headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

10
Black Peter
Sept. 25, 1981
Stabler Arena

After 10/29/77 this should be your go-to BP. Emotion oozes and Jer shreds the outro.
11
Beat it on Down The Line
March 22, 1990
Copps Coliseum

A breezy bouncin' bubbly Bobby Beat it...best of the 90's.
8
El Paso
March 27, 1972
Academy of Music

Jerry in serious bluegrass mode. Most country-westernized version ever. At the end Phil sez "Thanks, Texans" even tho' they're in NYC. Awesome version
23
Let It Grow
Sept. 19, 1990
Madison Square Garden

Hornsby gets on board in a big way & Jerry jazzes up the jam sections. Weir slashes away & sings w/passion. Strong candidate for Best of the 90's.
4
Desolation Row
April 17, 1987
Irvine Meadows

This song was only as good as Bobby was committed to it, and on this night he was 100% in Dylan-idoling mode. Gorgeous rendeition, lovingly sung.
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Comments

Shakedown Street
Jan. 10, 1979
Nassau Coliseum

^^^^ "You know it well!" -Phil
Eyes Of The World
Oct. 30, 1973
Kiel Auditorium

There isn't any earthly reasn this should be so low on the board, other than it occurs in a year with so many incredible versions it can get lost in the shuffle. But this one needs more ears on it, especially for the outro section, which is mellower then most but hits every transition in the jam segments like a smooth sliding gear change, then empties out into a free floating gentle space before settling into the opening notes of Weather Report. Astonishingly excelllent EYES hiding in plain sight at single digit votes.
Sugaree
March 18, 1977
Winterland Arena

As good as advertised
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
April 11, 1978
Fox Theatre

Might sound crazy to upvote an entire combo of songs just for the coda that ends one of them, but the final jam of Fire back into the main Scarlet theme is worth it. Just a Garcia pinpoint perfect clinic of roaring crescendos and all-in rocking. It's not that the preceding stuff is bad in any way, but 3/4 of the way thru you could be forgiven for thinking this isn't a stand out version in any real way. Then that final flurry hits ya, and wowza, that's a keeper.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Sept. 5, 1979
Madison Square Garden

^^^^yeah, I gotta agree, this is far to good to have less than a handful of votes. Great expeditions take place in the transition jam and this is early in Brent's tenure before he resorted to the Fischer Price keyboard tinkling that marred some later versions. The Fire is pretty incendiary, too. Nice Miller SBD available. Check it out.
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