China Cat Sunflower

Grateful Dead, 1972, from Europe '72. Solo by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir.

On Europe '72 the transition into I Know You Rider shows Garcia and Weir's interlocking guitar parts at their best.

On Europe '72, China Cat Sunflower is as much about the journey between songs as the song itself. Jerry Garcia's lead is bright and nimble, full of darting runs, while Bob Weir's unusual chord voicings and counter-lines fill the spaces around it. The two guitars interlock so closely that it can be hard to tell where one part ends and the other begins. The celebrated transition into I Know You Rider, with its rising, repeating guitar figure, shows the band's collective improvisation at its most joyful and purposeful. Listen for the passage where Garcia and Weir lock into the same pattern from different angles, building a spiralling momentum that carries the band into the next song.

China Cat Sunflower by Grateful Dead is featured in our Jam (#15) list. The solo is played by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and the song was released in 1972.

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Jam Band Guitar Solos — #15
• Greatest Live Solos — #24
• The Best Grateful Dead Guitar Solos — #4

Sources