headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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catalonia

neshaminy

+2153


Submissions

4
The Music Never Stopped
April 14, 1978
Cassell Coliseum - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Bob blows some lyrics, but the midsection and outro are fluent and soaring. Lot on the list not as good as this one.
2
Uncle John's Band
Dec. 31, 1979
Oakland Auditorium

Excellent rendition with available A video and sound on youtube through music vault.
2
The Music Never Stopped
Oct. 29, 1980
Radio City Music Hall

Honorable mention on the old dead clubhouse page, but not on here. There's a youtube video with great sound. See for yourself.
4
Cassidy
Oct. 16, 1981
Melkweg

A unique sounding Cassidy. Parts of this almost sound like a studio release of a different band playing like the dead.
11
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Sept. 20, 1982
Madison Square Garden

MSG Scarlet Fire from the Fall of '82 - great transition.
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Comments

Sugaree
June 21, 1980
West High Auditorium

I like this one for Jerry's tone when he starts his second solo - its outer space travel soundtrack material. That follows one of those occasional solo breaks taken by Mydland in Sugaree early in his tenure.
The Other One
June 8, 1977
Winterland Arena

This one gets a vote for the outro which is so sweetly played into wharf rat. If you like the way Eyes goes into WR on 5/22/77, you'll find something similarly beautiful here. The Other One itself is solid (what on this box isn't?), but the outro is what brought me here.
Bird Song
March 9, 1981
Madison Square Garden

Jerry tears out of the gate on this solo. There are some weird choices and an emphatically psychedelic jazz aesthetic - it belongs up on the list. I saw some names I knew up here talking about this version a couple of days ago and made a mental note. These guys usually know what they're talking about.
To Lay Me Down
Dec. 31, 1980
Oakland Auditorium

Great call - there's a YT video and the playing and the harmonies say that this is peak dead. It's early on NYE and everyone's clear and on. A fantastic opener.
Samson and Delilah
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

This intro stands out. All other versions are so similar, it's hard not to wish that they'd played it like this at least occasionally. I'd have to put this close to the best ever, if not actually #1.
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