headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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parrott56

millennial head

+4803


Submissions

1
Sugar Magnolia
July 21, 1974
Hollywood Bowl

Wildly exuberant both before and after "SSDD" vocals. And Billy is all over this great AUD.
2
Casey Jones
Nov. 23, 1973
County Coliseum

Swings and shimmies before busting out the heavy artillery.
2
Friend of the Devil
Oct. 25, 1989
Miami Arena

Played pretty fast (for the slow version) and heavy with MIDI and spirited playing. Not to everyone’s taste, perhaps, but I like it!
1
Ramble On Rose
Oct. 22, 1989
Charlotte Coliseum

Sparkling rendition. Fans of upbeat '89 versions like 7/7 should check this out.
1
Estimated Prophet
Aug. 4, 1982
Kiel Auditorium

Sharp, feisty version with Jerry and Brent setting up a beautiful, dreamy -> Terrapin

Comments

Dark Star
Oct. 9, 1989
Hampton Coliseum

Fortunately I love Space and MIDI Dead. :-) Don’t get me wrong, this is not as good as the best versions from ’69–’74, but it is HEAVY. A complete mindmelt. In context, the climax of one of the best pre-Drums sequences of the decade. I love it.
Stella Blue
Oct. 25, 1973
Dane County Coliseum

This version is just about perfect. Not a note out of place.
Playin' In The Band
April 22, 1977
The Spectrum

There’s a delicate midjam digression in D major with Keith on Moog. Totally unlike any other version I’ve heard. Amazing.
Caution
April 29, 1972
Musikhalle

Just devastating. Holy hell.
St. Stephen
March 20, 1977
Winterland Arena

“Some of the worst singing the Dead ever did”? You’ve got to be kidding me. There are some vocal performances from the ’60s and mid-’80s that would like to have a word with you. This is average singing from one of their better years vocally. Also, the noodling here is fairly substantive. All in all, an easy upvote, if not quite the absolute best post-hiatus version. (Check out 1/11/78!)