headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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parrott56

millennial head

+4803


Submissions

15
Dark Star
April 17, 1969
Washington U.

Worthy, discursive version from an amazing month.
18
Mississippi Halfstep Uptown Toodeloo
July 12, 1989
RFK Stadium

Jerry just attacks this one (vocally too) right from the outset. I love summer '89.
5
Pretty Peggy O
Dec. 30, 1977
Winterland Arena

Lively version, practically rollicking!
5
Row Jimmy
Dec. 30, 1977
Winterland Arena

As focused and energetic as the rest of the show, Jerry plays with the phrasing of his solos without missing a beat.
1
Looks Like Rain
Dec. 30, 1977
Winterland Arena

Another noteworthy '77 version. Listen for Jerry's melodic lines over Bob and Donna's vocal coda.

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.