Photo Credit: Jay Blakesberg
Rhino has announced its intent to celebrate the solo archive of master lyricist the late Robert Hunter by reissuing the wordsmith’s 1974 debut album, Tales of the Great Rum Runners, on June 7. Most prominently associated with penning parts of the Grateful Dead’s beloved canon of music, the newly expanded album format further accentuates Hunter’s ability to use musical compositions as a method of storytelling.
The forthcoming Deluxe Edition marks 50 years since the initial release, and presents an advanced remastered take on Tales of the Great Rum Runners. It pairs the original compositions with 16 previously unreleased recordings, including alternative takes from the original LP tracklist and various session outtakes, to generate an intimate overview of Hunter’s mid-70s creative process and studio production.
For clarity and the ultimate listening experience, the set of songs has been remastered from the original master tapes by Grammy Award-winning sound engineer David Glasser, who used Plangent Processes for tape restoration and speed correction.
Hunter’s original Tales of the Great Rum Runners set was released in the spring of 1974 and served as the musician’s Round Records debut–an offshoot of the newly formed Grateful Dead Records. Composed of 13 tracks, including staples from the musician’s live repertoire, “Boys In The Barroom,” “Rum Runners,” and “It Must Have Been The Roses,” which further function as an introduction to the musician’s independent voice and sound.
Tales of the Great Rum Runners was recorded at Mickey Hart’s converted barn studio in Novato, Calif., and finds the musician showcasing many sides of Hunter’s talents: singing and the use of various instruments, including the guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, which appear on “Children’s Lament.”
Across the set, Hunter is joined by Bay Area luminaries and frequent collaborators Jerry Garcia, Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux, Hart, Barry Melton (Country Joe & The Fish), bassist David Freiberg (Quicksilver Messenger Service/Jefferson Starship), and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Cage (New Riders Of The Purple Sage).
“The music was as warm and handmade as the tapestries and tie-dyes adorning the Barn studio walls, an idiosyncratic continuation of the cosmic folk vocabulary that Hunter and Dead explored on Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty. In an era when the Dead’s own studio albums were growing slicker, Rum Runners doubled down on organic earthiness,” writes the collection’s liner notes author, Jesse Jarnow, evoking the essence of the LP.
As a preview of the newly announced release, Rhino has dropped the 2024 remastered version of the hip-swaying “Standing at Your Door,” which underscores the artist’s ability to evoke feeling. In doing so, Hunter uses his gift as a writer and careful ear to complement descriptive lines with meticulous and thoughtfully paired instrumentation.
Pre-order the Tales Of The Great Rum Runners (Deluxe Edition).
Tales Of The Great Rum Runners (Deluxe Edition)
2-CD Track Listing
Disc One: Original Album (2024 Remaster)
1. “Lady Simplicity”
2. “That Train”
3. “Dry Dusty Road”
4. “I Heard You Singing”
5. “Rum Runners”
6. “Children’s Lament”
7. “Maybe She’s A Bluebird”
8. “Boys In The Barroom”
9. “It Must Have Been The Roses”
10. “Arizona Lightning”
11. “Standing At Your Door”
12. “Mad”
13. “Keys To The Rain”
Disc Two: Bonus Tracks (2024 Remaster)
1. “Boys In The Barroom” – Alternate Version *
2. “Elijah” *
3. “The Word” *
4. “Rum Runners” – Alternate Version *
5. “It Must Have Been The Roses” – Alternate Version *
6. “Road Hog” *
7. “Green Briar Song” *
8. “Reelin’ And A-Pitchin’” *
9. “Briney Deep” *
10. “Children’s Lament” – Alternate Version *
11. “Lady Simplicity” – Alternate Version *
12. “Southern Fried Shuffle” *
13. “West Virginia Steel Guitar” *
14. “Buck Dancer’s Choice” *
15. “Boats” *
16. “Keys To The Rain” – Alternate Version *
Tales Of The Great Rum Runners (Deluxe Edition)
2-LP Track Listing
Side One
1. “Lady Simplicity”
2. “That Train”
3. “Dry Dusty Road”
4. “I Heard You Singing”
5. “Rum Runners”
6. “Children’s Lament”
7. “Maybe She’s A Bluebird”
Side Two
1. “Boys In The Barroom”
2. “It Must Have Been The Roses”
3. “Arizona Lightning”
4. “Standing At Your Door”
5. “Mad”
6. “Keys To The Rain”
Bonus Tracks (2024 Remaster)
Side One
1. “Boys In The Barroom” *
2. “Elijah” *
3. “The Word” *
4. “Rum Runners” – Alternate Version *
5. “It Must Have Been The Roses” – Alternate Version *
6. “Road Hog” *
7. “Green Briar Song” *
8. “Reelin’ And A-Pitchin’” *
Side Two
1. “Briney Deep” *
2. “Children’s Lament” – Alternate Version *
3. “Lady Simplicity” – Alternate Version *
4. “Southern Fried Shuffle” *
5. “West Virginia Steel Guitar” *
6. “Buck Dancer’s Choice” *
7. “Boats” *
8. “Keys To The Rain” – Alternate Version *
*previously unreleased
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