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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Ernie5

No cholesterol.

+3668


Submissions

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.
12
Sugaree
June 18, 1976
Capitol Theatre

As much as I love May 77 Sugarees, Spring 76 is where it's at for me. Subtlety, separation, and Garcia's whispery, silver-dipped guitar breaks.
6
Candyman
April 19, 1978
Veterans Memorial Auditorium

1978: Prime weather for Candyman. This performance, like many from then, highlights the bleak world of the narrator. Garcia's break: spidery.
4
Tennessee Jed
Oct. 29, 1971
Allen Theatre

Bubbly, bratty storyboard version. Character & twang for miles. I'd pay to see this band. Two for a tenner? Four please.
9
Terrapin Station
April 27, 1977
Capitol Theatre

This is a very sweet Terrapin. Everyone's fired up to play it. All you need to do is watch the vid to see the pure joy this brings Garcia. Memorable.

Comments

Playin' In The Band
June 17, 1972
Hollywood Bowl

Super focused and yet far far out. Fresh back from Europe. Fresh-ish. Swagger anew in a subtle way. Beautiful Playin' one way or the other. Killer audience. Golf claps included! This band keeps the entertainment coming. Yes.
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
March 5, 1972
Winterland Arena

Are you fucking kidding me? Crazy carnival-beer opening straight into the teeth of the song. This China>Rider is a great example of the treasure trove of between-period GD out there - waiting. This is one great, loose, exploratory, focused little show. This China>Rider even has some weird spooky shit going on. This would be Shirley Jackson's China>Rider. Nothing quite like this version. A real sparkler, this. Ride The Magic Elk!
Tennessee Jed
March 5, 1972
Winterland Arena

Tangy '71/'72 hybrid! Kreutzmann sittin' solo on the drum throne suite for a year - and he seems to have adjusted pretty well. Cool ass show - one of those lesser heard shows between known micro-eras of the dead. 'Course the guitar break is out of it's fuckin' mind. Exit from the break is telepathic.
The Other One
Feb. 28, 1969
Fillmore West

From the opening restrained stereo chaos of the drummers, it's clear this is going to be a whale of an Other One. And it is. Everyone is in supercharged shape and the rendition is both heavy and light on its feet -- something this version of the GD were particularly great at: holding two opposites in peaceful balance and having an amazing time doing it. Thrilling.
Estimated Prophet
Sept. 3, 1977
Raceway Park

This is industry standard - full-blooded and confident. Collectively, they may not have had this song more in the crosshairs. Just Dead perfect.