The B List: 10 Fantastic Song Pairings

9. Red-Eyed & Blue > I Got You – Wilco

Wilco’s 1996 double album Being There placed Red-Eyed and Blue as a lead in and perfect companion to I Got You (At the End of the Century). The pairing has held firm in setlists throughout the many incarnations and lineups the band has run through. Since the songs premiered live on May 19, 1996, there have only been six instances where Red-Eyed was followed by a song other than I Got You with the most recent being September 16, 2000 when Monday was played after Red-Eyed. – [Luke Sacks]

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8. Jazz Wank > Buster – moe.

moe.’s anthemic tune Jazz Wank debuted as part of the Timmy rock opera at The Wetlands on Feburary 18, 1995. The song was often paired with Roll until August 24, 1995, when it led into another new song entitled Buster. Since that fateful evening Jazz Wank has segued into Buster over 100 times. More recently, hearing a Jazz Wank > Buster has become extremely rare. Let’s head back to the pairing’s glory days…

7. Waiting For The Bus > Jesus Left Chicago – ZZ Top

ZZ Top paid tribute to the Delta Blues by starting off 1973’s Tres Hombres with contrasting songs Waitin’ For The Bus and Jesus Left Chicago. For the past 35 years the two tunes have been staples of the Houston-based trio’s repertoire. These songs don’t segue into each other, Waitin’ For The Bus generally just drops into the hearty soul of Jesus Left as it did on this night in 2003…

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6. Camarillo Brillo > Muffin Man – Frank Zappa

The quirky Camarillo Brillo gave Frank Zappa the commercial success he never really sought after its release on Over-nite Sensation in 1973. In concert he would play with the tempo of the song, nearly speeding through the song in double time towards the late ’70s. In 1975, Zappa started working the end of Camarillo Brillo into an intense riff-driven tune known as Muffin Man and the pairing would stay intact through 1984. Check out Adrien Belew tearing Muffin Man a new asshole…

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5. Foreplay > Longtime – Boston

One of the most important aspects of a terrific song cycle lies in the “Get You Pumped Up” factor. For instance, the end of Jazz Wank gets you excited for the beginning of Buster and the first hints of Muffin Man in the Camarillo Brillo solo make you anticipate the segue. Boston’s Foreplay owns the “Get You Pumped” factor thanks to the way the song builds and builds the tension before the ecstatic release of Longtime. Let’s listen to the studio version…

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4. Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove – Phish

If you caught a run of two Phish shows anytime during 1988 – 1993, odds are that you saw them play the adventurous song cycle referred to as Mike’s Groove. The sequence starts out with Mike’s Song – a dark improvisational launching pad with lyrics by bassist Mike Gordon. Mike’s gives way to the gorgeous instrumental I Am Hydrogen that allows fans to screw their heads on straight before the funk-and-awe of Weekapaug Groove closes things out brimming with energy. Here’s a Mike’s Groove from 03/31/1992…

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3. Brain Damage > Eclipse – Pink Floyd

If you’re looking for an album filled with songs that are perfectly paired with each other look no further than Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. We could’ve picked any number of the sequences on the album, but we went with the final two songs on the disc – Brain Damage and Eclipse. The entire album works up to this impressive finale. Here’s the official promo video for the pairing…

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2. Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower – Grateful Dead

No one could pair songs together on a regular basis as well as the Grateful Dead. We’ve picked Help – Slip – Frank’s as our favorite GD song cycle, but you could fill this list with such legendary classics as Scarlet > Fire, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider and Lazy Lightin’ > Supplication. Help On The Way kicks things off aggressively. Then, Slipknot! takes you on a mindblowing adventure before Franklin’s Tower blows you safely home. Let’s check out the Dozin’ at the Knick version from 1990…

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1. You Never Give Me Your Money > Sun King > Mean Mr. Mustard > Polythene Pam > She Came In Through The Bathroom Window > Golden Slumbers > Carry That Weight > The End – The Beatles

Nearly everything The Beatles touched turned to gold including the last album they ever recorded, Abbey Road. The centerpiece of the album is an epic eight song cycle featuring four songs written by Lennon and four songs written by McCartney. These songs flow into each other so naturally and you can’t help but get excited for the next song to drop. Many bands have covered this song cycle and DaveO put together a playlist of those covers for a  Cover Wars…

Cover Wars: Abbey Road

Honorable Mention: Miss Tinkle’s Overture > Mulche’s Odyssey [UM], The Garden Parts 1 – 3 [TLG], Scarlet > Fire, China > Rider, Lost Sailor > St. of Circumstance, Lazy Lightning > Supplication [GD], Stone > The Devil’s Waltz [tDB], Forbin’s > Mockingbird, Horse > Silent, Oh Kee Pa > Suzy [Phish], War > No More Trouble [Marley],

Thanks to Team HLA for their help and support with this list.

What’s your favorite song cycle or pairing? Let us know by leaving a comment…