headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+47940


Submissions

4
Cassidy
July 16, 1976
Orpheum Theatre

Bobby's warmup after a CRS opener helps kick off one of the best 1st sets of 1976. Part of the brief era when they mic'd and mixed Donna beautifully
4
The Wheel
July 14, 1976
Orpheum Theatre

Gets right weird as part of a deep PITB sammy. How many first set spacemelts are there in '76? Something in the water for this hometown show???
3
Looks Like Rain
July 14, 1976
Orpheum Theatre

How these guys (and gal) could turn such a cheese-ball song into massive lift-off spaceship jam event horizon is a modern miracle of music.
2
The Wheel
July 12, 1976
Orpheum Theater

Smooth running, out of a very cool, thematically coherent Drums. Beautiful harmonies. Every Wheel is an elegant treat from '76, and this is a beaut.
4
Dancin' in the Streets
July 12, 1976
Orpheum Theater

On of the post-haitus ones that stretch and groove and go every-which-way. What a treat.

Comments

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.
Dire Wolf
May 7, 1981
Tomorrow Coast To Coast with Tom Synder

What a rare treat. Sweet video of the performance on the "Tomorrow Show": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chADQBmosEQ.
Estimated Prophet
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Agree with Ernie5 - this is right in the sweet spot for the development of the song. Jerry's coda solo is a wild ride through the scrambled madness of the narrator. Bobby's voice in the C.Miller clean-up (I didn't get the box set!) is smoky and beautiful. For me this song has always been *the* emblem of '77 perfection and here it is on display.