Grateful Dead - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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rushfan6588 View Drop Down

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Topic: Grateful Dead
Posted: August 07 2006 at 00:24

I vote for experimental...what do you think

If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.

Logan

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 00:36

The Grateful Dead have influenced a number of progressive bands (which gives them a proto-prog element). They were influential in the psychadelic scene...

Experimental (as a general term) or prog-related is fine by me. As is common with prog bands, they can not be easily pigeonholed into one genre as they explored psychadelia, blues, folk, funk, country, and jazz which makes them art rock to my mind.

I certainly don't think of them as a full-blown prog band, but related, sure. I won't vote at this time because I'm so unsure.

Kord

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 03:18

I think they aren't prog. Just psychedelic folk-rock (west coast)...

[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/Genesis_Group.jpg" border">

Sean Trane View Drop Down

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 04:12

Although they have two or three albums close to prog, the Dead are a jam band (on stage anyway)

Deadhead speaking

let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword

Chipiron

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 04:30

Agreed. A great band, but not really prog, IMO.

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gong

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 04:39

of corse Dead were prog rock, especialy on the stage. studio album " From The Mars Hotel" is 100% prog, and some albums who came later as well.

but, there is the truth that nobody can comparate prog style in USA against UK&Europe. 'cause on that (wrong) way somebody can say that Zappa, or (for example) Steve Vai's today work, is not prog, another prog fan 'ill say it is, and that disccusion 'ill fall in the troll wise.

'cause that is my very first posting here,

Greetings to all of you!

oliverstoned View Drop Down

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 05:00

Their first period was pure psychedelic. They were pionners of acid rock, since 1964! They contributed to the first Acid tests by Ken Kesey and his team, "The merry Pranksters".

They reached their peak in 69', and since "American beauty", it became gentle country blues, nothing psychedelic anymore.

Edited by oliverstoned - August 07 2006 at 05:08

Intruder

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 05:55

Since American Beauty they've become folk-rock? ONLY that LP can possibly be considered a folk album....Workingman's Dead, their next LP, is blues-rock and the following four LPs, Wake of the Flood, Blues for Allah, Mars Hotel and Terrapin Station can DEFINITELY be considered progressive rock or, at least, prog-related.

All those pigeon-holing the Dead as a folk-rock band must never have heard anything but a few FM radio staples.....the Grateful Dead have to be considered one of the most expiremental band in the history of rock.

Hurry to your local record shop and check out the Dead....you won't be sorry.

I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there.....

gong

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 06:14

yeah, Blues for Allah is great prog rock album of Dead too, although Mars Hotel is my fav.

verrata

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 06:23

The Greatful Dead are a jam band, which i think makes them at least prog related.

M. B. Zapelini View Drop Down

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 07:02

They're good - and they're not prog, period.

"He's a man of the past and one of the present"
PETER HAMMILL

Sean Trane View Drop Down

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 07:15

gong wrote:

yeah, Blues for Allah is great prog rock album of the Dead too, although From The Mars Hotel is my fav.

Maybe one day in prog related, but the Archives are not ready for this, yet!

I would even add two more to your list Wake Of The Flood and Terrapin Station

let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword

philippe

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 07:22

after the dubious Queen, Deep Purple, Muse and others it won't be a surprise to have The Greatful Dead in the archives...rules are broken anyway

Edited by philippe - August 07 2006 at 07:23

Lex C

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 07:25

Yeah Grateful Dead is amazing and they have their psychadelic moments, but overall they are folk. I saw them many times when I was young (like ages 4-6) and I am told that when I was a baby Jerry Garcia held me; fun fact there. 3 Years ago I saw them w/o Jerry obviously and they were good but to be honest I think the best part of the show was the 45 minute drum solo by Bobby and Mickey. Still amazing band, possibly related to prog but not Prog.

JP312

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Posted: August 07 2006 at 12:24

I've been thinking about this quite a lot lately.

I guess having been into the Dead was what put me on the path to explore prog. It gave me the inclination to look for music that doesn't follow the same old pop conventions.

I wouldn't classify their music as prog in the sense that most people are familiar with. However, the question is difficult because in a way the band has two apparent identities: one that a listener could piece together from their albums, and the one that they built by their live shows, which is really more accurate.

To provide some historical perspective, most of the members started out together in a bluegrass group, and then they switched over to an electric sound in the mid 60s. While a lot of their earliest music is very psychedelic/experimental, there were still the underlying influences of bluegrass, folk and blues.

By about 1970, they had some success with a more back-to-their-roots approach to the two consecutive albums Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, and that drove them into more of a straight-ahead folk-rock approach, at least in terms of their new songs and what they put on their albums. Their concerts were still based on the extended musical interplay and jams.

The closest they came to prog was probably in the mid-70s, once they had formed their own record label. But I think for the most part, this is more due to the influence of jazz and their choice of songs that probably originated from some jams. For prog listeners, I would recommend Unbroken Chain, which appears on From the Mars Hotel, or Help on the Way/Slipknot! from Blues for Allah. Blues for Allah is a very jazz/fusion-tinged album overall, if you're into that.

I would say the most overtly prog song that the Dead ever recorded was the title track from Terrapin Station. It's essentially their take on a symphonic prog piece - it has multiple movements and time signature changes, is over 16 minutes long, and augments the band's sound via the use of an orchestra and a choir. That said, it still follows the more laid-back approach of the Dead for the most part, albeit in a somewhat overproduced fashion. The piece became a staple of their concerts, athough they never played it in its entirety because of its complex arrangement.

Now to go along with all this, what the Dead would often do in concert would be to link multiple songs together, inventing jam-based bridges to morph one song into the next. Occasionally, one of the songs would be reprised later in an extended medley. (By medley, I don't mean playing one verse and chorus from each of five different songs - I mean that songs were played in their entirety). These bridges were at times probably the most interesting part of the shows, and would create a shifting dynamic similar to what one would hear throughout many extended prog songs. However, the approach was less premeditated and structured.

So while I wouldn't categorize the Dead with most other prog bands, I find it interesting that their approach to their music still had a lot in common with the best known symphonic prog bands from the 70s.

Paulieg

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Posted: August 15 2006 at 10:51

Definitely NOT PROG. A band for hippies.

Leningrad

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Posted: August 15 2006 at 14:42

Hmm. I tried listening to them. A little bit too folkie-countryish for me. I'd say not prog.

kebjourman View Drop Down

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Posted: August 15 2006 at 23:08

i love them live and 'anthem of the sun'

dont really care for their countryish studio work though

Zargus

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Posted: August 16 2006 at 15:51

Not prog, and i dont like em at all bought my first album ever by em some week ago "Live Dead" and well the vocals are so horrible i yust cant stand it, i rather be dead then lisen to em ever again. Most is fine untill the track Turn on your love light i yust hate it and how the vocalist sings. well ofcourse im not yust gona give up on em but this is how i feel right now.

Bilek

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Posted: September 12 2006 at 09:55

I really don't understand how people's ideas differ... What's wrong with you, for heaven's sake?!?!?

I voted other; which means I'd put my vote for them to go in Proto-Prog. That they are an East Coast band means nothing to me; they are clearly psychedelic, and pschedelia is the key element to prot-prog (most bands in that section are clearly psychedelic, anyway!)

not to mention their delightful albums (which are already mentioned) which show strong prog characteristics...

I'll finish with mentioning only one song name (apparently overlooked): go and listen to Dark Star (I have the live/dead version) for heaven's sake!

Listen to Turkish psych/prog; you won't regret:
Baris Manco,Erkin Koray,Cem Karaca,Mogollar,3 Hürel,Selda,Edip Akbayram,Fikret Kizilok,Ersen (and Dadaslar) (but stick with the '70's, and 'early 80's!)

Poll Question: Prog or not
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
Experimental	1	[1.92%]
Prog related	23	[44.23%]
Not prog	24	[46.15%]
other (please tell)	4	[7.69%]
This topic is closed, no new votes accepted