headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

Ernie5

No cholesterol.

+3673


Submissions

4
Ship of Fools
Oct. 18, 1978
Winterland Arena

An especially sharp and spirited specimen - expressive vocals, the rhythm section is precise, and Garcia's guitar break is masterful. A still life.
6
Tennessee Jed
Oct. 1, 1977
Paramount Theatre

Energetic, serene AND Garcia's break is pure ragtime gold. In a good TJ, the guitar is a character. Here: a little insolent. Quality.
2
The Wheel
June 28, 1976
Auditorium Theatre

That spacious, unadorned June 1976 sound is so perfect for The Wheel. This one's dynamic and delivered with feeling. Cool show.
2
Cumberland Blues
March 20, 1971
University of Iowa

Oh man: LISTEN! Vocals are mixed a bit high, but this Cumberland has all the important "little" details. Notes the quotes. B'AM!!!!
1
Tennessee Jed
July 12, 1976
Orpheum Theater

1976: Your standard issue tipsy, warm-hearted TJ of the period. The guitar break is more conversation than guitar solo. Standard but special.
show more submissions

Comments

Cumberland Blues
March 20, 1971
University of Iowa

DS67 - as you said elsewhere, this show is a fiery hot mess. You know a Cumberland from this show is going to have the goods.
Around and Around
March 20, 1971
University of Iowa

This version reminds me that this song wasn't always a skip - it's a ROCK song. DS67 - no doubt, this show is an atom bomb. And you know how I love '71 stuff. Garcia's digging IN.
Row Jimmy
July 25, 1974
International Amphitheater

Kreutzmann's jumpy, slithering snare makes this woozy rendition a classic. The entire band responds to the drums - just shows the kind of control he had on the dynamics when he was the sole drummer. Great stuff!
The Other One
May 10, 1972
Concertgebouw

SO good I don't even mind the Me & Bobby McGee [a song I sorta hate]. Air tight interplay, especially between Godchaux and Garcia. Gets way out past Jupiter. Roads get built, disintegrate, get re-built as something totally different, and then are absorbed back into the air/earth. Nature reclaims us all.
Sugaree
Oct. 3, 1976
Cobo Arena

I don't hear these Fall '76 Sugarees as a mere prelude or warm-up to '77. I like that these are a bit more distilled and compact - and yet plenty sprawling. Also, the sound of the band is distinct enough from the following year that I believe the '76 variety can be listened to and dug on their own merits. A Sugaree needn't be epic to be great. And this one is, in its own aw-shucks way, pretty epic.
show more comments
headyversion loves the dead but is in no way affiliated with The Grateful Dead or affiliated enterprises. find out more >:) >:)