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I have to believe the addition of “Book of Rules” to the Ratdog songbook may have something to do with a conversation that Bob, Mark and I had off the air during their KPFA appearance 5/31. The inevitable requests for “Monkey and the Engineer” and “My Brother Esau” came in on the phone, and while some music was playing I put in my own vote in favor of “Esau.” I recalled a long night at Phil’s house long ago when Bob explained the song to us, and I also noted that it really took off after Phil cribbed the bass line from “Book of Rules.” That didn’t get us an “Esau,” but it seems to have gotten Mark and Bobby interest in “Book of Rules.”

For those who aren’t familiar with it, “Book of Rules” is a reggae song made popular by the Heptones. It appears on the first Bobby and the Midnites album, released in 1981 and reissued on CD a while back.

Nice Bob Weir interview by Paul Liberatore in Friday’s Marin Independent Journal, previewing Ratdog’s appearance at the Harmony Festival that night.

Regarding Vince’s suicide:

“It’s nothing but sad,” Weir says from his Mill Valley home.

“I wish I were qualified to have been of more help to him, but I’m not. All I could be was his friend.”

And I liked this quote, too:

As a founder of the Grateful Dead, the inspirtation for the new generation of jam bands, Weir is treated with a certain reverence that he’s not all that comfortable with.

“I prefer not to be seen as an elder statesman, as a godfather, I prefer to be seen as a game pup ready to let her rip,” he says.

“Aunt Fran” Bennett posted some MP3s and a concert poster from The Beans, Vince’s first (?) band and a precursor to The Tubes.

Before going off to a successful 32 year career on LA & San Francisco radio I was a 17 year old beginner at the underground station in Phoenix, AZ, and it was here I first encountered Vince Welnick and The Beans in 1971.

Vince’s death and the outpouring of sadness from his fans prompted me to post these few recordings of The Beans in Phoenix from the early 70’s before they moved to San Francisco to create the legendary Tubes brand. I also posted their Publicity Photo at the time and a flyer for a concert in 1970.

These recordings are 36 years old…and they sound like it. Vince and the guys are all about 20 at the time and the energy they unleash is both powerful and compelling.

Before the Dead and before The Tubes there was a quartet of kids in Phoenix wielding a joyous cacaphony indeed.

I’ve spent much of this week listening to Vince Welnick’s music, in a variety of contexts. I’ve got some fine moments from his time with the Grateful Dead, of course, and also The Tubes, Missing Man Formation, the Affordables, Mood Food, etc.

Stephen Barncard, who recorded The Tubes in 1973, directed me to Tom Lattanand, here in Oakland, a guitarist who played with Vince in Mood Food. The two of them recorded Vince’s wonderful song “Golden Days” on January 7, Vince on his Bösendorfer grand piano, Tom on acoustic guitar. It’s a slower reading than most.

“Golden Days” is a song I’ve loved since the first time I heard it. It’s always choked me up, and this one is even more effective than the other versions I’ve heard. This is the one I’m going to play on the radio next Wednesday.

UPDATE: here is a Missing Man Formation performance of “Golden Days,” recorded 3/12/99 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz CA.