By all accounts, 1977 was a pivotal year for the Grateful Dead. The
Grateful Dead Movie (clever title and direction courtesy of
one Jerry Garcia) hit the big screen for a brief, uneventful run (the DVD makes
up for lost time). The Dead also signed with Clive Davis’ Arista label
and agreed to work with Keith Olsen, the hot shot producer behind Fleetwood
Mac’s 1975 self-titled smash hit Olsen diligently attempted to recast
the Dead’s sound on Terrapin Station by adding strings,
horns and other odd ornaments. There was some unhappiness about these studio
embellishments, but that was easily resolved when the songs were played live.
The Dead stormed the country side in the Spring of 1977, road-testing the new
material within the loose confines of their ever-changing set, and finished
up the first leg in Hartford, Connecticut on May 28. To Terrapin: Hartford
77 is a three-CD document of that stirring night.
The gravy train of live Dead trotted out is enough to max out the credit card
of any respectable, well-intentioned completist. But really, isn’t it
time to sell off those extra Dick’s Picks CDs lying around
and step up to yet another fine package from Rhino? To Terrapin: Hartford
77 (along with the multi-disc Winterland 1973: The Complete
Recordings) are the latest in a long line of live Dead shows mastered
to HDCD specifications from the original reel-to-reel soundboard tapes, creating
an unbelievably crisp and pristine playback that rivals being there.
The mid 70s, of course, was a fertile period for the then six-man, one-woman
lineup. The jury may have still been on whether Donna Godchaux and her piano
playing husband Keith were enhancing the groups’ vision. Listening to
the keyboards squeak through the rumble of Phil Lesh’s bass is enough
to give any man’s goose bumps the well-deserved night off. The three-song
thread of “Bertha,” “Good Lovin’” and “Sugaree”
start things off sportingly, and they only get better from there. Bob Weir is
in peak form — playing it cool on “Jack Straw” before unleashing
a powerful growl on “New Minglewood Blues.”
It’s on the new material that the group really takes flight. Weir’s
vocal (with plenty of help from Donna Godchaux) stays on track on “Samson
& Delilah,” the Phil Lesh and Peter Monk tune “Passenger,”
and his own “Estimated Prophet,” distinguished by its laidback lyric
and odd time signature. Upon hearing the Hunter/Garcia magnum opus “Terrapin
Station” before the inferior studio version was released a few months
later must have provided some out-of-body confusion among seasoned Deadheads.
But the group seized a golden opportunity, turning the suite into a live centerpiece
without the window dressing. On May 28, 1977, it merely hinted at its subsequent
greatness.
The colorful three CD set of To Terrapin: Hartford 77 includes
a 16-page booklet, a handful of photos, and an intriguing essay by Gary Lambert.
We may never get an official release of the legendary first run of 1977 at the
infamous Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California, where the songs from
Terrapin Station were first introduced. But, as any fan from
those days will attest, 1977 was such a banner year, any show from that era
is highly coveted. Of course, demand would reach near epidemic proportions in
the 80s and 90s, transforming the Grateful Dead into one of the most successful
touring organizations in rock history. We’ll save the details of that period
for another review.
~ Shawn Perry
