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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

10
Lazy Lightnin' -> Supplication
Oct. 30, 1977
Assembly Hall - Indiana University

Can't believe what short shrift this show gets. They pull off the combo like gangbusters here.
5
Loser
Dec. 6, 1971
Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden

Glorious Jerry vocals, not one, but TWO "sweet Susie's", excellent gritty solo. Best early version ever!
4
Aiko Aiko
March 30, 1987
The Spectrum

Submitting this on Fat Tuesday 2017. Great Mardi Gras version with really nice piano (!) fills by Brent that oughta be heard!
5
Lazy Lightnin' -> Supplication
May 12, 1980
Boston Garden

Get on this one, folks. It's a ripper.
13
Let It Grow
July 29, 1974
Capitol Center

Absolute best of 1974. Not kidding. Jerry's leads are ripping & confident. The band plays flawlessly.Can stand w/some of the best of '77. Must hear.

Comments

Lazy Lightnin' -> Supplication
Aug. 26, 1980
Cleveland Public Auditorium

Probably ignored for lack of SBD but the source provided is a very good AUD and yes this is a pumped up rager. Worth a listen and upvote. EDIT: upon further review there is a SBD to hear...both versions quite good.
Maggie's Farm
March 20, 1992
Copps Coliseum

Great keys from Vinny here and everyone nails their vocal parts. Zimmerman would approve.
Eyes Of The World
Nov. 14, 1973
San Diego International Sports Arena

Fresh from spinning this, arrived to rave about it, expecting it to be easily northward of 30 votes, and real disappointed to find it still in the teens. This has so many things going for it besides the obvious (late ‘73) not the least of which is a super sweet 2 minute intro, almost unheard of in the song’s debut year. Jerry just slays the main jams, nails the lyrics, & Phil grooves out after that. Oodles of great Eyes, I know, but this one is far better than a lot of others above it right now.
Tennessee Jed
April 22, 1978
Nashville Municipal Auditorium

I think I like this one even a bit more than the December TN performance. The jam is just so picture perfect and lovely while still being intense and Ga4cia is so way into the vox, delivering the goods without even one lost lyric.
Turn On Your Love Light
April 26, 1972
Jahrhunderthalle

This is how I like it. No offense to Pig, but the versions where he raps to the audience & tries to get people to hook up are just too cheesy for me. It's a shtick and he basically repeated himself with slight variations whenever he did it. But in this case the band isn't in a ballroom like the Avalon or wherever and he can't address people on the floor cuz they're all in seats in an old school concert hall so instead he does his thing but without the hook-up rap and it gives the band such a better opportunity to shine and boy do they ever. There are some stretches where it's all Garcia but many more where Bob's rhythm really moves things along and the real star is Billy, who's just in an unbelievable zone here.Far and away my favorite Lovelight, even though I think the tune had a nice revival in the early 90's especially w/Branford chipping in on sax. This is the one, though.