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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+24543


Submissions

15
It Must Have Been The Roses
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

Almost every song from this show could be nominated for a "best ever." This heartfelt "Roses" is no exception.
11
Aiko Aiko
Dec. 31, 1987
Oakland Coliseum Arena

With the Neville Bros. Jerry gets his Big Easy on.
17
Promised Land
May 25, 1977
The Mosque

Perfection to end the first set of one of the truly great shows ever. Keith, Bobby, Jerry--the whole crew is in the pocket and rocking it hard.
15
Promised Land
April 1, 1980
Capitol Theatre

Both the best and worst version ever. Why? April Fool's gag: Bobby - keys, Brent & Jerry -drums, Billy - bass - Mickey -guitar Phil-vocals
75
Big River
May 9, 1977
War Memorial

They just could do no wrong at this show, Hidden among all the other gems is this monster River. Big solo work by Jerry; nice fills by Keith.

Comments

Stella Blue
April 19, 1982
Baltimore Civic Center

^^^^ Glad you checked this one out, Freedom! From your other comments I gather you feel this show is somewhat overrated and I won't quibble there, although I'm a believer that this is a top 5 show for '82...but I am 100% convinced of the worthiness of this Stella. This has everything you want in a Stella Blue--Jerry in soulful voice, no lyrical miscues, the band not missing a beat, and unlike so many pre-Brent versions, no off-key background vocals as they come to the crucial "gonna make 'em shine (Shine!)" section. Would like others to add to your upvote. We'll see.
Eyes Of The World
May 15, 1977
St. Louis Arena

Ho-hum. Just another extraordinary performance from May '77. But seriously, folks, this deserves more attention. Most interesting about this version is that garcia saves his most furious and intricate guitar work not for the place you'd expect it--the jam following the 2nd verse--but for the outro coda, where he just lays out some stunning lightning fast picking before they head into drums. The rest of the version does not lack for intensity, but is more about working within the main theme of the tune and exploring in a gentler way the various colorful paths that can be taken in one of the Dead's greatest songs. I've always loved this version but it's taken til now to upvote it b/c I sometimes take May '77 for granted. Don't make the same mistake.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Oct. 24, 1979
Springfield Civic Center Arena

See, I love it when I check the comments and find a version of Scarlet>Fire that's new to my ears and really worthy of upvotes at the same time. Just when you think you've heard 'em all...anyway, this one's a great example of a mellow-tight '79 w/Jer in complete control and a fun transition jam that glides into a great Fire. CM has a full SBD version up too (2nd set only.) Great sound...great version...it's got my vote.
To Lay Me Down
Sept. 18, 1974
Parc des Expositions

Why does everything played at this show sound so damn good? This is a perfectly sung rendition--and yes, that includes Donna.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
June 7, 1991
Deer Creek Music Center

^^^ That's a wise approach...I like the idea of the "blind hear test"...although we're all probably pretty well trained enough to know a '91 Scarlet from a '77 the minute it starts playing, whether we have the date in front of us or not. Share away!