Blue Mountain [LP]

by Bob Weir

Overview

Bob Weir never stopped making music but he did back away from his solo career after Heaven Help the Fool, a misbegotten 1978 effort that found the Grateful Dead guitarist attempting to dabble in the sun-splashed surfaces of SoCal soft rock. After that, he retreated to the boogying Bobby & the Midnites, a side project that was abandoned after the Dead scored a hit in 1987 with In the Dark, then after the death of Jerry Garcia, he wandered through several jam bands, settling on RatDog as a vehicle for whatever songs he had. All of this is to say that when 2016's Blue Mountain is called Weir's best album since his 1972 debut Ace -- and it is, without question -- there simply isn't much competition. That said, Blue Mountain does display a level of conscious craft that is rare not only among Weir albums but also the Dead. Credit producer Josh Kaufman -- an associate of the National, who released a weighty Dead tribute called Day of the Dead earlier in 2016 -- and singer/songwriter Josh Ritter, who both worked with Weir to create a lovely, meditative salute to the "cowboy songs" dear to the guitarist's heart. Usually, Bobby's cowboy songs in a Dead set provided a bit of levity but Blue Mountain floats wistfully, sometimes seeming sweet, sometimes seeming sad, but always offering some rustic comfort. It helps that Kaufman dodges the austerity of Rick Rubin's stark recordings for Johnny Cash, nor does he indulge in the murk of Daniel Lanois' collaborations with Bob Dylan: instead, he finds a balance between simple and spacy, a blend that suits Weir well. Against this backdrop -- sometimes consisting of no more than acoustic guitar, sometimes a warm wash of guitar -- Weir sounds weathered and warm, reflective but not mired in nostalgia, not even when he's reviving trail songs or playing with American myths. In that sense, Blue Mountain is very much an extension of his work with the Grateful Dead, particularly Workingman's Dead and American Beauty: he's tapping into legends, then spinning them for the present day. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/30/2016
Label:	Columbia / Columbia/Legacy / Legacy / Roar Records / Sony Music
UPC:	0889853669912
Rank:	48951

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Only a River
2. Cottonwood Lullaby
3. Gonesville
4. Lay My Lily Down
5. Gallop on the Run
6. Whatever Happened to Rose

Disc 2

7. Ghost Towns
8. Darkest Hour
9. Ki-Yi Bossie
10. Storm Country
11. Blue Mountain
12. One More River to Cross

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bob Weir   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Scott Devendorf   Bass,Vocals,Bass (Electric)
Aaron Dessner   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Sam Cohen   Vocals,Pedal Steel,Guitar (Electric)
Jay Lane   Drums,Vocals,Percussion
Rob Burger   Accordion,Omnichord,Orchestra,Vibraphone,Organ (Hammond)
Robin Sylvester   Vocals,Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric),Organ (Hammond)
Ray Rizzo   Drums,Vocals,Harmonica,Percussion,Shruti Box
Steve Kimock   Lap Steel Guitar
Joe Russo   Drums,Percussion
Dan Goodwin   Vocals
Annie Nero   Vocals
The Bandana Splits   Vocals
Nate Martinez   Vocals,Shruti Box,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jon Shaw   Piano,Vocals,Bass (Upright)
Josh Kaufman   Bass,Casio,Drums,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Mandolin,Pedal Steel,Synthesizer,Tenor Banjo,Farfisa Organ,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Nylon String)

Technical Credits

Bob Weir   Composer,Producer
Gretchen Brennison   Direction
Greg Calbi   Mastering
D. James Goodwin   Mixing,Engineer,Photography
Josh Ritter   Composer
Matt Busch   Executive Producer
Steve Fallone   Mastering
Rick Vargas   Engineer,Assistant
Frank Harkins   Design,Art Direction
Jim Parham   Project Director
Christian Calabro   Design,Art Direction
Jeff Schulz   Design,Art Direction
Michael McGinn   Engineer
Bernie Cahill   Executive Producer
Nate Martinez   Engineer
Bella Blasko   Assistant
Jennifer Kirell   Project Director
Chloe Weir   Cover Photo
Josh Kaufman   Composer,Engineer,Producer