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Jerry Garcia was an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead.
On Garcia's third solo album he was backed by two different bands. Half of the songs saw him with the Grateful Dead, and were essentially Dead songs put out on a solo release. On the other four songs he was backed by the Jerry Garcia Band, consisting of John Kahn (bass), Nicky Hopkins (piano), Larry Knetchel (Fender Rhodes electric piano) and Ron Tutt (drums). The Jerry Garcia Band became his primary project outside the Grateful Dead, and he toured and recorded with them from this point onwards until his death. However their membership changed frequently, and this is the only release featuring this first lineup.Despite the songs being divided between the two bands, Reflections still managed to retain a strong, consistent vibe throughout - languid, relaxed, often jazzy and complex in its arrangements, all tied together by Garcia's distinctive vocals and electric guitar. Half the songs are Garcia/Hunter originals, and the covers include Allen Toussaint's "I'll Take A Melody" and the Robert Hunter solo composition "It Must Have Been The Roses". Many of the songs here became integrated into the Grateful Dead set list, and later appeared on various live albums.
Compliments (1974) <|> Run For The Roses (1982)
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Jerry Garcia was an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead.
Garcia's second solo album was a departure of sorts from his work with the Grateful Dead. Whilst it's predecessor (1972's Garcia) had pretty much been a Grateful Dead album with Garcia playing most of the instruments, with 1974's Compliments he distanced itself from the Dead and tried his hand at some things he wouldn't have been able to do within the group. As of such he is backed by a large group of session musicians, including bassist John Kahn, organist Merle Saunders, drummer Ron Tutt, and numerous horn players - indeed most of the album is notable for its horn-based sound. The album was produced by Kahn, who also dealt with the horn and string arrangements and wrote the one original song on the album, "Midnight Town" (in collaboration with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter). Kahn would keep working with Garcia over the years (playing alongside him in both Old And In The Way and the Jerry Garcia Band).Apart from "Midnight Town", Compliments consists entirely of cover songs, and so shows off Garcia's musical tastes and versatility. The material is wide-ranging, and includes numbers from artists as diverse as Dr John, Van Morrison, Peter Rowan, Chuck Berry, Smokey Robinson and Irving Berlin.
Garica (1972) <|> Reflections (1976)
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Jerry Garcia was an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead.
After the release of their self-titled live album (better known as Skull & Roses), members of the Grateful Dead recorded their own solo albums. Lead guitarist Jerry Garcia released Garcia in early ‘72. It’s a great mix of rootsy country-rock styles in keeping with what the Dead were doing at this time, with a few more experimental moments as well. Garcia played all the instruments himself, apart from the drums which were played by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Most of the songs were written with Garcia’s usual collaborator Robert Hunter. Six of the ten songs became regular parts of the Grateful Dead’s live repertoire, and band versions of some of them would later appear on assorted live albums. In retrospect it can really be seen as a Grateful Dead studio album, with the notable fact it's all put together by just two members of the band.
|> Compliments (1974)
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On Garcia's third solo album he was backed by two different bands. Half of the songs saw him with the Grateful Dead, and were essentially Dead songs put out on a solo release. On the other four songs he was backed by the Jerry Garcia Band, consisting of John Kahn (bass), Nicky Hopkins (piano), Larry Knetchel (Fender Rhodes electric piano) and Ron Tutt (drums). The Jerry Garcia Band became his primary project outside the Grateful Dead, and he toured and recorded with them from this point onwards until his death. However their membership changed frequently, and this is the only release featuring this first lineup.
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