headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


Submissions

2
Candyman
July 30, 1970
The Matrix

Mysterious beauty under the B- sound quality (Phil sounds kinda like a tuba, which is cool). Beautiful vocal harmonies and break in the middle.
9
Truckin'
Aug. 24, 1972
Berkeley Community Theatre

Massive driving groove leading straight into one of the top DS of all time. My ears hear a flirt with NFBM jam that never quite hatches.
16
Uncle John's Band
June 30, 1974
Civic Center

Sweetness and light insight a wickedly melting Playin' sandwich. Pretty, gentle harmonies found somewhere out there the deep dark chaos. Tight sound.
8
Truckin'
June 30, 1974
Civic Center

Long exploratory solos, smouldering jams, cool interplay. Won't blow you off your chair but very inventive and interesting.
7
Space
June 30, 1974
Civic Center

Seastones: Completely wild and rises to a freaky climax. May cause brain blisters. Not for children.
show more submissions

Comments

Playin' In The Band
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

Agreed that this is a beaut. This one goes through several phases, with the noted jam at around 10:00 and then another transition into a more biting/buzzsaw tone around 15:00. It holds at a simmer rather than a boil, however so if you're looking for mad freaky weirdness then this won't necessarily scratch every itch.
They Love Each Other
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

This signals exactly where they've been and where they're going. The transition year behind them, '77 coming on strong... a great and historically relevant version. Could be much higher, but probably sits between the '73 and the '77 fans' choices.
Bertha
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

Best one of the year: Deliberate, tight and right. Compare this to the weirdly accidental previous one they played on 15 October (the only clunker in that otherwise world-shatteringly brilliant show) and this makes me think they'd been thinking about bringing Bertha back into rotation, rehearsed it, nailed it, and brought it back in with diesel.
Comes A Time
Oct. 15, 1976
Shrine Auditorium

The transition out of this is so good it transforms the Franklin's that comes after it into an almost entirely different song. Strong performance and great show. Check out around 08:00: They go into a 12/8 meter riff that may be unique in the oeuvre. In any case this may be my top choice Comes A Time of all time.
The Other One
Oct. 15, 1976
Shrine Auditorium

Both a musically tight, breakneck roller-coaster and a psychedelicore madhouse filled with twists and turns a jump-out-at you moments of mind melting gooeyness. Around 08:35 they sound like they're going into a totally new jam, but it gets whisked away like so many hallucinations. Brilliant suite and one of the best of the few TOO of the year.
show more comments
headyversion loves the dead but is in no way affiliated with The Grateful Dead or affiliated enterprises. find out more >:) >:)