The Grateful Dead are The Best Band Ever!!!!!!

[SevenSeasJim]

Greg, I thought for sure that you were going to say Phish 'was' the best band ever

[TimmyB]

hahahahaha... U2 IS a pop band. popular rock bands are still pop bands, because, well, pop music is essentially popular music. and popularity doesnt seem to know the bounds of what is rock and what is not.

oh, and who gives a fu©k who recorded or co-wrote with them? that logic's stuck in a civ! (psst... what im saying is, it holds no water.)

So guigsy, by the definition of a pop band you gave, the Grateful Dead are also a pop band. I say this as "Touch of Grey" was hit #9 on the HOT 100 Singles charts. If you want to go that way that's fine they're both pop bands.

Also you still haven't told me how the Grateful Dead have influenced American politics over the last forty years. What have the Dead done to influence policy and law in America?

[guigsy]

yes they are. and i never said they werent. in fact i've never said they werent. they're music is very popular. it can even be found in the pop/rock section of your favourite record store, if you look hard enough.

[TimmyB]

Would Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno produce albums for a pop band? I don't think so. Would Bob Dylan cowrite a song with a pop band? I don't think so.

Now,this is interesting,Lanois & Eno are hired to do a job and they do it,I doubt they worry too much about what genre the band is in,especially since a pop band wouldn't be looking to hire one of those guys to produce their albums would they?Lets be realistic here.

I think Lanois and Eno do worry about the genre a band is in. I would go as far to say that many have asked for those two guys to produce their albums and they have turned down most.

And it's not just a job for them either, those two have been involved in nearly every aspect of U2's work since 1986's "The Unforgettable Fire." Lanois and Eno are apart of the U2 family much like Robert Hunter was apart of The Grateful Dead's.

[SpaceWrangler]

I love Jerry. I'm going to go watch The Grateful Dead Movie now, because I concur - The Grateful Dead are the best band ever!

[TimmyB]

yes they are. and i never said they werent. in fact i've never said they werent. they're music is very popular. it can even be found in the pop/rock section of your favourite record store, if you look hard enough.

Hey guigsy,

I'm sorry you're right you didn't say the weren't a pop band. I'm just pointing out that quien said that U2 is a "pop" band, and he was stating that like it was a bad thing. If that's the case the Grateful Dead aren't too different in the sense that they are both pop/rock bands.

I didn't realize you could find the Grateful Dead at a record store? Thanks for the info.

[guigsy]

hahaha, no need to apologize... im not really taking any of this seriously, im just having a good time at work today... this thread has really kept me entertained while i've been tearing my eyes out over paperwork...

"I didn't realize you could find the Grateful Dead at a record store? Thanks for the info." - only here to help, brah. ::

edit: besides, i already put an end to the debate right here. ::

[ggrtrhhrtgg]

Timmy B... I used to love U2---hell, I moved to the Northern Ireland for a wee while.... I realize you still love them, (as in my opinion) but the crap they are putting out today is the most disappointing music I have ever heard... from a band that used to encompass the power and influence of emotion and creativity to being (in my opinion) nothing more than a boy band with that play instruments... I think the last 3 or 4 albums they have produced are sheer crap, and they have (in my opinion) sold out...

As far as I'm concerned, U2 retired in after--auchtung baby.

[MarcO]

ahahahahahahahahahahaha! :: :: this is just fu©king classic!

My Beatles thread turns into a discussion about the Dead, and my Dead thread turns into a U2 thread!

I may start a Peter Paul & Mary thread next and watch it morph into a Helix thread (hi KevO!).

You silly bunch of fucks.

ok. so have we learned anything here? How about: no matter how objective a statment may be regarding "the best", it is still subjective, so let's take a deep breath, and let me offer a couple of thoughts here:

* personally, I think history will show The Beatles as the most important rock band of at least the 20th Century (rock and roll is relatively new, don't forget) and I think they created a body of work that remains unparalleled. Their influences on music, culture and the arts in general had a global reach, a phenomenon that, in it's innocence, could never again be repeated. So, rock on The Beatles.

* The Grateful Dead were more than just a band that created some of the most beautiful, living, breathing, human music known to those lucky enough to have accessed it, they functioned as the most solid living line stretching from the Beatnik period of the late 1950s, the roots-music revivalist movement of the early 1960s and of course, the 1960s counterculture. Their legacy is their sheer survival, to not only keep on keepin on but to grow and thrive. Who said idealistic hippies on drugs can't be successful? Not to mention a catalogue of beautiful music that will surely one day enter into the traditional cannon of American msuic. However, TimmyB has made a good point that will probably sadly be ignored in this debate: the influence of the Dead as compared to the other bands we are discussing is greatly overstated. This is largely a (North) American concern. Those 24.5 people in Europe that care about the Dead don't count for much.

* U2 are a different beast altogether and should be measured as such. Not to be discounted, they also have created a body of work that can surely stand up next to the greats, varied and probing, they have gained international acclaim and chosen to challenge their audiences. Now approaching their 25th year, they are still together, working, producing new music and have never abandoned their concern for social justice that has been there since day one. Moreover, The Edge must be considered one of the most influential guitar players of his generation (remarkable for a dude who has probably never taken a solo) and Bono remains an articulate and engaing, if omnipresent, spokesperson for issues of real importance and relevance. Since when is it a bad thing to care about these kinds of issues? It's only in the post ironic-90s that it has become cool to disengage and not give a sh!t. What a pity. So, all success to U2: they have worked hard to deserve it, they continue to do so, and the world needs more bands like them. I hope you hear them on the radio 20 times a day until the day you die.

So, to spite all of you, tonight I will listen to U2, the Garteful Dead and The Beatles, because you know what? THEY'RE ALL REALLY, REALLY fu©king GOOD!!!!

And don't be afraid of "pop" music. What's the big deal?

ps - TimmyB, I started this thread as an alternate forum to my "Reminder: The Beatles remain the best band ever". That's actually how *I* feel. This one was to get good 'ol quien off my back and allow him to focus on the Dead in his own forum. i thought it was better than bickering over on the other thread because, like I said, it's all subjective.

Dinks.

[boogieknight]

look the bottom line is.....................

or maybe it would be easier to understand if it was on a tee-shirt.........

thank you. that is all for now.

[MoMack]

There are actually many many scholarly texts/articles in the field of sociology and anthropology that explain and illustrate the importance of the Grateful Dead on American and even global culture.

In fact, I would think it quite easy to trace the public use of the internet to the dead subculture (e.g. "the well" back in the day) and more importantly a very powerful argument could be made that the Grateful Dead are the reason for mp3s, Napster, Kazaa and peer to peer music in general. In fact, I happen to know someone that is defending Kazaa who is being sued by the recording industry and one of the first people they turned to for information and statements was none other then John Perry Barlow.

Yes, the Grateful Dead have had a huge impact on global popular culture.

in my opinion.

[dancingbear]

The dead are the best!!!!!!!!!

politics....mmmhhh. the dead were a focal point in a community that embraced a different way of living, autonomous from the crap in 'politics' today. by showing people an alternate route, they influenced peoples morals, ethics, values, and priorities... helping make the world a better place to live in. to me, thats politics on a grander scale.

(but what bono is doing is still cool).

[Jaimoe]

I would just like to say, having seen the Stones, they dont rate high enough to scrape the gum off the bottom of my shoes.

I'd argue that no one on this site has ever seen the Stones in their prime - late 60's to early 70's. C'mon Tube, even you know you saw the weakest incarnation of the Stones to date - an aged and fractured band that's missing key member Bill Wyman.

I saw The Stones in '89 and they were good, but I know the Brain Jones - Mick Taylor years were their best. One, if not the best album and concert runs in rock history.

[Jaimoe]

I'd probably like U2 if Steve Lillywhite produced all of their albums. I can't stand Brian Eno. He ruined U2's sound for me. I like Langois, but Eno's fascination with electronic-influenced " pop " makes me ill. Roxy Music are a musical abomination too.

[Lazlo]

Flock of Seagulls buries the Dead and the Beatles

[GWB]

Flock of Seagulls buries the Dead and the Beatles

ain't got sh!t on the [color:"purple"]..........................

[guigsy]

I'd argue that no one on this site has ever seen the Stones in their prime - late 60's to early 70's.

fu©k me... i couldnt even imagine what that would be like! probably as close as i'd get to finding out if there really is such a thing as too much rocking.

[AdamH]

The tape trading community that the Dead spawned was their greatest influence...I'd say there'd be no Instant Live, Etree, BitTorrent or P2P had this not have happened. As for U2 I don't know how they got mixed up in all of this, but Bono's campaigning for Debt Relief sort of stands up better against the Dead doing a Hell's Angels fundraiser. I think the Angels are cool but people are spewing alot of tripe about the Dead having political influence, and that somehow that is a requisite to earning a title that is overtly opinionated?! I don't get it really. Like, you could joke about it or you could be a goof and try and pull out all of your annotated references to prove my opinion sucks?

[TimmyB]

and the Who??

ya, they have really had alot of influence on culture, politics.... my just look at all them whoheads???

Hey ahess6488,

This above post is what got us involved in political influence of the Grateful Dead.

I figured that with Bono's involvement in non government organizations (NGO's) that I would bring U2 in on the political influential debate.

Here's a excerpt from www.billboard.com on November 29, 2004 on U2's continued dominance in the world beyond the USA.

Edited By Barry A. Jeckell. November 29, 2004, 10:30 AM ET

U2 Bombs U.K. Album Chart

U2's "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" exploded onto the U.K. album chart at No. 1 yesterday (Nov. 28). The new Universal Island album is the Irish band's ninth best-selling set over a 21-year period that began when "War" hit the top in 1983.

"Dismantle" displaced Eminem's "Encore" (Interscope), which fell to No. 2 after two consecutive weeks at No. 1.

[TimmyB]

and the Who??

ya, they have really had alot of influence on culture, politics.... my just look at all them whoheads???

Hey Jaimoe,

Are you going to take that statement about U2 sitting down? Come on let us know what you think about The Who vs. The Grateful Dead.

[Booche]

Even better, take a stab at who2 vs The Dead.

How embarrasing.........

[guigsy]

yes, because album sales really are that important. fu©k u2. there i said it, and i mean it.

[Jaimoe]

and the Who??

ya, they have really had alot of influence on culture, politics.... my just look at all them whoheads???

Hey Jaimoe,

Are you going to take that statement about U2 sitting down? Come on let us know what you think about The Who vs. The Grateful Dead.

I love both bands. Neither band are really deeply political. The Who had a real connection with youth, albeit one was about fashion. The Dead were about counter-culture and hippies. One was about power, volume, anger, concepts and humour. The other about transcendental jams, expression, freedom and Americana.

Now, Who2 vs The Dead. God help us all!

[kc]

Anyone remember the Rex foundation and all those Rex shows?

[gentlemonkey]

true dat kc!

I used to like U2 a lot, but since 'Achtung' it all feels like some weird sales pitch. I couldnt imagine putting on one of their albums. but dats juusss me!