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May 07, 2025 Web Exclusive By Hays Davis

Roughly a decade after the folk duo Bob and Jerry performed around the Palo Alto, California area, the figures better known as the Grateful Dead’s lyricist Robert Hunter and Dead singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia convened in the fall of 1974 to make their first album together. Where Hunter described the recording of his first album, ’74’s Tales of the Great Rum Runners, as “One huge party [that] went on month after month after month,” Garcia took a considerably more serious approach to the production of Tiger Rose. The result is an album that, while certainly of its time, offers enduring charms in a set of songs that are alternately moving and rollicking.

Backed by a group of musician pals that include Dead drummer Mickey Hart, David Freiberg (Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane/Starship), Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship), mandolinist David Grisman, backing vocals from Dead singer Donna Jean Godchaux, and various contributions throughout from Garcia, Hunter was in good company as he brought these songs to life. Hunter’s enthusiastic vocals match memorably with the breezy bounce of “Tiger Rose,” the wild-eyed “Last Flash of Rock ’N Roll,” and the island lilt of “One Thing to Try,” while the emotional weight of “Rose of Sharon” sets it among his finest recordings. Also available in 1-LP and digital releases, the 2-CD 50th Anniversary deluxe edition includes a bonus disc of alternate versions that dig deeper into the shaping of the songs that became Tiger Rose. (www.dead.net)

Author rating: 7/10