headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


Submissions

2
Big Railroad Blues
Aug. 15, 1971
Berkeley Community Theater

Kicks off an excellent show with intense and driving energy. The quintet is super-charged and bursting with energy. One of the best versions I know.
2
Playin' In The Band
Aug. 14, 1971
Berkeley Community Theater

Packs a lot into its 4.5 short minutes. Great bass-heavy SBD gives you a Phil masterclass. Love the short ones, love the long ones....
4
Casey Jones
Aug. 5, 1971
Hollywood Palladium

Just kickin', this one. The whole show is dynamite.
2
El Paso
Aug. 4, 1971
Terminal Island Correctional Facility

One of the slower waltz versions, with lovely vocals from Cowboy Bob, who gives us a nice country warble. Sweet backup harmony and Jer being Jer.
6
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Aug. 4, 1971
Terminal Island Correctional Facility

Philzone masterclass. Hot and tight jam, the Rider three-part harmonies sound like some of the acoustic versions from the previous year.

Comments

They Love Each Other
June 10, 1976
Boston Music Hall

Seems like the first one where they made slowness the musical objective. While I personally prefer the uptempo versions, this one highlights some of the subtlety and innuendo that sometimes got lost in the uptempo ones.
Sugaree
June 10, 1976
Boston Music Hall

Just what they said above: Here starts the great Sugaree surge. Keith's work here is tremendous, and signals where the thinking was on this song for the future.
Brown Eyed Women
June 9, 1976
Boston Music Hall

Beautiful ensemble singing and a pristine jam here.
St. Stephen
June 9, 1976
Boston Music Hall

Before the '76 Stephen slowed waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down, you have this brilliancy. Expanding to 11 minutes of thematic bell-ringing, followed by a tight re-entry. No secret that St. Stephen was a point of contention in the band's history, but I listen to this one and wonder why didn't they take this style further?
Ship of Fools
June 9, 1976
Boston Music Hall

The orchestration of this version brings out emotional arcs that were sometimes lost in later version that didn't have the crescendo-decrescendo of intensity characterized by this one. I know some folks found this song a snooze, but when I listen to this one I can hear a complicated, introspective piece that does it for me. Nice version.