RUSH vs. YES vs. THE GRATEFUL DEAD

Agreed. Maaaaybe if it was vinyl? I mean, if you're crafty, you can find SBDs of most of these shows anyway, or at least you could up til a few days ago.

But yeah, haters gonna hate. Spring 1990, all things considered, was probably their last truly great tour.

My wife, who, on her best days, merely tolerates my Dead obsession, can hang a little bit, but whenever I put on something from, say, 82 onward, she's all 'what the fuck is this'

i got on a big American Beauty kick this year, picked up a nice used copy on vinyl...great country rock record!

but yeah the later stuff just sounds horrific to me.

the thing that really bums me out is how cheesy their instrument sounds are, like American Beauty is just a GORGEOUS recording....this 1990 stuff sounds so crappy, like the actual instrument tones

i've got like 0 use for the Dead after Reckoning and as often as not i pick their studio stuff over the live

but i still have to vote dead in this poll

I think that the Dead voter results will be respectable in this poll.

I didn't like the "cheesy" instrument sounds at first, but grew to love the psychedelic crinkliness of them. Particularly Jer and Brent. They definitely had the cheesiest sounds.

I tried to listen to part of a '94 show on Wednesday (Jerry's b-day) and those sounds got worse. And Vince Welnick's keys aren't even the cheesiest part; Jerry's just noodling away on autopilot with some sort of MIDI effect or something. But I dunno, '90 works for me.

Yeah, Jerry was all like trying to use MIDI to make his guitar sound like a trumpet and everything.

good lord

envelope filter not FTW.

I'd much rather listen to their prog metal years than anything post-Signals

― buzza, Friday, August 3, 2012 12:05 AM

I think Counterparts, Snakes & Arrows, and Clockwork Angels are the three post-Signals albums that stand up to the band's earlier works. If you haven't spent time with those, they all rock CONSIDERABLY harder than any of the synthy late 80s stuff.

Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows are two of their best albums, synths and all.

yeah, i'm a little iffy about those two. not bad, but not among their best, imo.

diversity!

New wave rush rules!

Not quite sure how political views have any basis in quality music. I personally couldnt care less what a band's politics are.

what if they were Red Wings fans

― steven fucking tyler (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Thursday, August 2, 2012 6:57 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I would care about that. It would be pure hatred for the band at that point.

and so began my quest to get Bill Ward to wear a DeadThings jersey

Wait, the Dead were using guitar synth and envelope filters in the 90s? Metheny style? That actually makes me want to listen to that stuff. Were they releasing albums with this stuff or do you need to sift through amateur recordings of live shows?

(Didn't know Hornsby played with them either!)

jer used an envelope filter since the 1970s (a mu-tron). He started getting midi-equipped guitars in the late 80s. I think he used them mostly during the improvisational "Space" segements, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/Gratefuldeadinfraredroses.jpg

This is a good compilation of Space stuff.

+ a marsalis

The Grateful Dead has an iPhone/iPad app:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grateful-dead-europe-72-rock/id511897353?mt=8

Winners by default.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

wow

laugh my socks off

http://www.boingboing.net/filesroot/ghost%20fart.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMGwGUCbECA

Well, at least the one in the middle is correct }:|

i agree w this

Wah?

This poll got an impressive number of votes.

Sad that rush didn't do better; I actually thought they might win.

bunch of hippies around here iirc

Really thought Yes was gonna take this. Really thought the Dead were gonna come in third. I confess total bafflement (and quite a bit of disgust) at this result.

Reverse order

say wtf

lurkers imo

not on this thread

i did not think there would be 40 rush fans on ilm

In retrospect I guess we shouldn't be surprised the band with the most rabid cult following in history brought out the lurkers

Also possible factor: the Dead are the only band in this poll with any female fans

http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/G/Grateful_Dead/gdead_workf.jpg

hater vote split the opposition

divide and conquer, it's the hippie way

Fuck this shit.

PS - actually Rush does have female fans as of the last five years or so. It's a new and exciting development. I Dj Rush and girls dance. Hell has indeed frozen over--further proof is this poll result.

"Justice has been deserved" as Space Ghost said

dj rush is about 10^6 times realer than the dead or rush tho

lol Nate between your love of Agalloch and your hatred of the Dead I'm ready to totally write SUCKS next to band names on your notebook when you're not looking in class & then blame it on the other dude next to you when you call me out

haha! well, I'll play going for the one in solidarity

burn ilm to the ground

Silly human race.

Actually finding the *indignation* about this slightly distasteful.

For all the stock put in their compositional skills and progressivism, did Yes or Rush ever create music that was as big a redefinition of genre as "St. Stephen?"