We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
When Warner Brothers records signed them to a new contract, one of the codicils was that the individual members of the Grateful Dead could cut solo albums. We reviewed Jerry Garcia’s earlier and will get to drummer Mickey Hart’s later. Today it’s guitarist Bob Weir’s album “Ace” that appeared in May of 1972.
The thing that makes this album interesting is not just Weir’s songwriting but that fact that most of the other Dead members play on the record. In fact, it really is a new Dead record that only uses Weir songs.
Jerry Garcia plays his signature guitar licks and adds some pedal steel on the elegiac “Looks Like Rain” which also includes some fine piano from Keith Godchaux.
Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann are also major contributors on the record. The songs co-written by John Perry Barlow and Robert Hunter are a mixed bag although some standout, especially “Playing In The Band”, “One More Saturday Night” (Godchaux shines again) and the rollicking ” Mexicali Blues”.
Side two is particularly strong. Many of these tracks became concert staples for the Dead.
Here is a download of the entire record. Not as loose as most Dead records but certainly has its rewards for both Dead Heads and Dead Head wannabes.
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