headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49742


Submissions

20
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
July 1, 1973
Universal Amphitheatre

Rock-solid China with Jerry twisting and pulling its melodic basis throughout a great solo + great Feeling Groovy trans. into Rider.
16
Me and My Uncle
July 1, 1973
Universal Amphitheatre

By far the most snarlingly bad-assed version of 1973. Jer's lines it up and shoots it down, soloing intesely throughout the whole song.
24
Playin' In The Band
July 1, 1973
Universal Amphitheatre

25 minutes of nirvana. Absolutely everything a Playin' fan could look for - with that strange summer '73 blissed-out "intense mellow".
13
Dark Star
June 30, 1973
Universal Amphitheatre

Mellow jam leading to a slow simmert, then boils and finally melts down brilliantly into a pristine Eyes. Why isn't this here yet?
3
El Paso
June 30, 1973
Universal Amphitheatre

Cowboy Bob and the Mexican Maiden at high speed rip-roaring tempos. Great bursting energy.
show more submissions

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.
show more comments
headyversion loves the dead but is in no way affiliated with The Grateful Dead or affiliated enterprises. find out more >:) >:)