headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

parrott56

millennial head

+4803


Submissions

9
China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider
June 9, 1973
RFK Stadium

Controlled yet passionate. Almost Mozartean.
5
Dark Star
Feb. 8, 1970
Fillmore West

Spacey and relaxed, but maintains a gentle simmer throughout.
10
Me and Bobby McGee
May 25, 1972
Strand Lyceum

Crisp and sweet as always, but it's Jerry's fills that really make this version.
10
Truckin'
May 24, 1972
Strand Lyceum

*Yet another* stellar Truckin' from Europe '72. It would be unconscionable not to acknowledge its greatness here.
6
Jack Straw
May 24, 1972
Strand Lyceum

Very sweetly played and sung. Could easily have been the version picked for "Europe '72."

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.