New collection pairs remastered new mix of solo debut with new live version
Bobby Weir celebrated the 50th anniversary of his solo debut, Ace, on stage in April with two special shows at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. On both nights, he performed the entire album live with his group Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, featuring The Wolfpack, a string and brass quintet, pedal steel player Barry Sless, and special guests Tyler Childers and Brittney Spencer. One of those performances will be released early next year in a special edition of Ace that also includes a remastered new mix of the original album.
On January 13th, Ace: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will be released as a 2 CD set and available from digital and streaming services. On the same day, the newly remastered original album will be released on custom “high roller” pearl white vinyl exclusively from Dead.net with a black vinyl version following on February 3rd. The remastered new mix of “Cassidy” is available now digitally.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack also kick off a four-night run tonight (Tues, Oct 11th) at The Kennedy Center, where they will be joined by the National Symphony Orchestra for a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration.
This Friday, the live performance of “Black-Throated Wind” from Radio City Music Hall will be available early – for one day only – as part of a benefit compilation that will raise funds to provide access to abortion care and support independent abortion clinics in America.
Weir joins with other artists donating previously unreleased recordings for the new compilation, which is organized by Good Music and Noise For Now. Net proceeds will go to Brigid Alliance, a referral-based service that provides travel, food, lodging, childcare and other logistical support for people seeking abortions; and Noise For Now, working with Abortion Care Network to support independent abortion clinics.
When Weir started working on Ace at Wally Heider’s Studio in San Francisco in early 1972, he wasn’t planning for the Grateful Dead to be his backing band. It just happened. “I pretty much knew in the back of my mind what would happen,” Weir told Crawdaddy a few months after the sessions. “I go and get the time booked and start putting the material together. Everybody gets wind of the fact I got the time booked, and I may be going into the studio. So, one by one, they start coming around…”
It made sense, the band was already familiar with most of the music, having road-tested six of the album’s eight songs, including “Greatest Story Ever Told,” “Mexicali Blues,” and “Playing In The Band,” destined to become one of Weir’s signature tunes. Ace also marked the beginning of Weir’s long-running collaboration with lyricist John Perry Barlow and includes early standouts “Cassidy” and “Looks Like Rain.”
The liner notes that accompany the new anniversary edition were written by Jesse Jarnow, co-host of The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast and author of Heads: A Biography Of Psychedelic America. He writes about Weir realizing his 50 year dream of touring with strings and horns in 2021 when the Wolfpack joined him and the Wolf Bros on the road.
2 CD
CD 1: Original Album (2022 Remaster)
1. Greatest Story Ever Told
2. Black-Throated Wind
3. Walk In The Sunshine
4. Playing In The Band
5. Looks Like Rain
6. Mexicali Blues
7. One More Saturday Night
8. Cassidy
CD 2: Live at Radio City Music Hall, New York NY (4/3/22)
1. Greatest Story Ever Told featuring Tyler Childers
2. Black-Throated Wind
3. Walk In The Sunshine featuring Brittney Spencer
4. Playing In The Band
5. Looks Like Rain featuring Brittney Spencer
6. Mexicali Blues Intro
7. Mexicali Blues
8. One More Saturday Night
9. Cassidy
