Happy Anniversary: Grateful Dead, Terrapin Station

38 years ago today, The Grateful Dead released their ninth studio album overall and their first for Arista Records, the label which would remain their home through their thirteen and final studio album, 1989’s Built to Last.

Terrapin Station was somewhat of a sonic departure for the Dead, with the band making an attempt at stepping away from the more improvisational feel of their earlier material and incorporating strings, horns, and even a choir. As is so often the case when bands decide to step outside of the box and try something a little different, the reactions were decidedly mixed: some critics liked what the Dead was doing, with Rolling Stone doling out four stars for the album, and some fans agreed, but for every one of those, there were also fans who moaned about how overproduced the album was and how betrayed they felt by the band’s decision to go in a more mainstream direction.

Say what you will about Terrapin Station, but the band seemed happy with it: “Estimated Prophet” and “Samson and Delilah” continued to regularly turn up in the band’s sets until the very end – yes, that includes the final Fare Thee Well performance – and although the title track, a.k.a. the entire second side of the album, may not have made the transition to the concert stage in its entirety, portions of it were certainly performed on a regular basis, including that aforementioned July 5, 2015 show. If that isn’t reason enough to celebrate the anniversary of the album’s original release, what is?