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Review Summary: First solo album from Garcia, alone with Bill the Drummer. Great extension to American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, with some extra weirdness for good measure. By 1972 The Grateful Dead had come full circle in a sense. Initially a bluegrass, blues, and acoustic Americana band, they made their name as a psychedelic Avant guard jam band. These were high times for the band. However, the music was cumbersome to play and even worse to record. That is why in 1970 they decided to go back to their roots, which was folky story ballads with their own little touch to it. Many people believe that that period of the band consisted of essentially 2 albums. Although Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty are the most well know music they have probably produced there are other albums of original songs that had the same pattern of folk rock, Americana feel. One is the follow up to American Beauty with was initially titled “Skull***” which drove the record company nuts, which I guess was the point, the album in question had many more live original folk rock songs including Big RxR Blues, Bertha, Me and My Uncle. There was also Europe “72” which included Cumberland Blues, He’s Gone, Brown Eyed Woman, Jack straw, and Tennessee Jed.
Another album that has these qualities is the album up for review, which is Jerry’s first solo Album “Garcia”. I guess the story goes is that Jerry’s “old lady” MG wanted a house. Regardless of personal philosophy on material things or personal lifestyle, when your “old lady” wants something even if you are Jerry Garcia you end up complying. So, he got an advance for the album and bought a house. All of this adds up to not a good start to a meaningful album. But what came out of it are some of the most enduring compositions that Jerry ever penned, and some fun and beautiful Avant guard mixed in. The first side is straight forward folk rock performed by only Jerry and Bill Kruetzman, in fact besides for the drums Jerry played every other instrument on the album. Side one is Deal, Bird Song, Sugaree, and Loser. All of these songs were Grateful Dead live Mainstays for the remainder of their career. I love these songs in live form, but together with the perfect production sound wonderful, probably the only studio versions of Grateful Dead songs I prefer to live versions. The loser on this is perfection. This side alone is well worth the rating I give it. Then there is side 2, completely different format wise to the first side. Side 2 opens with some electronic weirdness called Late For Supper, then comes the masterpiece of the album, the next 2 “songs” are a buildup of a piano composition with Jerry’s guitar that builds into To Lay Me Down. The buildup in question Spidergawd into Eep Hour into To Lay me Down makes me cry each time I spin this, The guitar work is just so beautiful and timeless. After this sequence comes the culminating sequence of the album: An Odd Little Place and The wheel. Again the first bit of piano composition leads right into the first cords of The Wheel, My wife’s favorite Dead song. Although they try the Dead can never get the feel of this studio version of the Wheel. If the prior sequence makes me cry this sequence builds me back up and send me back into the world filled with hope. I would encourage anybody to check this. It has something for just about anybody and his guitar work is just so moving on this, just so chill and deliberate. One of my favorite pieces of studio work from Jerry, especially solo Jerry
other reviews of this album |
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Album Rating: 4.5
Sorry got long winded, love this album, jerry is at the top all through this
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
if your not into the whole folk rock thing, start after Loser, the jazz, peices that lead into songs are crazy
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
wham buddy you were probably better off emailing this review to me and Kusanagi instead haha
i never heard this although im obviously familiar with half of these songs
you thought you was the cool fool!
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
ya I know, just heard it after a few year absence and forgot how amazing it was, as you can tell wasn't really thought out
dude just found out I have a month vacation from school, freakin crazy, might have to see how many reviews I can write with zero comments
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
check the date I make this guys, for many of us in the midwest and the rest of the USA the next day the world was shut down, still sitting in my upstairs mancave teaching class to this day,
thankfully we have albums like this to keep us sane
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Wham bro, give me a review for Run For The Roses. I really dig that record.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
"wham buddy you were probably better off emailing this review to me and Kusanagi instead haha"
lol very true
not sure how i missed this review back in march whamo! i've actually listened to this album multiple times today after the other thread got bumped. so damn good, definitely one of the better dead studio albums all around
also i second Titan's notion on the Run for the Roses review. all good things in all good time
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
when I used to party in madison Wisconsin back in the day, at some point Run would be played as the Badgers where in the hunt for the Rose bowl every year, great memories
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I can Titan maybe tom. I just got the Record Store issue either last year or the one before, I can not fathom time anymore
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
the second half of midnight getaway is beautiful. love the random ass album art on roses too
https://www.dead.net/sites/g/files/g2000007851/files/dead_site_files/images/19821012_1564.jpg
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
you know i think if I do another JGB album it would be reflections, was looking through them last night and I think that is up their, do like Run though , and Cat
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
wham i have to admit i haven't heard Reflections, i'll get on it. Cats Under the Stars is really good for sure though, bump the review thread for it! it only has three comments and they are all me lol. another one of Badmoon's underappreciated work of course
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
i will.
reflections has Mission in the rain, must of been the roses, might as well, they love each other, comes a times, and I'll take a melody, which is great although it never really went anywhere after the studio
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
HAppy 50th to this great album
found this article about it yesterday
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/jerry-garcia-garcia-album/
| | | all good things in all good time !
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