headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

grendel

Books and Music

+24543


Submissions

28
They Love Each Other
Feb. 3, 1978
Dane County Coliseum

Dicks Picks Vol. 18. Ridiculously hot mid-section jam by Jerry. Donna ads very sweet accompaniment a la best of JGB versions. Don't overlook this one!
13
Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower
Sept. 6, 1983
Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Rippin' at Red Rocks. Bouncy, jaunty, zippy and energetic early 80's version. Brent takes control on Franklin's.
87
Playin' In The Band
Nov. 15, 1972
Oklahoma City Music Hall

Got half an hour to kill? Lose yourself in one of the greatest, mind-blowing, spacious, jamming, jazzy, monster PITB's in history.
21
Bird Song
Nov. 15, 1972
Oklahoma City Music Hall

The '72 vintages are so silky smooth and this one is no exception. Jerry's vocals aren't prone to the frog-croaks of later years.This glides on wings.
25
The Other One
May 13, 1977
Auditorium Theatre

A rare extended TOO for '77,: a fat, sick, jamming gem. Crazy exploration, worthy of 1972; Phil in command, Jerry ablaze; melts into Stella Blue
show more submissions

Comments

Estimated Prophet
Feb. 3, 1978
Dane County Coliseum

This is a great version but in defense of '77 I must point out that the soloing and especially outro jams on Estimated started to get stretched out on the fall tour. 10/29/77 offers a pretty good example.
The Wheel
April 19, 1982
Baltimore Civic Center

100% agree. Perfect show that only seems to get props for the joyous weirdness of the space but really virtually every song is tour de force, this Wheel no exception. My favorite Estimated and Brokedown are from this show as well.
Playin' In The Band
Oct. 20, 1974
Winterland Arena

I actually prefer this one to the more sought-after 1/2 hour version from earlier in this Winterland run (on 10/16). This is a trippy yet still jazzy exploration into mellow/gooey territory, while the whole band attacks the vocal sections with gusto and precision. The sandwich middle is tasty too and there's a long, flowing rejoinder heading into the eventual reprise, This needs a little hike up the vote ladder.
Dire Wolf
Nov. 6, 1977
Broome County Arena

So easy to overlook good versions of this song b/c it's so short and --for a Dead tune-- fairly uniform. But the standouts deserve attention and this is one of them from a monster show of the '77 fall tour.
Stella Blue
Oct. 17, 1974
Winterland Arena

I also love this one because nobody (i.e. Donna) ruins the "shine" chorus after Jerry dusts off those rusty strings just one more time. In fact, no one repeats the "shine" line and it's so much better for the omission. Instead it's all about the beauty of the tune and Jer's magnificent solo to follow. Too many pre-Brent versions (even in the golden year of '77) were marred by the off-key back up chorus, but not this one. I didn't mind in the 80's when Brent joined in, because his voice was perfect for the back-up, but this is one where the tune breathes and succeeds from a "less is more" approach.
show more comments
headyversion loves the dead but is in no way affiliated with The Grateful Dead or affiliated enterprises. find out more >:) >:)