Search - Bob Weir :: Weir Here: The Best Of Bob Weir

WEIRdly enough...

Shaun Navis | Milwaukee, WI | 04/21/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"... I don't feel like this collection has enough Bob Weir! Oh sure, every song on here is great and Bob sings all of them. That's not in doubt. It just seems like the label defeats its own purpose of trying to spotlight Bob Weir the individual by putting on too many Grateful Dead performances, which dominate disc two of this collection. Weir's lived in Jerry Garcia's large shadow his entire adult life, and in some ways he still is with Weir Here.



By my count, Weir's released seven albums on his own outside of the GD. His excellent solo debut, Ace (which was really a GD album with all Weir songs), is well represented on Weir Here. So well represented that buying Ace is almost redundant now. That leaves six more albums, most of which are underserved and two of which -- the outstanding Weir & Wasserman Live and the less than stellar Where the Beat Meets the Street -- are completely ignored. Admittedly, there's not much to recommend from "Beat," but that's the beauty of compilations. Find one or two gems from what's otherwise a dud and rescue them from obscurity. Maybe that album is best left forgotten, but it doesn't explain the exclusion of either the Weir/Wasserman album, or the fine songs "Heaven Help the Fool," "Bombs Away," "Festival," and "Josephine," all of which have become Weir standards. "Book of Rules" is another really cool song that probably deserved consideration.



Then there's Weir's most recent effort (with current band Ratdog), the triumphant Evening Moods. It might be Bobby's best non-GD release, and it's also the best Dead or Dead-related studio album in ages. Why only two Evening Moods songs on Weir Here? You don't want to kill sales of that recent album, but at the very least "Bury Me Standing" and either "Odessa" or "Corrina" should've made the cut. I suppose you can't have a Best of Bob by not including songs like "Truckin'," "Sugar Mag," "Throwing Stones," etc. Still, why give us a bunch of live GD performances, several of which were the very same versions previously released on live GD albums? This might've been a great opportunity to add live Ratdog, Kingfish or Bobby & The Midnites instead!



The best reason to get Weir Here is that there are a handful of sweet rarities included. "Easy Answers" from Rob Wasserman's Trios album (which also has Neil Young on guitar) is on here, but "Eternity" (featuring Weir, Wasserman and the late Willie Dixon)sadly is not. You also get a song from a children's album ("Wabash Cannonball") and a blistering cover of Dylan's "Masters of War," which Ratdog quickly recorded out of anger over the misguided invasion of Iraq. It's all great, but again there's stuff missing. Studio recordings of "Fever," "Take Me to the River," and "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (all cover songs that have become Weir concert favorites) are out there and in need of reissue. How about "She Said," an original song that Ratdog's been playing for years but didn't include on Evening Moods?



Still, this is a great collection of songs. I'm only knocking it down to four stars because of the omissions I would've preferred to see included, and because I don't feel like all those Dead songs flow terribly well in the way they're presented here, with earlier and later recordings mixed together. Since many of them are previously released, you can get 'em elsewhere. Weir Here does, however, mark the first official release of "Man Smart, Woman Smarter". I guess that's a plus. I read an interview where Bobby said there will be a Weir Here Vol. II. That's great, but wouldn't it have made more sense to make Vol. I a more complete collection of Weir outside of the GD? I think so. If you're a Weir newbie, however, this isn't such a bad place to start. Bob Weir is a seriously underrated composer and guitarist, and this honor is long overdue."

Selection is the statement..............

Shaun Navis | 06/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is Bobby's carefully selected sampler of his life in music, including both solo and Dead material. The results shed some much-deserved light on the hard-to-categorize yet important artist. Bob has a way with chord changes and a lyrical presence that are all his own.First, the rarities. You likely don't have this side-band version of Lazy Lightning > Supplication. You should, because it's interesting and well-recorded. Easy to Slip, Wrong Way Feelin' and Shades of Grey are songs heard by very few people, i.e., those who bought Bobby's solo albums. I Want To (Fly Away) deserves special mention: it is a GREAT track with many twists and turns (too hard for the GD to play). Easy Answers, from Rob Wasserman's "Trios" album, is very strange. Neil Young assists on vocals and guitar; what a pairing! The track is a demanding piece of art that sounds unfinished, until you realize it's supposed to be that way - a mid-90s phase Bobby (and Neil) went through of distortion and jagged edges. Wabash Cannonball is another highlight. The live disc 2 is mainly Dead tracks, about half unreleased. The sound quality is A+, as most songs are mixed from 24-track masters. The Throwing Stones is A+. Still, I would have preferred some archival Weir & Wasserman tracks here. Disc 2 is a cop-out with respect to the concept of this collection, which was to highlight Bob's work without particular allegiance to the Dead. The final song is "Masters of War" with Ratdog. AMAZING track. Bob sells this song 1000%. They should have filled Disc 2 with such revelations, as they no doubt exist in the vaults.Bob's legacy as an artist is still up in the air. He has modestly gone through life as a GD member and little-appreciated cheesy songwriter on the side. This collection makes a worthwhile yet incomplete effort to establish Bob's artistic independence as the important avant-garde musician and songwriter that he has been for 30+ years."

Great Collection!

Audrey Ehrlich | Los Angeles, California United States | 05/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like The Grateful Dead then Weir Here: The Best of Bob Weir is a must to anybody's collection. Bobby was always in a way under appreciated among Deadheads. For me, I love Bob Weir and think that this new double CD is fantastic. I really enjoyed listening to the studio versions of Cassidy, Feel Like A Stranger, and Playin' In The Band. In addition, the previously un-released recordings of live music personally selected by Bob Weir are great. Their is an excellent version of my favorite Weir song "Estimated Prophet", plus a beautiful Jack Straw and the great New Minglewood Blues. Bottom line is that this CD is a must for any Deadhead out there. I encourage all of you out there to buy this CD and listen to Bob Weir & Ratdog, Bobby's group. They are a great band and put on a killer show."