headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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catalonia

neshaminy

+2082


Submissions

2
Brown Eyed Women
Oct. 28, 1977
Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Hall

Every bit the equal of Cornell. 8/24/80 still has a better solo, but this is 1977 y'all.
5
Tennessee Jed
Oct. 28, 1977
Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Hall

Perfect, with some filthy guitar in the outro.
2
Scarlet Begonias
June 12, 1984
Red Rocks Ampitheatre

1984 audience only standalone Scarlet (touch) at Red Rocks. Great solo, excellent transition.
6
Ship of Fools
March 22, 1985
Hampton Coliseum

10 minutes, on YouTube and worth a peek in b/w scarlet>bucket and terrapin.
5
Hell in a Bucket
March 22, 1985
Hampton Coliseum

Out of Scarlet Begonias to open the second set, with some teases of the song in the transition.

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.