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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Ernie5

No cholesterol.

+3568


Submissions

6
Loser
Feb. 19, 1971
Capitol Theater

A delicate, tight, searching super early version of a staple. Kruetzmann plays it light and springy and that 1971 Lesh caramel bass guitar!
3
Tennessee Jed
June 11, 1976
Boston Music Hall

If you know this smooth customer of a show, you know how drynamic [yes, I typed that] and user friendly this TJ is. An always welcome visitor.
2
Sugaree
June 26, 1976
Auditorium Theatre

Few things better than a June '76 Sugaree. Garcia with the first Travis Bean just sketches with the lightest, barest of precious metal filaments.
3
Tennessee Jed
July 22, 1972
Paramount Northwest Theatre

Summer '72 Jed: Sweet dynamics & precision engineering. Weir & Kreutzmann stir it up during Garcia's guitar break.
1
Cumberland Blues
Dec. 13, 1969
Swing Auditorium

A cozy little delight - hand percussion, contemplation, great stereo drums, and some rip roaring riffage. Comes in under the radar, but worth a visit.

Comments

The Music Never Stopped
April 30, 1977
The Palladium

Whooooosh! So many gems in this show, how did I overlook the opener? And what an opener! Lesh plays a large role - big choco-bass! Strings are a big plus! And Garcia's Garcia - constructing the long outro speech.
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Feb. 14, 1970
Fillmore East

A loverly re-visit.
Bird Song
June 22, 1973
Pacific Coliseum

About as good as Bird Songs get! Kudos to Godchaux are well earned - he does as much to create the gliding-on-astral-plane mood as anyone. That's saying something: everyone is in top form.
Mission in the Rain
June 29, 1976
Auditorium Theatre

A beautiful version. Always preferred the GD versions to JGB (although I like those too) - mostly b/c Lesh is a much more interesting bass player than Kahn (to my ears).
Estimated Prophet
May 9, 1977
War Memorial

A rare song that peaked at it's introduction - which isn't even to disparage later versions. These are just perfect in their dynamics and their edge work. No surprise then that on one of their crowning nights, this should smash. Garcia's narcotic outro oozes through the War Memorial, natch.