Garcia commented that "the early stuff we wrote that we tried to set to music was stiff because it wasn't really meant to be sung ... the result of [lyricist Robert Hunter getting into our touring world], the better he could write ... and the better we could create music around it."
Garcia stated that early attempts at turning songs into music were stiff because they weren't intended for singing. This was influenced by Robert Hunter joining their touring life, allowing him to improve both his songwriting and the band's ability to create music around his lyrics.