Dead C
Well-Known Member
It's hard to pick one album and I've batted a number of ideas around. None are necessarily better than any other, but they're all very different. At this moment, I feel as if the one I've chosen is as good as any. Hopefully, it serves its purpose.
The album that I've selected in HOOTEROLL?, a 1971 collaboration between keyboardist, Howard Wales and Jerry Garcia.
The year prior to this release, Wales appeared on the Grateful Dead tracks "Candyman," "Brokedown Palace," and "Truckin'" on their American Beauty LP. 1970 also brought The Music Of El Topo, a funky reimagining of Alejandro Jodorowsky compositions from his film that launched the midnight movie phenomenon. That album was released by the project Shades Of Joy, which featured both Wales and a horn section that included Martin Fierro (Quicksilver Messenger Service), who would go on to lend his sax and flute to the HOOTEROLL? recordings, and later play alongside Garcia in the group Legion Of Mary.
The collaborations between Wales and Garcia began in 1970 during free-form improv nights at the historic San Francisco jazz club Keystone Korner, Joining them both during those session and on HOOTEROLL? was bassist, John Kahn, who would go on to become Jerry‘s primary musical cohort outside of the Dead. Kahn was involved in just about every solo venture that the legendary guitarist took, including projects like the bluegrass supergroup Old & In the Way and Legion of Mary; Garcia‘s collaboration with organist Merl Saunders. Khan is also widely blamed for Jerry's issues with heroin, himself overdosing on junk less than a year after Garcia passed away from a fatal heart attack in a rehabilitation center. So... for multiple reasons, this time period was a major turning point in Jerry's life, as it pertained to directions that his life would take independent of his work within the Grateful Dead.
I chose HOOTEROLL? for a couple of reasons, but a major factor is that it's so often overlooked. This isn't surprising, considering that Jerry's first solo effort, Garcia, came out the very same year and overshadowed it with a powerhouse of future Dead favorites like "Sugaree," "Deal," "Birdsong," "The Wheel," and "To Lay Me Down," among others. As for HOOTEROLL?, it's a completely different animal. I posted a little background info, but, beyond that, I'd prefer to err on the side of saying less when it comes to the actual sound and content on this one. In fact, I'd prefer it if there was a way for everyone to simply hear this album for the first time without ever knowing that Garcia's name was even attached to it. I've played this record for Dead fans who immediately respond to it, yet are genuinely surprised when I reveal who is behind it. They don't even recognize his guitar work, until made aware of it. Meanwhile, I expect those who have no experience with the Dead, at all, and especially those who may believe that they dislike Jerry's work, to be fairly surprised by this project. It's a funky one, ya'lls, but there's also variety from one song to the next. If you do take the opportunity to check this out, then you'll see what I'm referring to.
Availability / Variations
I've checked and this should be an easy enough one to locate. I'm sure that they have it on YouTube and I know that it's on Spotify, if nothing else. Depending on what source you use for this, you may get different results. The original album had only 7 songs on it, while the 1987 reissue removed the song "A Trip To What Next," replacing it with a variation titled "Evening In Marin" at the end, tacked on the song "Morning In Marin" to the beginning, and completely mixed up the entire sequencing. The Spotify version, essentially, seems to be the 2010 reissue titled HOOTEROLL? + 2, and has 11 tracks on it, arbitrarily inserting "A Trip To What Next" back into the middle of the deck and adding on 2 live songs with vocals ("She Once Lived Here" and "Sweet Cocaine"), hence the "+2" bit in the title. The only difference seems to be that Spotify has "Sweet Cocaine" renamed as "Blues Encore." Although the order of the songs is completely flipped inside out, I still like this one and how it pushes "Da Birg Song" (the one song that Jerry co-wrote) up toward the beginning, since it closed out the original version, leaving it more likely to be ignored if you didn't make it that far. Plus, there is more music on it, which is an obvious bonus. That being said, bonuses work for me, since I'm already a fan. I was introduced to it as the original 7 track album that starts with "Southside Strut" and has Howard Wales name listed first on the cover. I always saw this as more of a Howard Wales album -- he wrote all of the songs, independently, aside from 2 -- but the the more recent releases move Jerry's name before his and frontload it with songs that may highlight his sound more, in an obvious attempt to capitalize off of his more prominent name. If you really care, maybe the OG is the way to go, because it's more focused and concise presentation of their original vision; then, you can just go back and listen to "Morning In Marin" as a bonus. But... no matter which version you find, I'm hoping it will be just as effective.
Let me know what you think
OH! And the cover art is by Mati Klarwein, who supplied iconic artwork for such albums as Bitches Brew, Live Evil, Santana's Abraxas, and This Is Madness by The Last Poets.
EDIT:
I updated and adjusted the section now headed with "Availability / Variations," adding a little more information, since I do believe that the album plays slightly different depending on which version you come across.
The album that I've selected in HOOTEROLL?, a 1971 collaboration between keyboardist, Howard Wales and Jerry Garcia.
The year prior to this release, Wales appeared on the Grateful Dead tracks "Candyman," "Brokedown Palace," and "Truckin'" on their American Beauty LP. 1970 also brought The Music Of El Topo, a funky reimagining of Alejandro Jodorowsky compositions from his film that launched the midnight movie phenomenon. That album was released by the project Shades Of Joy, which featured both Wales and a horn section that included Martin Fierro (Quicksilver Messenger Service), who would go on to lend his sax and flute to the HOOTEROLL? recordings, and later play alongside Garcia in the group Legion Of Mary.
The collaborations between Wales and Garcia began in 1970 during free-form improv nights at the historic San Francisco jazz club Keystone Korner, Joining them both during those session and on HOOTEROLL? was bassist, John Kahn, who would go on to become Jerry‘s primary musical cohort outside of the Dead. Kahn was involved in just about every solo venture that the legendary guitarist took, including projects like the bluegrass supergroup Old & In the Way and Legion of Mary; Garcia‘s collaboration with organist Merl Saunders. Khan is also widely blamed for Jerry's issues with heroin, himself overdosing on junk less than a year after Garcia passed away from a fatal heart attack in a rehabilitation center. So... for multiple reasons, this time period was a major turning point in Jerry's life, as it pertained to directions that his life would take independent of his work within the Grateful Dead.
I chose HOOTEROLL? for a couple of reasons, but a major factor is that it's so often overlooked. This isn't surprising, considering that Jerry's first solo effort, Garcia, came out the very same year and overshadowed it with a powerhouse of future Dead favorites like "Sugaree," "Deal," "Birdsong," "The Wheel," and "To Lay Me Down," among others. As for HOOTEROLL?, it's a completely different animal. I posted a little background info, but, beyond that, I'd prefer to err on the side of saying less when it comes to the actual sound and content on this one. In fact, I'd prefer it if there was a way for everyone to simply hear this album for the first time without ever knowing that Garcia's name was even attached to it. I've played this record for Dead fans who immediately respond to it, yet are genuinely surprised when I reveal who is behind it. They don't even recognize his guitar work, until made aware of it. Meanwhile, I expect those who have no experience with the Dead, at all, and especially those who may believe that they dislike Jerry's work, to be fairly surprised by this project. It's a funky one, ya'lls, but there's also variety from one song to the next. If you do take the opportunity to check this out, then you'll see what I'm referring to.
Availability / Variations
I've checked and this should be an easy enough one to locate. I'm sure that they have it on YouTube and I know that it's on Spotify, if nothing else. Depending on what source you use for this, you may get different results. The original album had only 7 songs on it, while the 1987 reissue removed the song "A Trip To What Next," replacing it with a variation titled "Evening In Marin" at the end, tacked on the song "Morning In Marin" to the beginning, and completely mixed up the entire sequencing. The Spotify version, essentially, seems to be the 2010 reissue titled HOOTEROLL? + 2, and has 11 tracks on it, arbitrarily inserting "A Trip To What Next" back into the middle of the deck and adding on 2 live songs with vocals ("She Once Lived Here" and "Sweet Cocaine"), hence the "+2" bit in the title. The only difference seems to be that Spotify has "Sweet Cocaine" renamed as "Blues Encore." Although the order of the songs is completely flipped inside out, I still like this one and how it pushes "Da Birg Song" (the one song that Jerry co-wrote) up toward the beginning, since it closed out the original version, leaving it more likely to be ignored if you didn't make it that far. Plus, there is more music on it, which is an obvious bonus. That being said, bonuses work for me, since I'm already a fan. I was introduced to it as the original 7 track album that starts with "Southside Strut" and has Howard Wales name listed first on the cover. I always saw this as more of a Howard Wales album -- he wrote all of the songs, independently, aside from 2 -- but the the more recent releases move Jerry's name before his and frontload it with songs that may highlight his sound more, in an obvious attempt to capitalize off of his more prominent name. If you really care, maybe the OG is the way to go, because it's more focused and concise presentation of their original vision; then, you can just go back and listen to "Morning In Marin" as a bonus. But... no matter which version you find, I'm hoping it will be just as effective.
Let me know what you think
OH! And the cover art is by Mati Klarwein, who supplied iconic artwork for such albums as Bitches Brew, Live Evil, Santana's Abraxas, and This Is Madness by The Last Poets.
EDIT:
I updated and adjusted the section now headed with "Availability / Variations," adding a little more information, since I do believe that the album plays slightly different depending on which version you come across.
Last edited:
