S2E7 - Set Break Part Two: Skull & Roses / Europe ‘72

If we spell out what the Grateful Dead actually wanted to call their 1971 live album, we’d end up in Facebook jail, so let’s just refer to it as Skull & Roses. A funky little nugget by any name, it’s a snapshot of a band with evolving aspirations and an expanding songbook. We also dig out our passports for Europe ‘72—a release that deserves every ounce of hyperbole it gets (and there’s plenty of it to go around in this episode). In addition to highlighting some of our favorite songs from a record with no shortage of sensational performances, we investigate eternal mysteries such as how the Dead got their beleaguered label to send forty-three freaks and their equipment on a musical field trip across the Atlantic. We also celebrate the late, great Robert Hunter, whose contributions to the Dead are a big reason this show even exists. No Boomer jokes, but we do have Mailbag! And don’t fret: we’ll return with regularly scheduled episodes shortly.

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