Grateful Dead poster article
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The Grateful Dead and Psychedelia
By JP Webber, Music on Posters editor.
In many ways the Grateful Dead were the band most associated with the ‘druggy’ side of the 60’s rock scene. Many of their gigs were linked with acid taking, and far from being a bi-product of seeing the show, it was positively promoted as an integral part of the show. It’s hardly surprising, therefore to find a poster such as the one depicted here associated with the Grateful Dead.
But what exactly is Psychedelia? The word psychedelic is defined as an ecstatic or mystic experience, usually induced either by hypnotism or drugs. A ‘psychedelic’ poster would therefore be either something that had been produced by someone having such an experience, or having psychedelic experience inducing qualities itself.
This poster is clearly designed to have a hypnotic effect, but it’s doubtful whether it would be capable of inducing ecstasy or mysticism. It’s also doubtful whether someone on an acid trip would be able to design and produce such an intricate piece of work. It is therefore a piece of Psychedelia, something based on the sort of images and colours experienced by someone on a trip. This type of artwork was developed into a distinctive style during the 1960’s and is instantly recognisable.
By associating themselves with this type of image the band are placing themselves firmly within the drug scene of the time and appealing to that section of the public who want to be a part of it. To an extent it also tells you what type of music to expect – it’s not going to be punk or heavy metal.
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