headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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Ernie5

No cholesterol.

+3668


Submissions

4
The Other One
Feb. 28, 1970
Family Dog at the Great Highway

Oversight Alert! Conversational then a violent row ensues. A total taste treat. 1970.
7
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
March 21, 1985
Hampton Coliseum

Voice shot, Garcia hums through his spidery 13 lb. guitar. With a lovely China Cat peak @4:30.
13
Tennessee Jed
March 19, 1977
Winterland Arena

(a) Garcia with aluminum pipe, (b) Purdie Shuffle '77 Pace, (c) Perfect Dynamic Control
7
Sugaree
Dec. 8, 1973
Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke U

As a queen sits down, knowing that a chair will be there,/ Or a general raises his hand and is given the field-glasses
3
Big River
Dec. 4, 1973
Cincinnati Gardens

Dictionary entry: 1973 Big River - effortless & downstream. Exhibit A.
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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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