For almost three decades; the Grateful Dead was Americas most popular touring band. No Simple Highway is the first book to ask the simple question of whymdash;and attempt to answer it. Drawing on new research; interviews; and a fresh supply of material from the Grateful Dead archives; author Peter Richardson vividly recounts the Deads colorful history; adding new insight into everything from the Acid Tests to the bands formation of their own record label to their massive late career success; while probing the riddle of the Deads vast and durable appeal. Arguing that the band successfully tapped three powerful utopian idealsmdash;for ecstasy; mobility; and communitymdash;it also shows how the Deads lived experience with these ideals struck deep chords with two generations of American youth and continues today.Routinely caricatured by the mainstream media; the Grateful Dead are often portrayed as grizzled hippy throwbacks with a cult following of burned-out stoners. No Simple Highway corrects that impression; revealing them to be one of the most popular; versatile; and resilient music ensembles in the second half of the twentieth century. The bands history has been well-documented by insiders; but its unique and sustained appeal has yet to be explored fully. At last; this legendary American musical institution is given the serious and entertaining examination it richly deserves.
#983229 in eBooks 2007-04-01 2007-04-01File Name: B00MKBNRC0
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Organization of the book is not ideal for new playersBy BillThe book is organized by key; offering the most common closed chords used in each key. If you just want to find a specific chord; you have to thumb through to find a key that the chord is used in. Also; the chords for each key are spread across three pages; so you cant simply lay the book flat open to the key you are working in and see all the options. Instead; you have to flip back and forth. Organizing it by key might have had some advantages if all the chords had been placed on just two facing pages; so they all might be seen with the boom laid open in front of you. Furthermore; the book offers mostly four finger closed chord options. For beginners; it probably would make more sense to present some of the simpler open chords alongside the closed ones; offering them a good place to start; while also showing them where they might go as their dexterity improves.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. but Id like to have all the "A" options groupedBy Matthew E. MooneyIts arranged by song key; not the chords; so you have to flip around a lot to find things. Its a personal preference; but Id like to have all the "A" options grouped. Since Im new to Mandolin; I often just need a chord and its variations; not all the chords in the key. The diagrams are great; Id just like a different organization.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Keep This In Your Case!By TennesseeJasperIrsquo;ve been a guitar player for some years now; and on a whim I purchased a mandolin as a means of augmenting my versatility. I only needed to learn the chord positions on this instrument as accompaniment for songs I already knew on the guitar; for the time being; as I am also a vocalist and was not concerned with playing any melodies or scales. None the less; every other chord is; of course; also included. This small volume is primarily a reference book with chord diagrams consisting of chord name; fretboard location; and finger position dots illustrated for each chord. Included in the introduction are the note names of each of the strings when played in their respective "open positionsrdquo;; plus tuning information and adequate enough procedural instruction that even novices should be able to put to use in teaching themselves the accompaniment to well known favorites. I strongly recommend purchasing a song-book of familiar tunes with mandolin chord diagrams included; however; as an aid in pursuing such an endeavor.
