Grateful Dead
Terrapin Station (Vinyl Reissue 2024)
rhinoceros
February 06, 2024
Web Exclusive
It is widely accepted that the late 70s were not the best time for Grateful Dead studio albums. Not that the band were exactly known for their studio work anyway. However, 1970 saw the Grateful Dead's studio culmination with the release of the two classics, Workingman's Dead and american beautyand even in the mid-'70s, the band was firing on all cylinders, with 1973's Aftermath of the Flood and of 1975 Blues for Allah featuring some of the band's best tracks and liveliest extended tracks.
Until 1977 Terrapin Station, however, the band was losing enthusiasm. Keith and Donna Godchaux were nearing the end of their time with the band. The Dead had chosen to sign with a major label, Arista, for the album and also chose an outside producer for the first time in years, which history has judged with mixed results. However, if one looks beyond the extremely sad version of “Dancin' in the Streets”, Terrapin Station it has enough redeeming qualities to prevent it from being relegated to the bargain bin and ultimately justify this stunning sounding vinyl reissue.
“Estimated Prophet” kicks off the album, establishing itself as a classic that the band frequently revisited live, and Rev. Gary Davis, “Samson and Delilah”, grooves as only the Grateful Dead can. Interesting aside, Donna Godchaux's “Sunrise” is an outlier in the band's catalog, full orchestra and vocals sung entirely by Godchaux herself. The band only performed it a handful of times (well, given the Dead's propensity live, anything less than 50 might qualify as a handful), and the song remains something of a curiosity. And Phil Lesh's “Passenger” is as straight-up rock 'n' roll as the Grateful Dead ever attempted, no classic but vibrant regardless.
The other side of it Terrapin Station finds the band once again ending their album with a multi-part suite, just like in the past Blues for Allah and Aftermath of the Flood Before that, this time the song was the title track of the album. Unfortunately, “Terrapin Station” is not “Blues for Allah” or “Weather Report Suite”. But compared to what followed in the albums, it would have done just fine.
By 1981, the band stripped down to acoustics Calculationand, of course, by 1987 it had been revived with the hit single 'Touch of Grey'. Terrapin Station, while uneven, didn't exactly represent the beginning of the end for the Grateful Dead. Not that his fans would ever let that happen. (www.rhino.com) (www.dead.net)
Author Rating: 7/10
from our partners at http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/terrapin_station