Bob Weir: 10 key recordings from the Grateful Dead and beyond

A Guardian round-up highlights ten of Bob Weir’s most notable recordings, covering his work with the Grateful Dead, his solo material and his stint with Kingfish. The list begins with the 1968 segment from That’s It for the Other One – The Faster We Go, the Rounder We Get / The Other One – noting a rare Weir-penned lyric about being busted “for smiling on a cloudy day” and a reference to Neal Cassady; the piece later evolved into The Other One and the entry cites a languid Winterland performance from 1974.

It also features Truckin’ (1970), described as the Dead’s anthem with Robert Hunter’s picaresque lyrics and a celebrated live rumble from London’s Lyceum on the Europe ’72 LP, and Sugar Magnolia (1971), a tribute to Weir’s longtime paramour Frankie Hart and a favourite at New Year’s Eve shows such as Winterland on 31 December 1978.

The rundown highlights Playing in the Band (1972), which evolved from a riff David Crosby coined during a jam in Mickey Hart’s barn, appeared on the Dead’s 1971 live LP and Weir’s 1972 solo Ace, and was later used for lengthy exploratory jams including a legendary 46-minute Seattle performance in 1974.

Cassidy (1972) is noted as being named for a roadie’s daughter and also as a tribute to Neal Cassady; the piece says Weir revisited the song with the Dead and later with his group RatDog following Garcia’s death in 1995.

Key Topics

Culture, Bob Weir, Grateful Dead, Ratdog, Kingfish, Neal Cassady