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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+23524


Submissions

13
The Other One
May 18, 1977
Fox Theatre

Not sure why everyone ignores '77 versions, but you're missing out if you haven't heard this one. Power packed Jerry-led fury.
4
Spanish Jam
May 21, 1995
Sam Boyd Silver Bowl

In the band's worst year they somehow came up with a really short but spot-on SJ that emerges nicely out of space. Ignore the date-check out the tune.
4
It Must Have Been The Roses
March 13, 1981
Utica Coliseum

Seek out the SBD (unknown lineage) then bask in what's possibly the best-sung, most heartfelt & lovely "Roses" ever.
52
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
May 11, 1977
St. Paul Civic Center Arena

It's criminal that this hasn't made the list yet. Like super-smooth '77 versions? You MUST hear this.
13
Gloria
Oct. 16, 1981
Melkweg

Bobby's birthday at the world famous Melkeweg. Yummy brownies make this version extra special.

Comments

Let It Grow
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

Find myself in the weird position of seeing a version from my all time no doubt #1 favorite show ever surpassing my all time no doubt #1 favorite version of Let It Grow ever (5/1/81) & I totally understand why it's leapfrogged it on the big board, especially after the official DaP release of 10/29/77. But I do believe if 5/1/81 had the advantage of an official release & clean SBD representation, it would be back in the #1 spot where it belongs. 10/29/77 is a scorcher w/out question & deserves top 3 status but even tho' it's from my favorite show it does not top 5/1/81, which has the fastest Garcia notes ever played while never losing grip on the structural integrity of the main theme & what really separates 5/1/81 from the pack is that the rest of the band is equal to the task. There's a better flow and glide to Hampton and Weir's hyper-galactic counter rhythms are a big reason why. The post rise & fall jam is also more fully fleshed out and thicker with ideas than DeKalb, which is more like a hammer blow than a complete soundscape of ideas. I don't mind seeing DeKalb in the #1 spot for almost any tune within its magnificent 2 sets (I put Eyes, SugarMag, Peter, Bertha, & more in that category) but I firmly believe LIG from Hampton '81 is still the best performance ever of the tune. Maybe there's a gem of a board hidden in the vault somewhere that will eventually emerge & drive home the point. Until then I'll accept DeKalb grabbing the top spot but Hampton '81 is a sadly overlooked show to begin with & I at least have to speak up for its LIG. Ok, thanks for coming to my Dead Talk.
Aiko Aiko
May 7, 1978
Field House - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Full of funk-chonk Tchoupitoulas- chomps
They Love Each Other
Sept. 3, 1977
Raceway Park

Aggressively beautiful. Gentle but powerful. So much energy in the 1st set tunes from this show. This, like the Peggy-O, seems tailored to play for a huge festival audience so it's given a bit more bite, edge & pacing than others from the same year. They're all great, but this one deserved an upvote from me a long time ago--recent re-listen made up for lost time.
Man Smart, Woman Smarter
March 18, 1988
Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium

Jiggly bouncy beauty & buried on the big board. For shame! This will get you moving & grooving & it should get yer upvote if for no other reason than Brent taking the second vocal verse solo & then just gliding & slaying it on the keys the rest of the way. Plus the round robin vocal coda has Jerry joining in a way I rarely hear him on this tune. Five star version here from an underrated show in a year I usually ignore, but with a new(?) Miller upgrade available this should get some more attention. (Source provided is real good too.) Be smart & up it! .
Uncle John's Band
May 23, 1972
Strand Lyceum

you're right--way too low here. Excellent version tight & sweet.