headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

24
Franklin's Tower
May 1, 1981
Hampton Coliseum

One of the best played versions from one of the best played shows in the Brent era---ever.
16
Shakedown Street
March 24, 1981
Rainbow Theater

15+ minutes of funk w/extended overlapping vocal rounds of "just gotta poke around", etc. before jam Brent adds cool "fuzzy" SFX
1
Big Railroad Blues
Oct. 30, 1971
Taft Auditorium

Check out Keith on this one! He's never been so up front before & right outta the gate!!
21
Cream Puff War
July 3, 1966
Fillmore Auditorium

Peppy early version w/Jer belting out lyrics & Pig doin' some nice work on organ. No archive copy exists; got this off 30 Days of Dead-worth the DL!
9
Passenger
May 7, 1979
Allan Kirby Field House

Super-charged EARLY Brent version rips and tears and shreds. Final jam before the coda is the best they ever did in this tune. Goes to 11.
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Comments

Brown Eyed Women
Dec. 27, 1977
Winterland Arena

Listening to this one again and some things: it really might be best ever; if not it's Top 5 all time and the six votes it has now makes a mockery of what we're supposed to be doing here; there's no doubt in my mind this kicks Barton to the curb.
Jack A Roe
March 27, 1994
Nassau Coliseum

I don't normally care for this tune post 1977, really preferring the old style Mark Knopfler-ish slow cadence, slinky approach so perfectly captured by 5/17/77 on the "Phil Zone" release, but this fast-picking version with Jerry doing the acoustic/electric thing and nailing all the lyrics deserves the upvote. This whole show as cgarces has pointed out is chock full of surprisingly grand renditions especially given the year. The Dew from this show gets all the accolades but there's a lot more to like here, and this Roe is one of the gems.
Big River
Sept. 11, 1982
West Palm Beach Auditorium

Fully agree, about this version and this show overall. One of the top five in 1982. Check out the Scarlet>Fire after you're done grooving you this BR.
Wharf Rat
July 18, 1976
Orpheum Theater

Yes! The intro to this is other-worldly and melancholy and beautiful. This song may have been perfected in '77 but the origins of that perfection are found in '76. This is spectacular,
Me and Bobby McGee
April 2, 1973
Boston Garden

This is my favorite version. So gentle and honest, flowing beautifully out of space from HCS
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