I feel like I’ve seen very few complaints about either Winterland box set the Dead have released, the 1973 or the 1977 vintage. Only the latter one has Terrapin Station on it however.
Once again we’re transported back to the land of Terrapin. Weir’s intro part is kind of like a magic portal that sucks you up and drops you right outside the station with the train all ready to go. Fortunately, this is a trip that most Deadheads will always take. This is one song that I find difficult to put into words how much or why I like it so much. It just works for me and I hope it does for you too, loyal readers.
Donna doubles Jerry on vocals as we get to Terrapin, but he’s on his own again once he’s moved by inspiration. Donna hits all the “TERRAPIN!”s just right and finally we’re into the jam. Jerry starts right in with a crunchy that quickly gives way to a clearer tone. Keith follows Jerry along closely mirroring some of the scripted runs and adding his own signature in the spaces between. This is the type of big, grandiose Terrapin ending that folks generally seek out, or at least that I do. The band brings it way down around the 10 minute mark and begin to slowly pull out of the Station. The segue into Sugar Magnolia is just about perfect in execution.
This rolls along a bit too groovelessly to qualify for best-of-the-run. See the one from 6/7 for that. Nonetheless, it is well placed — and well played for the most part. The first guitar solo could redeem it, and while that is plenty good, there is still a nagging feeling that we are being shoved along. The more complex changes arrive and good things happen here. Still, none of this can shake the sensation that we just never fell into the deep groove that this song deserves. The dramatic ride-out has its moments and no derailments. Garcia struggles mightily to break it open into a glorious spectacle, yet this never quite happens. Instead, the band allows the energy to dissipate, leaving a hole forWeir to insert the happy hippie introduction to “Sugar Magnolia”.
Thanks for the reminder of this box, not that I needed one, just haven’t popped this one in a while and this will fit perfectly for my 9-1 workday. I play the Dead every Sat and actually have a few folks who come in regularly just to hear what’s playin. Not that it’s the only dead all week, but do need to move around musically with the entire 40 plus at my music disposal.
Reading this blog each day has been very therapeutic in my long wait for festival season to start up in the Northeast. Just a week and a half till the first at Mt Jam with Bobby and RatDog, the Allman Bros, Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks, Anders O. Avetts, B. Trappen and a host of other fun bands. Can’t wait, but again want to thank Lunchbox and Crew for making this long never ending winter a lot easier.
Just wanted to respond to your opening, that there aren’t many complaints about the two Winterland boxes.
I love both of those boxes and they’re great releases. Nine discs each at around $11 a disc is fairly reasonable and they kept the “extras” to a minimum. And of course each box is from a spectacular year.
By contrast, the Spring 90 box was more expensive and you had to pay more for the artwork and tour book etc. etc. The Warlocks box is something I’d love to own but I can’t justify paying an extra $20 for a cigar box.
I guess my point is that I’d like to see more boxes like these two Winterland boxes, they’re both spectacular IMO. (The 77 box was priced right too, but would have been easier to explain to the wife had it been three shows instead of five.)
Meaning the May ’77 box at the end of my comment.