headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+49667


Submissions

4
Long Black Limousine
Jan. 31, 1970
The Warehouse

Showcases their versatility: Switched mid-way through an electric set into this moody beauty after Phil's amp blew out. Gorgeous.
3
Hard to Handle
Jan. 31, 1970
The Warehouse

More like the great '71s than the others from 1970. A hard enough rocker that it apparently nuked Phil's amp, leading to a wonderful acoustic set.
10
Dire Wolf
Jan. 31, 1970
The Warehouse

Introduced as a "paranoid fantasy song", but oh so sweet for all that. Perfect rendition.
13
Not Fade Away
Oct. 3, 1976
Cobo Arena

Part of an epic jam, plus an enormous China Cat tease at 10:45 in a 5-year spell without them. Very interesting groove, too.
7
Mason's Children
Jan. 31, 1970
The Warehouse

For anyone with a soft spot for psychedelic bubblegum, the jam the shit out of this one. Ruff cut in the middle though.

Comments

Franklin's Tower
June 7, 1975
Bob Weir's Studio

I mean track 3 on the Archive. I haven't gotten to the two or three other versions on this date. What a treasure.
Crazy Fingers
June 22, 1976
Tower Theatre

Some of the clearest ensemble playing on this notoriously difficult song. The form, chord changes, meter, and pacing (slower tempos, but still shredding) make this a beast to perform tightly, but they nail it here. Perhaps my favorite GD lyrics of all times, depending on my mood.
Crazy Fingers
June 14, 1976
Beacon Theatre

Mysterious, other-worldly, contemplative, and beautiful. What a treat.
Lazy Lightnin' -> Supplication
Oct. 9, 1976
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Stadium

The Lightnin' kicks of with a growl. Bobby's really biting down hard on it, but it's short and they almost immediately bring it way down, almost to a whisper, then proceed to build it back up again until it's just a raging party. No one but the boys could jam in this meter and make it so fun, so damned jagged yet smooth at the same time, turning corners so quickly. The musicians out there know just how tough these two songs are to get into flow.
Scarlet Begonias
Oct. 9, 1976
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Stadium

Expansive jam, it stretches out and goes and goes and goes. It brings me back to all those great Scarlet's back in the day.... I close my eyes and there I am, so many years back, dancing with 10,000 of my closest friends. Scarlet was always welcome.