Dicks Picks Vol. 18. Ridiculously hot mid-section jam by Jerry. Donna ads very sweet accompaniment a la best of JGB versions. Don't overlook this one!

Rippin' at Red Rocks. Bouncy, jaunty, zippy and energetic early 80's version. Brent takes control on Franklin's.

Got half an hour to kill? Lose yourself in one of the greatest, mind-blowing, spacious, jamming, jazzy, monster PITB's in history.

The '72 vintages are so silky smooth and this one is no exception. Jerry's vocals aren't prone to the frog-croaks of later years.This glides on wings.

A rare extended TOO for '77,: a fat, sick, jamming gem. Crazy exploration, worthy of 1972; Phil in command, Jerry ablaze; melts into Stella Blue

Real under the radar version here & what really oughta drive you to check it out is Keith's super-great fills. Best version of '76 right here w/ great Jerry vocals.

One more comment on the interesting point Catalonia and Darkstar67 were making about first version bias for sources/tapes you may have had early on and coveted...I probably....OK, definitely have to admit I suffer somewhat from that. One of my earliest tapes (and no great source existed then OR now) was Lehigh 9/25/81 and for years I thought that was the greatest Scarlet>Fire, Sugar Mag & Black Peter versions ever. I realized only later that while those versions do hold up (and I'll always defend them as excellent) they're not really best-evers and I can see how others would maybe even shrug (not the Peter, though, that's just killer). Anyway, it is interesting how an old tape carries some extra sentimental value that likely adds a subjective extra star to your review that otherwise might not have been there if you didn't have the attachment.

Too late to the party thread I seem to have started here but glad Catalonia ran with it. Never get tired of talking Half Step and all these '77s are just spectacular. Will have to try out that '79 you mentioned as well. I always find that a hit or miss year...whatever is good tends actually to be GREAT (1/10/79 is one of my top 20 Dead shows of all time & there are other great ones after Keith left), but sometimes Brent's tinker toy key sounds bother me. Will give a listen to that '79 and let you know.,,thanks!

Let us now praise famous Half Steps. We've all been quibbling forever on which is THE best version, with the usual suspects of 11/6/77 (my favorite), 5/7/77 and 5/17/77 often jockeying for position. Does this one best any of those? Well, it certainly can hang with any of them, and it's a great GREAT version even among the greats. One thing I think is obvious and indisputable at this point, though: 1977 was by far THE best year for Half Step, hands down.

Must agree this is the best of 1968, and a great version for any era. Played at a far faster pace than any years that follow, but not too fast. Ideas abound, and let's give it up for Weir adding some fine strumming in this particular version.