From today's perspective, it's hard to imagine just how much of an impact this album had on the state of contemporary music, not least of all because it was recorded by the Grateful Dead. Up until this album, the Dead were an underground cult phenomenon with little to offer in the way of mass appeal. Furthermore, their previous studio efforts were too strange to suggest that they might be capable of something as extraordinary as what they offer here. More than anything else, the songs on Workingman's Dead sound as if they were old folk/blues songs derived from the public domain and adapted for faithful reproduction. That each song was an original, contemporary composition shows a level of maturity and growth that is simply astounding. Even more astounding is the tight focus of the songwriting. Previous studio albums by the Grateful Dead were rambling and opaque exercises in psychedelia that stood out mostly for their reckless experimentation. Here, the band doesn't waste a single note, while every word paints a specific portrait of the character portrayed.
This sudden improvement in songwriting can be credited entirely to the cementing partnership of guitarist/singer Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter, who paired up to write six of the album's eight songs, with bassist Phil Lesh participating in another and Hunter writing one in its entirety. The name of the album derives from Garcia's recognition that Hunter's words portrayed mostly working class folk, thus making the project a "workingman's Dead." It's as accurate a description as could be applied. Whether it's a tale of a miner hoping to get work ("Cumberland Blues"), a dying laborer ("Black Peter") or a railroad jack-baller ("Easy Wind"), each character is accurately portrayed in faded sepia tones much like the album jacket. "Casey Jones" does such an accurate job of portraying a doomed train engineer that it elevates Jones to the realm of a 19th century folk legend, much like John Henry.
Workingman's Dead flaunts a mostly acoustic feel, giving the impression that each song could be as old as the characters portrayed. Completely absent here is any sign of rambling jams or gratuitous solos, with the music designed to suit the story as well as the time frame. Only Robbie Robertson and the Band could claim to have been so successful at capturing an era of Americana without sounding forced or derivative. On this album, the Dead capture the feel of an age gone by with an almost eerily personal representation of each song's protagonist. In the process of emulating our heritage, the Grateful Dead managed to create an album of songs that is now as much a part of our heritage as the songs and characters that originally inspired them. A Tom Ryan
This sudden improvement in songwriting can be credited entirely to the cementing partnership of guitarist/singer Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter, who paired up to write six of the album's eight songs, with bassist Phil Lesh participating in another and Hunter writing one in its entirety. The name of the album derives from Garcia's recognition that Hunter's words portrayed mostly working class folk, thus making the project a "workingman's Dead." It's as accurate a description as could be applied. Whether it's a tale of a miner hoping to get work ("Cumberland Blues"), a dying laborer ("Black Peter") or a railroad jack-baller ("Easy Wind"), each character is accurately portrayed in faded sepia tones much like the album jacket. "Casey Jones" does such an accurate job of portraying a doomed train engineer that it elevates Jones to the realm of a 19th century folk legend, much like John Henry.
Workingman's Dead flaunts a mostly acoustic feel, giving the impression that each song could be as old as the characters portrayed. Completely absent here is any sign of rambling jams or gratuitous solos, with the music designed to suit the story as well as the time frame. Only Robbie Robertson and the Band could claim to have been so successful at capturing an era of Americana without sounding forced or derivative. On this album, the Dead capture the feel of an age gone by with an almost eerily personal representation of each song's protagonist. In the process of emulating our heritage, the Grateful Dead managed to create an album of songs that is now as much a part of our heritage as the songs and characters that originally inspired them. A Tom Ryan
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