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Grateful Dead - Wall of Sound

#41
Mike Dunbar said:
Here was our band's version from the 70's. I'm playing guitar in the center...it's a Fender Esquire, original. Wish I still had that guitar. Our bass player's playing an early 70's P. Fun times.

RedheadandMikeSmithonClarkStreetjpg.jpg
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In many ways this is actually MORE impressive than the Deads set up!!! How on earth were you able to build a mini version of the wall yourselves? Any and all details PLEASE!!!??
 
#43
JimmyM said:
Not so much Vince, eh? ;) Loved Vince in the Tubes. Unbelievable how unlucky their keyboardists have been with keeping alive. Good thing Bruce Hornsby never officially joined them.
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True that. I was lucky enough to see them with all those keyboardists over the years. I really got into the midi phase interplay btwn Garcia and Midland during the late 80's up to Brent's demise. Good stuff.
 
#45
hangman said:
Hard Truckers has a history with the Wall of Sound.

"Hard Truckers™ is the organization of sound specialists whose varied experience stems from the roots of the San Francisco Bay Area rock scene. We designed and built the Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound and toured the United States with our semi-trucks packed with our speakers. "
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I love this company! And that 2x15 Bass cab looks sick.
 
#46
I saw this system in action at RFK stadium in Washington, DC in 1974 (?). It was the Dead and The Allman Brothers playing on and off for 12 hours! They jammed at length together.
Yes; the sound system was magnificent! It was great just to look at. Very, very impressive.
 
#48
I really love the sound of the tapes from the late 60s to mid 70s shows.....I think things were really burning for the Dead at that time.

Jerry and Phil were really at the forefront of experimentation with their guitars and electronics as well. It allowed the uniqueness of their sound.

Phil has a very unorthodox and interesting approach to the bass. He might rely less on chops more than any other player I can think of. All note placement, phrasing and melodicisim.

I think Jerry too is an underrated player. I think his sense of melody and phrasing kind of get lost in his electric playing. Listen to his acoustic stuff and his mastery is revealed. I especially love ALmost Acoustic, Garcia Grisman, and the Pizza Tapes. His playing on these recordings is something else.

I guess I didnt even talk about the Wall of Sound. Sorry
 
#50
Blue said:
I have a theory 'bout them ... and why they are "hated" .. or at least polarizing. Here's the theory:

Most bands (at least pre youtube and cell videos) had some control over their recordings and limited releases to what sounded good. The Dead did the opposite - everything was open - so you have perhaps 30 years x 100 shows / year (average?) x 20 songs (?) per show = 60,000 recordings out there ... of what could be considered usually experimental material ... so that provides a lot of dogs .. tens of thousands of craps. Contrast that with say the Beatles - who published like 200 songs (/) ... or Led Zep: only 73 tracks released on their 8 albums ...

I can cite perhaps Dead 30 to 40 songs (really performances ) that will stand the test of time. If those were the only TRACKS out there, their reputation would be FAR elevated.
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LOL

30 or 40 out of 60000 is a really, really crappy batting average.
 
#51
projectMalamute said:
LOL

30 or 40 out of 60000 is a really, really crappy batting average.
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... good point. I guess I was "combining" things. Using my numbers above, there might be 1000 "Jack Straws" ... that song was relatively consistent in terms of structure (e.g., less experimental). Surely some were better than others, but in my 30 to 40, I was counting it only "Once".

Here's my short list of songs I still find cool ...

Bertha (also usually consistent, definitive version on Skull & Roses)
Bird Song (all over the map in terms of "quality")
Black Peter (usually consistent)
Brown Eyed Women (definitive version on Europe '72)
Candyman (usually consistent)
Cassidy (very inconsistent, but the jam occasionally jelled well)
China Cat Sunflower (definitive version on Europe '72)
Dark Star (the version on Live Dead was the tune that got me interested in the band - still remarkable, imho)
Deal
Eyes of the World (very inconsistent, but fun to play on the guitar)
Hard to Handle (the Otis Redding tune was one of the few that could actually ROCK under the guidance of PigPen) ... ditto their cover of It Hurts Me Too).
Jack Straw (definitive version on Europe '72)
Let Me Sing Your Blues Away (only the studio version ever worked for me)
Look Like Rain (I think more beautiful than Jack Straw, again stick with the Studio version)
Loser ... like Deal ... fun tunes, stick to the Garcia Studio Versions
Mississippi Half Step (very inconsistent, not sure the definitive version)
St. Steven / The Other One (again off Live Dead: worth the price of admission)
Ramble on Rose (definitive version on Europe '72)
Scarlett Begonias (very inconsistent, very interesting rhythmically, not sure the definitive version)
Sugar Magnolia (everyone's favorite, definitive version on American Beauty)
Terrapin Station (I recall a version in Baltimore where over perhaps 4 minutes they took the repeating riff from a near whisper to a perfect edge - the tone of distortion at the peak still sweetly sings in my ear).

... so that's like 20 songs? I sure that number could be doubled (studio + live versions), but my point was, if only one "Definitive Recording" of each of those were released (as is the case with many bands) - Dead-Haters would be a rare animal.
 
#54
Phil swings like a mofo, but it's a bit more of a sophisticated palette, which is why so many meat & taters "P-bass and root-note-on-the-one" guys get tweaked by it.

His use of off-accents, unexpected octave shifts, non-root notes and contrapuntal arpeggios in unexpected places make for an awesome ride. And, lest we forget, he comes from a far more experimental, far less reactionary era, so what he was doing reflected a rigorous, personal artistic approach and search in a time that was all about that, and which got slowly but efficiently slapped out of this culture.
 
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#56
MetroBass said:
Wow, is there a/v available of this?
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You could look through the Archive, there are many copies of both shows. Also look up the 1972 Dillon Stadium Dead and Gaelic Park ABB shows for some jams with members of both groups.


Here's a '74 show I was at that featured the Wall, with some of Phil's Seastones material performed in live quad format.

Personally, I lost much of my interest after Pigpen died, and nearly all the rest after Keith checked out. :hmm:
 
#58
Blue said:
... one other thing then I've said all I can say about the band:

While I loved Lesh's tone ... almost universally great ... I'm not a big fan of his playing. As one Dead-Hater once told me (and I agree): "That band needs a Bass Player".
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I can see not diggin Phil's playing. Its really not what we think of when we normally consider the bass part in a song. Its weird but his playing just fit so well what they were doing. I can't imagine another place where it would sound good. It was almost like he was just soloing over the chord changes in the background yet somehow it works. WIERd!
 
#60
Blue said:
While I loved Lesh's tone ... I'm not a big fan of his playing.
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It's been a lazy day, so I've had some Dead on in the background .. first time in decades I've sat and listened to one of their shows (1973-11-17 - Pauley Pavilion - University of California) ... so let me amend my post:

The in-between song jams were what I always loved about the band - when they were on - no one else touched them (at least in their day) ... and during those times, what Lesh did is way-cool - arguably "needed" to hit that magic I so enjoy ... BUT ... it's during the "song" portion I wish he were a more "standard" player. The songs would drive more ... and I sense not lose anything .. AND THEN .. when the band then drifted off to their special sonic place, his playing would be a refreshing - and needed - contrast.
 

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