Other performances with which I was especially impressed include the very folky "Catfish John," the plaintive "Senor," Irving Berlin's classic "Russian Lullaby," Clyde McPhatter's R&B standard "Without Love," and the rocking "Evangeline." Even so, there's not a bad song on these two discs. I'm sure that each listener will discover his or her favourites.
Depending on who's listening, the 26 tracks on this release may or may not be "The Very Best of Jerry Garcia" as the title suggests, however they do present a solid retrospective of Garcia's career. For collectors, for fans, for hard-core Deadheads, and for those who may just be curious about this man and his work, I recommend giving this double set a listen.
You can learn more about Jerry Garcia and his art at the Pure Jerry website. This website also includes a Pure Jerry Sampler page where you can download six songs (one disc) in mp3 format or listen to an entire set of songs culled from the Pure Jerry series in the summer of 1995. There's also a comprehensive biography of Jerry Garcia at Wikipedia. Gordon Hake has created a website In Memoriam for Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) which includes many interesting links. You can find the latest information about The Grateful Dead at the Official Site of the Grateful Dead. You'll find some limited information about this release along with clips of all the songs at the Rhino store.
The Very Best of Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Rhino Records
2006
26 tracks
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
it's true. Jerry was extremely eclectic in his tastes. jazz, bluegrass, folk, old-timey music...it all contributed to his unique sound.
2 - Mat Brewster
Indeed. The guy was like a living encyclopedia of music.