![]() ![]() Lesh wears a pharaonic nemes, Garcia a space helmet and Kreutzmann a galea. The rear cover depicts the band as the "ugly roomers", in the guise of cartoon characters lounging in a room in outer space, watching television. Kreutzmann said it was "a self-deprecating dig at ourselves, but we changed it to 'rumors' out of respect to the boarders at the hotel." After another title change to From the Mars Hotel, the punning spelling "Ugly Rumors" was retained in stylized Aztecan text on the front cover, as rotated mirror writing. The working title for the album was "Ugly Roomers". Flipped image of From the Mars Hotel album cover, showing "Ugly Rumors" text. In response, and to help consumers recognize higher-quality, official pressings, the word "authentic" was embossed in a vertical column on the left margin of the cover. In competing against existing distribution channels, albums on the Grateful Dead label became subject to counterfeiting. It was demolished during the Yerba Buena redevelopment – footage of which is seen in The Grateful Dead Movie – and is now the site of the Moscone West Exhibition Hall. The real Mars Hotel was a derelict flophouse, at 192 Fourth Street, that had been the temporary residence of Jack Kerouac and was previously used as a location in David Bowie's promotional film for " The Jean Genie". The front depicts an actual San Francisco building, juxtaposed in an extraterrestrial landscape. The album's cover art was created by Kelley/ Mouse, who had previously created artwork for the band's American Beauty, Grateful Dead, and Europe '72 albums. A contemporaneous test performance of the sound system was released as Dick's Picks Volume 24. While recording the album, the Grateful Dead were testing a massive touring P.A. It couldn’t offer the freedom of playing something live, nor the satisfaction." Commenting later about the sessions, drummer Bill Kreutzmann said "The studio felt contrived. Electronic composer Ned Lagin (who frequently sat in during the group's live performances between 19) played synthesizer on "Unbroken Chain".Īs previously, the band felt stifled by studio confines. Though Garcia had played pedal steel for the band, John McFee (of Clover) guests on the instrument for "Pride of Cucamonga". Lesh had recorded demo versions of his two tracks during sessions for that album. A separate version of "China Doll" (also introduced in February 1973) was recorded for the previous album Wake of the Flood, but not used. Weir's "Money Money" was arranged in the studio. Blues" had started life as "Wave That Flag" in February 1973 before being dropped and heavily rewritten however, "Scarlet Begonias" had been introduced only in the month prior to recording. Many of the Garcia-Hunter songs had been played live for up to a year or more. Garcia had played in CBS Studios earlier in the year with Art Garfunkel during the sessions for Angel Clare. According to Segal, Garcia liked the room because it had a more "live" sound than the Record Plant, where the band had recorded their previous album. They produced the album themselves with engineer Roy Segal. The studio had since been purchased by CBS Studios and refurbished. ![]() The band chose to return to Coast Recorders on Folsom Street in San Francisco, where they had recorded "The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)" as a single for their first album, in 1967. ![]() Rhythm guitarist Bob Weir contributed "Money Money" with writing partner John Perry Barlow. This was the only time he would sing two songs on a Dead studio album, and they would be his final lead vocal work for the band until 1985. However, "Pride of Cucamonga" and "Unbroken Chain" were both written and sung by bassist Phil Lesh with the assistance of poet Bobby Petersen. The majority were again composed by lead guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter and featured Garcia's lead vocals. The Grateful Dead returned to the studio at the end of March 1974, having readied another batch of songs. From the Mars Hotel came less than one year after their previous album, Wake of the Flood, and was the last before the band's then-indefinite hiatus from live touring, begun in October 1974. It was the second album by the band on their own Grateful Dead Records label. It was mainly recorded in April 1974, and originally released June 27, 1974. From the Mars Hotel is the seventh studio album (eleventh overall) by rock band the Grateful Dead. ![]()
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