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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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iknowyourider90

young dog

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Submissions

3
Cold Rain and Snow
Oct. 31, 1980
Radio City Music Hall

Rager!
2
Uncle John's Band
Oct. 31, 1980
Radio City Music Hall

Perfect cap to a mammoth set list.
8
Terrapin Station
May 12, 1991
Shoreline Amphitheatre

Such a great version. The outro jam is excellent.
5
Greatest Story Ever Told
March 28, 1981
Grugahalle

Can't believe I didn't post this one from this epic show. Killer. The drummers are on fire!
1
Sugar Magnolia
Dec. 6, 1989
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Somewhat clumsily finds its way out of "Scarlet" but this one has spunk! Split with "Sunshine Daydream" later on.

Comments

Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
March 22, 1990
Copps Coliseum

This version is just a blast. Triumphant is a perfect description, the band is very locked in.
Dark Star
Sept. 27, 1972
Stanley Theatre

This one should be higher; it's really between this and Veneta for me. Veneta is more in your face in its spookiness and pure mind-fuckery, but this version is so hauntingly beautiful, and Phil is just dropping bomb like a Kamikaze on this version. Just a beast.
Dark Star
Oct. 26, 1989
Miami Arena

This "Dark Star" is like the musical equivalent of torture porn...inherently scary because of the basic content, but the actual execution leaves a lot to be desired. Is it a bad performance? Of course not. The band plays the main theme quite strongly, and Jerry's 'on death's door' sounding vocals add a nice edge to the song. Given the show's reputation for being quite eerie in general, this "Dark Star" does work in context, but it has very little musicality to it. The sounds are pretty frightening - especially Brent's keyboard spikes - but not fleshed out. In my opinion, 8/27/72 and 9/21/72 are much eerier and effective, because the jams and excursions it takes are far more musical and locked in and the images it conjures are more vivid and fleshed out; they're true brain movies. I repeat: it's not a bad performance, in fact it functions triumphantly as a mood piece, but it doesn't measure up to any "Dark Star" from 1968-74 or the 1978 Winterland version in terms of creativity and musicality. Then again, I've yet to listen to this one high, so maybe my opinion will change when I'm more inside the song as I was with 8/27/72 and 9/21/72.
Estimated Prophet
July 1, 1978
Arrowhead Stadium

Listening to this one right now, Jerry is just fucking CRAZY here.
Dark Star
Aug. 27, 1972
Old Renaissance Faire Grounds

I went out to my car and smoked an entire bong by myself at about 11:00 at night. Put this on and it was just incredible. By 13 minutes the intensity of both the high and the music had me pinned to my seat. Really scary, abstract, awesome stuff.