Acoustic or electric, solo or side project; Jerry Garcia was prolific during his breaks from the Grateful Dead. Between 1972 and 1982, Garcia recorded five historic studio albums and jammed with a revolving cast of musicians in the Jerry Garcia Band. Rhino/J.Garcia Records salute the rich talents of an incomparable music icon with the first-ever compilation spotlighting Garcia's solo work. Highlights from his five solo studio records provide the foundation of the first disc, while the second disc serves as a comprehensive compilation of seminal solo performances dating from the early '70s all the way into the '90s. Featuring remastered versions of studio tracks, the first disc pulls 16 key songs from all of Garcia's solo albums -- Garcia, Compliments, Reflections, Cats Under The Stars and Run For The Roses. The second disc contains ten live gems from performances by a range of Jerry Garcia Band lineups including an unreleased cover of The Beatles' "Dear Prudence" performed by Reconstruction, a short-lived but noteworthy R&B/jazz group fronted by Garcia. Arranged chronologically, THE VERY BEST OF JERRY GARCIA spotlights five songs written by Garcia and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter that originally appeared on Garcia's debut: "Deal," "Bird Song," "Sugaree," "Loser" and "The Wheel." The first disc also features multiple tracks from Garcia's other four solo albums, including an eclectic mix of covers including Allen Toussaint's "I'll Take A Melody," Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock," Irving Berlin's "Russian Lullaby," Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," and Clyde McPhatter's "Without Love." The second disc of live recordings opens with "Catfish John," a track Garcia and longtime collaborators Vassar Clements, David Grisman, John Kahn, and Peter Rowan recorded in 1973 under the moniker Old & In The Way. The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band is featured on a pair of 1987 recordings -- "Deep Elem Blues" and "Ripple." The majority of the disc is dedicated to the Jerry Garcia Band, which is spotlighted on half-a-dozen tracks including "Deal" from 1980, "Gomorrah" from 1990 as well as covers of Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" (1977) and Los Lobos' "Evangeline" (1990), and a pair of Dylan covers -- "Positively 4th Street" and "Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)."
Disc 1: Deal Sugaree Bird Song The Wheel Let It Rock Russian Lullaby Tragedy Think Might As Well Mission In The Rain I'll Take A Melody Rubin & Cherise Cats Under The Stars Rhapsody In Red (Alternate Version) Run For The Roses Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Disc 2: That's All Right, Mama (Live, 1973) Expressway To Your Heart (Live, 1972) He Ain't Give You None (Live, 1974) That's What Love Will Make You Do (Live, 1975) After Midnight (Live, 1976) The Night The Drove Old Dixie Down (Live, 1977) Dear Prudence (Live, 1979)