headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+23524


Submissions

10
Beat it on Down The Line
March 22, 1990
Copps Coliseum

A breezy bouncin' bubbly Bobby Beat it...best of the 90's.
8
El Paso
March 27, 1972
Academy of Music

Jerry in serious bluegrass mode. Most country-westernized version ever. At the end Phil sez "Thanks, Texans" even tho' they're in NYC. Awesome version
22
Let It Grow
Sept. 19, 1990
Madison Square Garden

Hornsby gets on board in a big way & Jerry jazzes up the jam sections. Weir slashes away & sings w/passion. Strong candidate for Best of the 90's.
3
Desolation Row
April 17, 1987
Irvine Meadows

This song was only as good as Bobby was committed to it, and on this night he was 100% in Dylan-idoling mode. Gorgeous rendeition, lovingly sung.
9
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
May 13, 1977
Auditorium Theatre

Almost beyond description. The last full jam leading into the GDTR chorus is a perfect storm example of what made the Dead magic
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Comments

Playin' In The Band
Dec. 3, 1979
Uptown Theatre

+: Whatever dime the band turns on at just around 6 minutes in is absolutely astonishing. It's a subtle turn, but you can't miss it either, & it just takes the whole jam off into a new direction in tone, space, and scope. There really should be a lot more ears on this version, esp. now with the great sound from the official release. But even if you don't have it, check out one of the archive versions & hear this one again.
Brown Eyed Women
April 15, 1978
William and Mary College Hall

Great solo indeed but they're keeping--or not keeping--a super weird beat here....like, it's way way way way off...takes some getting used to that's fer sure. Upvoting due to that hot solo & the overall uniqueness of this oddball beat. Nice read by jer on "Daddy made whiskey " line too. This whole show is the dark horse of April 78 which gets most of the attention for 4/8, 4/12/, 4/16, and 4/24.
Casey Jones
Dec. 31, 1978
Winterland Arena

Jaunty, kickin' straight ahead 70s rock version. Jerry vox is phenomenal here. & Donna sounds great too. I think this one is ranked relatively low on the chart only b/c so many other songs from this A+ show garner all the attention (& deservedly so), but don't overlook this sweet CJ nugget from the last ever Winterland performance.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Sept. 8, 1983
Red Rocks

^^^^ Yep, suffers from lack of a decent SBD. Many '83 versions do (UVM for example) but it's too bad b/c that was a good year for the combo.
Playin' In The Band
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

Spectacular self contained trip back to ‘72 style with a precision ‘77 sensibility.
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