headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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sylvanriv

90s expert

+1262


Submissions

3
The Music Never Stopped
March 23, 1992
The Palace

Truly proves there was some magic on every tour. The outro jam is unreal hot, with Jerry, Vince, and Bruce battling it out. Crazy stuff here!
3
Playin' In The Band
Oct. 6, 1984
Richmond Coliseum

Awesome focused jam and beautiful meltdown outro
2
Aiko Aiko
June 6, 1992
Rich Stadium

Jerry gets really into it in the second half. Not lifechanging, but fun
2
Truckin'
July 8, 1987
Roanoke Civic Center

Excellent, hard-charging version from arguably the best show of 87. Bobby stuttering all over the verses
1
Throwing Stones
April 4, 1994
Sports Arena

Very solid version. Video shows Jerry present and very into it.

Comments

Jack Straw
March 15, 1990
Capital Centre

Brent laughing when Bobby screws up in the beginning kills me everytime
Althea
Oct. 1, 1994
Boston Garden

Every time I listen to this I'm shocked by Jerry's dexterity both on vocal and guitar. Every solo is perfectly crafted and he barely misses a note, and it really sounds like he's having fun with the lyrics. This show is always rightly renowned, but I might argue this song is the most perfectly conceived of the night.
Cassidy
Aug. 3, 1982
Starlight Theatre

Definitely a solid version but extremely confused as to how this has been so highly rated. Verses are very strong, but jam is weak and transition back to chorus is pretty terrible - this is a song where the jam and especially the reentry from said jam is key. Around 1985, the band learned how to take the jam sideways (shifting keys) before charging back into the chorus, and that really elevates this song - definitely one that got better later in life. I'm hard-pressed to upvote any pre-85 Cassidy, and one like this with a short and weak jam really can't compete either with the vocally pure 77 versions or the exciting late-80s versions. Give 11/10/85 or 5/16/93 a shot if you wanna get rocked.
Terrapin Station
March 18, 1977
Winterland Arena

The pre-april 77 mid solos are much prettier, I feel. Jerry starting (and often continuing) the solo in the lower octave lends it much more feeling, and this mid solo is the most perfectly conceived of the 5 Terrapins in Feb/March 77. Does anyone know if Jerry ever started the solo lower in the register again, or did he always play it in the high octave from apr 77-95?
Playin' In The Band
Oct. 5, 1994
The Spectrum

Not blown away by this. Jerry’s active, and doing more than noodling, but not by much. Still one of the best later day playins but I’d say it’s beat by 3/27/94.