headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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merryjerry

wacked

+6595


Submissions

9
The Wheel
Oct. 2, 1977
Paramount Theatre

It's so apt that The Wheel would roll into Truckin' that the outro is short but the rest is very nice.
9
Eyes Of The World
June 27, 1984
Merriweather Post Pavilion

Jerry really mines the changes on this one and pulls out plenty of little gold nuggets (like Coltrane). Good interplay, too. An inspired version.
11
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
May 12, 1981
Veterans' Memorial Coliseum

A cheesy video of this kickass version would have Garcia playing atop a steam locomotive as it barrels down the track.
10
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Oct. 18, 1972
Fox Theater

Incomplete, but what remains is top-notch and essential.
10
Me and Bobby McGee
March 26, 1973
Baltimore Civic Center

I just gotta nominate this one, that's all.

Comments

Big Railroad Blues
April 5, 1971
Manhattan Center

No frills here, this thing is just like a fastball down the middle--tight as hell and not a wasted note. The version used on SnR.
Cryptical Envelopment
June 12, 1970
Civic Auditorium

Beautiful tone from Garcia on the intro, which then leads into an excellent drum solo. The reprise is largely (though not entirely) subdued, yet still riveting the way that watching lava erupting underwater is.
The Other One
June 12, 1970
Civic Auditorium

Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully this thing will see the light of day soon ( not just get a brief glance out the window of the vault that is the Tapers's Section) as it is one hell of a scorcher. The drum solo leading into this is really nice, as well. Bobby has an odd false start to the first verse presumably due to something going on in the audience, I guess--but don't worry, as it don't detract from nothin'. Hell, it even gives Garcia a chance to get in a few more licks before Bobby relaunches the lyrics. In a word, this version is what I would call 'lush'. I wonder if Latvala was at this one?, as I believe he was living in Hawaii at the time.
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Feb. 24, 1974
Winterland Arena

Plenty of twang and a generous helping of X-factor sparkle. The transition jam is long and interesting, with Jerry serpentinely weaving his way in and out. Stands up well to repeated listenings; in fact, the more I listen to this one, the more I like it.
Dark Star
Feb. 24, 1974
Winterland Arena

A dense, labyrinthine tapestry of tight, agile interplay. The playing here is not rushed; rather, it’s careful and concentrated, like a team of surgeons working on your brain. Here and there, little zygotic wisps of the MLB jam appear and then quickly dissolve away. At one point, Bobby tries to introduce the ‘Spanish Jam’, but it gets vetoed. Near the conclusion, Bobby, in a tit for tat, shuts down an attempt by Jerry to stoke the flames of an MLB jam. BUT this is a good thing, for what we get instead is a remarkable, spontaneously composed (but elements of it sound vaguely familiar) little jam that blooms like an aural fountain. And then we are treated to a very good ‘Morning Dew’.