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From: woods@hao.UUCP (Greg Woods)
Newsgroups: net.music.gdead
Subject: Re: Mr. Mydland
Message-ID: <1653@hao.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Jul-85 01:47:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: hao.1653
Posted: Thu Jul 25 01:47:53 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 26-Jul-85 02:18:47 EDT
References: <3347@fritz.UUCP>
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Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO
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  John, you wanted discussion, so here is my $0.02 worth (when will ASCII have
a c/ character :-)

> I personally like the influence he has provided for the band.  His keyboards
> are really colorful and round the music out nicely, a positive step forward
> from the almost exclusive piano riffs of Kieth.  

  I agree with this 1000% (except that you spelled "Keith" wrong! :-). 
I think Brent is *lots* more innovative in the things he is willing to do than 
Keith, and his talent is lots better too.  I think the former is basically the 
reason (aside from the rumor that Keith was a junkie, which has never been 
substantiated to my knowledge) that Keith got kicked out in the first place. 
The Dead wanted to do music that Keith couldn't/wouldn't do. I personally
think that on keyboards, Brent is a BIG improvement. 3 cheers for Brent!

>  I also like his voice a lot.

  This is tougher. I think I agree, except where they have attempted to have
Brent take the place of Donna. He has a nice voice, but it ain't female! :-)
Fortunately, I haven't seen this lately, and I'm not sure I could recount
exactly where I've seen this before, but my impression of the early Brent
shows (1979 summer) is that the initial thing was for Brent to replace
Keith and Donna both, and that that gradually evolved into new songs and new
arrangements of the old tunes. Thank God! :-)

> It seems on the recent east coast swing he sang little or not
> at all of the "Brent" tunes.
> From what I can gather, most of his critics seem to have the
> most trouble with his own material.  Songs like "Babe, I don't Need You"
> seem to go against the Grateful Dead grain with a negative approach to
> life.  "Tons Of Steel" fits right in, ...

  Some of us poor saps don't even know what you are talking about here.
I have never heard either of these. The only "Brent" tunes I've heard
are "Far From Me" (top 40 lyrics) and "Easy to Love You" (ditto). So
far, I'm not too impressed with Brent as a songwriter, although I 
think his voice has potential for lead singing on the right songs.
(Don't ask what the "right songs" are, because I won't know until
I hear them).
  
> Nobody seems to think he needs to be replaced or anything like that, but
> I really wonder why some have trouble fully accepting him.  After all,
> how can you not fit in with a bunch of "misfits"?

   I think only the old hard cores that still think of Pigpen have trouble
accepting Brent. They probably never accepted Keith and Donna either. 
I think that Brent is the best keyboardist the Dead have ever had
(sorry, T.C.) and I welcome his addition to the band. I was a Deadhead
several years before they got Brent, but I think they are *lots* better
*musically* since Brent joined the band. One plus vote for Brent!

--Greg
-- 
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       		        !hao!woods

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