It's an Obsession But It's Pleasin' 2 The Story of the Wall of Sound

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Produced by: 
KBOO
Air date: 
Sat, 09/27/2025 - 12:00pm to 2:00pm

Phil G here,

Some of you may remember when KBOO Scooped the Wall Street Journal by interviewing Anthony Coscia about his journey to build smaller versions of the Wall of Sound (we're actually due for a follow-up, but I digress. 

The Wall of Sound is both majestic and mythical, it changed the way live sound for concerts was done. It cost  a LOT of money and took a LOT of manpower.  Out of this, legends grew...

To that end, this Saturday, 9/27, I will have an interview with Brian Anderson, author of "Loud and Clear- The Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection." In this book, Anderson chronicles the history of the band's audio dreams and how they tackled the challenges. We'll talk about his journey writing the book, what inspired him, and what he learned talking to some of the more adventurous characters.

We'll also play some newly released tunes from the Blues for Allah 50th anniversary release. Plus other surprises along the way.

Episode Playlist

  • Time
    12:03
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Help on the Way > (Live at Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, Soundcheck/Rehearsal, 8/12/1975)
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    12:03
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Help on the Way >
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    12:07
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Slipknot! (Live at Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, Soundcheck/Rehearsal, 8/12/1975)
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    12:07
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Slipknot!
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    12:11
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Franklin's Tower
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    12:14
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Crazy Fingers (Live at Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA, 6/22/1976)
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    12:27
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Comes a Time
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    12:37
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Eyes of the World (Live at Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA, 6/22/1976)
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    12:49
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Dancing in the Street (Live at Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA, 6/22/1976)
    Album
    Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
    Label
    Grateful Dead/Rhino
  • Time
    1:05
    Artist
    Grateful Dead
    Song
    Big River (Live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, 3/16/1973)
    Album
    Big River (Live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, 3/16/1973)
    Label
    RBDO 2171

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