[caspersvapors]

really wanted to?


I mean I was watching this ratdog clip of him playing Estimated and I wonder if he ever gets sick of playing the same rhythm chops hes been doing for like 30 years. I mean hes been playing guitar so long, its absurd to think he couldnt play lead if he really wanted to right?

[shakedown_04092]

Bobby isn't really a "rhythm" player per se, so much as he is a guitarist. His entire career has been spent trying to manipulate the guitar in different ways, and rarely do you see him sitting back and strumming away like some bumpkin guitarist or something. And he does get into leads on many songs, just not your typical solo type stuff that stands out there and says "hey look at me solo". But as for a straight up "lead" player, I don't think he wants to do something like that. But if he did attempt it I think he'd be kind of clumsy at being that kind of player. Just my 2 cents.

[ebick]

I saw him in an early post-Jerry Ratdog show and he attempted to play some lead.......wasn't pretty,

[BlobWeird]

I saw him at Summerstage I think the year before last and he came out for the band that opened for Ratdog and did a little lead in a song of theirs. I cant remember if it was good or bad but it was definitely cool to see him try.

[lostsailor8782]

I don't really know what you consider lead ... Bobby has never sat back and spent alot of time comping chords ... listen to the work he does in the 80's on such songs ... Terrapin, Loser, Althea ... especially on Loser ...he sits back and wails on the slide ... If you really listen Bobby did alot of stuff you would probably consider "lead" he just wasn't way up in the mix ... Bobby has got some serious chops .. for example ..theres a few Dead cover bands in every major city in America .. I have heard most of them and played in a few over the past 25 years ...The reason one of them stands out, Dark Star Orchestra, is because Rob Eaton, who plays Bobby's parts, is one of the most talented musicians you will EVER come across .... every other band has some guy laying back playing the chords how they are laid out in Anthology or some other song book ... Grateful Dead music doesn't require a per se rhythym guitarist ... come on .. you got two drums bass and keys, you got plenty of rythym .. plus Jerry usually sat back and strummed his own rythym while he sang... Bobby had to find shit to do .. Rob Eaton of DSO nails Bobby's parts and thats why when you listen to them they got that sound ... everybody else takes Bobby's parts for granted .. the easy parts ... the easy parts my ass !!!!!!!!

[tigerstrat]

Check out Bobby's post-Playin'/pre-Drums jam on 4/14/82 (incidentally 25 years ago to the day)... Bobby digs in and gets into some nearly Jerryesque gritty/bluesy leads like I've never heard before or since. It's definitely Bobby playing- both Jerry and Phil have left the stage and it's one of those semi-rare Bob/Brent jams before the Drums take over.

Bob's definitely the most underrated musician of the Grateful Dead. As Jerry put it, Bob's parts often provided the only context in which the improvisations of Jerry and Phil made any sense... maybe he meant to add "to each other", because I'd probably still think it made sense (I love some of those Hartbeats jams anyway)!! The mortar for the jam-masonry...

[lostsailor8782]

Listening to the 4-14-82 Playin right now ... NICE !!

[IamDocWatson]

bob takes "leads" in casey jones, fotd, china>rider...and probably more, he also does alot of slide leads nowadays....also every song where jerry is just strumming chords i guess he is playing "lead" fills...bobs licks in the intro and verses of terrapin are amazing....

i think he would simulate the rhythm through a melody if he took leads...it would be more rhytmic less is more type of lead which is cool, but probably not what u mean by "lead" assuming your speaking of a soaring jerry noodle sesh....

but bob knows the fretboard through and through im sure he could do anything he can come up with mentaly

[bodiddley]

I was listening to a GD tune yesterday (can't remember which one...too many) But in particular I was listening intently to everything Bob was doing and I thought to myself that he didn't play a typical straight chord through the whole thing.He has a totally unique approach...untraditional as it may be. His tone on the other hand often left something to be desired, IMO.

[caspersvapors]

ok when I say "lead," I mean straight soloing like Jerry. Yes he does take lead in certain songs at certain times (i.e. China/Riders) but hes still playing rhythm chops

[Rev_Roach]

Bobby's "rhythm" playing sure is creative. I have an extremely hard time watching him and trying to figure out what he does since he uses so many different voicings that I am not used to.

Of course it varies from song to song and day to day, but do any of you know some of the chord shapes Bob typically uses?

[lostsailor8782]

I was listening to a GD tune yesterday (can't remember which one...too many) But in particular I was listening intently to everything Bob was doing and I thought to myself that he didn't play a typical straight chord through the whole thing.He has a totally unique approach...untraditional as it may be. His tone on the other hand often left something to be desired, IMO.

Oh yea ..the last few years of the Dead Bobby hod gotten out of contril with his effects and some of his tones were just horrible .. really thin and metallic sounding and all broken up it got ugly at times

[Shooster]

Bobby wails on Easy Wind. If you listen closely you can defintely hear Bobby come out and play some badass lead. (Or you can see it on the extras of Festival Express).

Also, He rules the inbetween on China>Rider. He's not just "comping" rhythm, he's going on a balls out lead.

I think alot of people miss his playing because it's so different from Jerry's. His stuff seems alot more like phrasing to me. Check Friend of the Devil on Closing of Winterland to see what I mean.

[strumminsix]

IMO, Bobby can play lead very well but in his own style. I've yet to hear him improvise to the degree Jerry has or maybe some other jamband lead guitarists have like Warren or Trey but as a lead guitarist I think he does it well.

I'm of the opinion that he just doesn't like it as much as he likes short phrasings and his unique fills and his own style of rhythm.

[Billbbill]

I really like the early 70's stuff he'd done on HTH and the China>Rider transitions. He's definitely a less is more kind of lead player.