Grateful Dead Music Forum

I'm always interested to know what members of the Dead had to say about other bands I like, but ive nevr read or heard nething indicative of their opinions on Pink Floyd. Neone kno nething bout this?

We had a thread on this earlier I think. If someone (more technologicly advanced then myself) wants to link it to here for you that would be great.

Here you go:
http://community.rukind.org/viewtopic.p ... ight=floyd

i had heard that the boys had some sorta feud with the Doors. anyone hear that?

I remember reading something to the effect of Jerry "not getting" the whole band without a bass player thing with the doors. I can see that, but then again, a good organ player can more than compensate. Check out Soullive for example.

with the doors, i remember from the book a long strange trip, that they opened for the dead at one point in LA, and Jerry did think they were just an LA band. I a version of Wish You Were Here that sounds just like the dead, did they ever ding it or did like ratdog or some one else?

I dont remember a whole lot about the time I spent with Jerry or other band members but I do remember one night Jerry said he was into Elvis Costello which surpised me. I like Costello too and the opened me up to listening.

If you listen to Jerry's early electric leads (1965) you will hear a very heavy Michael Bloomfield influence. I dont know if they knew each other but Jerry was into him as well.

Bloomfield moved to San Fran after his success in Chicago and he was playing the same venues as the Dead during the mid-late 60's. I'm sure that Jerry heard him many times... in fact they both used Les Pauls during this time for that phat tone

I can't find the interview now but there was a Bloomfield comment on the San Francisco sound which was something to the extent of "they don't have their acts together". Though he did compliment Janis, but who could deny that talent?

who was bloomfield refering too? The dead or himself or both. If he meant he didnt have his act together that is obvious!

I would love to read that interview. I am a big bloomfield fan. I think he was a real master.

i read this a while ago... and looking back on the whole thing it now doesnt make much sense... listneing to some bootlegs of Bloomfield on sugarmegs, his style is as loose as anyone from that time/place.

all i remember was that an acclaimed blues artist came to san fran and was disappointed with the local artists and their lack of regard for musical form or something like that.

i think i have to make it up to mike and go out and buy the east-west or super sessions album.

Elvis costello is and was a dead head. He caught the dead in england during the 72 tour, and he like the rest of us was hooked. He does an admirable job on stolen roses (or whatever that tribute album was called) doing a ship of fools. His story is similar to hornsby in the way he got into the dead. Kinda stumbled into a show becuase there was nothing else to do and had his mind blown.

Bloomfield said this about Garcia in late 60's:

"It sounds almost as if he has just been copying me and my style, but I realise that he's reached that level all by himself. He's very impressive."

That was in a book on 60's music and the west coast scene, can't recall the title but it's there.

Jerry's quip on the Doors was more along the lines of:

A typical LA Band, all image over substance.

Plus he didn't like it that they had no bass player. He's entitled to his opinions. Though very rare to come across a Jerry quote that doesn't praise someone.

They also fell out with Zappa at some point, the Dead had a space to practice in near something to do with Zappa and Ole Frank complained about the noise. Or something to that effect!!

I think Rock Scully tells that story...so

Thanks Shaggy, that was a cool quote.

from "Conversations with the Dead"

Jerry Garcia interview: June 11, 1981

"Garcia: 'I never liked the Doors. I found them terribly offensive...when we played with them. It was back when [Jim] Morrison was just a pure Mick Jagger copy. That was his whole shot, that was he was a Mick Jagger imitation. Not vocally, but his moves, his whole physical appearance were totally stolen from right around Mick Jagger's 1965 tour of the states. He used to move around a lot, before he started to earn a reputation as a poet, which I thought was really not deserved. Rimbaud was great at eighteen, nineteen and Verlaine. Those guys were great. Fucking' Jim Morrison wasnt great, Im sorry.

I could never see what it was about the Doors. They had a very brittle sound live, a three-piece band with no bass-the organ player [Ray Manzarek] used to do it...

(skipping two more paragraphs where Jerry rips em, lol)

...all I sensed was sham. As far as I was concerned, it was just surface and no substance...It wasnt a successful version of a three-piece band, like the Who or Jimi Hendrix or Cream, or any of the other guitar power-trio-type three-piece bands."


so yeah I highly recommend Conversations with the Dead, its a collection of interviews with everyone in the Dead and David Gans and Blair Jackson,