Ugly roomers or ugly rumors, doesn't matter which way you say it, they are all true! Today's the day you get to revisit FROM THE MARS HOTEL with all the magic of 21st century remastering and a few demos to boot. And those of you who picked up the 3CD? Strap in for the very Wall Of Sound-worthy previously unreleased live performance from 5/12/74.
Recorded in San Francisco's Coast Recorders studio, FROM THE MARS HOTEL finds Keith Godchaux particularly shining across a variety of keys, from the "China Doll" harpsichord to the pounding piano on Bob Weir's "Money Money," to the churchy organ that elevates "Ship Of Fools." Lyricist Robert Hunter packs "U.S. Blues" with a barrage of imagery, pop-culture references and sardonic asides – as Canadian author Ray Robertson writes in the 50th Anniversary Edition's liner notes, it "carries an undeniable whiff of late-capitalism ennui…it's the most fun you'll ever have dancing to the end of the American Empire." Jerry Garcia's jaunty lead guitar drives bouncing melodies across the LP, while guests include Ned Lagin's unnerving synth effects on "Unbroken Chain," Clover member John McFee's country-rock pedal steel on "Pride Of Cucamonga," and more.
FROM THE MARS HOTEL (50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION) features remastered audio by GRAMMY Award-winning engineer David Glasser, with Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. Produced for release by Grateful Dead Legacy Manager and Audio Archivist, David Lemieux, the DELUXE EDITION 3CD set also includes demos of "China Doll" and "Wave That Flag" – the song that became "U.S. Blues" – as well as a previously unreleased live performance of the Grateful Dead at University of Nevada-Reno on 5/12/1974. As the band filled an outdoor football stadium with epic highs like a huge "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider," Mars Hotel cuts including "U.S. Blues" and classics such as "Brown-Eyed Women," "Tennessee Jed," "Mississippi Half-Step," "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," a massive wind storm was no match for the Wall of Sound.
