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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+24543


Submissions

9
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
May 13, 1977
Auditorium Theatre

Almost beyond description. The last full jam leading into the GDTR chorus is a perfect storm example of what made the Dead magic
12
Brown Eyed Women
May 17, 1977
Memorial Coliseum

Gotta check out the "small" songs in legendary shows like this as well as the usual suspects! Check out Jerry's utterly perfect bridge jam & be in awe
22
Bird Song
Sept. 22, 1993
Madison Square Garden

If you don't know Saxophonist David Murray, here's a good way to find out how great he is. This is one stellar Birdsong that flew under the radar here
19
They Love Each Other
May 17, 1977
Memorial Coliseum

Is there anything prettier, sweeter or more sublimely lovely than Keith's piano in this version? You decide. This TLEO is incredible.
56
Sugaree
May 11, 1977
St. Paul Civic Center Arena

New #1 favorite. Slightly more compact than other amazing '77 versions & so a bit more focused. 2d Garcia solo has no equal.

Comments

Lazy Lightnin' -> Supplication
May 22, 1982
Greek Theatre - University of California

Nice pick...very good backing vocals on this one thanks to Brent and Garcia's way into it also. 5/22/77 is still my favorite and some of the other '77 jam sections are hard to beat but this one is maybe the best Brent-era I've heard.
Shakedown Street
Dec. 30, 1983
Civic Auditorium

DOES need to shoot up the list! This is a version where the post-lyrics jam has every bit as much inventiveness and crisp jazz improvising as the beginning portions do. Check out Jerry's lines around the 10 minute mark and his play-offs with Brent throughout. Bobby adds interesting counter-rhythms too and Phil is doing his rattle-your-bones bass thing. Really strong version that oughta be higher on the board.
Friend of the Devil
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

A winner for sure. Can't find a clunker anywhere in this show.
Dark Star
Aug. 16, 1969
Yasgur's Farm

Almost getting fried by a lightning strike is a pretty good excuse!
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
May 8, 1977
Barton Hall - Cornell University

It's not that this isn't a good version...it is. Maybe you could make the argument it's even "great", and in a top 10-20 discussion. What mystifies me about this version (and I'm not alone judging by just a few of the comments here) is that it's so often taken for granted as the best of the best. And that's just mind-bogglingly not true. 97 votes at this counting. That's about 65 too many by my estimation unless people are just adding their votes for it being great and not necessarily #1, which is fine...but then you should seek out equally worthy or better versions and vote those as well. If you feel like an objective experiment, take just these versions from the SAME MONTH--i'm not even getting into the apples & oranges of Brent v. Keith eras here, and compare them back to back w/this version, and see if you would change your vote: 5/13/77, 5/17/77, 5/21/77, 5/25/77. If you really believe any or all of those are not superior to 5/8, and thus should be ranked higher on this list, then I give up trying to convince otherwise.