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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49677


Submissions

24
Black Peter
Jan. 2, 1970
Fillmore East (Late Show)

Low key and smooth - a real treat. Show is known for its great DS>SS>11, but give this a listen. Nice.
2
Hurts Me Too
Jan. 22, 1971
Lane Community College

Despite the lo-fi tape, this has got to be some of the deepest blues they ever played. Don't let the murky recording turn you off - it's worth it.
7
Hard to Handle
April 17, 1971
Dillon Gym

Cruising along with 3rd° swagger when it suddently hits high gear and <BOOM!>, you become the Pig, and it feels good.
3
Truckin'
April 17, 1971
Dillon Gym

Openers this good let you know exactly how amazing the show will be. 17.04 isn't just the best Good Lovin' of all time but an all round killer show.
14
Big Railroad Blues
April 5, 1971
Manhattan Center

Simply the best one I know. Energetic uptempo rockin' and rollin' with a hard driving bass player named PHIL!

Comments

Playin' In The Band
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

Starts with snarling opening lyrics, like and Bobby and Donna about to pounce out of their skins. This high energy gets tweaky with both the mentioned Keith weirdness and the two drummers in an outrageously perfect high-speed pocket behind Jerry playing the mad-scientist. His tone and mood are both hot and mellow. This is a sound I associate with an the best 'Playins' of '73, though Keith's effects and the melty-bits also evoke the much maligned Phil and Ned era of '74s. Maybe this is what others mentioned of having an "earlier Dead" feel to it. That said, this is no nostalgia piece and the outro is a hard-core crunching beast with a unique and hard rockin' sound .
Pretty Peggy O
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

Oh jeez, this is a pretty one. It rocks - not like rock-and-roll rocking, but like a sleeping baby in a cradle in a safe warm boat on a gentle lake with a soft breeze just ever-so-lightly scented with a whisper of indica flowers.
Cold Rain and Snow
Jan. 31, 1970
The Warehouse

They hit this show opener with some gusto - one of the reasons why it was always my favorite when they opened with it. I'm not sure if it's tape speed wobble or some tuning issues at first, but they seem to sort out the sound by the end.
Estimated Prophet
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

These early versions had the madness in them. Though short, this one conveys 'cracking up' in a heavy way.
Deal
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

Mid-tempo with a bounce and soft-shoe, but doesn't really lift off until the out-chorus. Clean and pristine... the '77 sound starts to really coalesce just about here.