Rolling Thunder is the first solo album by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.
Although Hart had temporarily left the Grateful Dead at the time he made Rolling Thunder, members of the Dead play on the album, along with several other well-known musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. Also featured are classical tabla players Zakir Hussain and his father Alla Rakha. The album contains early versions of two songs co-written by Bob Weir that later became Grateful Dead concert staples – "Playing in the Band" and "Greatest Story Ever Told" (called "Pump Song" on this album).
The cover art for Rolling Thunder was created by Alton Kelly and Stanley Mouse's Kelly/Mouse Studios.
The album was named after the Shoshone medicine man, shaman, teacher, and activist, Rolling Thunder,"The PlowBoy Interview: Rolling Thunder", Mother Earth News, July/August 1981 who was a friend of Mickey Hart and the Grateful Dead and whose voice is heard on the first track.
In 1986, Relix Records reissued the album on vinyl, utilizing the original master recordings and color separations. In 1989, the album was released on CD on the Grateful Dead label. It was subsequently re-released by Relix.Rolling Thunder on deaddisc.com
Track listing
Side One "Rolling Thunder/Shoshone Invocation" (Rolling Thunder) – 0:46 "The Main Ten (Playing in the Band)" (Hart, Weir, Hunter) – 7:04 "Fletcher Carnaby" (Hart, Hunter) – 4:14 "The Chase (Progress)" (Hart) – 4:04 "Blind John" (C.J. Stetson, Peter Monk) – 3:48
Side Two "Young Man" (Hart, Monk) – 2:41 "Deep, Wide, and Frequent" (Hart) – 5:33 "Pump Song" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 4:42 "Granma's Cookies" (Hart) – 3:00 "Hangin' On" (Stetson, Monk; arranged by Mickey Hart) – 3:17
Personnel By track
Rolling Thunder Chant Mike and Nancy Hinton – marimba Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain – tabla The Main Ten (Playing in the Band) John Cipollina – guitar Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals Tower of Power – horn section Stephen Stills – bass Mickey Hart – drums Carmelo Garcia – timbales
Fletcher Carnaby Sam Andrew – guitar John Cipollina – guitar Robbie Stokes – guitar Mickey Hart – drums, percussion David Freiberg – vocals, bass, piano Tower of Power – horn section Steven Schuster – flute
The Chase (Progress) Jerry Garcia – guitar Mickey Hart – drums Zakir Hussain – tabla
Blind John Steven Schuster – flute Grace Slick – piano, vocals Mickey Hart – field drum, timpani Greg Errico – drums Tower of Power – horn section Barry Melton – acoustic guitar, vocals David Freiberg – acoustic guitar, vocals Paul Kantner – vocals
Young Man Barry Melton – guitar John Cipollina – guitar Robbie Stokes – guitar David Freiberg – bass, vocals Mickey Hart – drums Bob Weir – vocals Phil Lesh – vocals Carmelo Garcia – timbales, conga
Deep, Wide and Frequent Mickey Hart – drums David Freiberg – bass Robbie Stokes – guitar Jerry Garcia – guitar John Cipollina – guitar Terry Haggerty – guitar (from Sons of Champlin) Bill Champlin – organ Tower of Power – horn section Carmelo Garcia – timbales, congas Pump Song Robbie Stokes – guitar Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jerry Garcia – insect fear Robbie Stokes – bass Phil Lesh – bass Tower of Power – horn section Mickey Hart – drums, percussion David Freiberg – piano, water pump Granma's Cookies Jerry Garcia – guitar Mickey Hart – drums Zakir Hussain – tabla
Hangin' On Barry Melton – guitar Robbie Stokes – guitar John Cipollina – guitar David Freiberg – bass, piano, viola, vocals Mickey Hart – drums Tower of Power – horn section
Production Dan Healy, Rick Davis, John Wollman, David Freiberg, Mickey Hart – engineers Phil Lesh, Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, David Freiberg, Dan Healy, Stephen Stills – mixdown Rock Scully – direction Recorded at Mickey's Barn, Marin County, CA Mixed at Alembic Studios, San Francisco Ed Thrasher – art direction Ron Rakow, Bruce Baxter – photography
Notes
References