# In 1978, the Grateful Dead tried to sell out and found out it wasn’t quite so easy: “We failed miserably”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1978-the-grateful-dead-tried-to-sell-out-and-found-out-it-wasnt-quite-so-easy-we-failed-miserably/
- Published: 2026-11-06T17:21:17+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T19:07:08+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1978-the-grateful-dead-tried-to-sell-out-and-found-out-it-wasnt-quite-so-easy/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- The Dead’s attempt at a radio hit with *Shakedown Street* fell short.
- “Shakedown Street” and “Fire on the Mountain” endured.
- “France” was the album’s song the band never played live.

## Summary

In 1978, the Grateful Dead tried to make a more commercially successful album with *Shakedown Street*, but the experiment failed to produce the radio hit they sought. Percussionist Mickey Hart later described the attempt as a failure, while the article argues the record’s commercial direction clashed with the band’s identity as an improvisational live act.

The album still included songs that became lasting parts of the band’s repertoire, including its title track and “Fire on the Mountain”. The article singles out “France” as the misstep: Bob Weir called it a “spectacular failure of judgment”, and songwriter Robert Hunter said it had changed substantially from the lively Latin jam that inspired it. The band never performed “France” live.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.