headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

4
Ramble On Rose
Dec. 30, 1977
Winterland Arena

Faster than usual tempo with just a brilliant Jerry bridge jam and no missed lyrics make this one a not-to-be-missed version.
14
The Other One
May 18, 1977
Fox Theatre

Not sure why everyone ignores '77 versions, but you're missing out if you haven't heard this one. Power packed Jerry-led fury.
4
Spanish Jam
May 21, 1995
Sam Boyd Silver Bowl

In the band's worst year they somehow came up with a really short but spot-on SJ that emerges nicely out of space. Ignore the date-check out the tune.
4
It Must Have Been The Roses
March 13, 1981
Utica Coliseum

Seek out the SBD (unknown lineage) then bask in what's possibly the best-sung, most heartfelt & lovely "Roses" ever.
54
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
May 11, 1977
St. Paul Civic Center Arena

It's criminal that this hasn't made the list yet. Like super-smooth '77 versions? You MUST hear this.

Comments

Big River
July 7, 1978
Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Bobby needs more credit for his work on this song and especially this version, which is A+ on all cylinders. But Bobby outshines even Jerry on this version with some incredibly fluid and amazing rhythm playing throughout, most notably before the final verse. Just outstanding Weir Work from an awesome show.
Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower
Aug. 13, 1975
Great American Music Hall

@Muffinman49 Just wanted to say I love your list of favorite shows in your comments here, especially listing 10/29/77 which is my #1 fave all time. The rest of your list is damn impressive as well.
Dark Star
Aug. 1, 1973
Roosevelt Stadium

Struggled with this as a potential upvote, but decided "yes" because my only complaint is with the final 3-4 minutes of cacophony that I so despise in Dark Stars of this era. But everything that precedes it is just too damn good not to push this up the ladder. And really, the 3-4 minute section of breakdown-screechy stuff can't nullify the amazing jamming previous, Plus, it does segue seamlessly into El Paso (which, you know, isn't necessarily a good thing; never really understood why such diametrically opposing tunes would be melded to each other, but perhaps that's part of the point with a song as mysterious and open to all possibilities of the universe as Dark Star.). Overall, though, this rendition stands out for its propulsive and confident jamming prior to the first verse, and following that is a truly one-of-a-kind-haven't-heard-in-other-versions Jerry-led section in which he sustains long, twanging notes on the guitar that never dissolve into dissonance but rather create a kind of quasi-psychedelic, classic rock, controlled and somehow beautiful portion of instrumental landscape that only this band could truly claim as its own. I am grateful to those who upvoted and commented on this version because I was unaware of it before and am pleased beyond measure to have discovered it now. More listenings will follow and maybe I'll be less peeved by the final few minutes of break-down disturbance that I wish a magical musical editor had convinced the band to excise.
To Lay Me Down
Sept. 18, 1990
Madison Square Garden

Klausmith called it: chills.
Bertha
May 5, 1978
Thompson Arena - Dartmouth College

Find the best sounding version of the show you can (MIller version the best; edits in others shorten Eyes and Sugar Mag; Miller patches in what's missing and you don't want to cheat yourself especially on the Eyes. 10/29/77 is my favorite show of all time.) IMHO best ever versions of Bertha, Eyes, Might as Well, St. Stephen, Black Peter, Sugar Mag and Top 5 versions of almost everything else, Can't say enough about that show.