Furthur

[rowjimmy]

One of my podcasts posted half of the Furthur NYE show this week. Other than Phil's horrible vox on Pink Floyd's "Time" it wasn't bad. I dug it for zoning out on the train.

[sophist]

JB Goode?
They're really showing their faith in Fake Jerry.

haha....I'm really interested to see how I will react to fake Jerry come Tuesday night....It could really go either way....When I saw Phil at the Crystal last year with Jackie Greene and co, I was stoked and dancing, but it was less cover-band feely to me....I don't know how I will feel about the copy-cat style.....guess I'll know in a few days....I am sure for people that never saw Jerry it's good, but I'm kinda wary....I'll take it for what it's worth I suppose.....

I never saw Jerry, but I obsess over how he plays.   When I hear people cover the dead it irks me to no end to hear a non-Jerry line over GD songs.  It's why I never got on board any of the post GD projects and was always hitting up DSO shows.  JK plays it close enough to satisfy that sound I want, but it is still very original too.  It's hard to not have a smile while they are up there dude.  The hurdle is just accepting it's something different with enough respect to adhere to how the songs are suppose to be played. 

[thatfargone]

Sophist, what part of his playing do you obsess over exactly?  Just wondering, while I am quite a big Dead fan and fond of Jerry, I personally have never found much to his playing.  Granted pre-coma is a entirely different discussion than post...to me he just noodled around the myxolydian scale and focused on a lot of bends and pentatonic runs.  Just wondering...not trying to discredit your appreciation.

[thatfargone]

One of my podcasts posted half of the Furthur NYE show this week. Other than Phil's horrible vox on Pink Floyd's "Time" it wasn't bad. I dug it for zoning out on the train.

Ah, the show I walked out on during the 2nd set.

[Hicks]

Sophist, what part of his playing do you obsess over exactly?  Just wondering, while I am quite a big Dead fan and fond of Jerry, I personally have never found much to his playing.  Granted pre-coma is a entirely different discussion than post...to me he just noodled around the myxolydian scale and focused on a lot of bends and pentatonic runs.  Just wondering...not trying to discredit your appreciation.

Most dumbfounding post ever?

[WhatstheUse?]

Well, he's "fond" of Jerry.... he just doesn't like his playing.

[thatfargone]

In what way?  I'm asking about Sophists appreciation of Jerry's playing.

Geez, sometimes I think you guys just patrol looking for an excuse to post a cute picture or drop a meme.

By all means if you disagree about a part of my post, I am more than willing to clarify...or discuss it more.

Seriously?  What??? :|

EDIT: WTU...not that I dislike it.  He is a good guitar player.  Nothing more.

[WhatstheUse?]

I just found it peculiar that someone who calls himself a "big Dead fan" then states his distaste for Jerry's playing.  I guess you just don't find many GD fans that don't like Jerry!

[Hicks]

In what way?  I'm asking about Sophists appreciation of Jerry's playing.

Geez, sometimes I think you guys just patrol looking for an excuse to post a cute picture or drop a meme.

For better or for worse, that's the name of the game, hate to break it to ya.

By all means if you disagree about a part of my post, I am more than willing to clarify...or discuss it more.

Seriously?  What??? :|

EDIT: WTU...not that I dislike it.  He is a good guitar player.  Nothing more.

IMO, Jerry was the Grateful Dead.  That's not to say that Phil isn't a great bassist or that Bill wasn't a great drummer, or that the various keyboardists didn't bring unique things to the table, but for me at least that was all just icing on the top of the cake that was the amount of soul and emotion that Jerry brought both through his singing and playing.

I would easily put Jerry in the top ten guitarists of all time myself, and I don't think that's a minority opinion around here.

[rowjimmy]

If you don't particularly care for Jerry Garcia's playing, then you don't really like the Grateful Dead.
If you are being honest with yourself or others, you can't have it both ways.

[Superfreakie]

Sophist, what part of his playing do you obsess over exactly?  Just wondering, while I am quite a big Dead fan and fond of Jerry, I personally have never found much to his playing.  Granted pre-coma is a entirely different discussion than post...to me he just noodled around the myxolydian scale and focused on a lot of bends and pentatonic runs.  Just wondering...not trying to discredit your appreciation.

Your post is a little confusing.

-generally when we discuss Dead shows in this thread we are speaking of pre-coma shows. Very rarely have we discussed post-coma or the dreaded 90's, altough there were still some good shows and runs during that period.

-a great guitar player, for most listeners, is not weighted solely on technical proficiency. If this were the case, legions might be lining up to see Vai, Malmsteen, or many of the new speed metal guys. Same can be said for the speedy jazz greats Mclaughlin, Metheny etc.... A great guitar player may be considered so because of tone, choice of the appropriate notes and speed at any given point in time in a song, innovation, the space between the notes, lyrical sensibility of playing etc.....   

and considering what RJ just posted and I have quoted below, why did you even go see furthur on New Years?? You knew what you were getting. I'm confused.

If you don't particularly care for Jerry Garcia's playing, then you don't really like the Grateful Dead.
If you are being honest with yourself or others, you can't have it both ways.

[mattstick]

Most dumbfounding post ever.

[rowjimmy]

rowjimmy sets mode +i

[thatfargone]

Putting Jerry in the top 10 is laughable, sorry it is.  I am certain this is an unpopular opinion but I will not agree for the sake of agreeing.  Jerry himself would laugh at this notion.  Seriously he would. 

To me, as a student of jazz and a fan of all types of music, he is nothing special in regards to his technique.  He sounds like a guitarist that started in bluegrass and studied jazz but was always deeply rooted in blues/rock.  Listen to just about ANY Dead jam...he spends a considerable amount of time using myxolydian scales and "noodling" around the root.  Not to mention, his phrasing was seriously lacking.

Sorry, I see no problem loving a band while criticizing the members playing...hm....isn't that what we do here all day??? :-P

I will give Jerry credit for his tone without question and his cultural role, but seriously he was not that great of a guitarist. 

[Buffalo Budd]

IMO, Jerry was the Grateful Dead.  That's not to say that Phil isn't a great bassist or that Bill wasn't a great drummer, or that the various keyboardists didn't bring unique things to the table, but for me at least that was all just icing on the top of the cake that was the amount of soul and emotion that Jerry brought both through his singing and playing.

I would easily put Jerry in the top ten guitarists of all time myself, and I don't think that's a minority opinion around here.

For sure.  Jerry was the  .  They all had their parts but could have been replaced without the sound changing too drastically IMO (possible exception in Phil).  His voice and tone were so unique to the Dead's sound.  He played lead like no other guitarist that I have heard, unless they were imitating him.  That's not to say he was the greatest guitarist but he sure knew how to inject soul into his licks.