headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

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Submissions

2
Candyman
July 30, 1970
The Matrix

Mysterious beauty under the B- sound quality (Phil sounds kinda like a tuba, which is cool). Beautiful vocal harmonies and break in the middle.
9
Truckin'
Aug. 24, 1972
Berkeley Community Theatre

Massive driving groove leading straight into one of the top DS of all time. My ears hear a flirt with NFBM jam that never quite hatches.
16
Uncle John's Band
June 30, 1974
Civic Center

Sweetness and light insight a wickedly melting Playin' sandwich. Pretty, gentle harmonies found somewhere out there the deep dark chaos. Tight sound.
8
Truckin'
June 30, 1974
Civic Center

Long exploratory solos, smouldering jams, cool interplay. Won't blow you off your chair but very inventive and interesting.
7
Space
June 30, 1974
Civic Center

Seastones: Completely wild and rises to a freaky climax. May cause brain blisters. Not for children.
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Comments

Scarlet Begonias
June 3, 1976
Paramount Theatre

Revisiting after a long spell, and this is as pure as they come. No FoTM, but natch, it wasn't written yet. What a beauty.
Cassidy
June 3, 1976
Paramount Theatre

Years later and back for another dose of this historic show. Sure, there's some rough patches, but can you imagine being there as a head, waiting out the hiatus and they bust out with new repertoire including Cassidy? This is some of Barlow's greatest writing for the band, and I've always considered this one of the most philosophical songs in their oeuvre deceptively simple, but "scattered like lost words" speaks beauty, and "I can tell by the mark he left you were in his dream" is mysterious dark poetry of the highest order. This might not be the tightest version ever, but it's definitely one of the most satisfying - at least for me.
Sugar Magnolia
Dec. 31, 1972
Winterland Arena

Totally bonkers. Really, like zonkers bonkers: It's more uptempo - maybe our boys took their vitamins during the break - and Crosby's addition gives it an almost orchestral quality. Really a beauty.
The Other One
Dec. 31, 1972
Winterland Arena

Goes deep weird. (I love that.) But it also has a floaty ethereal passage before heading into Morning Dew that is just sublime. Phil and Billy's Drum and Bass solo is brilliant. Did they freakin' invent the genre? They did a similar solo on the 12th of the same month which is worth a listen, too.
Truckin'
Dec. 31, 1972
Winterland Arena

Scorching hot jam, with a great radio broadcast version on the Archive with a perfectly balanced soundboard. Everyone is audible, and they're deep in the pocket, plus Jerry is just inspiration on wheels. Truckin' when it's hot is unbeatable, and this one kicks off over an hour-long sweet sweet suite.
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