Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead

Full disclosure: I'm 66 and have always liked the Dead, but I'm not a Dead Head and I've never seen them live. Tracks from Workingman's Dead and American Beauty got heavy FM airplay back in the day, and I liked them enough to buy those 2 albums. But I lost touch with them after that, until, of course, the 1987 re-emergence with Touch of Grey on MTV. After Garcia died in 1995, I figured they were done, and pretty much forgot about them. But the hype that built for the 50-year anniversary concert got me interested again. Now that I'm retired, I have plenty of time to do research, so I watched a few Youtube concerts and decided to read a book about the band. It seemed logical to try one written by a band member, so it was Phil's book that I began with. I found it so interesting that I began to watch more Youtube, and was thrilled when I'd see something that Phil mentioned in his book. Just one example was the 4-17-1972 Copenhagen concert where they all donned Bozo masks. Seeing it after reading about it was really cool. I liked the book so much that I started another book, So Many Roads, written by a Rolling Stone reporter who had followed the band for years. It was great to get two different points of view, one from inside the band, the other from outside. After reading Phil's book, I have to commend him for the title. "Searching for the Sound" is exactly what he was always doing with the Dead, and happily is still doing with his own collaborations today.

Phil's writing is crisp and this book maintains really good momentum. It is night and day with Bill Kreutzmann's (mostly ghost-written) bio which, by comparison, feels like it was penned by a 5th grader with little memory, insight or, indeed, joy in life. Phil almost goes out of his way to reveal himself as the intellectual of the band, peppering his bio with big words and references to high art (opera, classical music) and academia (music theory, philosophers). While it did take him nearly half the book to get out of the 60s, the book does not suffer from the problem many rock biogs encounter: getting bogged down in boring childhood details and life before the band (often losing momentum by the time they get to the interesting stuff). Which isn't to say Phil wasn't an interesting kid. He was, but he covers everything succinctly, almost dancing through the relevant highlights at an effervescent pace. There's a real personality to his writing--again, almost the polar opposite of Kreutzmann's dull tone. While it is a little lighter on the sex & drugs aspect than some other Dead books out there (Rock Scully's "Living With The Dead" is a good one for that), Phil does provide unique, first-hand insight into the Dead’s creative processes through the years, from writing and recording to playing live. Which is precisely the kind of insight you want into one of the more enigmatic bands of our time.

Quick read, I was always an amateur Dead Head. I saw Jerry having problems onstage in the late 80’s, but the back story fills in what I was witnessing. Phil gives a clear and concise time line that focuses on the music itself without recriminations, only explanations. It’s lead me to listen differently to songs I have listened to for 35+ years, and seek out different eras of GD live music and listen for what Phil explains. If you are a DH and you want insight into the music without the drama this is an excellent book. It lets you see what they were trying to achieve in every era of their music. I grew up in era where we turned up the treble and lowered the bass. Now I am doing the opposite to here what I missed. Phil Lesh is truly a gentleman with a gentle soul. His gratitude towards his band mates and memories of specific interactions that he shares lends a warmness that we can all relate to. “ Make America Grateful Again!”

FIRST LINE REVIEW: "I have always considered myself a very lucky man." Indeed, you are Mr. Lesh. And I'm a lucky man to have seen you perform twice now, as well as your son's band, Midnight North. And I've had the good fortune to have read your book, sharing in your memories and insights. Love your music, love your stories. Peace.

Phil did a fine job on his biography. He wrote the book in a manner which left out a lot of the seedier parts and glorified the best parts of the Grateful Dead. One gets the feeling that he truly enjoyed his journey through life, as his intelligence allowed him to make the smart choices which lead to his fruitful career with the Dead as well as a happy home life. Even when things looked grim as an overweight alcoholic, playing shows and making enough money to "keep playing for free", being ripped off by the drummer's father and Rakow and being set up and busted in NOLA, he persevered. He never stopped - doing it for the music. He speaks in musician's language about some songs/songwriting. but not so much it would distract a non-musician. Also, have a dictionary handy - he uses words I had never stumbled across (his intelligence, again...). Strongly recommend this book to any Deadhead.

Phil Lesh is a highly intelligent musician who explains the Grateful Dead journey in a personal way, musical way, cosmic way - speaks about LSD and other drug use without going into the sordid details which can feel like a rock and roll expose in some books. Phil keeps the spirit high, moving onwards through the joys and struggles amongst this friend band of wonderful musicians. Great book - easy to read.

I’ve read a lot of books about the Dead, and this one was one of my favorites. Phil is clearly a thoughtful and introspective individual, whose intelligence, humor, and pathos really comes through. There are some great stories that I had yet to hear, and I like the disproportionate focus on the early years.

I've seen the Dead many times since I was a kid in the late 60's in Seattle. The heads, the pre-funk, the "trips" and of course the music. Many books I read cover the where and when, or who's management was fighting etc. I felt that Phil explained the ideas behind the songs, the musicality and the group mind though acid. A gentle, kind work by Phil. No-one is made out to be a conflict person. As a bass player, I'm more inspired to play Dead tunes now and I listen once again with the delight of fresh ears.

Dead books vary in focus and quality, from Blair Jackson's detailed and loving examination to Rock Scully's frequently-fun but always lurid (and occasionally dubious) HST pastiche. As the only version of the tale told by a founding member, Phil's Searching for the Sound is unmissable...if incomplete at times. As with his music, Lesh gives his best; a familiar song, finding new life through an honest and unpredictable performance. Intellectual precision, spiritual exploration, and plain old fun are here in abundance, and he doesn't avoid the tricky bits, either....but in music, as in everything, you may see the shape more clearly through the parts that are left out. One thing that struck me was Phil's willingness to rise to the daunting challenge of relating the near-ineffable details of a trip; I've never read a more accurate and evocative description (not even from Huxley or Dr. Thompson). Well done! Likewise, his awareness of the fans is unmatched. While rock star autobiographies usually limit audience participation to sales statistics (or particularly memorable groupie-groping incidents), Phil more than acknowledges the role of the Heads as the vast, essential Other Band Member. Just as I'm thinking "looks like Phil's not going to get personal", he examines his relationships with his father, with his wife and children, with fellow band members and Family. He refuses to either shy away from or dwell upon his own demons (he's merciless and yet matter-of-fact about his own drinking problems), while giving others as much credit or space as possible. Understandably, he is firmly focused upon the music, and he's at his best when he indulges his true calling. Whether it's an unexpectedly-detailed aside about Modulus Graphite or an insight into the genesis of a song, the reader will get choice nuggets that make the ride completely and uniquely worthwhile. While I'm sometimes disappointed that he doesn't go into more depth, I understand that talking too much about the nuts and bolts of artistic creation can often spoil the delicate balance of its beauty. Sometimes it all comes together in a brief but memorable passage, like anecdotes about driving to the next show or stopping at a remote diner along the way. In both brief scenes we get an evocative taste of the connections between a beloved musician, his family, and the fans. No other band has this alchemy, and no other participant could tell the story like this. Though the quality of the writing is consistently admirable, the pace can be uneven and gaps in the narrative are obvious to those that know the story from other angles. Yeah, it ain't the best book you'll ever read, and it's probably not even the most satisfying Book of the Dead...but Searching for the Sound is still something special, more than just "a must-read for fans".

An intimate autobiography of the author's life focusing on the birth and evolution of the Grateful Dead and his relationship with other band members, especially Jerry Garcia. In describing his development as a musician, composer and performer, Lesh writes intellectually in a technological style that was at times difficult for this musical layman to follow. However this book is a very rewarding read, especially for anyone wishing to learn about or to relive the phantasmagorical events that occurred in and around the 1960's San Francisco psychedelic rock scene and beyond. A must read for Deadheads and wannabes, Lesh's incredible attention to detail leaves the reader gratified and craving for more.

Full disclosure: I'm 66 and have always liked the Dead, but I'm not a Dead Head and I've never seen them live. Tracks from Workingman's Dead and American Beauty got heavy FM airplay back in the day, and I liked them enough to buy those 2 albums. But I lost touch with them after that, until, of course, the 1987 re-emergence with Touch of Grey on MTV. After Garcia died in 1995, I figured they were done, and pretty much forgot about them. But the hype that built for the 50-year anniversary concert got me interested again. Now that I'm retired, I have plenty of time to do research, so I watched a few Youtube concerts and decided to read a book about the band. It seemed logical to try one written by a band member, so it was Phil's book that I began with. I found it so interesting that I began to watch more Youtube, and was thrilled when I'd see something that Phil mentioned in his book. Just one example was the 4-17-1972 Copenhagen concert where they all donned Bozo masks. Seeing it after reading about it was really cool. I liked the book so much that I started another book, So Many Roads, written by a Rolling Stone reporter who had followed the band for years. It was great to get two different points of view, one from inside the band, the other from outside. After reading Phil's book, I have to commend him for the title. "Searching for the Sound" is exactly what he was always doing with the Dead, and happily is still doing with his own collaborations today.

Phil's writing is crisp and this book maintains really good momentum. It is night and day with Bill Kreutzmann's (mostly ghost-written) bio which, by comparison, feels like it was penned by a 5th grader with little memory, insight or, indeed, joy in life. Phil almost goes out of his way to reveal himself as the intellectual of the band, peppering his bio with big words and references to high art (opera, classical music) and academia (music theory, philosophers). While it did take him nearly half the book to get out of the 60s, the book does not suffer from the problem many rock biogs encounter: getting bogged down in boring childhood details and life before the band (often losing momentum by the time they get to the interesting stuff). Which isn't to say Phil wasn't an interesting kid. He was, but he covers everything succinctly, almost dancing through the relevant highlights at an effervescent pace. There's a real personality to his writing--again, almost the polar opposite of Kreutzmann's dull tone. While it is a little lighter on the sex & drugs aspect than some other Dead books out there (Rock Scully's "Living With The Dead" is a good one for that), Phil does provide unique, first-hand insight into the Dead’s creative processes through the years, from writing and recording to playing live. Which is precisely the kind of insight you want into one of the more enigmatic bands of our time.

Quick read, I was always an amateur Dead Head. I saw Jerry having problems onstage in the late 80’s, but the back story fills in what I was witnessing. Phil gives a clear and concise time line that focuses on the music itself without recriminations, only explanations. It’s lead me to listen differently to songs I have listened to for 35+ years, and seek out different eras of GD live music and listen for what Phil explains. If you are a DH and you want insight into the music without the drama this is an excellent book. It lets you see what they were trying to achieve in every era of their music. I grew up in era where we turned up the treble and lowered the bass. Now I am doing the opposite to here what I missed. Phil Lesh is truly a gentleman with a gentle soul. His gratitude towards his band mates and memories of specific interactions that he shares lends a warmness that we can all relate to. “ Make America Grateful Again!”

FIRST LINE REVIEW: "I have always considered myself a very lucky man." Indeed, you are Mr. Lesh. And I'm a lucky man to have seen you perform twice now, as well as your son's band, Midnight North. And I've had the good fortune to have read your book, sharing in your memories and insights. Love your music, love your stories. Peace.

Phil did a fine job on his biography. He wrote the book in a manner which left out a lot of the seedier parts and glorified the best parts of the Grateful Dead. One gets the feeling that he truly enjoyed his journey through life, as his intelligence allowed him to make the smart choices which lead to his fruitful career with the Dead as well as a happy home life. Even when things looked grim as an overweight alcoholic, playing shows and making enough money to "keep playing for free", being ripped off by the drummer's father and Rakow and being set up and busted in NOLA, he persevered. He never stopped - doing it for the music. He speaks in musician's language about some songs/songwriting. but not so much it would distract a non-musician. Also, have a dictionary handy - he uses words I had never stumbled across (his intelligence, again...). Strongly recommend this book to any Deadhead.

Phil Lesh is a highly intelligent musician who explains the Grateful Dead journey in a personal way, musical way, cosmic way - speaks about LSD and other drug use without going into the sordid details which can feel like a rock and roll expose in some books. Phil keeps the spirit high, moving onwards through the joys and struggles amongst this friend band of wonderful musicians. Great book - easy to read.

I’ve read a lot of books about the Dead, and this one was one of my favorites. Phil is clearly a thoughtful and introspective individual, whose intelligence, humor, and pathos really comes through. There are some great stories that I had yet to hear, and I like the disproportionate focus on the early years.

I've seen the Dead many times since I was a kid in the late 60's in Seattle. The heads, the pre-funk, the "trips" and of course the music. Many books I read cover the where and when, or who's management was fighting etc. I felt that Phil explained the ideas behind the songs, the musicality and the group mind though acid. A gentle, kind work by Phil. No-one is made out to be a conflict person. As a bass player, I'm more inspired to play Dead tunes now and I listen once again with the delight of fresh ears.

Dead books vary in focus and quality, from Blair Jackson's detailed and loving examination to Rock Scully's frequently-fun but always lurid (and occasionally dubious) HST pastiche. As the only version of the tale told by a founding member, Phil's Searching for the Sound is unmissable...if incomplete at times. As with his music, Lesh gives his best; a familiar song, finding new life through an honest and unpredictable performance. Intellectual precision, spiritual exploration, and plain old fun are here in abundance, and he doesn't avoid the tricky bits, either....but in music, as in everything, you may see the shape more clearly through the parts that are left out. One thing that struck me was Phil's willingness to rise to the daunting challenge of relating the near-ineffable details of a trip; I've never read a more accurate and evocative description (not even from Huxley or Dr. Thompson). Well done! Likewise, his awareness of the fans is unmatched. While rock star autobiographies usually limit audience participation to sales statistics (or particularly memorable groupie-groping incidents), Phil more than acknowledges the role of the Heads as the vast, essential Other Band Member. Just as I'm thinking "looks like Phil's not going to get personal", he examines his relationships with his father, with his wife and children, with fellow band members and Family. He refuses to either shy away from or dwell upon his own demons (he's merciless and yet matter-of-fact about his own drinking problems), while giving others as much credit or space as possible. Understandably, he is firmly focused upon the music, and he's at his best when he indulges his true calling. Whether it's an unexpectedly-detailed aside about Modulus Graphite or an insight into the genesis of a song, the reader will get choice nuggets that make the ride completely and uniquely worthwhile. While I'm sometimes disappointed that he doesn't go into more depth, I understand that talking too much about the nuts and bolts of artistic creation can often spoil the delicate balance of its beauty. Sometimes it all comes together in a brief but memorable passage, like anecdotes about driving to the next show or stopping at a remote diner along the way. In both brief scenes we get an evocative taste of the connections between a beloved musician, his family, and the fans. No other band has this alchemy, and no other participant could tell the story like this. Though the quality of the writing is consistently admirable, the pace can be uneven and gaps in the narrative are obvious to those that know the story from other angles. Yeah, it ain't the best book you'll ever read, and it's probably not even the most satisfying Book of the Dead...but Searching for the Sound is still something special, more than just "a must-read for fans".

An intimate autobiography of the author's life focusing on the birth and evolution of the Grateful Dead and his relationship with other band members, especially Jerry Garcia. In describing his development as a musician, composer and performer, Lesh writes intellectually in a technological style that was at times difficult for this musical layman to follow. However this book is a very rewarding read, especially for anyone wishing to learn about or to relive the phantasmagorical events that occurred in and around the 1960's San Francisco psychedelic rock scene and beyond. A must read for Deadheads and wannabes, Lesh's incredible attention to detail leaves the reader gratified and craving for more.

When this book was first published in hardcover I read it in one sitting. Lesh is my favorite member of the Dead, with Pigpen and Jerry being tied for second. I feel that this book is very well written, fascinating and informative. What especially stands out for me is the actual TONE of Phil's writing; he comes across as compassionate and caring. Even when being critical of a person or group of people, he does so in a very kind manner( in contrast to the tone of Bill Kreutzmann's recently published autobiography, of which I will be posting a review soon). Our son Phillip is named after him( my best DeadHead friend at the time and I didn't really give my wife any choice in the matter!).

If you plan to read only one book about the Dead, choose McNally's for its exhaustive research and attention to detail. If you plan to read most of them -- and let's face it, if you got this far, you might -- Phil's is one to pick earlier rather than later. The book is most similar to Rock Scully's in its emphasis. The early tours get a lot of weight, perhaps since they were memorable for guys who mostly never traveled out of California before. The midway point of the book is at 1970. Nothing seems to stand out in his mind from the 20 years of touring from 1975-retirement except the trips to exotic places (Europe, Stonehenge, Egypt), events with his wife and kids, and maybe playing Madison Square Garden. Well, maybe you remember events in high school and college better than 20 years of punching the clock too, right? It's interesting to see it from the band's perspective. The basic narrative--Palo Alto / Chateau, Neal Cassady, the Acid Tests, living with Bear in Watts (my favorite), the Haight, first tours... recording the canonical albums at Heider's, the Europe 72 tour, getting ripped off by Lenny Hart, getting ripped off by Ron Rakow... late 70s / 80's malaise, late-80's redemption -- is pretty familiar by now, covered in books published from '82 (Blair Jackson's first) to 02. You almost need a revisionist history to earn the right to publish another book. Phil adds lots of new vignettes to all of these episodes, but basically plows ahead like nobody else had published first. What makes the book worthwhile is that you get to spend a lot of time with Phil Lesh being his best self -- idealistic, earnest, thoughtful, considerate of his "brothers in music" -- but still ironic, rueful, arrogant as he ever seemed in interview or on tape. It is reassuring to learn that he really believed in the whole enterprise in the same way, and maybe as much, as any of the deadheads did. One note about the Kindle edition -- cited photographs are not to be found.

This is the 4th book I've read on the band. Phil Lesh really brought the love of the music and how they were all top notch musicians that reached for the stars whenever they played. I seen the band several times in the 80's and back then I was there more for the party.. Nw I'd kill to see them again after finally getting the greatness of the music. The only knock I have is he didn't add an update till 2019.

When I pre-ordered the book prior to its publication, I was curious about "Searching for the Sound" because there was no other writer credited. Many biographies are written with the help of professional writers whose fingerprints end up all over the writing. But what a terrific surprise that Phil did it himself! His writing is very much like his bass playing: sometimes forceful and at the forefront (often I was very conscious of the actual writing because of Phil's unusual turn of phrase). And just like on the bass, at other times he held back and told the story through simple narrative lines. But throughout there is a cosmic, trippy kind of vibe going on in his writing that's unmistakably the Grateful Dead. And how great to finally hear the actual tales of what it is like to play the music! Many other books on the band triangulate the band from a variety of perspectives missing out on the making of the music itself. However nobody but Phil gets the onstage angle to the story. My favorite scene was a terrific ten or twelve pages about Egypt. My wife and I did our honeymoon in Egypt (alas, several years after the band played there). Phil's terrific descriptions of the weird and wonderful Cairo streets and his negotiations with officialdom to play next to the Sphinx are as good as any travel writing can possibly be.

Only saw them once -- their last Mardi Gras show in Oakland, February 1995, a few months before the end. The performance really wasn't very good -- the band sounded weary -- and I wasn't yet familiar with their repertoire, which helps, I suppose. But I'll never forget the plaintive sound of Jerry's voice singing a particularly sad and wistful ballad, which I later learned was "The Days Between." I mention this to make it clear that I'm not a fanatic, though I'm now definitely a fan. Phil's book concentrates on the early formative years, their creative peak in the early and mid 70s, and mercifully glosses over the 80s and 90s, when the pressure of success and the necessity of supporting a large organization began to take their toll in the form of creative decline, personality squabbles, dishonest management and substance abuse. A refreshing feature of Phil's book is his calmly positive assessment of the early Dead's use of psychedelics. Not only does he avoid the politically correct, shoe-gazing apologetics common to most famous musicians of the era (certain Beatles come to mind), he dares to suggest that these substances IMPROVED THE MUSIC, backed up with some delightful eyewitness accounts. Nevertheless, he shines a harsh light on his own battle with alcohol, and recounts the all-too-well-known story of Jerry's descent. Phil isn't "soft" on drugs by any means -- he's simply passing on his long, weary experience about what has worked for him and others, and what hasn't. Better keep this book away from the kids. :) Other readers have found fault with Phil's digressions into music technology, and about the innovations developed by and for the Grateful Dead. As a bass player and recording engineer, I found this material riveting, and wished there was a lot more of it. It's clear we need Owsley to write his story, as well. Are you listening, Bear? Nobody interested in the Grateful Dead will want to miss this.

I've been a bit of a Dead fan since I first heard Workingman's Dead, not that long after it was released. I've not that much of a musical ear and was originally engaged by one element of the music -- Robert Hunter's lyrics. Phil Lesh spends about the first 2/3 of the book talking about the music, explaining the Dead's innovative approach to concerts and to recording, and showing me a side to the Dead's creative process I just hadn't thought much about. That 2/3 of the book, chronologically taking us past the European tour and Pigpen McKernon's death, is great. That portion of the book lives up to the book's very apt title. There are moments when Lesh manages to communicate something of the magic, the mystery and the 'cosmic consciousness' {yes, I just used that wornout expression; no, Lesh doesn't} to be glimpsed at in the sound. The last third of the book, taking us through Jerry Garcia's death and, quite briefly, up to date, is significantly weaker. The book becomes more an account of the band's ups and downs and less a delving into the sense and spirit of the music. The band did produce some good, new songs in those later years (I'll particularly note Hunter and Garcia's "Black Muddy River"), but Lesh has far less to say about those later touring years than the early experimental ones. Perhaps there just is less worth saying about being an anachronistic 'hippie' band in the '80s than standing in the middle of the brief cultural flowering of the late '60s. I was particularly impressed that the book really was Lesh's story -- no ghostwriter, no tell-tale tracks of either a publicist or an outsider's voice. He's written a good, honest book. The book isn't about being a star, nor is it about the lifestyle. The book is about making music, just as the band was about making music. Read it for the music.

I believe that many readers of this book who are looking for the inside scoop on the Sex and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll of the Grateful Dead are going to be disappointed. All of those elements and more are addressed but there is none of the rabid sensationalism that has been a feature of some of the stories about this band. To be fair, I approached this memoir with less than my normal objectivity, I have been a fan for too long to take a dispassionate look. In fact I opened up the cover with a heady mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excitement at reading Phil's own words as a consumate insider and trepidation that it may be one of those ghastly ghosted tomes which would not serve the memory of the band well. Having just completed the book I can honestly say that I found it very easy to read, there are sufficient errors in it which tends to suggest it was mainly of Phil's doing, and it leaves the reader with a much different sense of events than they may have gleaned from others of this ilk other than from Dennis McNally's authoritative account. I would continue to press Robert Hunter, the band's resident poet in a more familiar guise as a lyricist, to produce his own story but I live in the eternal hope that he will heed my call. This book is a delight for many reasons. Firstly I appreciate that the author does not duck the issues of the sex and drugs but acknowledges instead what we all know and that is that they are an integral part of the popular music scene and very few people who work in that area are non-participants. There is a caveat to my support and that is that there is not enough information out there about why musicians and others who work in the field resort to chemicals to begin with. Secondly, Phil Lesh does not drown the reader in too much material. His focus is on his life with the band and rather than deal with the minutae of events he takes a broader view accentuated with personal stories of experiences undergone or shared. This approach assists with establishing an understanding of how routine much of life on the road is even if you are part of an extended family network which provides considerable support as well as a no holds barred realism. Thirdly Lesh addresses with some candour some of the personal issues of the individual band members, not in much detail, but which nonetheless is somewhat refreshing in acknowledgement that there are real feelings of love and brotherhood in tandem with more ephemeral social interactions. Fourthly, and for me one of the more crucial aspects of this book is the dawning realisation that the guys in the band have different motives and influences and behaviours than those which we as fans attribute to them. As Phil describes the growing gulf between the band members themselves during the eternal touring and their need to establish their own personal routines and spaces, he is also describing the chasm between the expectations of the musicians themselves, the road crew, those who crave audience with the band or somebody with the band and the more general audience. Those stresses and strains on the band are clearly enormous and it is a testament to Phil Lesh and his family that he clearly delineates a private space from the public in order to put his family first while the demands upon him as a band member become collossal. Fifthly and finally, for me this book is somewhat of a labour of love. here is a man who has experienced in a few short years more than most people will ever experience in a lifetime or two. He has some stories to tell and more besides but there is an overarching recognition that what has been and is the most important part of his life is the relationships he has established with certain people - his adopted family that is the Grateful Dead, his parents (his recollection of the passing of his father is one of the most poignant sections of the book, and his own family. I really like this book for several reasons. I am a fan of the Grateful Dead and am eager to hear a different side of the same story (it's the same story the girl told me it's the only one I know). I am very interested in Phil Lesh's influences and his musical interests. Indeed many people do not know how instrumental Lesh has been in bringing little know British composers to wider audiences. Sorry about the pun but Lesh's typical modesty speaks volumes about Lesh the man. Searching for the Sound raises more questions about the Lesh the musician and who he listens to than answers. I like the insight into the main characters in a continually unfolding drama which does not sink into a pit of bad mouthing and name calling. Added to which is the author's implicit acknowledgement thta he has his own axe to grind but he has the intellectual honesty to admit it. It is also a great story about how a few ordinary guys could get together, literally do their own thing and end up as the biggest grossing touring bad in the world. What a long, strange trip indeed. This might not be the best written book in the world but it is a fine story worth telling and worth reading again and again. As Lesh recalls Bill Graham's fondness for introducing the band as being not just the best at what they do but the only ones who do what they do. Absolutely. I commend this book to everyone.

Phil's book brought me to tears and filled me with joy, as he weaves a story of friendship, family and beauty in the musical experience that is was and ever will be The Grateful Dead.

Good deal. Highest recommendation. Dan naturopath, from psychicteaz.com tea company. I am a member of local 76 musicians union.it is an easy read.

I've read several biographies/autobiographies about 1960s/70s era musicians in recent years, and I must say that I enjoyed this one most of all. As the saying goes, once I got started, I couldn't put it down. It's very well written, and includes lots of interesting details about the Grateful Dead (the people, the places, the songs, the composing and recording process) as well as the broader cultural context in which the band developed.

I was surprised to come away from my experience of reading Phil Lesh's autobiography with the distinct impression that more intimate glimpses at the inside of the Grateful Dead are out there, all of them having been written by outsiders. Phil's book is nevertheless an enjoyable read - most of the time anyway - and you certainly get a better sense of his musical world, inner as well as outer. He is a bright, well-read, articulate and clear thinking writer. But I've got a few problems...First, not surprising in retrospect, there isn't much feeling in the book. Sure there are the inevitable emotional climaxes - e.g. Pigpen's death, Jerry's death, Altamont, but Phil writes from an oddly removed perspective; the further he gets from the conceptual, the more phoned in it seems. I don't mean this in an absolute sense; there is genuine grief in the story of his best friend, Jerry's passing, as well as some real enthusiasm when discussing the synergistic and telepathic acid drenched early days. But the handling of Keith and Brent falls flat and avoids any remorse or expression of his awareness of the degree to which the band was instrumental in the downfalls of these two successive "new guys." He basically writes off the losses - sadly, but clear-eyed - as functions of an inexplicable insecurity and penchant for self-destruction. Phil does admit that the guys in the Dead, ironic though it may be, were abysmal communicators. What wasn't said, however, is that any new guy entering this atmosphere of absolute, larger-than-life insanity combined with an avoidant, cynical way of dealing with things - virtually no feminine energy whatsoever - would almost surely get lost. It's eerie how similar both men's descents were. On the positive side, Phil writes warmly, directly, and sensitively about his affection for those people and things closest to his heart (his wife, Jill, Garcia, Mickey Hart and Bill Graham, among others). Plus, he's got a wicked sense of humor! And finally, for the most part, Phil presents a coherent, thoughtful "big picture" of the Grateful Dead, the reader benefiting from his having been an insider the entire time. If you're serious about the Dead, it's a must-read. Otherwise, you'll have your ups and downs with it, but most likely come away with at least something of value.

Highly articulate history of life with the Dead by the long-time bassist of the group.

As a bassist myself, I relate to Lesh's writing and train of thought. He documents being a part of Grateful Dead as more of an ironic string of occurances than a drugged out trip. His book is incredibly personal while he discusses such moments as learning an instrument overnight, attending classical concerts while on tour, loosing friends, and finding the inner peace in chaos. He is funny, sad, and everything in between. Although some of the technical parts get a bit too detailed for those unfamiliar with sound technology, one can understand how dedicated he was to his craft aside from the music and lyrics. I liked how Lesh pointed no fingers, rather pushed towards the positives in everyone. I would recommend reading this book with Rock Scully's Living With the Dead because they follow the same format and share similar situations. Lesh's however comes across more intimately humorous. I strong urge readers to dig into this book!

Read the book if you want to get a glimpse of the world according to Phil. Don't read if if you aren't prepared to read about a lot of dysfunction.

I put this book on my Kindle. My age is going to make a difference in this review. I am 49. Yet I've read everything that Jack Kerouac wrote, and most of what Neal Cassady wrote...Oh to have been in my early 20's in Berkley, in the early 60's. Phil Lesh was the bass guitar player and original member for the Grateful Dead, and is the bass guitar player in the band Further. This is his autobiography, and I can't put down my Kindle. Mr. Lesh was there, during the Beat era. And I am completely bought into this time, and Mr. Lesh explains it well. It's during this phenomenal time that he meets Jerry Garcia, the rest, to write a cliche, is history. I'm not done with the book, and I hope that Amazon allows for updates. Mr. Lesh's book is a part of the history of the Grateful Dead, even the Beat era, as other books written about the Beat era, and the music during this time. Lesh writes it as it happened, no excuses, no blame, just as it happened, and explains it well. Be prepared, if you start reading this book, you'll not want to put it down. 5 stars, if there was a 10 star choice, I'd give this book 10 stars.

I like this book over Billy's. Billy's was all about sordid, drug-fueled escapades. This book is a more thoughtful history of the band, that covers the same trajectory as the other books. Also recommended is Dark Star.

If you like the Dead, then you have to read any autobiography from any of the members. Phil shows he's a very pedantic person. I had to look up a lot of the more fancier words he drops here. This is not as exciting as Bill Kreutzman's book - Billy's book is like an old friend telling you stories over a couple of beers. Very conversational.

It was such a pleasure to read this especially how Lesh got thrown under the bus in "Fare Thee Well" I have always been a Phil head and even seen a few shows in the Phil Zone. Loved it from cover to cover

Awesome insightful. Great read

I love this book. Second time I've listened to this amazing life narrated by Phil Lesh, which makes it feel like Phil is leading you through this amazing journey of his life. I couldn't stop listening until the end. Thank You Peace!

We are Deadheads, Phil is the one talking. So, he gets to tell it his way. Does he gloss over some of his own mistakes, sure. He wrote it. Does he gloss over Jer, sure Jer is our Baba. All the while I stayed interested and entertained. Phil isn't just a pretty face who plays bass. Well actually he isn't really a pretty face either. He is a writer, and he's recording our history.

Though Garcia gets the attention, I think Lesh was the musical genius. He plays the bass like a lead guitar and he was/is the soul of the Dead. His insider view of the group is brilliant, insightful, funny and down to Earth.

SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND is an interesting and seemingly quite honest account of a time and place that won't be repeated. Among the things I found most intriguing about this book was how Lesh's relationships with his parents were solid throughout his life and how he, and the rest of the band, saw themselves less as a psychedelic rock band and more as sonic painters of sorts working within a broader musical tradition. Also his accounts of Jerry Garcia also paint a sharp portrait of a man (Garcia) who was very clearly the chief of cool around that ever widening circle of tuner-inners and dropper-outters. Garcia seems, like Dylan, uncompromising and totally his own man, until his drug addiction hijacks him. Garcia's own story is quite sad in a lot of ways, given how vital he seems as a young man. Pigpen, too, comes off as just a great person to be around and his death a real loss to the whole band. Lesh is smart fellow, you can tell in this book, and his love for his bandmates comes through over and over. This has all the hallmarks of a good rock and roll book - the sex, the drugs, the rock and roll, the sketchy manager, the tour gone bad, etc. But in Lesh's hands there's not a lot of meanness going on. More than anything, you get the feeling he and his bandmates - like a responsibly run corporation - really did try to do the right thing amid difficult circumstances. Some have criticized this book for being flatly written. I can see that, but there's something earthy and free and honest going on in this book that is not typical in the genre. I really enjoyed it and I think more of the band after reading it.

Great book for anyone who loves the Dead and very well written and entertaining!

Very interesting and readable

Great book. It gives good insight into Phil's perspective of life and especially his experiences with the Grateful Dead.

Excellent book about the dead from Phil's perspective.

An exciting, introspective and beautifully written book that will delight Deadheads and music lovers alike! Phil's frankness and honesty are refreshing and compelling. As a deadhead I was in heaven reading this book but, even non-Deadhead music lovers will enjoy this book. I can truly say after reading this book I am no longer just a Deadhead but, a Philhead too!!

Wonderful to see the history of the Dead through the eyes of one of its founding members. The writing is not fantastic (Phil is definitely much more skilled at music than writing), but it's highly engaging and very much worth reading for anyone who loves The Grateful Dead.

I'm a big fan of Phils and have had the opportunity to see him in concert hundreds of times , mostly with the Dead. I realy enjoyed the read and his perspective on the bands collective history. Hope he writes another one sometime.

I'm a big Grateful Dead fan, and found this story to hold my interest. Plus I love the cover artwork, and have my own library of dead shows to listen to.The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I wanted it to be longer, like the "Garcia" biography, also a great read. But this is good, if you're a music fan, or just like reading rock bios. I've read it twice, and enjoyed it both times. You can get a cheap copy around too. Enjoy!

If you're looking for a firsthand account of the history of the dead this is it! Thoughtful, insightful, and packed with info this is the book you're looking for!

After 25 years of being a Deadhead, I still love finding out interesting details about the band's history. Phil's book is really well written and gives the unique perspective of a band member. I enjoyed Rock Scully's book but it only covers 20 years and Rock wasn't even in the band. Phil's book covers almost 40 years and gives interesting insight that could only come from within. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves the Grateful Dead. I'm seeing Phil with Furthur and have a whole new appreciation for him now. Feel free to email me at billandlupe@q.com to share your thoughts about the book, Phil or the Dead.

Beautifully written and take a trip through Phil Lesh amazing journey through his early years through Jerry Garcia's death. If you enjoy the Grateful Dead or not interesting story of a fascinating man

It was a very Dead Christmas this year and this book was a must have! Phil's book is a great addition to all that's been written by and about the Grateful Dead and our Long Strange Trip!

Very enjoyable read

Great read, finally a book that tells Phil's story. A lot of nice little gems not told before.

Great book by the best rock bassist from greatest jam band.

Good book

Phil's book is riveting - I couldn't put it down! Beautifully written, detailed, inspiring - this book reflects the many dimensions of the scene as it was in the 60's as well as how it evolved over 40 years. I recommend this book wholeheartedly!

I LOVE THIS GUY'S MUSIC.

Finished reading Phil's great book 20 years to the day of Jerry's passing, then headed over to Terrapin Crossroads for the first outdoor show in the new backyard. This book was so good and insightful on the band and Phil the person. We're lucky he's still around, and I'm going to enjoy his music as much as I can. Read this book, you won't regret it.

I would use this book for reading

Amazing recounting of an amazing trip.

GREAT BOOK

If you want to know more, read/listen to this. I bought the audio book on CD and listened to it whilst driving across the country. Awesome.

I"m into it....

Awesome book

Great

I'm halfway through the book and enjoy the detail and the stories during the formation and development of the band. the book is very well written.

incredible insight from an incredibly insightful man. who had first hand experience as a member of an incredible group. highly recommend

Great read! It was a little slow at the beginning when Phil was describing his early years but once he starts talking about how he met Garcia and the rest of the guys, it was hard to put down.

Loving this book. Tons of insight from the very beginning, I’ve learned a lot. Thanks Phil!

Another good book

Phil takes a few pages to get find his sound (as a writer), but once he does, he unfurls a revealing and charming memoir.

Behind the scenes, candid, entertaining, forthright... a real learning experience, and a good ride...historically significant, and more...xofD

I came late yo the GD, but I have come to love the music and spirit. Phil Lesh wrote a book thst gives a clear snapshot into his experience. It would be cool to see the rest of the band do the same. It is a open and honest telling of his life. Maybe he will do a part 2.

Phil Lesh has an articulate and intellectual voice, and his portrayal of the inner workings of the band are a less sensational than the books by Dennis McNally or Rock Scully. A good read!

Yeah!

A very quick read. I couldn't put it down. Very well written with lots of metaphors and vocabulary. One disappointment was that the Kindle version of this book does NOT have any photos???

Phil Lesh presents his story with the Grateful Dead in a well-written biographical account. This text is a must-read for any Grateful Dead scholar or for anyone who appreciates the energy the Dead put into creating their sound.

Intelligent read.

Phil Lesh writes with an open and candid style that makes reading his account of the Dead's history an absolute pleasure for both Deadheads and other lovers of music. Phil's story starts off with the typical childhood stuff but rapidly moves to the music scene in Palo Alto and later San Francisco that ultimately coincided with the Summer Of Love and gave birth to the Grateful Dead. The Dead were certainly unique in all of rock in the way their music blended so many influences and Lesh's story clearly demonstrates how those strains of jazz, blues, country,and even classical influences came into play in the extended instrumental explorations the Dead were famous for. I was particularly intrigued by how he describes the influence of John Coltrane on his own muiscal development. Garcia emerges from this as the Jerry we all know and love. A true musical explorer of the first order. Anyone who loved the Dead will surely enjoy reading this. Anyone who didn't "get" the Dead should read it anyway because it will give you some insight into what the music was all about.

Best of the "dead" books.

A book that gives the feel of the Dead from the time the formed through the changes they went through over the years.

great book with Phil's personal view Grateful Dead history and it gets into the music at times from a musicians point of view.

I have read many books on the dead, but I have to say that this is one of the best. Phil does a great job telling the story, and covers a ton of areas of his, and the band's progression. This book includes some of the best writing I think I have ever seen. You nearly feel like you were there. Great job Phil!!!!

Great book! Thanks Phil!

I purchased this book as a gift for my son. He has always been a fan of the Grateful Dead! Thanks!

It was great. I wish Phil would write a follow up book and a book on his music theory. How did he play and what would he do on stage to play with the other musicians.

Great book. Lots of interesting historical stories, information on how the dead started was fantastic, and great insights from Phil

Everything was as should be.

The book gives a very personnel view of what life was like being a member of the Grateful Dead. I was impressed with Phil's love and compassion for the other members and the life challenges they had to face together. This was a very good book.

Well done Phil! Good read.

This is an illuminating and well-written account of the Grateful Dead and Phil Lesh's personal journey.

A must for Dead fans. Love Phil, but seemed a bit self-serving at times. He certainly was honest about his issues with alcohol and drugs, and speaks candidly about the others in the group (a bit too, perhaps?!). Fascinating glimpse into the scene behind the group successes and failures.

Well written, easy read autobiography that should be of interest to fans of the music and time period.

I thought i new alot about the grateful dead. but you learn so much and from a perspective inside the band too.

Great narrative, good story, well written memoir from an insider and how he felt in expressing his love of music. Lyrical when he wrote of his later, more current life with family.

I liked the book! But where are the photographs? Would have added so much ... In the credits it references photos, but they did not make it into the Kindle edition. Weak!

Great insight by a deep Cat. Phil Lesh Keep Jammin !!!

Great incite into this world.. A great addition to any collection. Must have for any true dead head to collect

Great

A great book by the legendary bass player for the Grateful Dead. Be warned...."Phil bombs" galore!

I love this book! Fast shipping!

Lots of great history here, but glosses over some of the most interesting stuff.

for my son

as stated

Phil's a bit highbrow (a dictionary might be handy, and some musical background won't be wasted) in his language, but anyone who's heard music he's written won't be surprised at that. The crispness of his memories is astonishing to me, but he seems to have been honest about his time with the Dead, from his own perspective. As I'm reading several accounts of this band, nothing here seems inconsistent with them.

A little bit of self indulgent fluff, easily read in an afternoon. Phil's motives for writing this book, other than my coughing up the bucks, can be discerned nowhere in this desultory run through of the band's history. McNally's book covers all this ground in more detail and with some insight and perspective.

You could probably really enjoy this book if you were Phil Lesh. I find the way he talks over people's heads extremely off putting. He talks like everyone knows what a "cycle of sevenths" is pertisning to music notation. Like he's some kind of genius. Well I write code and could talk about it like everyone else should know it too, that's all he's doing. I couldn't stop putting it down until I gave it away well before finishing it.

Back in the early 1980s, in a far away field turned cosmic parking lot, I purchased a super cool, handmade spiral tie dye, with a rudimentary hand drawn, hand screened drawing of Phil, with Gimmee Some Phil Blasts written across the top...it was my lucky shirt, God I wish I knew what happened to it. I love me some base and drums--they are the primal rhythm that takes the rhythm to depths and heights. Been a HUGE Phil fan ever since. I really liked this book...I started it with trepidation and a little hate for Phil and Jill after reading "Fare Thee Well", however. Not to worry. This book has some history, more detailed than some others as far as equipment and the logistics in general, but especially of going to Egypt...I wish someone with a good memory would do a whole book on just that show! Its not as crazy as some other Dead accounts and I get the sense that Phil was somewhat alone in a crowd at times...which explains a lot. Either way if you are a Dead fan this is a must read, and very readable text.

Phil Lesh, one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, sets out a fine line to walk in this memoir – how much of his life is best told in the history of the band, and how much of the band's history is told in the life of its bass player and other members? (And, in a unique subset, how much of the band is “Jerry Garcia” and how much is the other members?) In my opinion, he finds the proper balance between the various sides of the topic in “Searching for the Sound: My Life With the Grateful Dead”. One cannot understand the history of the band without knowing the background of the members, and one cannot get a feel for Phil Lesh without understanding the band. I do not consider myself a Deadhead; while I enjoy the tunes and jams that I've heard, I've never attended one of their concerts nor purchased any of their music. However, the Grateful Dead IS a unique piece of America, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone – fan or not – would be interested in learning about how a group of individuals join together to form a unique sound. Aside: I listened to the book on CD, read by the author. Lesh's decision was not an egotistical decision which the readership might wish he had not made – rather, his calm tones enhance his selection of words, and each disk concludes with a short snippet from one of the Dead's songs. RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Searching for Sound." The reason I chose this book over the plethora of other books about the Grateful Dead is because Phil himself wrote it, not a ghostwriter. The majority of the book is deadicated to Phil's life and role in the early years, which by far the most interesting part of the band's long history. This includes the loss of Pigpen and Phil's close relationship with Jerry. I also found the technological advances that they pioneered with their sound system amazing - they were inventing things that musicians take for granted today well ahead of their time, in search of the best sound for their music. Another point that I enjoyed is how positive Phil is, through good and bad times, and he never says a bad word about anyone. Hard to do when you are part of something as extensive (and amazing) as the Grateful Dead. So if you are looking for a serious insight into 30 years of this one-of-a-kind band, this book is for you. Thanks, Phil, for taking the time to write this memoir.

Phil was around from the very beginning and he's able to capture the acid trips, bluegrass, classical themes, drug abuse, but certainly the music. Oh, the music-- its apparent he's very smart and primarily loves music, that's why he does what he does. He captures vey well what it's like to be creating, experimenting, pushing the envelope. He drops a few names of course and I had forgotten how involved Owsley was, also Mountain Girl keeps dropping in from time to time. The story reminds me much of the Sugarman/Hopkins tale of the Doors, but it moves a bit quicker than that one. The editor deserves praise for the final result. In the last 1/3 of the book, things start to wind-down and Jerry's name pops up more and more, and he has to die, but it's not that depressing.

To me this is the best of all the books or I guess I should say my favorite of all the books written which I have most of them and have read them multiple times. I think that the Grateful Dead are the most misunderstood band to anyone outside the community that surrounds this band. Those inside it it all makes sense. You tell someone that you are into the Dead they go right away to drugs thst there maybe some of it going on much like any group but this community is about the music, live in front of those that understand or at least are open to the music. This book takes into the world of the Grateful Dead like no other could, it a detail tour conducted by Phil Lesh the bass player and one of the makers of this woderful music. Reading this book you right off the start this isn't by a burned out hippie but man of great intellect that is deeply in love of music and the making of it. We see the story about a band who went their own way not selling out to the music of the day. I think this is one reason this music for me is timeless still fresh as it was back then. We see a little bit of why the music is so much more then just the players but those there to hear this wonderful music. Now if you want a real threat pick up this book on cd being read by Phil Lesh himself. You can hear in his voice the love he has for this band this music and this community. Something that I always thought interesting is that the Dead never really were captured in the studio even those wonderful Workingman's Dead & American Beauty the songs are at their best live. To me this is the greatest American band unlike no other and in Phil's book you get a first hand look into this wonderful band and also the life not only of Phil but his brothers in that search for that sound.

"What if ... what if ..." Too many "what if's," folks. What if they took a break from touring in the '80s ... what if Jerry never chased the dragon ... on and on. Nice of Phil to not have a ghostwriter. I honestly thought the book would be more technical; writing about his instrument. But there was some of that. I mean, we all know the Dead's history from the Acid Tests to the era of "mega-Dead" as he called it ... hey, give him credit for remembering so much! 30 years of ups and downs; what do you expect from the Dead? And I saw some killer shows in 1985--some "slump"! Well, thank god they recorded nearly every show, eh? eh? eh? Surely the book could have been 5x as long, but how many drug stories do you need to get the picture?

Having met Phil Lesh a month ago out in San Rafael, I have been on a bit of a Grateful Dead reunion tour. He was very gracious and once I found that he had written a book (with no ghost writer, mind you), I had to download it to my Kindle. This is not a musical history or a chronically of the drug use. Rather, this a look at the events we have heard about over the year's from an internal perspective. From the early acid tests, to Woodstock and on to the eventual passing of the band's heart and soul; Jerry Garcia, this book takes you inside. My takeaway is that the band had a mission that was their guiding force for decades. The mission was sidetracked, from time to time, by drugs, mishandled finances and the weight of touring but overall they found their way back... back to the connection within the members of the band which interacted with the live audience. I got to see the Dead play maybe 30 to 35 times in the mid 70's to early 80's before the touring circus of fans really began. Each show was a communal event of good feelings, good behavior and good music. I loved the people watching and the interactions. Their music was a soundtrack to many events in my live. Phil's book adds a layer of understanding to a musical mindset that will, more than likely, never be repeated. If you enjoy the music, give it a read. You will be glad you did.

There have been many, many books on the Greatful Dead but Phil Lesh is the first of the Grateful Dead's original members to tell the inside story of what it really was like. The timing of his book couldn't be better of course, 2005 being the 40th anniversary of the band's start. "Searching for the Sound" is roughly divided in 2 halves: the first half of the book goes up to December 1969 (Altamont), and the second half covers the period since then. Not surprisingly, the first half is by far the most interesting (I rate it 5 stars), giving amazing insights and details on how the band started, how the members found each other and how the music came to be. Particulary fun to read are Phil's accounts of the band's frightful performance at Woodstock (many people don't realize that the Dead in fact performed at Woodstock, as they did not appear in the movie), as well as how the band, which was slated to be the next-to-last act (before the Stones) to perform at Altamont, refused to come out due to the "bad vibes in the air" (how right they were!). The second half of the book (I rate it 3 stars) is far less appealing, as it is too much of "we then went on tour again (fill in the year and the location)". Very surprising to me was that in the last 2 pages of the book, Phil refers to the Dead's "reunion weekend" at Alpine Valley in 2002 as "The Other Ones", but makes no mention whatsoever that in 2003 the surviving members decide to tour again (quite successfully at that) as "The Dead". (I must admit at being disappointed that the Dead are not touring this summer, given that this is the 40th anniversary of the band and the 10th anniversary of Jerry's passing away.) That said, this book makes for a mostly fun read, and if you like the Dead, this will make for an enjoyable beach read this summer.

I always identified with Phil Lesh, who was the most intellectual of the Dead, and the most adventurous musically. Learning years ago of Phil's involvement with avant-garde classical music planted the interest in my mind, which I finally pursued in recent years after a long (and continuing) sojourn in the land of free jazz and improvisation. SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND is a unique view of the Grateful Dead from the inside. It is not as thorough as some of the other books that have been written, but it doesn't aim at completeness, and if you don't expect it, you won't be disappointed. For more on the inimitably strange, visionary, inspiring and humorous thoughts of Phil, Jerry and the others, I recommend CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEAD. In this 40th anniversary memoir, Phil shares fascinating details about his avant-classical interest. I knew that Phil had studied composition with Luciano Berio at Mills College in the early '60s, but here we learn that Lesh was the Mills sound mixer, and participated in electronic performances of works by both Berio and Stockhausen. He also mixed the tape sections of Berio's "Differences" for chamber quintet and tape at the Ojai Festival near Santa Barbara prior to joining Jerry in a rock band. Phil claims that Charles Ives and Coltrane were huge influences -- Coltrane, sure, but Ives? It wouldn't have occurred to me, but it makes perfect sense that Ives, the American maverick, with his juxtopositions of high and low, melody and dissonance, would be a hidden influence on the Dead. Phil took the band to hear Ives's masterpiece, his Symphony No. 4, performed by the American Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting, at Carnegie Hall in 1967, two years after its belated 1965 premiere. After marrying in the early '80s, Phil and his wife spent a week at Bayreuth in 1984 and took in the entire Ring cycle by Wagner! The following year, Phil took Jerry to hear part of the Ring in San Francisco. Phil has supported modern composers through the Rex Foundation, including a recording of the masterpiece "Concerto for Orchestra" by the great American composer Elliott Carter (on Virgin Records, 1992 -- see my review), and recordings by the late British composer Robert Simpson, perhaps the greatest symphonist of the late 20th century. Phil was invited to conduct a short Carter piece performed by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in March, 1994. I was quite happy to find that Phil shares my view of the Dead's most avant-garde recording: "I've always felt that as an artistic statement ANTHEM OF THE SUN was our most innovative and far-reaching achievement on record." Other than these avant-classical details, the thing that most impressed me about SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND is the utopian vision that still shines through, as in the following quotes: "It felt then as if we were an integral part of some cosmic plan to help transform human consciousness." (333) Of the 1965 music of the Acid Tests, and the formation of the group mind: the energy is making the world better, "or at least holding the line against the depradations of entropy and ignorance." (68) "...in the brief shining moment a spirit was alive in the land: a spirit that blazed like a flaming heart, that could have (and should have) lit up the world. Fear not -- that light still lives, peeking out through the cracks in the wall of our materialistic civilization." (95) Indeed it does, thanks in some small part to Phil's persistence of vision. We all miss Jerry, but it is fantastic that Phil is still "searching for the sound."

An old maxim states that if you can remember the 1960s, then you probably weren't there; a sentiment that suggests, I suppose, that if you really were an active participant in that frenzied decade, with its recreational and psychedelic drug use, then your brainpan should be too sizzled to recall any of it. Putting the lie to this old adage is Phil Lesh, in his 2005 autobiography "Searching for the Sound." If there's any survivor of the '60s who should have his cerebrum toasted well past the point of recall, it is Phil Lesh. As one of the original hippies, a participant at every one of the eight Acid Tests, a veteran of the true Summer of Love (1966), AND the 30-year bass player extraordinaire for that most psychedelic and improvisatory of San Francisco bands, the Grateful Dead, Lesh certainly did have his fair share of electric Kool-Aid pass under his bridge! But, as his beautifully written book reveals, his memory remains remarkably clear, even regarding those events of four decades ago surrounding the birth of his seminal band. To his great credit, Lesh has written his story all by his ownsome--with no ghost writer or coauthor--and tells the Dead's story with clarity, passion and a good deal of touching sentiment; as he movingly tells us in his intro, "I was born an only child but found my true brothers through the art of music." I have personally been a "Deadhead" since the late '60s, and was still unaware of the vast majority of the tales that Lesh doles out in his book. What stories the man can tell! One of the more distressing ones comes early on, when we learn of how guitarist Jerry Garcia almost fell out of a train whilst en route to a Vancouver gig in summer 1966, and would have been crushed by an oncoming train if fellow bandmember Bob Weir had not pulled him back in time. Our good ol' Grateful Dead might have been finished before it had properly begun! Phil matches his writing style and choice of words to match the craziness of some of those Acid Tests, and his way-out description of his craziest (accidental) acid trip is a memorable one indeed. The incident with Barney the Dinosaur and Garcia will surely have all fans of the band laughing out loud, as will Lesh's revelation that an early moniker choice for the nascent band was Mythical Ethical Icicle Tricycle! Lesh seems to hold little back, detailing his descent into alcoholism without maudlin self-pity. Needless to say, many of the stories in this book are sad ones; the Dead lost too many of its family over the years--three keyboardists (well, four now that Vince Welnick has left us) plus Uncle Jerry--and Phil's recounting of these losses is obviously deeply felt. The usual highlights are touched on, of course: Woodstock (pretty nightmarish, from Lesh's description), Altamont (even more so), the bust in New Orleans, the Europe '72 tour, the Dead's gig at the Great Pyramids. But for every by-now-familiar tale (and even these seem fresh through Lesh's eyes) there are a dozen less familiar ones, and the author tells his stories with insight, articulateness, and the wisdom that comes from great trial and experience. (And how gratifying, for me, to learn from Phil how much the band valued audience participation and feedback--I sometimes wondered--and that Madison Square Garden, where I attended so many of my Dead shows, was one of his favorite venues to play in.) What Phil does NOT do in his book is explain the meaning of the Dead's songs ("Box of Rain" excepted); those looking for an in-depth discussion of the recondite significance of "What's Become of the Baby" are advised to seek out another publication (such as David Dodd's excellent new "The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics"). The first five years of the band's history take up the full first half of Phil's story--I gather that he finds the earlier stuff more noteworthy--and, in the book's second half, the final 25 years are increasingly compressed; we can almost feel the accelerating, frenzied tempo of the group's final years. Please don't misunderstand me; I am not complaining here about any disproportionate emphasis. The truth of the matter is that Phil's book could obviously have been four times longer than he has chosen to make it; 30 years in rock music's most heavily gigging band would naturally provide Phil with a superabundance of material, and, again to his credit, he has chosen to write with great economy, cherry picking the incidents that he wants to include and excluding much else. (Perhaps one day we'll be able to coax another book's worth of stories from him...I hope!) I mentioned up top that Phil's memory seems to be preternaturally clear, and it does; and yet, some sticking points crop up. For example, he tells us that in summer 1970, at the end of the trans-Canadian railway tour so finely chronicled in the film "Festival Express," Janis Joplin received a birthday cake from the tour promoters. But Janis' birthday is widely quoted as being January 19th. Something strange there. Also, Phil tells us of one of the best double bills that he ever witnessed at Bill Graham's Fillmore West: Chuck Berry and Count Basie's Big Band, in summer 1967. BUT, according to the complete listing of Fillmore West concerts provided in the old double CD "Fillmore, The Last Days," such a double bill never occurred that summer. Rather, Chuck Berry appeared with the Steve Miller Blues Band and the Charles Lloyd Quartet from August 16-17, and Basie appeared with the Charles Lloyd Quartet from August 20-21. I'm not saying who's right and who's wrong--how should I know?--but it sure does leave a reader scratching the ol' noggin. Anyway, these are mere quibbles. The bottom line is that Phil Lesh has done all fans of the Grateful Dead and 1960s rock a tremendous service by putting pen to paper and sharing some of his memories with us. Needless to say, as the only band member to do so thus far, he has provided us with a work of great historical significance. I have read the book twice already, and will surely continue to refer to it for years to come. Thanks, Phil! And, on a personal side note TO Phil, please remember to take your milk thistle! We all need you around for as long as humanly possible!

Phil Lesh, the bassist for the Grateful Dead for nearly 30 years writes a comprehensive autobiography that chronicles his personal journey leading up to, during, and after his time with the band. The book itself is a remarkable journey in that it at times is insightful and profound, and at other times incomprehensible. After reading it I was left with the feeling that there was far more to the story than the glimpse we are given here, although I really enjoyed the book as it is. One of the highlights for me were the astounding revelations that the band itself was never that profitable, in fact he states that prior to their hit record "Touch of Gray" in 1987 (!) the band mates never made more than a basic living allowance. While at times Phil starts talking in some strange language; "suddenly we can see all the possibilities at once, and hear time from the standpoint of eternity as if the music had broken through into a higher dimension of awareness" (Page 128), it seems that the Grateful Dead were actually about the music itself not just the lifestyle. Phil is an avid musician, and throughout one realizes that this is no ordinary rock band, being influenced by so wide a variety of musical categories, and finally blending them into their own sound. Perhaps that should be rather obvious given the title of the book, but I was surprised at the musical depth described in the book, from jazz to opera, from composers to swing bands. There are the descriptions of drug use that would make Hunter S. Thompson proud, but we see these depicted with honesty and reality as, as always, the eventual progression ends in the ruin and death of many of the band. There are some great inside looks at Woodstock and other famous concerts I have heard. Finally, some of the worn out tapes I received from various Deadheads throughout the years make some sense and I realize the internal significance from hearing Phil's depictions. The other really wonderful insights here are about just how far out ahead of their time the Dead were from a marketing standpoint. Free taping at all their shows was "open source" before the term was coined and contributed to their popularity. The way the tour was a family event, and a communal support network, including the start of their charitable giving, really depicts a vastly different way of life than the usual money grabbing rock bands aimed at getting rich. As amazing at it seems, they never sold out anything but shows. In this day of every other TV commercial having a classic rock soundtrack, the Dead just seem to be "authentic". I guess one of the most telling aspects of the emotional resonance of the book is that I pulled out a live Dead CD and played away as if it was 1982 again when my friend John Hiltzheimer and I used to have them as a perpetual soundtrack in the background of our various adventures. Overall, this book is a must for anyone who has been a fan of the band, and is well written autobiography and inside look into a cultural phenomenon for the novice. The book is written in an easy conversational tone, and except for the occasional lapses into the strange language of music and hallucinogens, is a good story with historical context.

I was only a minor league dead head, but Phil Lesh's bass was always a huge part of why I loved the Dead's music. I listened to this book on audio cd, so I got to hear Lesh himself read his words. His writing style takes a little getting used to, sometimes overwrought, academic and even clumsy. But that becomes easy to forgive as the story of the 30 odd year journey he took with the Dead unfolds. The magic of the beginnings, the breakthrough into full "group mind" improvisation, the meltdown of the summer of love, the disappointments of their major appearances (Lesh regrets staying in the van at Altamont, and reports that due to tech difficulties no one could hear them at Woodstock), the growth into a stadium touring band, and the grind of touring leading them all into drug use. The big emotion I felt was his melancholy. Starting with the death of Pig Pen, and ending finally with the death of Garcia, his joy is overshadowed by this haunting darkness and remorse. His spirit seems heavy as he writes, as if at the core of this journey is a search that was never, and now can never be completed. The story is, in many ways, very sad. Far from the joyous communal trippin hippies I always took them to be, they were beset by financial struggles, interpersonal isolation, and forced by their high overhead into touring far more than they could physically tolerate. It killed Garcia and almost killed Lesh (who had a liver transplant in 1999). However, listening to the book got me back into the music. I had alot of their music on vinyl, and haven't listened to it in years since I don't even have a turntable anymore. But I downloaded the first album, and purchased "one from the vault" and "live dead" (always my favorite) and you just can't get away from how extraordinary these guys were together. Lesh seems to have found peace with his wife and family. I hope he can also find joy. He gave us all plenty of it, he deserves his own large share.

I'm so full of music and nostalgia, having just finished this book. I didn't want it to end. I'm exhausted--feeling like I just danced my way through a weekend of shows--and yet, so high on the memories, I'm thrilled and honored to write this review. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Phil, for writing "Searching For The Sound." It's a wonderful book. The best I've read about the Dead. Thank you for sharing everything behind that omnipresent smile you always seemed to have on stage. Our intimate circle of Deadhead cohorts--best friends, pals, passing and long-term acquaintances that began in Southern Illinois (particularly along with the fabulous and memorable cover group, "Uncle Jon's Band,") through our crew called "East Bay Deadheads For Peace" formed during one of many Berkeley Greek Theater shows, always called Phil "The Professor." I confess I never knew why until I read this book. Wow. Phil brings an intellectual integrity to the story of his own musical education and, of course, to the band--to the history of the music driving The Grateful Dead, and to all of us who continually flocked to see them play for us and for each other. Phil lets us in. Tells us what it was REALLY like. Even when I knew what was coming, I experienced the pains (and the joys) through a different and certainly wiser set of eyes. This book is written with true love and deep respect for all members of the band and above all, for THE MUSIC. What amazes me most about his book is the clarity of Phil's memory. He recounts (particularly the early days) with such detail that I can't help but believe this is transcribed from personal journals. Passages like: "the whole urban symphony of Industrial Man, coming from near and far, high and low, finally weaving a shimmering web of discontinuous rhythm, and in the longest slow fade ever, subsiding over hours to a dull roar, felt rather than heard, only to rouse itself anew as the sky brightened with the light of another day." Whew! This amazing, true, brutally honest, funny, insightful memoir is full of such . . . such . . . stuff! And it's not just trippy memory-packed description that blew me away. When he describes the "dark and stormy night" that defined their Woodstock experience, he describes the faltering sound-system as an electrical edifice with "a saber-toothed crotch cricket of a hum." To anyone who not only experienced the phenomenon that was (is) the Grateful Dead, and particularly to those who appreciate the value of music, I highly, highly recommend this read. I haven't felt this emotional over a book in a long, long time. I love you, Phil. Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.

In concert, bassist Phil Lesh often sparkled in his extended musical conversations with Jerry Garcia. Now, Lesh brings his intelligence and sensitivity to bear on the history of the seminal rock band. Included in this memoir are some of the most vivid descriptions I have read of the Dead's long career: their wild cross-county rail tour of Canada, the comedy of errors that ruined their performance at Woodstock, and the tragic events at the infamous Altamont Speedway. Don't expect an all-inclusive story of either Phil or the band - he focuses mainly on their first ten years, and concludes the story with Jerry's death. Youngsters like me who turned onto the Grateful Dead too late to experience them firsthand like to think that the Dead's story, and Garcia's legacy, is still going strong in the survivor's bands. Lesh occassionally indulges in detailed descriptions of music and technology that might leave anybody but audiophiles and guitar players scratching their heads, but these are the rare frustrating moments in a heartfelt and readable book.

No one book can ever tell the entire tale of the Grateful Dead. Searching For The Sound by bassist and founding member Phil Lesh is the first book by a member of the band to focus on the band itself and Phil has a tale to tell and tells it well. The book starts with Lesh's birth and quickly moves on to his discovery of music. Then Lesh takes us through the embryonic San Francisco scene and on into the evolution of the Grateful Dead. The rest of the book focuses on Phil's intertwined life with the band, the band's extended family, and, ultimately, Phil's own family. It takes only the last dozen or so pages to cover the years since Jerry Garcia's death, but the subtitle of the book is My Life With The Grateful Dead and that name passed into history at the end of 1995. The drugs are there, but rather than glorifying them, a full reading of the book shows that, in the long run, the drugs took a heavy toll. Lesh's writing style is conversational and stream of consciousness and fits perfectly with the story he's narrating. Ultimately, it's a book about MUSIC, its creation, and its powers. In the spirit of the age of disclosure, I must admit to attending 27 Grateful Dead shows between Penn State '79 and Las Vegas '95 and have followed the band members in whatever incarnation since the death of Garcia. I don't think this makes me biased, but I thought you should know. I found the book to be an eye opener and it added context to a major part of my life during the last quarter of the 20th Century. A non-Deadhead should enjoy the book, especially anyone with a taste for biography and the history of rock. If you're looking for the description of one endless drug trip, stay away [or better yet, read the book with an open mind]. I enjoyed Searching For The Sound and would love to see Lesh give us another book sometime in the future.

I missed the whole Grateful Dead phenomenon. I like some of their songs (and this book made me go out and listen to more with a new and more appreciative ear) but never enough to call myself a fan. But there I was, poring over the book, avidly enjoying it and wondering why it was so compelling. Ultimately, it's because the book's not really about the Grateful Dead. It's not a slavish analysis of the minutiae of recordings or exhaustive tell-all about the interpersonal conflicts. Nor is it a puff piece, a smiley paean to the wonder and glory of playing with a Great Band. Instead it is a relatively small part of a larger whole, the story of a guy who lucked into an amazing series of events that started somewhere in Berkeley and ended up taking him all around the world. It's about a life we can probably scarcely imagine living, which is the point of a good autobiography. Most importantly for me, it's about one man's love for music and his attempts to explain that by example and that was spellbinding for me. Yes, the Grateful Dead's history (and impact on history) is incredible, but he made me enjoy their music that much more. Yes, you hear about the arguments and the drugs and the triumphs and the tragedies, but throughout it there's this overwhelming appreciation of music that kept me turning pages. You don't have to be a fan to pick it up. You just have to be a lover of music, as Lesh himself so obviously is.

Searching For The Sound: My Life With The Grateful Dead By Phil Lesh Little, Brown And Company April 2005 ISBN # 0-316-00998-9 Hardback 338 Pages $25.95 US $34.95 Canada In non-fiction, the literary voice of the person who actually lived the life rings truest. While outsiders may scratch and pick at the surface while writing thousands of words on the subject, there is nothing like the story told from the inside. That certainly is true in this book written by the bass player for the band. While the book does open with background on his early days and long before joining the legendary band, the primary focus of the work is on his experiences on stage and off. He details the inner workings of the band from an economic standpoint as well as his personal relationships with the band members. Along the way he not only explains what it was like to make music but the background of the songs and what they really mean. He takes his personal life story forward to the tragic death of Jerry Garcia as well as his own critical health problems. As such, the book becomes a retrospective look at the highs and lows of one's own life and the role one played, good and bad, in the end result. He articulates in great detail the day-to-day experiences of the band, which ultimately shaped its sounds for nearly forty years. For fans of the band, this book provides a detailed and honest look written in the way only a true insider could. Covering the highs and the lows, the author explains all in an easy confessional style that enlightens but never talks down to the reader. Instead, it is almost as if he is sitting beside you in some small club somewhere as he tells what happened and why. Humor and compassion for himself and his band members make this work by Phil Lesh one worth reading. A big thank you to Renee Supriano of the Time Warner Book Group for providing a review copy. It is appreciated! Kevin R. Tipple © 2005

Phil's voice is easy to listen to and he tells a great straightforward story, not a tell all tabloid or hit piece just the story. I appreciate that being as I am a a tie-dyed -in -the -wool passenger from early on when the bus come by./I got on:).

Phil knows where to go into detail and where to skip over in this excellent book. I'm an "after the fact Deadhead" who only got interested in The Dead in 2000, so this provided for me a valuable insight into the psyches behind the music. Phil seems to be a true audiophile who has spent his career "searching for the sound", although I'm pretty sure the book title refers to the band's overall ambition to achieve the purest sound from their sound system. With this in mind, a good chunk of the book is given to such topics as the concept and realization of their famous Wall of Sound, the band's methodology in the studio and commentary on all their studio albums, as well as the band's many financial/managerial setbacks, deaths, substance abuse and its effect on the band, etc. The book follows Phil from his early realization of the power of music, through his teen years, to meeting Jerry Garcia and the early days of the band, to the band's rise to fame, to drug and alcohol abuse, through the deaths of the band's keyboardists and ultimately Jerry's death. It also touches on the personal lives of the band members all the way through, giving you a strong sense of having been there with Phil while it was happening. It's humbling to be allowed to share in the wealth of musical knowledge and insight that Phil and this groundbreaking band have created over the past 40 years. An especially good read, therefore, if you're a musician or audiophile yourself.

Phil Lesh was the oldest member of the Grateful Dead and the member with the most college education - he studied music and classical composition at several Bay Area universities. Thus, it's not surprising that he is the first member of the band to write a book about his Grateful Dead experiences. "Searching for the Sound" is enjoyable for Deadheads. All the band milestones you know about, both positive and negative, are included: the Acid Tests, Altamont, the New Orleans bust, the Canadian train trip, the Bozo and Bolo Buses, the Wall of Sound, Pigpen's deterioration and Jerry Garcia's drug use. But Phil also throws in a few other interesting tidbits, such as: *Phil's first instrument was the violin, then he took up the trumpet to play jazz. He learned the bass on his own after Jerry showed him which strings corresponded to which notes. *He moved out of 710 Ashbury in part because of Jerry's loud snoring. *After the Lenny Hart money fiasco, Mickey Hart didn't officially quit the band; essentially, he took a long leave of absence and still socialized with band members. *Jerry showed up for a performance of Wagner's Ring cycle wearing sweats, and fell asleep during the opera. *Due to the high cost of constant touring, the band members never made more than a general cost-of-living wage until "In the Dark" in 1987. The book is well-written and for the most part easy to read. (His description of his visions during an accidental onstage LSD overdose must be read to be believed. You'll see the notes, too!) Its only real flaw is that Phil includes several very technical passages describing electronic equipment set-ups that mean nothing to the amateur. But those can be skipped over. Put on a Dick's Picks (or Ives' Fourth Symphony) and enjoy this insider's look at the Dead.

Phil Lesh was in many ways the glue that held the Grateful Dead's music together (when it was together). I always found his playing to be one of the more interesting elements in the Dead's music. He approaches music in a conceptual way as well as in an intuitive way, as he articulates here. And now it turns out he can write compellingly too. I had a hard time putting the book down. The writing is discursive and goes into much of the story of that era, in a way that made me both laugh and weep at times. Much of it will be familiar as far as the facts go, but Lesh's perspective adds a lot of depth in the telling. I was a teenage Dead fan, though it's been a long time since I listened to their music much. (I wish he had at least touched on some of their early events in El Camino Park in Palo Alto, which remain memorable). Growing up in their neck of the woods, it is hard to overstate how much influence they had over the mindset of the generation just behind them. Some readers have found the parts on sound systems and recording techniques to be boring or beside the point. Though this is not my area, I found these discussions to be quite interesting. This book is by someone who is unapologetically serious about music as well as the other cultural aspects that went with this particular music. It may not be for everyone but for some even the nerdy parts will be fascinating, and as a whole it is very evocative. Probably the most interesting thing to me about the autobiographical aspect of this book is the contrast between Lesh's keen intelligence and seriousness about his music and his occasionally out of control meandering ways, but then, that's probably par for the course. My favorite factoid: who knew Jerry Garcia was a model train aficionado?

This book is from Phil's point of view. It is very absorbing and you can feel the emotions of how the band grew to become a colossus. Takes you onstage and behind the scenes. A fun read for all Deadheads.

I've never been to a Dead concert, but once had a roommate in college who'd recorded about 100 of them, which he constantly played, so I've certainly heard my share of Live Dead. Everyone w/ a passing knowledge of the Dead knows that their best stuff was live, not studio. Just an observation that has nothing to do with the Lesh book. It's an interesting read and Lesh is an interesting character. Especially funny was how he got out of the army: Army Doctor: "read the bottom line on the eye chart" Lesh: "I can't see anything" Army Doctor: "You can't see the bottom line of the chart?" Lesh: "What chart?" Army Doctor: "The chart on the wall" Lesh: "What wall?" Lesh certainly is thoughtful and observant. A good journey through the history of the Dead and sometimes quite moving.

It is so refreshing to read a book by a musician who is in it for the MUSIC. I knew some background on Mr. Lesh. I'm not a rabid Deadhead...never quit my job and followed them on tour or anything, but I have seen them at least six times. I've read the books by Hank Harrison, Blair Jackson and Rock Scully and enjoyed them all, and have many of their CDs. But Lesh's book is a well-written memoir of what it was like being on that wonderous ride through that unique time in history. If you want to hear stories about shagging endless lines of groupies, or snorting endless lines of cocaine, go elsewhere. Lesh touches on the drug element in the band, but doesn't dwell on it....except for maybe the LSD experimentation which was so crucial the the development of the band. And I've honestly never read such a "dead-on" (sorry) description of the effects of mind-altering drugs. Lesh is obviously an intelligent man, and to be honest, he loses me occasionally when talking about electronics/sound/acoustics, but I knew enough about him to expect that. It's rare you get to read a book by a dedicated musician, and not a *ROCKSTAR*. Listening to the Grateful Dead taught me a lot about listening to music in general. After appreciating the dynamic between Garcia, Lesh and Weir, I was able to move on to Coltrane, Garrison, Jones and Tyner and many more great combinations after that. I've always admired Lesh as a musician, but now I also admire him as a writer, a husband and a father. Go in peace, Mr. Lesh! Thanks for the great read!

I like Phil's book. I like it a whale of a lot more than I do Dennis McNally's egotistical cop-out from writing the "authorized biography" of the GD. Phil writes in a nice style, with not a touch of the supposed "arrogance" attributed to him in his younger years evident. In fact one could assume that, due to the changes he needed to make in his lifestyle just to survive in the past decade or so, that also included eating a few large pieces of crow-pie, washed down with genuine humility and probably at times some real tears. Phil goes into the story of the band, and it's nice to her him speak of it in his own words and terms, as much as it is to read Jerry's account in "signpost to New Space." I'd rather listen to either one of them for what they have to tell than Weir's ideas of it, but that will be for another day in the far future, if indeed he ever gets round to it, as he is threatening to. He talks a bit about the pre-Grateful Dead years when the band were becoming acquainted socially and somewhat "extra musically" which as we all know, eventually led to the Warlocks and history. But it's nice to hear the things he has to say about those early years and times in Berkeley, Palo Alto, las Vegas and SF as though that pre-1966 magic- whatever real gem of magic existed in the Haight scene before the over-hyped "summer of Love" cast its fell shadow upon the city, and also the adventures or misadventures they had leading up to the formation of the band propre. He also writes about the band as a musical experiment, or an experiment in more than music, as a psychedelic adventurer, and this actually to me is its real value as a book. That he obviously survived acid (some would argue "nobody could take that many trips and remain sane!" but you find the proof of it in his lucid writing, and his great memory. I have always had something of an issue though with some of the premise he puts forward as one of the band's rasions d'etre, that at times, the audience reacts to the music and vibes of the hall as would a school of fish, in the "one-mind" or "group-mind" mode, and as if this is always to be viewed as a positive thing. Lemmings also react in a group-mind mode, and where does it ever usually get them? Still, it is good to hear the words of one of the original participants in this "noble experiment" make his arguments and his judgements upon social idioms, and he really CAN write well about music itself, and about the actual mechanics of many of their great songs. It's a shame we haven't got Jerry here to give his own thoughts about this book, but then, there's the possibility that with him here, Phil never would have felt the need to set it down like this. I give it five stars- anyone who loves the Grateful Dead or San Francisco Rock & Roll and desires to know as much as possible about it's genuine sources and flavors owes it to themselves to pick it up. You might not put it down again until you're done.

What makes this book about the Grateful Dead refreshing is that it was actually written by a band member (Phil Lesh, of course). Phil discusses his wild experiences as the Dead bass player during the SF psychedelic era and beyond. Deadheads will really enjoy the book, especially those who play instruments and have a musical bent. Garcia gave Phil a single lesson on how to play bass and Phil took off from there, incorporating influences from classical music, jazz, rock, and his own creative genie. The combination of accounts of psychedelic adventures, band events, musical ideas, etc., form a very pleasing whole. It ends quite beautifully with emotionally convincing portraits of Garcia's last days and Phil's own brush with mortality. Nice job, Phil!

As I write, I have as my backdrop the sounds of the Summer Solstice 1989 in the speakers of my stereo...'Goes to show, you don't ever know...watch each card you play, and play it slow' sings a gleeful, but very warm Jerry Garcia. It was a hot night, both for music and temperature in Mountain View California that night. A fact that Phil Lesh commented on between sets as darkness finally fell, commenting that it was 'just below boiling'. 1989 was about as good a time as there ever would be in the career of the Grateful Dead, still riding out the success of 1987s 'In the Dark', with legions of new fans and sold out shows. Lesh was in fine form this night, pumping out his crisp and explorative bass lines as if he were a lead guitarist. Answering the call when the `We Want Phil' roar went up, chanted by the masses. Lesh delivered with his staple 'Box of Rain' to the delight of the crowd and band. The phenomenon of the Grateful Dead is difficult to explain to anyone who did not experience it. A band that was as much about its fans as it was ever about itself. Almost like baseball, with each game the masses sitting on the edge of their seats hoping to see a really great play at the plate- periods of musical anticipation waiting to be injected with a sudden moment of excitement either via a sharp improvised musical crescendo, a song transition, or an unexpected and rare song thrown into the mix. The sort of excitement that existed in equal parts on the stage as it did in the crowd. An experience that had to be felt to be understood, and the reason that someone sitting near you at the next desk may still admit when prodded- "Yes, I am a Deadhead". "Hi, my name is Jon and I'm a Deadhead". Just like the friends of Bill W. (except in this case it would be longtime Deadhead and basketball legend Bill Walton), there is no escaping it. Once you are a Deadhead, forever a Deadhead you shall be. There is no recovering. From the kids in the broken down microbus on the side of the road, all the way up to Al Gore- We are everywhere. Searching for the Sound is the first testament to the history of the Dead written by a member of the band, the title coming from the somewhat lesser known, but acclaimed Lesh composition Unbroken Chain. Lesh is known to be one of the more cerebral members of the band. Throughout the book, Lesh's recollections are prominently colored by words that will have many dashing for the nearest dictionary, yet with a conversational and warm approach. It is his ability to still be able to tell the story of the bands' early years with such clarity that will reel-in readers. Setting up the story are memories of his earliest years discovering music, an obsession with the story of Charles Ives, and also Lesh's mastery of his first instrument, the trumpet. As the tale unfolds, we watch the prototypical school band nerd grow into a key element of the subculture of 1960s San Francisco, and launch into a journey that would last over forty years to the present. Much attention is given to serious musical matters, such as the influence of postwar avant garde composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Luciano Berio. The latter of which Lesh and eventual band member Tom Constanten would unsuccessfully attempt to pursue personal study with after auditing a class taught by Berio who was visiting Mills College. It only involved raising enough money to get to Europe, but it never materialized. Lesh also reflects on aspects of improvisation that would forever change his views on music when first coming across a place in the music marked `ad lib' as he worked through a jazz trumpet piece early in his musical life. As expected, drug experimentation is a large part of the story, but for Lesh it wasn't about a wild party of sex, drugs, and rock `n' roll (in fact that was never what the Grateful Dead was about). For Phil Lesh, his first night on pot was spent listening to a recording of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring all by himself. A number of events would eventually lead Lesh from working on writing his own symphony, to hanging around a group of people living mostly outdoors in sheds and cars- apartments known as `The Chateau'. Fellow musicians such as Jerry Garcia who were more involved with folk and blues music, and would later form the heart of the Grateful Dead. Lesh's earliest association with Garcia involved using personal connections with radio station KPFA to land Jerry a solo spot on the program Midnight Special to perform traditional folk songs. The history would solidify as these music-obsessed men eventually began to play together, all the while surrounded by the likes of Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady and the Merry Pranksters. This is the point where the experimentation with LSD takes over. The experiences of this period, and Lesh's pivotal role in organizing the Acid Tests as far as the band's role is concerned are given detailed coverage. The experiences of common consciousness and its role in the music are at the forefront of the book, and Lesh amazingly remembers everything. Poetic descriptions of various chemical excursions abound. More than half of the book deals with the earlier years in the bands' development. Lesh covers the period of the mid-1970s with much less reminiscence, often speaking of financial troubles and the sheer size and difficulty of the entourage of crew and equipment. Changes in the dynamic of band interaction and his own personal life would put Lesh onto a course of alcoholism and cocaine use. Lesh is quick to point out early in the book the differing effects of `good' and `bad' chemicals on the psyche, and the ability of the `bad' to take over. It is the music he claims that enabled him to eventually swim back to the surface. The early 1980s and 1990s are covered in much the same way, focusing on Lesh's forced recovery, due to the discovery of a lingering hepatitis problem, and the positive influence of the most serious romantic relationship of his life. Lesh would marry and begin a family life that would be his sustaining force while watching his band mate Garcia sink into a life of heroin use and trouble from diabetes on multiple occasions. Lesh would temper these busiest years of his partnership with the band by traveling alone with his wife and family on tour, and once again immerse himself in classical music and opera during his rare moments away from the road. Lesh would even once guest-conduct the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. The mid-1990s Grateful Dead tours were beginning to take a toll of the band's soul as the crowd dynamic swung toward violence and a series of bad scenes. The sudden 1995 death of Garcia should have been almost expected, but the shock had a profound impact on the surviving members and the greater organizational entity. 1995 saw the end of the Grateful Dead as we know it. The loss of one of the five critical pieces meant that the formula would never again be the same no matter how hard the remaining members wished for it. His story concludes with the sudden reemergence of his own health issues, culminating in a liver transplant, a new outlook on life, and a new commitment to continuing the musical journey. In retrospect, the book is as much about Jerry Garcia as it is about Phil Lesh. It is about Garcia's inexplicable pull that would drive the band through the good and bad times, life and death, darkness and light. After attempts at reconstituting the sound and the scene in Garcia's absence with the Furthur Festival, Phil and Friends, The Other Ones, and eventually the renamed 'Dead', Lesh, Weir, Hart, and Kreutzmann still hold close the dream. There will however never again be a 'Grateful' Dead without Jerry Garcia.

I liked this book more than I expected to! Oftentimes, the memoirs of famous people read like relatively distanced chronicles of events and report only superficial observations. Phil Lesh chose to write something more personal. Having studied music theory for a few years, I loved the guidance through musical intricacies I can hear but can't quite articulate. (I guess Publisher's Weekly didn't take music geek Deadheads into account when they reviewed the book!) And, having gone to Stanford as a way of chasing the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test experience, I was excited to hear Phil talk about those locales and to learn that, despite being twenty years late, what I got really did contain some kernel of what I had hoped to get. The tone is more conversational than literary: Its "flaw" is its charm. Some passages are probably more compelling if you enjoy the in-jokes about Shostakovich and Berio and have a fondness for Lesh's particular kind of personality quirks. Overall, a fun read.

Superb book. Thoroughly enjoyable read; love that Phil wrote it himself. Incredible insights, as you would expect. Phil is great.

I have been on the bus since the sixties in the bay area, when liking the Dead defined yourself to your peers as an uncool nerd and a bit of a weird-o. Nice to hear Phil's journey from the inside. He comes across as warm, human, honest and of course, brilliant. This dude can write...nearly as well as he can play. My wife, who isn't a head, loved reading it, just for the literate style and the anecdotes. The funniest part of it for me was when I caught Phil in two or three errors of chronology or fact, especially about the business side of the Dead, mostly in the seventies. But he explains how that could have happened, especially during that dark time. He reminds me a bit of John McCain...having been at death's door, he now has his priorities and values clearly defined and doesn't so much care what you or I (or Mickey, Bill and Bob) think. A great read, a spiritual quest. Warm-hearted and full of hope.

If you're a well-read Deadhead, you'll find very little that you haven't heard before in Phil's book. But since it's *Phil* talking, there are a few insights to be gained here and there, and some darn interesting perspectives. Phil is certainly a good writer, a fascinating guy, an astounding musician, etc., and he is as inside as it's possible to be on the subject... But there are very few blow-your-mind epiphanies here. Of course, it's a must-read for serious students of the Dead, but IMHO the single best book on the Grateful Dead is still Blair Jackon's biography of Jerry Garcia. That's the essential one!

I purchased Mr. Lesh's book almost immediately upon publication back in April. To my delight, he put it down himself rather than using a ghost writer; and to my further delight, he proved a very erudite biographical writer, no doubt with the aid of some good editing and a great tale for the telling. The man is a survivor of a deadly environment, pun tragically intended. RIP Ron Mckernon, Jerry Garcia et al. The book is rife with highlights which will appeal accordingly to one's point of view or individual co-experience of the times. Having been there for it, I will always love to hear tales of the early days, of Kesey, the Pranksters, the music, and of the early Haight Ashbury scene. For a little while it really was magical and beautiful. For a little while, we really believed we were going to change the world. Maybe we really have. My own fav's: a hilarious description of getting hugely dosed with acid just before a '69 gig. His description of his own bass cracked me up. Been there, Phil. I also enjoyed his unique viewpoint as told in back-to-back chapters on Woodstock and Altamont: the description of the sailing stage and electrical hazards; the scene of relentless unfolding horror at Altamont Speedway. The downward spiral of alcohol and hard drugs devouring the band was reflected in something I was beginning to hear in the music beginning in the late 70's. It just wasn't the same anymore ... for a lot of us. Keep on truckin' one day at a time, dude. Peace and love. Aloha, RB

My first review on Amazon; so, you know it must be imporatant. This book is terrific. I've read several other books on the Grateful Dead. The other books do not "flow" like this book does. Phil is less concerned with specific dates and more concerned with the overall feeling or "vibe" that was going on at the time. Its easier to read because it doesn't get bogged down in "which people were present at a specific meeting on what date." Its the only book written by a band member (so far). Because of that, it gives the inside perspective on events that others missed. Get into the "PHIL ZONE" and buy this book!

"Look out of any window, any morning, any evening, any day." Box of Rain by The Grateful Dead Searching for the Sound tells the story of The Grateful Dead, America's original psychedelic improvisational rock and roll band, through the eyes of one of the found members - bassist, Phil Lesh. In the book, Lesh writes in a conversational, eloquent tone as he recalls all the good times and all the bad times. Lesh tells the story of how The Dead went from playing at Ken Kesey's Acid Tests to playing at sold-out stadiums thirty year later? A great factor of the book is the honesty in Lesh's writing. He doesn't sugarcoat the things that were going on - he tells the real story. He tells how drugs brought the band together and how they eventually tore the band apart. He recalls the death of three keyboardists and the beloved Jerry Garcia. Though drug abuse and death are recurring factors throughout the book, it is not all dark. Lesh also fondly remembers impromptu free shows in San Francisco, Woodstock, The Pyramids, and many other legendary events. In my opinion, the only bad part about the books is that the language gets a bit too technical when he is talking about musical composition and theory. Aside from that aspect, I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone, Deadhead or not.

Yes! Phil depicts very clearly what was going on in the group head of the time. A combination of intellectual exploration of music and ecstatic riding on the front edge of the wave. He gives his unique yet substantially shared account of what was an exciting time for us who hailed from the Bay Area. Having myself made my way through "thick air", I find it amusing when Phil describes Bob Weir asking the producer whether there is some way to record "thick air" during a recording session. Phil also witnesses the many problems that led the Dead beyond their peaking years. I especially appreciated his description of Owsley Stanley's quirks and his vision of sound engineering. I'd like to think Jerry was shaking off some dust from his wings as he flew over me on his way out. Thanks to Phil for dusting off the cues to many memories.

I really enjoyed this book. It was wonderful to read about Lesh and the Dead's love and dedication to their music and its growth over the years. And it was equally fascinating and a bit horrifying to read about their business disasters and the business decisions that kept them touring even when touring was causing such health and family problems. Phil Lesh writes well. He does have a quirky style and choice of words that you have to get used to. But that makes the book more personal and human.

This is Phil's story.

Phil is a phenomenal author - this could be his true calling. He has a gift with words. His words had the gift of painting pictures in my mind, as well as unlocking movies in my head as I was there at at least half of the shows he wrote about.

Real nice book... Its funny, but after seeing the dead play over the course of their last 15 years and looking "up" to them as musicians and "rock stars", you always new they were struggling like the rest of us... A real honest book that lets you in just the right amount. Phil lets the air out of the bubble in such a manner that it floats gently to the ground next to your feet... While I was sitting in those BIG venues in the late 80's with my jaw, slack, listening to the most incredible music-The Dead were under enormous pressure to sustain themselves, and us.... I think I'll take my day-job over a rock and roll band! So sad that Jerry seemed to bear the burden to the point of poor health and life style. Phil talks of the alchol and drugs in a way that might help alot of over the hill deadheads who may have issues of their own. The 60's drug/alchohol scene was fun but came with a price... The Dead stopped in 95 and some of us may be trying to make sense out of that period coming to a close. I think this book is a good closer for any deadhead......

Unlike Dylan, whose Chronicles seem to suffer from the lack of a competent editor, Lesh has written a detailed and meaningful story that would keep even a non-Dead Head interested. It is amazing that Phil was able to remember such detail through the years. Rather than writing a kiss and tell book of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, he has documented a survival tale through an era of personal and cultural upheaval. His personal triumphs (conquering addiction, finding love and family)are a meaningful lesson set in front of an extraordinary backdrop of history. This book lends fascinating insight into an amazing era of Americana.

I'm using my daughter's account. Unlike her, I'm pretty old now, only 6 years younger than Bobby, so the GD and derivatives have been the soundtrack of/behind my entire life. But I'm female. I needed Gracie and Janis in my early days with their uncompromising ways out there furthur even then, so much more than I ever did the GD -- let alone the poetry and sheer beauty of Joan, Joni, Judy, Odessa, Mary, et al. I've needed all of those women and their daughters for my own purposes in life so much that only now, here 40 years later, can I turn back to the GD and especially furthur to notice what I missed along the way. They didn't mean to leave us out. No-one who was formed in those transition times ever did. It just didn't occur to them and still hasn't that we've been alongside them all along, as such untapped musical resources. How odd that these so critical persons who inadvertently contributed so much in general to the freedom we women are still exploring now, have STILL never noticed WHAT we specifically are and can be, over this past 40 years. It makes me laugh and cry; but gratefully (hehe), I'm too old now to fuss much about it. I so enjoyed hearing Phil read his story via audible, whispering into my similarly destroyed hearing from years of too much loud rock and roll. He's been one of my lifetime older brothers, older cousin, my friend. He and the GD have subtly, importantly guided my entire life -- without me ever paying attention to them either! I'm having SO MUCH FUN going to these furthur concerts, listening to Phil's book, accessing my brother-in-law's 300 GD concert tapes. :) Don't know yet what it means to be circling around to this again at the end of my times, but I did lose the thread of the fun of things a few years ago. So good to be gifted with that again. I can tell there's more to come. Thanks, Phil. And thanks for hooking up with Bobby again and pulling in these new guys. It's so fresh. You've been getting stronger and wilder every time I see you. Can't wait for Red Rocks. Val

i was really excited when it finally arrived at my local library and so far, i've been reading it for the last week and phil's memoir hasn't dissappointed. you get great firsthand insight on the early years of the band. also the book focuses primarily on the music versus all the dirt. phil did a great job writing this book!

What fun this book was. Phil tells his whimsical account of the evolution of a fabulous improvisational band. The prose is almost conversational and always strikes you as genuine. His true love and affection of his "brothers" from the Grateful Dead is touching and heart rendering. My personal favorite anecdote was the story of how when his new bride grew tired of the airplane travel on tour, they took to the road - and literally ended up cruising the highways and byways of the US with Deadheads following the band. Imagine what they thought when they looked at the car next to them and saw - Phil Lesh. Woah - did my eyes deceive me?

The perspective of the bass player in any band is unique, so when the band is the Grateful Dead, that's 30+ years of knowledge. Phil's book does a great job of telling the full Grateful Dead story, with the story of Phil himself coinciding throughout. Phil gives very detailed accounts of his first time with drugs, his early musical experiences with the trumpet, and countless stories of his time spent with friends and family. A better book than "Garcia" in terms of telling the story, "My Life with the Grateful Dead" gives the reader details they would only get from the source directly. Phil is a great man, is part of a great story, and I hope everyone is wishing him the best of luck with his cancer. This book is great. 1

First off: Phil rocks. He was the rhythmic foundation for the band and you gotta love his sense of humor. He's probably my favorite bass player ever. His writing style? Not so much. Lesh's book is written in a pretty stoic way and it just never really captures the energy that made the Grateful Dead so exciting for us Deadheads. I've read several books on the band and this one left me very disappointed. I'm not saying it's a BAD book, just that it doesn't tell you much you haven't already heard before. I had expected Phil to really give us some inside information about his relationship to the rest of the band and interesting tales from the road. There's little of that in his autobiography, and I for one was left wanting more. Phil takes such an intellectual approach to it all, and it makes his book read like a textbook of the Grateful Dead rather than a living autobiography that sucks you in. If you've not read ANY books on the GD, then by all means this is a perfectly good first one to pick up. But if you've hit some of the other highly-regarded texts, then pass Phil's right on by. You won't garner much new information from it. I much preferred Skully's autobiography (and Parish's too, for that matter). Can Weir's be far behind? I hope not. It has to be better than this.

I've read at least 10 different books about the Grateful Dead. While many of these books are very informative, nothing comes close to Phil Lesh's book. It reads more like a day-to-day encyclopedia of Phil's perspective of his life before, during and after the Grateful Dead. No detail seems to be left out. His memory of the minutia of his life is staggering. If you really want to know what was going on with Phil before, during and after the Grateful Dead, this book is highly recommended. It is not a quick read but it is very informative: more so than any other book regarding the Grateful Dead. Budget between 15 and 20 hours to read this book even though it does not appear to be that long of a book. Phil, job well done! Bravo!

If you're interested in the "real" Grateful Dead then this is the book for you. A must read for any "true" Dead-Head. Insightful and unblinking, this book shows the human side of those musical maestros we lovingly call the Grateful Dead.

Solid telling or the story. Poetic at times but mostly stark and direct, a humble rendition of a legends story.

Phil Lesh has written a very thoughtful and introspective at times auto- and bio -graphy of his bandmates, lives, loves, families, and most importante to most of us, fictional caricatures...(I mean, Neal Cassidy, was that guy for real???!!!) My road stories pale in comparison, as do all of ours, I think...and the muzak, just flows from Phil's pen, in a similar rythm as his music. Hey, Phil, thanks for the memories, your style is similar to snapshots that one can pull out and look at from time to time, grin, laugh, cry, all good, everything's good. This is one of my current fave gifts to friends, probably will be forever. Classic. Life is good, cya

I've read a few Dead books and this is by far the best insider's perspective. Phil was there from the beginning and vividly recounts what it was like growing with the band. Everything from the acid tests to the untimely death of their front man is covered in great detail. Surprisingly, through all the chemicals, Phil has a great memory of events and leaves nothing out. I was too young to experience the Dead first hand, but after reading Searching for the Sound, I listen to them as if I had been there.

This is probably the most interesting and well written of the books on the phenomenon known as The Greatful Dead. Lesh goes into several areas not previously accessed, like sound technology and musical ideas. Space limitations prevented more details, which would have been even more interesting and revealing on many aspects of Dead lore. Overall, however, a masterful effort by the bassist and a "must have" for deadheads interested more in the intellectual than the partying side of this incredible musical unit.

I was so excited to read this book, finally a true insiders look at the history of the band. I found that much was brushed over, especially later years of the band. And what was covered has been widely covered in previus books.

Searching for the Sound is a great book for any GD fan. Written by an insider, this is the definitive work on the Dead.

This is a wonderful history of the Dead by one of its founding members. It is written in high flowing "Leshian" language and is a must read for any Deadhead.

An excellent inside look at the Dead. A good read.

I knew about the dead.. I like the dead. However, I never knew the things which were mentioned in this book. It's a must read fan for musicians and fans alike. At first I didnt want to pay for a hardcopy of this book. But now, It sets by my collection of philosophical works.

The Dead began in the mid-sixties in San Francisco at Haight-Ashbury when this was just a street corner. They were just in time for the sweeping social changes in this country that also began in San Francisco. The Grateful Dead may be the most lasting legacy of that time. As we look back on that time, the war protestors went away as did the war itself. The 'Free Speech' liberal movements at the colleges are no longer the news, and the colleges are just about the same as they were before. The drug culture getting started at the time has turned dirty and nasty. But for thirty years and more the band continued. This book is the untimate insiders view. Written by a founder this book tells of the bad management, drug addictions and every other imaginable problem faced by the members down through the years. The band even survived Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan's death. Still the band continued until, of course, Jerry Garcia's death in 1995, already ten years ago.

phils tome really hits the spot...a fun and amusing walk thru the deads apogee...one need'nt be a huge fan to enjoy this autobiographical musing on everything that he and the band endured the last 40 years...read it today, you'll be glad you did. -save

A wonderful read from Phil Lesh. Respectful of Garcia. Insightful. Read !

I loved this book it was detailed, emotional, and the story came from the inner circle of this extraordinary group. It lets you in on a bit of each character and what they were like behind the music. I would read it again!

Another reason why we love Phil. Fk these boneheads with their four, three, two and one star reviews. Idiiots.

received this item in a timely manner and was pleased with the quality of the item. sorry for the late review! thank you!

Other than Sting & Sir Pauley, you're the greatest to ever touch the instrument! XXXJer

Not a huge fan of the band, but very interesting story and well-written.

The book came quickly and is in great shape. No book jacket, but I don't mind. For the price and ease of online ordering, this was a great experience.

Another good biography looking into the world of the dead I enjoy Phils perspective on events that i have read in other such tomes. It really "philleshes" out the whole experience. (~)}: @'~,~~,~~'~~~

Phil did an outstanding job !!!!!! This book brings into the family of the Greatful Dead.

Lesh's book is a pedantic missive. The author is clever, however, in disguising his pain. The style is an easy read, but that should not be a testament to any endorsement of a Pulitzer. Lesh would be better off writing a book on music theory. Saddly, he has nothing new to contribute to our knowledge, nor any wisdom one might expect from a mind expanding lifetime. Unless you are a librarian or independently wealthy, I do not recommend this book.

Phil Lesh's history of the DEAD.A fun and informative little read!

Great book from start to finish

A really fantastic book about the dead. It'll reveal some nuggets even the biggest dead fans will find interesting. Really great to read a report directly from a founding band member too (I couldn't get through a third of McNallys tome).

Great book from mr Lesh.Good to hear his take on the Grateful Dead story.Well written and not too many tales of sex n drugs etc,which i like to hear but,ah well..A must have for fans of the Dead.

Faschinating!

oki

Quick delivery, well written book

I read Searching For the Sound by Grateful Dead bass player Phil Lesh shortly following Deal by GD drummer Bill Kreutzmann and Home Before Daylight by their roadie, Steve Parish. Kreutzmann and Parish’s books are funny, moving and candid, their authors’ bravely and embarrassedly admitting to the shenanigans they got up to both on the road and in the studio. By comparison, Lesh’s memoir seems more circumspect; although he goes into detail on his struggles with alcohol and cocaine, and admits to frequently switching girlfriends, Lesh seems to be holding back. Admittedly the intellectual in the band, perhaps he was never as raunchy as Kreutzmann or Parish. Lesh does, however, deal insightfully with his friendship with Jerry Garcia, as well as the factionalism within and between band members and their crew. Of the three books, Lesh’s portrait of the Dead’s trip to Egypt in ‘78 is the most intimate; hardly surprising, as he was one of its organisers. Searching For The Sound is an entertaining read, wise and witty; I just can’t help feeling that Lesh has left a significant amount of detail out.