Jeff Bridges Outlines Forthcoming Album Featuring Previously Unreleased Material From 1977-78, Compares History of Taping to Deadheads

February 28, 2025

The one and only Jeff Bridges has blown the dust off a collection of music initially recorded in the late 1970s, and prepared an album capturing the period of musical proficiency via Slow Magic, 1977-1978, 11 previously unreleased songs written and recorded by the actor/musician and a gaggle of near and dear friends due out on April 12. As the initial sonic preview, Bridges shares “Obnoxious.”

The songs on Slow Magic were recovered from a decaying cassette marked “July 1978.” According to Bridges’ press release, the set was constructed during a period of reflection for the Hollywood talent, considering his auspicious plunge into Hollywood, rooted in a family practice, and subsequent uncertainty–a period of back-and-forth between a career as an actor or musician.

“I had other interests like music, painting, ceramics, all different kinds of things,” he says. “And my dad would say, ‘Jeff, don’t be ridiculous. That’s one of the great things about acting. You’re going to be called upon to tap into all the talent and different interests you have,’” says Bridges.

The time of deliberation resulted in Bridges’ relocation to the Malibu hills, where he pulled together a group of friends from University High School’s class of 1967: Stan Ayeroff, David Greenwalt, Matthew Bright and Steve Baim. The change in scenery inspired a set of songs that include today’s initial single “Obnoxious,” the enlightened title track “Slow Magic,” and others.

Studio sessions were conducted by songwriter Ken Lauber, who had transferred to LA to work with Bob Dylan and The Band at Malibu’s famed Shangri-La studio. Lauber and Bridges initially met while making the 1975 Western comedy Hearts of the West, working on the film’s soundtrack.

“Jeff was going to Est seminars with Werner Erhard, and that enabled him to get in touch with these psychological underpinnings of his life experiences up to this point,” says Lauber. “I thought he’d honed his writing and singing to a point where it could be recognized as a commercial venture.”

Studio time brought horns from guests Sam “Sluggo” Phipps or Billy Superball, members of theater company The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo, which became Oingo Boingo, and was helmed by composer Danny Elfman. In the studio, Bridges overlapped with Fleetwood Mac while making their famed Tusk LP, where he ran into Burgess Meredith–director Bridges’ sophomore film, 1970’s The Yin & Yang of Mr. Go.

The run-in inspired collaboration, and Meredith’s monologues on “Kong” and “Here On This Island”. Reportedly, “The inspiration for ‘Kong’ came from Jeff’s concept for a sequel to Kong (1976)—when producer Dino De Laurentiis rejected his pitch, Jeff turned it into a song.”

According to the press release, “As Jeff’s fame grew, the old friends continued to meet, generating new songs and accumulating self-recorded tapes traded among themselves like Dead Heads.” In the studio the resulting effect was tracking 1980’s T-Bone Burnett collaboration, Heaven’s Gate, and 2010’s self-titled set. Bridges released his initial solo set in 2000, Be Here Soon. Following Bridges’ involvement in Crazy Heart, he began touring with a live band, The Adbiders, solidifying his status as a multifaceted talent.

“Pretty wild that this thing that happened around 50 years ago wants to bloom,” says Bridges. “I guess weirdness is what’s happening these days. You never can tell what’s gonna happen.”

Listen to “Obnoxious,” below. Visit jeffbridges.com, for more information.