From Library Journal
Scully's 20-year tenure as Grateful Dead manager ended on a sour note, and he is barely mentioned in other books on the band. Nonetheless, in this first in-depth biography of the group, he displays a vivid, unflinching eye for detail, which is surprising considering the prodigious amounts of drugs he (and they) ingested. Highlights include colorful descriptions of Ken Kesey's acid tests (for which the Dead were the house band) and life in the Haight-Ashbury scene of the late 1960s. The reverential depiction of the late Jerry Garcia dominates sketches of the other band members, but Scully's insider status gives readers a rare view into the Grateful Dead inner circle. Recommended for popular music collections. Not as essential but no less interesting is editor Ganz's (Playing in the Band, LJ 7/85) compilation of some of the heartfelt and eloquent Internet postings that started appearing within minutes of the announcement of Garcia's death on August 9, 1995. Lovingly assembled, this book is far more effective than Linda Kelly's recently published Deadheads (LJ 11/1/95) at helping the uninitiated understand the otherworldly bond between the Dead and their fans. Recommended for larger collections.?Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
