Positively Garcia: Reflections of the JGB

This book is a must read for avid Garcia fans. I have listened to recordings of the Grateful Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band for thirty plus years as well as attending several of the shows Mr. Weiner reviews in Positively Garcia. I have read a lot about Jerry. While a dozen or so of the best Jerry Garcia Band shows are reviewed here (often humorously) at length there are several side trips to numerous other concerts and versions of songs such as 6-17-82's stellar version of Valerie to please those whose favorites shows did not make it onto Mr. Weiner's list. While numerous books and resources are available for Dead fans there has always been, up until now, a dearth of material on the JGB. This is the only book/resource that I have seen to discuss the Jerry band (my second favorite band) in all its glory. And best yet, there may be more to come, this being a volume covering the band from 1972 to 1984.Highly recommended.

I liked Howard's book on his experiences with the Jerry Garcia band but can't say I loved it. The main problem with the book, especially the first 60 % or so is that it chronicles each JGB set list and the author's internal conversation with each show. This self indulgent writing style gets old real fast.What Weiner excels at is story telling and when he does so the book becomes a better read. For instance he tells the story of one of his buddies dropping acid before a JGB show and his friend believes he is about to have a heart attack. Like any good dead head Howard convinces a cop to baby sit his friend so Howard can enjoy the show.Towards the end of the book Howard interviews One of the band members Ozzie Ahlers and we learn a few personal details about Jerry and how generous he was. This book needed more interviews with other JGB band members to make it a better rounded read. The JGB had musicians who also played with Elvis Presley and Lawrence Welk think about the fun stories deadheads

Long before the deterioration of music and American culture of the 2000's, there were the early 80s and an America that was still wide open for experience. Jerry Garcia was just one faction of that time and it is so great to recount the experiences of Weens and his unabated love for the music of those times.The guy just oozes Garcia and it is great fun to picture him at these Top 10 JGB Shows jamming out. As society moves further and further from the ideals of Garcia's music, it is important to remember the deeply textured and vibrant music of the early 80s as the nation was starting to transition into general demise in a music sense as well as a cultural sense. Can't get enough of his descriptions of the concerts, and if reading this book doesn't force you to dust off your old bootlegs, I fare the well.

I have always been a huge fan of the Jerry Garcia Band, but my collection has always contained huge holes in the band's history. Positively Garcia is an essential book for any true fan of the Jerry Garcia Band. The book provides an excellent history of the changes in the JGB's playing styles and membership. In addition, it turned me on to an era of the band (1980-1984) that I never knew contained so many amazing shows. One of the things this book ultimately taught me was that Jerry clearly lost a step in terms of his playing after the 1986 coma. There is a clear demarcation between the fluidity and speed with which he played before the coma and the way he played afterwards. An essential read for an Jerry fan.

It was fun to read Weiner's work. He really loves JGB. His descriptions of each show, each song, and each solo made me feel like as I was there with them. This book made me laugh, cheer, and cry.

I love this book. I not only enjoyed reading it, but hunting up the shows rated by Howard on youtube was a revisiting of some great music. The craziness and sheer joy of being "on the road" was captured really well. Brought back some of my own fond memories. Anyone who loved JGB especially those lucky enough to see some of the shows will enjoy this book.

Fellow obsessives go on ahead. He gets minor details wrong but is coming from a good space, and their are a lot of details.

What a terrific book! I love his list of favorite shows (opened me up to '80's JGB after thinking nothing after '78 was worth listening to). His stories of going to shows was more entertaining than I would have thought and his assessment of Garcia as a top musician was spot-on. Well done!!

This is one of several books from HFW I had read. I did like this book, and it certainly gave me a nice list of shows to check out, and it was also nice to read about Howard's days religiously travelling to different venues to watch Jerry in action. I know the shows are Howards opinion, and I was interested reading about each one however, I did baulk at some of them, knowing there are much better shows out there available. The shows listed are purely the ones Howard himself regards as being the best of the bunch etc, which is a shame as it would have been nice to also list and/or comment on shows which are true 5 star, top notch shows which easily highlight why Jerry was, and remains, one of the greatest guitarists out there, and one with not only a unique and easily recognisable sound, yet one with the sweetest, oftentimes, solos. Howard loves Jerry, as do I, ranking him as my favourite guitarist, and certainly one of the most unique and talented I have ever heard. To the casual fan or to someone who may be curious and wish to listen to JGB shows, I am a bit concerned Howard focuses on 1983 a lot, a time where Jerry, as is sadly well documented, was not in the best of health and the grips of a heroin addiction. I have recently heard the Roseland Ballroom show listed hear and, while it is a good 4/5 shows in my opinion, there are better ones out there which have Jerry in pure voice, remembering the lyrics and being in total control of the guitar, shows like 06/03/1976 Seattle, or 20/09/76 Reading, as 2 examples. Howard is being guided by his own love of early 80's shows, when he began following JGB, and I feel the book would have been served better had he at least included other shows which would convert people, potentially, or at least confirm why fans like Howard and I regard Jerry so highly. I realise I'm going off on a tangent slightly, but even Howard's obsession with Jerry having to tear up a song with blistering solos, otherwise a song is deemed almost inadequate. It was strange as anyone who loves and listens to Jerry should know he did his own thing, night after night, and his playing is more about the melody and groove. Blistering solos are only a part of it. Songs like 'my funny valentine' from the Keystone box set are brilliant because of Jerry's skill and jazz playing, not because he goes crazy like he's Van Halen or someone. To expect that from Jerry for nearly every performance is odd, given Howard proclaims to be a mega fan, (which I do not seek to deny). Example being his obsession with Sugaree solo's, particularly the 3rd one. Well, even if Jerry doesn't go ape during a Sugaree solo, who cares? That's jerry. So, back to this book - for super fans and lovers of Garcia, by all means add this book to your collection. For those curious, take some of the book with a pinch of salt. Lastly, I do also lament, as does Howard, at Jerry's poor placing in the Rolling Stone 100 greatest guitarist list. One consolation is, in the 2003 (I believe) one, he was number 13. But I pay little attention to most of those lists as half of them are nonsense and even laughable. I mean, apart from Jerry being 46/100, that same list had no Gary Moore, had Rory Gallagher in a fairly low position, had no Mick Taylor (or so I recall) and had Kurt Cobain as apparently better than Ritchie Blackmore, and George Harrison better than Carlos Santana or, say, Derek Trucks. What next, Mick Mars better than Leslie West???

Very interesting personal reviews of the author's favoured JG Band shows. enjoyable read.

This is for the hardest of the hard cores as the author has selected shows that are not commercially available and I’m pretty sure he thinks that is a badge of honour