headyversion

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.
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Comments

China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Feb. 15, 1973
Dane County Coliseum

A China>Rider w/the energy of 3 China>Riders - this one jogs in with Type 912 flat-12 5 liter goodness! Everyone is at or near the top of his game. + Kreutzmann and the guitars take center stage during the transition with Garcia at point going, "OK, got it from here." Much invention ensues.
Scarlet Begonias
July 18, 1976
Orpheum Theater

Picture perfect gem from a classic show. My birfday, no less! I happen to know I was in Beaver Dam, WI when this was happening. Don't ask me how I know; I just know. + Aside from the fact that this Scarlet is mixed perfectly and Lesh is pushing the vibe, the two drummers are completely in sync, which makes this whole song infectious. Of course, Garcia pulls it all together with wirey aluminum twangs. The jam is loose but tight. A little sneaky & filled with dynamic interplay. This show has numerous highlights - pinpoint 76 GD.
Alligator
Feb. 7, 1969
Stanley Theater

Smooth, silky, assured version. Don't usually think of Alligator as smooth, but the band is in such fine, precise cruise control, I can't think of any other way to describe it. Things do get knotty and pointed during the jam. Great version from an excellent show.
Dark Star
Aug. 27, 1972
Old Renaissance Faire Grounds

While there are Dark Stars from 1969 and 1970 I prefer to this one, I don't think I can agree that this one is overrated. It's superb in pretty much every way, but it's definitely a very different animal than some of the greats in prior years (i.e., 2/13/1970 and 9/19/1970). By this time, they are experimenting with jazz changes in ways they really weren't a couple of years before. And to great effect, I think. + And I have no issue with landing on El Paso - it provides some solid ground to an audience that might need it at just that moment.
Beat it on Down The Line
May 7, 1972
Bickershaw Festival

Classic, slammin’ version of a song over which I rarely fuss much, but this a lean, gladiatorial machine!
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