headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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FreedomHaul

Grateful Novice

+17699


Submissions

6
Smokestack Lightnin'
Oct. 9, 1984
The Centrum

Short, but listen to crowd freak out when the riff starts. Solid show on Lennon's birthday.
5
He's Gone
Oct. 9, 1984
The Centrum

Trippy board effects on vocals. Everything this song should be.
1
Man Smart, Woman Smarter
Dec. 31, 1984
SF Civic

Band reeling from preceding S>F.
8
Bird Song
Dec. 14, 1980
Long Beach Arena

Wonderful interplay. Short and focused. Sounds like the band becomes one organism.
9
Morning Dew
March 18, 1990
Civic Center

reaches a powerful peak that brings this sequence to a thrilling conclusion.
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Comments

Dark Star
Aug. 27, 1972
Old Renaissance Faire Grounds

Also, however great something like "Dew" would have been out of this, the guitars were pretty out of tune, and it might have just sounded awful. But the quirk factor shouldn't be discounted.
Samson and Delilah
May 13, 1977
Auditorium Theatre

The energy level on this is unreal.
Dark Star
June 24, 1970
Capitol Theatre

Not the spaciest "Dark Star," but they weave it in and out of half the set. To me, it shows a different side of the song's power, not just as a jam vehicle but as something structural. I know the sound quality on the AUD isn't the best, but check out the "NFA" and "Easy Wind" that comes right before this. The audience is clearly flipping out while the band is churning out some intense jams, but once the "DS" starts, a hush falls over the crowd. It's magical.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
May 11, 1977
St. Paul Civic Center Arena

Oh, and the drumming in the transition? Billy and Mickey seem content to be the perfect groove machine throughout a lot of this run, which gives it a lot of its magic and frees up space for Jerry, but they sure shovel coal into the engine when necessary.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
May 11, 1977
St. Paul Civic Center Arena

Tight version- the tempo seems a hair faster than some of the other May versions, so it can be a little less subtle than other versions folks have mentioned here (I find this is a truism of the entire show, IMHO), but Jerry rips into the transition and stays up throughout "Fire."
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