The Grateful Dead…I can’t think of a more American band than them. Everyone knows the wild stories and the crazy crowds they had, but what about their sound system? Everyone has heard of the “Wall of Sound”, but what about the team that it took to develop it, and make it an actual thing that existed and actually worked (most of the time)? I was so excited to dive into this book, and it does not disappoint. It’s high drama across the country, while on the road with the Dead!

The book begins with the early days of the band, and the trials and tribulations they had while setting up sound for those early gigs. Things always seemed gnarly, so they decided to take matters into their own hands, and cobble together their own system, which kept growing and growing, just like the popularity of the band itself.

If you’re a Deadhead, you’ve heard of most of the people involved in this tale. Jerry, Bobby, Phil, Bill, Pigpen, Keith are all there, of course, but this book spends a lot of time with the nerds behind the scenes. The Bear’s, and Big Steve’s, and Wickersham’s of the Dead universe. These men and women busted their asses night in and night out to attempt to provide the loudest, yet clearest sound possible, all while on legendary amounts of mind-altering substances.

This was such a fun read. Being only 40, I never had the chance to see a proper Grateful Dead show, and that’s such a bummer, but this book transports the reader back to the late 60’s and early 70’s, and makes you feel like you’re right there with the band.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an advanced copy of this wonderful book!

This 350 page tome about the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, it's heyday being 1973-74, is presented by the son of original Deadheads who brought their young son to Grateful Dead shows.

Brian has been obsessed with technological and mono/stereophonic ideas and creations all his life. He has researched his subject meticulously and obsessively. Maybe even too much- the latter part of the book, when the decade of ideas, cinstructions and deconstructions of various parts of what will become pieces of the Wall of Sound- comes to fruition, he details every show during the 1973-74 period. Many of his show reviews are redundant---- crew load in, hassles all around, disaster narrowly averted, 6-12 hours to set up the massive Wall, the actual concert, reviews from 'heads' proclaiming each concert the 'best I've every heard' 'melted my face off' etc. This went on for at least 100 pages. So frugal editing would've been helpful.

The most intresting part of the book was the beginning: the musicians were around 20, not thinking of much else besides working to produce the finest sound system for they music ever imagined. On board were a crack equipment crew , a brotherhood, all dedicated and committed, as Dan Healy often remarked, to the pursuit of excellence of sound.

There is A LOT of technical information amid the retelling of the idea of this massive sound system and the step-by-step gradations of learning curves experienced by the band and crew. For Grateful Dead audiophiles who also have knowledge of musical construction, building of instruments and sound gear, the detailed explanations for how and why a certain decision was made regarding the sound and its implementation will fascinate and perhaps be a reference for furthur explorations into the sonic unknown.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

If you're a music fan, audiophile, or just curious about rock history, *Loud and Clear* is a must-read. It dives into the Grateful Dead’s epic “Wall of Sound”—a massive, groundbreaking speaker system that was as wild and ambitious as the band itself. Packed with interviews and behind-the-scenes details, it’s a fascinating look at how the Dead pushed sound technology to its limits, creating something legendary, albeit unsustainable. Whether you're a Deadhead or just love a good music story, this book delivers!