Best Loser you haven’t heard yet! Jerry takes the solo for an extra walk around the block! Required listening folks!

Jerry’s tone is just impeccable here! Moreover, Jerry adds a tad more umph to the soulful vocals. A standout of the era!

Blazing version, but I nominated it primarily for its placement within the context of the tasty Playin'->Half-Step->Big River->Playin' sandwich.

Jerry's pipes never sounded sweeter, and Keith's barrel-house piano chops complements perfectly!

Deserves mention.

^ Good call my friend. Love that version (and that show). Have you heard the Bird Song from St. Paul Auditorium on 2/17? That one, along w/ 3/16 & 6/22 are my favorites from the year.

^^^ Couldn't agree more!

It's hard for me to make a clear distinction between all the Terrapins played during the period. It's an epic composition, full of wonder, movements and moods. But it's a restricting composition, disallowing much room room for improvisation or jamming - the very thing that keeps most of us heads yearning for more. This version is indeed great, yet I listen to 5/19, 9/3, 11/2 and 1/22/78 because they are among my most favorite shows. Listening to all these versions back to back -- along with 5/17 -- I realize that 5/17 is every bit as good, if not better. But the margin of "better" is minuscule at best. What I struggle to grasp, however, is why the version played on 2/26 has more than double the votes than the version holding the current #2 slot. One would think that something miraculous happened during the version played on 2/26.

Hadn't listened to this one in a long while... Hearing this little gem was a breath of fresh air. The version played on 1/26/69 is more daring, exploratory and longer, but this version is more focused and realized. To my ear, it's the definitive version of the 5 they played, and I can see (hear) why it was chosen for the 'So Many Roads' boxset.

I'll have to agree with the sentiment of the last three reviewers. This version benefits from voter inflation due to the novelty sandwich and having been officially released. Taken as individual songs, neither is best-of material (although they're quite inspired). That said, this one still gets my vote because I enjoy this combo, and it's from what I consider the last great year of the Grateful Dead before the '89-'90 renaissance.