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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

5
The Weight
June 7, 1991
Deer Creek Music Center

This is really the best one I've heard--everyobody nails their parts/lyrics...great piano fills on the side (yay, Bruce!). Just exactly, etc.
20
Althea
Sept. 9, 1982
Saenger Performing Arts Center

Incredible. Check out Brent's fills during the epic post-lyrics outro. A must-listen top tier Althea w/bounce, power, & panache!
17
Deal
Feb. 23, 1974
Winterland Arena

Apparently no one is aware that a fellow named Keith played in this band or this version would have 50 votes already. Needs to be heard!
1
Pretty Peggy O
Sept. 4, 1980
Providence Civic Center

Outside of 1977 this may be the best version I've heard. A+ vocals from Jerry, killer mid-solo; slightly faster tempo. Must hear. Gr8 Matrix!
4
Greatest Story Ever Told
Oct. 11, 1989
Meadowlands Arena

Bob's lyric phrasing on this version is unique. He sings it in a way so different than any I've heard before & it's inventive & super-fun. Must hear!

Comments

Playin' In The Band
April 19, 1986
Berkeley Community Theater

Made a believer out of me. Amazing they could pull off a PITB this good in such a tough year
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
March 26, 1983
Aladdin Theater

Run, don't walk, to hear this version in an upgraded Miller copy of the show just uploaded here: https://archive.org/details/gd1983-03-26.140315.sbd.eaton.miller.clugston.flac1648/Gd83-03-2612FireOnTheMountain.flac Long, windy 1983 with lots of grin-making moments.
Estimated Prophet
Sept. 4, 1991
Richfield Coliseum

I'll never share (or understand) Donnie's disdain for '77 but he does have a good ear for unheralded 90s versions of tunes (we both agree that the 9-18-90 Promised Land is by far better than any of the 70s versions that came before it) & this Estimated has some rich texture indeed, lots of interesting Jerry jamming & Bobby doing his aforementioned vocal gymnastics. But what also has to be acknowledged is how terribly weak the backing vocals are (Jerry can barely muster an audible "Californiaaaa" & the other folks are MIA) & while it may seem a small point it's actually a fairly big knock against the overall effectiveness of this version and its headiness. Any 1977 will give you better vocals all around, but in the end I did upvote this for its slower cadence and Vince's attempts to add some horn-like sounds that sound fairly annoying at first but ultimately contribute to this version's quirkiness--in a good way. Jer does some nice shredding in the outro too. Upvoted yes, but no, I wouldn't say any version from '77 has anything to worry about in competing with this one.
Eyes Of The World
May 7, 1977
Boston Garden

Not sure why I hadn't added a vote to this Gah-den Eyes 'til now but it deserves one. Reminiscent of the excellent version from 3/19/77 that also starts "cold" and just takes off into sweet jammy exploration, but I had forgotten about the nearly 3 minute intro section...yes, this is a slightly faster version (nothing like 11/4/77, though) but it still manages to take some time to find some really tasty nooks and crannies, especially in the intro section. Boston can sometimes be the Jan Brady to Cornell & Buffalo's Marsha/Cyndi dynamic, if you can follow that analogy, but there's a lot worth seeking out in that middle sister show. (In other words, I can hear Boston complaining "Ithaca, Ithaca, Ithaca! That's all anyone ever talks about!")
Dark Star
Nov. 7, 1971
Harding Theatre

Gem hidden. Gem found. What's amazing about this '71 beauty is how full and spacey and just how, well, Dark-Star-Ish this sounds even with the most stripped-down version of the band that ever took the stage. Garcia teases the main theme so many times before finally singing the verse and they all find these really interesting spaces in between to play with & Keith is very present to add some twinkling star feels to the proceedings. Excellent version that should get into the higher reaches of the list if more people heard it.