Consumer Guide Album

Bob Weir: Heaven Help the Fool [Arista, 1978]
It should surprise no one who's kept an eye on Weir over the years that he manifests himself here as an El Lay country-rock crooner with studio-duperstar backup. But I bet thousands of Dead heads are lying to themselves about it right now, while at the same time Dead haters equate him with Richie Furay and Michael Murphey. Predictably, Weir is better--funnier, more feeling, harder to predict. But how much better can an E. L. c.-r. c. be? C+