headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


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?

Comments

Playin' In The Band
April 21, 1972
Beat Club

In a tour during which Playin' goes from a peculiar, if not promising vehicle for outer-spheres jamming, to the galactic shredding monster that Playin' is by September, this one stands out as just a little bit weirder, just a little bit more agressive and intense. It's frankly enormous for the relatively short 12 minutes it fills.
Dark Star
April 17, 1972
Tivolis Koncertsal

Shockingly underrated. There's a lot of feedback weirdness... which is awesome. And yes, the pre-verse is gorgeous. There's also a lot of experimentation, in the best sense of the term: Hints of a FGJ around 17:30, washes of crystal keyboard work that sounds almost like what they would try out again in the late 80s midi period. And yes... its good and goddamned weird? Who's got a problem with that... it's the Grateful Dead, not the Kingston Trio.
Big Railroad Blues
April 17, 1972
Tivolis Koncertsal

Believe the hype: this one clears out the tubes. The vitamins must have kicked in during the pause, because they don't sound laid back here at all....
Hurts Me Too
April 17, 1972
Tivolis Koncertsal

This really needs more votes: The solid driving pulse, the deep-in-the-pocket groove, the laid-back tempo that never drags, and of course the perfect execution by Blue Ron, his voice, and his soul. Really, this is some his finest vocal work ever.
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
April 17, 1972
Tivolis Koncertsal

The first set is characterized by laid-back tempos and an all-round mellow delivery (especially compared with the other Copenhagen show on the 14th and Aarhus the night before). Don't let that fool you into passing over this amazing version and altogether excellent show. The tempos really work to showcase Keith, as others mentioned. The transition between the two is made perfect by his mastery - and he continues to shine through Jack Straw and He's Gone too.