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Phil Lesh Appreciation Society: Enter the Philzone...

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#942
tightbidness said:
It's strange hearing this show after listening primarily to GD from the '60s and '70s. The band sounds like it's in danger of collapsing under its own weight. But Phil's phrasing is confident and his tone beautiful. It's almost as if he has evolved to counteract slop in the rest of the rhythm section. Are there other performances from that era worth checking out?
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What!?! Spring 1990 is one of the best and most consistently well played tours the boys ever had. There are gems within probably every single march 1990 show. The show you referred to (I think you meant 3/15/1990) has a classic althea (without a net) and just like tom thumbs blues is excellent. Walkin Blues also got put on Without a net. Not to mention the show is its own release.

I suggest you go one week later to check out 1990-03-22 at Copps Coliseum, one of my all time favorites. There also is 1989-07-(17-19) at Alpine; similar excellent late era Dead.
 
#950
uglyrumor said:
OOPS!!! My last post, regarding Charles Ives, was a mistake. I got confused, thought I was on that "other" Lesh post. It was an attempt at humor that would have worked there, not so much here.

Insurance?!?!
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Charles Ives had an insurance agency as his day job. He's a very interesting guy and it's worth it to listen to his music and learn about his life.
 
#951
kohntarkosz said:
But it was also cool for rockers to name-drop Stockhausen back then too. I don't think there is too much weight to it.
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sorry to be a buzzkill, but some homework would be suggested. a lotta Heads came late to the party, so a lack of knowledge about Phil's early and ongoing influences is undestandable. additionally, the article i linked goes on a great length, in detail, and shows Phil's complete and enthusiastic understanding and absorption of Ives' pedagogy and approach. Not exactly Nigel Tufnel name-dropping Bach in the Spinal Tap movie.

Phil studied with Luciano Berio at Mills, as did Tom Constanten... he wrote multi-sectioned orchestral works.. created excellent 12-tone/jazz hybrid pieces for trumpet and chamber ensemble, while in high school (tapes exist)... referred at length to his influences ranging from Ives to Bach to Mahler to Stockhausen in many interviews, citing specific examples.. and jumped in enthusiastically when i told him about my NYC composer friend Johnny Reinhard's superb, ambitious 1996 realization of Ives' "Universe Symphony" recording, back when Reinhard was completing it (as basically its first recorded version). They communicated back & forth about it, and i think there was talk of a Rex grant at that time. Sounds like 'weight', surely.

To dismiss with a wave of a hand the fact that "rockers back then" had more going on than a crowd-pleasin' Sugar/Mag effectively discounts the beauty of, specifically, the Dead's hydra-headed influences and shows a stilted sense of their origins. It's like saying that Garcia name-dropped Bill Monroe cuz he wanted to look cool in rolling stone interviews.
 
#953
Midi = awful.
New material = weak.
Approach = more song-oriented.

Let's face it, the primary appeal of the Dead for me is the energy and unpredictability of the big jams. By the 80s, the big jams were gone by and large and the focus was shifted to a more conventional approach to concert-making. To be honest, when I listen to the Dead, I rarely bother with most of the vocals and I just go right to the improvs. From that perspective, you throw in Jerry forgetting words, voice cracking, etc. and there are just better things to do with my time.

But again, what I like of the Dead is second to nothing - it's as good as anything gets. But what I don't like is of similar magnitude in the ugggh direction.
 
#954
I have to say that just the keyboard sound alone (and Brent's singing) are enough to keep me away from most 80s shows. There are some things I like about the last 15 years, I like some of the songs, I like some of the space explorations as well as the drums, I liked some aspects of the PA system and the huge bass sounds, but overall I would rarely choose to listen to any of it now. Being there and seeing the shows was fun, but rarely truly inspiring and never really surprising.
 
#956
edwinhurwitz said:
I have to say that just the keyboard sound alone (and Brent's singing) are enough to keep me away from most 80s shows. There are some things I like about the last 15 years, I like some of the songs, I like some of the space explorations as well as the drums, I liked some aspects of the PA system and the huge bass sounds, but overall I would rarely choose to listen to any of it now. Being there and seeing the shows was fun, but rarely truly inspiring and never really surprising.
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Thank you. Couldn't have put it better myself. I have many Deadhead friends who take me to task for not liking Brent era Dead. Give me Pig or Keith anytime.

Hell I'd even rather listen to Vince than Brent. :hiding:
 
#957
Bassmanmike1 said:
Hell I'd even rather listen to Vince than Brent. :hiding:
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Now you're just talking crazy.

I hear ya guys, legitimate criticisms. I was raised as a gd listener predominately on the 80s so ill always enjoy most of it. I probably listen to it maybe 10% (90% is basically 71-73) of the time nowadays so I definitely agree to some degree. I personally kind of feel like a gd mediator a lot of the times, I have friend who is a dye in the wool 80s fan and wants nothing to do with 30 minute dark stars. In fact, I easily know of more people who prefer anything 80s over any TOO, DS or PITB from the early days (I feel they must be crazy!).

GD:cool:
 
#958
in full agreement with all 3 o' youse.

i get the reasons Brent was asked to join at the time, they've all been laid out in interviews with the band. but his forced raspy "rock & roll falsetto" and pop-tinkle keyboard sensibility, combined with some of the cheesiest 80s keys sounds on record, definitely were more vegas lounge than europe '72. it was the era of arenas and money and tv and drugs and bad habits all around their camp, and his limited aesthetic didn't do much to elevate any of that.

decent songwriter, competent blues-rock player. unfortunately he was brought in just when they needed a whole lot more than that.
 
#960
Wow. I really liked Brent and a lot of the strong high harmonies he brought with him. Granted some of his keyboard sounds were 80's cheezy, and some of his songs were not suited for the Dead, but I can find just as much Brent era stuff to like as I do the Pig and Keith eras. I thought he brought a lot of energy to the band. And lets not forget along with Keith we had Donna, and there's probably just as many forgettable vocal moments as there were memorable ones with that era. (IMO of course!) :-)
 
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