Bobby & the Midnites

by William RuhlmannBobby & the Midnites seemed to offer Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir an opportunity to pursue the more conventionally accessible pop/rock style he had first demonstrated a taste for in his '70s solo albums Ace and especially Heaven Help the Fool. With the exception of a couple of reggae numbers, the Midnites' debut album found Weir playing straight-ahead guitar rock songs with mostly lovelorn lyrics, the only real ringer in the bunch being jazz drummer Billy Cobham, who seemed capable of hitting as many drums per bar as Keith Moon, and with far more control. But Weir's earnest, husky voice and off-center guitar playing did not make for a slick pop approach, and the album came off as a collection of half-baked wannabe-hits from someone who had spent his career finding success by avoiding just such a style.