headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


Submissions

9
Sugaree
Sept. 10, 1972
Hollywood Palladium

So perfect, it's hard to believe that people could improvise music like this together. This amazing show deserves a clean-up!
14
Big River
Dec. 6, 1973
Public Hall

Overlooked: Between one of this site's favorite HCSs and one of its favorite Dark Stars is a perfect, articulate, and virtuoso version of Big River.
3
Casey Jones
Oct. 28, 1972
Cleveland Public Hall

Just outrageous. Problematic show b/c of mix and cuts in the source. Not here: just a blizzard of jam.
4
Greatest Story Ever Told
Oct. 28, 1972
Cleveland Public Hall

Show is overlooked b/c mix problems, but they're absolutely on fire and this version shreds like all get-out. Call C. Miller for this one please!
6
Playin' In The Band
Oct. 28, 1972
Cleveland Public Hall

Could be massively heady, but Billy is so high in the mix that it's hard to follow others. Any cleaner versions out there? Has everything but the mix.

Comments

Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower
June 24, 1976
Tower Theatre

In a Summer full of great HSFs, this Slipknot stands out. Exquisite and precise: This is a wheels-in-wheels, gears-turning-gears curlicue loop-de-loop moonshot. Only this band could pull this off with such rockin' oomph.
Scarlet Begonias
June 24, 1976
Tower Theatre

In a show that doesn't really catch fire in the first set, this SB is a real beaut with tight and ensemble jamming and the precise musical mastery they had on display during their best of '76.
Cassidy
June 24, 1976
Tower Theatre

No doubt that '76 was the best year for the Donna/Bobby vocal duo, and this is a sweet one, even if the energy stays pretty subdued. I'm surprised to hear any head say that they normally skip over Cassidy, which I've always loved for its beautiful lyrics that send me speeding through the dessert in a Caddy with the two Cassies. Well de gustibus non est disputandum I guess, or in Dead speak, "that cool, bro".
Cold Rain and Snow
June 24, 1976
Tower Theatre

With its funny combination of woe-is-me lyrics and its cocky strutting rhythm and Jerry-as-Pigpen blues role CRS has always been my favorite show opener. This version is a bit scaled back, pouring on that laid back '76 vibe, but the sound and mix are phenomenal and it still sets up that get-up-and-dance flavor to the party. On this one, look for Donna's sweet harmonic touches on the shout chorus, once again proving that Summer '76 was her peak time and demonstrating just how much she could have brought to the band if properly mic'd and mix'd in the screechy early years.
Dancin' in the Streets
June 23, 1976
Tower Theatre

Not as weird, experimental, and open as they get in the Fall '76 tour, but a fun one nevertheless. Starts to show how much they were thinking of opening it back up.