You're a braver soul than I. I couldn't make it to
the 2:00 mark before that sense of impending doom set
in. I needed an antidote, stat:
And I like
The Grateful Dead when they get around to playing something good. Usually when Jerry's singing/writing, or when they're improvising (as opposed to just "jammin'"). I saw them one night
in Monterey '88, they played this truly incredible instrumental section between Terrapin Station and Eyes Of
The World.
The best way to describe it was that they were using lots of suspended chords on top of other suspended chords. It reminded me of McCoy Tyner, believe it or not. I'm almost afraid to hear a recording of it for fear that it wasn't as great as I remember it to be.
But great writeup, it made me laugh, especially
the idea of a band becoming mega-successful through a fanbase that loves everything that's wrong with them.
Still Baron wrote:Two or three times a year, I feel like hearing some (live) Grateful Dead. I have a long, fraught history with them, detailed elsewhere on this site. Suffice it to say, I've listened with "friends" through hours of terrible quality tapes, in fevered anticipation of a "Phil Joke" or some other perceived lagniappe. But on the rare occasion that I want to hear them, err . . . I can dig it.
"Lagniappe" - well, that's about
the most awesome new word I've learned
in ages. I can't imagine ever using it, but I don't need to, you already did!
Still Baron wrote:First, Bob Weir and Donna Godchaux are singing. Do we really need to hear them sing . . . "Calling out around the world . . ." Dreadful. And It's always Bob Fucking Weir doing these terrible covers. From this show? There was also "El Paso," "Mama Tried," "Not Fade Away," and (of course) "One More Saturday Night." Who the fuck does he think he is?
Simply
the luckiest guy
in rock'n'roll. At least Ringo brought something to
the table. Did you ever read that book by
The Dead's manager?
The band approached him back
in 1969 or so and told him that they wanted Weir and Pigpen out of
the band, so it was his job to tell them. He replied that it was THEIR job, he had other things to do. So they just never bothered. Imagine being
in a band that you know wanted to fire you but were too lazy to do it, so you stick around and reap
the benefits. "I don't talk much about Bohemian Grove..."
And yeah, what was with
the tenth-generation cassettes? They think that's supposed to impress anyone? I used to envision some Deadhead tape trader with a special dubbing machine that could take a high-quality soundboard recording and add
the requisite hiss and muck and wobble - "Nah, man, it's gotta have that tenth-generation cassette sound, otherwise, it's not
THE DEAD, maaaan!" For
the ultimate effect, they'd have special headsets made so they could go to concerts and get that 10th-gen sound live and
in the moment. I could have made some bucks if I'd thought of it back then!
Still Baron wrote:Fourth, Jerry is employing that ludicrous wah-wah tone thing.* HOW HIGH WAS HE!?
Harv is right, that's an envelope filter. Boss used to make an effects pedal called
the T-Wah. Those were grim times.