headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49707


Submissions

5
Sugaree
May 25, 1974
Campus Stadium, UCSB

Swings and rocks you back and forth so sweetly. Not my favorite Dead song, but this one is just a beaut.
26
Wharf Rat
May 21, 1974
Edmundson Pavilion

A musical triumph capping an amazing 2nd Set. Soaring, almost Bird Songish intensity to the ensemble soloing. Perfect.
18
Sugar Magnolia
May 21, 1974
Edmundson Pavilion

Are you kidding me?!? This just blazes white hot. Whole 2nd set is just a supernova.
16
U.S. Blues (Wave That Flag)
May 21, 1974
Edmundson Pavilion

The boys were still inspired after that 46min Playin' and it shows. Possibly the best US Blues I know of. Don't overlook it or the rest of the show!
46
Wharf Rat
May 19, 1974
Portland Memorial Coliseum

Slightly faster with a steady ostinato bass that works beautifully. No dirge, but a thoughtful tale. I hear waves against a wharf at the end.

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.