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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49712


Submissions

1
Big Railroad Blues
Dec. 31, 1970
Winterland Arena

Not on the list, but hidden in an unfortunately cut Easy Wind. Tinny recording but killer, fast, and furious jamming.
7
Smokestack Lightnin'
Dec. 28, 1970
Legion Stadium

Soulful pure blues. This is an intimate, informal show. It ain't slick, and that's just fine.
1
Playin' In The Band
April 15, 1971
Allegheny College

Only 2 months old, and 22nd time: They were working hard on it, and you can hear the explosive potential. Manic warbler mode, Main 10 at the surface.
1
Truckin'
Dec. 28, 1970
Legion Stadium

Tight simmering burner here, with nice Bobby/Jerry mix levels. Pig on organ is a little lost, so try headphones for some fun.
1
Me and Bobby McGee
Dec. 27, 1970
Legion Stadium

Starts simple and grows into a triumph. Can't help but think these meant a lot to the boys right after JJ's passing. Beautiful.

Comments

Cumberland Blues
March 21, 1972
Academy of Music

Jerry sounds like he's got twenty fingers. Look up "shredding" and here it is.
Looks Like Rain
March 21, 1972
Academy of Music

This was the first one ever as the Dead. Did Bobby Ace play this "solo" before the Dead owned it? It has really interesting two-voice harmonies (pre-Donna) in addition to Jerry's glorious pedal steel playing. The mix is a bit funky, even with Miller's masterful cleanup, but it highlights the great guitar work, so that's nice too. Even though this isn't everyone's favorite song, this one is a great historical piece worth a second spin.
Playin' In The Band
March 21, 1972
Academy of Music

It's blisteringly hot, has the hard-edged guitar sound that characterizes the outrageous explorations of Playin' across the '72 tours, leading to the great August shows in Berkeley and Venata, and then of course to the centerpiece role Playin' played in '73-'74. This one's historic if only for the clear fact that they must have rehearsed the fuck out of it between the January 2nd version, which still vamps the "The Main Ten" theme, and this one, which launches out of a martian pinball machine and lands in your medulla oblangata like nobody's business.
You Win Again
March 5, 1972
Winterland Arena

First song in the set that shows the great alignment of this line-up so early into Keith's run. The set is otherwise pretty much a lunatics-running-the-asylum kind of affair.
Good Lovin'
March 5, 1972
Winterland Arena

I suspect a lot of heads don't make it to the second set, but they should. This is a special version in need of a bit more love. After a first set filled with chaotic mistakes (the lyrics seem to take a beating), they come storming back and mean business. The MLB segment is extra special, giving an indication of how Pig might have fitted in as the band started stretching way out. Check it out.