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I thought this might interest many Asylum Inmates. It is free.The Audiophile Foundation will be hosting a Zoom event with John Curl interviewed by David Gans and Brian Anderson about the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound system. John particpated in the development of the Wall of Sound system which became the blueprint for Rock Concert AV systems as we know them today.
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The vocal mic setups in your attached photo are not the ones which John specially designed. His were B&K measurement microphones, using custom circuitry and a volume control. You will see them in other photos.
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We are inclusive and diverse, but dissent will not be tolerated.
I know very little of the band's history or the WoS but saw GD twice at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA in the early 1990's. I worked for Silicon Graphics then and their campus was walking distance to the show. Didn't have to hassle with traffic or parking, just walk on over after work.
I'm registered for the Zoom. Thanks!
I also lived in Mountain View then and saw the Dead twice there too! Other than that I don't know much about them, apart from the stories that John Curl has shared.
the Meters!!!
They will scan your brain and drain you bank accounts.
I KNOW.
In an interviw from the early 70's Garcia was asked what he thought of Zappa, "Well he's LA and also, he doesn't do scenes."
A lot of the what the formation, growth, and first decade of the GD was due to the fact, Garcia was very much a scenester. Palo Alto at first. Then the rest is history.
/ optimally proportioned triangles are our friends
I am sure it will be a interesting discussion. John was just part of a number of people working on it. Bear (Owsley Stanley) worked for the Dead and was the head of this project. Was LSD a part of the process?
Edits: 03/05/25
Although very aware of the WOS, I had no clue on the overall breakdown of the different sections
I find it very interesting on how much direct and fill was done for piano. Especially considering that lead, rhythm and bass guitars were more the signature of the band
The WoS was only used for about five months in 1974. The Dead's keybordist at that time was Keith Godchaux, who played a full concert grand, organ, and a Fender Rhodes. Your question would be a good one to ask Mr. Curl.My understanding is that the design of the WoS gave each of the six instruments in the band its own channel with amplification and speakers. So each amp and speaker in the array was voicing only a single instrument. A minimal amount of live mixing was done from the house console, probably by Owsley himself or Dan Healy. The concept was that the musicians were hearing what the audience was hearing and could attenuate themselves in real time.
I agree that the Dead was a guitar-driven band, but the keys were critical to the sound. Pigpen was the originator, but Keith was probably the most talented keyboard player the band ever had. They were never known for being tight, but things really went downhill after Keith left.
. . . in theory, practice and theory are the same; in practice, they are different . . .
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the observation about the band's working method really struck me, because when I saw them, they used two drummers. one one song, the lead drummer interacted with and supported a free form musical line that ultimately, became a dead end. the drummer , and the band had no where to go within the established context. which was about to become just stoned out chaotic noodling without direction . so they stopped playing , trying to figure a way out of the puzzle.
but the second drummer, the guy playing straight, still had a regular beat, played that , and that gave the band a path to follow and restore the song.
Ha! That's a great story.
Improvisation can be a bugger! On the other hand, "free improvisation" is intended to take the musicians into very unusual directions and create something which will never happen again. Once in a while, it doesn't work out well. :)
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We are inclusive and diverse, but dissent will not be tolerated.
I learned improvisation sitting and watching the jazz saxophonist John Klimmer, best known, by me, for the song "free fall lover".
I had seen guys on country western TV shows improvise with variations on the main theme, but this guy was different.
my underaged self was right below the small light house jazz club stage , watching intently , because I was , at the time playing flute by ear, I certainly couldn't afford lessons, and wanted to see how a professional played a woodwind instrument. I must have been there because it wasn't a school night, I never went because I selected the artist , and the house just allowed me to watch without spending.
the guy was fearless, he would come to the break, and just jump off a cliff, selecting any seemingly unrelated random note and then counting on his skill to weave soothing that would allow him to work back to where it made sense within the song, and then continue playing the original tune. Sometimes it took awhile, but it allowed me to see and understand what he was doing.
the flute is a great instrument for backpacking , and always welcomed around a campfire when everyone else has a guitar . yes, I have stories.
Speaking of flute... Waaay back, I went to a Jethro Tull concert. I swear that you could get high just breathing the air in the arena. ;)
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We are inclusive and diverse, but dissent will not be tolerated.
funny thing, I was just looking this subject up, because I remembered the amps were modified by Owsely Stanley , but didn't know how to spell Owsely, and still don't without looking it up.
I remember the name because, besides being a masterful electrical engineer, he was a masterful chemist , who made the name Owsley famous by the unsurpassed quality of his LSD , back in the day.
I wonder if that little historical tidbit will be noted in the conversation. I intend to listen, having gained some knowledge every time I did, but have to set aside the appropriate chunk of time.
in looking for the spelling, I came across that Owsely's nick name was bear, giving me ,perhaps, some greater insight into the cartoon multicolored happy dancing bear logo design linked to the grateful dead.
long ago, as some deadhead hippies were telling me how they followed the band selling organic avocado sandwiches for funds, they gestured to that dancing bear guy , selling his stuff a little ways down the lawn, using him as an example of someone who had a good enough idea so that a person or group could follow the band all year long . My sandwich selling group was trying to decide if they should buy tickets or just listen outside.
it was three night concert at the Oakland civic center, where I also bought some handmade hippy beads, but declined the " mega dose, get your mega dose" voiced by a guy in a big glittered out uncle sam hat, quickly traveling through the outdoor market
I saw the Dead often in the bay area as well. I wasnt aware of the wall of sound, just that it was awesome and LOUD. One night after a show at the Shoreline we bought some organic sandwiches in the parking lot. They were disgusting. Opening them up was a round slice of something with can marks like you. Would see on canned cranberry jelly on thanksgiving. We were pretty sure the "organic sandwiches " were filled with dog food. Never bought from a vendor again. At least not food.
sf
You might like the GD live LP "Bear's Choice"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Grateful_Dead,_Volume_One_(Bear%27s_Choice)
"Bear" made a number of really excellent live recordings that are available today. I have the Ali Akbar Khan recording in 24-96, and it is truly wonderful, both from sonics and performance.
I did a search on "Bear's Sonic Journals" on Qobuz and found that many of the albums are available to stream.
thanks for the guidance to a wonderful resource.
after I saw the name Ali Akbar khan I immediately flipped over in hopes of getting some recordings, having remembered some excellent music played long ago on FM radio. although Ravi Shankar was a bigger name, I liked this guy better, and was kind of surprised I remembered him .
ii was kind of disheartened when I saw it was all In cd format, but that is easily understandable. I have a cd player in my old chevy convertible , but my hi fi is focused on vinyl . I trying not to buy a bunch more stuff , but that site has some very attractive offerings, so I'm letting the desire age before doing something rash.
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