headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+48130


Submissions

1
Dancin' in the Streets
July 17, 1966
Fillmore Auditorium

Cuts out in the out-chorus, but shows the initial move from cover band into exploratory jams and bendy form. Very cool testament to where they were.
4
King Bee
July 17, 1966
Fillmore Auditorium

Pig is in perfect form, the band throbs behind him with intensity and purpose. Pristine recording.
2
Cream Puff War
July 17, 1966
Fillmore Auditorium

A rip-snortin' wild ride. Not as stretched out as the day before, but still an explosive starting pistol at the earliest days of the Dead.
1
High Heeled Sneakers
June 1, 1966
Owsley's House (rehearsal)?

Rare and obscure, on the Archive at gd1966-06-01.136642.watts.sbd.mr.dat48k.sirmick.flac16
2
I Know You Rider
March 12, 1966
Danish Center

Still in its infancy, but listen to Jerry swarming all over it like ten thousand honey bees. Lightning fast, almost a "let's do this for 50 years".
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Comments

Wharf Rat
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Gets my vote for best of the year, but I also think it hard to say just where comes back into the Playin' space during the deep jam... They're so far out of the WR structure and into the wild outer spheres before coming back into the recognisable reprise. Not too often that Wharf Rat dips into Dark Star territory, but this is something special.
Playin' In The Band
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Brings the expansive length and transitive madness of the most epic pre-hiatus versions if you take it as part of the whole suite. I don't say 'under-rated' often, but it fits here.
Deep Elem Blues
May 7, 1981
Tomorrow Coast To Coast with Tom Synder

Here it is with great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chADQBmosEQ. It's quite cool to see this era with a decent/professional camerawork: Nice in-focus closeups of the band, Jerry singing beautifully and his fretwork. A beaut of a version any way you look at it.
Dire Wolf
May 7, 1981
Tomorrow Coast To Coast with Tom Synder

What a rare treat. Sweet video of the performance on the "Tomorrow Show": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chADQBmosEQ.
Estimated Prophet
April 25, 1977
Capitol Theater

Agree with Ernie5 - this is right in the sweet spot for the development of the song. Jerry's coda solo is a wild ride through the scrambled madness of the narrator. Bobby's voice in the C.Miller clean-up (I didn't get the box set!) is smoky and beautiful. For me this song has always been *the* emblem of '77 perfection and here it is on display.
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