headyversion

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

37
Promised Land
Sept. 18, 1990
Madison Square Garden

New #1 version--all time best. This is a stretched-out jam-fest for a song usually given the quick-off. Killer fills from Hornsby. MUST HEAR!
6
Sugar Magnolia
Sept. 25, 1981
Stabler Arena

Incredible Sugary-Mag Club sandwich: Sugar>BlackPeter>Round&Round>SSDD. Energy off the charts, and the SSDD starts spot-on the downbeat from R&R
13
Big River
July 31, 1974
Dillon Stadium

Scorcher start to finish. Keith comes up big, and Jerry goes ballistic in the final instrumental bridge. Check it out on Dave's Pix Vol. 2
45
Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower
June 19, 1976
Capitol Theatre

Just when you think you've heard 'em all...Peppy&Zippy yet tight HELP >groovy-spacedout Slip>killer jumping-Jerry-led Franklins. Must Hear!
44
Estimated Prophet
Oct. 29, 1977
Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University

From the show that never stops giving--a spacey-jazzy-goeey-Wah-Wah-chunk-fest-of-Jerry.
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Comments

Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Dec. 26, 1981
Oakland Auditorium

Grossly underrated at less than double digits at the time of this posting. Those who have commented already are among the most astute posters & some are among the toughest/most brutally honest as well. Should tell you the current ranking is a disservice to the rendition & I urge y'all to listen & give this some well deserved ups. As noted a very crunchy Miller SBD copy awaits. Great exploratory '81 jamming here in both tunes and Brent fans in particular should sing his praises for the work he does in the transition jam...very much the case in the best '81 versions.
Brokedown Palace
May 16, 1993
Sam Boyd Silver Bowl

Happily surprised out how good this is. The trick seems to be that Garcia understands the limitations of his '93 vox & instead of trying to hit notes he can't he changes his phrasing to fit a breezier reading...less gospel, but still extremely heartfelt and tenderly beautiful. Strong band involvement overall too...deserves its upper spot on the ladder here although at first i was skeptical.
Shakedown Street
Aug. 21, 1980
Uptown Theatre

Paging Dr. FunkenMellow...give me a shot of Jerry wah-wah stat! Grossly underrated version from the always jumpin' Chicago Uptown.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Oct. 22, 1978
Winterland Arena

Great Seamons matrix of this transferred by CM available now & totally worth it. Agree not every S>F has to be a rager to be heady--this one is a mind meld that would get a raised eyebrow from Spock. https://archive.org/details/gd1978-10-22.mtx.seamons.99496.sbeok.flac16/gd78-10-22d3t04.flac
Let It Grow
Dec. 16, 1992
Oakland Coliseum Arena

No reason this shouldn't be way higher on the ladder. Latvala thought enough of this show to make it a pick & this is a highly jammed version with less midi than usual for the era (a good thing, that) & a spacey section in the mid-jam that adds a lot to the mix. One of the stronger 90s entries and probably the best of '92.
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