headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49677


Submissions

53
He's Gone
Nov. 18, 1972
Hofheinz Pavilion

Ignore nay-sayers who think this show is only about the (jaw dropping) PITB and decide yourself, this version is pretty, pure and full of '72 love.
10
Sugaree
Feb. 23, 1974
Winterland Arena

Hits that sweet spot between a shuffle and a ballad. Slight tinniness to Jer's Mike on my copy gives a nice swirling trippiness to it.
31
Playin' In The Band
May 17, 1977
Memorial Coliseum

Tiptoes on silk spiderwebs across a silent field of pure cosmos. Won't blow you into pieces, but will free your head from this mere terrestial plane.
26
Estimated Prophet
May 17, 1977
Memorial Coliseum

Pure mind-expanding insanity, slightly sinister and tight in its off-kilter odd-metered way. Cool organ sounds from Keith. Well-rounded May, '77 show.
15
Me and Bobby McGee
April 5, 1971
Manhattan Center

Jerry yodels. Need I say more?
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Comments

Playin' In The Band
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

Agreed that this is a beaut. This one goes through several phases, with the noted jam at around 10:00 and then another transition into a more biting/buzzsaw tone around 15:00. It holds at a simmer rather than a boil, however so if you're looking for mad freaky weirdness then this won't necessarily scratch every itch.
They Love Each Other
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

This signals exactly where they've been and where they're going. The transition year behind them, '77 coming on strong... a great and historically relevant version. Could be much higher, but probably sits between the '73 and the '77 fans' choices.
Bertha
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

Best one of the year: Deliberate, tight and right. Compare this to the weirdly accidental previous one they played on 15 October (the only clunker in that otherwise world-shatteringly brilliant show) and this makes me think they'd been thinking about bringing Bertha back into rotation, rehearsed it, nailed it, and brought it back in with diesel.
Comes A Time
Oct. 15, 1976
Shrine Auditorium

The transition out of this is so good it transforms the Franklin's that comes after it into an almost entirely different song. Strong performance and great show. Check out around 08:00: They go into a 12/8 meter riff that may be unique in the oeuvre. In any case this may be my top choice Comes A Time of all time.
The Other One
Oct. 15, 1976
Shrine Auditorium

Both a musically tight, breakneck roller-coaster and a psychedelicore madhouse filled with twists and turns a jump-out-at you moments of mind melting gooeyness. Around 08:35 they sound like they're going into a totally new jam, but it gets whisked away like so many hallucinations. Brilliant suite and one of the best of the few TOO of the year.
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