Along with
Bobby Weir's
Ace (1972) and
Jerry Garcia's Garcia (1972),
Mickey Hart (percussion) issued his debut solo in 1972. Some unfortunate business dealings involving his father Lenny Hart -- who briefly managed the
Grateful Dead -- resulted in
Mickey extricating himself from the band in 1971. However none of the other members blamed
Mickey and remained supportive of his sabbatical. It was as a result of suddenly having some time off the road that the
Rolling Thunder project was completed -- primarily in the barn of his Novato, California ranch. Unlike
Garcia and
Weir,
Hart ventured beyond the confines of the
Dead for support, featuring a bevy of rock and roll heavies -- many of whom were also fellow Bay Area residents. The results are uniformly inspired and are the closest that the percussionist would come to recording a ‘traditional' pop/rock album until the release of
Mickey Hart's Mystery Box (1996) over two decades later. The disc begins with a traditional Native American invocation courtesy of
Rolling Thunder himself. This leads into a marimba duet which is followed by Allah Rahka and
Zakir Hussain's hypnotic rain sticks. Their percussive downpour segues into a seminal version of "Playing In The Band" which is titled "The Main Ten" in reference to the song's time signature. In addition to
Dead mate
Weir (vocals/rhythm guitar), the track also features
Stephen Stills (bass),
John Cipollina (guitar), the
Tower Of Power horns, as well as legendary jazz percussionist
Carmelo Garcia (timbales). With the notable exception of the formidable brass section, the
Dead's early arrangements correlate with
Hart's interpretation. "Pump Song" is the only other track to have been incorporated into the
Dead's repertoire. It was inspired by the rhythms inherent in an actual water pump located on
Hart's ranch -- which can be heard during the intro. After a few minor rearrangements, the
Dead worked it up as the "Greatest Story Ever Told". There are several other stunningly original compositions on
Rolling Thunder, among them are "Blind John -- which was the a-side (b/w "Pump Song") of the only 7" single to be extracted from the long player. This folkie flavoured number features
Jefferson Airplane -- soon-to-be-
Jefferson Starship members
Grace Slick (piano/vocals),
Paul Kantner (vocals) and
David Freiberg (guitar/vocals) as well as
Barry Melton(guitar/vocals) from
Country Joe & The Fish. The equally intriguing full-blown rockers "Young Man" and especially the instrumental "Deep, Wide and Frequent" are worth mentioning as they contain some of the album's most aggressive performances. The latter track is also highlighted by a quartet of lead guitarists including
Jerry Garcia, Robbie Stokes,
John Cipollina and from the
Sons Of Champlin,
Terry Haggerty. Deadhead or naught, classic rock enthusiasts are encouraged to seek out this somewhat obscured classic. ~ Lindsay Planer