headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


Submissions

14
Wharf Rat
Oct. 16, 1974
Winterland Arena

Coming out of a 48 min jam to open the set, this one is like a small visitation before another huge jam>Eyes. A big epic indeed.
8
Playin' In The Band
Sept. 21, 1974
Palais Des Sports

Overlooked space-jazz masterwork. Mercurial and vast. Listen to it as the outcome of the Space before it and BANG! you're on a deep ride furthur.
6
Space
Sept. 21, 1974
Palais Des Sports

10mins of absolute weirdness. Incorrectly listed as Seastones - but Jerry, Keith and Billy are there with Phil and Ned. An outrageous corker. Scary.
4
Bertha
Sept. 21, 1974
Palais Des Sports

Show opener with mix off: not perfect but interesting to hear Phil/Bobby interplay (almost exclusively), which is rare for '74 recordings.
10
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Nov. 19, 1972
Hofheinz Pavilion

Uncategorizably brilliant transition jam. Sweet sweet Rider. Overshadowed by the immortal PITB that follows. Give a spin, it won't disappoint.

Comments

Cassidy
April 26, 1977
Capitol Theater

Wharf Rat
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Hey I just listened to this suite again and think the WR>Jam idea might be wrongly labeled. At 10:48 or so Jerry changes key back into Playin' and the band follows immediately. Their meter changes too and it sounds more like 10/4 (Playin') than 6/8 (WR) to my ears. This doesn't change a damned thing or detract from what's been said, but I think this is a Playin'>WR>Playin'>Meltdown>Playin' suite. Thoughts?
Wharf Rat
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Gets my vote for best of the year, but I also think it hard to say just where comes back into the Playin' space during the deep jam... They're so far out of the WR structure and into the wild outer spheres before coming back into the recognisable reprise. Not too often that Wharf Rat dips into Dark Star territory, but this is something special.
Playin' In The Band
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Brings the expansive length and transitive madness of the most epic pre-hiatus versions if you take it as part of the whole suite. I don't say 'under-rated' often, but it fits here.
Deep Elem Blues
May 7, 1981
Tomorrow Coast To Coast with Tom Synder

Here it is with great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chADQBmosEQ. It's quite cool to see this era with a decent/professional camerawork: Nice in-focus closeups of the band, Jerry singing beautifully and his fretwork. A beaut of a version any way you look at it.