Good Ol' Grateful Deadcast – Wake of the Flood 50: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

Date: August 24, 2023
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow
Key Guests: Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Ron Rakow, David Lemieux, Sean O’Donnell, Steve Brown, Brian Kehew, Nick Paumgarten

Overview

This episode kicks off a track-by-track deep dive into the Grateful Dead’s 1973 album Wake of the Flood, honoring its 50th anniversary with a focus on the iconic album opener “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodaloo.” The hosts explore the song’s origins, studio sessions, lyrical mysteries, key musical features, and enduring place in the Dead universe. Reflections from band members, crew, collaborators, and devoted Deadheads bring to life the complex history and vibe around this pivotal period in the Dead’s evolution.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Birth of Wake of the Flood

• Historical Moment: Wake of the Flood marked the Dead’s first album since American Beauty (1970), releasing after a three-year studio gap. This period also saw the formation of their independent label, Grateful Dead Records.
  • “Wake of the Flood is up there for me, definitely in the top five... up there with American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead.” – David Lemieux [04:49]
• New Era: Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay describes it as “a real departure. It was like a new era in the Grateful Dead... And part of that difference was Keith, definitely, you know, the writing of the songs to be geared towards Keith” [05:04].
• Rich Musical Network: Wake features guest musicians (notably bluegrass legend Vassar Clements on fiddle) and thick arrangements, with horns and vocal layers unseen on earlier Dead studio efforts.

2. Founding Grateful Dead Records: Independence & Experimentation

• Visionary DIY: The Dead sought artistic and business independence, culminating in the founding of Grateful Dead Records. Ron Rakow (“Moneybags”) recounts the origin story—radical ideas included distributing the album via psychedelic ice cream trucks.
  • “It was a genuinely independent label, not just a subsidiary of an existing operation.” [16:01]
• Funding Trickery: Rakow’s plan leveraged federal small business money by lobbying for federal recognition of “hippies” as a minority class [16:18]. When that didn’t work, rights to international distribution were sold to Atlantic for $300,000 to fund the launch [26:16].
• Clive Davis Showdown: Major-label exec Clive Davis tried to keep the Dead from leaving the system; Owsley Stanley (Bear) disrupts a pivotal meeting with Clive, and Robert Hunter anagrams Clive Davis to “Siva Devil C,” sealing the band’s resolve for independence [25:36].

3. Making the Album: The Sausalito Sessions

• Home Turf: The Dead took over Sausalito’s then-new Record Plant studio for all of August 1973. The studio’s relaxed, creative atmosphere is fondly recalled by guests and crew.
  • “It was a hometown studio right there in Marin County. Great studio... and wonderful place.” – David Lemieux [30:26]
• Quick, Focused Work: Sessions ran from August 4–18, with mixing and mastering completed rapidly. The band tracked as an ensemble, capturing live energy with minimal overdubs:
  • “In those days, you’re really a live band who happens to go in the studio once in a while to cut a record.” – Brian Kehew [53:13]
• Donna Jean's Studio Reign: Donna Jean thrived in the studio environment, calling herself a “headphone studio rat” [51:48].

4. Musical & Lyrical Breakdown: “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodaloo”

• Structure & Style: Musicologist Sean O’Donnell highlights the song’s layered, non-standard structure—a blend of bluegrass, western swing, and jazz progressions.
  • “It’s coming out of their Bakersfield-plus zone... more synthesis... out of the bluegrass vocabulary... but the feel isn’t jazz, it’s closer to honky tonk or Dixieland western swing.” – Sean O’Donnell [39:24]
• Inventive Riffs & Modulations: The intro involves “a little G, G#, A into it so you feel like you’re going in reverse and that creates the little loop for you” [41:04]. Complex chord transitions through verses and choruses provide harmonic variety.
• Lyric Dissection: Jesse and guests interpret the lyrics as part of Hunter’s “poker period,” loaded with Americana, biblical references, and subtle inside jokes.
  • The song’s title itself is a musical in-joke as the signature motif is in half-step intervals [42:45].
  • “Rock & Rye” is analyzed as both a literal southern drink and a veiled allusion to LSD.
• Personal History: The lyric “Lost my boots in transit, babe...” is linked to Garcia’s 1961 car crash, marking a life-changing turning point for him [46:06].
• Robert Hunter’s Regret: Hunter disliked the inclusion of “styrofoam” in the lyric, considering it jarringly modern [47:59].
• Studio Realities: Takes focused on feel over note-perfect playing; the “keeper” was the fourth complete performance out of sixteen recorded takes [56:15].

5. The Role of Vassar Clements & Musical Guests

• Vassar’s Fiddle: Added rich Americana flavor; his parts, recorded later, fit so naturally they sound like they were there all along.
  • “Vassar is just blended in with the band in the last verse, another part of the conversational weave, even though he was overdubbed later. Kind of too bad he never played with them live.” [62:01]
• Mystery Vocals: There’s a harmony in the studio recordings by someone other than a band member, possibly Sir Douglas Sahm (unconfirmed) [64:19].

6. Live Evolution & Legacy

• Setlist Placement: “Mississippi Half-Step” regularly occupied dramatic set positions, sometimes even appearing as the final song before the Dead’s 1974 hiatus.
  • “I always figured it was, you know, it’s the farewell to you and I’m on my way. And I get it. It was a perfect choice.” – David Lemieux [67:40]
• Pairing with “Franklin’s Tower”: In later years, often led right into “Franklin’s Tower,” creating an iconic Dead suite [70:43].
• Personal Memories: Writer Nick Paumgarten recounts hearing the song live in 1985, describing his own coming-of-age Deadhead narrative and the song’s personal impact [73:07–81:29].
  • “The part that stuck with me... was the coda part, the flight across the Rio Grande... It instantly occurred to me that this is an important song. This is a big song.” – Nick Paumgarten [73:50]
  • “Half Step is, in a way, it’s like this outlaw who’s a schlamazzle. It has this, like, celebratory air, and yet everything’s all cracked, right? Like bent pool cues, Styrofoam balls, loaded dice, retreads...” [80:33]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Donna Jean on the Band’s New Sound:
  “Wake of the Flood was kind of a real departure. It started something different... some of the most classic Grateful Dead songs in the world came with Wake of the Flood.” [05:04, 05:54]

• Ron Rakow on Funding with 'Hippie' Status:
  “In three months we got part of the United States government to declare hippies a separate minority... so I could get MESBIC money.” [16:18]

• Owsley (Bear) Sabotages Clive Davis:
  “Owsley goes right for Clive Davis... starts to talk in his ear... he’s saying, sir, you’re putting out press about Janis Joplin... making it look like she’s a tramp...” [24:02]

• Hunter’s Styrofoam Regret:
  “I’ve never sung that song without regretting I put that line in.” [47:59]

• Brian Kehew on The Session Vibe:
  “Things were looser in those days, less serious... but they also wanted to get work done... They’re very focused and working hard to get good feel... not slacking at all.” [54:18]

Timestamps for Key Sections

• [04:13] – Album & period introduction, setting the 1973 scene.
• [11:45] – Ron Rakow on founding Grateful Dead Records.
• [23:42] – The Clive Davis meeting & Bear’s interjection.
• [27:16] – Arrival at Sausalito’s Record Plant, recording details.
• [39:24] – Song structure & musical analysis by Sean O’Donnell.
• [46:06] – Jerry’s car accident, background to “lost my boots” lyric.
• [51:48] – Donna Jean on studio work.
• [58:53] – Vassar Clements’s fiddle overdub.
• [64:19] – Mystery harmonies in the studio mix.
• [67:40] – “Half Step” played at the Dead’s 1974 pre-hiatus farewell.
• [71:47] – Nick Paumgarten’s first live “Half Step” experience.

Tone & Style

As always, the Deadcast approach is equal parts warm, in-depth, and irreverent, mixing musical geekery with anecdotal richness and fandom energy. The hosts and guests maintain a conversational, exploratory tone, celebrating the band’s idiosyncratic spirit and the song’s ongoing journey.

Conclusion

This episode masterfully unpacks “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodaloo” as both a work of art and an emblem of the Grateful Dead’s creative evolution. Through studio insights, musical breakdowns, historical context, and fan testimony, it traces the track’s unique place in Dead lore—a song at the crossroads of the band’s past and its brave new future.

For further deep dives, more lyric analysis, and upcoming episodes exploring other tracks from Wake of the Flood, visit dead.net/deadcast.