headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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sylvanriv

90s expert

+1262


Submissions

1
Playin' In The Band
Dec. 8, 1993
Sports Arena

Nice Playin'. Jerry finds a few good riffs. Not usually a fan of late era playins, as Jerry's speedy playing is so integral. He plays pretty well here
3
Cassidy
Oct. 30, 1984
Berkeley Community Theater

Picture perfect. Soaring leads from Jerry and crashes exquistely back into the verse
2
Playin' In The Band
Oct. 28, 1984
Berkeley Community Theatre

Hot Playin>China Doll>Playin. Long and exploratory on both ends, especially for 84.
2
Jack Straw
Nov. 29, 1994
McNichols Sports Arena

Very hot tour opener. Jerry's playing is excellent. This show is the only good one from this weird little run in Colorado.
5
Ramble On Rose
Sept. 29, 1994
Boston Garden

Shockingly good. Only good things to say about the Boston Garden run from this tour. These first few nights allayed fears after awful summer tour.
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Comments

Jack Straw
Oct. 15, 1984
Civic Center

Good call to all who mentioned this version. Nice shredding from Jer in the second solo. Very classic '84 sound. The shredding almost got boring in the first minute of the second solo, but then it's like Jerry remembers there are other places on the fretboard to go and the jam peaks. Superb version, although I'm thinking the intensity doesn't come through on tape as much as it must have at the show.
Foolish Heart
Oct. 13, 1994
Madison Square Garden

Absolutely fantastic version with a middle jam that builds in a way that's vaguely reminiscent of the classic Hard to Handle jam from 8/6/71.
Dupree's Diamond Blues
Oct. 13, 1994
Madison Square Garden

One of my favorite versions ever. Jerry's tone is fantastic and it's nice to hear them nail this after the sloppy version they played on 9/24/94 as Phil and Friends. Jerry really stepped up this run and it's evident in the strangest of places - like here
Bird Song
Sept. 25, 1980
Warfield Theater

Definitely a cool version. Interesting how the jam barely happens - in and out in under a minute. Nice to see how they worked up to the long jams later in October
Pretty Peggy O
Dec. 27, 1977
Winterland Arena

Good version, and great vocals. However, no upvote from me - I personally feel that Jerry's guitar tone here takes this Peggy-O down a notch. To me, this is a beautiful and ancient song that demands a light touch, and Jerry's intense tone that he used on Peggy-O from late 77 into 78 really detracts from it. Same goes for the much-acclaimed 4/16/78 - it's just too much. Not every song needs to have a massive peak. Check out 10/18/74 or 6/17/75 for versions that I feel are more in tune with the spirit of the song
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