Garcia is Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia’s first solo album, released in 1972.
Warner Bros. Records offered the Grateful Dead the opportunity to cut their own solo records, and Garcia was released around the same time as Bob Weir’s Ace and Mickey Hart’s Rolling Thunder. Unlike Ace, which was practically a Grateful Dead album, Garcia was more of a solo effort, as Garcia played almost all the instrumental parts. Six tracks (specifically those coauthored by lyricist Robert Hunter) eventually became standards in the Grateful Dead concert repertoire.
Some reprints of the album are self-released. “Loser” was covered by Cracker on their 1993 album Kerosene Hat. (by wikipedia)
This disc was a happy byproduct of the Grateful Dead re-signing with Warner Bros. It was mutually beneficial for Bob Weir (guitar/vocals) as well as Mickey Hart (percussion) and his criminally overlooked debut long-player, Rolling Thunder (1972). Jerry Garcia’s (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, bass, piano, organ, samples, vocals) simply titled Garcia (1972) is arguably the most solo of all these projects, as only he and the Grateful Dead’s Billy Kreutzmann (percussion) contribute instrumentally. That said, Robert Hunter’s lyrics should not be underestimated as all six of his co-compositions became staples in the Dead’s live songbook for the remainder of their concert career.
The infusion of new material can be attributed to the lack of any Dead-related releases since Workingman’s Dead (1970) over 14 months earlier. Although Garcia is the primary musician on the ten tracks, he has given each arrangement a wholly unique persona. These range from straight-ahead blues-based rock & roll (“Sugaree”) to the avant-garde (“Late for Supper”). Within those extremes are discerning renditions and solid performances of stone gems such as the noir folkie “Loser” as well as the lilting balladry of “Bird Song” and the cyclical psychedelia of “The Wheel,” the latter of which features some of the finest pedal steel guitar work to have come from Garcia’s brief infatuation with the twangy instrument. He brings an intimacy to the affective love song “To Lay Me Down” that was rarely equalled by the Grateful Dead. His prowess as an emotive pianist can be heard throughout not only that cut, but also on the trippy medley consisting of the previously mentioned “Late for Supper,” “Spidergawd,” and “Eep Hour.” Ever the self-effacing artist, at the time of release the guitarist overtly downplayed the album as “overindulgent.” Time has rendered that assessment utterly false, as Garcia is nothing short of a full-bodied artistic expression from one of rock & roll’s most multi-faceted musicians. Both initiated Deadheads as well as enthusiasts of the burgeoning early-’70s singer/songwriter movement will find much to cherish on this recording as Garcia redefines his immense talents and seemingly undiluted musical potential. (by Lindsay Planer)
Personnel:
Jerry Garcia (guitar, pedal steel guitar, bass, keyboards, samples, vocals)
Bill Kreutzmann (drums)
Tracklist:
01. Deal 3.14
02. Bird Song 4.27
03. Sugaree 5.55
04. Loser 4.10
05. Late For Supper 1.38
06. Spidergawd 3.26
07. Eep Hour 5.08
08. To Lay Me Down 6.18
09. An Odd Little Place 1.39
10. The Wheel 4.12
Music Jerry Garcia + Billy Kreutzman
Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Jerry Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995)
Jerry Garcia was once asked what he liked to do when he wasn’t playing music. “Play music!” was his response. For about five years, the Grateful Dead guitarist spent many nights collaborating with organist Merl Saunders both in concert and in the studio. The five-year association of Saunders, who’d worked primarily as a jazz organist, and Garcia took root in early1970 with a weekly jam session featuring Saunders, Garcia, bassist John Kahn, and drummer Bill Vitt, at San Francisco’s Matrix.
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