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Terrapin Station

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Terrapin Station is the ninth studio album by the Grateful Dead, and was originally released on July 27, 1977.

This album was the first time since Anthem of the Sun that the Grateful Dead used an outside producer. This is also the first Dead album on the Arista label after releasing other albums (1973-1976) on its own Grateful Dead Records.

According to Dennis McNally,[1] Jerry Garcia conceived the idea for the song "Terrapin Station" while driving across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

The album was released for the first time on CD in 1990 by Arista Records before being re-released in 2000 by BMG International. It was then remastered, expanded, and released as part of the Beyond Description (1973-1989) box set in October 2004 with studio outtakes and live songs. The remastered version was later released separately on CD on March 7, 2006 by Rhino Records.

The album incorporates a more symphonic sound bordering on progressive rock styles that were expressed earlier by progressive art rock groups like Yes and Genesis. This was considered by fans to be a major departure from the more jazz-blues and traditional folk styles ues by the Dead earlier in their career, although these elements are still present here. The title track seems more like a symphony than anything else, using strings and a choir to evoke a tighter and more complex structure as opposed to their looser improvisational works. Horns are also employed extensively to "funk up" their sound.

The Grateful Dead played parts of Terrapin Station live during the late 70's, while the title track, "Estimated Prophet" and "Samson and Delilah" continued in concert rotation until the end of their career. Reaction to the album was mixed as many fans thought that it was overproduced and not in keeping with the Dead's more unpolished free form style, while others believe it to be their greatest musical achievement.

The song, Terrapin, was co-written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia. Robert Hunter said of the song, "I wrote Terrapin, Part One, at a single sitting in an unfurnished house with a picture window overlooking San Francisco Bay during a flamboyant lightning storm. I typed the first thing that came into my mind at the top of the page, the title: Terrapin Station."

"On the same day, driving to the city, Garcia was struck by a singular inspiration. He turned his car around and hurried home to set down some music that popped into his head, demanding immediate attention."

"When we met the next day, I showed him the words and he said, "I've got the music." They dovetailed perfectly and Terrapin edged into this dimension."


Track listing

Side one

  1. "Estimated Prophet" (John Perry Barlow, Bob Weir) – 5:37
  2. "Dancing in the Street" (Marvin Gaye, Hunter, Stevenson) – 3:16
  3. "Passenger" (Phil Lesh, Monk) – 2:48
  4. "Samson and Delilah" (Traditional) – 3:29
  5. "Sunrise" (Donna Godchaux) – 4:03

Side two

  1. "Terrapin Station" – 16:17

2004 reissue

  1. "Estimated Prophet" (Barlow, Weir) – 5:37
  2. "Dancing In The Streets" (Gaye, Hunter, Stevenson) – 3:18
  3. "Passenger" (Lesh, Monk) – 2:48
  4. "Samson and Delilah" (Traditional) – 3:29
  5. "Sunrise" (Godchaux) – 4:08
  6. "Terrapin Station" (Garcia, Hunter, Hart, Kreutzmann) – 16:29
  7. "Peggy-O" (studio track, instrumental) (traditional) – 4:41
  8. "The Ascent" (studio track, instrumental) – 1:59
  9. "Catfish John" (studio outtake) (McDill, Reynolds) – 4:43
  10. "Equinox" (studio outtake) (Lesh) – 5:15
  11. "Fire on the Mountain" (studio outtake) (Hart, Hunter) – 6:26
  12. "Dancing in the Streets" (Gaye, Hunter, Stevenson) – 16:17

Personnel

Grateful Dead:

Additional performers:

  • Paul Buckmaster - orchestral arrangements
  • The Martyn Ford Orchestra
  • The English Choral
  • Tom Scott - lyricon, saxophones (on Estimated Prophet)

Production:

Bonus tracks production details

  • "Peggy-O" - instrumental studio outtake, on November 2, 1976
  • "The Ascent" - instrumental studio outtake, on November 2, 1976
  • "Catfish John" - studio outtake, Fall 1976
  • "Equinox" - instrumental studio outtake, on February 17, 1977
  • "Fire On The Mountain" - instrumental studio outtake, February 1977
  • "Dancin' In The Streets" - live on May 8, 1977

Reissue production credits

  • David Lemieux, James Austin - reissue producers
  • Reggie Collins - annotation
  • David Gans - liner notes
  • Sheryl Farber - editorial supervision
  • Cameron Sears - executive producer
  • Dave Devore - engineer
  • Tom Flye - mixing
  • Robert Gatley - mixing assistant
  • Mary Ann Mayer - art coordinator
  • Jimmy Edwards, Robin Hurley, Hale Milfgrim, Scott Pascucci - associate producer
  • Joe Gastwirt - mastering, production consultant
  • Eileen Law - research
  • Ed Perlstein, Robert Minkin, Richard McCaffrey, Peter Simon, Cornelius "Snookey" Flowers - photography
  • Hugh Brown, Steve Vance - design, reissue art directors
  • Steven Chean, Bill Inglot, Jeffrey Norman, Randy Perry, Mark Pinkus - project assistants

Charts

Album - Billboard

Year Chart Position
1977 Pop Albums 28

RIAA Certification

Certification Date
Gold September 4, 1987

See also

References


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