GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST: "Blues For Allah 50: Slipknot!"

Release Date: August 28, 2025
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow
Main Guests: David Lemieux, Ned Lagin, Ron Rakow, Steve Brown, Gary Lambert, Joan Miller, Jay Curley, Chadwick Jenkins, Sean O'Donnell, Melvin Backstrom

Overview:

This episode of the Deadcast dives into the compositional development, rehearsal history, and legacy of "Slipknot!," the complex instrumental centerpiece from the Grateful Dead’s 1975 album Blues for Allah. The episode explores the months-long workshop process at Bob Weir’s Ace’s Studio, the ambiguous identity of the band during this period, the influence of jazz and classical forms, the unique harmonic innovations within "Slipknot!," and the track’s journey from woodshedding to live performance and enduring repertoire staple.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Context of "Blues For Allah" and the Grateful Dead in 1975

• The Dead were "essentially disbanded" during early 1975 (08:54), aiming to escape the entertainment business in favor of “music, art, personal business.”
• The Blues for Allah sessions were highly experimental, with the band operating in a state of “purposeful ambiguity” akin to contemporaneous albums by Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, and Santana (11:34–14:32).
• Guests routinely dropped by the Ace’s sessions—David Crosby, John Cipollina, and Van Morrison among them—illustrating the collaborative, open-plan nature of the process (15:01–15:24).
• The Dead’s work habits were anarchic; any attempt at scheduling was, as Ron Rakow quips, “not a plan, it’s a prayer” (09:48).

2. The Evolution of "Slipknot!"

• "Slipknot!" sits between "Help On The Way" and "Franklin’s Tower"—the three form a seamless suite (04:34, 21:51).
• The track recalls the Dead’s late ‘60s dense music, signaling a return to musical intricacy (04:34).
• Musical elements of "Slipknot!" can be traced back to jams and transitions as early as 1972/73 (25:57–27:06).
• By early 1975, the "Slipknot!" riff was part of the Dead’s improvisational language, but it emerged as a full piece during studio jams and rehearsals, particularly in March (27:06–28:03).
• Jerry Garcia relates the song’s origins to “a sound I wish I would hear”—chasing musical doors that lead to deeper creativity (28:03, 28:12).

Quote:

"Part of what creating new forms has to do with... is creating a situation in which miracles can happen, in which amazing coincidences can happen, that all of a sudden you’re in an unusual space."
— Jerry Garcia (20:43)

3. Studio Workshop: Methods, Experiments, and Nerdy Lore

• Sessions were a swirl of developing musical fragments—untitled jams referred to as “A to E Distorto,” “Groove Number Two,” etc. (35:12).
• Ned Lagin played a pivotal role in introducing jazz harmonic complexity and diminished chords into the group’s language (39:57, 40:39).
• Band banter included tales of Lucille Ball picking up WWII spy radio signals—showcasing their quirky camaraderie (34:11).

Quote:

"When you try to do that in the Grateful Dead, it's not a plan, it's a prayer. ... You had to be a psychological genius to deal with the Grateful Dead in that capacity."
— Ron Rakow (09:48)

Notable Moments & Timestamps:

• [33:34] Phil Lesh introduces new quad bass circuitry.
• [34:11] Jerry Garcia’s Lucille Ball WWII radio story.
• [35:12] Ned Lagin catalogues early jam codes.

4. Harmonic and Rhythmic Innovations

• "Slipknot!" and Blues for Allah marked a period of tonal and rhythmic ambiguity—heavy use of diminished 7th chords, uncommon in rock (39:19–43:57).
• Grateful Dead’s use of diminished chords far exceeds most rock: ~14% of their songs, peaking at 30-35% from 1970-75 (43:12–44:07).
• "Slipknot!"’s structure—oscillating between keys and meters—allowed the band to “expand in any direction or go anywhere from anywhere” while maintaining form (21:11).
• Classical, jazz, and even Brill Building influences converge in this suite, as outlined by jazz scholars (39:19–44:29).
• The composition is “slippery”—designed for transition and openness, as well as thematic “wildflower seeds” for the album's methodology (24:54).

Quotes:

"Diminished chords have a lot to do with ambiguity and darkness and mystery."
— Ned Lagin (41:59)

"It's always this compromise between harmony and time—or how time can affect harmony."
— Chadwick Jenkins (46:21)

5. Rehearsal Tapes and "Ned’s Birthday Jam"

• March 17, 1975: David Crosby teaches the Dead new songs at Ned Lagin’s 27th birthday jam—a rare instance of Crosby performing with a Dead-centric lineup (18:47, 49:15).
• Seastones (Lagin’s project) and Dead rehearsals overlapped, contributing musical seeds in both tonality and form (52:12).

6. The SNACK Benefit: "Jerry Garcia & Friends" Debut and the First "Live" Test of New Material

• March 23, 1975: Grateful Dead make a surprise "return" at Bill Graham’s benefit for San Francisco schools—a performance born more of civic crisis than band intention (57:17–58:09).
• Rehearsals for SNACK were colored by ambivalence—Kreutzman was initially reluctant, but Garcia convinced him with his famous wit:

"Might be a bummer, but it would only last an hour..." — Jerry Garcia (58:14)

• The band debuted a 32-minute, boundary-pushing suite of new instrumentals ("Blues for Allah," "King Solomon’s Marbles," etc.), broadcast on local radio, eerily atmospheric with three drummers and a triple-keyboard formation (60:02, 64:33).
• Merle Saunders and Ned Lagin both described being invited into a nearly wordless, exploratory rehearsal process led by Garcia (62:55).
• The surprise return, unconventional setlist, and under-the-radar billing astonished fans—some ecstatic, others confounded by the avant-garde jam instead of “Casey Jones” (77:31–78:15, 79:07).

7. The Enduring Legacy of "Slipknot!"

• The suite reached its recorded form on July 3, 1975, in a single take at Ace’s Studio (91:22).
• "Slipknot!" remained a virtuosic centerpiece—practiced rigorously for the band’s album release party at the Great American Music Hall (95:57–96:01).
• Only "Slipknot!" from the 1975 instrumental experiments survived as a live staple, often paired with "Help On The Way" and "Franklin’s Tower" (98:01).
• After brief retirement, the suite returned in 1983 (after keyboardist Brent Mydland was brought in), with minor but noticeable compositional tweaks for playability (103:15).
• Across decades, "Slipknot!" remained a touchstone for the Dead’s unique balance of tight structure and jammy abandon.

Quotes:

"The full band would get a songwriting credit on Slipknot, but it very much developed out of Jerry Garcia's central guitar part."
— Jesse Jarnow (92:06)

"To me, the one on the album is... kind of definitive. It's what they wanted that song to be."
— David Lemieux (92:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"It's more like if you're real lucky, you know, and practice a lot and play a lot and try to feel right, and you're lucky, and everybody wants for it to happen, then there's the possibility that things, special things will happen."
— Jerry Garcia (30:54)

"We have an element of looseness to them which means they can expand in any direction... but they also have enough form so that we can lock into something."
— Jerry Garcia (21:11)

"When you try to do that in the Grateful Dead, it's not a plan, it's a prayer."
— Ron Rakow (09:48)

"If you take just the years that we're talking about... then it's like 30, 34, 35% [diminished chords]."
— Chadwick Jenkins (44:07)

"Bill Graham had never liked the name Grateful Dead, but this was one day he was happy to have it."
— Jesse Jarnow (75:24)

"The Dead set, to me, was one of the most audacious things they ever did."
— Gary Lambert (81:15)

Important Timestamps

• 04:34: Introduction to "Slipknot!"’s placement and origins.
• 08:54–10:46: Context: Grateful Dead in creative flux; business versus art.
• 11:34–14:32: Parallels with Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Santana, and the open-band concept.
• 20:43–21:51: Jerry Garcia discusses fostering musical miracles and balancing structure/looseness.
• 25:57–27:06: Early Slipknot riffs in 1972–74 tapes.
• 28:03–30:54: Garcia reflects on origins, emotion, inspiration, and channeling.
• 35:12–35:53: Workshop language—musical ideas as “Groove Number Two,” coded chords.
• 39:19–44:07: Deep dive into diminished chords, ambiguity, Dead’s avant-garde approach.
• 49:15–53:40: Excerpt from Ned’s Birthday Jam; proto-Seastones friendship and invention.
• 57:17–64:47: The SNACK Benefit; band’s temporary return and unorthodox live set.
• 77:31–81:15: Reception and impact of the SNACK performance.
• 91:22–96:01: Final realization and recording of "Slipknot!"
• 103:06–103:45: Song changes in the 1980s after the band’s revival of the suite.

Thematic Takeaways

• Ambiguity & Adventure: "Slipknot!" and the spring 1975 Dead exemplify musical and organizational ambiguity. This unmoored creativity incubated their most adventurous work.
• Compositional Bravery: By embracing complex forms, odd chords, and experimenting with time/harmony, the Dead eschewed mainstream expectations and pushed their music (and fans) into new territory.
• Collaborative Process: The workshop environment, visits from friends (Crosby, Cipollina), and loose approach to authorship fostered an artistic ecosystem.
• Legacy and Adaptation: "Slipknot!" survived lineup and era changes, mutating subtly to remain a live highlight through decades.

Conclusion:

"Slipknot!" stands as both a musical relic of the Dead's most experimental period and a living, evolving suite with a storied live history. This episode paints it not as a mere bridge between fan favorites, but as a crucible where advanced harmony, band democracy, and playful chaos merge. The Dead’s pursuit of the miraculous, as articulated by Garcia, finds lasting expression in this piece—truly, a slipknot: loose, tight, and ever-twisting.