headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


Submissions

14
Wharf Rat
Oct. 16, 1974
Winterland Arena

Coming out of a 48 min jam to open the set, this one is like a small visitation before another huge jam>Eyes. A big epic indeed.
8
Playin' In The Band
Sept. 21, 1974
Palais Des Sports

Overlooked space-jazz masterwork. Mercurial and vast. Listen to it as the outcome of the Space before it and BANG! you're on a deep ride furthur.
6
Space
Sept. 21, 1974
Palais Des Sports

10mins of absolute weirdness. Incorrectly listed as Seastones - but Jerry, Keith and Billy are there with Phil and Ned. An outrageous corker. Scary.
4
Bertha
Sept. 21, 1974
Palais Des Sports

Show opener with mix off: not perfect but interesting to hear Phil/Bobby interplay (almost exclusively), which is rare for '74 recordings.
10
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Nov. 19, 1972
Hofheinz Pavilion

Uncategorizably brilliant transition jam. Sweet sweet Rider. Overshadowed by the immortal PITB that follows. Give a spin, it won't disappoint.

Comments

Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower
June 24, 1976
Tower Theatre

In a Summer full of great HSFs, this Slipknot stands out. Exquisite and precise: This is a wheels-in-wheels, gears-turning-gears curlicue loop-de-loop moonshot. Only this band could pull this off with such rockin' oomph.
Scarlet Begonias
June 24, 1976
Tower Theatre

In a show that doesn't really catch fire in the first set, this SB is a real beaut with tight and ensemble jamming and the precise musical mastery they had on display during their best of '76.
Cassidy
June 24, 1976
Tower Theatre

No doubt that '76 was the best year for the Donna/Bobby vocal duo, and this is a sweet one, even if the energy stays pretty subdued. I'm surprised to hear any head say that they normally skip over Cassidy, which I've always loved for its beautiful lyrics that send me speeding through the dessert in a Caddy with the two Cassies. Well de gustibus non est disputandum I guess, or in Dead speak, "that cool, bro".
Cold Rain and Snow
June 24, 1976
Tower Theatre

With its funny combination of woe-is-me lyrics and its cocky strutting rhythm and Jerry-as-Pigpen blues role CRS has always been my favorite show opener. This version is a bit scaled back, pouring on that laid back '76 vibe, but the sound and mix are phenomenal and it still sets up that get-up-and-dance flavor to the party. On this one, look for Donna's sweet harmonic touches on the shout chorus, once again proving that Summer '76 was her peak time and demonstrating just how much she could have brought to the band if properly mic'd and mix'd in the screechy early years.
Dancin' in the Streets
June 23, 1976
Tower Theatre

Not as weird, experimental, and open as they get in the Fall '76 tour, but a fun one nevertheless. Starts to show how much they were thinking of opening it back up.