Dark Star
Grateful Dead, 1969, from Live/Dead. Solo by Jerry Garcia.
The Live/Dead version drifts for over twenty minutes as Garcia's lines weave around Phil Lesh's bass.
On Live/Dead, Dark Star is less a song than a space the band enters together, and Jerry Garcia's guitar is the thread you follow through it. His lines are light and exploratory, often built from small modal cells that he turns over and repeats while Phil Lesh's bass answers from below. There is no conventional solo with a start and finish; instead, themes appear, dissolve and return, and the brief verses feel like landmarks in a long drift. The recording became a touchstone for anyone interested in collective improvisation in rock. Listen for the passages where Garcia drops almost to a whisper, letting the other players steer, before gently reasserting a melodic idea that pulls everyone back toward the main theme.
Dark Star by Grateful Dead is featured in our Jam (#3), Psychedelic (#17) lists. The solo is played by Jerry Garcia and the song was released in 1969.
In our lists
- Beyond the Canon — #18
- The 25 Greatest Jam Band Guitar Solos — #3
- The 25 Greatest Psychedelic Guitar Solos — #17
- Greatest Live Solos — #20
- The Best Grateful Dead Guitar Solos — #1
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on Dark Star?
Jerry Garcia played the solo on Grateful Dead's Dark Star (1969).