Cloud Surfing

Week of June 30, 2008

Part 1 31:50
Grateful Dead 2/26/77 Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino CA
TERRAPIN
MINGLEWOOD
THEY LOVE EACH OTHER
ESTIMATED PROPHET

Part 2 24:05
Grateful Dead 2/26/77 Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino CA
SUGAREE
Donna Jean and the Tricksters (unreleased studio track)
TILL THE MORNING COMES
Donna the Buffalo, Silverlined
BIGGIE K
I DON’T NEED A RIDDLE

The Grateful Dead went to southern California early in 1977 to record an album with big-time producer Keith Olsen, who had made a huge name for himself by producing the 1975 breakthrough album by Fleetwood Mac. The Dead had some very interesting new material, plus a new arrangement of an old favorite, “Dancin’ in the Streets,” and Bob Weir’s powerful interpretation of Reverend Gary Davis’ “Samson and Delilah,” which debuted when the Dead returned to touring in June of 1976 after a 20-month hiatus. This 2/26/77 show was the first concert the Dead played after spending several weeks in the studio, and I think you can hear it in the clarity and dynamics of their performance. This was the public’s first exposure to a pair of Grateful Dead masterpieces – Hunter and Garcia’s “Terrapin Station,” which opened the show, and Bob Weir and John Barlow’s “Estimated Prophet.” The rest of the set is pretty damn fine, too, as you’ll hear over the next few weeks.

Also in this program are two tracks from a new studio CD by Donna the Buffalo, Silverlined, and a sweet new studio single of “Till the Morning Comes” – which originally appeared on the Grateful Dead’s 1970 studio masterpiece American Beauty – from Donna Jean and the Tricksters. From the DJ&T web site:

Dear DJ&tT-heads:
As you may have heard, the band recently recorded the song “Till the Morning Comes” – call your local station and tell them to play it! Meantime, we’re in a situation in which we REALLY want to include it with the debut CD, but since there are physical CDs out there in stores and such, we can’t, immediately. Sooo this is what we’ve worked out. If you buy the digital album online, you’ll get the new song automatically. If you buy the CD in a store after July 1st, you can download “Till the Morning Comes” for free. You should find a coupon in the CD that tells you what to do – and if not, email us at band@donnajeanandthetricksters.com, and we’ll tell you how to do it. If you just want the new song, you can buy that one too as a download. Either way, remember to support live music of all kinds, especially Donna Jean and the Tricksters!

Support for the Grateful Dead Hour comes this week from Grateful Dead Productions, announcing the release of Road Trips volume 1 number 3. Summer ’71 has a full CD of music from July 31 ’71 at the Yale Bowl and a full disc recorded August 23 of ’71 at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, plus liner notes and rare photographs. There’s also a bonus disc with two more tracks from the Yale Bowl, and eight more songs from August 4 and 6, 1971. Information, cover art, reviews and message board are online at dead.net