headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

10
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Sept. 25, 1981
Stabler Arena

Transition jam weaves into spaces most fail to go; touch-down into Fire is GOLD. Jerry flubs first line in Fire-after that: 1 of the BEST ever!
19
He's Gone
Sept. 26, 1972
Stanley Theatre

Perfect, self-contained, blues-infused, stellar vocals, 14+ minutes of bliss. Extra fun: Check out the "Birdsong" riff about 10 secs. into the intro
35
Dark Star
Sept. 16, 1972
Boston Music Hall

Amazed this isn't here yet Gorgeous, melodic, jazz-infused, mellow, trippy, spacey into hard ripping Jerry riffs; melts into Brokedown Palace. Sublime
47
Cold Rain and Snow
Oct. 12, 1984
Augusta Civic Center

Kicks off with authority a 2d set every DeadHead needs to hear. Perfect bookend to Jerry's scorching Dew. They say it was cold&rainy that nite in ME.
25
Dupree's Diamond Blues
Feb. 4, 1978
Milwaukee Auditorium

Can't beat this one. Played w/out a hitch, Jerry nails all the lyrics, and when it's over Phil says: "And that's a true story, folks!"
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Comments

Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Sept. 13, 1991
Madison Square Garden

well whaddaya know, this one really is fantastic & grossly underrated & just now gets into double digits w/this upvote. Long, windy, very colorful excursion w/Jerome in uncharacteristically fine vocal form for '91 & the "fire " suffers not at all from a single lyric lost...really needs some attention.
The Other One
June 26, 1973
Seattle Center Coliseum

Haha indeed cgarces & I do agree. It’s why I tend to avoid commenting on (most) versions of TOO from ‘72-‘74 bc so many go off into that soundjunk mode & I just don’t care for it (a number of fine dark stars from the same era leave me similarly annoyed) but I’ve been finding some cool versions that don’t get as dissonant from 1971 and that still deliver great moments of improv jazz like exploration. Late fall/winter especially from that year.
Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower
June 10, 1976
Boston Music Hall

One of the very best languishing oddly low in the standings. Patient, rolling, beautifully joined by all players, with a perfect pace for the Help, a super-jazz-infused reading of Slipknot & then a pic-perfect Franklin's with Jer in command of all the verses lyrically and typically hot runs of jamming between the verses. Really needs more ears.
West L.A. Fadeaway
April 16, 1984
Community War Memorial Auditorium

Spot-on observation about how well Jerry sings this version, which is surprising given the year, but even the grand master of them all, the well-deserved #1 slotted Alpine '89 version isn't sung as well as this and of course, the jamming is spectacular as is often the case w West LA. Needs way more than the paltry 2 votes it had when I just added mine
Estimated Prophet
May 18, 1977
Fox Theatre

This is great & may I say the Eyes that follows is also mysteriously underrated and one of the top 10 of ‘77 which means it’s one of the all time best
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