Classical Composer Reacts to Terrapin Station (Grateful Dead) | The Daily Doug (Episode 268)
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- #GratefulDead #TerrapinStation #GratefulDeadReaction
In this episode of #TheDailyDoug, we're finally diving into repertoire by The Grateful Dead with their classic track Terrapin Station. I very much enjoyed the track...especially the orchestral instruments that joined the band. Sit back, relax, and take a journey to Terrapin Station with me!
Reference Video: • Grateful Dead - "Terra...
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I’ve never seen this guy before and thought he was pretty straight edge for the first half of the vid then seen him pull out the bowl and bout fell out my seat🤣
Yo same 😂 don’t know how I ended up here but this man is phenomenal.
Same!
😂
You didn't catch him blowing smoke into the camera at the very start?😅
You missed the exhale and the "as you see, I'm prepared"?
I love witnessing the birth of another Dead Head. Welcome to the family.
We're as eclectic as their music, aren't we?
Weir everywhere!!
Terrapin was actually the song that made me buy my first Dead album, will never regret it!
Noob GD reaction vids are so happymaking, it’s hard to stop watching them!
@@BobSperbermn and CC❤xz
Nothing thrills a Deadhead more than to see someone else 'get' the music for the first time. Glad to see you enjoying and exceeding expectations. Great video.
true!
Truth
True!
Absolutely. Especially when you see him smoke a bowl
Gives me goosebumps to see it....been binging on first time hearing the dead videos 🥰
Robert Hunter was perhaps the finest wordsmiths of his age. An admirer of Shakespeare. And to loosely quote James Joyce who said “ Classicism is not the right or property of any age. It is the constant state of the artistic mind. Rest well Robert & Jerry you are both eternal
Without a doubt Robert Hunter and the dead will be timeless like the eternal bard
Agree. Definitely more of an amazing short story teller than a song writer which is exactly what a song writer should be!
I just saved this comment so I can return to it. Inspiration, move me brightly.
So true.
“His job is to shed light, not to master”…that’s Jerry ❤
Main stream media could learn from this
@@francisbowman8702 100% lies. That's why we need Christ to shed Truth.
That's Robert Hunter.. ✌️
❤❤❤311shows,miss Jerry.He knew his job was to shed light and not to master.He is now with the Master!Abba our Father!!!
@@bob733333Allah
"it really makes you feel welcome" you sir just nailed the feeling that is The Grateful Dead
Bingo! I never know exactly where I'm going with The Grateful Dead, but I know I'm always welcome and in good hands! The tremendous amount of soundboard shows hitting You Tube these days has really been a game changer! I've really concentrated on "periods" lately. Currently stuck hard in 77 spring!
Wow, exactly my thought as well at that moment. Over time I never thought of it exactly that way but that’s is it for sure. The Dead are timeless and I feel blessed to experience their art form and the many relationships it has spawned over the decades.
@Oo oo I made the Tuscaloosa AL show on 5/17/77 (WELL worth hearing if you haven't!). After a brief post concert meeting with friends in the parking lot, we did the only logical thing......headed for Atlanta for the 18th and 19th! 77, especially Spring, is pretty hard to beat!
Absolutely that's the first thing I felt when I listen to the Grateful Dead is that it was a place where all are welcome. Very astute observation.
@@tommathews3964 Ain't being Logical just all kind's of fun !!!
I loved your comment Tom, it reminded me so much of myself & four other friend's who I literally did everything with. Same situation & scenario, the show's over, we've exited the Dead Ship & are now wandering around the Lot, all full off laughter & smiles & so pleased w/ what we'd experienced ! All we could think was MORE ! We've gotta have more of this & how do we go about obtaining More ? Well there's really only one sure bet to make that happen... And the rest is History ! We never again questioned what we'd be doing after a Show ? Why heading straight to the next stop on the Tour ! That's another great thing about Dead Tour, you're able to put yourself back in the game when you're ready, able & willing... Best year's of my entire Life... Hand's Down & wouldn't trade em' for zip... Thanks for sharing your story w/ us Tom...
When the Dead debuted this song in 2/26/77 I read that Robert Hunter reflected that when he heard them playing this he felt the closest he’s ever felt to doing on this earth what he was put here to do.
The Deal from that show is the best one I have heard
Terrapin station is a allegory for death. The compass always points, some rise, some fall some climb.
Do you live like the adventurous sailor or the strategic solder.
The trains got its breaks on, the whistle is screaming.
@@parose1457 the compass always points to Terrapin ⚡️ I’m from PA too ☺️
@@ryan_782what a coincidence! And he's a heck of a conductor "7 little pieces-?" VERY familiar
I'm so damned tempted to blow up your allegory but I don't think it's a kind thing.
Who writes a song about turtles¿
Bud, respectfully, what rhymes with terrapin?
You have a clue, that's all I can do. Now you can figure it out and when you get back to it you'll be a bit red in the face
INVITATION !!!
IT'S ALL METAPHORICAL & ALLEGORICAL!!!
OH, THIS IS KILLING ME
As someone who was dragged to a dead show in 1988 and my life was forever changed, it’s great to see people discover Garcia , Hunter and the boys
That's the year I took my (now) wife to her first show.
welcome aboard.
It was 1978 for me Yellow Dog. I was a rough edge rock and roller then and thought the Dead would be too tame. Lol.
It was one of the single best decisions of my life to go along that day for the ride. Within seconds of the opening song I was transformed.
Same here 78 Still here
My very first show was View From The Vault 1 at Three Rivers. I was fundamentally changed.
This is the song of my life. I was too young to ever see the band with Jerry but my brothers were all deadheads and I started going to shows in the early 2000s by all the later iterations of the dead. Terrapin is my all time favorite, and I spent 18 years having never seen it live until 2022, despite having been to many shows. One of my brothers died at Christmas in 2021. The other three of us decided to all go to a Dead &Co show together, just us, none of our usual friends or wives/girlfriends. We were in the pit and the guys were burning the place down and I remember thinking that I don't think I could even handle getting terrapin station finally, the place I was in at the time in life, like it would just be a waste. Well, the band had other plans. They decided that's exactly where they were headed about three minutes later. I went through a full range of human emotions there that night in about five minutes, and standing there with tears streaming down my face, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and nobody was there. I have to think it was my brother, as the other two were about ten feet away. At that point I just began smiling, until the end of the song and felt SO grateful for that moment and stood there grinning until they hit the last notes of the song. I don't know why but I just started pointing at Mayer, smiling, and after he hit the last note he looked up, right at me, smiled and pointed right back, shook his head at me, put his guitar down and walked off for drums to start. I don't know what happened that night, but that's the beauty that Terrapin station brings to us.
My wife and I went to Playing in the Sand this year in Cancun. Dead music saved our relationship so we decided to spend a week with the boys in Mexico. Neither of us had ever really been an overwhelming fan of terrapin.. they play 3 shows over the course of 5 days in Cancun. During the second show, they break into Terrapin.. Mayer does an outstanding job on vocals.. well, there's this small hippie kid standing, alone, about thirty feet to our right.. we were back away from the crowd so we could dance and just enjoy the show in our own little world.. right when Mayer sings "and a girl was standing there.." the little hippie kid hands my wife a terrapin turtle patch, says nothing, and walks back to his spot.. my wife lost it.. immediately started bawling.. that kid doesn't even realize it, but his little act of kindness on that beach in Mexico was a profound moment for us.. Terrapin now holds such meaning.. just about every time it comes on, at least one teardrop is guaranteed. It's really hard to explain the profound connections you make to these songs to someone that's never experienced it.. it's more than music.. it's more than a community.. it's so much more..
@@marios3202 love these stories, they make life special and they connect us all in a way, through the music, the love, the memories.
@@brandonmiles8174 it's wild. Being in the crowd at a show is like being at a family reunion.. it's like a tribe of people that all love each other.. we went to the last show of last summer at Citi Field in NYC. The unity in that crowd that night was overwhelming.. it's really a beautiful experience..
❤
And Guess What ????
We are going there again , Right Now....
Thankfully Welcome
Gratefully
The DEAD......
Classically trained percussionist here. Terrapin Station is a true musician’s suite, and it wraps up the entire album which is incredibly biblical in lyrical nature. I understand Time is valuable but I recommend giving this entire album one full proper listen-through. This album is also considered the peak of the Grateful Dead’s collective technical ability. Thank you for giving this incredible life-changing band the respect they deserve.
I want to love that whole album more but I have a hard time getting into some of the tracks on the first side. Estimated Prophet is amazing but the others between that and Terrapin just don’t appeal to me that much
@@SilversteinRescue Samson and Delilah objectively belongs on the record. Otherwise I can get behind you on this. The rest of the tracks are great but maybe just out of place on this record
Understood. Been there. Done that. Love your take. Thanks.
Ps. First shows 8/82 Alpine Valley...live in Cincinnati OH 😅😅😅😅
@@SilversteinRescuei really want to love it and i just cant
Estimated Prophet has a serious old testament vibe. On a chariot way up the middle of the air calling down thunder and speak the same!
Mr. Helvering, a few days after Jerry Garcia died, I flew from Italy to San Francisco in order to leave a rose at 710 Ashbury Street. On the plane, there was a dutch Deadhead doing the same thing. The force is strong in their music :)
Greetings from Italy.
I flew from Milan to CANCÙN in January to hear this, heard it at Skull & Roses in April and hope to hear it at the Gorge in a couple weeks. Lots a flying to feel life. Tears right now.
@@maxonout It' s called "deadication" 😉 I jumped on the bus many years ago and still truckin'. Greetings from the land of the sun.
@@maxonout Yeah, I hope we get it at the gorge too! fingers crossed it doesn't get played at folsom!
The Grateful Dead are a spiritual band. They were the only band who would let you record all their concerts. They had a sound area set up for people who just wanted to record the shows. That's why they had trouble with record companies. They wanted the music to be free, it's all over the internet free! It's the best music that's ever been made!
The Tapers!
Tapers section ❤. I missed seeing all those mics🎤 as time passed and music recording evolved.
Low gen soundboards were the best! My little brother used to collect Dead tapes for years and had quite a network built up.
I love how you describe the music as making you feel welcome, that’s what the Grateful Dead were all about, inclusion and welcoming all through music and love. This music is pure love, once it enters your heart you will never be the same
🙏 amen Kap'n
I couldn't agree more. Went to the last night of fare thee well in Chicago after not having seen the band for quite a while. When the music kicked in the best part was just being in the crowd. Hard to describe. So many memories,felt good to be back.
"Terrapin" is by leaps and bounds, the most sophisticated piece of music the Dead ever wrote, and an excellent counter argument to the fact that their best moments were strictly improvisational.
I never heard anybody say that GD's best moments were jams, in fact quite the opposite
How about The Eleven? Pretty sure it’s sophisticated…IMO.
He didn't say their jams, he said their improvisation. And they improvised constantly, as a matter of course, not just for jams.
But even so, I know plenty of people who enjoy their jams more than the rest of what they do. Some of their jams are legendary. Their most popular pieces of music almost all feature extensive jamming. The Other One, Dark Star, Terrapin Station, Eyes of the World, and on, and on.
About a decade after this album, Jerry started messing around with a midi effect to emulate a trumpet sound from his guitar. When an interviewer asked him if he wished he'd have learned to play the trumpet, Jerry responded something like "what do you mean? I *_am_* playing the trumpet." The man was on a different level.
Haha...yeah totally. You got it
I've heard Jerry copy Miles with his midi
@@kevincaldwell9202Robert fripp also incorporated midi very early on, early eighties
You get a like out of me, spark a bowl during terrapin. Respect. Would like to see a review on a dark star
The Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Dark Star from the Capitol Theater with the Beautiful Jam would be perfect
10/31/1971 Dark Star to be specific.
Doug, take a minute to enjoy “Eyes of the World’. It is majestic.
I agree. Another one I think you should check out is Estimated Prophet.
He might dig a 90/91 Eyes to be specific. Maybe one with Hornsby I was thinking?
I would vote for early 70’s (73/74) Eyes, though 3/29/90 w Branford Marsalis is choice as well, but maybe not as representative of the tune in general since he’s a guest w them.
@@kevinhill.8 yeah, 73/74 are smooth and sweet for sure. I was thinking the seven piece band had that orchestra feel to it but of course most Grateful Eyes are good.
@@Bee-hf3fc good thinking; makes sense given Doug’s background. I might disagree ab most Eyes being good. I’m really not a fan of the sped up/fast tempo (cocaine) Eyes that started post-Hiatus (June ‘76), but they slowed it back down early ‘90, and I’m sure there are some great ones w Hornsby. I honestly don’t listen to much after Spring ‘90 tbh. Snobbish perhaps, but iiwii. Definitely not denying some great stuff in that era, but more hit or miss, and just how I gravitate. ✌🏼
As soon as you hit the pipe I laughed out loud. We all felt that. I loved your reaction. I get goosebumps. This was one of their songs that really has me Ina. Chokehold all these years. I love their music but this song gets goosebumps every time. I love it and seeing someone else explore it and was reliving the excitement. I enjoy that you never paused the song, you kept is flowing as it should be. Magical experience
Hahaha I did the same thing. Another chuckle as I read your comment!
Exactly!!! I laughed out loud then came the goosebumps!
@@PureRush94 ok
Lol I did too! Out of nowhere and so great 😂
Oh man! same here!. I almost choked on my swig of pale ale and let out one huge surprise laugh that sounded more like a single quack from drowning duck which made me chuckle like a duck again.
Terrapin Station may be a metaphor for what Buddhists would call the meditation experience of empty being. Fully aware in a space of no separate and distinguished things, just resting in the awesome radiant totality of sensory awareness in a panoramic display, all at once. The depot where our inherent primordial awareness of being comes to rest and can simply be, indifferent to distraction. Nice vid. 🙏
Beautiful. This resonates for me ❤
Heard this 1000 times and it just takes me to another world. The joy that I feel that jumps in my chest, just wonderful!
Robert Hunters version is awesome also!
Robert Hunter wrote this introduction in his book "Box Of Rain," dating it February 28 1990.
I wrote Terrapin, Part One, at a single sitting in an unfirnished house with a picture window overlooking San Francisco Bay during a flamboyant lightning storm. I typed the first thing that came into my mind at the top of the page, the title Terrapin Station.
Not knowing what it was to be about, I began my writing with an invocation to the muse and kept typing as the story began to unfold.
On the same day, driving into the city, Garcia was struck by a singular inspiration. He turned his car around and hurried home to set down some music that popped into his head, demanding immediate attention.
The concept of the muse and the genius as a spirit are pretty cool ancient ideas
This song is epic. Phil Lesh studied under Avant-garde composer Luciano Berio. Keep that in mind when listening to his playing. He was a trumpet playing classical music listener prior to being a bass player in GD.
Phil has perfect pitch.
True and it’s not just BS. He played counterpoints much like a trumpet player would.
@@pthaynes ❤️
Phil said his bass lines are similar to Bach if you pay attention.
Phil et. ALL. dove in the oceans that IS Music: the universal lingue
This is definitely worth a read Hunter describes how Terrapin came to be …
Can you think of any examples where Jerry wrote the melody first and you added lyrics?
“Foolish Heart” came about like that. And the band pretty much wrote the music for “Uncle John’s Band” together first. I would often work with the band while they were developing something - “Ramble On Rose” was one of those. I’d get a verse for them to add as they were working it out, and then write more. In that context, I would actually work with the band, which happened quite a bit for the first couple of years.
Or I would hear Jerry just jamming on something nice - a lot of that stuff would just evaporate if someone didn’t grab it. Like one time he was sitting at a piano playing a simple four-chord structure that I thought was really a sweet thing. I turned on the tape recorder and captured it. Later I told him that I’d been working on that structure and I had something for it, and he said, “Oh, that’s not complete. That was just an idea.” So I said, “Well, take these lyrics and try it out” - and that was “So Many Roads.” Sometimes you had to sneak up on Jerry to get a tune out of him.
Was the process similar on more complicated instrumental songs like “Terrapin Station,” where fitting lyrics to music just seems more complicated?
Well, there’s a little story behind that. It was a stormy day out at my house at China Camp, which is on the San Pablo Bay [in Marin County]. There was a great storm outside and I was feeling really energized by looking at it outside the windows. I was just sitting at typewriter and I put a piece of paper in and typed “Terrapin Station.”
Then I thought, “Okay, what is this about? Oh, appeal to the muse.” And then: “Let my inspiration flow in token lines suggesting rhythm that will not forsake me until my tale is told and done.” That is an invitation to the muse.
Then I sat back and this stuff just poured out in one sitting and it just so happened that Jerry was driving to San Francisco that day and came up with the appropriate melody for it. He came in to see me at China Camp the next day and I handed him the lyrics, and he said, “Oh, I’ve got the music.” And he did!
That’s one of those fairly mythological things that happen once in a while. [laughs] There it was. Yes, “Terrapin Station” was magic. I didn’t care for our recording of it because the producer took it into the studio in England by himself and threw all kinds of lush strings on it. I’ve never been able to listen to that without gritting my teeth, but I love the song - and the first time they played it, Bill Graham was standing next to me on the side of the stage and he looked at me and asked, “You write that?” I said, “Yeah.” And he nodded and went, “Pretty good.” [laughs] Coming from Bill Graham, that was incredibly high praise
That’s a great bit of info thanks.
Thanks for sharing this with us. 😎👍
and here is the first time they played it live: ua-cam.com/video/NnQxdqoiJx4/v-deo.html&ab_channel=DonDraper
"pretty good", rotflmao. classic.
Thanks for those words of explanation about Terrapin from Hunter. I recalled some of that but nice to see it in full. And the BG quote is hilarious AND the highest of praise. We miss you Robert!
“It reminds us to have fun while we’re on the journey.” (Doug was like a little kid while he narrated this…”I think we have arrived, y’all”!) What an amazing on-the-spot analysis.) so. much. Fun. Thanks, Q…ahhhmazing!
Oh wow - I enjoyed watching this. This music is so baked into my mind that it feels like a part of me, and to watch somebody who is ready for it come to it is a shear delight. A great entre for somebody with a classically-inclined ear. And my first Daily Doug video. I appreciate his attention to the lyrical side, too. The best was watching you notice all the really cool stuff that goes on - I could read the modulations in the music in the smile on your face Doug! I'm getting on now, and looking back over my life, I have to feel very lucky for having been able to hear the Dead play many times. Thank you!
Thank you for choosing this. Who in modern music writes a song like this? No one! This is a masterpiece. Some rise, some fall, some climb to get to Terrapin. Hopefully we'll get there soon. At least I'm enjoying the ride!
First time I heard this song was live at Soldier Field. I'll never forget it. It was magic. I was already falling in love with their music, but hearing this song live just solidified it. For those 18 minutes, Soldier Field was the center of the universe.
YES. And I might have been at that very same show.
This song sums up what the Dead is all about. They all play their own things, going off wherever it takes them, BUT it's all cohesive. Especially live. As for the two drummers, Mickey and Bill are the definition of symbiosis. Glad you gave Jerry and Family the consideration. Welcome to the Family! ✌
The song explores an abstract vision of inner peace, with the words “Some rise / some fall / some climb /to get to Terrapin” suggesting that everybody has different challenges in life, but are all searching for their own version of this mystical Terrapin Station.
One of the coolest conversations I ever had on dead lot was where we were all asked what our terrapin station looked like. Everyone there has something rare and beautifully different. Some envisioned it in a field, some floating out in space, some under the sea. Amazing how Hunter's lyrical could create such a special and unique imaginary space for us all.
Thanks Doug, your awesome.
This is my intro to your channel and being a Dead Head and a Mystic I thoroughly enjoyed your reactions and commentary on the story.
Over 100 shows (with Jerry) and you nailed the Grateful Dead. Feel welcome and take a journey, together. They are the most musically eclectic band I have ever listened to. Folk, Bluegrass, Rock, Blues, Acid Rock, Progressive Rock, Symphonic, and on and on. Hunter was an underrated lyricist and Barlow was no slouch in that department. The whole experience of a live show was both surreal and ULTRA real at the same time. Never been anyone and never will be anyone like the Grateful Dead. As the motto said, "They aren't the best at what they do, they are the only ones that DO what they do."
This was a thoroughly enjoyable reaction. I'm an old time Dead Head and I've loved this piece for decades now.
The Grateful Dead defy description. Founding members Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir started out as a jug band, went on to be the first of the acid rock bands, having been the house band at Ken Kesey's Electric Kool Aid Acid Tests, then went on to incorporate practically every genre of music on earth into their vast catalog. People who perceive them as a drugged out jam band have no idea of their creativity and musical chops. They're still one of my favorite bands.
Like Jehovah's favorite choir
@@cloud.07 😄
One of my friends used to say that while the Grateful Dead were part of the 1960s psychedelic rock/folk scene, at heart, they were much more closely an offshoot of the Beat Generation. Obviously, counterculture is counterculture, but the Dead embraced a lot of the literary aspects of the Beats in a musical way. Beat authors didn't follow traditional story structures or narratives, and you can see that in how the Dead's music rambles through genres, changes rhythms, picks up here, drops off there, but all in a way that's deliberate, thoughtful, and well composed. There's an experimental energy to so much of what they do, and you read that same energy in "Howl" or "On the Road" as much as you can hear it in "Dark Star" and so many Dead songs. They also embraced jazz a lot more than their contemporaries, and you can see some of the Beat-like East-meets-West spirituality emerge in the lyrics of many of their songs (like "Ripple").
They're a band beyond description...
Madrigal...of course! After decades of enjoying this piece, I never really felt I could describe its form/style/spirit adequately. Madrigal fits it beautifully. Thanks Doug!
Genesis and now Grateful Dead. Doug you are on FIRE!
You should have seen it live. Such a dynamic movement. As a musician myself I appreciate the simplicity of such a complex piece.
Terrapin Station has this medieval feel to it, and it is an anthem for most Deadheads. This song changed how I inturpet music.
Absolutely loved it ,this was released the year I was born so literally I've been listening to this my entire life..
Shakedown street, crazy fingers, China cat sunflower, broke down palace, ripple the list goes on and on...
We love them so much we named our daughter "Althea" after one of their most popular songs
🌹⚡🐻🐢💀🎶
Robert Hunter's lyric writing is just beyond description. His words added so much to the Dead's music. He also wrote lyrics for Bruce Hornsby and Bob Dylan, believe it or not.
...soon you will not hear his voice....
And.... hunter wrote a song called "Believe it or not." !
@@sunnysideamps true
, Supposedly that song is about Bobby Petersen, the Dead's third lyricist, who wrote New Potato Caboose, Unbroken Chain, and Pride of Cucamonga with Phil Lesh and Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues with Lesh and Brent Mydland. Petersen died of a stroke while returning home from the Dead's 1986-87 New Year's shows.
@@somewhereinthecity Which song?
Truly a joy to watch someone experience Terrapin for their first time. I distinctly remember my first time hearing it in high school, which was also my 3rd or so time to try something else. ;) Me: "Whoa, that's this?!?" My friend: "Dude, that's Jerry." I only wish I could hear it for the first time again!
WELCOME TO THE BUS!!! Dude, you completely described what it's like going to a Dead Show and being Dead Head! It transcends just being a fan of a band, it's an entire sub-culture (that has leaked into mainstream a bit more with younger generation) along with the new Grateful Dead incarnation Dead and Company with John Meyer on lead guitar.
I cannot explain how happy this makes me. Usually I’d prefer a killer live cut but this is a great dive into the lyrics and structure. This tune - both the words and the music (when live) - affect me more deeply then I may ever understand.
That was fun watching you listen to something that has been a part of my life for 40+ years.
“Should I take a shot at what it means?” Made me laugh. It means something different to each listener and even something different to the same listener depending on where they are at in their lives.
Great video!!! Thanks for doing it and welcome to the tribe!!
Now you absolutely MUST DIVE INTO SOME LIVE DEAD. I recommend the Help Is On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower suite.
The Dead has so many different kinds of songs.
Yes! Gotta do the 8/13/1975 version of Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower from the One from the Vault live album
Great song sequence. It was one of the first,maybe the first that turned me onto the band, showed me that they were different than most bands.
Heheh “what time is this even in… and it is in all the keys…
The Dead were the most eclectic band I've ever heard. It's best for me to let them just take me where they want to go. Preconceived notions aren't where it's at with them.
🥰
Well done Doug. Really enjoyed your take on Terrapin. Very cool to hear not only a critique on the music, but an interpretation of the lyrics as well. And a pretty darn good interpretation to boot. Exceeds expectations indeed! Thanks much. I’ve been a deadhead since the 70s, and watching/listening to this was like hearing it for the first time with fresh ears. 🎶👍🏻
Ditto ✌️
Hearing it with fresh ears; perfectly stated. As a progressive rock junkie this was my gateway drug into the dead.
@@goodvibrations2311 It sounds like a King Crimson song at times.
It’s fascinating to see how close this guy gets to any semblance of accuracy of what terrapin can and may mean to a dead head. It took me countless hits of LSD and hours of listening, hearing and loving this band to articulate what this man conveyed after being introduced to the album version of Terrapin for the first time. #runonsentence
I don't know what to say having read the comments and being in tears listening to Garcia and this man's appreciation of life changing sound.
Absolutely. The first time I heard em, I was hooked too and had to hear more. And more. 30 years later and still listening. Timeless.☮❤😎
A really great song suite. The Dead studio work is better then many give credit for. It’s not just about the live stuff.
Oh but the live stuff.....🔥
Is he cool because he pretends to smoke pot? Lmao
Except all the studio work was done by Keith Olson.. As conceived by Clive Davis.. with little input from the band on this one.. Great "Concept" record all the same....
I agree, although Garcia hated working in the studio, vastly preferring live performance.
Your repeated moments of sheer delight. You're listening and grooving and thinking and analyzing and then a grin of joy splashes across your face and there it is. Welcome to the universe of the Dead. It is joyous and profound and so much fun. I'm glad you're on the bus.
YES YES YES YES YES. Also check out their best performance of it, which also happened to be their first performance of it: 2/26/77
Wish I had 1k upvotes for this
@@Nysing There's a bunch of great 1977 performances though, it was in heavy rotation. I don't listen to 2/26/77 that much, but I know some of the May 1977 ones.
2/26/77 one of the best dead shows of all time. that setlist>
@@thebreathalyzer Yep, hard to go wrong with May '77!
@@e2215 Indeed!
You couldn't have picked a more amazing selection of music. A friend of mine who wasn't really into the Dead heard this fpr the first time in my car on a road trip and he was like this is fucking amazing. He loves it. It makes me cry when i hear it for so many reasons
This has been my favorite song for over to 20 years. Thanks man. Watching this with you was like listening to it for the first time again. I always get that feeling, but this brought me back. I have to admit, I never thought about the intention behind it. I just accepted it. It was almost like a dogma. It just was, was beautiful, and it was fulfilling. But I just heard it anew.
I personally believe the whole song is about creative inspiration. Terrapin Station is the magical experience of creating. When you arent inspired, its darkened and hidden - but for artists their direction is always pointing towards inspiration, always trying to re-obtain it to create more.
Ethevbest Dead song fromtheqwbest album.
Of course! "I will not forgive you if you will not take a chance..." It's like when inspiration hits you, you have to dive in or it is lost. But it is risky so it needs to be up to the individual to know the good seed from the bad seed. Or something like that...maybe that's the sailor and soldier dichotomy? We can sail into an unknown looking for a Love we knew or we can stay grounded and cautious. Is it worth the risk? Who knows? It's funny how we hunger for the whole story but none of us know how our story will end so it is kind of a silly longing when you think about it.
I am so glad you enjoyed! Robert Hunter is such a great American poet. I think you might like the Eleven getting its name from the 11/8 time...this is very early on in their journey, but it shows how they can make something both simple and complex. I myself love the song Crazyfingers and Althea. Many of their live music has such wonderful segues...ie. Help on the Way/Silpknot/Franklin's Tower. So glad to see your perspective on this....well done.
Such an epic track. No chorus, just pure prose.
When it's live the audience does all those choir parts and it's equally fascinating I'm so excited for you to see this it looks like you're around my age and this is just f****** awesome isn't it
That is fabulous. When I saw Leon Russell at a tiny club in Asheville, two women in the audience joined in and did the backup vocals, and it was amazing!
I have waited for some time to hear from someone like you, with your musical background. This song is a perfect example of the GD's musical ability. You have arrived, my friend. Welcome to the place of goodness and freedom. Reminder: A huge part of The Dead's following is the sharing and comradary through peaceful gatherings. The music is secondary in many ways. May music bring the world together.....
camaraderie
Jerry Garcia was crossing a bridge in San Francisco during a freak thunderstorm when the music to this song came to him. He drove home and put it on tape. At the same moment, Robert Hunter, the Dead's songwriter was watching the same storm when the lyrics came to him.
Love it! Saw them play this live in Vegas with an epic thunderstorm all around us. You could feel the oneness in it.
never heard that it is nice to learn more about people in the band.
After livingin the bay for a decade the word freak is doing some heavy lifting with regards to a thunderstorm.
Kind of like the old Reese's Peanut Butter cups commercial: "You've got peanut butter on my chocolate." "Well, you've got chocolate in my peanut butter."
I'm legitimately just hearing this for the first time now. I've never been much of a Dead fan, but over the past couple years I've been starting to appreciate some of their songs more. As a fan of prog rock, it seems that this was the Grateful Dead song I was looking for.
Cool. The really good news is that there are a whole lot more.
@@edhorton2766 Care to give some recommendations if I really like Terrapin Station?
@@thewal1ofsleep Sure. Unbroken Chain. Morning Dew. Fire on the Mountain. Althea. Jack-a-Roe. Birdsong. Dancing in the Streets (link 05/15/77 18 minute version). ua-cam.com/video/aJhirHCgORQ/v-deo.html
Happy listening.
Weather report / let it grow
the entire Blues for Allah album, which also has an album length suite on side 2 that is tonal more than modal
Robert Hunter's lyrics are, what I'd call, intentionally enigmatic. They can mean different things to different people and they also seem to evolve and change their meaning to you over time. So you're interpretation of Terrapin is correct...today....for you. The band really needs to be experienced live, that's where the real action is. I followed the band for many years because during any given show, the audience didn't know what to expect musically because the band didn't know. If you're looking for more songs to explore, I'd send you to Dark Star off the Live Dead album, The Other One or Weather Report Suite>Let It Grow. Happy trails.
well said.
Yea ..we r game ..we chase just as fast and hard as they do ..bob weir said this durin a interview..it best describes us ..amazing ..im so proud of us fans ..we did our part
ya live is the real way to go they wear at there best can not recall how many shows I have seen they wear great times.
Well said. Hunter would never explain his lyrics. That’s what made them special because the listener can always find their own meaning.
Fun fact, Robert Hunter was the great grandson of Robert Burns, the 18th century Scottish poet who wrote Auld Lang Syne and dozens of other Scottish poems/tunes.
17:00... "I guess you would need 2 drummers...". Well YEAH!!! LOL. Loved this video! It's always nice to get someone's first take on the Grateful Dead.
It was alot of fun listening to you comment, far above my knowledge of music, but digging into the meaning was very cool...I LOVE THIS TUNE, my live aboard boat was named Terrapin...I think they touched perfection with "Jack Straw" of the album "Europe '72"...
This album was my intro to the Grateful Dead’s music at about age 18…I never tire of hearing this masterpiece. Enjoyed listening to it again with you, Doug. 🎶
THANK YOU for this! I have a degree in classical voice, I have made the vast majority of my living singing in and directing choirs of all styles AND singing in Grateful Dead tribute bands in the Chicago & Philly areas for 30 years. I love the Dead for more than a few reasons, but your reaction was GRATE. I'd love to recommend that you listen to the Weather Report Suite as a follow-up. Cheers! and NFA, brother!
Straight into the deep end with your first Dead tune! My favorite. Welcome indeed. They rarely played the sections from "At a sighting" through the end live...the "arrival" at Terrapin Station, as you so eloquently put it, was usually the launch pad into another song or just a deep jam. Fantastic reaction and analysis!
i love this song deeply, it just makes my soul warm, and the album cover somehow enhances that feeling
Hunter is one of the finest poets of our age. His relation to the dead was sort of as a seer savant. Dive into his work and it's turtles all the way down.
I LOVE THIS COMMENT SO MUCH! This comment going out to anyone who ever needed a miracle. Peace.
This might possibly be their magnum opus, musically speaking. Birdsong, this, and Estimated Prophet are my favorite Grateful Dead songs...and I love a lot of them!
Yes and I would highly recommend Lazy Lighing-Supplication
Yes, Birdsong would be a great song.
Yes… it definitely is .
Another tune you will find interesting by them is “Unbroken Chain” . It is on the “from the Mars Hotel album released in 1974. There are quite a few chord changes and the lyrics are great.
Amen. I’d like to add “Comes a Time” if you want to explore more of Garcia’s sensibilities and sound.
This. Unbroken Chain. ❤️
...and that is a Phil Lesh composition... a classic, under performed song.
To lay me down’s pretty good too it’s on the so many roads album
Having loved the Grateful Dead since the first time I heard them, this was really cool to see. Brought me to tears to seeing the appreciation. One of my favorite Dead songs. Thanks for this
That was so cool! Terrapin is one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs. Robert Hunter was an amazing song writer.
The Best Review of the Dead and this song that I’ve ever heard….. captures it perfectly!!!
Nice work my man!!
Much gratitude for the nice chat. In a village, the locus is the station, where everybody enters at some point and departs at another. Terrapin is our cosmic village. It would be a hard argument to claim “Terrapin Station” is anything less than a beautiful, imaginative and delightful work by a collective of musical geniuses coalescing at a mystical point in time, at the station.
Next you should check out
Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower
I absolutely loved your reaction to Terrapin Station ! Thank You. I consider Terrapin Station to be the ending point of one season that ushers in to a new season of living and being. Your appreciation for the little things in this composition especially thrilled me and let me notice things I'd never seen !
"Terrapin Station" and "Brokedown Palace" are two of my favorite Dead songs. I love the offbeat time signatures (4/4, then 6/8, then 3/8, then 2/4, then 4/4 again) and repeated fugues used throughout this modern masterpiece. The lyrics remind me of the short story "The Lady and the Tiger" by Frank R. Stockton.
It means what it means to each of us… so glad you got to experience this, and I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to experience it with you. Welcome. 🙏
I may have listened to this and different recordings a million times. Every time it sounds like the first time. Thank you for doing this one for us
Dead Heads.✌️
Fantastic piece! Fantastic band! You say makes you feek welcome, that’s their sound. It draws you in
Man, you hit that at the perfect moment!! Some lyrics from another song of theirs applicable to your comments about the instruments coming together: "Joining hand in hand, while the music plays the band". Glad you got to discover this.
Seeing you experience this amazing tune for the first time brought a tear to my eye.
Born in 1981 so I was late to the party. Jerry had died just as my ears opened up to the magic of the dead, SO bummed I never got to see them live! Thier music will live on forever💚
Me too!
I immediately subbed! If you knew the story of just how the song came together, it would have that much more impact. Robert Hunter was easily one of the greatest lyricists of our generation. The subject matter intermingled with the improvisational talents of the musicians makes Terrapin the opus that it has come to be known as. Anyone keeping the music alive for latter generations deserves our support, and you sir, have mine!!
Also, as far as the “meaning” you nailed it in the beginning. The storyteller’s goal is only to convey the story, nothing more, nothing less. You must decide what it means to YOU and you alone. That’s one of the most beautiful things about the Dead and their approach! We all hear roughly the same thing, but we all internalize it in our own way. To me, Terrapin is a story of one’s journey towards “redemption” from previous missteps and/or shortcomings. A winding track to “enlightenment”.
The intense complexity of the Dead are what made them so easy to follow. No song was the same…never miss a sunday show! :)
As a classically trained oboist & fan of the Grateful Dead, I've always appreciated their inclusion of woodwinds - I cannot readily think of another song within the psychedelic rock and jam band genre that includes oboes :) Very cool!
The oboes, brass and the choir, etc. were added by the record company, and the band hated it, or so I have heard. I don't know why they didn't like it, but their live performances of this piece lack nothing. This music could be arranged for an orchestra and singers, there is no doubt about it. Long live rock and roll.
@@wastrelway3226 the Dark Star orchestra wishes to disagree
The British ProgRock group "Camel" uses woodwinds (obo and bassoon) on the album "The Snow Goose". Check out the live version of the entire album on the "In From The Cold Tour" DVD from 2014. Granted, they use synthesizers here, but the tune is still epic. You won't regret it.
Disco Doug! We went to like 30 shows together in the early 90s. You were such a head! And you loved Terrapin back then. I thought we lost you at Cleveland 93 Terrapin but FairyQueen helped bring you back with patchouli smelling salts at the campground . I can't believe you can not remember any of that and think that you're hearing the Dead for the first time! What a thrill to discover them again for the first time.... you little Madrigal you!
I believe this is the best reaction I've ever seen on UA-cam. When the pipe came on screen 😵 I was in tears!! You have a really cool perspective and description of what the journey meant to you. Sincerely, thank you. That was absolutely entertaining!!
His job is to shed light, not to master... That line gets me every time.
I saw the Dead (with Jerry) play this song several times. The response from the crowd was never anything short of rapturous. Where he sings INSPIRATION... I get goosebumps and tears in my eyes just thinking about it, some of the best stuff ever.
The Dead were truly a live band and improvisation was their forte. Unfortunately for me, most of their studio work falls flat. Tracks you may want to check out are Help On The Way-Slipnot-Franklin's Tower from Blues For Allah. As far as shorter tunes, Uncle John's Band, Playing In The Band, Lost Sailor-Saint Of Circumstance.
Their music tends to get unfairly lumped into the meandering and noodling category. What a lot of people don't realize is the crafty and sly melodic, harmonic and rhythmic trickery they could inject into the music. Jerry, Bob and Phil definitely do not get enough credit for their abilities.
Right there with you, brother! Lucky enough to witness Jerry wail that line, and yes - goosebumps and tears at the mere memory!! That passage may be one of the better examples of the great difference between live and studio Dead - album version pales in comparison, even to a less than stellar live version (which I've witnessed as well, as have all Dead Heads that went to more than a few shows!) Long Live Jerry!
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Terrapin Station was the first GD album I ever purchased. I was in jr. high and didn’t know of taping and trading yet. It still holds a special place in my heart and GD opened my eyes to wonderful music and a genre of music that I still enjoy listening to.
I really enjoyed this video. I loved watching someone who has never heard Terrapin and see their minds open! Love that he can tell us the instruments playing.
i actually think you nailed the interpretation. first, yes, this was the dead welcoming everyone who wanted to be there to take part. second, to me, 'terrapin station' is a mythological place where creativity can be extremely free, where creation is of the utmost important and any kind of expression is appreciated. so... right on, dude. also, when played live, the dead only played the first two sections. the original lyrics, though, encompassed nine sections, and jerry wrote music for all of them, but he didn't finish in time for the recording of this album. robert hunter, on his 'jack o roses' album recorded all nine parts, and it's transcendent. the storyline weaves through dozens of dead songs and presents a much fuller, and much more epic, story. check it out. i'd love to see you do a video on that track. in my freshman year of college (03-04) i printed out the lyrics to all 9 sections and taped them to my dorm room door. they resonate with me more than almost anything else i've ever read.
I've heard this song many many times and I always get the chills.
I'm not a dead head but I love this album. My husband is a huge deadhead. I will share this with him. Thanks Doug.
There will be stops along the way, but the journey is what it is about. This band is a live experience. Try "Help on the Way-Slipknot-Franklin's Tower" or "Eyes of the World".
Those would be my exact two choices.
Really loved the "At a sighting" part! A bit more progressive, darker and a bit more angst! Really like the band name as well.
Great reaction, as always!
Band name ok with me.
Sweet vid. I was a deadhead 45 yrs ago, and you are bringing it all back. Loved it - you have a new sub.
A great one for you to review is a live version
Weather Report Suite
Cow Palace
March 23, 1974
That is a beauty. Cheers
Glad you’re checking out the Dead! Like another comment said, Terrapin Station is the Dead’s most “prog” song, but there’s lots of great live improvisational “jam” songs to listen to. A few recommendations:
China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider live 6/26/1974 (from Dick’s Picks Vol 12 album)
Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain live 5/8/1977 (from their famous Cornell ‘77 show)
Eyes of the World featuring Branford Marsalis live 3/29/1990
And live versions of the song Dark Star can get pretty trippy. The Dark Star from the album Live/Dead is a classic
Good choices!
I'd add to it "Wharf Rat" (Live at Fillmore East, New York, NY, April 26, 1971) as it so captures the spirit of those live shows.
I personally didn't "get" the Dead until I got dragged to one of their shows. The studio stuff I'd heard was just to "Americana" for my youthful tastes (liked UK rockers best). Luckily that was the late '70's so I got to see them a good bakers dozen of times before the end. One of my highlights was a $5 show at the Oregon Country Fair site in '81 or '82. Such an intimate venue with less than 7,000 people in the crowd.
I'd second that request for "China Cat Sunflower", but would insist on the Europe '72 album version, just because it has Pig Pen on the piano keys.
Great choices.
I’d say Dark Star from Veneta Oregon 72 would be my top one, but Live dead is good too
Have you listened to the 4/8/72 Dark Star from the Wembley Empire Pool in London? I literally can't get enough of that one. Listen to it just about EVERY day while at work.
The classic Dead setpiece is Dark Star, and the classic example is the 23-minute version from 1969's Live/Dead album. It is a long improvisation, so it will fit well with your focus on orchestral structures. It's the Dead's crowning achievement - check it out - I guarantee you will enjoy it!
Epic
Darkstar veneta oregon 72 is like 30 minutes, definitely my favorite dark star
Terrapin station, a place of the imagination
The name was intended to be a museum to house Dead archives. Wonderful progressive music by a wonderfully talented group of musicians.
My son, born in 1976 wrote a letter to me and said “Mom❤! This is one of my favorite songs and to know me You should listen to Terrapin Station by the grateful Dead”.
And indeed, I did listen to it i however I was lost as to what it all meant me being 78 years old I didn’t really know this genre of music at that time but I’m so glad my son recommended this particular song for me to glimpse into my man/son’s love of music 🎶 of words and art! He’s very talented ❤!
We (my son and I) will have lots to share about my wonderful experience with The Grateful Dead ❤!
this is how reactions should always be. people needa take notes!!! my favorite Dead song and the fact that you broke down each detail is phenomenal