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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

24
Franklin's Tower
May 1, 1981
Hampton Coliseum

One of the best played versions from one of the best played shows in the Brent era---ever.
16
Shakedown Street
March 24, 1981
Rainbow Theater

15+ minutes of funk w/extended overlapping vocal rounds of "just gotta poke around", etc. before jam Brent adds cool "fuzzy" SFX
1
Big Railroad Blues
Oct. 30, 1971
Taft Auditorium

Check out Keith on this one! He's never been so up front before & right outta the gate!!
21
Cream Puff War
July 3, 1966
Fillmore Auditorium

Peppy early version w/Jer belting out lyrics & Pig doin' some nice work on organ. No archive copy exists; got this off 30 Days of Dead-worth the DL!
9
Passenger
May 7, 1979
Allan Kirby Field House

Super-charged EARLY Brent version rips and tears and shreds. Final jam before the coda is the best they ever did in this tune. Goes to 11.

Comments

Brokedown Palace
Oct. 14, 1977
Hofheinz Pavilion

Fine version from a generally overlooked show.
Dark Star
Oct. 12, 1968
Avalon Ballroom

All jam, no junk. Great flowing Jerry leads. This one surprised and delighted me. Upvote worthy for sure.
Darkness Jam
Nov. 21, 1973
Denver Coliseum

To be clear, I had no other category to list this under. Its closest to being just called a "jam" but it reads as PITB on the Denver road trips release, which isn't really accurate, even though it's technically part of the Playing sandwich in that great set. It's about 5 mins. of a mellow, in the pocket, perfectly rendered groove with hints of Dark Star....that comes out of El Paso and then just melts like butter into Wharf Rat. Needs to be recognized in the same way the '71 "Beautiful Jam" has been. A classic.
El Paso
Nov. 21, 1973
Denver Coliseum

Amazingly fluid Mexicalli-flavored lines by Jerry throughout this version. Does emerge seamlessly from PITB.
Brown Eyed Women
May 4, 1977
The Palladium

All true. Excellent Scarlet-Fire from this show, and one of the great 2d sets of the year. This BEW stands with many of the other greats from '77 including 11/4/77 and Barton.