headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49777


Submissions

25
Black Peter
Jan. 2, 1970
Fillmore East (Late Show)

Low key and smooth - a real treat. Show is known for its great DS>SS>11, but give this a listen. Nice.
2
Hurts Me Too
Jan. 22, 1971
Lane Community College

Despite the lo-fi tape, this has got to be some of the deepest blues they ever played. Don't let the murky recording turn you off - it's worth it.
7
Hard to Handle
April 17, 1971
Dillon Gym

Cruising along with 3rd° swagger when it suddently hits high gear and <BOOM!>, you become the Pig, and it feels good.
3
Truckin'
April 17, 1971
Dillon Gym

Openers this good let you know exactly how amazing the show will be. 17.04 isn't just the best Good Lovin' of all time but an all round killer show.
14
Big Railroad Blues
April 5, 1971
Manhattan Center

Simply the best one I know. Energetic uptempo rockin' and rollin' with a hard driving bass player named PHIL!

Comments

Playin' In The Band
April 21, 1972
Beat Club

In a tour during which Playin' goes from a peculiar, if not promising vehicle for outer-spheres jamming, to the galactic shredding monster that Playin' is by September, this one stands out as just a little bit weirder, just a little bit more agressive and intense. It's frankly enormous for the relatively short 12 minutes it fills.
Dark Star
April 17, 1972
Tivolis Koncertsal

Shockingly underrated. There's a lot of feedback weirdness... which is awesome. And yes, the pre-verse is gorgeous. There's also a lot of experimentation, in the best sense of the term: Hints of a FGJ around 17:30, washes of crystal keyboard work that sounds almost like what they would try out again in the late 80s midi period. And yes... its good and goddamned weird? Who's got a problem with that... it's the Grateful Dead, not the Kingston Trio.
Big Railroad Blues
April 17, 1972
Tivolis Koncertsal

Believe the hype: this one clears out the tubes. The vitamins must have kicked in during the pause, because they don't sound laid back here at all....
Hurts Me Too
April 17, 1972
Tivolis Koncertsal

This really needs more votes: The solid driving pulse, the deep-in-the-pocket groove, the laid-back tempo that never drags, and of course the perfect execution by Blue Ron, his voice, and his soul. Really, this is some his finest vocal work ever.
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
April 17, 1972
Tivolis Koncertsal

The first set is characterized by laid-back tempos and an all-round mellow delivery (especially compared with the other Copenhagen show on the 14th and Aarhus the night before). Don't let that fool you into passing over this amazing version and altogether excellent show. The tempos really work to showcase Keith, as others mentioned. The transition between the two is made perfect by his mastery - and he continues to shine through Jack Straw and He's Gone too.