It’s the perfect mix between the soft tone he has in 73-74, and the harsh cutting tone he’s had afterwards. His tone in 73-74 is super jazzy sounding, while this one has more of that cowboy sound, without the piercing, grinding metallic sound he developed in later years
@@GratefulAmericansis the a good isolated video showing off his hated later era tone? ive mostly listened to 60’s and early 70’s dead and love bob’s tone for rhythm, people have been saying his tone later sucks and is too piecing and thin n shrill. was curious what it sounded like cause i wanna get better at dialing in a tone
@@kaboomerty1638 in terms of isolated I’m not sure, though I heard there’s a website somewhere where you can isolate any instrument from a wide array of shows. I’m not sure what it is or if that’s even true though. But I’d say if there’s a late 80’s or 90’s isolated Bobby you’ll probably hear it. Otherwise, just listen to a dead and co show. It won’t be isolated but you’ll hear it. Sometimes his rhythm playing sounds to me like a prison cell door slamming shut. CLUNK! There is something trippy about it though, but I do think his tone isn’t for everyone
Without question, the most underrated guitarist in rock and roll. Not given nearly enough credit for his approach to the instrument. The voice leading, inversions and counter point is masterful. Thanks for posting.
I don't think he was underrated, I think he did a really good job of keeping his ego in check. Plus, he was playing with Jerry, who absolutely ruled every song...Bob reinvented rhythm guitar in my opinion. He's my favorite musician.
@@jakecornett7121Jake I love the dead but how is this true? There are much better vocalist than bob in rock and roll, but none of them play those funky jazz piano voicings :)
He's totally underrated, and I would dare say he's underappreciated by a lot of fans... also, to say he plays rhythm guitar does a disservice, just listen to this isolated thing. He plays lead ... I would call it "second guitar" LOL... I think he cooled off later but if you listen to some of this early Dead from the early seventies, before they had enough guitar effects to really differentiate them, and when Bob I guess was really trying to prove a point, there are times where you honestly can't tell who's who between him and Jerry... you'll hear this on things like the China Rider Jam
I never payed any attention to Bob until about 6 months ago when I heard his iso tracks on RU-vid. This guy is the epitome of losing your ego for the betterment of the band.
Bobby was so ahead of his time, a very young member of the band and painting such beautiful lines. Basolutely amazing work, and it's no wonder why Jerry loved playing with him.
He's playing both lead and rhythm. I never knew he had such dynamo in this song. I'll tell you what....nobody plays guitar like Bob fuckin Weir. WRS is a masterpiece. Heaven Help the fool is also an incredibly creative song.
@@MrHilljohntimothy agreed, I used to be a Jerry stan but after playing in a few cover bands and really studying Bobby's parts, I think he, Phil and Kreutzmann were the true geniuses. Jerry was great, but TBH lead players are a dime a dozen. Having a truly talented and enthusiastic rhythm player is far more valuable.
From being nearly kicked out of the band to really learning and growing into a great guitarist for the band is what I really appreciate about Bobby. Away from his band, like sitting in with other bands, he doesn’t seamlessly fit as he has to rely on Dead type songs to really seem comfortable. He is a good guitarist but it takes work for him and his work ethic is stellar.
Technically Second at this time, because it was only billy for a couple years including this. Because they got ripped off by ol’ Lenny. But i get what your saying
@Mike I think his sound turned toward distortion in the early 90s but it's downright screechy during wolf bros sets. He's more reserved and twangy for big shows like Dead/Co and these symphony shows but other times its rather tinny. That said hes still my hero and I love him, however he dials it in.
Bob and Jerry really played well together. Sometimes, listening to the full recording, it's hard to tell where Jerry leaves off and Bob slips in notes that help define the song. His choice of chord voicings is amazing in the way he changes register depending on what he wants to emphasize. Playing lower here and higher there. His right hand rhythm drives the song or holds it in suspension then he'll drop in small licks that blend with Garcia and broaden the overall sound. And don't forget the sound dynamics he uses by going from an almost soft and delicate touch to hard driving. I've played a campfire version of "Bertha" before but Bob's pro level musicianship shows what a true rhythm guitar player does and contributes to a song. His playing gave Jerry a solid and interesting counterpoint to play off. I know a lot of people would like to be lead guitarists but I also know a lot of lead guitarists need other solid players to fully do what they hope to do. Thanks Bob!
He’s in the mix, though it doesn’t quite as cut through compared to something like Phil’s bass. It’s a matter of honing in on it to notice his playing.
I love listening for Bobby's part in every song... If I can pick it out it's a sign I'm really in tune with the music. Brown eyed women on Cornell has some gorgeous chime like tones, and I love the arpeggiated sections of MHBTR on reckoning
Those who say he sucks (well, okay, maybe he kinda does NOW) just suck at LISTENING (i.e. to the right channel of nearly all Dead recordings from at least '69 to '74). This might shut them up. Most original - and one of the best - rock rhythm guitarists ever.
bobby is still pretty damn good. i mean the dude is like 75 years old. in '72 he was 24 or 25. damn if this isnt exceptionally good tho. i totally agree, bob is not only the most original rock rhythm guitarist, he is also the most underrated!
@@jamesball5743 Bullshit that Jerry wrote all his parts. The diabolical 'China Cat' riff, yeah, but what else? 'Sage & Spirit'? Jerry wouldn't have even been able to PLAY that (Bobby likely can't anymore, either). Meanwhile, I didn't suggest that THIS was great; it is clear that I meant '69 to '74. So let's be real.
Do people actually say he sucks? I had a bunch of Grateful Dead shoved at me in college many years ago, and to be honest I was never really a fan, other than of a few of the more upbeat numbers-like Bertha for instance. Full disclosure, I was (and am again) a metalhead, so I was all about flashy guitar solos. Having said that I always thought they were all solid players, I just had trouble separating out who was doing what. I read an interview with Bob Weir and he talked about psychoacoustics and emphasizing melody lines within the chords and other stuff like that. I always wanted him to take a long solo just for variety and so I could get a better idea for what his playing was like. Hearing this, a lot of what I thought was “lead guitar” is Bob throwing in those flourishes. I figured they were just really intertwining their parts, but I didn’t ever grasp the extent. I love the insight these isolated tracks provide. And pretty off topic, but he was always my favorite lead singer of the Dead too.
I wish Bobby would never have switched guitars - and I'm saying that as someone who has a personal vendetta against Gibson because my 1st gen Nighthawk turned out to be a POS and their "Good as Gold" warranty meant nothing - I traded it for a Cannondale mountain bike! Ooops, Ranted there. But this sound is so sweet. Love it in a deep bubbling Playin' - and China > Rider... 'nough said!
When he just came to town he had literally one of the worst medium heavily distorted non sustaining ICEPICK tones I've ever heard. Sounded like an overloaded solid state modeling amp or pedal. 51 years after he had it all in the bag! a real head scratcher...
I've always been a big fan of Weir's playing. Hard to pick out a lot of the time, but almost always very interesting and sounds great. He does a whole lot more than play rhythm guitar. I'm the only person in the world who likes his playing better than Jerry's.
His playing actually got weirder and more insane. I love what he did with the tremolo bar in '84. Problem was Dan Healy turned him down in the live mix for some personal reasons and it was hard to hear what he was doing at times.
@@flazjsg I feel that Keith was also turned way down, and I don’t believe the story of his playing was uninspired or crappy towards the end, he wasn’t allowed to play high up bc understandably it would interfere w Jerry’s solo but I just don’t know why they never took turns like jazz improv and jerry sit back for like a round or two and let Keith play a higher register solo?! I’m a guitar player mainly inspired by jerry but the more I listen I think he could’ve dropped low and jammed and traded but he didn’t, like a 20 min jam he was lead solo, I know unpopular opinion- personally I think Keith learned to play like jerry lines and he wasn’t having it- I’ve heard it in some early 79 recordings
I'd say his playing with Furthur and everything after was diminished, but he was still great way into the 80's and 90's IMO. Listen to Not Fade Away from 12-26-79 or the Scarlet/Fire from 6-21-84. Dude was blazing a trail.
@@oddible Maybe he's allowed to express an opinion without you managing it. I agree with the guy -- it's like he was amazing until the hiatus, then kind of stopped caring.
Sounds good ! I saw this show - Roosevelt stadium Jersey City NJ summer 72 and September 26-28 in my childhood movie theater the Stanley theater Jersey City - tripping
