headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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parrott56

millennial head

+4803


Submissions

7
Mama Tried
March 19, 1977
Winterland Arena

Deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the other punchy, galloping ’77s.
1
Jack Straw
Sept. 9, 1974
Alexandra Palace

If you’re like me, you love the intensity of these ’74 Jack Straws. This one is not to be missed.
1
Bertha
Sept. 9, 1974
Alexandra Palace

Swinging funk akin to a ’73 TLEO. Different and sharply played.
6
Franklin's Tower
Aug. 19, 1980
Uptown Theatre

Jerry’s playing with amazing ease and fluidity. One shimmering melody after another.
5
Me and Bobby McGee
June 28, 1974
Boston Garden

Played fast, sounding almost triumphant. Very cleanly played with some attention-grabbing Jerry.

Comments

China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
Feb. 24, 1974
Winterland Arena

Glad to see that I already upvoted this one. This stands out even in the company of other ’73 - ’74 versions.
Cryptical Envelopment
June 7, 1970
Fillmore West

Whoa, this is nuts! Some serious Sonic Youth vibes in the last few minutes.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
June 13, 1994
Memorial Stadium

Damn -- this is really, really good and would be listed higher if there were a SBD. (This Miller/Noel AUD is great, though!) If I were trying to find fault, I might say that parts of Fire plod along unremarkably ... but other parts cook and groove and shake and burn, and the Scarlet > transition jam is sharper and stronger than most '90s versions I can think of. Several '94-'95 versions have become quite popular on here, and I think this might be the best of all. Don't miss out on this show.
Eyes Of The World
Sept. 18, 1990
Madison Square Garden

Almost overwhelming in color and detail — there are a lot of notes — but it works. In fact, it bowls me over. Great Eyes.
Row Jimmy
Sept. 18, 1990
Madison Square Garden

This particular song may have benefited from the lushness of the Vince-plus-Bruce sound. I think it went through something of a renaissance in this period. This is a really strong version, and frankly both new keyboardists sound great.