From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest)
To: joni-digest@smoe.org
Subject: JMDL Digest V4 #27
Reply-To: joni@smoe.org
Sender: les@jmdl.com
Errors-To: les@jmdl.com
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JMDL Digest Friday, January 15 1999 Volume 04 : Number 027
The Song and Album Voting Booths are open again! Cast your votes
by clicking the links at http://www.jmdl.com/gallery
username: jimdle password: siquomb
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The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage is maintained by Wally Breese at
http://www.jonimitchell.com and contains the latest news, a detailed bio,
original interviews and essays, lyrics, and much more.
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The JMDL website can be found at and contains
interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more.
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TOPICS and authors in this Digest:
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The Grateful Dead (Long w/ SJC) [kb420@webtv.net (gr8fuldave)]
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Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 02:45:17 -0500 (EST)
From: kb420@webtv.net (gr8fuldave)
Subject: The Grateful Dead (Long w/ SJC)
Hello Hippies, one & all :)
I've just spent the last two hours reading the past week's digests and
was very surprised by all the Dead content. Of course, as the list's
resident "Deadhead" (I attended 90 Dead shows as well as 13 JGB and 16
various Bob Weir shows) I'd be remiss if i did not comment.
I am going to try and address much of what has been said in the last
week regarding the Dead but forgive me for not citing each individual
poster.
First for Pat, as you can see by more than a few posters, some of us do,
indeed, love both Joni and the Dead (as well as countless other
artists/bands).
What was the draw? Many things which various posters have mentioned. For
some, the deep sense of "family" among both band and audience alike.
Others, the incredible guitar & bass talents of Jerry Garcia and Phil
Lesh, respectively. Some for the "cryptic" song writing of Robert
Hunter. And still others for the collective improvisational talents of
the entire band combined.
FACTOID: The Grateful Dead have played more benefit concerts and have
done more, both physically and financially, to help their fellow humans
on this planet than any other R&R band, bar none.
One of the most important reasons (that has been overlooked here) for
their devoted following on the concert circuit is the fact that they had
a huge (over 300) catalog of songs in rotation at all times and could
(and often did) go 3 or 4 nights straight without repeating a single
song. Compare that to Joni's (and most others) setlists which are
largely, if not exactly, the same night to night. Add to this the fact
that in 30 years of touring and thousands of shows they NEVER ONCE
played the exact same show twice. In fact, some will insist that they
never played any song the same way twice. Think Dylan.
Gina inquired about songwriting. Robert Hunter and John Barlow (the
internet free speech crusader) were the chief lyric writers for the Dead
throughout their thirty year run. They supplied lyrics for the music of
Garcia & Weir, respectively.
Think Elton John & Bernie Taupin. (sp)
Concerning Robert Hunter, IMO, he is one of the most prolific and
talented lyric writers ever to grace the latter 20th century. I
personally place him in my top three, just below Dylan and right above
Joni. The common bond for me? Poetry, unmatched poetical lyrical talent
from all three.
JONI TRIVIA: Robert Hunter worked and toured extensively with Larry
Klein as his bass player in the 70's. They were, and I assume are still,
good friends. I've a few tapes of them together.
As for Garcia, he shares at least this much in common with Joni. Both
were art school students briefly prior to becoming famous musicians and
both consider(ed) themselves to be artists before musicians. Both have
painted extensively and "shown" their work in different and
non-traditional mediums. Both bring/brought a painter's, or artist's
sensibilities to their musical approaches toward their instuments. Both
are/were multi-instrumentalists, Garcia playing banjo (Old & In The
Way), peddle-steel (New Riders, CSN), and even some piano. Both are/were
avid smokers.
Also I must mention the unique bass talents of Phil Lesh who regularly
played a FIVE string bass with aplomb. I rank him among the best
bassists ever, along with Jaco, Jack Casady, John Entwhistle and Rob
Wasserman.
Phil just recently recieved a new liver and is recovering in Florida. He
is getting much help and support from his good friend and fellow
transplant recipient David Crosby. Please say a prayer for his recovered
health, even if you "can't stand the Dead", please.
Finally, as Kevin, I believe, pointed out, the Dead was not for
everybody. They were a self-descibed ongoing musical experiment. Some
nights they blew it, some nights they tried and achieved fleeting
moments of brilliance mixed with mediocrity, but SOME NIGHTS...pure,
unadulterated, MAGIC took place. I know. I've witnessed it collectively
with thousands of others. THAT will NEVER happen again at ANY concert by
ANYBODY(s).
FOOTNOTE: Comparing Phish to the Dead is like comparing Liitle League to
the Majors. To my ear they sound and write more reminicent of Frank
Zappa & The Mothers or Flo & Eddie.
And now for the record,
Dave's Top Ten "Hippyish" Bands
1. Grateful Dead
2. Jefferson Airplane
3. New Riders of the Purple Sage
4. Allman Brothers Band
5. Jimi Hendrix Experience
6. Pink Floyd
7. Solar Circus
8. moe.
9. String Cheese Incident
10. Rusted Root
gdave
(who is celebrating his 37th birthday today by going to see Jorma
Kaukonen & Merl Saunders tonight at the Bottom Line in NYC.)
NP: Bob Dylan 1/15/74
Capitol Center, Landover, MD.
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DaveBase @ http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/2349/index.html
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End of JMDL Digest V4 #27
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Siquomb, isn't she?