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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Carrion_Crow

Stealth Head

+48136


Submissions

14
He's Gone
Oct. 2, 1972
Springfield Civic Center

Extra-special sauce on this one: The outro goes into a long unique jam before the gospel bit. The band is completely unified.
6
Cumberland Blues
Oct. 2, 1972
Springfield Civic Center

Tight frolic, without the verge-of-chaos coal car vibe from the era. Bobby's contrib. is spot on, and Jer drops a "Went to Toledo" quote.
5
Black Throated Wind
Oct. 2, 1972
Springfield Civic Center

A perfectly rendered, tightly orchestrated soaring arc from one of the most inexplicably underated shows of Fall '72. Listen in: Bobby's in pure form.
10
Playin' In The Band
Oct. 2, 1972
Springfield Civic Center

I have trouble understanding why this isn't already here, other than the embarrassment of riches that is Fall '72.
4
Big Railroad Blues
Oct. 2, 1972
Springfield Civic Center

One of the best I know. Hard chargin' and up tempo hot stuff.
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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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