headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+24543


Submissions

28
Playin' In The Band
May 11, 1972
Rotterdam Civic Hall

Sometimes shorter is better. At around 10 mins. this beauty from E'72 packs the jazz, jam, passion. Like a more intense version of the one on ACE!
26
Scarlet Begonias
Oct. 3, 1976
Cobo Arena

No clean SBD on archive but at official Dead site a pristine version was on 30 days of Dead for DL. 2d best stand-alone I've heard next to 3-20-77
66
Pretty Peggy O
May 19, 1977
Fox Theatre

DP Vol. 29...Each time I think I've heard the best (i.e. 12/27/77) I hear one better. This is it. Flowing, gorgeous Jerry bridge jam. Perfection.
4
Don't Ease Me In
June 20, 1980
West High Auditorium

Proves the boys could really swing when they wanted to. Hear Jerry on "The Girl I Love" line; like 'Gator Alley--1980 a good year for this tune
32
Not Fade Away
May 26, 1977
Baltimore Civic Center

Insane. Ridiculous. Drummers locked in, Garcia in take-no-prisoners mode. 16+ minutes of full-bore Rock to the G-D Roll.
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Comments

Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
May 26, 1977
Baltimore Civic Center

Barn burner for sure. Best of the year is still 6/8/77 but this one comes close.
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
May 26, 1977
Baltimore Civic Center

Barn burner for sure. Best of the year is still 6/8/77 but this one comes close.
Shakedown Street
Aug. 31, 1978
Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Sounds almost like the album version but indeed very tight, short, and sweet. Not up voting only b/c I don't think being first necessarily means "heady", but for sheer historical interest this is fun to hear.
Shakedown Street
Jan. 10, 1979
Nassau Coliseum

One of the better AUDs you'll ever hear is available for this killer '79 that I can't in good faith let linger at 2 measly votes. Don't tell me this one ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around. Trust.
Dark Star
March 23, 1972
Academy of Music

Struggled with whether to upvote this given a fairly heavy section devoted to dissonance but it's not as annoying as most and actually maintains a forward progression rather than slowing down the proceedings and the jams that emerge, as many have pointed out already are spectacular and unique among Dark Stars of this or any era. Ultimately it's an underrated version with a closing section just before the 2d verse that needs to be heard to be believed. +1
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