Album of the Day

“Shakedown Street” was performed live for the first time on this day in 1978, and the song would provide the title for the final Grateful Dead album of the 1970s. The Arista collection paired the group with another acclaimed California rocker: Little Feat's Lowell George, who served as co-producer. This would also be the final Dead album to feature the Godchaux husband-and-wife team, and Donna Jean made the most of it, singing beautifully on “France” and her own “From the Heart of Me.” From the Garcia-Hunter title track (which flirted with disco) to such future concert staples as “Fire on the Mountain” and “I Need a Miracle,” these 10 songs cover plenty of stylistic ground, and SHAKEDOWN STREET showcases a great band still eager to shake things up.