Weir Here – The Best of Bob Weir

Content

Similarly to Birth of the Dead, The album contains two discs – one studio and one live. The studio disc proceeds chronologically, beginning with Weir's first solo effort then including his work in the bands Kingfish, Ratdog, Weir & Wasserman (though the duo is here a trio, augmented by Neil Young), Bobby & the Midnites, and one track by the Grateful Dead. The final track of the disc is from a then-recent appearance on a children's album by Dan Zanes (of Del Fuegos fame). Conspicuous in its absence is Bobby & the Midnites' minor hit "(I Want to Live in) America", the video of which received MTV airplay.

The live disc features a variety of songs from Grateful Dead performances with Weir as the lead singer – though five of the tracks were previously unreleased – and one track by Ratdog (a Dylan cover from a 2003 band rehearsal).

Production & critical reception

The album was compiled by Hybrid Recordings, with final approval by Weir. It is currently out of print. The cover art is by Alton Kelley with liner notes by Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally. The title refers to the focus being on Weir, "speaking up" as the Dead's "secondary" guitarist, and is a pun on "we're here", a reference to the existential element of attending a live Grateful Dead concert (and in general).

In the album's press release, Andrew Clarke of the The Independent called Bob Weir "arguably rock's greatest, if most eccentric, rhythm guitarist." Joel Selvin of the San Francisco Chronicle said, "No major rock star's solo career has ever received less attention than Weir's." He said the album "[shines] some light on Weir's long-term (albeit secondary) solo career", and that "he can let other musicians pick out the material he sings. He doesn't care about that. He is the rarest of musical animals – a hands-off bandleader. It hasn't exactly been a bell-ringing, million-selling solo career, but underachiever Weir has never gotten his due for some genuine high points and a whole lot of good music under his own brand."

Disc 1

1. "Cassidy" (Barlow, Weir) – 3:42
2. "Mexicali Blues" (Weir, Barlow) – 3:27
3. "Looks Like Rain" (Weir, Barlow) – 6:11
4. "Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hunter, Hart) – 7:38
5. "One More Saturday Night" (Weir) – 4:31
6. tracks 1–5 from Ace by Bob Weir
7. "Lazy Lightnin'" (Barlow, Weir) – 3:02
8. "Supplication" (Barlow, Weir) – 2:57
9. tracks 6 & 7 from the self-titled album by Kingfish
10. "Feel Like a Stranger" (Barlow, Weir) – 5:08
11. slightly edited, originally from Go to Heaven by Grateful Dead
12. "Easy to Slip" (George, Kibbee) – 3:06
13. "Wrong Way Feelin'" (Barlow, Weir) – 5:12
14. "Shade of Grey" (Barlow, Weir) – 4:30
15. tracks 9–11 from Heaven Help the Fool by Bob Weir
16. "(I Want to) Fly Away" (Barlow, Weir) – 3:59
17. from the self-titled album by Bobby & the Midnites
18. "Easy Answers" (Bralove, Hunter, Wasserman, Weir, Welnick) – 6:01
19. from Trios by Rob Wasserman
20. "Two Djinn" (Graham, Chimenti, Karan, Lane, McGinn, Wasserman, Weir) – 9:04
21. "Ashes and Glass" (Pessis, Chimenti, Ellis, Karan, Lane, McGinn, Wasserman, Weir) – 5:55
22. tracks 14 & 15 from Evening Moods by Ratdog
23. "Wabash Cannonball" (traditional) – 3:41
24. from House Party by Dan Zanes & Friends

Note

Disc 2

1. "Truckin'" (Hunter, Garcia, Lesh, Weir) – 9:22
2. April 29, 1971, Fillmore East, New York City. Previously released on Ladies and Gentlemen...
3. "Estimated Prophet" (Barlow, Weir) – 11:07
4. March 21, 1990, Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario. Edited version, later released in full on Spring 1990 (The Other One)
5. "Hell in a Bucket" (Barlow, Weir, Mydland) – 6:24
6. October 12, 1989, Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey
7. "Me and Bobby McGee" (Foster, Kristofferson) – 6:04
8. April 24, 1972, Messe Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, West Germany. Later released on Rockin' the Rhein
9. "New Minglewood Blues" (traditional, arr. Weir) – 6:13
10. October 14, 1989, Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Edited version of performance
11. "Man Smart (woman smarter)" (Span) – 4:27
12. July 4, 1989, Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York. Edited version, later released in full on Truckin' Up to Buffalo
13. "Jack Straw" (Hunter, Weir) – 5:05
14. May 26, 1972, Lyceum Theatre, London, England. Previously released on Steppin' Out
15. "Sugar Magnolia" (Hunter, Weir) – 6:00
16. April 25, 1971, Fillmore East, New York City. Previously released on Ladies and Gentlemen...
17. "Throwing Stones" (Weir, Barlow) – 7:53
18. July 26, 1987, Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California. Edited version previously released in full on View from the Vault IV
19. "The Music Never Stopped" (Weir, Barlow) – 8:58
20. July 17, 1989, Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. Previously released on Fallout from the Phil Zone (see also Downhill from Here)
21. "Masters of War" (Dylan) – 5:34
22. March 19, 2003, Ratdog band rehearsal

Notes