Grateful Dead - The Music Never Stopped (1976-08-04)

[IronmanPizza2008]

This song does it for me every time. Instant elevation, body groovin', ear to ear grin!

[outsidedally]

my favorite Dead song EVER

[PhunkyPhishPhan]

I agree, I don't understand why so many people bash Donna, I always liked a lot of songs with Donna better, especially The Music Never Stopped, and The Other One, although there are many more that sound "empty" with her absent.

[favrino]

Donna's voice in this song is why it's one of my favorites by the Dead

[SirrusTheCool]

Man you can really hear Phil well on this recording.

[darazn1]

I'm beginning to realize that the Dead circa 1976-1977 was the most polished, most rehearsed, extremely daring, and the vocals were also very good more often than not. One rocking peak through the beginning of '78. They really played it like they meant it, and gave it 100% more often than not.

[kocean1]

Donna played with Elvis and Boz Scaggs-she's great. I'm sick and tired of people trashing Donna-if you don't like listen to something else.

[halmasonberg]

You didn't like Donna? So be it. To me Keith and Donna were the height of the Dead in all respects. To each his own. I saw over 140 shows with Brent. I'm well aware of his talents. And I thought the band started a steady decline from the moment Keith and Donna left. More due to Jerry's heroine problem than anything else. Brent's voice was wonderful. But it was never a style I much cared for. Same with his playing. VERY talented man, but I prefer the subtle jazziness of Keith.

[halmasonberg]

If you really think Donna didn't have a singing voice or are willing to compare her to Hellen Keller, then you're just engaging in online nastiness, which seems to be rampant out here. I think the band deserves better than that.

[thegunnydog]

Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City!!! RIP What a trip that place was when the Dead showed up!

[jerryonjay]

I also agree with you halmasonberg , maybe Ryanhdchya never caught shows with Keith and Donna

[jerryonjay]

I also agree with you halmasonberg , maybe Ryanhdchya never caught shows with Keith and Donna

[Ryanhdchya]

The Dead were never tight after Keith and Donna left!!? Are you nuts? No offense, but in the latter years, keith was not even playing half the time.

You're going to say the late Seventies were tighter than the early 80s when Brent joined? I've never seen Jerry smile as much as he did with Brent. Brent covered all Donna's parts, and then some! I've never heard any hotter, tighter jams, songs and spaces as I do with the Brent/Jerry days.

[lrgamt]

bobby is an incredible singer your crazy..

[chasefukuoka61]

Brilliant... Thanks for the upload.

[Clvnandhbbs30]

try not to let nostalgia overwhelm your judgment...donna sounds like a banshee.

[TracyElizabeth749]

I love Donna!!!!

[ronrendon]

i wish more songs were 7 plus min long, it seems like most songs are 3-4 min long these days and that's sad, i love when they just jam out; that, for me, is the best

[RikJamezBich]

How come the drums and bass from 76 was a thousand times better than their sound in the 80's or 90's? Someone didn't know what they were doing with the sound. This is SO not Desolation Row 1993 Cap. Center. GAwd

[MrMadaicseason]

i think donna and bob had an affair, that might of had something to do with keith and donna leaving, just speculating..but they do sound their best during these years, and early brent years....

[Chrisdrumz]

@MrMadaicseason Scully said in his book that the 2 did indeed have an affair and that Keith was aware of it but was so jacked up on drugs wasn't capable(or willing) to do much about it.

[TracyElizabeth749]

@MrMadaicseason I always thought that Bobby and Donna were having an affair!!!

[TracyElizabeth749]

@MrMadaicseason I always thought that Bobby and Donna were having an affair!!!!!

[saintstephen420seeds]

@TracyElizabeth749 I've always said Donna's throat must've been good for something cause it's sure as hell not good for singin

[hesgone100]

I was not around during Pig Pen but I was around from 1975 on and I will tell you my favorite years were 1975 to 1981

[eslmc]

Must agree with rotolo. IMHO they were struggling when Brent came in. Listening to Donna for me was like listening to Bobby play slide. (Couldn't wait for it to stop.) Now, granted, I didn't see every show, but, I saw a lot. The best was with the Pig, then, Bruce Hornsby, then Brent. He covered Donna's vocal and Keith's keyboard and took it on down the line. 900,000 Tons of Steele!

Peace Be Upon Them

[MrSharkey11]

@eslmc , I feel the same way! Donna's singing was just plain awful! They put up with her because of keith!

[Gonzo614]

I love Phil's bass in this video, it sounds awesome. I agree with viidiot, I like the Godchaux years the best.

[blakegeissbuhler]

yes donna sounds like crap in many many shows, especially the larger ones, because she often was unable to hear herself in the monitors over the thunderous wall of the other 6. and the only dead i dont listen to frequently on my rotation are shows from 83-87 i only have a few that sound o.k. to me ears

[ingy81]

absolute fire

[viidiot]

Donna and kieth years are my favorite. Mars Hotel, Blues for Allah, Shakedown Street are all awsome studio albums.

[bobshenix]

@viidiot

You don't like Terrapin??

[viidiot]

@bobshenix meh, not really. I guess I like the first side ok.....

[MrSharkey11]

@viidiot , Her husband was great not her!

[saintstephen420seeds]

@viidiot I agree but, those are studio albums. The boys got to edit Donna's sucking out of the mix

[fluffydolly]

i was 6 when this happened....at least i got the early 90's.....jerry forever!!!!!

[aoxomoxoa88]

For sure, Donna went overboard at times live, but that woman in a studio could sing so well. I fell in love with her at times. Just listen to Blues for Allah, Cats Down under the Stars and Terrapin Station, all is forgiven.

[MrSharkey11]

@aoxomoxoa88 , All is not forgiven! She stands guilty as charged!

[aoxomoxoa88]

@MrSharkey11 She was good in a studio though. Wouldn't you agree?

[MrSharkey11]

@aoxomoxoa88 , Yes I certainly do agree! In fact as you know she was a pro studio back up singer! She worked with all the greats including Elvis Presley! I really don't mean to be so hard on her ,but very rarely did her vocals really fit in with the bands vocals.Why she couldn't get it together I don't know? The chemistry wasn't there as far as I'm concerned.I'm sure she's a wonderful lady, but that doesn't cut the mustard so to speak! I remember when she&keith joined the Dead,pig was dyingPeace

[rotolo]

brent had a star singing voice!

[rasta0117]

My fav dead song ever

[BogratShoestring]

god phil was fucking brilliant, he's a monster, absolutely unreal.Listen to that bass playing, its devastating.

[rmackenzie1957]

i was 19 years old and down front of the stage for this show...the crowd was nuts, very scary and big blobs of people pushed and swelled together, so the whole crowd would stumble together en mass...it was SCARY. Finally i had to move to the bleachers for the 2nd set.

[Brocksongs]

we stood behind that mob..every time at roosevelt was the same thing...hot and a thick mob up front...great shows!!

[orcuttgrl]

surprisingly good sound on this video

[peacelovemusic224]

no ones noticed but the bands all packed and gone, was it ever there it all?

[SugarMags09]

That is pure sunshine : )

[jomsvikingur]

who's the chick? she's got some pipes

[darkstar4589]

Oh that chick? That's Britney Spears' mother, Donna Jean Spears, from Muscle Shoals, before the family moved to Louisiana. Her first husband, Keith G. Spears, is playing keyboards. I should be the official Dead historian.

p.s. I love Donna Jean, even when she was off.

[rickdangerwood]

britney spears mother ahhahahahahaha

[UngratefulLiving420]

hahahaha i think i like britney better

[GDarkstar74]

Jerry is rippin on this version. he was so damn good.

[ebbsterjcw]

Phil is dropping some bombs hehe

[fluffydolly]

this show was on my birthday i only had 1 birthday show.

[GDarkstar74]

my birthday too, but different year.

[skootmagoot]

theres a band out on the highway there highsteppin into town ....its a rambow full of sound

[nducati]

Amen.

[deanopper]

phil is cranking it out..

[SativaBeliver]

feel the 76 vibe

[twangblaster]

The jam here is amazing. I never heard Jerry play any better than this.

[jmlorenz58]

Phil is Rockin'!! Love the groove....

[steviehc99]

Donna is garbage.

[folkhippy]

BLASPHEMY!

[jamchowder]

my grandfather ran this stadium for over 35 years.

[dickheadmann112]

my father will be a stadium in 35 grand years

[fartbender]

right on.

[beetch22]

everyone on that stage is amazing! ''.''

[rydawg1977]

I played a show with Donna Jean And the Tricksters in Aug 2008 and she was great. It suxs peeps wont stop giving her crap..

Brent was my favorite, but I love all the Decades of the dead....

[stuco]

+1 I liked her in the band.

[REDHAIREDMONSTER]

me too!!!!

:-)

[ChrisDan915]

I remember this song from my junior or senior year in high school. I was not a big Dead fan but I like the upbeat tempo of this song and even bought the album.

[dalastejas]

I guess the first time I heard this it must have been a bad version because I remember not liking the song! I can't believe it.

[ajplonka]

Yes they were fireworks. At the time it seemed to me they were setting a beat that led into the song... funny how you remember things...

[halmasonberg]

There are many people who trash Donna and it will never cease to amaze me. No one in the Dead had a "star" singing voice. But they had heart, real deep to the soul heart. And Donna's heart was extraordinary and it is heard and felt in every song she contributed to. And THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED was never quite the same with her absent from the mix.

[tabber87]

@halmasonberg Bob and Jerry didn't have classically great voices, true, but they weren't tone deaf.

[halmasonberg]

@tabber87 Now that's just plain mean. Donna was a pro. Long before she joined the Dead. I've heard both Bobby and Jerry butcher a song or two. And if you want to talk tone deaf, Phil's offered more than his share of off-key moments. But I still love him anyway. Donna leant some real lyrical beauty to many, many songs. I stand behind her contribution to the band. And TMNS was one of her consistent best.

[tabber87]

@halmasonberg Sure Jerry and Bobby had off nights like anyone, but I've never heard Donna NOT butcher a song. She was just flat terrible, there's no way around it.

BTW, there was a reason I didn't include Phil, because he too is vocally incompetent (with the exception of his lead on the studio Box of Rain). That's why deadheads used to chant "Let Phil sing" at concerts, because he sucked, and he wasn't the Dead's Yoko.

[halmasonberg]

@tabber87 Ahhh, sorry you hate Donna so much. That's a shame.

[rogcuadra]

@tabber8 SEE U DO BETTER TURKEY

[Carex09]

@tabber87 Whatever. Donna is great- my favorite shows are the ones from the 70's with Donna. I dunno about Phil, but I personally liked him. I doubt people were chanting facetiously. Adds a little earthiness to heaven.

[tabber87]

@Carex09 My favorite shows are from the '70s as well, because Jerry was at his peak, certainly not because of Donna's dreadful animal noises in the background..

People weren't chanting facetiously, they really did want to hear Phil sing, but for the most part he stayed in his place because he knew what his real talent was. I suppose that course of action was difficult for Donna considering she had no talent to fall back on...

[cosmicharlie1970]

@tabber87 She sounded good in the studio. I think her problem live was that she felt like she had to scream and wail like Janis Joplin. Create some ambiance or some crap. Did anybody ever see the Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus? At the end, when Yoko Ono's ass had a veil over her head and was spinning around just screaming and wailing like an idiot. Sometimes when I hear Donna just really butchering a song, I think of that. Not hating, just calling it like I see it.

[MrSharkey11]

@cosmicharlie1970 , You are 100% right!

[tennesseejed69]

@halmasonberg Dude, I wholeheartedly agree with you. There are songs that Donna has backed up, that sent chills down my spine, more than ones that hit sour notes causing a wince. Unfortunately, my first show was in November of 1979, when the band first brought in Brent, so I never experience the Donna Keith years. And as we all know shortly after that Keith was gone, so that never would have happened. But as Donna was a legacy of the band, these fools just continue to mock an era that was rich.

[BOBSAGATification]

@halmasonberg I agree,although i believe she had a beautiful voice,you could`nt autotune a voice to sound like how beautiful donna`s voice was, IMO grateful dead peaked when she was with the band,and fell when she left.

[saintstephen420seeds]

@halmasonberg You mean nobody in the dead had a star singing voice except Jerry. Don't forget Brent either. People trash Donna cause she couldn't hold a tune. Helen Keller could've put just as much heart into it, you know. Keith was my least favorite on the keys too. Brent did Keith and Donna's jobs better than they couldv'e dreamed. Watch some videos with Brent. Look at how much happier Jerry is.

[bundlerun]

@halmasonberg when your right your right.

[halmasonberg]

For me, the Keith and Donna years were the height. When they left the band, the Dead were never as tight or as beautiful again. They still played some amazing shows and I danced wildly at many, but something truly great was lost when these two moved on.

[tabber87]

@halmasonberg I would agree that this was the Dead's best era despite Donna's best efforts...

[deweypug]

@halmasonberg Agreed. I thought that Keith brought that great 'honky tonk' feel to his piano playing and blended very well with the rest of the band members.

[pajasper]

@halmasonberg Well it had nothing to do with Donna. It had everything to do with the brothers jamming behind her. You are simply a blind deadhead (in that you love all they do) if you think she was any type of gravy. She wasn't. And by the way, Bobby sings way better than her. Keith player very well.

[halmasonberg]

@pajasper. Why is it people insist that their experience of something is the only VALID experience? Donna is most certainly gravy for me. Regardless of your opinion. And no, my friend, I am far from being a blind Dead Head. I am not a fan of much of what the Dead did in their last 10 years. Certainly there were some great shows to be had, and I saw a few myself, but they got sloppy. IMHO. And yes, sometimes Donna was way off. And so was Jerry and so was Bobby and LORD knows Phil.

[MikeTheDruggie]

does anyone else think this song is amazing when there blazed as fuck?

[sruckoldt]

Dang Phil!!! Calm down man.

: )

[brianm1314]

thanks for posting this.

[scodug]

whoa Phil...

[danciniyogini]

beautiful

[BJBlitzstein]

Excellent! Thanks for posting and also all the rest in the captions.

[yaiknowscrewme]

donna fan..man shes fine

[REDHAIREDMONSTER]

I LOVE Donna Jean, many don't, I do, saw her live with the Tricksters a few years ago, awesome show, she autographed my GD hat afterwards, it was awesome:-)

[LittleRedKing]

I'm one of the lovers. When I see her, Bobby and Jer together on stage it makes me smile so much.

[1tag2]

I saw 20 shows starting in '89. Don't know if I could have endured that much of her..............

[eyeojo]

That chick sucks

[ladyofdesert]

maybe a little, but it wouldn't be the same if they had a perfect singer up there. yknow?!?!

[ChrisDan915]

she helped make that song

[SmutJunkie]

Phil is definitely holding this shit together

[REDHAIREDMONSTER]

PHIL ZONE!!!!!!!!

[meowmeowmeow123]

indeed

[phatphatbass]

what are those fireballs falling? fireworks?

[keirweir420]

Phil set the tone in the 70's

[phatphatbass]

WERD

[Kevtheguitarist]

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuTube! THANX!!!

[wolfkarel]

Donna had the most Beautiful Hair!

[Kevtheguitarist]

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuTube! ; )

[wharffratt]

Donna fuckstarts your face!!!!!  Fuck yeah!!!!

[Altoonasuks]

cool except donna

[tiegs]

VID = AUD,

AUD = SBD.

haha - sorta weird until you get used to it.

Nice show thanks