Witnessing their early incarnation in that counter cultural maelstrom writer Tom Wolfe described the original Acid Tests in all their inspired glory.

The Dead honed their act as house band for Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters. They incorporated country, folk and blues, recorded with Bob Dylan, Kingfish, Merl Saunders, Wynton and Branford Marsalis. I object to us being labelled purely a psychedelic band.' Fair enough. When pushed Garcia said, “Labels are exploitative.

The band’s legendary improvisations and the fact they probably played more live shows and for longer than anyone else only add to the enigma. There have been seventy odd retrospective/posthumous live releases since they called it a day at Soldier Field, Chicago (July 9, 1995) – Garcia died exactly a month later – yet their studio albums can be works of wonder, especially those from the early 70s.

Given the Dead’s MO, one where live performances were the Holy Grail and studio recordings a means to an end, making sense of their vast catalogue is problematic.

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