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.

Fast-picking goodness. Jerry's bridge solo is long and lightning quick and awesome. 1 point off for lyric flub on re-entry, but the rest is gold.

Sick of saying "How can X not be here" yet but C'mon! Get the digital DL series and start bumpin this up! Smooth Scarlet, killer Fire jams. Early gem!

From a year not particularly known for great Terrapin, this one proves the exception to the rule. Tight, inventive, soulful.

Bob sez: "we're gonna play one of your favorites and we certainly hope it's one of ours" b4 this sweet electric version!

This version gets a cameo in the form of a clearly labeled 5-1-81 rolling cassette tape in the new "Long Strange Trip" documentary. Al Franken talks up 5/16/80 at Nassau and the unseen interviewer touts this as his favorite. They play bits of each. They're both worthy.

Great, crisp, recording from the new soundtrack. Fantastic Garcia vocals in this one, and a real confident romp through the jamming sections and the transition, which you can sense them feeling out for all its newness, and while it doesn't go the places it would in 73 and 74 it is fascinating to hear an early rendition giving hints to those epic versions to come. Well worth seeking out!

I hear you, CK. There are so many fantastic versions of tunes languishing at the bottom of the ladder and this is one of them. I suspect this great rendition suffers from the bias people have against any Other One that's not 30 minutes long and was played after 1974. It's a shame because they played so damn well in 1977 and just because they shortened the length of the tune doesn't mean it should get overlooked. If anything they honed it down and cut out a lot of the excess fat that actually drags down some of those revered 71-72 versions. I don't need a meandering random Phil solo or a bunch of space feedback for a good TOO. Give me Jerry's blazing leads and the hard backing of the double drums and Phil's rolling intros any day. This one from a great and largely overlooked 77 show delivers.

^^^^ Let me know when you find those other versions--I'd be curious to check them out!

^^^^ It does, and you're right. Won't get as much notice as the barn-burner versions but it should.