headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+23524


Submissions

11
Aiko Aiko
Dec. 31, 1987
Oakland Coliseum Arena

With the Neville Bros. Jerry gets his Big Easy on.
16
Promised Land
May 25, 1977
The Mosque

Perfection to end the first set of one of the truly great shows ever. Keith, Bobby, Jerry--the whole crew is in the pocket and rocking it hard.
14
Promised Land
April 1, 1980
Capitol Theatre

Both the best and worst version ever. Why? April Fool's gag: Bobby - keys, Brent & Jerry -drums, Billy - bass - Mickey -guitar Phil-vocals
75
Big River
May 9, 1977
War Memorial

They just could do no wrong at this show, Hidden among all the other gems is this monster River. Big solo work by Jerry; nice fills by Keith.
13
Brother Esau
Oct. 28, 1985
Fox Theater

Complete with kickin' cow bell, nice long intro, easily one of the best you'll find.

Comments

Playin' In The Band
May 1, 1977
The Palladium

Dreamy version, patient and floaty, like many from '77--great launching pad for the rest of the excellent set & the reprise is a thing of beauty too
St. Stephen
June 9, 1976
Boston Music Hall

Not a bad rendition if a bit on the mellow side for a Stephen...very good flow & groove
Black Throated Wind
Sept. 21, 1972
The Spectrum

Just a beautifully played rendition...lots of commitment to lyrics by Bobby & a confident read all around.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Aug. 12, 1981
Salt Palace

'81 and '82 are underrepresented for great S>F's, I'm guessing b/c there aren't many high quality SBDs in this time period but there's a pretty good one here and as others have noted this is a version whose vote total really could be a heckuvalot higher. Super breezy tempo on the Scarlet but the band's in total control--no slop--the transition is typical for the year in being long & intricate & full of color & the Fire just rips.
Eyes Of The World
March 19, 1990
Civic Center

Tell ya who really shines in this super underrated 90s gumdrop is the rhythm devils who keep the faster pace beautifully and roll the rock along for a very nice rendition that also features strong vocals from Jerry and some tasty guitar licks unencumbered for the most part by midi distractions. Really enjoyed a recent revisit to this one and glad to upvote it