BOBBY &t MIDNITES OG '81 LP GRATEFUL DEAD JAM BAND WEIR

BOB WEIR BOBBY & THE MIDNITES LPCategory / Style / Moods: Rock * Rock & Roll * Jam Bands / 8.77 S1981 ARISTA LPTITLE: BOBBY & THE MIDNITESARTIST: BOB WEIRCONDITIONVINYL: VG+COVER: VG+Click here for info on grading and abbreviations TRACKS:Disc: 1 1.Haze2.Too Many Losers3.Far Away4.Book of Rules5.Me, Without You6.Josephine7.(I Want to) Fly Away8.Carry Me9.FestivalReview by William Ruhlmann Bobby & The Midnites seemed to offer Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir an opportunity to pursue the more conventionally accessible pop-rock style he had first demonstrated a taste for in his '70s solo albums Ace and especially Heaven Help The Fool. With the exception of a couple of reggae numbers, The Midnites' debut album found Weir playing straight-ahead guitar rock songs with mostly lovelorn lyrics, the only real ringer in the bunch being jazz drummer Billy Cobham, who seemed capable of hitting as many drums per bar as Keith Moon, and with far more control. But Weir's earnest, husky voice and off-center guitar playing did not make for a slick pop approach, and the album came off as a collection of half-baked wannabe-hits from someone who had spent his career finding success by avoiding just such a style. Biography by Jesse Jarnow A founding member of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir's musical legacy (separate from its cultural implications) will be of an utterly strange rhythm guitar player and songwriter who grew up in one of the most lasting outside bands of the 1960s. Playing with the Dead until their dissolution following the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, Weir has since made his musical homes in Ratdog and the Other Ones. Born in 1947 and adopted by a rich California engineer, Weir's intense, undiagnosed dyslexia gave him trouble at school. He was labeled a troublemaker and shipped off to boarding school, where he met future songwriting partner John Perry Barlow. After being kicked out of the school, Weir returned to the Bay Area, where he bummed around the burgeoning folk scene and came into contact with musicians like Jerry Garcia, New Riders on the Purple Sage founder David Nelson, and Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen. A series of jug bands eventually morphed into the electrified Warlocks who, in turn, became the Grateful Dead following a series of gigs at Ken Kesey's Acid Tests. Weir developed his odd rhythm style playing between the sweet, articulated lead guitar of Jerry Garcia and the avant-garde bass lines of Phil Lesh, who joined the Dead as a newcomer to his instrument after studying trumpet and serial music with composer Luciano Berio at Mills College in the early '60s. The Dead's sound, a psychedelic hybrid of genres, was developed through endless improvisation. Weir's role as a rhythm player was to give force and color to the developing music. Like a jazz guitarist, Weir was often not evident in the mix, but still a profound shape on the sound.This exquisite piece of retro music history is a 12" vinyl sound recording (not a CD) in either the multi-track long play LP album format or as extended play EP remix 12" maxi - single disco dance record. Visit the A Sound Deal store for information on grading, shipping, abbreviations and general info.Add me to your favorites for red hot sales bulletins and sneak previews of upcoming products. Click here for more info on grading and abbreviationsCombine Items to Save $$$ ---Click here to check the store for more!©A Sound Deal