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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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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.

Comments

The Other One
May 31, 1969
McArthur Court, University of Oregon

Please don't let this languish down here with 2 lousy votes. For crying out loud, this one comes in hot on the heels of Harpur College 5-2-70 in terms of tone and just pure JAM! There's no deviating space debris to sift through here, just Garcia ripping liquid riffs one after another in a long, flowing cascade that all gets power-packed into a tight 10 minutes of ecstatic OtherOne-ness. Listen Listen Listen and upvote if you agree, I'm beggin' ya!
Mexicali Blues
July 19, 1989
Alpine Valley Music Theatre

For a song no one ever turns to for instrumental jamming there is, in this version, an extended instrumental bridge that'll make you think the Dead have turned into a mariachi band. Sweet stuff.
Deal
July 19, 1989
Alpine Valley Music Theatre

Sold after seeing it (again) during this year's 'Meet Up at the Movies' version. I've always maintained 5/1/81 as my favorite Deal but why quibble when this one delivers the goods SO good? Saw it live in '89 and seeing it again on film reaffirms it belongs at the top.
Morning Dew
July 19, 1989
Alpine Valley Music Theatre

Saw this for the 2nd time last night at "Meet Up At the Movies." 2nd time b/c I was there for the now-legendary summer '89 Alpine run and now, having been reminded by the first-ever film airing of this show just how good it really was, I'm finally here to upvote as many versions from this show as deserve it (and there are many.) What's remarkable about this Dew is how well Jerry sings it (note especially his full commitment to the "young man" section), along with the shredding you've come to expect from superior Dews and the delicate touches in the quiet sections, which are evident and poignant in this version. Yes, good Dews are everywhere in nearly every era, but this version belongs in any Top 10 discussion. I just needed to see it again to jog the memory and, hopefully, get others to check it out again or even for the first time.
Bird Song
July 25, 1972
Paramount Theater

But there is such a thing as an ignored one. This version is far too good to be sitting so low on the ladder. This whole show, in fact, is underrated, probably due to its proximity to Ventura and overshadowed by the Europe tour, but c'mon. This is played with a perfect flow and ease and precision that's every bit as good as some of the '72's listed much higher. Give it a listen & show it some love.