headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49742


Submissions

9
The Race Is On
June 24, 1973
Memorial Coliseum

Lovely mid-tempo ensemble singing with Bobby, Donna, and Jerry audible (Keith too?). Great driving bass and piano.
12
Big Railroad Blues
June 24, 1973
Memorial Coliseum

Fun, fast and loose in the joints.
24
They Love Each Other
June 24, 1973
Memorial Coliseum

Clear melodic jamming, fun and uptempo.
33
New Potato Caboose
Oct. 12, 1968
Avalon Ballroom

Starts with gongs and cymbals in the cosmic dust of an outrageous TOO>Cryptical, then gears up and goes supernova for over 20 minutes.
14
Me and Bobby McGee
April 29, 1971
Fillmore East

My new favourite version, and I never choose "favourites". Passionate perfect Bobby, the band so tight, Jer's perfect harmony, Phil driving it all.
show more submissions

Comments

Cassidy
April 26, 1977
Capitol Theater

Wharf Rat
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Hey I just listened to this suite again and think the WR>Jam idea might be wrongly labeled. At 10:48 or so Jerry changes key back into Playin' and the band follows immediately. Their meter changes too and it sounds more like 10/4 (Playin') than 6/8 (WR) to my ears. This doesn't change a damned thing or detract from what's been said, but I think this is a Playin'>WR>Playin'>Meltdown>Playin' suite. Thoughts?
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.
show more comments
headyversion loves the dead but is in no way affiliated with The Grateful Dead or affiliated enterprises. find out more >:) >:)