Bobby's birthday at the world famous Melkeweg. Yummy brownies make this version extra special.

DP #23 from Baltimore...yet another jazz exploration that winds and weaves and delights. More introspective than intense & quite worthy!

Fantastic 15+ minutes of standa-lone Scarlet featuring a very Phil-front bass section post-lyrics. Final jam section gets real jazzy, too.

From a hot steamy night in Texas an equally hot & steamy Terrapin, which melts into a great Estimated

Hidden gem! Jazzy mellow intro to fluid, energetic Garcia-led jamming. Cross-up on 'beaches & seasons" in 1st verse chorus- Phil yells "Get it right!"

Love these early ones even if they meander a bit at the end. The slinky funk as you say is undeniable and they have their own special charm even if they're not as a complete package polished as later versions.

Klaussmith has submitted exhibit A for why you need to check out many of the unheralded "lower ranked versions" to find some pure gems. Yes, Bobby struggled with the lyrics in spots (file under: "wow. really? is the sun coming up in the morning as well?") , but this version is SO GOOD it should rank only half a point off, with the rest more than making up for it in degree of difficulty, What's funny tho' is that in Bob's first brain freeze the rest of the band actually plows ahead with the correct lyrics even as he sings the wrong ones and by the end of the verse he actually gets put back on the right track and finishes with the proper words! It's better than the awkward silences or mumblings that usually accompany his missed lyrics. Later in the tune he screws up more blatantly but I've spent too much time on this already b/c it truly doesn't matter. Post-lyrics the band hits 2 peaks--one, the traditional wind up/splash down that Garcia nails perfectly followed immediately by another that is different yet equally as dramatic. It's simply awesome,,,and then that flows seamlessly into a "Nobody's Fault" jam that's brief but beautiful and rounds out a seriously great version. It's not to the level of 11/6/77, mind you, but it's not far off either. Honestly, give this one a try and see if you're not immediately inclined to hike it up on the list.

can't say best ever, but this was way way WAY better than I expected. Had almost given up on just about any version post '77...this is really great, though. Thanks for all who touted its merits.

...and sadly languishing near the bottom of the list. C'mon, people. This is a blazing version that needs to be hovering near all the big boys. It shouldn't be treated this old way.

It's almost like a different song from those 80's versions that feature the rippin long jams at the end or even the '77s that give you that sweet rolling jam in the middle, These early versions are slinky and bluesy and awesome in their own right, This one features a really in the groove slow Jerry jam that just flows back into the rest of the tune. E'72 really was beyond the pale and this is my favorite "Deal" of the tour.