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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

28
Playin' In The Band
May 11, 1972
Rotterdam Civic Hall

Sometimes shorter is better. At around 10 mins. this beauty from E'72 packs the jazz, jam, passion. Like a more intense version of the one on ACE!
26
Scarlet Begonias
Oct. 3, 1976
Cobo Arena

No clean SBD on archive but at official Dead site a pristine version was on 30 days of Dead for DL. 2d best stand-alone I've heard next to 3-20-77
66
Pretty Peggy O
May 19, 1977
Fox Theatre

DP Vol. 29...Each time I think I've heard the best (i.e. 12/27/77) I hear one better. This is it. Flowing, gorgeous Jerry bridge jam. Perfection.
4
Don't Ease Me In
June 20, 1980
West High Auditorium

Proves the boys could really swing when they wanted to. Hear Jerry on "The Girl I Love" line; like 'Gator Alley--1980 a good year for this tune
32
Not Fade Away
May 26, 1977
Baltimore Civic Center

Insane. Ridiculous. Drummers locked in, Garcia in take-no-prisoners mode. 16+ minutes of full-bore Rock to the G-D Roll.
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Comments

Shakedown Street
May 7, 1980
Barton Hall - Cornell University

Underrated greatness right here. Funkytown USA, population: This version.
Playin' In The Band
Feb. 3, 1978
Dane County Coliseum

Ha! Well you may not like what I have to say but basically this PITB is just too big and too hectic for my liking and (IMHO) 2/26/77 is far more elegant and beautiful in comparison. Especially now with the new DP release it sounds better than ever and I’ll always put Swing far ahead of this version. And I’m saying that as a huge fan of just about every other song in this otherwise amazing show!
Playin' In The Band
Feb. 26, 1977
Swing Auditorium

Spectacular & sounding crystal clear in the new DaP release, but can we talk about the reprise for a minute?, because it's about as majestic as they come. There's a sparkly, twinkly, swirly elegant kind of spirally thing Garcia does at the very end that gives me shivers. I'm sure I'm not expressing it right, but it's there & needs ears.
Candyman
Sept. 16, 1978
Sphinx Theatre

Yep, shoulda done this a while ago. Thanks for the reminder that the Egypt shows suffer from a weird word of mouth reputation for being not good. There are "off" performances within all the shows that stick out but what's good is extremely good...and this Candyman is in the latter.
The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)
Sept. 9, 1991
MSG

Bruce is the difference maker in this one. All Quinns have their appeal, fun as it is, but his keys really make this one stand out a tad more.
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