headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

24
Franklin's Tower
May 1, 1981
Hampton Coliseum

One of the best played versions from one of the best played shows in the Brent era---ever.
16
Shakedown Street
March 24, 1981
Rainbow Theater

15+ minutes of funk w/extended overlapping vocal rounds of "just gotta poke around", etc. before jam Brent adds cool "fuzzy" SFX
1
Big Railroad Blues
Oct. 30, 1971
Taft Auditorium

Check out Keith on this one! He's never been so up front before & right outta the gate!!
21
Cream Puff War
July 3, 1966
Fillmore Auditorium

Peppy early version w/Jer belting out lyrics & Pig doin' some nice work on organ. No archive copy exists; got this off 30 Days of Dead-worth the DL!
9
Passenger
May 7, 1979
Allan Kirby Field House

Super-charged EARLY Brent version rips and tears and shreds. Final jam before the coda is the best they ever did in this tune. Goes to 11.
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Comments

Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Nov. 30, 1980
Fox Theatre

In terms solely regarding TRANSITION into FIRE this is a top 3 all-time. The rest is very good.
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
April 14, 1971
Davis Gym, Bucknell University

Great early power version. Garcia especially shines and the origins of what would become the best known transition jam are evident.
Beat it on Down The Line
March 18, 1967
Winterland Arena

Surfer punk indeed!! Jerry does a rolling riff near the end of the tune that is so fluid and perfect it makes you shake your your head yet again at how many different styles this band could master!
The Music Never Stopped
Oct. 1, 1977
Paramount Theatre

After further review: The best.
Bird Song
March 22, 1973
Utica Memorial Auditorium

Shares many of the spacey, Dark-Star-like elements as PNE Coliseum 3 months later (that one is still the gold standard), but this version deserves far more attention/listening and votes. Soaring, dreamlike Birdsong.
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