This is a pretty intense early 80s-style Caution jam. I was surprised to find this just now.

A unique beginning with nice peaks to both the mid jam and the outro.

The final Keith and Donna Half Step stands up well, even though there's one lonely AUD.

An early Brent Mydland Half Step with electric piano pre rio grandeo and a joyful Garcia solo afterwards.

No fanning or soaring peaks, but solo 3 (7:45-12:45 on CM's SBD) is a new favorite - sublime, mellow, laid back.

I've known the SF from this show for a while, but I didn't know the Deal until I saw that it was up on the list here. There's good reason. That second solo is amazing. Edit: I did not think that a Deal could top this one, but 5/1/81 is just better. Still, second place is pretty good. I cannot see the post-coma versions touching these two (I know that's an unpopular sentiment around here) - or any of the 70s (even less popular) as they don't have the second solo that begins shortly before this version (9/25/80). I've now listened to most of the 80-83 Deals and I've yet to find others that I think involve consideration alongside these two, but I'm still looking.

If you need to hear the band cleanly hit "jack straw from Wichita", then this one probably isn't for you. But if you're interested in hearing stuff that approaches the limits of how fast Garcia can play, try it out. Jerry crushes the outro.

There are some questionable Stellas near the top of the list. Not this one. This Stella is the genuine article, as good as it gets.

That third solo is fantastic. I was worried about Bobby's slide parts when I saw the other reviews, but it's not that bad. Or at least it's worse in other places during this time period. I'd say A- for this version.

The same thing is happening here. All of the songs that the reviewers are invoking involve sequences that are chromatic and descending. John Lennon was experimenting with them in 67 and 68 - strawberry fields begins with 3 descending chromatic notes (major>maj7>7th), but so does Harrison's "Something." It's nonsense. The closest connection is between the MLB and Prudence and it amounts to this: The MLB has the same four note descending chromatic sequence that dear prudence does. Those words may sound lofty, but they represent this: Imagine playing a note on one fret of a guitar and then playing the next note down, and so on. Or a white key on a piano and then the next black key and so on. The band coalesced around a descending chromatic idea here for 30 seconds. There's nothing else to talk about and fantastic is not an accurate description of this 30 seconds. Keep your expectations low here.