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find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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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

Dark Star
Oct. 30, 1973
Kiel Auditorium

This is a fantastic Dark Star, challenging and different without ever losing focus -- or, really, its feeling of warmth and contentment. One of my favorites of the year.
Death Don't Have No Mercy
April 20, 1969
Clark University

Shockingly good, even by the standards of the month. Incendiary performance.
Mason's Children
Jan. 24, 1970
Honolulu Civic Auditorium

I am not at all surprised to find this one at the top of the Mason’s chart. This is basically perfect. Play it loud.
Me and My Uncle
Jan. 24, 1970
Honolulu Civic Auditorium

Yeah, this one’s fantastic! They were putting a lot of care into MAMU in this era, treating it just like Black Peter and Uncle John’s and the other originals they doubtless were proud of. For the first time, I find myself wondering ... what if MAMU had ended up on Workingman’s Dead? The album would have lost its “all originals” cred, but the song would have fit in well.
Me and Bobby McGee
July 19, 1974
Selland Arena

It’s amazing how differently Jerry approaches the solo than he did in ’71-’72. The ’74-ness bleeds into everything. I can only imagine how he would have approached the solo in ’76 or ’78 ... a thought that makes me wish this song had stayed in the repertoire.