The Grateful Dead - Anthem Of The Sun (1968)

The Grateful Dead were an American rock band renowned for their lengthy musical improvisations in concert.
 

For their second album, the Grateful Dead wanted to experiment. They started recording Anthem Of The Sun with producer David Hassinger, but he grew frustrated due to their slow recording pace and left. The band went on to produce the album themselves with the help of their soundman Dan Healy. The five-man band of their first album was expanded by the addition of two new members - keyboard player Tom Constanten and second drummer Mickey Hart. This gave them the new lineup of Jerry Garcia (lead guitar/vocals), Bob Weir (rhythm guitar/vocals), Ron McKernan (organ/vocals), Phil Lesh (bass), Bill Kreutzmann (drums), Mickey Hart (drums) and Tom Constanten (piano).
The songs on the album were all based on concert recordings, in an attempt to showcase the live sound they had become renown for, but the tracks were augmented by an assortment of studio-recorded instruments such as harpsichord, kazoo, celesta, trumpet, timpani, gongs and more. The recording studio itself was also used as an instrument, adding all sorts of experimental touches to the songs. The result was a strange, acid-drenched blend of live improvisation and studio manipulation, more like a sound collage than a rock album. Fans called it a psychedelic masterpiece, whilst less favourable reviews could see it as a confusing mess. Either way it was an important step forward for the band, and an important part of the San Francisco scene (and of the psychedelia genre itself).
It also was important in the band's history as it marked their first collaboration with lyricist Robert Hunter.

The Grateful Dead (1967) <|> Aoxomoxoa (1969)
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