Jerry Garcia & David Grisman – Bare Bones (3-CD)

Comprising 51 tracks and 35 unique titles, Bare Bones confirms Jerry Garcia and David Grisman did their finest work as an unadorned duo.

Freed from Grisman’s vault after more than three decades, the three volumes - Master Takes; Other Tunes & Arrangements; and Alternate Takes - capture the Grateful Dead leader Garcia and his former Old & in the Way bandmate laying down tracks that would appear with full-band accompaniment on the duo’s studio albums - Garcia/Grisman, Shady Grove, Not for Kids Only and Been All Around this World - and songs from across their respective repertoires.

Garcia is on acoustic guitar, occasionally picks up a banjo and sings lead on virtually all the tracks. Grisman is on mandolin, co-lead and harmony vocals and takes over the mic here and there. They banter about takes, laugh like the old friends they are and wring out the music their spongy personalities had absorbed over the years on “Man of Constant Sorrow,” “The Handsome Cabin Boy,” “Two Soldiers,” “Whiskey in the Jar” and other tunes.

Vol. 1 reveals much the aforementioned LPs pre-adornment. Vol. 2 finds Garcia playing a lot of rhythm guitar and strumming his instrument in an atypical way that reveals another side of his approach to the instrument. Vol. 3 is the most-polished of the bunch and is where the repeats and multiple takes lie; this, however, detracts nothing from its import.

There is no overkill here - every note qualifies as must-hear material. Yet it is the pure joy dripping from the Not for Kids Only cuts that is perhaps the most gratifying as the old pals rekindle their long-dormant friendship and Garcia paints himself as a kind of psychedelic Raffi.

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— Kristopher Weiss, jambands.com

Round Records is proud to reintroduce the recordings of David Grisman and Jerry Garcia with Bare Bones — a collection of duo performances exploring the foundation of their beloved studio recordings. Spanning three discs, the compilation includes original unembellished master recordings, alternate takes, and first performances of classic tunes the duo recorded together. After over 30 years, Grisman has opened the Dawg Vault to curate a collection honoring the magic of their studio works.

Disc 1

1. Walkin' Boss
2. Dreadful Wind and Rain
3. I Truly Understand
4. I'm Troubled
5. When First Unto This Country
6. The Handsome Cabin Boy
7. Casey Jones
8. The Sweet Sunny South
9. Freight Train
10. Jenny Jenkins
11. A Horse Named Bill
12. Arkansas Traveler
13. Hot Corn Cold Corn
14. The Miller's Will
15. There Ain't No Bugs on Me
16. Hopalong Peter
17. Three Men Went A-Hunting

Disc 2

1. Whiskey in the Jar
2. Down in the Valley
3. Bare Bones Prelude
4. Friend of the Devil
5. Grateful Dawg
6. The Sweet Sunny South
7. Take Me
8. Walkin' Boss
9. Dawg's Walz
10. Two Soldiers
11. Little Glass of Wine
12. Teddy Bear's Picnic
13. Arabia
14. Crawdad Song
15. Man of Constant Sorrow
16. Moonlight Bay
17. Drink Up and Go Home

Disc 3 — Alternate Takes & Outtakes

1. Shenandoah
2. When First Unto This Country
3. Walkin' Boss
4. Two Soldiers
5. Freight Train
6. The Sweet Sunny South
7. There Ain't No Bugs on Me
8. Hot Corn Cold Corn
9. The Miller's Will
10. Sweet Sunny South (Banjos)
11. Jenny Jenkins
12. Whiskey in the Jar
13. I'm Troubled
14. Hot Corn Cold Corn
15. Walkin' Boss
16. There Ain't No Bugs on Me
17. When First Unto This Country

UPC: 880882643423
Label: Round Records
Release Date: 12.13.24
Format: CD