Heaven Help the Fool

Last updated
Heaven Help the Fool
HeavenHelpTheFool.jpg
Studio album by
Bob Weir
ReleasedJanuary 13, 1978
Recorded1977
Genre Rock, country, folk
Length34:43
Label Arista
Producer Keith Olsen
Bob Weir chronology
Live 'n' Kickin'
(1977)		Heaven Help the Fool
(1978)		 Bobby and the Midnites
(1981)

Heaven Help the Fool is the second solo album by Grateful Dead rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, released in 1978. It was recorded during time off from touring, in the summer of 1977, while Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart recovered from injuries sustained in a vehicular accident. Weir returned to the studio with Keith Olsen, having recorded Terrapin Station with the producer earlier in the year. Several well-known studio musicians were hired for the project, including widely used session player Waddy Wachtel and Toto members David Paich and Mike Porcaro.

Contents

Only "Salt Lake City" and the title track were played live by the Grateful Dead, the former in its namesake location on February 21, 1995, [1] and the latter in an instrumental arrangement during their 1980 acoustic sets. [2] Despite this, Weir has continued to consistently play tracks from the album with other bands of his, including RatDog and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros. "Bombs Away" was released as a single and peaked at number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his only solo song to make the chart. [3] The album itself stalled at number 69, one spot behind his previous album, Ace. [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

The Globe and Mail wrote that "Weir is more than just another competent guitarist, but it's easy to see why he sang rarely and didn't account for the band's best tunes... At its best, Heaven Help the Fool provides a slight alternative to California Mellow." [8]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bombs Away" John Perry Barlow, Bob Weir 5:06
2."Easy to Slip" Lowell George, Martin Kibbee3:05
3."Salt Lake City"Barlow, Weir4:04
4."Shade of Grey"Barlow, Weir4:30
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heaven Help the Fool"Barlow, Weir5:30
2."This Time Forever"Barlow, Weir4:09
3."I'll Be Doggone" Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson, Marv Tarplin 3:07
4."Wrong Way Feelin'"Barlow, Weir5:12
Total length:34:43

Credits

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [9] 97

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References

  1. ↑ "Grateful Dead Delta Center - February 21, 1995".
  2. ↑ "Grateful Dead Heaven Help the Fool".
  3. ↑ "Bob Weir". Billboard .
  4. ↑ "Bob Weir". Billboard .
  5. ↑ Planer, Lindsay. "Heaven Help the Fool". AllMusic. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 22, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  7. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 757, 758.
  8. ↑ McGrath, Paul (22 Feb 1978). "Bob Weir". The Globe and Mail. p. F2.
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 334. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
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