headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


Submissions

7
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
April 1, 1984
Marin County Veterans Auditorium

Steps out unexpectedly from an almost-aborted Miracle. Tight and right jamming.
6
Mexicali Blues
April 1, 1984
Marin County Veterans Auditorium

Jerry's restatements of the melody throughout his solos are brilliant uptempo marvels.
21
Playin' In The Band
June 14, 1976
Beacon Theatre

Beautiful, comprehensive statement of where Playin' was at in the beginning of the post-hiatus '76 sound. 20 minutes of love.
28
Might As Well
June 14, 1976
Beacon Theatre

Lotsa fun rocker with the louche touch becoming of the song. Did Donna ever sound better than Summer '76?
4
The Music Never Stopped
June 3, 1976
Paramount Theatre

This one's got the goods. Doesn't shred-out at the end, but tight playing, and great vocals all around.

Comments

Playin' In The Band
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

Starts with snarling opening lyrics, like and Bobby and Donna about to pounce out of their skins. This high energy gets tweaky with both the mentioned Keith weirdness and the two drummers in an outrageously perfect high-speed pocket behind Jerry playing the mad-scientist. His tone and mood are both hot and mellow. This is a sound I associate with an the best 'Playins' of '73, though Keith's effects and the melty-bits also evoke the much maligned Phil and Ned era of '74s. Maybe this is what others mentioned of having an "earlier Dead" feel to it. That said, this is no nostalgia piece and the outro is a hard-core crunching beast with a unique and hard rockin' sound .
Pretty Peggy O
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

Oh jeez, this is a pretty one. It rocks - not like rock-and-roll rocking, but like a sleeping baby in a cradle in a safe warm boat on a gentle lake with a soft breeze just ever-so-lightly scented with a whisper of indica flowers.
Cold Rain and Snow
Jan. 31, 1970
The Warehouse

They hit this show opener with some gusto - one of the reasons why it was always my favorite when they opened with it. I'm not sure if it's tape speed wobble or some tuning issues at first, but they seem to sort out the sound by the end.
Estimated Prophet
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

These early versions had the madness in them. Though short, this one conveys 'cracking up' in a heavy way.
Deal
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

Mid-tempo with a bounce and soft-shoe, but doesn't really lift off until the out-chorus. Clean and pristine... the '77 sound starts to really coalesce just about here.