headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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catalonia

neshaminy

+2082


Submissions

2
He's Gone
April 1, 1980
Capitol Theatre

A solid version with a passage about a minute long straight out of the heavens - directly following the a capella section. Must hear.
8
Stella Blue
July 1, 1979
Seattle Center Coliseum

Horrible video with STELLA sound on YouTube.
2
Black Peter
May 15, 1981
Rutgers Athletic Center

The first solo is sweet and beautiful. The outro is short, bluesy shredding.
7
Eyes Of The World
May 15, 1981
Rutgers Athletic Center

The well played end to a S>F>E>E combination. Jerry plays with a theme recognizable from the eyes on DP6.
8
Uncle John's Band
May 26, 1977
Baltimore Civic Center

The encore of the penultimate show of May 1977. It's short, but these people are practiced at this date.

Comments

He's Gone
June 7, 1977
Winterland Arena

I had a copy of this version for 15 years before I found what the date of it was. The wahs on the intro are bold strokes and unique ones. This one is good.
He's Gone
May 6, 1981
Nassau Coliseum

The part at the end where Bob sings "He's Gone" (the title of the song) while Jerry simultaneously sings and plays the lines "nothing gonna bring him back" on his guitar would rate this one in the discussion for best ever even if the jam that followed weren't top notch.
Bird Song
Oct. 22, 1983
Carrier Dome, Syracuse U

I just gave it a listen Cucamonga - this is my kind of thing. I'm mostly stuck in the period between the hiatus and the coma and this one registers with everything I like. Jerry's tone and playing are crystal clear and the rest of the band lays down an ethereal background that the best dead songs achieve. Those ethereal moments - the scarlet transition, the brief section after lady with a fan in Brent era Terrapins, for example - those are the transcendent moments for me, where I can step back and think about the nature of reality while the music plays the band. Those are the moments that keep me listening.
It Must Have Been The Roses
Oct. 12, 1984
Augusta Civic Center

Perfect description in the post. This version is pristine - and the video makes clear how anomalous this version (and show) is. The big guy is in trouble in October 1984.
Feel Like A Stranger
Oct. 12, 1984
Augusta Civic Center

This is the top for me. I dont want to get any higher on this song and I'll have to move on.