headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+47940


Submissions

1
Looks Like Rain
June 26, 1976
Auditorium Theatre

No doubt there's a little schmaltz factor on the lyrics and all, but Bobby and Donna just wash over you on this one like a wave of lovely heartache.
1
Tennessee Jed
June 26, 1976
Auditorium Theatre

Rabble-rousing banger here. Jerry kicks it up and up and the crowd just loves it.
2
The Wheel
June 23, 1976
Tower Theatre

Totally overlooked. One of the sweetest of the year. Rolls in at almost 6 min, closing a beaut set. I'm setting this to auto replay now. Check it out!
2
Cosmic Charlie
June 23, 1976
Tower Theatre

Overlooked! Comes out of a smokin' LIG and has that smokey, slinky, silky smolder of the best of '76.
2
Samson and Delilah
June 23, 1976
Tower Theatre

More and more I'm convinced that the earliest Samsons are the best. So confident, so full of strut and swagger. Any other era with such consist force?
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Comments

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.
Dire Wolf
May 7, 1981
Tomorrow Coast To Coast with Tom Synder

What a rare treat. Sweet video of the performance on the "Tomorrow Show": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chADQBmosEQ.
Estimated Prophet
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Agree with Ernie5 - this is right in the sweet spot for the development of the song. Jerry's coda solo is a wild ride through the scrambled madness of the narrator. Bobby's voice in the C.Miller clean-up (I didn't get the box set!) is smoky and beautiful. For me this song has always been *the* emblem of '77 perfection and here it is on display.
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