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rannygazoo

Old Dark Frog

+180


Submissions

5
Lazy Lightnin' -> Supplication
Sept. 14, 1982
University of Virginia

This Supplication is quite top drawer, I say. What-ho.
11
Fire On The Mountain
June 28, 1976
Auditorium Theatre

This "Happiness is Drumming," (Hart) is proto-Fire, i.e., FOTM (Hart-Hunter) without lyrics.
8
The Other One
March 14, 1981
Hartford Civic Center

Already 324 O1s, so let me be clear about this O1. It is unspectacular, but uniquely it ends w/ Garcia playing Bach, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."
1
Scarlet Begonias
Feb. 3, 1979
Market Square Arena

This one belongs here too. This is not a stand-alone rendition, but the solo hits a mind-blowing peak. The transition is good too.

Comments

Eyes Of The World
Feb. 15, 1973
Dane County Coliseum

The argument that 1977 is overhyped on this list is nonsense. Let me frame this debate differently. The first two versions of Eyes (2/9/73 and 2/15/73) do not belong in the top 10. Eyes is a different song in 73 and 74 and there are 71 versions from those two years alone - almost all of which are better than the first two. The majority of those 71 versions are well represented on this list, but strangely enough, two of the weakest specimens are the most celebrated. And that is what is fucked up about this list.
Cold Rain and Snow
Oct. 12, 1983
Madison Square Garden

I saw the word "frisky," so I had a listen. It's frisky, for sure, Cucamonga. The big fat bass notes of Cold Rain and Snow make a great start to any set and these notes are as big and fat as I require. BTW, Help on the Way starts set 2.
The Other One
June 12, 1970
Civic Auditorium

That's quite a pick up, merryjerry. From the Wikipedia page: "Self-reportedly under the influence of LSD, Ellis threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres 2-0 on Friday, June 12, 1970 in the first game of a doubleheader at San Diego Stadium. The Pirates flew to San Diego on Thursday, June 11 for a series against the Padres. Ellis reported that he visited a friend in Los Angeles and used LSD "two or three times." Thinking it was still Thursday, he took a hit of LSD on Friday at noon, and his friend's girlfriend reminded him at 2:00 PM that he was scheduled to pitch that night. Ellis flew from Los Angeles to San Diego at 3:00 PM and arrived at San Diego Stadium at 4:30 PM; the game started at 6:05 PM. Ellis threw the no-hitter despite being unable to feel the ball or see the batter or catcher clearly. Ellis said his catcher Jerry May wore reflective tape on his fingers which helped him to see May's signals. Ellis walked eight batters and struck out six, and he was aided by excellent fielding plays from second baseman Bill Mazeroski and center fielder Matty Alou. As Ellis recounted: 'I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the [catcher's] glove, but I didn't hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters, and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes, I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. I started having a crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon was the home plate umpire, and once I thought I was pitching a baseball to Jimi Hendrix, who to me was holding a guitar and swinging it over the plate. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn't hit hard and never reached me.'"
Aiko Aiko
Sept. 14, 1982
University of Virginia

Here's the best Iko, buried beneath a 1995 miracle that passes for good because of the garbageous context in which it was born. I'm telling it like it is today, bitches!
Stella Blue
March 21, 1994
Richfield Coliseum

No. This is a guitar song. I would direct you infidels toward the lyrics which clearly indicate that a broken hero is supposed to play the bejeezus out of the guitar at some point during the playing of the selfsame song. Pathetically calling out the name of the song over and over again does not render this a definitive version. It simply presages the sad ending with which we are all familiar.