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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49767


Submissions

13
Dark Star
Aug. 21, 1968
Fillmore West

First DS>Stephen>Eleven merits mention here, plus it's freaking groovy '68 Dead: No meltdown here (not yet), just 13 min. of 1st edition Dark Star.
5
Mountain Jam
Feb. 7, 1969
Stanley Theater

Check out "Primal Alligator Jam" on Feb. 07, 1969 and tell me this isn't a Mountain Jam. Anyone? In any case, I'm blown away by it.
2
Turn On Your Love Light
Feb. 7, 1969
Stanley Theater

Under the radar show, but blazing, blistering, and hard rocking Love Light. The whole set is outrageous.
5
Estimated Prophet
Feb. 27, 1977
Robertson Gym, UC Santa Barbara

Perfect execution, Jerry just note for note brilliant, Bobby sings like a man possessed. AUD quality A/A-
6
Franklin's Tower
June 7, 1975
Bob Weir's Studio

You ain't never heard anything like this. It's about half-speed, super mellow, almost Jamaican vibe. For a rehearsal, this sounds just oh so sweet.

Comments

Black Throated Wind
March 26, 1972
Academy of Music

Damn right. Sounds like they mastered it long before. Charlie Miller cleanup on this show is all that, too.
Estimated Prophet
May 25, 1977
The Mosque

Donnie's right here. I can't say this one touches the madness that makes this song so special. While my personal opinion is that the Dead were generally more musically interesting in '77 than they were in '91, I also think that the best Estimated Prophets convey jagged, off-kilter, schizophrenia, and could tip you over the edge given the right/wrong mental state. This one sounds like a work in progress - and I think this is one of, if not the best shows in all of '77.
How Sweet It Is
March 25, 1972
Academy of Music

This is one of the most brilliant versions of this song I've ever heard, whether or not I'm also a deadhead. (I am.) Donna never sounded better either.
Smokestack Lightnin'
March 25, 1972
Academy of Music

Pigpen comes out after an hour+ of, shall we say, a not-too-convincing Bo Diddley featuring the Grateful Dead set, and pours it on thick and luscious. Do you think he wanted to step up to Bo D. and say, "now that's how it's done", one bluesman to the next? It seems like the 'lil red rooster wanted to strut in his own backyard here. One of the best, and a painful reminder of how amazing Pigpen's sound could have blended with the emerging seventies Dead. It also sounds like half the band wanted to go into Truckin' for the last five minutes of vamping. Cool how it hovers around but never fully coalesces.
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
March 23, 1972
Academy of Music

Cucamonga's right here. This one has no business with only two votes. Were they completely on fire? Did they leave anyone alive? Did they have to replace all their equipment afterwards? Jeez, this one's a scorcher, and needs to be much higher up.