Honestly, comparing the Dead to Led Zeppelin is like comparing some Jr. High kids garage band to the New York Philharmonic.
I don't know if this particular blog has ever been posted (my apologies if it has) its worth a look - http://deadessays.bl...d-zeppelin.html
I also like what Anthony Bourdain once said about the "Dead" vs "Phish" - "that's like choosing between chlamydia or scabies". Pretty much summed up my feelings about the Dead.