In the late '70s, the Grateful Dead strayed from their musical roots (blues, folk, country) in the interest of "progress". Opinions vary on the degree of success achieved by their fusion of jazz and art-rock with the trademark Dead sound during this period, but from a purely compositional perspective, it's plain that the band's songwriting was at its most expansive and sophisticated on albums like TERRAPIN STATION. Sure, the appearance of Tom Scott and an orchestra on a Grateful Dead record may give pause to the faithful, but the slinky, odd-metered glory of Bob Weir's "Estimated Prophet" and the melodic charms of the multi-part title suite make TERRAPIN STATION fully worth the trip. For those who prefer to rock in a less artful manner, there's Phil Lesh's percolating "Passenger" and even an ostensibly incongruous cover of "Dancin' in the Streets".|
Rovi