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This is actually 10 songs. Because it's top five pairs of songs. These are songs that appear one after the other on a record album and they blend so well together that if you only hear one it's as if you've only listened to half the song. As the one song is ending you are already anticipating that seamless segue, that transition that seems like it just must happen, into the next song.
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ZZ Top: Waitin' for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago
These are the opening two tracks from ZZ Top's, I believe, best album. There's not the usual two seconds of silence between the songs, only a brief split second that allows for the change in meter of from the first song to the second. But even the change of tempo seems so fluid that it would almost be like a stumble if any song other than "Jesus Just Left Chicago" were to follow "Waitin' on the Bus”.
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Dire Straits: News/Where Do You Think You're Going?
This pair is the second and third songs on the first side of Dire Straits second LP; 1979's communiqué. I initially had this on a cassette having recorded it from a friend. Once I finally bought the album I never knew that it was actually two separate songs. Once I learned that I could certainly hear the difference between the two songs but the beginning to "Where Do You Think You're Going" is such an unlikely song beginning that it still always feels more like part one and part two of the same song.
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Reckless Kelly: Mirage/Don't Say Goodbye
I really love this album by Reckless Kelly. What kind of sad is that I've never been able to enjoy any of their other albums as much as I do this one. And I'm not particularly crazy about the first song in this pair; “Mirage”. It's fine but it's by no means a great song. But I love the second song, “Don’t Say Goodbye”. I love the strumming guitar in the opening and I love the way the song kicks in and the opening verses. But I don't know that I would love it as much if it were not juxtaposition with the end of “Mirage”.
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BR5-49: A Little Good News/Play That Fast Thing
This is another great example of two songs with just a split second pause between them that change drastically from one tempo to another. In from one moved to another. In the songs had nothing to do with one another in their subject matter. But once again, it really feels like the mood for "a little good news" is set by the preceding song and the quick segue.
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Train: Heartbreaker/Livin' Lovin Maid/Ramble On
OK I know, this is really three songs; not a pair. But there's two reasons for that. The first reason is that you kind of have to hear all three of these songs in a row. As "Heartbreaker" is approaching its end you're already anticipating the quick takeoff of "Living Loving Maid". And as "Living Loving Maid" is reaching its sudden end you can already hear the acoustic guitar strumming the intro to "Ramble On".
And the other reason that there were three songs is these came from the cover set from this particular show. So I chose three songs and I took them from Train's covering of the entire Led Zeppelin II album so that I have my covers for the night.
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