headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+47945


Submissions

1
Looks Like Rain
June 26, 1976
Auditorium Theatre

No doubt there's a little schmaltz factor on the lyrics and all, but Bobby and Donna just wash over you on this one like a wave of lovely heartache.
1
Tennessee Jed
June 26, 1976
Auditorium Theatre

Rabble-rousing banger here. Jerry kicks it up and up and the crowd just loves it.
2
The Wheel
June 23, 1976
Tower Theatre

Totally overlooked. One of the sweetest of the year. Rolls in at almost 6 min, closing a beaut set. I'm setting this to auto replay now. Check it out!
2
Cosmic Charlie
June 23, 1976
Tower Theatre

Overlooked! Comes out of a smokin' LIG and has that smokey, slinky, silky smolder of the best of '76.
2
Samson and Delilah
June 23, 1976
Tower Theatre

More and more I'm convinced that the earliest Samsons are the best. So confident, so full of strut and swagger. Any other era with such consist force?

Comments

Playin' In The Band
Oct. 10, 1976
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Agreed with the above comment, and this one seems to capture that '73 meltdown wildness in a 'lightning in a bottle' concision that makes this one arguably the best Playin' of '76.
Playin' In The Band
Oct. 10, 1976
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Playin' In The Band
Oct. 10, 1976
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Sorry about the reposts. Computer problems.
Dancin' in the Streets
Oct. 10, 1976
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

About six minutes in the band hits the warp drive, followed not one, not two, but three or four shifts in tone and direction, creating whole new feelings and moods. It's unique and exploratory, while also hitting highlights of tight-assed superfunk. This is one of the best of the year, in a year full of just brilliant versions. The long transition to Wharf Rat is just amazing, and it's exactly what I listen for in the 1000s of hours I devote to this music.
Friend of the Devil
Oct. 10, 1976
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Oomph and swagger here, with Donna's dulcet harmonies adding just that sweet touch that make the ballad interpretation so beautiful (though I'm partial to the uptempo bluegrass versions overall). This has a pulse that pushes against the tempo ever so nicely, helping the swing never drag. Keith leads a beautiful interlude during the middle section -- but then Jerry takes him to school with a blazing solo.