One of the only songs sung by their bass player, Phil Lesh.. Such a beautiful, heartfelt song-- I believe the backstory is that Phil wrote this for his dying father...💜✌
I used to live in Palo Alto back in the 60's, and my home away from home was St. Michaels Alley. I;d see some members of the Dead there on occasion, sometimes Jerry, but most especially, Robert Hunter (the Dead's lyricist). On several occasions, I'd sit and chat with him. Of course, I didn't understand all of what he was saying, but it must have sunk in (at least on a subconscious level). What I DO remember is he was a nice guy, and seemed very compassionate. He will always be sorely missed. The world could use more people like him. -Peter Simmons Hendersonville, TN
One of the Grateful Dead members wrote this about his dad who was dying from cancer. The dead or from the Bay Area and his dad was in a rest home in Livermore. He just wrote it for him beautiful song.
A Box of Rain is a euphemism for our planet Earth. The song is about how to find meaning in life. And drawing attention to the time between our birth, and our eventual death. The life we have while here on this planet. "Such a long long time to be gone, and a short time to be there".
It's more specifically about a parent dying and a child coping with their death. Robert Hunter said it was the easiest lyric he ever wrote. It just poured out of him as fast as he could put pen to paper.
Ain't no problem with starting with studio albums. Because, once yer hooked on that, ya get blown away when ya find a live version of the tune. The wormhole goes on from there. Enjoy the trip, my brother.
This is the only song on a Grateful Dead album to feature a guest bass player, Dave Torbert of the New Riders of the Purple Sage. I believe it is also the only Grateful Dead track to feature a guest lead guitarist, David Nelson, longtime collaborator of Jerry Garcia, (and another member of the New Riders.) Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh plays acoustic guitar on this track, and Jerry Garcia plays piano.
Nice! "Box of Rain" is like two songs in one almost. The first part where it gets going, starts to walking, and the second part when it kicks into the chorus to lyrically explore the cosmic perspective. I dropped some links to live recordings of them in your community chat. But just recordings, no videos. There are concert videos of them out there. But I didn't have them at hand. The live recordings I dropped are from concerts in the early seventies.
Always great when Bassist Mr. Phil Lesh takes the lead vocal on a song. A few possibilities for reaction: "U.S. Blues", "Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet>Eyes Of The World", "Shakedown Street", "Terrapin Station", "Bertha", "China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider", "Ripple", "One More Saturday Night", "The Other One"and "Samson and Delilah". Have fun.
RIP Phil. Biz, I hope you can explore some more song's that featured Phil doing what he did best in the "The Phil Zone" or revisit this song. Phil's passing is a hard one to take.
The lyrics are very interesting. Always sung by Phil, who wasn't always on his game, but then again, we are so happy he survived throat cancer and is still with us.
@@watchbizmatik Indeed, he had the tune as a work in progress and was going through losing his dad when his friend Bob Hunter wrote the lyrics for him. So poignant and beautifully done.
@@nightfighterfour4468 I have a killer Rat dog set with that song on it. Money for Gasoline, Liberty, Ashes and Glass are great too. I wish more people would react to Ratdog it's so jazzy and awesome.
The key to listening to and appreciating the Grateful Dead is to listen/watch LIVE concert versions of any particular song. Better still listen to the whole concert. The real genius of the Dead is how they jam. You won't get much of that improvisational genius on studio versions. Robert Hunter wrote "Box of Rain" for Phil Lesh, who's father had just died and Phil was going through a rough time. The Grateful Dead can be very deep rabbit hole, but a journey well worth taking.p
This song was written after Phil visited with his father was dying. I think he has written about what the song meant to him and his tribute to his dad,
There's a video about this song by Robert Hunter... Phil's father was dying of cancer. He had written the chords, the melody, the changes,... had a vision of what he was thinking. He went to Robert Hunter & told him, played for him, what he was feeling & Robert Hunter put the lyrics together & Phil loved what Robert did... This song is so Beautiful when U think of the context, it brings light to these verses...
"American Reality" A song about post Bliss "Box of rain" "Feel your way , Feel your way, like the day before" Remember post bliss, meaning they just lived and died a million lifetimes :) so the day before, is like an "in joke"
Great reviews! I'm not sure how to post in the community section but here's a great live video of China Cat Sunflower -> I know you rider ruclips.net/video/iJ3bdq8l55A/видео.html&ab_channel=RedditLiveIsBetter. And since Truckin is your favorite here's a live video from the same show ruclips.net/video/IORPscB3vbc/видео.html&ab_channel=GratefulDead
I would recommend that you just do a search of Grateful Dead Live and then the years 1977 and 1974 to get started. There is a lot of good stuff in the month of May 1977.
How can ones opinion on songs be not true when such an opinion is personal choice? I understand disagreeing with one's personal choice of music, but that doesn't mean that opinion is wrong. I politely disagree with you. I personally don't think there are any songs by the Grateful Dead that aren't better live
They didn’t play Box of Rain until 1995 the same year Jerry died. I believe it was only played live under 10 times. In this case the live versions aren’t as good as the studio since American Beauty was recorded in the early 70s. The vault tapes are not mastered unless they do a Dave’s pics etc. interesting fact the vault tapes are recorded in multi track so they can master the audio if they want to. However almost all the bootlegs need to be mastered. Trust me I’ve heard thousands of hours of live dead. You are right though those tapes and playing live is where the sound is versus the studio albums.
@AndySo2000 came out in 1973 then dropped from the repertoire for a number of years. Started playing again in the 1980's. Played overall 162 times. How can you listen to thousands of hours and not know that?
A friend and me went to a Dead concert in the 70s. We enjoyed Dead albums, but live, they cater to the dead-heads. We'd hear 2 minutes of a song we recognized then 20 mins of a jam that wasn't the song anymore. So thats the problem with live Dead imo. Stick to studio.
I have listened to hundreds of shows and all of their records. In my opinion 90% of the live stuff is forgettable or sometimes down right bad. Yet the 10% surpasses every other band and most certainly blows away their own studio albums. I listened to those hundreds of shows and attended around 40-50 just to get to that 10%. My sense of the audience is that knew how to have fun no matter how good or bad the band was playing on a given night, AND they stuck it out for the magical moments.
One of the only songs sung by their bass player, Phil Lesh..
Such a beautiful, heartfelt song-- I believe the backstory is that Phil wrote this for his dying father...💜✌
C'mon Lisa, "Unbroken Chain", "Pride Of Cucamunga", "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", and a few more. But this was his biggest "hit". Let Phil sing!!!
Oops, I missed the "One of the only", thought you just said the only, but I know you know better. Sorry.
@@bobschenkel7921 thanks for the apology, much appreciated.
We're cool~ ✌
Love the Phil Zone!🎶🎶🎶
I love that song. I also like one that for some reason they did not play, In a Live concert, until 1995 - Unbroken Chain.
Phil's father was dying. Both of Bob's parents had died. Jerry's mother had died. It was an awful time for them
Beautiful, beautiful song
I used to live in Palo Alto back in the 60's, and my home away from home was St. Michaels Alley. I;d see some members of the Dead there on occasion, sometimes Jerry, but most especially, Robert Hunter (the Dead's lyricist). On several occasions, I'd sit and chat with him. Of course, I didn't understand all of what he was saying, but it must have sunk in (at least on a subconscious level). What I DO remember is he was a nice guy, and seemed very compassionate. He will always be sorely missed. The world could use more people like him.
-Peter Simmons
Hendersonville, TN
One of my top 5 Dead songs. The lyrics are pure poety.
One of the Grateful Dead members wrote this about his dad who was dying from cancer. The dead or from the Bay Area and his dad was in a rest home in Livermore. He just wrote it for him beautiful song.
Hunter wrote the words after Phil game him the music, Hunter was thinking about Phil's dad who was dying.
A Box of Rain is a euphemism for our planet Earth. The song is about how to find meaning in life. And drawing attention to the time between our birth, and our eventual death. The life we have while here on this planet. "Such a long long time to be gone, and a short time to be there".
This song was written for Phil's father who was dying of cancer.
@@barbarascotto3873 Tragedy results in beauty and peace. It’s funny how all emotions are connected in such a way.
It's more specifically about a parent dying and a child coping with their death. Robert Hunter said it was the easiest lyric he ever wrote. It just poured out of him as fast as he could put pen to paper.
Ain't no problem with starting with studio albums. Because, once yer hooked on that, ya get blown away when ya find a live version of the tune. The wormhole goes on from there. Enjoy the trip, my brother.
I first saw them in 72 then every year for over 30 years.
You can relate to most of their lyrics in any song. American Beauty is the best album. “Deal” or “Bertha” live, are great songs from any venue.
Rain, water, is life. We can help others in selfless ways by putting what we have in a package and passing it on.
Thanks for reviewing this song. It is my all time favorite Dead song. The lyrics and Jerry’s steel guitar make this song great.
The guitarist is David Nelson. Garcia plays piano on this track.
good interpretation of the lyrics. they will mean different things to different people. thanks!
This is the only song on a Grateful Dead album to feature a guest bass player, Dave Torbert of the New Riders of the Purple Sage.
I believe it is also the only Grateful Dead track to feature a guest lead guitarist, David Nelson, longtime collaborator of Jerry Garcia, (and another member of the New Riders.)
Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh plays acoustic guitar on this track, and Jerry Garcia plays piano.
Nice! "Box of Rain" is like two songs in one almost. The first part where it gets going, starts to walking, and the second part when it kicks into the chorus to lyrically explore the cosmic perspective. I dropped some links to live recordings of them in your community chat. But just recordings, no videos. There are concert videos of them out there. But I didn't have them at hand. The live recordings I dropped are from concerts in the early seventies.
Don't forget that it goes straight into Brokedown palace
Peace be unto all
the brothers and sisters!
Love ya, Biz!
My FAVORITE GD song! Happiest and best in the morning when camping!
Same
Love the flow
This song was written for Phil’s farther who was dying of cancer. Try Bertha another great song by the Greatful Dead
This sounds great everywhere I've heard it, starting with an '80s cassette boom box.
If the Dead ever made a bad song, I didn't hear it!
Always great when Bassist Mr. Phil Lesh takes the lead vocal on a song. A few possibilities for reaction: "U.S. Blues", "Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet>Eyes Of The World", "Shakedown Street", "Terrapin Station", "Bertha", "China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider", "Ripple", "One More Saturday Night", "The Other One"and "Samson and Delilah". Have fun.
Great choices for BizMatic to choose from.
@@robertberry5175 Thank you.
Grateful Dead w the Tower of Power horns & Etta James perform New Years Eve 1982 "Hard to Handle" (Otis Redding cover)
RIP PHIL... gentle soul....
RIP Phil. Biz, I hope you can explore some more song's that featured Phil doing what he did best in the "The Phil Zone" or revisit this song. Phil's passing is a hard one to take.
Phil gets to sing too!! I am going to send you some live Dead links Biz as requested. Leaving them in your live video post
Shakedown Street is another great Grateful Dead song , very funky.
The studio version is good for me...✌
About the lirycs and meaning of the song:
ruclips.net/video/Q_fEzl5S0hE/видео.html
-
Also "Unbroken Chain" by them is a must listen 🙏🏻. same composer
Same composer insofar as music. UBC lyrics are by Bobby Petersen rather than Robert Hunter.
I think it was about the writer's - quite arduous- visits to his father, who was dying of cancer.
The lyrics are very interesting. Always sung by Phil, who wasn't always on his game, but then again, we are so happy he survived throat cancer and is still with us.
thank you
You are welcome
As a young hippy growing up in the 80s in the Bay Area, this was my anthem.
I went to Pigpen's grave. Someone left a little water baloon in a cardboard box. It was a box of rain
Song is about his father passing away.......
Oh wow
@@watchbizmatik Indeed, he had the tune as a work in progress and was going through losing his dad when his friend Bob Hunter wrote the lyrics for him. So poignant and beautifully done.
Eyes Of The World is another very deep lyrical song. There's a live version on the Without A Net album with saxophone by Branford Marsalis...
Sometimes the studio versions are really good!
Eyes of the World live at Cow Palace. A great version of one of my favorite songs. You will be a Deadhead in no time my man!
Maggie's Farm
@@nightfighterfour4468 I have a killer Rat dog set with that song on it. Money for Gasoline, Liberty, Ashes and Glass are great too. I wish more people would react to Ratdog it's so jazzy and awesome.
Slipnot, help on the way, Franklins tower
A box of rain is the earth
The key to listening to and appreciating the Grateful Dead is to listen/watch LIVE concert versions of any particular song. Better still listen to the whole concert. The real genius of the Dead is how they jam. You won't get much of that improvisational genius on studio versions. Robert Hunter wrote "Box of Rain" for Phil Lesh, who's father had just died
and Phil was going through a rough time. The Grateful Dead can be very deep rabbit hole, but a journey well worth taking.p
This song was written after Phil visited with his father was dying. I think he has written about what the song meant to him and his tribute to his dad,
There's a video about this song by Robert Hunter... Phil's father was dying of cancer. He had written the chords, the melody, the changes,... had a vision of what he was thinking. He went to Robert Hunter & told him, played for him, what he was feeling & Robert Hunter put the lyrics together & Phil loved what Robert did... This song is so Beautiful when U think of the context, it brings light to these verses...
Not fade away .orchard park!
"American Reality"
A song about post Bliss "Box of rain" "Feel your way , Feel your way, like the day before"
Remember post bliss, meaning they just lived and died a million lifetimes :)
so the day before, is like an "in joke"
live version of weather report suite
Check out Ripple (New York, NY Live) one of my favs
Thanks Biz..
🙏🏿🙏🏿
high time, brokedown palace,china cat
SHAKEDOWN STREET-GRATEFUL DEAD
TERRAPIN STATION-GRATEFUL DEAD
TRUCKIN-GRATEFUL DEAD
just a beautiful song not trying to break it down just enjoy
You want to know the best concert to listen? Dude, the next one...
they make me feel better tho
Great reviews! I'm not sure how to post in the community section but here's a great live video of China Cat Sunflower -> I know you rider ruclips.net/video/iJ3bdq8l55A/видео.html&ab_channel=RedditLiveIsBetter.
And since Truckin is your favorite here's a live video from the same show
ruclips.net/video/IORPscB3vbc/видео.html&ab_channel=GratefulDead
The "Gratest" band in history.
im 100 percent sure the Grateful Dead has never played the same song the same way twice....ever
Alabama getaway is always really consistent
I would recommend that you just do a search of Grateful Dead Live and then the years 1977 and 1974 to get started. There is a lot of good stuff in the month of May 1977.
Pick any live version over the album. Any live is better than studio. Don't worry about which live you pick
thats not really true a few songs are much better in the studio
albeit not alot.
How can ones opinion on songs be not true when such an opinion is personal choice? I understand disagreeing with one's personal choice of music, but that doesn't mean that opinion is wrong. I politely disagree with you. I personally don't think there are any songs by the Grateful Dead that aren't better live
They didn’t play Box of Rain until 1995 the same year Jerry died. I believe it was only played live under 10 times. In this case the live versions aren’t as good as the studio since American Beauty was recorded in the early 70s. The vault tapes are not mastered unless they do a Dave’s pics etc. interesting fact the vault tapes are recorded in multi track so they can master the audio if they want to. However almost all the bootlegs need to be mastered. Trust me I’ve heard thousands of hours of live dead. You are right though those tapes and playing live is where the sound is versus the studio albums.
@AndySo2000 came out in 1973 then dropped from the repertoire for a number of years. Started playing again in the 1980's. Played overall 162 times. How can you listen to thousands of hours and not know that?
Not very fond of the remaster.
Now that you did this and Carry On know that CSNY taught the Dead how to sing harmony.
A friend and me went to a Dead concert in the 70s. We enjoyed Dead albums, but live, they cater to the dead-heads. We'd hear 2 minutes of a song we recognized then 20 mins of a jam that wasn't the song anymore. So thats the problem with live Dead imo. Stick to studio.
You're kidding, right?
@@cshubs LMAO....live DEAD, blows away studio......and being there soaking it in...
I have listened to hundreds of shows and all of their records. In my opinion 90% of the live stuff is forgettable or sometimes down right bad. Yet the 10% surpasses every other band and most certainly blows away their own studio albums. I listened to those hundreds of shows and attended around 40-50 just to get to that 10%. My sense of the audience is that knew how to have fun no matter how good or bad the band was playing on a given night, AND they stuck it out for the magical moments.
This is the last song that Jerry Garcia played live with the Grateful Dead before he passed away.