Vinyl.com
Jerry Garcia - Ragged But Right (2-LP Vinyl)
Pressed on double vinyl, Ragged But Right compiles rare and unreleased Jerry Garcia solo material spanning multiple sessions and projects from the 1970s and early 1980s. The collection includes outtakes from Garcia's solo album sessions, alternate takes from Jerry Garcia Band recordings, collaborations with John Kahn and Merl Saunders, and material that never found a home on official releases. For Garcia completists and scholars, Ragged But Right provides crucial context for understanding his creative process and the breadth of material he was exploring outside the Grateful Dead.
The compilation reveals Garcia's working method: multiple approaches to the same song, experiments with different arrangements and instrumentation, and collaborations with various musicians that informed his later work. Tracks range from intimate acoustic performances to full-band electric sessions, covering territory from traditional folk and bluegrass to R&B and soul. Garcia's guitar work throughout showcases his versatility—fingerpicking on acoustic numbers, clean electric melodicism on R&B material, and occasional bursts of the psychedelic exploration he brought to Dead performances.
What makes Ragged But Right essential is how it fills gaps in the Garcia discography, providing material that helps connect the dots between his various projects and approaches. The double vinyl format allows the collection to breathe across four sides, with selections sequenced to show the range of Garcia's interests rather than chronological order. For fans who know Garcia's official releases, this compilation reveals the experiments and explorations that informed his better-known work.
Double LP vinyl. Rare and unreleased material. Outtakes and alternate takes from 1970s-early 1980s sessions. Garcia completist essential.