Phish vs The Grateful dead

So what is it BRAH?

  • Total voters
    114
drew345

drew345

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
2,038
I guess I will continue the recent trend of vs threads.Personally im going with the dead because they were revolutionarys even though phish definatly wrote better songs.
 
easily grateful dead

what other band can stay together and tour for 30 years and have a new sound every show?

and its nice knowing that you can listen to just about every concert performed by GD post 1968 for free, many of which have perfect sound quality

and jerry's voice and playing are pretty much godly, its like hes screaming and whispering at the same time
 
I won't lie. I find them both pretty boring as well.
 
you guys act like fans of these bands are supposed to take it personal and get offended
 
i never really understood why there has always been a comparision between these two bands.. other than the fact that they share many of the same fans..

the dead started out as a bluesy, harsh, bar band.. i can see some similarities between the way both bands played their shows in the 80's and up, but before that.. no way.. and im talkin similarities in the way they conduct their shows, not the sound..

i still go with the grateful dead though
 
absolutely no contest

i don't think i even have to state my opinion on this one :)
 
Looks like grateful dead takes the cake on this one.

(i vote GD aswell btw).

And the reason the two are compared so often even though the soun dis completely different is because they are the 2 biggest "jam bands"
 
Phish, because the Dead never performed on trampolines and any intelligent person knows that trampolines make the band jumping on them that much better.
 
Phish has brought me to places that even psychedelics couldn't. I love them for that. Sober or not, Phish can do some amazing things to me. The Dead are the same way, but I never got to into them. I can't say who's better, but if I had to, I'd say phish.
 
You have to really search for the best live Dead stuff that means something to you, it's different and personal for everybody. and sometimes songs just grow on you after repeated listens. it's very spiritual and i get very high from lettin jerry take me on a ride. and i can't stand it when people say you have to be tripping to enjoy it i think that's the stupidest shit ever. as an addict in recovery and lover of music, they'll always be my favorite band. phish is good but the grateful dead will always be king. even phish know that....there's not much a point in comparing them
 
sad mafioso said:
Phish, because the Dead never performed on trampolines and any intelligent person knows that trampolines make the band jumping on them that much better.
Click to expand...
LMAO great comment

But its the Dead for me <3
 
Umm The dead were the OG hippies.. and the thing about them is they just keep going and going.. in 20-30 years Bobby Weir and Mickey Harts KIDS!! will still be playing as "The Dead" or some other band name that sounds like Grateful Dead..

Phish quit with all 4 og members still alive.. after only 20 ish years!! The dead have been together over 40 years.. maybe not as the The Grateful Dead but they stayed together, even when Pigpen died, their Keyboardest died in the 80's, even after Jerry died.. So in that sense I'm kinda disappointed phish broke up with all 4 members still here, yes I heard them after the hiatus and it wasn't as good, but if they hadn't broke up maybe they'd have still been on..
 
I am a huge fan of both, so its hard to say which is the best.

The Dead obviously started it all. They were there from the beginning, absolutely crucial in the forming of the many traditions, styles, and attitudes of the musical niche that is now known as jam bands. They released several perfect albums (workingmans, amer. beauty, etc) and a huge wealth of amazing live material.

That being said, I do think that Phish took the musicianship and improvisation to the next level. Pre-hiatus, Phish were the tightest live band on the planet. Their ability to go into full band improvisation (not just soloing over a chord progression) and effortlessly transition between a multitude of musical styles has never been touched by any other band. Where the Dead played glorious mellow exploratory psychedelic music that seemed to just thump along into eternity, Phish played high-energy acrobatic musical mayhem, complete with insane tempo changes, searing peaks, and funky bass. Also, Trey's guitar tone is the tops.

They were both amazing bands who completely changed the face of music as we know it. The Dead started the sound, or started searching for the sound, then Phish took over and set the bar incredibly fucking high for all else who come. The music of Phish is more musically challenging than the Dead, by far, but that doesn't mean they're a better band. Its all about who took you there. I'm happy to say they both did for me.
 
Phish don't enthrall me in the slightest. I've never been able to get into them, nor do I feel comfortable when listening to their music. I've given them a god few chances. I heard Phish before I ever heard Grateful Dead and when I found The Dead it was like finding something that was missing lol.

I've never seen why they're compared so much besides the fact that they're well known 'jam bands' and are stereotyped with hippies and stoners.
 
GlassAss420 said:
Phish quit with all 4 og members still alive.. after only 20 ish years!! The dead have been together over 40 years.. maybe not as the The Grateful Dead but they stayed together, even when Pigpen died, their Keyboardest died in the 80's, even after Jerry died.. So in that sense I'm kinda disappointed phish broke up with all 4 members still here, yes I heard them after the hiatus and it wasn't as good, but if they hadn't broke up maybe they'd have still been on..
Click to expand...



i think they definitely made the right decision breaking up. for example with the dead, 20 years is in is right about when i stop listening because the shows just aren't as good in the late 80s/90s (IMO). after hiatus, phish was definitely starting to sound a lot worse, and i think it shows a lot of respect for what they did that they decided to stop before it went downhill. i do wish they were still around because even if the shows weren't as great, they were still a ton of fun, and i'd love to see them again, but i don't think that's a good reason to keep going as a band if you're not staying fresh
 
I love Grateful Dead but I can admit to what you're saying effingcustie. In my opinion the quality of their shows did decrease in the late 80's and 90's but there are some gems from those periods that stand out as some of their best shows for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top