headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

please login or register.

parrott56

millennial head

+4803


Submissions

2
Pretty Peggy O
Nov. 20, 1985
Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center

Seemingly looser and jammier than some, with some great musical conversations.
4
Candyman
July 5, 1978
Omaha Civic Auditorium

Slick, efficient Garcia solo, plus some cool flourishes by the Godchauxs.
3
Friend of the Devil
June 12, 1976
Music Hall

Perfectly phrased and chosen melody lines from Jerry. Another astonishing FOTD of the era.
6
Samson and Delilah
June 10, 1976
Boston Music Hall

Phil’s and Jerry’s sixteenth-note runs light up this version with a country-blues twang faintly reminiscent of Cumberland.
2
Space
June 27, 1983
Poplar Creek Music Theater

Shimmering, dazed Space highlighted by some of Brent’s wildest keyboard tones and textures.
show more submissions

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.
show more comments
headyversion loves the dead but is in no way affiliated with The Grateful Dead or affiliated enterprises. find out more >:) >:)