Reviews of Grateful Dead records are invariably written by those who've been touched by that mysterious and–to me–incomprehensible power-to-enchant that exists somewhere in the Dead's galaxy. I half-fidgeted, half-slept through the one Dead marathon-set I attended. Their records, with the exception of a couple of tunes on American Beauty and "Dark Star" on Live Dead, don't get to me. As a rock & roll band and at their best (for example, on the above-mentioned live track), the band can be excitingly innovative but they could also be mighty dull; as a country-folk ensemble, the Dead have demonstrated their lack of vocal strength and their propensity to fall asleep at the wheel. Even to some of their devotees, the Dead have seemed to be running down. Perhaps the recent lack of dynamism is what prompted Garcia and Weir to record LPs of their own.

Unlike the Garcia effort, Weir's album is a departure from either the electric or lazy Grateful Dead shtick. And unlike either the Garcia or recent Dead efforts, Ace boasts some vitality. Weir's voice may not be distinguished, but it's a damn sight stronger than Garcia's, both physically and dramatically. Ace is the best Grateful Dead album to appear since Live Dead. This is not to say it's any kind of outstanding achievement: there isn't a single memorable song on the whole first side, and Weir displays more enthusiasm and general likeableness than stylistic clarity or consistency in a good many instances. Still, the album is a positive step for Weir, and it bodes well for the continued viability of the Grateful Dead as a productive unit.

The eight songs were all written or co-written by Weir; in general, the performances– by the basic group of Weir on guitar, bassist Lesh, drummer Kreutzmann, pianist Godchaux, and Garcia outshine the material. The one really nice song is "Looks Like Rain," the cowboy flavor of which is underscored by a mournful vocal by Weir (his best ever), an understated string section and melancholy pedal steel by Garcia. "One More Saturday Night" is a solid Chuck Berry-style rouser driven by Godchaux's frantic piano playing and Weir's sturdy rhythm guitar. The horn section that enters the track in midstream unnecessarily clutters things but isn't in itself unpleasant. "Cassidy" is pushed along by Weir's ringing acoustic rhythm work and embellished by Donna Godchaux's coy backing vocals. These three relatively strong tracks are grouped together on side two. The remaining song on the side, "Mexicali Blues," which has a similar flavor to the Steve Miller Band's "Hot Chili," includes a hokey Herb Alpertflavored brass section that unfairly steals the scene from Godchaux's equally spirited and much more artful piano playing, and from another good cowboy vocal posture by Weir.

The only notable thing on side one, other than the consistently impressive playing by the Dead, is a lyrical instrumental section in the middle of "Playing in the Band," distinguished by a wah-wah guitar solo that provides the one poetic moment on the album. Although it has the stark linearity of a Garcia run, the solo has a rough and searching quality to it, and I prefer to think that it's Weir. Whoever it is saves the side from total mediocrity.

So Ace is only half good. Even so, it has more life to it than any other Grateful Dead project of the last few years. Weir is young and smart and seems willing to take chances– he's the leader the Dead might need for self-renewal. (RS 116)

BUD SCOPPA