Music 80N: The Grateful Dead and the Long 1960s – Syllabus Department of Music, University of California – Santa Cruz, Spring Quarter 2018 Instructor: Dr. Melvin Backstrom [email protected] Teaching Assistants: Marguerite Brown [email protected] Ike Minton [email protected] Class Schedule: MWF, 12pm-1:05pm, Music 101 (Recital Hall) OFFICE HOURS & LOCATION INSTRUCTOR Room 126 Mondays 2-3pm or by appointment TEACHING ASSISTANTS TBA Course Description This music history survey course uses the seminal Bay Area rock band/improvisational ensemble the Grateful Dead as a lens to understand the music and broader history of countercultural music from the 1950s to the present. It combines an extensive engagement with the music of the Grateful Dead, as well as other related musicians, along with a wide variety of readings from non- musical history, political science, philosophy and cultural studies in order to encourage a deep reflection on what the countercultures of the 1960s meant in their heyday, and what their descendants continue to mean today in both musical and non-musical realms. It aims to be both an introduction to those interested in the Grateful Dead, though largely born after the group’s disbandment in 1995, as well as to appeal to those with a broader interest in recent cultural history. Because the University of California – Santa Cruz is the home of the Grateful Dead Archive, students are encouraged to make use of it. However, given the number of students in the course and limitations of UCSC Special Collections its use will not be required. Readings All texts will be available through UCSC’s online system. Grateful Dead Research Guide This is a valuable resource for all things related to the Grateful Dead put together by UCSC Library staff: https://guides.library.ucsc.edu/c.php?g=119716&p=781075 Listenings Undoubtedly one of the most helpful aspects of studying the music of the Grateful Dead is the plethora of available recordings of their live concerts from the band’s entire 30-year existence. See https://archive.org/details/GratefulDead for free access to all publicly traded recordings. Students are encouraged to listen (and sometimes watch) above and beyond what is assigned for the class. Note – There are three types of live recordings: soundboards, audience, and matrix. Soundboards were recorded by members of the band’s crew and can only be streamed. Because they were recorded directly from the band’s live sound, they have a clean, but arguably “dead” (no pun intended) sound. They are not available for download from the Internet Archive (IA). Audience recordings, in contrast, are much more “alive” but have a wide range of sound quality, from excellent to practically unlistenable. They are available for download from the IA. Matrix recordings are mixes of soundboards and audience recordings intended to give the best possible balance of good sound quality with a “live” sound. They are also unavailable for download. Grading 1st response 10% 2nd response 15% Essay 20% Midterm 20% Final 35% Assignments The two responses are opportunities for students to express themselves in a relatively informal manner on one or more of the assigned readings, listenings, videos, or lectures. The format for both is one to two pages, 12-pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced (approx. 600-1,200 words). No other research or references are necessary. Although lacking the length and formal structure of an essay, writing quality (i.e. spelling, grammar, sentence construction) is important. The essay is a lengthier (3-4 pages, double spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman font), formal piece of writing requiring an argument, evidence, and proper citation. Some suggested topics will be given out, but students are encouraged to formulate their own although they should be cleared with the instructor or a TA. The only limitation is it has to engage with the subject matter of the course, whether readings, lectures, or listenings. Students are encouraged to make use of the Grateful Dead Archive, but its use is not required. The Midterm and Final examinations will be a combination of multiple choice and written responses. Policy on use of electronic devices The use of electronic devices during class time should only occur in such a way as to not distract others. Phones should always be in silent mode and you are encouraged to not check them for the entirety of each class. Students will learn much more during the 65 minutes of class time by giving themselves a break from their personal electronic media than otherwise. Some Relevant Online Materials http://www.deadlistening.com/: Ongoing discussion of Grateful Dead recordings https://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/: “Identifying and illuminating live Grateful Dead shows (and shows by band members) that are unknown or poorly documented.” http://cryptdev.blogspot.com/: “Reflections on the Music in the Bay Area in the 60's, 70's and Beyond” http://hooterollin.blogspot.com/: “Insight and speculation from the penumbra of Grateful Dead scholarship, an appendix to Lost Live Dead.” http://deadessays.blogspot.com/: “An ongoing series of articles on songs & performances of the early Grateful Dead. https://www.gdao.org/: Online home of the UCSC Grateful Dead Archive Class Schedule All audio/video examples are by the Grateful Dead unless otherwise specified. Week 1: History Monday, April 2: Introduction Wednesday, April 4: 1) Richard Cándida Smith, “Introduction,” Utopia and Dissent: Art, Poetry, and Politics in California (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1995), xvii-xxvi. 2) Tony Judt, “The Age of Affluence,” in Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 (New York: Penguin Books, 2005), 324-53. Watch: 2) Sunshine Daydream (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=URtCml8FHrU) Optional Listening: Aug. 27, 1972 is the performance recorded for Sunshine Daydream. The entire concert can be listened to here: https://archive.org/details/gd72-08- 27.sbd.braverman.16582.sbefail.shnf/gd72-08-27d2t04.shn. Friday, April 6: 1) Warren Bareiss, “Middlebrow Knowingness in 1950s’ San Francisco: The Kingston Trio, Beat Counterculture, and the Production of ‘Authenticity’,” Popular Music and Society 33, no. 1 (Feb. 2010), 9-33. 2) The Kingston Trio, “Tom Dooley”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb6I0YkSjb8 3) The Weavers, “Goodnight Irene”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSDyiUBrUSk 4) Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions, Live at the Top of the Tangent – 1964: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU3x5svmo78 Optional: Various, The Roots of the Grateful Dead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdTiNAaCE74&index=1&list=PLGPrUIiNkFFs0GxEPTdQ AyJ-t-tMbzQU4 WEEK 2: HISTORY CONT. Monday, April 9: 1) David W. Bernstein, “The San Francisco Tape Music Center: Emerging Art Forms and the American Counterculture, 1961-1966,” in The San Francisco Tape Music Center: 1960s Counterculture and the Avant-Garde, ed. David W. Bernstein (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2008), 5-41. 2) Ramon Sender (featuring Pauline Oliveros on accordion), Desert Ambulance: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxjn2iKIRUk) 3) Terry Riley, In C (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRaa34E8tXQ) 4) Steve Reich, Piano Phase (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0345c6zNfM) Optional: 5) Ross Cole, “‘Fun, Yes, but Music?’ Steve Reich and the San Francisco Bay Area's Cultural Nexus, 1962–65,” Journal of the Society for American Music 6, no. 3 (August 2012), 315-48. 6) Documentary on Pauline Oliveros: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ2W42bOQxY) Wednesday, April 11: 1) William J. Craddock, “Morgan’s Acid Test,” in The Grateful Dead Reader (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 8-16. 2) Ralph J. Gleason, “Dead Like Live Thunder” and “Jerry Garcia the Guru,” in The Grateful Dead Reader (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 17-38. 3) Jay Williams, “Bohemian Nationalism,” The Grateful Dead in Concert: Essays in Live Improvisation, eds. James Tuedio and Stan Spector (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2010), 232-50. 4) The Grateful Dead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJeTl6KoJUE&list=PL2A0F5F9D67FF3424) Optional: 5) March 18, 1967 (https://archive.org/details/gd67-03- 18.sbd.fink.10282.sbeok.shnf/gd67-03-18d2t05.shn) Friday, April 13: 1) Dennis McNally, excerpt from A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead (New York: Broadway Books, 2002), 247-66, 273-90. 2) Anthem of the Sun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLPsZoF8q1U) 3) Aoxomoxoa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LY7yBoQDms) Optional: 4) February 14, 1968 (https://archive.org/details/gd1968-02- 14.sbd.miller.89676.sbeok.flac16) WEEK 3: EXPERIMENTALISM/IMPROVISATION Monday, April 16: 1) Steve Silberman, “Primal Dead at the Fillmore East: February 1970,” in The Grateful Dead Reader (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 40-49. 2) Dennis McNally, excerpts from A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead (New York: Broadway Books, 2002), 299-312. 3) Live/Dead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL-dUZJydcw) 4) February 13, 1970, Fillmore East, New York, NY (https://archive.org/details/gd1970-02- 13.sbd.miller.fix-97613.97639.sbeok.flac16/gd70-02-13d2t12.flac especially “Dark Star” through “We Bid You Goodnight”) Optional: Video of some of the “Dark Star” as well as some other songs from this performance are available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmPhb-tWgBg&t=1207s. Mary Goodenough, “Modeling Improvisation” in The Grateful Dead in Concert: Essays in Live Improvisation, eds. James Tuedio and Stan Spector (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2010). Wednesday, April 18: 1) Eric F. Levy, “‘The Sound of Thick Air’: The Grateful Dead as Experimental Composers,” in Studying the Dead, 33-43. 2) Andy Childs, “A Conversation with Phil Lesh,” ZigZag (September 1974: http://www.rocksbackpages.com/article.html?ArticleID=118) 3) October 18, 1974, Winterland Arena (https://archive.org/details/gd1974-10- 18.111459.gems.BOSWELL-SMITH.flac24/gd1974-10-18t16.flac, especially tracks 14-17, “Seastones” through “Morning Dew”) Optional: 1) Video from September 21, 1974, Palais des Sports, Paris, France (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-G_mOM5LbQ) 2) Sept.