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Posts: 46
Location: South Portland, ME | Over/under rated as a guitar player?? Might make for an interesting discussion...
dstan |
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June 2002
Posts: 6197
Location: Phoenix AZ | Just personal preferences - Never cared for the whole "Dead" thing and never thought much of Garcia as a player, although I must admit that my sampling is small. But in my opinion the hype far exceeded reality.
That being said, I do admire anyone who is able to take a musical talant (by any definition) and turn it into a profession, make listeners feel good, command huge live audiences, etc. I can be excited by outstanding musicians even if they are playing a genre of music that I don't care for. For example there are some opera singers and country performers who I think are great talants and I enjoy listening to them, even though the music totally sucks. But for me, Garcia and the Dead just never "clicked".
Dave
PS - I also feel bad for anyone who is dead. |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I think many people want Jerry Garcia to be "rated" a better player than he was. His dedication to music was as admirable as it is legendary. He was a competent guitar player, capable at times of inspiring muscianship and at other times crap. He should be best known as a solid muscian and the leader of a band that carved out a unique place in the annuals of rock, not one of its greatest guitar players.
that said...having seen the Dead a number of times...I most enjoyed seeing Jerry with the Electric Band in a small theater in downtown San Diego 15 or so years ago. He had the place rocking |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | I think he was better than some, not as good as others, about the same as most. The whole bell curve thing. Maybe just a tad above the center line.
I only saw the Dead once, and Bruce Hornsby was playing with them. His piano playing was more interesting to me than Jerry's guitar playing. Then again, the watching the antics of the Deadheads was more interesting than the two of them put together (I'll never forget an entire stadium yelling, 'Velveeeeeta!'). |
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July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I, too, never bought into the Dead scene. I have the CDs of "American Beauty" and "Workingman's Dead", and that is it. His projects with "Old And In The Way" and David Grisman are far more interesting.
Last year, I remember watching a video of the Dead playing the last concert at Fillmore West(or Winterland, I'm not sure) on PBS, and it very nearly put me to sleep. And I LIKE watching live music......
Roger |
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March 2005
Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | He was a good tie designer. I never got into the Dead either. Sometimes I think I was the only 60's teenager who didn't get into the drug/rock/Woodstock scene. Maybe because I spent the mid-60's in central North Dakota and didn't know what was going on in the rest of the country. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I was never a huge fan of his, overall. . .
but he's engrained a lot of memorable "moments" for me when I was growing up (kinda' like the "soundtrack" to the movie of yer life . . )
Growing up, when the song "Truckin'" came out, me and my NeighborhoodCohorts were into bicycles . . .
"Backin' d'Day" (as we used t'say;-)
of the old Schwinn StingRays, OrangePeels, AppleCrates, etc. . . , we of the "not so well t'do" neighborhoods used to build these totally bizZARRE "choppers" out of these big, old, Schwinn 26" Touring Bikes (with the big, honkin' shock absorber up by the front yoke . . .)
Made some really strange "amalgams" . . .
Once made a "tandem" (with 10-speed gearing) out of two of 'em (grafted together) sporting a portable transistor (AM)radio (THIS Gentlemen was, "hi-end" AUDIO!:-)
dual "banana" seats" (w/backrests, naturally), a totally tricked out front fork (capped with severed steering wheel from a blue (I believe it was) '63 Corvair . .
To this day, whenever I hear that song on the radio, "ThoseDays" (and that bike . . ) just come pouring back to me in lush detail, (and whenever I get on a bike (like my "yuppie" lil' Trek Hybrid), I hear that song in my head. Likewise the pedal steel work he did on CSN&Y's "Teach Your Children" . . .
I'm currently reading a (really good,btw) CSN biography (that for some reason, I never read). I'm just reading now where they were recording DejaVu, and how a lot of things were influenced by people who just "dropped by" or were "hangin' out" at the time. "Teach Your Children" was intended (byNash) t'be some kind of ". . "funky" EnglishFolk song (t'me a total oxymoron, but hey . . HE's the "EnglishOne") . . . . Garcia stops in, sits down, song does an ENTIRE 180degrees, and they have their FirstHit . . .
The stuff with Hornsby was good, too . .
I will honestly confess that "th'Dead" are CONSTANT fodder for utterly tasteless TwoManGroup GigJokes . . . Iknow, I'mSorry, but (sometimes) it's just fun to "pick on th'DeadHeads" at the bar. Especially, when somebody tells me that I "LOOK" like I should be a "huge" DeadFan/musician. Rick and I will usually rapid-fire a barrage of tasteless Garcia/Dead jokes while he/she (usually a "she":-) do the "WalkofShame" back to their barstool after making the Deadrequest . . .
. . . then we buy them a drink, launch into an absolutely BRILLIANT (if I must say so m'self . . ) rendition of "Friend of the Devil" (with an open 6Dreadnaught and a s/bO'12 -CapoVII), get them to smile, and All Is Forgiven.
It's FunSchtick at 1am and yer'wanting "t'Coast a little" till ClosingTime . . .
. . . so, it's got it's "moments", but overall, the whole DeadThing never "clicked" with me |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | By Cliff:
"I "LOOK" like I should be a "huge" DeadFan/musician."
__________________________________________________________
They say that every inch of hair below the shoulders adds 10lbs. |
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April 2004
Posts: 795
Location: Texas | I met Jerry a couple of times.
Once in Austin TX, backstage before a GD concert and another time in Berkeley, CA.
He was recording with Grisman and they stopped by to get a couple of mics and things at a small music store I was at with the owner, who is an old friend of mine and was and old friend of them both.
I had met Jerry and David before, and since it was lunch time, we had lunch at this tiny Mexican place in Berkeley.
Jerry was a sweetheart, super funny guy, down to earth and a real music scholar. Great story teller. One of the very few guitar players that sounds the same on electric or acoustic guitar. You know its him immediately.
A great memory. I miss him. Check out the great DVD "Grateful Dawg".
Blind Lemon Parker
www.sergiolara.com |
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December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | I'm am a fan. Saw the dead 7 times and the Jerry Garcia Band twice (at the legendary Armadillo World Headquarters). I think Jerry Garcia was one of the best guitar players around. In the JGB he had a different approach then with the Dead. Got to see him quite close playing his Travis Bean....
Listen to his riffs in the JGB when he is playing the "back up" part, usually behind keyboard solos - even then he would play great stuff....
:cool: :cool: |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I think you had to be really high to get into the Dead, not that I ever did that, that's just what I am told.
I agree that the Grateful Dawg DVD is good, I liked him with Grisman.
To rate him I'd say a B+. Saw him live several times, the best was when the Allman boys joined for the 3rd and 4th set. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | Grateful dawg is great
old and in the way is great.
with the dead you either get it or you don't. I like some of their songs but their space jams just did not do it for me. there were many contemporaries that did it much better. jefferson Airplane, Hot tuna, quicksilver messenger service (I love john cippolina's playing), It's a beautiful day (although david laflamn did the leads on violin not guitar), moby grape, or even the doors.
Garcia was a good player, He has a particular phrasing that is distinctive but I wish he would turn that friggin autowah off some times.
hmmmm guess I am in the group that dosen't get it.
btw people tell me I look like Jerry, and it drives me nuts. cherry garcia is goood ice cream also. |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Originally posted by Country Artist:
...we had lunch at this tiny Mexican place in Berkeley. Was it Mario's La Fiesta? I had the good fortune to visit Bezerkeley with a friend some years ago. Mario's and Jupiter were the best.
Memories, light the corners of my mind.... |
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November 2004
Posts: 4413
| In my late teens and early twenties he was close to God for me. Then I woke up. The great musician in that band was Phil Lesh, although I didn't realise it at the time. And Bob Weir is the most amazing rhythm guitar player of all time, including any jazz player I ever heard.
Jerry's heart was in the right place and he never made any claim for himself and he wrote some truly wonderful songs.
But a great guitar player he wasn't.
One of the good guys. RIP. |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Saw Weir and Wasserman in concert at Pine Knob a bunch of years ago, they were very good and put on a great, laidback show. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I like Garcia as a musician in just about everything he's been involved, except the Grateful Dead. He's a great acoustic guitarist & pedal steel player, but The Dead leave me cold, no pun intended. |
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January 2004
Posts: 627
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | Some of the Dead's recordings were great, American Beauty, and Working Man's Dead come to mind. I never did like the long jams, and wasn't into the Dead Head cult. Although I admire Garcia's playing, he is not a flashy string bender, but his leads are tasteful, and melodic. Yea, the auto wah is overused. Maybe because the live songs are just too long. I like the stuff he did with Grisman the best.
My 2 cents.
Tommy |
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April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | I was not really a Greatful Dead Fan, But doshare an appreciation for Jerry Garcia, Who as Al Said had a distict way with his Phrasing on the guitar. Serge is right as well trhe way he played was the same on Acoustic or on electric. You knew it was him right away when you heard him.I do have many Freinds who can ramble on and on about Garcia and The Greatful Dead. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Had a rethink on him. Garcia was Good, more than adequate, but what he did best was inspire people both musically and otherwise. Which is what an artist aspires to. |
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August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | ...pretty good banjer picker....
Interesting Article |
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Jerry Garcia.... share your opinions, please.