headyversion

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

Dark Star
Oct. 20, 1968
Greek Theatre - University of California

Been digging into the "short" Dark Stars recently* for the peppy/trippy late 60'svibe, concise but fluid & exciting jam sections...this is one of my favorites from that category. * Kinda like making sure not to neglect fine versions of "Deal" from '72-'74 or '77-'78...not monsters of coda fanning jamming that would come in the 80s, but still gems in their own right.
Franklin's Tower
Jan. 30, 1978
Uptown Theater

This version has a spectacular, relaxed, perfect tempo 2 minute open, and a great strong finish with lots of fanning....unfortunately it sags in the middle like Homer Simpson in a hammock, with a lot of boring meandering noodling, Jerry forgetting the lyrics, and the band just sleepwalking along, which is too bad because this could have made for an epic Jerry triple play of Eyes>Stella>Franklins. I can’t upvote this based on just a strong start and nice finish, though. This is a good sleeper show overall but it could have been a lot better with a stronger Franklins here.
Lazy Lightnin' -> Supplication
Jan. 30, 1978
Uptown Theater

Rip roarer...this whole show could use more ears on it
That Would Be Something
April 5, 1995
Jefferson Civic Center Coliseum

Must agree. What this one has that others (inc. the top slotted BG version) don't is a more emphatic Jerry vocal, which, for a song that essentially had only two lines of lyrics, is pretty important. Well played musically and probably the best version out there, certainly more energetic than the version from DP.
Row Jimmy
Feb. 17, 1973
St. Paul Auditorium

Lost version here. Shares much in common with the gems of 2/15/73 & the Nebraska DP version. So true about the unfortunate cut.
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