Bob Weir’s 2016 studio set Blue Mountain will be celebrated with an expanded digital deluxe edition this fall. The new version of cross-generational, roots-leaning record, which was released 10 years ago today, will be issued on November 20 via Rhino/WMG, featuring previously unreleased recordings, live performances and other new offerings. The Blue Mountain album anniversary celebration will officially begin today, however, with a pre-order for a new 2LP pressing of the original Blue Mountain on 180-gram black vinyl. It will be available exclusively at Dead.net on October 16, Weir’s birthday.
In advance of Blue Mountain: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition’s November release, Weir’s team has dropped a live version of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” from the set. The cover was recorded at Mobile, AL’s Saenger Theatre in 2016 during the Campfire Tour, which found Weir on the road with Blue Mountain producer Josh Kaufman, Steve Kimock, Jon Shaw, and The National’s Bryan Devendorf and Scott Devendorf. National guitarist Aaron Dessner also joined in on select dates.
Recorded at locations on both coasts during the spring and fall of 2015, Blue Mountain brought Weir together with a wide-ranging group of musicians from both his world and Kaufman’s inner circle, including engineer Dan Goodwin. Tracks like “Only a River,” “Gonesville,” “Lay My Lily Down” and “Blue Mountain,” which were written with Josh Ritter, were intended to recall Weir’s cowboy-country roots.
“Having the chance to work intimately with Bobby Weir on his album Blue Mountain was a dream for me. He was so open throughout the process, and his collaborative spirit was on full display at every session and with every musician we brought into the fold,” Kaufman said in a statement. “Working on this 10-year anniversary edition has really brought me back to that feeling... Here’s to you Ace! Thanks for the adventures and the music.”
Blue Mountain was both Weir’s first solo record since 1978’s Heaven Help the Fool and his first studio album since RatDog’s 2000 release, Evening Moods. The set turned out to be the final solo LP he released during his lifetime, though he did issue some recordings with Wolf Brothers. For more on the sessions, be sure to order our recent special edition of Relix and revisit our 2016 Blue Mountain profile.
