From the Mars Hotel

From the Mars Hotel
Studio album by The Grateful Dead
Released June 27, 1974
Recorded CBS Studios, San Francisco, CA, 3/30/74 – 4/19/74
Genre Acid rock
Jam rock
Psychedelic blues/Blues rock
Psychedelic folk/Folk rock
Country rock
Length 37:26
Label Grateful Dead Records
Producer Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead chronology
Skeletons from the Closet: The Best of Grateful Dead
(1974)		 From the Mars Hotel
(1974)		 Blues for Allah
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau (B-) [2]
Rolling Stone [3]

From the Mars Hotel is the seventh studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was mostly recorded in April 1974 and originally released on June 27, 1974. It was the second release under the band's own label, Grateful Dead Records, after fulfilling their contract with Warner Bros. Records.

This was the final album before the band's hiatus from touring in October 1974, during which time they would finish up the film editing of The Grateful Dead Movie.

Two songs from this album were rarely played live ("Unbroken Chain" was played 10 times in 1995; "Money Money" was played three times in May 1974) and one was never played live ("Pride of Cucamonga"). "Pride of Cucamonga" and "Unbroken Chain" are both sung by bassist Phil Lesh, making these Lesh's final lead vocal work for the Dead for over ten years.

The album cover artwork is of the Mars Hotel, a rundown, skid row flophouse located at 192 Fourth Street in San Francisco. When held upside down in front of a mirror, the graphic on the front of the album cover appears to say "Ugly Rumors". This inspired the name of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's band, Ugly Rumours.[4]

The album was released in a variety of ways after its original run:

Contents

Track listing

Original release

Side one

  1. "U.S. Blues" (Hunter, Garcia) – 4:42
  2. "China Doll" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:10
  3. "Unbroken Chain" (Lesh, Peterson) – 6:46
  4. "Loose Lucy" (Garcia, Hunter) – 3:22

Side two

  1. "Scarlet Begonias" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:19
  2. "Pride of Cucamonga" (Lesh, Peterson) – 4:17
  3. "Money Money" (Barlow, Weir) – 4:23
  4. "Ship of Fools" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:27

2004 reissue

  1. "U.S. Blues" (Hunter, Garcia) – 4:40
  2. "China Doll" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:10
  3. "Unbroken Chain" (Lesh, Peterson) – 6:45
  4. "Loose Lucy" (Garcia, Hunter) – 3:21
  5. "Scarlet Begonias" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:19
  6. "Pride of Cucamonga" (Lesh, Peterson) – 4:16
  7. "Money Money" (Barlow, Weir) – 4:24
  8. "Ship of Fools" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:38
  9. "Loose Lucy" (alternate take) – 4:43
  10. "Scarlet Begonias" (live) – 9:09
  11. "Money Money" (live) – 4:19
  12. "Wave That Flag" (Garcia, Hunter) (live) – 5:34
  13. "Let It Rock" (Berry) (live) – 3:22
  14. "Pride of Cucamonga" (acoustic demo) – 4:24
  15. "Unbroken Chain" (acoustic demo) – 6:20

Personnel

Grateful Dead

Additional performers

Production

Bonus tracks production details

Reissue production credits

Adaptations

Musical group Animal Collective use a sample from the song "Unbroken Chain" for their song "What Would I Want? Sky" on their EP Fall Be Kind, and have received great praise from outlets like Pitchfork Media and Sputnikmusic for their respectful and interesting usage of the sample. It is also the first sample to ever be cleared for use by the Grateful Dead.[7]

Charts

Album – Billboard

Year Chart Position
1974 Pop Albums 16

References

  1. ^ Iyengar, Vik. From the Mars Hotel at Allmusic
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. Grateful Dead album reviews at robertchristgau.com
  3. ^ The Grateful Dead Album Guide, Rolling Stone
  4. ^ 'He even wanted to rehearse' by Kamal Ahmed, observer.guardian.co.uk, April 27 2003, Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  5. ^ "Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel". http://www.deaddisc.com/disc/From_The_Mars_Hotel.htm. Retrieved February 14, 2010. 
  6. ^ "Grateful Dead, The - From The Mars Hotel at Discogs". http://www.discogs.com/Grateful-Dead-From-The-Mars-Hotel/master/18467. Retrieved February 14, 2010. 
  7. ^ Rosen, Jody (23 November 2009). "Animal Collective Fall Be Kind Domino". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/fall-be-kind-20091123. Retrieved 26 September 2011.