Reply #30: Interesting points, but...

[SteppingRazor]

I'd argue that Jerry's vocals weren't too bad until after the coma, mid-1980s. In fact, most fans consider the late 70s to be the band's Golden Age (e.g. Cornell University, 5/8/77 is often cited as their best show, if not some other show from that same era)

As for the drugs, yes, smoking certainly affects one's vocal range but:
1) you didn't specify smoking, you said "drugs." Somehow you've "missed or ignored that part." :hide:
Anyway, that's particularly relevent when you consider Jerry's drug of choice wasn't smoked, it was injected. And the smoking becomes a moot point when you consider that everyone in the band smoked.

2) The Dead wasn't Pavarotti. While smoking certainly affects vocals, the limited range doesn't exactly have a tremendous effect on country/folk/rock

3) Jerry's voice at the Winterland show was pretty ragged, but wouldn't yours be if you played a six hour show?

As for Weir doing drugs, yes, I was there the time I'm talking about. Can't speak for '67 since I wasn't born yet, but that being said, I'd wager the writer was lying to cover for a friend. This was, after all, less than a year after the acid tests, and other writers have claimed Weir ate more acid than any of them.