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From: rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Kate Bush meets a Deadhead
Message-ID: <221@opus.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Nov-85 01:11:31 EST
Article-I.D.: opus.221
Posted: Wed Nov  6 01:11:31 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 21:09:37 EST
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Organization: NBI,Inc, Boulder CO
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> >A long while ago I bought "Terappin Station".  It was only natural that
> >I'd be interested in The Grateful Dead, being a Kate Bush fanatic and
> >all, because the way Seth and others talk about them,...
> ...>And the verdict is: Well, they're ok, but no Kate Bush...
> > [DOUG]
> Odd that you picked the ONE Dead album on which they actually made some serious
> music of substance, which most Deadheads I know despise for being so undead.

Odd, but most of the DeadHeads I know (and yes, I know quite a few) regard
"Terrapin Station" as a reasonable album.  General sentiment about the Dead's
albums seems to place "Steal Your Face" at the very bottom (for poor
choices of songs, terrible live versions of some of them, bad mixing,
scramble-ass order, and cheap pressing).  "Go To Heaven" is not well-liked;
it came across as too top-40, and some jerks even took the cover's giant
put-on seriously.  "American Beauty" is from a very different era, but
songs like "Box of Rain" and "Ripple" have some substance and overall the
album is a (minor?) classic.  "Reckoning" and "Dead Set" show two sides of
the live band as well as a record can; here "Reckoning" has more of the
thoughtful or playful music while "Dead Set" has the rockers.  Other albums
are spotty--the Dead have trouble in the studio, and while the older live
material is great music, it's technically mediocre at best.

Back to Terrapin:  Side 1 is a mixture--"Estimated Prophet" is a put-on
right from the title, "Dancin' in the Streets" is a so-so cover,
"Passenger" is a good song but they race through it.  "Samson and Delilah"
is better but doesn't show what they can do with it.  (Listen to "Dead Set"
to see what both of these SHOULD sound like.  I have to wonder if these two
came back on "Dead Set" in part to atone for the Terrapin versions.)
Side 2 of Terrapin is the reason the album exists--it's one long rambling
journey, touching on various legends that Hunter (lyricist) has tapped for
other songs.  Even that side doesn't tell the whole story--there are more
pieces to the song than appear on the record.  If I had to try to define
the Dead with one piece of music (a pretty stupid idea, but what the heck),
I'd probably choose Terrapin.

The problem with the album version of Terrapin--probably the complaint that
Rosen's DeadHead acquaintances have with it--is that it sounds like "Jerry
Garcia meets Phil Spector".  The song is overproduced, particularly the
latter portion of it, to where it sounds nothing like the song the Dead do.
(Where did the orchestra and choir come from, anyway?!)  All of the over-
dubbing was done without the band wanting it.  I can agree with Rich that
there's some substance to Terrapin--but it would still be there if the song
had been left more true to the style of the band.
-- 
Dick Dunn	{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd		(303)444-5710 x3086
   ...Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.