PIVOT! a.k.a. 'Wait, what?!'

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Hosted by: 
Produced by: 
KBOO
Air date: 
Sat, 01/21/2023 - 12:00pm to 2:00pm
This special presents some times The Grateful Dead upended their own long-established musical patterns.

***

The Grateful Dead innovated in many ways, on-stage and off.  

In concert they were likely best known for their extended group improvisations.  But I'd assert that equally important to their live shows was the way they connected songs in sequences of two (and often more) titles.  

Across their many musical eras, the band created many well-known, seamless pairings (and triplets) emphasizing group improvisation.  

Think China > Rider.  Scarlet > Fire.  Playin' > Uncle John's.  Help > Slip > Franklin's.

There are also other strong pairings that have far more crisply delineated transitions, without much improvisation.

Think Me & My Uncle > Big River.  Alabama > (Greatest Story / Promised Land).

These 'tightness' of these associations vary; some songs had one steady companion (perhaps variable through time), others had a tight core of a few regular tunes.  Some juxtapositions were instantaneous and enduring, whereas others developed over time and just "sang a little while and then flew on."

In this new multi-part special, which I'm calling 'PIVOT!' a.k.a. 'Wait, what?!' I'm going to focus on performances where the band makes a left-turn on stage and breaks one of these long-established patterns.  

But to break a pattern, it needs to exist.  For example, when the band debuted 'Fire on the Mountain,' 'Scarlet Begonias' preceded it.  The next time they played 'Scarlet' there was no 'Fire,' but the next four times it DID follow.  Then there was another interruption; THIS does not meet my loosely defined criteria of breaking a pattern, because four consecutive pairings just isn't enough.  

The band proceeded to perform several more Scarlet > Fires in sequence for nearly a year, until April 1978 when they interrupt the pattern again.  THAT break can be eligible for this special, since there had been a reasonably long-standing practice of 'Scarlet' melting right into 'Fire.'

I'll definitely create two shows for this special, maybe more; four is a likely limit, because there are only so many pairings to interrupt.  As with some of my other specials, certain songs may be featured more than once due to their deeply entwined connection to the theme.

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Episode Playlist

  • Time
    12:06
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Scarlet Begonias > Dancing in the Street
    Album
    04-18-1978 - Pittsburgh Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd78-04-18.sbd.cotsman.14036.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    12:34
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Truckin' > Bird Song
    Album
    10-17-1981 - Hippodrome, Paris, France
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd1981-10-17.sbd.miller.116993.flac16
  • Time
    1:01
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    The Other One > Alligator
    Album
    02-04-1969 - The Music Box, Omaha, NB
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd69-02-04.sbd.barbella.7294.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    1:14
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Playing in the Band > Dear Mr. Fantasy
    Album
    06-14-1984 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd84-06-14.sbd.hinko.18804.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    1:38
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Throwing Stones > Iko Iko
    Album
    06-20-1991 - Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd91-06-20.sbd.aj.2787.sbeok.shnf

Episode Playlist

Episode Playlist

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    Album
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    Label
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    Label
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    Label
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    Album
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    Label
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Album
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Album
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    Label
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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  • Time
    1:50
    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
    promo
    Label
  • Time
    1:53
    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Album
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Album
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    Label
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    Album
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    Label
    WMG - Napalm Records
  • Time
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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  • Time
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
    The Taken
    Label
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  • Time
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Album
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    Label
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    Album
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    Label
    MERLIN - Fuz Hyperblue
  • Time
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
    EPIC DRAMA
    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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  • Time
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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  • Time
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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  • Time
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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  • Time
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Album
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    Label
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    Song
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    Song
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    Artist
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    Song
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    Album
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