headyversion

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


Submissions

3
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Oct. 17, 1970
Cleveland Music Hall

Multigen sound quality, but unmistakenly tight jam with a sweet transition.
3
Doin' That Rag
Jan. 24, 1969
Avalon Ballroom

Song was brand new and they're searching for the sound, almost goes into a Violaesque jam. Transitional, hot stuff.
5
Death Don't Have No Mercy
Jan. 17, 1969
Civic Auditorium

Deep and mournful, with great organ fills and group soloing. Very solid.
6
St. Stephen
June 7, 1969
Fillmore West

Massively crunching Stephen with Jer's tone like a machinegunbuzzsaw. Out of a killer DS too. Why no love yet?
1
Sugar Magnolia
Sept. 17, 1970
Fillmore East

Something happened to the song between August and September, and this is the "first" Sugar Mag that resembles the song we know, now it's tight.
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Comments

Me and Bobby McGee
April 5, 1971
Manhattan Center

That's Jerry, not Phil, I'm fairly sure. Anyone else? My headphones are busted (don't ask),so I can't listen really deeply like I want to, and it does sound like a little bit of three-part harmony on the very last lines, but Jer is singing backup throughout and the yodel is within his timbrel range. Any historians out there know for sure? Sure is a beaut, anyway.
Good Lovin'
May 3, 1972
Olympia Theater

Pig gets good and filthy right around 10:00.
The Other One
May 2, 1970
Harpur College

Apparently two years and change since I've rechecked this one: I agree with crankyoldhead above. This is an insane rager, for sure, but hard to figure it as the top o'the list other than that it's been released commercially. Strong points: relentless and coherent, but it never tips over the edge, but just stays close to it for a great long journey. To me the cryptical reprise gets closest to the supernova power of, for example 04.26.72 and probably twenty-five others on this page. Not meant as a criticism, but simply an observation.
Dark Star
Sept. 10, 1972
Hollywood Palladium

A wonderful, long, inventive version, full of pure musical jams, a wild post-verse spacemelt, and a glorious return into a beautiful Jack Straw. I reckon it's no higher on the list because the board levels aren't top-shelf, but the recording itself is great, and there's good channel separation so you can hear Bobby's angular knifey stabalong clearly, which is a too-rare treat for the era. (His interaction with Keith and Jerry at about 24:00 is just brilliant.) Listen to it, it's got it all, and I'd nominate this show (excellent all-round) for a cleanup if possible.
He's Gone
Sept. 10, 1972
Hollywood Palladium

Bliss. As close to a perfect statement of He's Gone as I know. The soloing is full of clear, purposeful ideas and Billy drives the whole thing forward with just the right amount of push, never letting it drag a bit. Could be much higher on the list.
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