headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

41
Sugar Magnolia
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

Best ever. No fooling. Don't miss Mickey and Billy dueling each other at the frenzied end jam before heading into SSDD. Whole version insane!
80
Jack Straw
Oct. 20, 1984
Carrier Dome, Syracuse U

Crazy hard driving insanisty to end the first set. One of those jam segments that builds and builds and KABOOMS into final verse. Phil fans: a must
15
Stella Blue
April 19, 1982
Baltimore Civic Center

Sweet & melty....gorgeous harmonies from Brent.
88
Sugaree
Oct. 16, 1977
Louisiana State U

1977 was a helluva year for this song. I have no quarrel w/ 5/5, 5/19, or 5/21, but I think this one beats 'em all by a nose!
53
St. Stephen
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

With all due rfespect to Barton Hall & others, this is the best version out there (IMO). Bluesy, rockin', jammin', just exactly perfect
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Comments

Brown Eyed Women
Sept. 26, 1981
Buffalo Auditorium

I voted/commented on this ages ago but only recently went back to it. If you love this song do yourself a favor and spin this version now. Bridge jam is truly one of the best ever. Whole thing is great. Find the Miller sbd version and enjoy.
Eyes Of The World
Jan. 30, 1978
Uptown Theater

Every once in a while I check out a show/version way down the list that looks like a year I generally like a lot and a month that indicates it should be a pretty good show. But then I look and see that the version I'm clicking on has just a handful of votes. Sometimes even just one or two. So it must not be worth the time to hear, yeah? Well, this EYES Of THE WORLD, jam packed full of leftover sweetness from the remnants of '77, is the epitome of a sensational rendition no one is apparently paying any attention to. Do yourself a favor and give a listen. If nothing else, you'll hear a pretty sweet triplet as it segues into Stella>Franklin's.
Truckin'
June 20, 1974
The Omni

For my money this is the best version they ever laid down. The vocals are passionate and the jam post lyrics is a clinic for hard rocking blues a la Garcia and then they hit the wind-up jam hard and nail that, too. For that combination of 1972-style blues jamming plus the killer wind-up jammthis version never ceases to amaze. Then, of course, you get an equally good Eyes>Slipknot prototype jam. What a sequence from an outstanding show.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Dec. 27, 1977
Winterland Arena

Upping this for the rocked out jamming, especially in Scarlet. I suspect it's not higher because it's one of the shorter of the paired combos but, honestly, sometimes that's better. The transition into Fire here is super mellow after the hard jamming of Scarlet but it works. Fire is not an all-timer but it aint bad either. This whole show is the most underrated of the Winterland run to end the year. This version deserves at least double digits on the board.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Nov. 30, 1979
Stanley Theater

^^^^Yes! Was just listening to 1/31/78 the other day and noticed that really odd placement of the early verse after the jam, then followed immediately by "Wind in the Willows" lyric. Odd, yes, but it somehow works in that very underrated version.
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