headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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parrott56

millennial head

+5024


Submissions

1
Sugar Magnolia
July 21, 1974
Hollywood Bowl

Wildly exuberant both before and after "SSDD" vocals. And Billy is all over this great AUD.
2
Casey Jones
Nov. 23, 1973
County Coliseum

Swings and shimmies before busting out the heavy artillery.
2
Friend of the Devil
Oct. 25, 1989
Miami Arena

Played pretty fast (for the slow version) and heavy with MIDI and spirited playing. Not to everyone’s taste, perhaps, but I like it!
1
Ramble On Rose
Oct. 22, 1989
Charlotte Coliseum

Sparkling rendition. Fans of upbeat '89 versions like 7/7 should check this out.
1
Estimated Prophet
Aug. 4, 1982
Kiel Auditorium

Sharp, feisty version with Jerry and Brent setting up a beautiful, dreamy -> Terrapin

Comments

Althea
July 19, 1989
Alpine Valley Music Theatre

Unbelievable heat in this set. Jesus.
Man Smart, Woman Smarter
July 18, 1989
Alpine Valley

Immaculate soloing here — and I love the segues in this pre-Drums.
Cassidy
April 10, 1978
Fox Theatre

I am astonished that this officially released powerhouse version had only one vote when I went to look it up. Filled with sly ’78 magic.
Stella Blue
May 13, 1977
Auditorium Theatre

I see my negative comment from years ago drew jeers, and misunderstanding. I didn’t say the outro fell apart — I complimented that part — but I pointed out that there are some noticeable wobbles earlier in the song stemming from the slow tempo. It’s *hard* to play Stella that slow. The song keeps fighting it, and you can hear that. You have an ensemble of musicians trying to figure out on the fly whether they should hold a given chord for one bar or two. It’s awkward. But there’s also some really beautiful guitar work and singing in spite of all that. I love the Dead, love Stella, love May ’77, and do not relish the role of killjoy. If this is your favorite version, great!
Throwing Stones
March 15, 1990
Capital Centre

To me, this is one of the best versions after the initial more exploratory wave (’82-’83) had subsided. Thunderous arena rock.