The Grateful Dead - Terrapin Limited

Ever since Jerry Garcia passed on in August of 1995, Deadheads worldwide have been comforted by the fact that they will "always have the tapes," referring to the widely-traded recordings of the Grateful Dead's 2,300+ live shows. But now, thanks to the work of official Grateful Dead archivist Dick Latvala and the band's bassist, Phil Lesh, the fans will always have the CDs as well.

Over the past six years, Grateful Dead Merchandising has produced several double and triple CD sets of complete concerts, marketed primarily to hardcore Deadheads through the band s own 800 number. Known by several names--the "From The Vault" series, "Fallout From The Phil Zone" (Lesh's compilation of rare live tracks), "Dick s Picks" volumes one through nine (featuring Latvala's personal favorites) and "Dozin' At The Knick," among others--the band has established unmatched user-friendly status, selling the crystal clear, and often rare, recordings for $16.00 for double-CD sets, and $18.50 for triples. Now they have released a brand new triple CD recording of their March 15, 1990 show at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, entitled "Terrapin Limited." However, this is not just any live recording. Priced at $39.50, and adorned with the most impressive album art you will ever see, this limited edition production has a massive cultural and historical feat as its goal--Terrapin Station. Named after one of the band's most beloved tunes, the project is actually the construction of an interactive Deadhead gallery Imagine it by taking Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, removing every band besides the Grateful Dead, and pumping it up with a pulse.

Though the logistics of the project are slowly unraveling themselves, little is known besides a few sketches and the probability it will open sometime around the turn of the century in the San Francisco Bay Area. Included in the physical plans are a rebuilding of the Dead's famous "Wall of Sound" speaker system, the most enormous, expensive and advanced sound system to ever grace the Earth when it was used during the mid-1970s. Other features are a wall containing an audio tape for each 90 minutes of live shows the band played, which should number well over 5000, and a two or three story high painting of Jerry Garcia. It is described by the band as "a place where you can experience a startlingly accurate evocation of a Dead show, from the drum circles and the parking lot bazaar to the deep-space hyperdrive of a great second set; imagine being surrounded on all sides by larger-than-life images and crystal clear audio; imagine that this virtual concert experience, like its 'real-life' progenitor, will never be exactly the same twice."

But back to the actual album. For the Deadheads of the world, it is an absolute must have; for the rest of the music fans, it is an enveloping, cosmic example of the magic of the Grateful Dead. Disc one is highlighted by a great version of one of rhythm guitarist Bob Weir's typical opening songs, "Jack Straw," a heartfelt 11 minute rendition of Garcia's touching ballad, "Sugaree," and keyboardist Brent Mydland s sultry "Easy To Love You." But for the hardcore fans, it is the special moments that they waited to experience live, such as the audience erupting at a botched lyric, and a crowd of 20,000 chanting "WE WANT PHIL!!!" in unison to prod bassist Phil Lesh to step up for a rare go at the microphone. The last minute of track five is just that, with the faithful prompting Lesh to sing a seven minute version of Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues."

Disc two follows the beginning of a vintage second set, opening with the traditional duo of "China Cat Sunflower" and "I Know You Rider," played in outstanding fashion. Garcia's line in the latter, "I wish I was a headlight on a northbound train...then I'd shine my light through the cool Colorado rain," has been considered by many to be some of the most inspirational lyrics the band ever recorded. Before the Dead slip into their prototypical mid-second set jam, a 14 minute version of "Terrapin Station" fittingly echoes from the stage.

A jam by any other name is still a jam, yet the Grateful Dead still find a way to make it sound interesting. Just as they did in every show since 1976, the middle of the second set found drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart pounding away on their exotic percussion toys for 20-30 minutes while the rest of the band took a rest (a phenomenon called "Drumz"), followed by Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Mydland playing around with the medium of sound while the drummers used the facilities (an equally frightening display entitled Space). Yet, according to the back of the album, "Mock Turtle Jam" (a free-form experimentation by the entire band) led into "Drumz," which further ceded its time to a transitional four minute well of new wave sound called "And," finally bridging the path to "Space."

Most of the third disc is a display of the hard-rockin , arena-shaking ability of the Dead, featuring their own classics as well as a couple of equally timeless covers. Garcia's mournful "Wharf Rat" brings a tear to the eye as always, followed by Weir s human-self-study "Throwing Stones," finishing the almost three hours of music with Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," a typical closer, and a special surprise, The Beatles' "Revolution."

Despite the fact it is twice as expensive as most live Dead recordings, "Terrapin Limited" is worth every last penny. Besides the fact that proceeds are going to help fund the Terrapin Station museum/experience, the music alone is a must-have. It is a typical late-80s/early-90s Dead show, and a great starting example for those of you who have not yet been exposed to the Dead's genre-unto-itself. Though a little heavy in the jamming department at times, the band's standard blend of Americana, psychedelia, and great songwriting produces a masterful stew of 30 years of American sub-culture. And don't forget the album art. It is almost a cosmic experience unto itself.