I was never a Dead-Head, and never really knew any of their songs other than what I heard in bars. But one day I got it into my head that maybe I was missin' something, so I asked a Dead-Head friend of mine if he'd be kind enough to recommend 10 of his favorite Grateful Dead songs.

Most of it was the stuff I already heard in bars, and could give or take, but one came on that I repeated, and repeated. Ripple really stands out as a GREAT SONG.

Do other fans of the group agree that Ripple, from 1970's American Beauty album, is a special song?

Yes, it's a great song, but not necessarily best representative of what the band is. To me, the band is the greatest improv-jam band ever. They cover a broad range of styles from rock, bluegrass-country, folk, soul, gospel, boogie, funk, dixie-land, and primal intensity jamming. This band epitomizes the term "gestalt" in that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I would steer clear of their studio albums and check out recordings of their live shows which are readily available. Check out http://www.archive.org/details/GratefulDead and select stream-only shows for better quality soundboard recordings. I also recommend "Live Dead" for some early period and "Without A Net" for some later period shows.

I've found that Jerry Garcia has such a wonderful guitar style that lends itself to experimentation and noodling around on the fretboard. He has such a sweet understated touch that it just sounds like the notes he hits are floating off the guitar. Been a Dead Head for 25 years now and ain't gonna be giving it up anytime soon.

Oh I never said Ripple was "representative" of the Dead. Not by a long chalk. I just think it was a "unique" song that even someone who hates the Dead can appreciate and sing along to.

Saying "Ripple" is representative of the Dead is like saying Light My Fire is representative of The Doors. Light My Fire, however, is in the same category of Ripple about it being "unique" of the band, a one-shot that doesn't sound remotely like anything else in their catalog.

Ripple is a masterpiece of a song, as is the entire American Beauty album as a whole. For me though, personally, Brokedown Palace has always been my favorite Dead song. Some of the greatest lyrics ever written. I followed Furthur (Bob and Phil's new band) around late last month for a week and saw them play it to close their winter tour at Madison Square Garden. Pure magic.

In that case, yes I agree that Ripple is a special song. Just tryin' to give you some extra 411 to boot.

I never was a fan of the early Dead, the acoustic lite-rock style of the early 70's, but I really loved their funk music from the late 70's with Shakedown Street being my favorite. It's these type of songs where they lent themselves to long live jam sessions and there are so many levels of instrumentation with the various wah-wah guitars playing phrases mixed with the regular rhythm guitars and E. Piano.

Ripple is a great song, it was fit perfectly with the end of Freaks and Geeks.

As for my favorite Dead songs, i have to go with Dark Star, Eyes of the World, Sugar Magnolia and The Wheel.

For me, it's 'Eyes of the World', so many great jams with that song.

not a GD fan but I enjoy Jane's Addiction's cover of this song

Me & My Uncle is my favorite Dead song

"Box of Rain" is a much better song in every possible way.

Ripple's pretty good, New Speedway Boogie and Black Peter are my two favorite original Dead studio tracks. It's a total cliche, but the Dead was much much more interesting live. Here's a fairly "legendary" Dead show that's a good place to start:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd197...n.29303.flac16

The Dancin' in the Streets and Scarlet Begonias --> Fire on the Mountain (my favorite live Dead combo) in that concert are particularly famous. The second set is pretty incredible all the way through.

From the same tour, Hartford '77 "To Terrapin" is also a good place to start.