Some Dude's Opinion

[Guy from RI]

Now, I have been following this "The Slip sucks, no they don't, yes they do" discussion for pretty much the whole time and I feel that I need to put a few cents into this whole deal. Firstly, I've been a devoted Slip fan since '98, not to say that my ideas are any more valid than someone who just started to listen to them in '03, but that's just when I started to go and see them.
Down to bussines (I'm a bad speller and don't care) I've read all these posts that say things like: (I'm not going to quote directly or anything)

1 I've been going to see The Slip since Andrew was born and first made contact with a wooden spoon and a pot, I've seen them longer than you, so therefore my thoughts on why they are good are more important than yours.
2 Since I've been to every show within a hundred miles of where I live since 2004 I feel that they are the best they have ever been and can only go up from here.
3 Blah Blah Blah You're wrong and I'm right and shut up I'm better.

There are many more styles but that wraps the majority of what this whole argument (since people have stopped being pleasant about the whole ordeal I've chosen to stop using discussion) consists of.

I'm not a fan of new music, I don''t listen to the radio; at least not commercial radio if any at all. I have never heard more than 2 minutes of Modest Mouse or any of this other crap that everyone says The Slip are trying to sound like, but I do know that of any of this rubbish that you hear pales in comparrison of The Slip. I really don't like any of these new songs, excluding a few, yes I was at Sommerville and yes I was VERY bored the whole time except durring Gecko, Cumulus, and Moderate Threat> Cowboy Up; I don't however like Paper Birds, Soft Machine, Lonley Boy, Children of dec, Even Rats (even), ect. and so forth. I am an old school fan pure and simple. Give me a Weight of Solomon or a So Dope or a Moral Decay and Especially a Spice Groove any day. I don't like the direction The Slip has taken and am very vocal about it. This isn't even why I am writing this right now.

This IS why I'm writing this right now: I was sitting on my couch the other night and I had itunes going in the other room and after a ween song finished a Suffocation Keep from some show came on and it hit me. Everybody is arguing about where The Slip is going and how this sucks or doesn't, but no one is REALLY agreeing, just beoing polite. I feel The Slip's new songs are bad, however even their new songs are better than %98.7 of what anyone hears on most radio stations. They're written better, played well (not just wailing on shit these guys are real musicians), and since Brad isn't the best singer the new songs sound like there is a lot more Heart and Soul and real feeling behind it than most new music.

I also feel that if one is to argue that this is the best The Slip has ever been; get some backround first, dude, Listen to a few shows from every year. I can recomend some damn good shows from 98 99 00 that'll just blow you're mind. The Slip have come a long way, opening for The Allmans is cool, the main Stage at Oswego may very well of been cooler, and their bound for something much much better, and many more changes in direction. I don't like what I see when I go to most shows, I do like WHO I see when I go to every show, three dudes I have talked to one on one with at several occasions, guys that I have anonomously hung out with sometimes twice a week and very often weekly as a kid, you know people that make me think about my youth-n-shit, and I'm glad they've gone so far and I'll keep going to see them just because of that.

Some of you may feel that I'm just some silly goober that has 4 posts and doesn't know what I'm talking about, and I don't care I'll probably read this board another year before I post anything else.

In conclusion: The Slip Rule weather I liek the songs or not.
Who cares what you think?
Blah Blah Blah
and lastly Shut Up I'm better.

[Phrazz]

I hear ya, man.

[magpie]

well spoken. and that goes to both of you.

me, i really love the "new" slip, but seeing as i'd never even heard of the guys till last year, that's only to be expected. i'd love to hear personal recommendations of early stuff... hear where these guys came from...

and yeah, there is nothing like high sierra...

[etahn]

But the last "Munf" was Buttonwood 10/10/04, so is that the border of "new skool"? ;-}

I heard they threw out a Munf in Cali last month. Haven't found it on any setlists, but you know these kids today

[diesel]

somebody please paraphrase the first two posts. im at work.

[Guy from RI]

Diesel here goes:

My post:
1. I don't like the new stuff
2. The Slip's new style of songs are written and played better than any other tunes out there.
3. The Slip are bound for greatness (I'm sure they wouldn't want us to talk about this; don't want to jinx them) and have many more turns on their road ahead
4. Who cares what you think?

Phrazz' post:
He totally agreed with me.

magpie:
Get the 97 ERS show, 9/6/98 High Seiera Anything from 99 practically, Scullers, 12/10/99 lupos, The Rhodes on the Pawtuxet shows, anything from those 3-4 years really shows where they come from and is totally on a different plane than what they do now, Also get From the Gecko and listen to it about 37 times

[diesel]

phrazz you better put your post back up, or ill damn you to the hall of pussy shame.

guy from RI,

i agree that the slip are good musicians, but i dont think they're headed anywhere. im sorry to say that they dont have the showmanship or the 'style' that modern rock bands have, not to mention brads vocals. somethings missing, i dont know what it is. maybe their too grounded and normal. not enough tatoos, not enough angst. maybe im just pissing on their parade, but they only way they can have any success is by bringing back SOME of their old fanbase. they have to find a happy medium between this pop format and the improv/groove that many of the old heads loved. lets face it, the jam band label is a cancer. and the jazz label is too snobish, so they have to go with what got them hear: the ability to shake off labels. theyve fallen into this rock/pop niche. i think they can do better, and i hope they do.

as for modern music, dude you have to evolve. im not saying listen to yellow card or linkin park, but theres tons of good music out there thats popular in some way. but, who cares what you think.

[headnugg]

Don't listen to Linkin Park?!? Are you out of your mind?

[magpie]

phrazz, why'd ya take your post down? i quite enjoy long rambles, myself...

[Phrazz]

I didn't take it down, I just paraphrased it. Thanks for letting me know. I'll surely ramble more at some point down the road.

[booher]

I never said that they sounded like Modest Mouse in full, but I know I did say that part of them resembled them. I think it was the ending of Paper Birds that mainly made me thought Modest Mouse. Mainly the beat.

Yeah. The Slip is great. Take it or leave it.

[Guy from RI]

Magpie: You asked for examples of good showsasnd I would recomend shit mostly off of Slipserver. The shows that show interesting progression would be 5/5/00 and 11/3/00 there is a huge difference in how those shows played out, I was at both of them and the setlists are both amazing and totally differnt, 11/3/00 was also the "halloween" show, there never was one in 00, but listen to 5/5/00, 11/3/00 then 11/11/05 and you'll see a huge difference in energy and crowd responce.
I feel 11/3 is better than 5/5 and 11/11 is the worse of them all but it's just a good comparrison