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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
14
Last Time
Dec. 8, 1993
Sports Arena
Emerges from Space with a very long intro & very distinct and sustained St. Stephen tease! My favorite version.
10
Dear Mr. Fantasy
July 18, 1989
Alpine Valley
Part of what made this Alpine run so legendary. Soulful and Brent-astic.
4
Big Railroad Blues
Aug. 14, 1971
Berkeley Community Theater
Maybe the best pure hard riving Rock&Roll version. Lean, mean, and Jerry supreme!
34
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Nov. 2, 1977
Field House - Seneca College
Rarely heard (left out of DP Bonus tracks for Vol. 34) but another sweet/smooth '77 winner.
4
Ramble On Rose
Dec. 30, 1977
Winterland Arena
Faster than usual tempo with just a brilliant Jerry bridge jam and no missed lyrics make this one a not-to-be-missed version.
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Comments
Eyes Of The World
Oct. 1, 1977
Paramount Theatre
More about this one. If you’re a fan of 11/4/77 & clearly there are many & for good reason you really should give this one a hard listen. Colgate is like a fire hose of Garcia notes and it’s blazing while still holding true to the song’s structural integrity. In this version Garcia is playing just as fast...maybe faster...but with an even more controlled and mellow jazz flow than 11-4. When Jerry plays this way he always brings to mind a Wes Montgomery performance...be-bop jazz notes at the Village Gate kind of feel, & to top it off the rest of the band is equal to the task. Weir’s rhythm is exceptionally disciplined in this version so as to keep up with Jerry but he adds color & just the right amount of counter at just the right times as well. Billy & Mickey deserve full accolades for the same reason, right up until Garcia’s second jam break where they let loose & provide some serious power to the end jam. Phil rolls along beautifully & while a Keith could be higher in the mix, he’s fully engaged as well. If you’re looking for a big board sleeper pick, you found it.
Dark Star
Feb. 22, 1973
Assembly Hall, University of Illinois
An oddity for its year--a compact, under 15-minute long beauty of a Dark Star. Playing around mostly with the main theme Garcia draws liquid lines with ease while the rest of the band coalesces & delivers a fully realized yet more streamlined rendition that still tantalizes the senses. The Eyes that follows is pretty sweet too.
Samba In The Rain
March 30, 1995
The Omni
^^^^^Needed that chuckle & you're right--a very 2020 activity. Thanks for doing it so we don't have to! (Not my favorite tune ;-)
Estimated Prophet
Sept. 22, 1993
Madison Square Garden
^^^^you ain’t wrong. That very thing (Weir’s interruption) keeps me from upvoting this otherwise fine version.
Eyes Of The World
May 26, 1977
Baltimore Civic Center
What is it with the Dead crushing it in Charm City? The Ravenspace show in '82, the Dick's Picks from 9/17/72, & this oddly overlooked '77 masterpiece are just a few examples but this Eyes in particular should not be missed from this show, which contains many other gems. Full-powered jamming in this one that sounds more like the rowdier fall versions than the usual May suspects. Easy upvote.
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hot songs
Dark Star
Playin' In The Band
Eyes Of The World
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
new submissions
Casey Jones, The Spectrum, Nov. 5, 1979
Sugar Magnolia, The Spectrum, Nov. 5, 1979
And We Bid You Goodnight, Bellarmine College, Dec. 7, 1968
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