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Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 25. September 26 1977

Grateful Dead

Grateful Dead

Terrapin Station is similar to Blues for Allah, but it is more straightforward rock and less exotic. Terrapin Station also sees the group employing the services of a producer for the first time since the first album. The explanation that the group gives is that they each had so many ideas to contribute that they decided to let someone else be the judge of which were the best to use.

Lyrically it manifests the same carefree idealism as American Beauty. For example,

"Estimated Prophet" :

"My time coming any day
Don't worry about me no
Been so long felt this way
Aint in no hurry no
Rainbow's end down that highway
Where ocean breezes blow".

"Passenger" is a full blooded rock number and is very similar to Fleetwood Mac with the combined male/female lead vocal. This track is preceeded and followed with respectively the Dead's version of disco and an arrangement of the old Samson and Delilah song —

"If I don't have my way

I would tear this old building down.

Side One ends with a rather pretty acoustic number written by Donna Goschaux entitled Sunrise and is beautifully arranged and orchestrated.

However the best comes with the title track which occupies the whole of side two and is in my view as good as anything they've yet done. Beginning with a Garcial Hunter composition it moves through heavy rock and orchestration detracts from the basic ideas in this instance it effectively highlights and accentuates the music due to the skillful arranging and excellent production Lyrically it sees Robert Hunter in one of his most poetic moments dealing with the chivalry of days gone by and the obscurities of fable telling.

—Geoffrey Churchman.