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List Price: $19.98 | | Label: Rhino Records
Salesrank: 10407
Released: April 7, 2009 |
| Our Price: $12.39 |
| Used Price: $13.48 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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To Terrapin: May 28, 1977 Hartford, CT Track Listing:
Disc 1:
1. Bertha
2. Good Lovin'
3. Sugaree
4. Jack Straw
5. Row Jimmy
Disc 2:
1. New Minglewod Blues
2. Candyman
3. Passenger
4. Brown-Eyed Women
5. Promised Land
6. Samson And Delilah
7. Tennessee Jed
Editorial Review:
As they were prepping for the summer release of their first studio album in two years, Terrapin Station (a Top 40 Billboard album), the Grateful Dead blew the roof off Connecticut's Hartford Civic Center on the closing night of their spring '77 tour. A show long sought after by Dead fans, the set features inspired versions of songs that would soon come out on Terrapin, including 'Estimated Prophet,' 'Passenger,' and the title track. Epic jams also include, of course, 'One More Saturday Night,' 'Jack Straw,' 'Candyman,' 'U.S. Blues,' and takes on 'Tennessee Jed' and 'Sugaree' that many fans claim are as good as any ever recorded. Released in celebration of the Dead's '09 tour which plays Hartford and presented in HDCD, the recordings from this previously unissued show were mastered from the original two track master analog tapes.
To Terrapin: May 28, 1977 Hartford, CT Reviews:
Good, but not Great-ful Dead. 
2009-10-01 - I love the Grateful Dead. They're one of my favorite bands. I'll say that right off the bat so you don't think I'm a hater.
I've got a ton of official Dead live releases and 10 times as many (or more) nonofficial live bootlegs. 1977 was a good year for Dead and May was the best month of that year for live stuff. That said, this show turned out to me to be a disappointment: The soundboard recording is not terribly mixed well, the band doesn't play all that great (screwups all over the place) and the playing isn't as inspired as other shows from the May 77 run. This may have been a show Deadheads were itching to have released, but to my ears there were other May 77 shows that are much much better than this one.
There are many more wonderful Dick's Picks or vault recordings to go after well before getting to this one. For the newbie, steer clear and go get the classic first week run of 5/7, 5/8 and 5/9/77. You'll thank me later.
BTW, I have no idea how anyone in their right mind can give this show a perfect 5 stars. You should know better. And the 20 minute Sugaree that toots everybody's horn on these reviews? Sure, it's the longest Sugaree ever--but is it the BEST??? That's what counts...
Love the Dead, I just don't love this particular night all that much. 1977 gets overhyped sometimes. 1971-72 is better, but that's a different argument altogether...
Simply Amazing 
2009-09-21 - Like other reviewers I have had copies of this show for years.
However, this remastered recording just plain rocks. The audience that night had no idea what was in store. I've never been a big Donna Jean fan but Terrapin would not have worked without her.
If you've never heard The Dead or if you're a long time head, this is a must have.
The Dead at Their Best
2009-09-18 - I have been a Grateful Dead devotee since the early 70's, but upon receiving the announcement of "To Terrapin" I was very skeptical. It just seemed like the same old Grateful Dead with many songs I did not particularly like. However, wanting a new CD to listen to in the car, and swayed by some positive Amazon reviews, I finally ordered it. I have seldom been so pleasantly surprised by an album. The Dead are crisp, full of energy, technically strong, imaginative, and totally together. Many Dead concerts and albums were uneven; brilliance interspaced with the tiresome, but everything on "To Terrapin" is great. Sugaree is wonderful, but so are Jack Straw, Brown-Eyed Woman, Terrapin station, Playing in the Band, and actually everything else. I thought Jack Straw, Brown-Eyed Woman, Good Lovin, and Samson and Delilah were some of my least favorite Dead songs, but it is as if I heard them for the first time and loved them from the start. The Grateful Dead were incredibly "on" that night and I am thankful for the chance to experience it.
Not great,Not bad either.
2009-09-16 - Nothing spectacular here,though it has it's moments.Great album from an istrumental perspective,but the vocal's are really tired and uninspired.Not that "The Dead" were ever known as a phenomanal singing group,but they definitely had better nights than this.(Europe 72 is pretty "tight") "Terrapin Station" truly could have been a great studio album,but it suffered from overproduction and it is neat to hear songs such as the title track and "Estimated Prophet" performed here pretty much flawlessly without the orchestration.That is really the reason to buy this if you must.But like I said the vocal's almost ruin the band's smooth handling of long complex piece's of music especially on "Terrapin Station",where if the vocal's were better it would be one of the best version's of the song anywhere.The liner note's are extremley pretentious stating it would not be inaccurate to choose this concert as one of the best concert's in the "Grateful Dead's" history!Come on seriously,I'm pretty sure there are better versions of all the songs performed here either from earlier in the tour(This was the end concert of their spring tour)or from 78 where there were some killer concert's recorded.All in all not a bad purchase for the price(3 cd's),but this is certainly not a five star concert and "The Grateful Dead" certainly had plenty of them.Oh you might not want to keep thses cd's in their case after you remove them,this packaging is awful.
Superb Sound, Top Notch Performance
2009-08-03 - This is one of the most energetic, harmonious and tight Dead shows I've ever heard. And the sound quality is superb.
I haven't listened to the Dead much lately, mainly because I grew bored with the setlists, but this CD has re-ignited my enthusiasm. Bobby sounds absolutely pumped. Jerry's at the top of his game. Even Donna sounds great (a concern of mine when selecting Dead shows), enhancing the harmony with her backup vocals. You can tell they're all having a blast.
Combine this amazing performance with superb sound quality and a cool booklet insert, and this CD should not to be missed.
Overall a stellar release.
