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

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.