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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

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Submissions

15
Greatest Story Ever Told
Feb. 23, 1974
Winterland Arena

Electrifying and high-power jams, with some of the weirdest sounds Donna ever made. Great fun and a wild ride.
10
Beat it on Down The Line
March 18, 1967
Winterland Arena

Surf Punk! Never thought I'd hear California surfer thrash so clearly in the Dead, but here it is: Bobby as primordial punk rocker? Why not?
7
Morning Dew
March 18, 1967
Winterland Arena

Are you kidding me? This is just blazingly good. Jerry's on fire, vocals and axe. Too good for words.
5
Row Jimmy
Feb. 22, 1974
Winterland Arena

Solid and sweet, with some beautiful slide solos and nice vocals, Donna included.
8
Black Throated Wind
Feb. 22, 1974
Winterland Arena

A powerful triumph, just exploding with intense jamming and emotion. Real dynamite here.

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.