/ Paice line-up of Deep Purple.
I believe so, and they traded that title with Whitesnake, and the Who, and maybe AC/DC, in the 1070's. When Deep Purple reformed they only played one date in the UK on their reformation tour, at Knebworth, and I heard that they assembled the largest sound system that had ever been used in the UK, at least at that time - reported to be 250,000W. I assume they knew that they would bust the noise ordinance at Knebworth, and the local council duly fined them the maximum fine for the offence - £2,000.

I resume the noise ordinance was designed for barking dogs and unruly teenagers' parties, not legendary hard rock bands.

Steerpike

To clarify, perhaps ... I only took acid about 5 times while at University in London. It was an amazingly powerful experience, but also not without concern. I had a good set of responsible friends, and together we experimented with everything we could get our hands on. After a few months, we collectively agreed it was not compatible with getting a degree and we all basically quit everything but pot and beer. Acid was by far the most 'dramatic' drug we tried; others make you mellow, excited, giggly, energized, etc but acid - it literally turned your senses upside down, such that you would 'see sounds', or 'hear images', etc. The first time we took it, I still remember it well, we were so paranoid about how weird we felt that we stayed indoors for hours listening to music, then went out on clapham common and lay on the ground looking at the stars. The second time, we went to a local pub and had an amazing time watching the locals. By the third time, we just about built up the courage to board a bus into central London. I will never forget wandering through Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, totally out of our minds. Every person we saw was a caricature; every car or bike was shiny and glittery; every neon sign was a fascinating new experience. From watching the documentary about 'the dead' (below), it seems like you eventually learn to 'manage' the experience, but we never got close to that level, and we were all quite concerned about having a 'bad trip'. Anyway, it was an experience I don't regret having and in fact, it would be quite interesting to try it now, 40 years on! Ironically, I don't even drink alcohol any longer, and my recent dabble with (legal) marijuana wasn't quite what I remembered from 40 years ago (though I will persevere on that front!).

I just found this website - https://www.purple.de/dirk/purple/mark3.php#1975 that lists every Deep Purple concert ever. The last time they played Manchester in that timeframe was in 1974 - "Manchester, King's Hall, Belle Vue". So ... I was only 16! I remember taking the train to Manchester, then walking what seemed like a million miles to the venue, getting drunk in pubs along the way (drinking at 16 was totally normal back then!). After the concert, we missed the last train home and ended up sleeping behind a petrol station! Around that time, we also saw Yes, Genesis, David Bowie ... all before going to London for Uni (and of course in London, we got to see Pink Floyd, Santana, Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and probably others).

I stayed up till 3:30am last night watching 3 episodes ... absolutely fascinating! I would have simply loved to have been in the Bay Area around that time! The show sort-of reinforces my opinion of the music ... the music alone, listened to on the radio as a standalone 5-minute 'song', doesn't seem to capture the essence of the Dead. Watching them seems to make all the difference. They perfected the art of improvisation, and you need to 'go with the flow', which almost rules out the casual listen. This is 'album' music and 'concert' music if ever there was such a thing! I don't own a single Dead album; is there one Album that captures the beauty of their music?

I love the parts of the show where they talk to the Warner Brothers executive ... what an odd position to be in!

Giantaxe

Ha, so you saw them 11 days after I did...

Steerpike

I was looking but couldn't find it - what was the cost of the ticket, I wonder?!

Giantaxe

Dates by UK venue. £1.50/£2 looks like the standard cost:

https://www.purple.de/dirk/purple/concerts-in-uk.php

https://www.purple.de/dirk/purple/to...4/74-05-04.php

https://www.purple.de/dirk/purple/to...4/74-05-15.php

Steerpike

Wow that sounds cheap! I was wondering how much 1.50 GBP in 1974 was worth today; according to this site - £1.50 in 1974 → 2017 | UK Inflation Calculator , 1.50 GBP would be worth about 15 GBP today ... say $20. That seems VERY cheap ... were concerts simply that cheap back then, or am I missing something?! I understand you pay $100 to see a band today!

Giantaxe

Back then, the rock concert-going demographic didn't have the money that it does today. Now with so many affluent baby-boomers still attending concerts, bands can get away with charging a lot more.

scrubbedexpat097

Back then you could, if you were lucky, watch the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park for free!

I say watch but I mean trying to watch half way up a tree hanging on for dear life and knowing when we got home we would be in serious trouble! Ahh, the simple life.

Pulaski

I was looking through my box of concert tickets recently, and found a front row ticket for Whitesnake at Wembley in December 1987, and it cost £10.50 ….. There may have been a quid or two booking for on top. I think the front row for Plant and Page in 1995, also at Wembley, was about £25.

Nutmegger

scrubbedexpat099

I use a beer index.

So that would have been 6 pints so say US$30.

In music terms about the price of an album. Maybe a bit more.

In Petrol tems 3 1/2 gallons.