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Gay for Bill

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Submissions

2
Me and My Uncle
March 19, 1973
Nassau Coliseum

Bill lays down possibly the tightest groove i've ever heard on this song, doesn't even need a flashy high energy solo to be a top tier version
7
Looks Like Rain
Nov. 21, 1973
Denver Coliseum

Beautiful version of a song that normally doesn't really captivate me, especially great because Keith is high in the mix like he deserves to be
5
Promised Land
March 23, 1974
Cow Palace

Super underrated version, as the song comes to a close Jerry is having none of it and does another insane solo
5
Bertha
Aug. 25, 1972
Berkeley Community Theatre

A few flubs at the start, but they make up for it by playing for their life afterwards, crazy intensity

Comments

China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Nov. 9, 1973
Winterland Arena

I feel bad for joining in on comparing this to 11/11, but that one has always sounded like a "textbook" version without any risks to me and this one blows it straight out of the water. Absolute high tempo filth from start to finish, keeps building with interesting playing by Jerry until Bill kicks it into half-time for a little breather before it effortlessly blasts into the feeling groovy jam and a Rider that does not abandon the energy set by the preceding China, alltogether slightly out of the ordinary version that is sure to please everybody's ears (especially if you are a drummer)
Eyes Of The World
Nov. 9, 1973
Winterland Arena

If any comparisons were to be made between this version and a different one it should be 11/17 and not 11/11 since it shares way more similarities with the one from the 17th of the same month, which is also my all time favorite. Regardless of comparisons this is an amazing version showcasing absolute peak drumming by Bill who is easily the star of the show in this performance, rhythmically carrying the other instruments effortlessly (just listen to that countermelody on the ride bell in the first solo). The rest of the band is playing great as well but the solos don't quite reach the heights of some other versions of this song, still a very good version that should be way higher than most of the 1974 versions that are highly overrated in my opinion
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
April 7, 1972
Wembley Empire Pool

Short and sweet but filled with interesting sections that never go on for too long, easily my second favorite from a tour of celebrated (and perhaps overrated?) China>Riders placing only behind 5/25/1972. You could argue there is little "jamming" going on, but personally I'd much rather listen to this than one of the many 1974 versions that sort of meander around for 5 minutes while never really finding a theme to elaborate on or any version after the hiatus for that matter
Bertha
Aug. 6, 1974
Roosevelt Stadium

Maybe not the most inspired solo from Jerry or a highly qualitative performance altogether, but the triplet feel makes this one stand out among the many Bertha's that sound almost identical except for a slightly different solo than the previous performance, and it deserves a vote for that alone, also shows just how important Bill was for the band since he makes this version into what it is yet Jerry still gets all the praise :/
Here Comes Sunshine
Nov. 21, 1973
Denver Coliseum

After listening to more versions than I can count by this point, this one is still very clearly my favorite, high above Curtis and 2/23/1974. The whole performance of this song sounds meticulously planned out from start to finish, especially the little breakdown after the first jam sets this version ahead of the rest, acting as a smooth landing before the song effortlessly takes off again