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Ratdog
Evening Moods
(Arista)
The Music Box's #7 album for 2000
First Appeared at The Music Box, December 2000, Volume 7, #12
Written by John Metzger
After hearing many of Bob Weir's new songs during his 1999 Fall tour,
it was clear that Ratdog would make statement once it got around to recording
its debut. There was no question that the band had amassed a solid body of
material worthy of official release. Still, it was impossible not to wonder whether these expectations
would be met.
After all, the Grateful Dead
had struggled, at times, in the studio, and for
the most part, Weir's solo outings fell even further from the target. Since its release in 1972, his
debut Ace long has been heralded as his best. It was a solid effort that
occasionally managed to
capture some of the magic of the Grateful Dead's live performances. Yet, it still fell a bit flat, and nothing
since has really come close to topping it — until now.
Simply put: Evening Moods is the best solo record that Bob Weir has ever
made. The real story, however, is that he damn near tops the Grateful Dead's own studio output as
well. Granted, his former band's American Beauty and Workingman's Dead albums will
never be beat. They're classics. But if you don't think Evening Moods surpasses the rest —
and kindly remove any personal attachment you have to the actual songs and examine only the
renditions that appear on these releases — you have to admit that, at the very least, it comes
awfully close.
Bob Weir forever has stood in the shadow of Jerry Garcia — so much so that he's
long been overlooked by critics and Deadheads alike. In addition, on his past solo efforts (with the
exception of Ace), Weir often seemed to be running away from the Grateful Dead's sound. It
was as if he was trying to make his own statement by deliberately shying away from that which was
most familiar. As a result, these albums often seemed disjointed, and Weir just didn't seem
comfortable.
On Evening Moods, however, Weir finally finds his voice and comes into his
own. This is his band. These are his songs. And with the exception of Corrina, the Grateful
Dead machine had nothing to do with their formation. Perhaps that is why Weir has finally turned to
his experiences with the Dead to shape and color the material on this recent effort. In fact, most
Deadheads will find themselves quite at home with many of the tracks on Evening Moods. Bury Me Standing bears a passing resemblance to West L.A. Fadeaway; Ashes and Glass
is a worthy sequel to Throwing Stones and contains an introduction that sounds like a segment
from Dark Star; and the jam that winds its way out of October Queen could easily be
labeled as The Other One. In addition, on several occasions, the songs are linked together, in
true Grateful Dead fashion, with musical interludes that stretch the tracks to their limits.
Yet, it's not accurate to simply paint Evening Moods as a Grateful Dead
album. October Queen begins by conveying an old-time blues ambience much like Weir's duet
work with bassist Rob Wasserman; Ratdog fits Odessa with a rambunctious horn section straight
from the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers era; and Jeff Chimenti's piano embellishments on
Welcome to the World draw from Nicky Hopkins' work with the Stones. More importantly, Weir
brings his own sense of style and purpose to this release in a way that has never really been
captured in the studio. Each of these songs is a signature Bob Weir selection — molded to fit his
musical vision in an honest and relaxed fashion. Consequently, Evening Moods' 74-minute
duration glides by effortlessly, and it's an album that both avid and casual Deadheads
ought to celebrate. 
Evening Moods is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2000
The Music Box
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