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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+24543


Submissions

4
Estimated Prophet
Aug. 31, 1985
Manor Downs

Hot as the night in Texas on which it was played.
11
One More Saturday Night
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

Like every other song from this, my favorite all-time show, it's a best-of candidate. Just rocks hard.
2
Alabama Getaway
Dec. 5, 1979
Uptown Theater

Come for the 'Bama but stay for the rest of the show. This rocker 'Bama is Jerry and Brent at their very best. This entire show, tho', is a monster.
13
Stagger Lee
June 27, 1985
SPAC

Right after Phil tells a guy to get off the blacony cuz 50,000 people are waiting for him to, and Bob does the dog nose joke, Jer rips into a fine SL!
8
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Oct. 18, 1989
The Spectrum

Pretty good China followed by the best 80's OR 90's RIDER I've ever heard. Check Jer's run going into "sun gonna shine" verse. 5 stars fo RIDER alone.

Comments

Tennessee Jed
April 22, 1978
Nashville Municipal Auditorium

I think I like this one even a bit more than the December TN performance. The jam is just so picture perfect and lovely while still being intense and Ga4cia is so way into the vox, delivering the goods without even one lost lyric.
Turn On Your Love Light
April 26, 1972
Jahrhunderthalle

This is how I like it. No offense to Pig, but the versions where he raps to the audience & tries to get people to hook up are just too cheesy for me. It's a shtick and he basically repeated himself with slight variations whenever he did it. But in this case the band isn't in a ballroom like the Avalon or wherever and he can't address people on the floor cuz they're all in seats in an old school concert hall so instead he does his thing but without the hook-up rap and it gives the band such a better opportunity to shine and boy do they ever. There are some stretches where it's all Garcia but many more where Bob's rhythm really moves things along and the real star is Billy, who's just in an unbelievable zone here.Far and away my favorite Lovelight, even though I think the tune had a nice revival in the early 90's especially w/Branford chipping in on sax. This is the one, though.
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Dec. 29, 1977
Winterland Arena

^^^^ Sounds better than ever! Thanks for the heads up, Darkstar67.
Not Fade Away
June 19, 1976
Capitol Theatre

Encore version from a grossly overlooked '76 masterpiece of a show. Phil and the drummers take no prisoners.
Scarlet Begonias
Sept. 18, 1974
Parc des Expositions

Time I upvoted this & could go through most of the show doing so, one of my top 3 faves of 1974. Just a real crisp standalone here, not ultra-expanded but with a great burst of energy from Garcia in the heart of the jam.