Grateful Dead: So Far

Last updated
So Far

GDSoFarVHS.jpg

So Far video tape cover
Directed by Len Dell'Amico
Jerry Garcia
Produced by Len Dell'Amico
Starring Grateful Dead
Edited by Veronica Losa
Distributed by Grateful Dead Productions
Release date
  • 1987 (1987)
Running time
 55 minutes
Country United States
Language English

So Far is a music documentary video by the Grateful Dead. Directed by Jerry Garcia and Len Dell'Amico, it is intended to give a subjective view of the Grateful Dead experience. The soundtrack includes Dead song performances largely from 1985 (both from a concert on December 31, 1985 and in a rehearsal setting). The visuals combine scenes of the band playing the songs, other Dead related material, computer animation, and found footage that has been altered and edited in various ways.

Grateful Dead American rock jam band

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. Ranging from quintet to septet, the band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, modal jazz, reggae, experimental music, psychedelia, and space rock, for live performances of lengthy instrumental jams, and for their devoted fan base, known as "Deadheads". "Their music", writes Lenny Kaye, "touches on ground that most other groups don't even know exists". These various influences were distilled into a diverse and psychedelic whole that made the Grateful Dead "the pioneering Godfathers of the jam band world". The band was ranked 57th by Rolling Stone magazine in its The Greatest Artists of All Time issue. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and a recording of their May 8, 1977, performance at Cornell University's Barton Hall was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2012. The Grateful Dead have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.

Jerry Garcia American musician and member of the Grateful Dead

Jerome John Garcia was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work as the lead guitarist and as a vocalist with the band Grateful Dead, which came to prominence during the counterculture era in the 1960s. Although he disavowed the role, Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or "spokesman" of the group.

In filmmaking, found footage is the use of footage as a found object, appropriated for use in collage films, documentary films, mockumentary films and other works.

Contents

So Far was released on VHS and laserdisc in 1987, and on DVD in 2012 in the All the Years Combine compilation box set. It has a running time of 55 minutes.

VHS Consumer-level analog video tape recording and cassette form factor standard

VHS is a standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes. Developed by Victor Company of Japan (JVC) in the early 1970s, it was released in Japan on September 9, 1976 and in the United States on August 23, 1977.

DVD Optical disc

DVD is a digital optical disc storage format invented and developed in 1995. The medium can store any kind of digital data and is widely used for software and other computer files as well as video programs watched using DVD players. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than compact discs while having the same dimensions.

Song list

"Uncle John's Band" is a song by the Grateful Dead that first appeared in their concert setlists in late 1969. The band recorded it for their 1970 album Workingman's Dead. Written by guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter, "Uncle John's Band" presents the Dead in an acoustic and musically concise mode, with close harmony singing.

Robert Hunter (lyricist) American musician

Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his work with the Grateful Dead.

"Playing in the Band" is a Grateful Dead song. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir composed the music, with some assistance from percussionist Mickey Hart. The song first emerged in embryonic form on the self-titled 1971 live album Grateful Dead. It then appeared in a more polished form on Ace, Bob Weir's first solo album.

Credits

Grateful Dead

Electric guitar electrified guitar; fretted stringed instrument with a neck and body that uses a pickup to convert the vibration of its strings into electrical signals

An electric guitar is a guitar that uses one or more pickups to convert the vibration of its strings into electrical signals. The vibration occurs when a guitar player strums, plucks, fingerpicks, slaps or taps the strings. The pickup generally uses electromagnetic induction to create this signal, which being relatively weak is fed into a guitar amplifier before being sent to the speaker(s), which converts it into audible sound.

Mickey Hart American musician

Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until the group disbanded in August 1995. He and fellow Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann earned the nickname "the rhythm devils".

Drum kit collection of drums and other percussion instruments

A drum kit — also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums — is a collection of drums and other percussion instruments, typically cymbals, which are set up on stands to be played by a single player, with drumsticks held in both hands, and the feet operating pedals that control the hi-hat cymbal and the beater for the bass drum. A drum kit consists of a mix of drums and idiophones – most significantly cymbals, but can also include the woodblock and cowbell. In the 2000s, some kits also include electronic instruments. Also, both hybrid and entirely electronic kits are used.

Production

Related Research Articles

<i>Infrared Roses</i> 1991 live album by Grateful Dead

Infrared Roses is a live compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It is a conglomeration of their famous improvisational segments "Drums" and "Space."

<i>Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 5</i> 2005 live album by Grateful Dead

Download Series Volume 5 is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It includes the complete concert recorded on March 27, 1988, at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia. It was released as a digital download on September 6, 2005.

<i>The Arista Years</i> (Grateful Dead album) 1996 compilation album by Grateful Dead

The Arista Years is a compilation album that chronicles the Grateful Dead's studio and live albums during their time with Arista Records. The album was released on two-CD and two cassette tapes on October 15, 1996. It contains tracks from Terrapin Station, Shakedown Street, Go to Heaven, Reckoning, Dead Set, In the Dark, Built to Last, and Without a Net. The set does not contain any new or expanded recordings. A media outlet sampler, Selections from the Arista Years, was released by Arista in January 1997.

<i>View from the Vault, Volume One</i> 2000 live album by Grateful Dead

View from the Vault, Volume One, sometimes known simply as View from the Vault, is the first release in a series of DVDs and companion soundtracks by the Grateful Dead known as "View from the Vault". The audio is taken from the soundboard and the video from the video screens at the concerts. The first volume was recorded and filmed at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on July 8, 1990 with bonus material recorded two days earlier at Cardinal Stadium, Louisville. The set was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 2, 2001. The soundtrack was released as a 3-CD set.

<i>View from the Vault, Volume Two</i> 2001 live album by Grateful Dead

View from the Vault, Volume Two is the second entry in the "View from the Vault" series by the Grateful Dead. It was released simultaneously as a three-disk CD and a one-disk DVD. This volume features the June 14, 1991 concert at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C., and bonus material from a show at the same venue on July 12, 1990. It is the only Grateful Dead video release featuring Vince Welnick and Bruce Hornsby.

<i>Nightfall of Diamonds</i> 2001 live album by Grateful Dead

Nightfall of Diamonds is a double live album by the Grateful Dead released in 2001. It was recorded on October 16, 1989 at Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford and includes the full concert. This was the final date of a five-day run at the venue.

<i>Terrapin Station (Limited Edition)</i> 1997 live album by Grateful Dead

Terrapin Station is a triple CD live album by the Grateful Dead released in 1997. It was recorded on March 15, 1990 — bassist Phil Lesh's 50th birthday — at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, and contained a rare Beatles cover, "Revolution". "Revolution" was a favorite song of Lesh's and had previously been played at his request. The concert performance from the previous night, recorded at the same venue, can be found on Spring 1990 . Likewise, the concert from the following night, at the same venue, is contained on Spring 1990. Additionally, the performances of "Walkin' Blues" and "Althea" from this show can be found on the live compilation album Without a Net.

<i>View from the Vault, Volume Three</i> 2002 live album by Grateful Dead

View from the Vault, Volume Three is the third release in the "View from the Vault" series by the Grateful Dead. It was released simultaneously as a three disc album on CD and as a concert performance video on DVD. It contains the June 16, 1990 show at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California.

<i>Go to Nassau</i> 2002 live album by Grateful Dead

Go to Nassau is a two-CD live album by the rock group the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on May 15 and 16, 1980, at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The album, released in 2002, presents half of the songs played on the final two nights of a three-day run at the venue. It is sequenced to represent a prototypical single Dead concert, similarly to Without a Net. The shows were recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour and selections were originally broadcast on FM radio stations, on June 22, 1980. The album's title is a syllepsis, referring figuratively to the band's then-current album, Go to Heaven, and literally to the band going to Nassau County to perform.

<i>Truckin Up to Buffalo</i> 2005 live album by Grateful Dead

Truckin' Up to Buffalo is a double CD soundtrack to the DVD video of the same name by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park on July 4, 1989. There are no differences in the track listings of the CD and DVD versions. Two tracks had already been released: "All Along the Watchtower" was included in the compilation of Dylan songs, Postcards of the Hanging, and "Man Smart " was released on Weir Here – The Best of Bob Weir. The album title is taken from a line in the band's song "Truckin'," though it was not included in the setlist that night.

<i>View from the Vault, Volume Four</i> 2003 live album by Grateful Dead

View from the Vault, Volume Four is the fourth release in the "View from the Vault" series of rock concert recordings by the Grateful Dead. Like the other entries in the series, it was released simultaneously on CD and as a DVD concert video. However, unlike the previous 3-CD volumes, View from the Vault IV is a 4-CD set. This volume contains selections from two consecutive shows in California — July 24, 1987, at Oakland Stadium, and July 26, 1987 at Anaheim Stadium.

<i>Grateful Dead: Downhill from Here</i> 1997 film

Downhill from Here is a concert performance video by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, near East Troy, Wisconsin, in July, 1989. Produced by Len Dell'Amico and Grateful Dead Productions. It was released by Monterey Home Video, on VHS in 1997 and on DVD in 1999, with a running time of 2 hours 30 minutes, and by Pioneer Entertainment, on LaserDisc in 1997.

<i>Grateful Dead: Dead Ahead</i> 1981 film

Dead Ahead is a concert video by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on October 30 and October 31, 1980, and released in 1981. An expanded version was released in 2005. In contrast to other Dead concert videos, Dead Ahead contains acoustic as well as electric song performances.

<i>Ticket to New Years</i> 1996 film

Ticket to New Year's is a concert video by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded at the Oakland Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California on December 31, 1987. It was released on VHS video tape and on Laserdisc in 1996, and on DVD in 1998.

<i>Infrared Sightings</i> 1992 film

Infrared Sightings is a video by the Grateful Dead, consisting of computer animation and other imagery set to music from their album Infrared Roses. It was released on VHS video tape and on laserdisc in 1992, and is 18 minutes long.

<i>Grateful Dead: Backstage Pass</i> 1992 film directed by Justin Kreutzmann

Backstage Pass is a music documentary video by the Grateful Dead. It was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, the son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and produced by Gillian Grisman, the daughter of musician David Grisman. It was released in 1992, and is 35 minutes long.

<i>Crimson White & Indigo</i> 2010 live album by Grateful Dead

Crimson White & Indigo is a live album by the American rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete concert recorded at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia on July 7, 1989. The album consists of three CDs, plus a video recording of the same show on one DVD. It was released on April 20, 2010. The Video was Produced and Directed by Len Dell'Amico.

<i>Spring 1990 (The Other One)</i> 2014 live album by Grateful Dead

Spring 1990 is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. Packaged as a box set, it contains eight complete concerts on 23 CDs, recorded during the band's spring 1990 concert tour. It was produced as a limited edition of 9,000 numbered copies, and was released by Rhino Records on September 9, 2014. In addition to the music CDs, the box set includes a 144-page paperback book, three art prints, and replica tickets stubs and backstage passes from all eight shows.

<i>30 Trips Around the Sun</i> 2015 live album by Grateful Dead

30 Trips Around the Sun is an 80-CD live album, packaged as a box set, by the rock band the Grateful Dead. Announced for the celebration of their 50th anniversary, it consists of 30 complete, previously unreleased concerts—73 hours of music—with one show per year from 1966 through 1995. The box set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies. It was released on October 7, 2015.

<i>Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C., July 12 & 13, 1989</i> 2017 live album by Grateful Dead

Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C., July 12 & 13, 1989 is a 6-CD live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. As the name suggests, it contains the two complete concerts recorded on July 12 and 13, 1989, at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C. It was released on November 10, 2017. The box set is individually numbered and limited to 15,000 copies.

References

International Standard Book Number Unique numeric book identifier

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.

IMDb Online database for movies, television, and video games

IMDb is an online database of information related to films, television programs, home videos and video games, and internet streams, including cast, production crew and personnel biographies, plot summaries, trivia, and fan reviews and ratings. An additional fan feature, message boards, was abandoned in February 2017. Originally a fan-operated website, the database is owned and operated by IMDb.com, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.