The Grateful Dead or Phish?

durango jon-boy · January 10th, 2007, 08:30 PM

My co-worker, Jeff, and I are arguing. I say The Dead, he says Phish.

PK · January 10th, 2007, 08:48 PM

Only an absolute dork would say Phish! Phish had a decent run, but the complexities and longevity of the dead, not to mention their unbelievable diverse library of great songs puts the Dead so far above and ahead of Phish it's not funny.

PK

Fret Wilkes · January 10th, 2007, 08:51 PM

Welp, I've gotta say GD..NO CONTEST!

elmerbumpkin · January 10th, 2007, 08:56 PM

how can you tell the difference enough to know? all that relentless noodling and whatnot. TAJS

Dead had better songs, Phish had better players.

morroben · January 10th, 2007, 09:06 PM

I know I'll catch some abuse for this but I'm going with Phish. I like and respect both, but I'm not a huge fan of either. I give the nod to Phish because they knew when to hang it up.

Pete Galati · January 10th, 2007, 09:08 PM

Phish never interested me. I've seen TV appearances, and they obviously had a great deal of talent, but I can't name a single song they've done.

The Dreadfull Great win just by having done "Workingman's Dead" alone IMO.

Pete Galati · January 10th, 2007, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morroben

I give the nod to Phish because they knew when to hang it up.

No doubt about it.

wierdOne · January 10th, 2007, 09:15 PM

well.... I, for one, appreciate the practice/composition ethics of (early) Phish.. Their first album, Junta, is literally a masterpiece (for a debut album)... Weirdly enough, if you look at their album history.. the slowly went from complex musical scored albums to simpler and simpler stuff.. It's kind of a strange musical journey compared to, say... the Beatles (which took the opposite road.... simple to complex).... Sadly, people that don't listen to Phish have no idea how diverse a band they were.... What really impressed me was their revolutionary practice methods that led to their extended time altering jams..... which later (when they quit practicing for 6 hours a day) evolved into "noodle" oriented grooves..... I haven't listened to them in about 4 years or so.... But their music holds a special place in my heart...

The Grateful Dead were too loose of a band for my tastes... I LOVE Jerry's side projects (with grisman).... but the Dead were... well.. just too loose for me..

Oster · January 10th, 2007, 09:19 PM

Grateful Dead.

From the debut album straight up to Built To Last: Iconic Americana. More non-Deadheads need to discover this phenomenal wealth of incredible music. Don't deprive yourself. Start with Europe '72 and see where it takes you. There's a reason people as diverse as Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello were major fans.

I like some Phish but they never reminded me of The Grateful Dead. There's more Fripp than there is Garcia to Trey Anastasio's approach IMO.

Stuco · January 10th, 2007, 09:21 PM

I like phish but LOVE the grateful dead. There is no comparison even for a second. The dead have a special place in my heart than no band will ever fill. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you haven't heard enough dead. Forget the (studio) albums(althought there are some good ones). Go get some live shows. tapes, live records, dicks picks, etc. that is what the dead was all about, improv. live concerts.

Stuco · January 10th, 2007, 09:24 PM

Oh yeah, Trey's biggest influence is not garcia but zappa.

zombywoof · January 10th, 2007, 09:24 PM

The Dead before Pigpen died. He was the soul of that band.

Without Pigpen - do not care for either band.

Skully · January 10th, 2007, 09:27 PM

Quote:

My co-worker, Jeff, and I are arguing. I say The Dead, he says Phish.

False dilemma.

But, for arguments sake, I'll say The Grateful Dead.

mudshark · January 10th, 2007, 09:57 PM

gotta be good ol' grateful dead.

OutlawSteph1975 · January 10th, 2007, 10:00 PM

Neither.

Can I write in the Allman Brothers Band?

dean · January 10th, 2007, 10:22 PM

Love 'em both, but being an old-timer, I had to go with The Dead. I got the chance to see Phish just before they disbanded, and they were excellent - very Dead-like in their vibe, but quite different in their music. I only saw The Dead about a dozen times.

Dean

Mark Davis · January 10th, 2007, 10:26 PM

The Dead has a huge fan base all the wey back to the early 60's. Phish or any new jam band cant stand a chance.

Robsocal · January 10th, 2007, 10:45 PM

Was this a trick question?

TieDyedDevil · January 10th, 2007, 11:57 PM

The fact that Phish "inherited" most of the GD fans is probably the best evidence that weed impairs one's senses... ;)

Pete Galati · January 11th, 2007, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OutlawSteph1975

Neither.

Can I write in the Allman Brothers Band?

Hmmmm... who's better?

The Allman Brothers (let's say, in any carnation just to give the other guys a chance), The Grateful Dead, or Phish?

I really need to get me a copy of that Fillmore album on CD.

hollowman · January 11th, 2007, 02:41 AM

NO question, Dead. Heaping slice of pure Americana. I went through a deadhead phase in the mid to late 80's, and through the dead I discovered alot of cool roots and folk music through their great covers plus their original stuff like "Workingmans Dead" and "American Beauty"

As an added bonus, I completely skipped the Hair Metal Band thing!!!!!!!

byrdbrain · January 11th, 2007, 03:51 AM

It took me ages to "get" the Dead.
Then, one "Dark Star" – and I'm sold.
I started collecting "Stars" from different eras (I think I have 14 hours worth now),
and there's a wonderful, loose attitude there, seldom found in rock.
I have the greatest respect for that.

Pete Galati · January 11th, 2007, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollowman

As an added bonus, I completely skipped the Hair Metal Band thing!!!!!!!

You have to realize that Hair Metal, wasn't Metal.
It was mostly just a bunch of guys with long curly hair wearing leotards.

TDPRI · January 11th, 2007, 12:02 PM

I didn't vote. It's apples and oranges not one or the other. It's both. When I saw the title of the thread my answer was: "YES" as in both.

And, the ABB is better than both of these bands. I rank ABB in my top 5 bands of all time. Probably Number 2 behind the Beatles. But I would rank the Dead in that top 5 as well. Phish would make my top 10 list.

I've been buying some Phish concert CDs and they are really good. I enjoy their concert CDs more than the Dead's concert CDs.

No one has mentioned Wide Spread Panic yet?

Paul Green
PS. Pete you don't need a CD of the Filmore Concert, you need a good original vinyl copy. That's the way to listen to that record. Luckily I bought mine the first week it came out, back in the day and sill have it to enjoy.

bo · January 11th, 2007, 12:35 PM

Wow, nobody's made a Dead Phish joke yet...

woodman · January 11th, 2007, 12:43 PM

the Dead built that house; Phish just rented it for awhile.

johnreardon · January 11th, 2007, 12:52 PM

never heard of Phish

so vote must go for the ones I have heard.

View Poll Results: Who's the better Jam band.
The Grateful Dead	49	89.09%
Phish	6	10.91%
Voters: 55. You may not vote on this poll

January 10th, 2007, 08:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
durango jon-boy Banned Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Greatest state of Arizona Posts: 624	The Grateful Dead or Phish? My co-worker, Jeff, and I are arguing. I say The Dead, he says Phish.

January 10th, 2007, 08:48 PM	#2 (permalink)
PK Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Ventura California Age: 49 Posts: 634 7 Photos	Only an absolute dork would say Phish! Phish had a decent run, but the complexities and longevity of the dead, not to mention their unbelievable diverse library of great songs puts the Dead so far above and ahead of Phish it's not funny. PK __________________ Wharf Rat

January 10th, 2007, 08:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
Fret Wilkes Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Harmony, R.I. Age: 51 Posts: 956 28 Photos	GD Welp, I've gotta say GD..NO CONTEST! __________________ See, I didn't reconize ya when ya first drove up till ya stuck yer hand out and wove then I seen right off who ya was and knowd ya. Epiphany: The Ignore List can make the TDPRI and even BETTER place to be!

January 10th, 2007, 09:15 PM	#8 (permalink)
wierdOne Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Downtown Pensacola Florida... :) Age: 31 Posts: 981	well.... I, for one, appreciate the practice/composition ethics of (early) Phish.. Their first album, Junta, is literally a masterpiece (for a debut album)... Weirdly enough, if you look at their album history.. the slowly went from complex musical scored albums to simpler and simpler stuff.. It's kind of a strange musical journey compared to, say... the Beatles (which took the opposite road.... simple to complex).... Sadly, people that don't listen to Phish have no idea how diverse a band they were.... What really impressed me was their revolutionary practice methods that led to their extended time altering jams..... which later (when they quit practicing for 6 hours a day) evolved into "noodle" oriented grooves..... I haven't listened to them in about 4 years or so.... But their music holds a special place in my heart... The Grateful Dead were too loose of a band for my tastes... I LOVE Jerry's side projects (with grisman).... but the Dead were... well.. just too loose for me.. __________________ 4 Amps, 3 Acoustics, 2 Tele's, 1 Beautiful Baby Girl Go play a Smith Custom Amplifier... you won't be sorry. www.whowell.org http://www.myspace.com/who_well

January 10th, 2007, 08:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
elmerbumpkin Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: A-TX Posts: 327 3 Photos	how can you tell the difference enough to know? all that relentless noodling and whatnot. TAJS Dead had better songs, Phish had better players.

January 10th, 2007, 09:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
morroben Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: california Age: 32 Posts: 2,067 18 Photos	I know I'll catch some abuse for this but I'm going with Phish. I like and respect both, but I'm not a huge fan of either. I give the nod to Phish because they knew when to hang it up.

January 10th, 2007, 09:08 PM	#6 (permalink)
Pete Galati R.I.P. Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 8,104 2 Photos	Phish never interested me. I've seen TV appearances, and they obviously had a great deal of talent, but I can't name a single song they've done. The Dreadfull Great win just by having done "Workingman's Dead" alone IMO.

January 10th, 2007, 09:19 PM	#9 (permalink)
Oster Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2003 Location: Latveria Age: 39 Posts: 2,766	Grateful Dead. From the debut album straight up to Built To Last: Iconic Americana. More non-Deadheads need to discover this phenomenal wealth of incredible music. Don't deprive yourself. Start with Europe '72 and see where it takes you. There's a reason people as diverse as Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello were major fans. I like some Phish but they never reminded me of The Grateful Dead. There's more Fripp than there is Garcia to Trey Anastasio's approach IMO. __________________ Regular Tele Use

January 10th, 2007, 09:21 PM	#10 (permalink)
Stuco Friend of Leo's Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: GA Posts: 3,247	I like phish but LOVE the grateful dead. There is no comparison even for a second. The dead have a special place in my heart than no band will ever fill. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you haven't heard enough dead. Forget the (studio) albums(althought there are some good ones). Go get some live shows. tapes, live records, dicks picks, etc. that is what the dead was all about, improv. live concerts.

January 10th, 2007, 09:24 PM	#11 (permalink)
Stuco Friend of Leo's Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: GA Posts: 3,247	Oh yeah, Trey's biggest influence is not garcia but zappa.

January 10th, 2007, 09:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
zombywoof Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Back in the Heartland Posts: 2,924 17 Photos	The Dead before Pigpen died. He was the soul of that band. Without Pigpen - do not care for either band. __________________ "I don't play a lot of fancy guitar. I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks." John Lee Hooker

January 10th, 2007, 09:57 PM	#14 (permalink)
mudshark Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Groover's Paradise Age: 57 Posts: 926	gotta be good ol' grateful dead. __________________ mudshark Klaatu barada nikto

January 10th, 2007, 10:00 PM	#15 (permalink)
OutlawSteph1975 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,952 7 Photos	Neither. Can I write in the Allman Brothers Band?

January 10th, 2007, 10:22 PM	#16 (permalink)
dean Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota Age: 60 Posts: 2,044	Love 'em both, but being an old-timer, I had to go with The Dead. I got the chance to see Phish just before they disbanded, and they were excellent - very Dead-like in their vibe, but quite different in their music. I only saw The Dead about a dozen times. Dean __________________ "I used to be clueless, but I've turned that situation around 360 degrees."

January 10th, 2007, 10:26 PM	#17 (permalink)
Mark Davis Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bakersfield Ca. Age: 58 Posts: 13,279	The Dead has a huge fan base all the wey back to the early 60's. Phish or any new jam band cant stand a chance. __________________ I'm so blind my seeing eye dog needs glasses.

January 10th, 2007, 10:45 PM	#18 (permalink)
Robsocal Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2006 Location: Southern California Age: 46 Posts: 259	Was this a trick question?

January 10th, 2007, 11:57 PM	#19 (permalink)
TieDyedDevil Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Portland, OR Age: 54 Posts: 223	The fact that Phish "inherited" most of the GD fans is probably the best evidence that weed impairs one's senses... ;)

January 11th, 2007, 02:41 AM	#21 (permalink)
hollowman Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kansas City Age: 44 Posts: 533	NO question, Dead. Heaping slice of pure Americana. I went through a deadhead phase in the mid to late 80's, and through the dead I discovered alot of cool roots and folk music through their great covers plus their original stuff like "Workingmans Dead" and "American Beauty" As an added bonus, I completely skipped the Hair Metal Band thing!!!!!!!

January 11th, 2007, 03:51 AM	#22 (permalink)
byrdbrain Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sweden Age: 50 Posts: 1,488 4 Photos	It took me ages to "get" the Dead. Then, one "Dark Star" – and I'm sold. I started collecting "Stars" from different eras (I think I have 14 hours worth now), and there's a wonderful, loose attitude there, seldom found in rock. I have the greatest respect for that. __________________ In vino securitas

January 11th, 2007, 12:02 PM	#24 (permalink)
TDPRI Administrator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: TDPRILAND Posts: 5,727 36 Photos	I didn't vote. It's apples and oranges not one or the other. It's both. When I saw the title of the thread my answer was: "YES" as in both. And, the ABB is better than both of these bands. I rank ABB in my top 5 bands of all time. Probably Number 2 behind the Beatles. But I would rank the Dead in that top 5 as well. Phish would make my top 10 list. I've been buying some Phish concert CDs and they are really good. I enjoy their concert CDs more than the Dead's concert CDs. No one has mentioned Wide Spread Panic yet? Paul Green PS. Pete you don't need a CD of the Filmore Concert, you need a good original vinyl copy. That's the way to listen to that record. Luckily I bought mine the first week it came out, back in the day and sill have it to enjoy.

January 11th, 2007, 12:35 PM	#25 (permalink)
bo Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 1,797	Wow, nobody's made a Dead Phish joke yet...

January 11th, 2007, 12:43 PM	#26 (permalink)
woodman Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mint Hill, NC Age: 63 Posts: 6,244	the Dead built that house; Phish just rented it for awhile. __________________ Truth is stranger than fact ... www.myspace.com/woodymitchellmusic BAND PAGES: www.myspace.com/stragglerswing (Stragglers - Western Swing) www.myspace.com/loafersgloryband (Loafers Glory - '70s country-rock)

January 11th, 2007, 12:52 PM	#27 (permalink)
johnreardon Tele-Holic Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brackley, Northants, UK Age: 62 Posts: 596	never heard of Phish so vote must go for the ones I have heard. __________________