headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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catalonia

neshaminy

+2082


Submissions

3
Deal
Oct. 10, 1981
Stadt Halle

Incendiary second solo becomes delicate and beautiful before they build the final refrain.
9
Deal
Oct. 4, 1981
Rainbow Theater

You can't compare 70s Deals w/ late 1980 onward. There's a four minute shredded 2nd solo on this one that wasn't a part of Deal in its 1st decade.
3
Deal
Sept. 25, 1980
Warfield Theater

This is the first one with the second solo, revamped for the 15th anniversary.
7
Mississippi Halfstep Uptown Toodeloo
Jan. 8, 1979
Madison Square Garden

Pre rio grandeo is good, but there are two peaks post rio grandeo, one built off the other and the latter crashes into Franklin's Tower.
2
Stella Blue
May 13, 1981
Civic Center

A fluttery and lyrical solo after the bridge and then an autobiography of an outro. There is a video on YouTube.
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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.
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