The early 1970s were a very formative time for the Grateful Dead, both collectively and individually.
The band started the decade with the release of their fan-favourite studio albums in 1970’s “Workingman’s Dead” and “American Beauty”, yet band members also made time to pursue solo endeavors. Members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart both released solo albums in 1972, as did Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, who celebrated the arrival of his own solo debut, Garcia, on January 20th, 1972.
As pure of an individual effort as anyone has ever put into their own solo album—save the help of drummer/bandmate Bill Kreutzmann—Garcia gave the guitarist ample opportunity to take a step back from the madness of Dead’s live shows to go into the studio, have some fun on pedal steel guitar, and focus on “the song” as a finite entity. While the track listing for Garica does include a number of Dead live staples that had already been in the rotation since ’71 including “Sugaree”, “Bird Song”, “Deal”, and “Loser”, there was still enough weirdness included on Garcia to intensify the appetite of any Deadhead looking for a little space odyssey—see “Late For Supper” and “An Odd Little Place”.
Garcia, more or less, is a synthesis of Jerry’s tastes and sensibilities as an ambassador to American roots music. The album as a whole is still a wonderfully muddy mix of folk, country, blues, jazz, and acid rock, and certainly speaks for the Garcia fans who like to colour in between the lines.
The Fat Angel Sings 