Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower
Aug. 4, 1976
Roosevelt Stadium
If there's a slower-paced Help>Slip I've yet to hear it. It's a little disorienting at first...you keep waiting for it to pick up to a more familiar gait, but when you really let it settle in you start to realize they're smack dab in the pocket, and it's a great example of how this band never sat still, experimenting with different speeds and sounds all the time. As noted, Phil is driving this train, and no way is he high on cocaine. This is a patient, but funk-thick ride into Slipknot, which continues with a deliberate pace with elements of space, and then into maybe the best transition from Slip>Franklin's since 8/13/75. Check out how Billy and Mickey roll the fills in the Slipknot theme, and once they get into Franklin's the giddy-up is back and this version can run with any of the big boys of '77 and even passes a few of 'em. Points and upvote for originality and execution.