headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

4
Estimated Prophet
Aug. 31, 1985
Manor Downs

Hot as the night in Texas on which it was played.
11
One More Saturday Night
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

Like every other song from this, my favorite all-time show, it's a best-of candidate. Just rocks hard.
2
Alabama Getaway
Dec. 5, 1979
Uptown Theater

Come for the 'Bama but stay for the rest of the show. This rocker 'Bama is Jerry and Brent at their very best. This entire show, tho', is a monster.
13
Stagger Lee
June 27, 1985
SPAC

Right after Phil tells a guy to get off the blacony cuz 50,000 people are waiting for him to, and Bob does the dog nose joke, Jer rips into a fine SL!
8
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Oct. 18, 1989
The Spectrum

Pretty good China followed by the best 80's OR 90's RIDER I've ever heard. Check Jer's run going into "sun gonna shine" verse. 5 stars fo RIDER alone.
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Comments

Eyes Of The World
June 26, 1994
Sam Boyd Silver Bowl

The only problem with these '91-'95 Eyes is a lack of peak jamming. It's not valleys you're left with...more like meadows, that just stretch and stretch and are really nice and pleasant but not much in the way of thrills. This one falls into that category but benefits from the acoustic guitar sound Jerry runs with & that might be enough to get you to upvote it. I'm holding off, only because this is nice for its era, maybe one of the better ones (& best certainly I've heard from '94 unless someone else has a rec), but there are so many better versions in every era that I can't quite tick this one up. (I also wouldn't disagree too strongly with anyone that would.)
Visions of Johanna
April 22, 1986
Berkeley Community Theatre

A livelier rendition here than the lauded '95's, which have more gravitas and do sound more "Dylan-esque" perhaps, but Jer's voice is better here than in any of those '95's & there's a stronger punch to the lyric delivery. Check out the "Infinity goes up on trial" thru the Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues" section & you'll see what I mean.
Loser
April 12, 1978
Cameron Indoor Stadium

Don't know how I overlooked this one. Jerry really takes his time with the solo and goes a few extra rounds before finding the high register and nailing it down. Unlike the other versions this one at least rivals (3/24/90 & 7/22/84, my 2 faves) Jerry doesn't rejoin the "last fair deal" at the climax of the solo, but ties a bow on it instead & lets it resolve a bit before heading into the riff that gets us back to the lyric. It's freaking great either way & the vocals are spot-on, too. It's way down the ladder from those other two leaders but it shouldn't be.
Dark Star
July 25, 1974
International Amphitheater

Where has this one been hiding? (From me anyway--at least 18 others at my count here knew all about it.) Jazz chops galore for the first half into some gorgeous, quiet, drifting space & then a collective color palette of mid 70s fusion stuff that's unique to most Dark Stars I've heard. Never gets dissonant or screechy...and not a word is sung...a completely instrumental Dark Star in the best possible way...oh, and uh, yeah there's that whole slipknot jam thing ya get, too. My vote made this 19 can we please get a 'Head to bump this at the very least up to 20?
Terrapin Station
March 2, 1992
The Omni

You weren't kidding. This is one fantastic Terrapin hiding in plain sight. Very fluid musically, not choppy or disjointed as some later year versions can be. Take a quarter point off maybe for some less than stellar vocals in the "Terrapin" chorus leading into the final jam coda, but before then Jerry is in fine vocal form (esp. for '92) and delivers a real confident and colorful reading. Post lyrics jam is drum-heavy and right on the mark...leads into a sizzling drums jam, as stated above.
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