Alabama Getaway
1980 single by Grateful Dead
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"Alabama Getaway" is a song by the American rock band Grateful Dead, released as the first of two singles from their 1980 album Go to Heaven.[1]
| "Alabama Getaway" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 single sleeve | ||||
| Single by Grateful Dead | ||||
| from the album Go to Heaven | ||||
| B-side | "Far from Me" | |||
| Released | April 28, 1980 | |||
| Length | 3:36 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Composer | Jerry Garcia | |||
| Lyricist | Robert Hunter | |||
| Producer | Gary Lyons | |||
| Grateful Dead singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Alabama Getaway" on YouTube | ||||
Background
Music and lyrics
"Alabama Getaway" is a Berry-esque rock track,[1][4] and features a Minimoog solo performed by Brent Mydland.[5] the music of which has been described by Lindsay Planer as a "greasy four-on-the floor rocker [that is] connected by a blues-derived saga of a Sugar Daddy-type character".[1] The song was a staple of the band's concert setlists of the early 1980s.[6]
Critical reception
Writing for Rolling Stone, J.M. De Matteis believes that it "does its job with an admirable brevity that might have saved a few of the album’s terminally long-winded compositions".[4] American music magazine Cashbox opined the band "take the blues/rock boogie road to the south and its smooth sailing all the way" on the track.[7] Record World writes that "Garcia's lead vocals and guitar work are on the money and new keyboard/vocalist, Brent Mydland shows he has the boogie in his blood."[8]
Credits and personnel
According to the Grateful Dead Family Discography:[9]
Performers
- Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
- Brent Mydland - keyboards, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann - drums
- Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass
- Mickey Hart - drums
Production
- Producer - Gary Lyons
- Engineer - Gary Lyons, Betty Cantor-Jackson
- Additional engineer - Peter Thea, Bob Matthews, John Cutler
- Recorded at Club Front, San Rafael
Charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 68 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[11] | 79 |
| US Record World Singles Chart[12] | 68 |