Terrapin Station - prog rock album or not?

What do you think about this album by The Grateful Dead?

I'll put prog-related for now. 

It is prog but there are at least 5 Dead albums I would take over that one.

Larkstongue41 wrote: It is prog but there are at least 5 Dead albums I would take over that one.

Agreed.  I consider Mars Hotel the proggiest Dead album...straight up prog (China Doll & Unbroken Chain), country (Pride of Cucamonga & Money Money), boogie (US Blues & Loose Lucy), rock (Scarlet Begonias) topped with the sad ballad Ship of Fools.  Eclectic prog for me.  Add that to the psychedelic Aoxomoxoa and early albums that along with Hawkwind defined the space jam and I still don't understand why the Dead aren't in PA.  Phish are in with their 47 live albums of space noodling, but not the Dead who invented the genre  

Thanks for putting me over the edge and give this band a listen, finally .

Voted yes as it contains about 60% genuine prog - and the rest of the album is mostly rock that's sophisticated enough to compare with plenty of simpler "songs in between the complex epics" that you can find on undeniable progclassics. 

Atavachron wrote: Of course it's prog rock.

I've always liked the title track (maybe the only Dead song I can stomach all the way through as it appears composed right down to the last detail c/f their improvised pot-noodle Olympiads

Not sure how often you can throw good or bad s.h.i.t at a wall before acceding to the realisation that just maybe it ain't ever going to stick. These are three recent nominations but there must be loads of others down through the years.

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=103430&KW=grateful+dead
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=77232&KW=grateful+dead
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=90155&KW=grateful+dead

If PA ever makes the formal transition from a Prog Archive to a site dedicated to progressive rock related music then yes, the Dead are probably a worthy inclusion. Until then, atrophy will hold sway David.

The.Crimson.King wrote: Larkstongue41 wrote: It is prog but there are at least 5 Dead albums I would take over that one. Agreed.  I consider Mars Hotel the proggiest Dead album...straight up prog (China Doll & Unbroken Chain), country (Pride of Cucamonga & Money Money), boogie (US Blues & Loose Lucy), rock (Scarlet Begonias) topped with the sad ballad Ship of Fools.  Eclectic prog for me.  Add that to the psychedelic Aoxomoxoa and early albums that along with Hawkwind defined the space jam and I still don't understand why the Dead aren't in PA.  Phish are in with their 47 live albums of space noodling, but not the Dead who invented the genre

I had never head the whole thing until recently . I was very surprised at how prog it actually was.

The Terrapin station suite is definitely the most 'Prog' track they ever recorded.. they even de-camped to the UK to record the majority of it (and presumably soak up the UK early 70's vibe) but I don't consider the Dead a 'Prog' band at all. I love the Dead and am very happy that they and lots of bands I love exist very much outside the prescribed definition of Prog Rock. Eclectic and fluid, yes.. but I can see how many people just don't get them or find them bland (my wife for one..) but I just do 'dig' them