Pressed on limited-edition hot-pink vinyl, Reflections (1976) captures Jerry Garcia during a creative period between Grateful Dead albums, when he was exploring his own musical identity outside the band's collective approach. Recorded at His Master's Wheels studio in San Francisco with producer John Kahn (who would become Garcia's closest musical collaborator for the next two decades), the album features a stellar backing band including Nicky Hopkins on piano, Ron Tutt on drums, and Maria Muldaur on vocals. Reflections showcases Garcia's songwriting and his ability to lead a recording project with focus and purpose.

The album balances originals like "Might as Well" (which would become a JGB staple) and "They Love Each Other" with carefully chosen covers including "Catfish John" and Irving Berlin's "I'll Take a Melody." Garcia's guitar work throughout is warm and melodic, with less distortion and more emphasis on clean tone than his Grateful Dead sound. The production emphasizes clarity and definition, with each instrument occupying its own sonic space—a contrast to the Dead's tendency toward collective wash. Hopkins' piano work is particularly notable, providing both harmonic foundation and melodic counterpoint to Garcia's guitar.

What makes this hot-pink vinyl edition collectible is the combination of the music's quality and the visual appeal of the limited-edition pressing. Reflections represents Garcia at a creative peak outside the Grateful Dead's context, working with focused intention on his own material. For Garcia fans who know primarily his Dead work, Reflections reveals the songwriter and bandleader behind the improvisational genius.

Limited edition hot pink vinyl. Released 1976. Produced by John Kahn. His Master's Wheels sessions with Nicky Hopkins and Ron Tutt.