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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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neshaminy

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Submissions

3
The Music Never Stopped
April 14, 1978
Cassell Coliseum - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Bob blows some lyrics, but the midsection and outro are fluent and soaring. Lot on the list not as good as this one.
2
Uncle John's Band
Dec. 31, 1979
Oakland Auditorium

Excellent rendition with available A video and sound on youtube through music vault.
2
The Music Never Stopped
Oct. 29, 1980
Radio City Music Hall

Honorable mention on the old dead clubhouse page, but not on here. There's a youtube video with great sound. See for yourself.
4
Cassidy
Oct. 16, 1981
Melkweg

A unique sounding Cassidy. Parts of this almost sound like a studio release of a different band playing like the dead.
11
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Sept. 20, 1982
Madison Square Garden

MSG Scarlet Fire from the Fall of '82 - great transition.

Comments

Sugaree
July 27, 1973
Grand Prix Racecourse

A great early version and the half step is sweet too. That 11/30/79 Terrapin, Watkins Glen and that 12/31/76 Good Lovin>Samson were the highlights of an amazing day on Cape Hatteras. There’s nothing like summer and the Grateful Dead.
Good Lovin'
Dec. 31, 1976
Cow Palace

One of a kind with a jam that prefigures the anomalous Samson that follows. It was on Sirius today. The Samson is smoked and represents a perfect mix of 76 and 77.
Midnight Hour
June 4, 1970
Fillmore West

Darkstar, you're right as rain, as usual. Recently I was reminded of that theory that 10,000 hours of practice can produce expert-level knowledge or virtuosity or whatever. These guys had been at it for a while at this point and so as gritty as this sounds compared to '74 or '76, the band is moving in unison in very much the same way. And some mountain jam flavors are there too - beautiful, major-scale stuff. Thanks, bro.
Mississippi Halfstep Uptown Toodeloo
April 30, 1977
The Palladium

This is the first really good one of the golden era. The 77s that come before it aren’t as good, though they are still of the same sort. But this is right there with 5/7, 5/12, 5/17, 5/25 and 6/9.
Dancin' in the Streets
Oct. 20, 1978
Winterland Arena

I just listened again. This one has it all. It’s not recognizable as dancin for most of the jam. Some will say that this isn’t all dancin, but what else to call it then? There are discrete episodes in the jam, some of which reach some ethereal peaks. The jam ends with a 78-era meltdown that does not have to reach bugs crawling on skin. You can pick on the slide, but that was what he was doing at the time and some of the slide work when he first puts it on is interesting and cool anyway. And what there is of the thematic stuff early is tight (minus Bob missing the very first word of the song). Given the sound quality of the available recordings, this one should be higher up than it is right now.