headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

29
Candyman
Dec. 15, 1986
Oakland Coliseum Arena

Must hear b/c it's Jerry's first show back after the coma...crowd goes INSANE on "won't you tell everybody you meet that the Candyman's in town!"
14
Walking the Dog
April 8, 1985
The Spectrum

Midnite Hour>WTD>Big Boss Man to open the show-Wow!; Walkin' worth it just to hear Jerry sustain the vocal on "Pretty maids all in a Roooooooowww!"
9
I Need A Miracle
Jan. 10, 1979
Nassau Coliseum

Flawless deliver by Weir followed by extended, bluesy, gritty Garcia jam
80
Greatest Story Ever Told
Sept. 28, 1972
Stanley Theatre

Greatest STEPHEN ever Told. Jerry rips into a "St.Stephen" jam in the bridge jam before the reprise. 2d only to 8/27
37
Dark Star
Oct. 25, 1969
Winterland Arena

For those who don't care for the feedback/chase dog from the room DS's...this one is jazzy, jammy, rockin', & beautiful. No distortion; none needed
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Comments

Eyes Of The World
Oct. 16, 1974
Winterland Arena

Been re-listening to this stellar version, forever in the shadows to the better known movie version 3 nights later but this one is worthy on its own of a much higher ranking. Garcia has that liquid guitar thing going in between verses and the spillover into unexpected space territory sets it apart from almost any other ‘74. What a run this was.
Cassidy
Jan. 15, 1979
Springfield Civic Center

Crazy hot end jam spilling out into the coda sans final lyric as in some versions from ‘78...beautifully played throughout...might be higher ranked if a better source existed. Shame this only had one vote when I got here...this is a gem hiding in plain sight.
Cold Rain and Snow
Dec. 17, 1970
The Matrix

Kudos to everyone who recommended this version. As noted, Jerry's vocals are damn near perfect and I love the "grunge" sound of the instrumental break sections, brief as they are given the year, but so densely packed with purpose. I never take much notice of this song pre-1972 (the first year I assumed it really gelled as a tune) & I still like the later versions for the stretched-out jamming and added power the tune could deliver (see 10-12-83 as my all time favorite) but this awesome entry has easily made my personal top 5. Fantastic stuff here.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
Sept. 4, 1991
Richfield Coliseum

A little more MIDI in the transition jam than I normally care for, but it's mitigated by some inspired playing by Bruce. Also, while most of the comments have singled out the "fire", I think the "Scarlet" is pretty darn good, too. It's fast but super tight and the aforementioned transition jam just mind-meld-melts its way from Scarlet into Fire, and yeah, the Fire that ensues is marked by some real gritty Jerry guitar, non-MIDI style, and so this one got my upvote.
Promised Land
Dec. 26, 1979
Oakland Auditorium

^^^^Agreed. All the ones that aren’t throwaways, like this one, should be upvoted to help them stand out. (Also if you like this check out 9/18/90 which is beyond the best they ever did.)
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