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Cats Under the Stars

Jerry Garcia Band

Initial release : April 1978

Arista AB 4160

Garcia's first LP using the band name Jerry Garcia Band and his first LP on the Arista label. Includes only one song that was performed by the Grateful Dead. Keith and Donna Godchaux who were at the time members of the Garcia Band contribute to the music.

Tracks

  • Rubin And Cherise (Garcia / Hunter)
  • Love In The Afternoon (Kahn / Hunter)
  • Palm Sunday (Garcia / Hunter)
  • Cats Under The Stars (Garcia / Hunter)
  • Rhapsody In Red (Garcia / Hunter / Kahn)
  • Rain (Donna Godchaux)
  • Down Home (Kahn)
  • Gomorrah (Garcia / Hunter)
Bonus tracks included on the CD version of album included in the All Good Things box set in 2004 and the subsequent individual expanded CD release in 2005;
  • Magnificent Sanctuary Band (Burnette) *
  • I'll Be With Thee (Dorothy Love) **
  • The Way You Do The Things You Do (Robinson / Rogers) *
  • Mighty High (Crawford / Downing) *
  • Don't Let Go (Stone) *
  • Down Home (Rehearsal Version) (Kahn) **
  • Palm Sunday (Alternate Take) (Garcia / Hunter) **

    * previously unreleased studio recordings from November 1976
    ** previously unreleased outtakes from the Cats Under The Stars recording sessions in 1977

Musicians

  • Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
  • Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals
  • Keith Godchaux - keyboard, background vocals
  • John Kahn - basses, keyboards, guitars, orchestration
  • Ron Tutt - drums, percussion
  • Merl Saunders - organ
  • Maria Muldaur - background vocals (on Love In The Afternoon and Gomorrah)
  • Steve Schuster - flute, clarinet, saxophone
  • Brian Godchaux - violin
  • Candy Godchaux - violin
  • Dave Burgin - harmonica on Palm Sunday (not credited on album)
Credits

  • Engineer - Betty Cantor Jackson, Bob Matthews
  • Assistants - Harry Popick, Steve Parish, Bill Candelario and Ramrod
  • Cover Art - Kelley Mouse Studios
  • Recorded and mixed at Le Club Front, San Rafael between August and November 1977
Notes

Cats Under The Stars was recorded in late 1977. A lot of time and effort went into the sessions. John Kahn commented in an interview;

We put so much blood into that record. That was our major try. It was all new material and we did it ourselves. We spent so many hours in the studio.
Garcia also commented on the efforts that went into the recording;
I worked real hard at it and was very diligent and almost scientific about it. There was a lot of heart in it, you might say.
The record was not a success financially but remained Garcia's favorite recording.

Garcia discussed the LP in an interview in the late 80's.

The record I worked hardest at and liked best was Cats Under The Stars. That was kind of like my baby. It did worse than any other record I ever did. I think I probably gave away more copies than I sold. It was amazingly, pathetically bad. But I've learned not to invest a lot of importance in 'em, although it's nice to care about your work.
On another occasion in the early 80's he also discussed this LP;
Cats Under The Stars is my favorite one. That's the one that I'm happiest with, from every point of view in which I operate on that record. We did all those tunes on tour right after the album came out, with John and Maria, Keith and Donna and I think Ronnie Tutt was still playing drums with us on those first few tours.
In the early 90s he still thought well of the album;
As far as I'm concerned Cats Under The Stars is my most successful record - even though it's my least successful record! I've always loved it and it just never went anywhere.
In an interview with Joel Selvin he was more succinct;
[Cats Under The Stars] had everything - chops, production, songs.
Related releases

Reissued in 1988 on CD by Arista (ARCD 8535)

The complete Cats Under The Stars album plus bonus tracks from the album recording sessions were included in the Garcia box set;

The All Good Things version of the album was subsequently released as a single CD in 2005.

Rubin And Cherise, Cats Under The Stars and Rhapsody In Red were included on;

Rubin And Cherise and Gomorrah were included on an Arista sampler double LP; Rubin And Cherise and Cats Under The Stars were included on a Grateful Dead promotional sampler LP;
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album cover

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