headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

grendel

Books and Music

+24543


Submissions

5
Wharf Rat
Sept. 27, 1976
Community War Memorial Auditorium

Keith shines on a long, flowing intro section that spills into space-mellow Rat-Goodness
14
Last Time
Dec. 8, 1993
Sports Arena

Emerges from Space with a very long intro & very distinct and sustained St. Stephen tease! My favorite version.
10
Dear Mr. Fantasy
July 18, 1989
Alpine Valley

Part of what made this Alpine run so legendary. Soulful and Brent-astic.
5
Big Railroad Blues
Aug. 14, 1971
Berkeley Community Theater

Maybe the best pure hard riving Rock&Roll version. Lean, mean, and Jerry supreme!
38
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Nov. 2, 1977
Field House - Seneca College

Rarely heard (left out of DP Bonus tracks for Vol. 34) but another sweet/smooth '77 winner.
show more submissions

Comments

The Other One
Feb. 22, 1969
Dream Bowl

New convert here. Jerry's playing is a fluid river of ideas, some roaring, others just rolling gently along. Superior version.
Dancin' in the Streets
April 15, 1970
Winterland Arena

I'll never love the way the Dead did this tune in any era, but this one is SO much better and listenable than anything they did in 1977, '79, or later...the jam section is really interesting & gets my upvote.
Comes A Time
June 24, 1985
River Bend Music Center

I was prepared to be underwhelmed by this version as I think much of '85 is marred by Jerry's horrid vocals and a choppy feel to the playing overall but this really surprised and kinda blew me away. Jerry really sings it beautifully and strongly and sustains many notes with his voice in just the right spots. His solo is gorgeous too....not to the level of 5-9-77 but impressive nonetheless and the whole version is worth upvotes...this should be higher on the list.
St. Stephen
Oct. 11, 1983
Madison Square Garden

How I was lucky enough to be at this show as well as the Box of Rain bust out in '86 I'll never know. And it's hard to say which crowd reaction was more bezonkers...maybe Hampton by a nose but it hardly matters. Both versions are similar in that objectively speaking they are flawed, a little rough around the edges due to being played first time in many years and maybe from the adrenaline of the crowd freaking the band out a bit but both versions are also made special by that crowd burst of pure energy and ecstacy.
Franklin's Tower
Sept. 28, 1975
Lindley Meadows, Golden Gate Park

I feel like this entire show is overrated, from the very shaky Help>Slipknot to the botched Truckin' and this extremely tentative Franklin's. Obviously they didn't have much to choose from in 1975 for the 30 Trips release but this show still gets way more accolades than it deserves, and can't hold a candle to One From the Vault from 8/13/75.
show more comments
headyversion loves the dead but is in no way affiliated with The Grateful Dead or affiliated enterprises. find out more >:) >:)