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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+24543


Submissions

13
Brother Esau
Oct. 28, 1985
Fox Theater

Complete with kickin' cow bell, nice long intro, easily one of the best you'll find.
13
Run Run Rudolph
Dec. 7, 1971
Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden

Give it a spin before Santa comes...Pig does Chuck Berry and Kris Kringle proud!
11
U.S. Blues (Wave That Flag)
Sept. 11, 1974
Alexandra Palace

DP Vol. 7 in London...special hard-core ROCK&ROLL kick-ass version, as if to remind the good folks across the Pond what happened 200 years earlier.
5
The Wheel
May 1, 1981
Hampton Coliseum

Like every song in this vastly underrated show: Just Exactly Perfect.
28
Beat it on Down The Line
Feb. 28, 1973
Salt Palace

Normally not a song I take much notice of...but Keith just takes over this puppy and turns it into a rollicking good time!

Comments

Dark Star
Oct. 18, 1974
Winterland Arena

The more I hear this one, the more I love it. All the great jazz-jamming and inventive passages of the best Dark Stars and none of the (to my ears) detracting feedback dissonance.
Shakedown Street
Nov. 29, 1979
Cleveland Public Hall

Ultra smooth with Brent just flying...great jazz/funk outro jam. In the year with the most consistent # of phenomenal Shakedowns this one still stands out.
Alabama Getaway
May 1, 1981
Hampton Coliseum

This whole show deserves more attention. Stand-out versions of LIG>Deal, Wheel, Stranger, Franklin's. One of the very best shows of 1981.
Eyes Of The World
June 9, 1976
Boston Music Hall

Truly one of the great intros; best of the 1976 versions in which they play around a little with the "Stronger Than dirt" jam pre-lyrics rather than post-lyrics as was the norm in 1974. They don't fully engage the theme as they did in '74 but definitely reference it and it makes for a very interesting jam before Jerry even approaches the mic!
Row Jimmy
Sept. 18, 1974
Parc des Expositions

Stunning. I had no idea there was a '74 version with such stretched-out Garcia soloing...always looked to '77 and '78 for that...but this has a first Garcia break that is like spacey-sweet and gorgeous. Thanks for the tip on this one.