Customer Reviews

Cats Under the Stars

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Cats" is a great , great album , especially for the Dead Heads. The only reason I give it only four stars is because it is a relatively short album , and when it's over you just want to play it again . Donna Godshaux shines on this record , she was great in the studio ,when the rest of the Dead felt out of place . You will love this record , quintessential sweet American music given to us by that smiling gunslinger , Mr. Garcia.

And on this beautiful/inspired gospel tinged recording, she deserves her place in the sun this time. Maria Muldaur also adds nice harmony on many songs, making this especially soothing to the senses (sometimes it is hard distinguishing between them). This is another favorite that I bought when it came out and have always loved. With Jerry, Donna & Keith Godchaux, John Kahn and Ron Tutt from the usual JGB set-up, including Merl Saunders on Organ, you know it can't go wrong. Steve Schuster plays various wind instruments on here for even more flavor (it lists Brian & Candy Godchaux as playing violins, not sure the relationship). Rubin & Cherise is an odd beginning for the album in a way, it probably would have added spark by switching it with the title song. I guess it's those BIG opening chords. Cat's Down under the Stars is one of Jerry's masterpieces to me, I love the whimsical roundabout construction and cheerful/energetic guitar melodies Jerry weaves. This album resembles parts of Terrapin and Shakedown Street, the Dead albums from this period, which is a good thing in my opinion since they are both favorites of mine. My next highlight is Palm Sunday with the loving harmony between Donna and Jerry - they are like hand in glove, simply beautiful and emotionally touching (though short and sweet, an alternate take is an extra for a second dose)! Sunny harmonies are all over this album, making this kind of a feel good special if you need a boost (Love in the Afternoon). Rhapsody in Red is a bit more straight forward rock n' roll, with a biting guitar tone from Jerry's guitar. It stands out for it's energy and radio friendly format - kind of anchors the spacey lilting quality and/or gospel feel found around the rest of this one. Rain (a prayer for) shows a Donna solo piece and the band valiantly painting a lush background with the awkward but pretty melody (here are the violins). Still, a nice showcase for Donna's pure tone and spirit...you gotta love her! I was always a little ambivalent on earlier Dead (particularly live) whether she was adding to the music, but during this era, she is in top form and a delight to lay back and float away with. Down Home again shows Donna's special voice and musical vision - SWEET & MELLOW (John Kahn wrote it)! To end the original album, Gamorrah sounds like a little Dylan influence. A great Hunter/Garcia song, one of the big classics if you ask me, really sounds like a Dead song and would have fit right on Shakedown. If that was the end of it, YOU WOULD BE QUITE CONTENT!

There are another five fine beauties and two alternates of Down Home and Palm Sunday kindly added for your pleasure (all previously unissued!). The first two really highlight Gospel with very different and creative approaches. Was this band VERSATILE or what, with so many song styles? The far ranging interests and influences of all the band members are displayed throughout. More great harmony between Donna and Jerry on The Way You Do Those Things You Do. A nice guitar lead wanders into a bit of a jam. Mighty High starts out a little strangely as a disco soul jam and the band have some fun with the rythms. Don't let go (16 minutes)says "come on baby it's time to rock" and grooves slowly but becomes one of the great jam pieces on here, fine examples of long, soulful Jerry solos we all know and love - "hold on tightly and don't let go"... Jerry locks his jaw around the song dynamics like a feline predator, slinking and stalking around in unexpected ways. A male only Down Home practice session is an interesting contrast to the album version with Donna's Siren's song in the upper range. Like I said before, a Palm Sunday alternate leads you to the end of this inspired masterpiece. ALL other music will be almost unlistenable for at least 10 minutes after this ends. You must meditate momentarily and thank Jerry, Donna and the band for this beautiful offering. Enjoy this excellent remaster! Almost 74 minutes of sheer Garcia musical Joy with good track notes and essay (no lyrics unfortunately). FEEL GOOD MUSIC!

"Cats Under the Stars" is one of the best JGB albums out - w/o a doubt my personal favorite. More folksy than bluesy, it's a nice listen from the very first song - Rueben and Cherise, through Palm Sunday and the title cut. The only fault I have with this album is that it's not long enough - at 35 minutes, I'm ready for more in the same vein. Highly recommended.

Still a member of the legendary Grateful Dead, Gerry Garcia and his band released his "Cats Under The Stars". The record has a very good puruading rhythm from the first sweet tunes of Rubin and Cheris onto the last piece of the album. Personally I could have done without the Rhapsody in Red if one were to point out any minus with this record. If you like the Grateful Dead Album "Terrapin Station"('77) you're bound to dig this one as well. And If you don't know Terrapin Station either, you have two good albums to hunt.

The album opens strong with "Rubin and Cherise". I have always liked this song. But after reading David Dodd's "Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics" I have come to appreciate it even more. Dodd explains the song's connection to Greek mythology, specifically the journey of Orpheus to the underworld to save his wife, Eurydice. I interpret it as a song about the need for trust when it comes to matters of the heart. The album's closing tune, "Gomorrah", also echos this theme, as Lot's wife is turned to salt for looking back rather than having faith.

Unfortunately, the six tracks in the middle don't maintain the same high quality typical of most Garcia/Hunter collaborations. The production is way too slick, the lyrics are bordering on cheesy and after 2 or 3 listens I found myself no longer interested.

The original LP I would only give 3 stars.But what makes it a worthwhile purchase are the bonus tracks on the CD. Jerry was fond of joining in gospel sing-alongs at the home of his bandmates Keith and Donna Godchaux. Their practice time pays off big on great versions of old religious numbers like "I'll Be With Thee" and "Mighty Here". The classic soul tune "The Way You Do The Things You Do" is also nice. But the highpoint has to be the outstanding jamming on "Don't Let Go", a song that continued to be played over the years as part of the JGB repertoire.

Jerry's first solo album has a sound that's similar to the Dead's, and his other solo projects have high points, but none of them come close to this. This is a consistent effort; every song sounds good. It's all very tasteful, and it sounds different from his other work. Not like Jerry's 70s solo projects, not like the Dead. It's something else entirely.

Great performances by Donna on this one (who was a fine singer when she could hear herself), the keyboards sound nice, and it's all pretty low key, with the exception of Rhapsody In Red. Rhapsody In Red seems to catch a lot of flak, but I think it sounds good. I just have to be in the mood for something that's on the abrasive side. It doesn't sound tasteless or excessive to me. It seems likely that a major reason people aren't that crazy about Rhapsody is because in it Jerry's usually mellow guitar sound is intense and distorted. It reminds me of Pat Metheny's album Offramp. In Offramp, the song "Eighteen", which is a mellow, beautiful song, is followed by "Offramp", which seems to me like a statement from Metheny ("This isn't smooth jazz"). In any case, I think it's there as much to add variation to the feel of the other tracks, which are generally pretty low-key, as anything.

As others have said, many of the bonus tracks sound as good as the original tracks. It's one of the few albums with extra or deleted cuts that I like listening to nearly as much for the deleted tracks as the original. The whole album stands repeated listening as well as any, and I always enjoy it more when I pay close attention to the music, because even though most of it isn't high intensity, there's a lot going on.

The gospel style vocals by Donna Jean and Maria Muldaur (and Jerry at times) are fantastic. Jerry sounds great as usual, and the rest of the band's playing is tight and interesting. "Palm Sunday", "Down Home", and "I'll Be With Thee" all sound wonderful. My favorite part of the album is the first four tracks. Rubin And Cherise, as another reviewer mentioned, is a great song to start the album with. Love In The Afternoon sounds tropical and reggae-tinged. Palm Sunday is a beautiful gospel track, and Cats Under The Stars defies description.

This album has some good songs, but I was a bit disappointed at first. That is, until I ventured into the Bonus tracks which are EXCELLENT! Mighty High, Dont Let Go, The Way You do, they are all great it seems! The audio quality is terrific sounding re-mastered finely. The Gospel influence is becoming even to atheists as the swing and message are written on every human heart (by the way the Dead often via Hunter feature many biblical characters and topics). How could anyone not LOVE Jerry--with his relaxed, humble, inviting countenance and musical style?

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

One of the many musical delights from "Cats Under The Stars" was the ability to please numerous record buyers that were not in any way "Dead Heads," in fact even a dollar for every person I played "Rubin And Cherise" for that couldn't find an excuse to not be engrossed by the song would have given me the riches of a king.

Jerry's guitar and Merl Saunders keyboards are in unison. They complement each other and aren't' in competition. Keith and Donna are part of the festivities as well. One name that shouldn't be forgotten is Mary Clayton. Mary's resume is the length of 5 star Beatles tunes. She worked with everyone from Elvis (The King not Costello) to the Supremes to the Rolling Stones. When Jerry wanted a female voice that could handle rock, rhythm and blues, and every other piece of the musical pie her name catapulted to the front of the line.

"Rubin And Cherise" is a perfect opening track. The words and the music are of equal strength and desire. The title cut and the rocking "Rhapsody In Red" are my pick for the gold, silver, and bronze.

The eight songs are all originals, Robert Hunter contributed to six, and John Kahn helped pen three.

If the vinyl edition has accumulated a multitude of pops and clicks here is a perfect opportunity to replace it. If you are looking to have a Jerry Garcia solo record represented in the CD rack you found a terrific choice.

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

I'm a die-hard deadhead. I'm absolutely addicted to their music, so much that I seldom tire of listening to their music again and again. With that said I thought "Cats Under The Stars" really sucked when I first heard it. But, then again, that was the case with Jerry's other solo, "Reflections" and "Shakedown Street" as well as "In The Dark". But over the years I've learned that The Grateful Dead and all that Jerry, Bob, Phil, Micky, Billy and Donna and Brent and who the hell else there is, have produced music that is just ahead of it's time, meaning that it is an acquired taste. "Cats Under The Stars" is a very well done album but as Jerry says in the linear notes, it was never a successful album but according to him it was the best work he had ever done up to that time. So, what I suggest to you; if you don't want to put down the bread to buy it here, search for it at your local library. The library system these days is online and you can request something thats in another library. That's how I got a hold of cuts. If you're able to get a copy of it at your local library then do it, listen to the album at least 4-6 times. What you will notice is that the more time you invest listening to it the more you will grow to really like this great album. Then you might feel better purchasing the album here on Amazon.com.

Look, I like "mellow" as much as the next person, but not when it's synonymous with "barely awake." And that's the case too much of the time on this album. Things also get downright embarrassing in a few spots; Jerry Garcia singing and playing "Love In The Afternoon" sounds like Weird Al Yankovic doing a goof on Jerry-as Jimmy-Buffett. Quite a surprise, then, when "Rhapsody In Red" practically roars out of the speakers (or roars at least as much as Garcia was capable of roaring). It, "Gomorrah" and "Reuben and Cherise" are the only songs here that provide full evidence that the Garcia/Robert Hunter songwriting duo still had the goods. But nothing here is up to the Dead's IN THE DARK, let alone WORKINGMAN'S DEAD or AMERICAN BEAUTY.