headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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quinn_76

thunder mtn

+1585


Submissions

3
Promised Land
March 16, 1973
Nassau Coliseum

A charged version that starts off a triple-thread run for this massive second set.
9
Cassidy
May 10, 1978
Veterans' Memorial Coliseum

This deserves to be on the map!
4
Deal
March 15, 1973
Nassau Coliseum

It swings to a funky swagger; Jerry is in top form here. I think it's the best Deal from the spring '73 tour!
7
Deal
Dec. 18, 1973
Curtis Hixon Convention Hall

It struts & swaggers in that honey, country-tinged '73 way that we've come to relish & rely on. From one of the best shows from one of the best years.
15
Easy Wind
May 7, 1970
DuPont Gym - MIT

A version all true heads should love, or at least hear once.

Comments

China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Feb. 15, 1973
Dane County Coliseum

This is a stupendous showcase, like virtually every one played in 1973. The “Feelin’ Groovy Jam” that graces the transitional jam out of “China Cat” would not be in the fold for another month, but nevertheless the jamming here is very sprightly and inspired. The band is firing on all cylinders with concentrated syncopation, and Jerry’s needlepoint licks make sitting still nearly impossible. He even quotes the “Mountain Jam” for a brief spell commencing around the 6:15 mark.
Here Comes Sunshine
Feb. 15, 1973
Dane County Coliseum

This is only the second performance, and yet it stands out as one of the best versions of the year. The band plays with a deft confidence as if the song has been in rotation for years. It’s not without spots of dubious vocal harmonies, but they are more than made up for by Jerry’s pointed chops that seem to fly from his Stratocaster (“Alligator”) and pierce the sky! Later versions of this tune would become longer, more exploratory, and even better, but none more sharp and focused.
El Paso
June 18, 1974
Freedom Hall

I'll forever place this one and 11/11/73 as the choice cuts for this tune. I don't like El Paso, yet I love these versions! If you're a Keith fan, watch out! He's got gunpowder wedged in his fingernails!
El Paso
Nov. 11, 1973
Winterland Arena

I waffle between this one and 6/18/74 for being best-ever versions. Either way, they're both extraordinary versions of what some peg a less than extraordinary song.
El Paso
Feb. 9, 1973
Roscoe Maples Pavilion - Stanford University

Hey "some4you"- listen to both11/11/73 and 6/18/74 and get back to me!