Side two contains only one track when viewed on digital formats. The track is completely forgettable, almost begging that the record be flipped over. “Sunrise” is a thinly veiled attempt from Arista to turn Donna Jean Godchaux into the group’s own Stevie Nicks. The track is truly the most bizarre from the group that so many put the label of “‘60s psychedelia” on. The pop ballad has a Fleetwood Mac style blend of acoustic guitars, arena rock guitar solos, and sweeping string sections. The last song on side one is “Sunrise,” written and vocally-led by Donna. Weir again takes lead vocals alongside Donna on “Samson and Delilah.” The gospel-blues track, which Weir learned from Reverend Gary Davis, is a traditional song about the Biblical story of Samson, his feats, and his inevitable betrayal by Delilah. The modern gospel song is a standout track with powerful Weir vocals, dynamic back and forth from the percussion and drums, and a organ that invokes a Sunday church service from Keith Godchaux. The track gets a nice country rock flavor thanks in part to the inclusion of slide guitar, but the flavor is muted by the Fleetwood Mac-inspired heavy rock chorus. Due to a vocal cord issue Lesh couldn’t sing, allowing Bob Weir to take lead vocals with Donna Jean Godchaux alongside him. The Dead’s ability to take inspiration from other genres is prominent again in “Passenger,” an Arena Rock/Country track written by Phil Lesh. The back beat is also worth note Mickey Hart’s hand drums being more prominent in the mix than Bill Kreutzmann’s traditional drumming. The track is horn-heavy with prominent rhythm guitar from Bob Weir. The Grateful Dead frequently covered songs by other musicians and the next track is their take on Martha and the Vandellas’ 1964 hit record “Dancing in the Street.” The Dead’s rendition, titled “Dancin’ in the Streets,” gives the track a funky disco flavor. The horns not only give the track a heavy ‘70s sound, but now seem out of place by a band that doesn’t have a saxophone player in their touring band. Instead of the usual Garcia solo, the band chose to have an odd saxophone solo instead. The whole track has this awkward 7/4 time signature, but the vocals are so catchy that it would be nearly impossible to realize it unless tapping along to the beat. The first track, “Estimated Prophet,” kicks things off with a reggae-funk melody and heavy wah in the guitars. However, side one serves as a real reflection for the band’s latest forays into incorporating new genres. The beginning of Terrapin Station upon first glance seems to be where the real meat of the album is, with the second side consisting of a singular medley. (T-B L-R: Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Jerry Garcia, Keith Godchaux, Donna Jean Godchaux, and Phil Lesh) The album, Terrapin Station (1977), would incorporate the sounds of many mainstream acts at the time. Fleetwood Mac’s comeback album had become a No.1 hit in the US and Olsen’s mainstream influence became clear on the Dead’s latest release. The label would go on to choose Keith Olsen, who had just produced the 1975 self-titled Fleetwood Mac album. As a result of their negotiations with Arista, the band was required to use an outside producer for their next studio album. Their personal label, Grateful Dead Records, folded and they signed with the newly formed Arista Records. The Dead released the live album Steal Your Face in 1976, but the band was hemorrhaging their finances and decided to resign with a major label. This near two year hiatus ended in June of 1976 when the group decided to return to touring. The Grateful Dead remained on a hiatus from touring that began in 1974 for over 20 months.
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