Yesterday was Jerry solo and today balances that out with some solo Bob Weir.
I never could get into Ratdog. I saw them once (4/14/01 at the Royal Oak Music Theatre) but the show didn’t do much for me, even with a Help > Slip > Franklin’s to end the show. They did play Ashes & Glass that evening, and I remember someone I knew from high school recommended the song to me, but at that point it just didn’t click.
One of the things that turned me off to Ratdog was the sax player in the band. I just don’t think rock music warrants sax on every song. Here and there, yes that’s fine. If you’re doing a blues/R&B thing like the Tedeschi Trucks Band, I can understand the horn section, or like when Allen Toussaint wrote horn charts for The Band for Rock of Ages. But a single sax on every song? I’ll pass.
When I finally got around to listening to this album again a few years ago, this time with a more open mind toward Bobby, I discovered there were a number of tunes that I really dug. Ashes & Glass is one of the pack leaders in that regard. Of course, it really makes me think of Throwing Stones too because both utilize the nursery rhyme motif. I’m a fan of Throwing Stones so I think that connection helped bring me around to this song as well, in some odd way.
