headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+23524


Submissions

10
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Sept. 25, 1981
Stabler Arena

Transition jam weaves into spaces most fail to go; touch-down into Fire is GOLD. Jerry flubs first line in Fire-after that: 1 of the BEST ever!
19
He's Gone
Sept. 26, 1972
Stanley Theatre

Perfect, self-contained, blues-infused, stellar vocals, 14+ minutes of bliss. Extra fun: Check out the "Birdsong" riff about 10 secs. into the intro
35
Dark Star
Sept. 16, 1972
Boston Music Hall

Amazed this isn't here yet Gorgeous, melodic, jazz-infused, mellow, trippy, spacey into hard ripping Jerry riffs; melts into Brokedown Palace. Sublime
47
Cold Rain and Snow
Oct. 12, 1984
Augusta Civic Center

Kicks off with authority a 2d set every DeadHead needs to hear. Perfect bookend to Jerry's scorching Dew. They say it was cold&rainy that nite in ME.
25
Dupree's Diamond Blues
Feb. 4, 1978
Milwaukee Auditorium

Can't beat this one. Played w/out a hitch, Jerry nails all the lyrics, and when it's over Phil says: "And that's a true story, folks!"

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