headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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parrott56

millennial head

+4803


Submissions

1
Space
Sept. 4, 1979
Madison Square Garden

Super heady, effects-drenched Space that suggests what a fall ’79 Dark Star might’ve sounded like.
2
Promised Land
Feb. 22, 1974
Winterland Arena

This really gets cookin’! Keith, Billy, and Jerry seem to be playing little rhythmic games, switching up the accents in interesting ways.
3
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
Feb. 22, 1974
Winterland Arena

Splendid set closer with delightfully boisterous contributions from Keith and a permeating feeling of real joy.
2
Stella Blue
July 21, 1984
Ventura County Fairgrounds

Sweetly melodic outro, well-played. I really enjoyed this Space > Other One > Stella.
1
Althea
July 21, 1984
Ventura County Fairgrounds

Forceful and confident, with rowdy playing from Bobby and Brent in particular.

Comments

Mississippi Halfstep Uptown Toodeloo
Feb. 22, 1974
Winterland Arena

Damn, Keith is ALL over this show. Check out that perfectly timed chromatic run leading up to the drop into A major. Then he switches to electric (Fender Rhodes) for the delicate start of the Rio Grande-o section. But the whole band’s sense of dynamics is just expert here, and that may be just as sweet as the extra few minutes of jamming we’d get in a ’77 version. “YMMV.”
Playin' In The Band
Feb. 22, 1974
Winterland Arena

It doesn’t get much better than this. Even with the stiff competition of 1974, I’d say this is one of the best versions of the year.
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Feb. 22, 1974
Winterland Arena

This thing is killer. There are a lot of improvisational flourishes in China Cat and Rider proper as well as in the transition jam. In China Cat, almost none of Jerry’s lines sound like anything he usually plays there. In Rider, listen to how Keith really attacks the last instrumental break. And Phil is so creative throughout, often playing, it seems, one step off the “expected” note and really building the tension.
Scarlet Begonias
April 18, 1978
Civic Arena

This is an exciting and exquisitely crafted Scarlet. Just do not miss it.
Estimated Prophet
Oct. 19, 1989
The Spectrum

Typical for the period, it’s filled with MIDI ... and quite adventurous. I like both of those traits, but your mileage may vary.