The National, with the help of a few friends, will share Day of the Dead with the world – an epic compilation of tributes to The Grateful Dead. Just shy of 60 tracks (according to Pitchfork), the six-hour box set will include music from The National, Grizzly Bear, Josh Kaufman, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, among many others. The National has shared one of the tracks, a 17 minute long “Terrapin Station (Suite),” from the Dead’s 1977 album Terrapin Station. The cover was recorded by almost 50 musicians, including members of the National, Daniel Rossen and Christopher Bear of Grizzly Bear, Josh Kaufman, Conrad Doucette, Sō Percussion, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and many others.
Have a listen to the track below.
Have a listen to the original track.
The track is not the first released from the album. In March, several covers from the record were released, including tracks from the National, Courtney Barnett, the War on Drugs, Bruce Hornsby with Justin Vernon’s DeYarmond Edison, and Phosphorescent with Jenny Lewis.
The National has been planning this tribute since 2011. Many fans saw the album as follow-up to Dark Was the Night a National-produced compilation album supporting Red Hot Organization, focused on raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS. Fans were kept in the dark for years until February when the National released the names of a handful of contributing artists. Given the amount of material within the box set, fans can expect to find more of their favorite artist on the 5-CD set this spring.
A handful of tracks are already streaming, but the full album is set to be released May 20.
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