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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+48136


Submissions

4
Jack Straw
Dec. 31, 1972
Winterland Arena

Like every other song in the first set, this is just pristine, air-play level perfection. Beautiful fills by Keith here, too.
9
Brown Eyed Women
Dec. 31, 1972
Winterland Arena

Dec. '72 turns out to be a nice little peak for BEW. Perfect shuffle, air-play tightness, great soloing, just enough country. Bobby nicely audible.
4
Deal
Dec. 31, 1972
Winterland Arena

A super-fun frolicing romp. They just seem to have loved playing this tune.
3
Brown Eyed Women
Dec. 15, 1972
Long Beach Arena

Pristine, air-play quality in a deep pocket with note-for-note perfection all 'round. Surprised not to see it here already.
3
Mexicali Blues
Dec. 15, 1972
Long Beach Arena

Smokin' desperado polka here with superbly tight playing at a faster-than normal pace. A galloping riot and heaps of fun.
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Comments

They Love Each Other
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

This signals exactly where they've been and where they're going. The transition year behind them, '77 coming on strong... a great and historically relevant version. Could be much higher, but probably sits between the '73 and the '77 fans' choices.
Bertha
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

Best one of the year: Deliberate, tight and right. Compare this to the weirdly accidental previous one they played on 15 October (the only clunker in that otherwise world-shatteringly brilliant show) and this makes me think they'd been thinking about bringing Bertha back into rotation, rehearsed it, nailed it, and brought it back in with diesel.
Comes A Time
Oct. 15, 1976
Shrine Auditorium

The transition out of this is so good it transforms the Franklin's that comes after it into an almost entirely different song. Strong performance and great show. Check out around 08:00: They go into a 12/8 meter riff that may be unique in the oeuvre. In any case this may be my top choice Comes A Time of all time.
The Other One
Oct. 15, 1976
Shrine Auditorium

Both a musically tight, breakneck roller-coaster and a psychedelicore madhouse filled with twists and turns a jump-out-at you moments of mind melting gooeyness. Around 08:35 they sound like they're going into a totally new jam, but it gets whisked away like so many hallucinations. Brilliant suite and one of the best of the few TOO of the year.
He's Gone
Oct. 15, 1976
Shrine Auditorium

This is one of the best shows of 1976, and every song just jams and jams beautifully (except maybe Bertha, which sounds like an unplanned mess). This He's Gone is one luscious peak after another. So beautiful, so fine.
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