All about Brent.

Part of a very hardcore rock and roll 2nd set. HEAVY wailing Drums>Space>NFA w/motorcycle revs.

Another Europe '72 tour winner. Bobby sez "Rock on out" for the bridge jam and Jerry obliges.

Just discovered this one, available on archive as outtakes that didn't make the DP release. Simply put, it kicks ass.

Always a tough tune for the band to pull off but here they do it with authority. Jerry nails the vocals w/gusto!

Just one of the greatest free form jams the Dead have ever done, It's nearly 18 minutes long, after a brilliant He's Gone>Truckin', and traverses many universes before the SJ theme emerges. When it does, it's a flowing, confident version, but really, this jam is more an amalgam of great improv work by the whole band with a Spanish Jam being the only identifiable "separate" instrumental in the mix. Oh, and it spills into a Dark Star reprise. In all, one of the great extended stretches of musical magic the band ever performed.

^^^^ I agree that's a head scratcher. Not a bad version by any means but there are many many others that should be listed higher. It's a tune that definitely got better with age.

Picking one song (Estimated) from '77 as being overrated by comparison to versions from '91 as evidence that the entire year of 1977 is overrated? That's not a coherent argument. And as was pointed out, the vast majority of top rated versions for Eyes (even tho' I don't agree with them) on this list are from '74, so how can '77 be overrated? Seems like the majority here believe the 74s are where it's at. I respectfully disagree, but plucking out this Englishtown version of Eyes (which is pretty great even if not worthy of 80+ votes IMO) and then going on to trash the entire year is nonsensical. On balance '77 is given its rightful place in any discussion of Best Years as evidenced by the great # of official releases (which Dick's or Dave's picks from '77 are "clunkers?.") Zero, if you're being honest and the reasons I pointed out in the post above.

^^^^ While I agree that this version is actually a tad overrated (for an instantly far better '77 version go immediately to 10/29), I couldn't disagree more about your assessment of the year. There are many fine SBD quality shows from both '73 and '74 but the reasons for the reverence of 1977 go well beyond the cleanness of traded tapes. Here are just a few: By 1977 many of the "staple songs" in the repertoire, such as Jack Straw, Sugaree, Brown Eyed Women, and yes, Eyes, were lengthened and improved with far superior jamming than you ever heard in those early year versions. Jack Straw in particular was a nice little song but the jams they added leading into the "Wichita" verse turned it into a jaw dropper. (Ditto the previously mentioned tunes. Don't even try to find a 1972-73 Sugaree that comes close to the monsters of '77) Also, the band at this point had matured without losing their fastball. They were all in their early 30's, still capable of producing fantastic musical explorations, but also more aware of what it took to produce a sound, solid, and more professional sounding show. They may not have been playing 4 hour shows like they did in '73-'74, but a lot of those shows had serious dead weight spots (listen to the latest Dave Picks from Selland) and a few highlights (usually a PITB or Dark Star) to make their marks. Moreover, 1977 saw great new material from Terrapin introduced to the shows. I don't think those songs need me or anyone else to talk them up. The band had also been recording and producing that material in sessions that forced them to listen to each other like never before, and that translated to the stage, where the shows suffered from far fewer flubs and f-ups than in ANY other year of their 3 decade history (if pristine shows a la May '77 leave you cold, fine. But I'd rather hear a flawless Scarlet>Fire than Jerry's pathetic mumbling and choppy play of later years when he was too out of it to maintain focus for an entire segue of that and many other combos.) Donna sounded lovely in 1977, too. And Keith was a year away from fading, still playing great fills and being an integral part of the band. 1977 isn't overrated, or liked just because of a few Betty Boards. It's revered because so many shows and runs from that year, from May to the Winterland June shows, to the rock-out fall tour, winding up with the incredible Winterland December run, brought the undeniable goods night in and night out. You can quibble if you want about similar set lists, no Birdsong, and only one China>Rider (a 5 star version, btw), but calling it overrated is not supported by the evidence. Oh, and as far as "Eyes" goes, yeah, there are great 73 and 74s out there, but they all follow what becomes a fairly predictable pattern of a little sweet intro, followed by some nice but not especially long jams in between verses, and then the same damn stronger than dirt-like themes played over and over again, and not all of them especially well (the 73s are especially weak). The '77s are far more inventive, explorative, and satisfying.

Upping this one. Just a beautifully self-assured, flowing and perfectly cadenced version from an A+ second set.