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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

+24543


Submissions

10
Black Peter
Sept. 25, 1981
Stabler Arena

After 10/29/77 this should be your go-to BP. Emotion oozes and Jer shreds the outro.
11
Beat it on Down The Line
March 22, 1990
Copps Coliseum

A breezy bouncin' bubbly Bobby Beat it...best of the 90's.
8
El Paso
March 27, 1972
Academy of Music

Jerry in serious bluegrass mode. Most country-westernized version ever. At the end Phil sez "Thanks, Texans" even tho' they're in NYC. Awesome version
23
Let It Grow
Sept. 19, 1990
Madison Square Garden

Hornsby gets on board in a big way & Jerry jazzes up the jam sections. Weir slashes away & sings w/passion. Strong candidate for Best of the 90's.
4
Desolation Row
April 17, 1987
Irvine Meadows

This song was only as good as Bobby was committed to it, and on this night he was 100% in Dylan-idoling mode. Gorgeous rendeition, lovingly sung.

Comments

I Know You Rider
May 1, 1970
Alfred College

"I'd rather drink muddy water...sleep in a hollow log..." Jerry just crushes this version vocally. So nice to have a slower, acoustic, true blue blues version to dip into. This is my fave, even a notch better than Harpur.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Dec. 3, 1979
Uptown Theatre

Garcia gets the "scarlet begonias tucked into her shoes" in this one, but it sounds perfectly natural. Really nice, relaxed cadence to this one--not too fast & not too slow--to steal a different line to make a point. The transition is patient, not especially earth shattering, but the Fire gets aggressive in a number of spots. It's also interesting as one of the earlier Brent versions & I upvoted partly for that reason. Wouldn't mind seeing it get into double digits, but wouldn't complain too loudly if it stayed a sleeper pick, either.
It Must Have Been The Roses
May 17, 1974
P.N.E. Coliseum

Agree on both counts ^^^^
Estimated Prophet
March 30, 1980
Capitol Theatre

Better recording of this one would have it near the top. Insane ripping middle jam as Jerry was prone to this year, this song. 1980 Estimateds are overlooked and this one especially.
Dark Star
June 24, 1973
Memorial Coliseum

I used some music editing software to remove the last ten minutes of crap and now this version is perfect. +1 with an admittedly big asterisk.