headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+24538


Submissions

49
Jack Straw
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

There are longer versions, but none has a better bridge jam than this one. My favorite version ever--must listen!
88
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Feb. 24, 1974
Winterland Arena

Hard-charging drumming from Billy leads the way. Best MLB jam in this pairing I've ever heard. Hard to believe it wasn't listed yet.
37
Cassidy
Oct. 12, 1983
Madison Square Garden

Intense build-up jam, perfect touch-down. Weir absolutely nails it. My favorite version all-time
21
Shakedown Street
Jan. 10, 1979
Nassau Coliseum

Laser-focused, perfect rendition, start to finish. Super-funky with awesome Jerry fuzz-guitar, rock-blues jamming post-vocals
12
Candyman
March 24, 1988
Omni Coliseum

Lucky enough to be at this show. Candyman blew everyone away--best song played that night. Awesome trippy guitar jam &Jer belts out vocals

Comments

Row Jimmy
Jan. 1, 1965
Rich Stadium

I'm also concerned about this site inevitably listing every version of every song as potentially "heady." I'm not blaming any one poster for that but can we not all agree that once every version or nearly every version of a tune is nominated the whole point of this site--featuring only the BEST versions--of a particular tune, becomes meaningless? The idea is to (i believe) be as objectively critical as you can when nominating a version--explain WHY it's especially good--so that the rest of us don't feel like we're wasting our time giving it a listen. And if you're putting up a version of "Scarlet" where Jerry forgets half the lyrics and mumbles thru the rest and his voice sounds like sandpaper cut up in a blender then you should at least have the decency to point that out in your review (yes even w/the 150 ch. limit.) I get how passionate we all are about this band, but they played over 2,000 concerts and hundreds of versions of many songs. Lots were heady and, guess what--many many many were not.
Crazy Fingers
June 9, 1991
Buckeye Lake Music Center

Freedom...based on your rec gave it a try and was pleasently surprised...'91 is about as far as I'll go these days (w/some cgarces recs for a very few '94 tunes sometimes making it to upvote territory) but Jer's voice actually holds up here and there's a nice flow to this one...it won't rival any of the stellar '76 versions but is better than many cringe worthy 80s versions and is on par w/some of the nice early spring '90 versions, which I was convinced til now was the cut off. Thanks for pointing this out.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
April 13, 1983
Patrick Gymnasium, U of Vermont

The Hunter-Seamons Matrix of this is a revelation...best source i've heard yet and vaults this version way higher as a result. This is a spectacular reading of both tunes with an unbelievable transition. lots of Fire teases before launching into the tune, and a scorched earth riptide of a fire thereafter. 5 votes? Ridiculous.
Wharf Rat
April 22, 1978
Nashville Municipal Auditorium

Like it, don't love it. I think I was expecting something more given all the hype surrounding the pre-release of DaP 15...it's undeniably good but when I compare the main Jerry jam sections in this one with 10/7/77 I'm underwhelmed. Perhaps an unfair comparison but this one doesn't hit those heights or dig as emotionally deep.
Estimated Prophet
April 22, 1978
Nashville Municipal Auditorium

A tune that did get better in subsequent versions post-'77 (altho' there are some great ones in '77--see 10/29), peaking IMHO, in 1982. This one's worthy of upvote for that longer jam section and a wild flurry a la Jerry.