Grateful Dead

I don't know why tis doesn't get mentioned more often. Maybe it was my state of mind the first time I heard it, but the China/Rider from Miami Jai Lai in June of 1974 is without equal. In the jam out of China Jerry keeps taking the band to higher and higher peaks with relentless speed and abandon culminating in an incredible creshendo that races into a furious equally fast paced Rider. Check it out!

Best Scarlet/Fire - 10/21/83 - Worcester CentrumBest Eyes - 9/3/77 Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ Best Jam of all time - Jam before Goin' Down The Road - 4/29/71 - Last Night at Fillmore East

Morning Dew - 4/28/71 Fillmore EastThe Wheel-6/18/83 SPAC -I SWEAR TO THIS DAY ,I WAS WITH ROBIN HOOD & FRIAR TUCK GOING THRU SHERWOOD FOREST Jackstraw-1/15/79 Springfield,Mass. Estimated-5/8/80 Glens Falls,N.Y. Halfstep>Franklins-10/20/78 Winterland L.L. Rain-4/18/82-Hartford

Oh….indeed….you are right on with that one! What a great show. I totally forgot about it until you brought it up. I’ve always been puzzled as to why 1980 gets swept under the rug (even by myself). I mean, let’s not forget the magical acoustic shows that were performed. Nothing like that was ever done before (well, maybe not since The Warlocks, or studio material) or after that. And so much of that year was just fantastic. Thanks for reminding me.

My favorite Scarlet>Fire is from 3/22/90 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario.

I really loved that song, and it was getting better up until the end. I caught a few, but there were always a couple vocals flubs by Jerry that disturbed the flow. fall 94 at Boston Garden was one of the better ones I caught, but I wonder if there was one that they nailed at some point. If anyone remembers a particularly powerful and flowing Days Between please let me know, and better yet if you have a copy.... Oh and I have to mention the New Speedway Boogie from June 17th(?) 1991 at Giants stadium. Wow. If you like New Speedway as much as I do check this out. The interplay between Jerry and Bruce is incredible.

Has anyone heard the music never stopped from 10/29/79 to end the first set? One of my favorite versions of this song. It just keeps rising and rising until you think they can't build it any higher and then they go ahead and jump up another 3 steps. Mind blowing. Check it out. The whole first set is superbly played. A wonderful Sugaree, Mexacali, High Time among others but the Music Never Stopped is the gem of that show.

Looking for a smoking Althea. Any recs?

...shall we go, you and I while we can... There was a singular moment that occurred during every show that was so meaningful because it contained no music. It was the moment when the house lights dimmed, before the stage lights went up, as the band walked onstage. In that moment, you knew the band could take you anywhere they wanted to, and you gave in to it. It was the moment of the highest trust and vulnerability. The Grateful Dead never took anybody on a bad trip. Even on the off nights, the inherent good will of the musicians shown through. Thanks to Jerry and the rest of the band for letting me experience this 170 times. These were the highest moments of my life.

I am gettin married in Oct and would love our first dance to be to They Love Each Other....I am looking for some ideas about some versions that some others may think would work. I think something from JGB would be best, but maybe some 1990 with Bruce Hornsby.... just looking for some opinions!!!! Hit me up with a message if you have a thought about it!!!! much love, mike

This one is so spicy I swear my speakers were dripping Tobasco.

9- '72, Baltimore on Dick's Picks is a smoker.

Go listen HERE If you don't know the download trick to get the mp3, just message me..... Dead to the Core www.myspace.com/bongwizard

Howdy GD folks, hmm...it's always hard to say but some good versions off the top of my head are: Dancin: 02-14-70, atlanta 77, of which there is some bass drum beats that have me wondering what was going on exactly, NEVER heard the bass drum beat so fast, like ginger baker....I think it was mickey, but you never know...the only reason I would think it was mickey is becuase he is the research drummer if you will Sugar mag>scarlet>fire : 03-27-88 is on fire....this should be looked at for a commericial release, it's that strong, the fire on the mountain is great, nice groove, nice note choice by garcia, etc. the whole band is on...estimated that follows is really good too Dark Star 04-29-72 Hamburg, Germany, it's difficult to assess europe 72 tour is simply so well performed , this is a nice dark star Corrina : 06-15-93 , great performance, not a real fan of the tune, but the jam that comes at the end is so organic , and "indian like" not east indian, but american type indian terrapin station>jam , 06-23-93 , the show is very mundane , until this point after terrapin...it is similar in design to the early 70's, but the tonality is much more complex and modern, not simply a mixolydian type of tonality, a nice full twelve tone tonality, that is very mature wharf rat: 03-21-90, very well done on the instruments and vocals, the out jam is very strong china cat sunflower>I know you rider, 07-06-90 is very good, nice phil and jerry trade off's , phil playing is very strong during the segue jam into rider He's gone>jam , 07-06-90 Louisville, Ky. very nice jam, perhaps one of the best from 90's, very blues laden, but then does the triplet groove as in the other one on the out, nice phil playing on this one visions of johanna : chicago, 95 , jerry throws out his ear monitor and let's it rip, he singing this one from the heart, I almost think he knew that this might be the last time space: 06-19-93 chicago, mickey goes nuts on the beam, I never see him baseball swing like this before playing in the band: 06-06-93, out of UJB, which is usually the oppisite, this one goes to meltdown into drums, full twelve tone wierdness by the end of the jam, also jerry is actually using a wah wah pedal reminiscent of the early 70's Sugar Magnolia, 03-16-93, on the sunshine daydream, phil let's down on the volume pedal, on the F sharp to E natural kicks, I mean 20 kHz to the max, let the ole subwoofer put the vibe out, good version too Big River : 06-22-73 standard honky tonk , will Billy K playing a perfect beat on the snare, plus everybody else just letting it rip that's the short list, I could go on for days, most of this I actually saw, the other I've listened to many, many times Ursa Minor I wish that for just one time, You could stand inside my shoes, and for just that one moment, I could be you - Bob Dylan, Positively 4th St.

Playing in the Band Winterland 10-09-72 GO LISTEN GRACE SLICK JAM FOLLOWS It's the scariest Playin i have heard..... Dead to the Core www.myspace.com/bongwizard

Ratdog 12th August 2007 Lowell may not be the best but it is worth a listen, Dennis McNally reading Kerouac about Uncle Neal Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam

with my Moniker i had to make a choice on this I love the version on Ladies and Gentlemen The Grateful Dead Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam

I ve got 2 really good ones right now. 3/06/81 Stanley Theater, JackStraw, Peggy-O, They Love Each Other,and Cassidy was in there but those 3 tunes are what got me on the bus. Very Hot. Then 9/26/81 Buffalo, Bertha>EstimatedProphet, and Morning Dew are very very hot as well. I'm a little partial to those because they were my first 2 shows, but give them a listen and I think you will all agree the band was 100% on!!!!!

Dick Latvala (may he RIP) made the point once that every time you slap on an old favourite (Dark Star, say) you're bringing a different set of ears to it because presumably you're not the same person as before. Which means of course there's every possibility you might like it less, or more, than the last time. Which also means of course these 'best ever' notions we get are fragile things. Of course he was right (well, not counting maybe if the last time you heard our Dark Star in question was yesterday, but you get the point). Why wouldn't it work that way? It can work that way when you re-read a classic novel for example, or see a great movie again for the first time in a while. So I'd like to second the notion voiced by others that it's not so much about debating 'best evers' as it is about pointing each other in directions that might be well worth investigating. With that thought in mind I'll leave you with....... Dark Star, 12.11.72. Oh my gosh!

Of course I can unequivocally state the best China-Rider ever......02-22-74.Ask me again next week and I'll probably say the same thing.

For the Looks Like Rain freaks (not sure I'm one but anyways) check out those from the spring of '72 on which Jerry plays pedal steel. I'm not sure he was ever of greater service to that song than w/ those versions. He made that thing cry.

6-7-69 Pigpen and Janis Joplin 'Getting It On' so bad you can smell it. Janis fills in the gaps where Pig's rantngs usually turn away those that heard it before. Killer stuff, Jerry's licks are On as well. Check it out if you can find it! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix)

During the MSG run of 1990. That was something.

When I was in college, I had a handful of precious tapes. One had a fantastic version of The Other>Me and My Uncle. The tape was from the early 1970's. What were some of the best? This sounded like the horses were thundering across the plain, into a murderous melee. Any suggestions? The tape's been lost for years.

My money is on 12.1.71 Boston Music Hall. It blistered.

Hard to Handle - 8-6-71 [on Fallout from the Phil Zone]Mason's Children - 12-28-69 Dancin' in the Streets (early arrangement) - 5-6-70 [Dark Star feel] Dancin' in the Streets (late arrangement) - 5-8-77 [endlessly inventive variations by Garcia - bonus track on Terrapin Station reissue] Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad - 5-19-74 [32? bar solo - Jerry just keeps going, better and better; of course the whole jam is great including Tico Tico] Foolish Heart - 5-25-95 [gave me chills] So many golden moments . . . DW

He's Gone - 12-15-72Wharf Rat - 12-31-78 DW Takes all you got just to stay on the beat . . .

Favourite Playin'8/27/72 Jerry is just wild on this one.

5/19/66 Midnight Hour5/2/70 Cumberland and from the ticket stub collection: 11/21/78 Truckin 10/27/79 Dancin > Franklin's 4/1/80 Promised Land (on different instruments); US Blues (Belushi cart wheels) 6/21/80 Playin' > Brent's Alaska jam 12/26/81 The Eleven jam 12/31/81 Dark Star 6/14/85 Keep on Growin' 6/16/85 Cryptical 6/30/85 Shakedown 3/2/87 Cassidy 10/9/89 Dark Star

Greatest Story Ever Told- 11/11/73... oh my god this version is so insane The Music Never Stopped- 5/3/77.. I really wish I was alive cause I would be going nuts, the band is having a great night and you could hear it. Donna's vocals are crisp and smoking hot. The jam is sick. Playing In The Band- 10-15-83.. This is one of my all time favorite shows. mickey and bill are so tight the whole second set. Jerry's playing reaches a new level on the jam. its unreal and goes into one of my favorite china dolls

Dark Star on Dick's Picks 4 is certainly up there - that incredible dissonant crescendo in the middle! Pure Dead. So were Casey Jones and Dancin'... those nights definitely deserve their long-standing reputation. I always loved Feel Like a Stranger on Without a Net and 04/01/80 the most (though I'm trying to re-find a keyboard-solo performance from the mid-'80s - that was amazing.) Shakedown on 01/10/79! Just heard it. Too many songs to mention now, though - but my all-time favorite concert so far might be 06-14-1968 :)

I agree with many comments I've read that it's hard to pick all time favorites. My opinions change from day to day. However, here are 2 all time favorite versions, both for very personal reasons. My all time favorite version of Iko Iko is fron the Hampton Coliseum March 23, 1987. This was my first ever Dead show which I attended with two friends who had spent the last year introducing me to the music. My 8 year old son was also with us. He loved the song Iko Iko and was very attached to a dog one of my Dead Head buddies owned named Iko. In the parking lot before the show my son kept saying he couldn't wait to here Iko. We were all afraid he would be disappointed. I'll never forget my sense of wonder when during a break between songs in the first set the crowd started clapping out the rhythm to Iko and the band picked up on it and played the song!!! That's when my son and I realized this was not just a rock and roll concert! Can anyone tell me where I could get a good quality recording of this show (preferably with the audience participation)? My all time favorite version of Looks Like Rain was performed by Bob and Rob Wasserman in Richmond, VA shortly after Jerry's death (I think this was their first show after Jerry passed). Enough said.

I'm still leaving my options open on this one, but I have a few that stand out, probably b/c I've listened to them the most: -the China Doll off of Reckoning - when they nail that harmony on "just a little nervous" I get chills -Friend of the Devil off Dead set - even though when i tracked down the original I didn't like Brent's solo as much, it's still one the tightest well played solos I've heard -Sugaree - 5/5/77 (just heard this one and I'm still in shock) -Scarlet/Fire - 5/8/77 - call me mainstream -Mountains of the moon -> dark -> etc - 2/11/69 - this has been one of my favorite jams for awhile, but I'm wrestling with some other recently procured copies from the Fillmore West that may end up winning out. . . -LL Rain - just heard this ridiculous version on Sirius, they didn't tell me where it's from. Bobby says something like "now for a sad song" at the beginning and Jerry is playing slide on the whole thing . . . I'm hoping someone with a little more experience might know where this came from.

Most probably you were listening to a version from the spring of 1972. Very possibly April 14th.

Dark Star- 11/11/73- Winterland- Simply out of this world, takes the listener through so many emotions and modes. Incredible! Eyes Of The World- 6/18/74 Louisville- My 2nd live tape ever. Still my all time fave for mellowness and good vibes Uncle John's Band- 4/10/83 Morgantown- It was a pretty average show until this point, then Jerry took over. I still don't know how Jerry can play so many notes in such a short span. Everyone there noticed. Lazy Lightnin--> Supplication- 2/17/79 Oakland- For the same reasons I like the Morgantown Uncle John's. Jerry rips it up! Other One- 11/29/80 Gainesville- Brent plays the best jams on this one ever. Super tight! Shakedown Street- 4/6/82 Spectrum- Jerry and Brent's interplay on the jam is out of this world! More Later.....

I have never been blown away like I was listening to a Scary version of Dark Star in Miami, FLA on 10/26/89....u have to take about 37 minutes, close ur eyes and dream! 143or245 stay safe and feel good!

The China Cat/I know you rider on without a net, Ive never heard a version that was so upbeat and powerfull. Also The Dark Star from RFK 6-10-73 is my own personal favorite. "You know the one thing we need is a left handed monkey wrench....."

For me it has to be Dick's Picks 8, disc 2. My first show was December '73 so I never got to see this version of The Dead live. In my opinion this is by far their peak. Pig was still a vibrant part of the band, Jerry's guitar is alive and powerful, and the jams are incredibly tight. I typically play my music in "shuffle" mode, so now The Dead is only chance listen. However, when I sit back by myself with the headphones on, Dick's Pick 8 is most often my choice.

Any Dead version of Good morning little schoolgirl off any of their albums......dig that song! :)"May your dogs be with you"

This song makes me want to boogie all the way to the Milky Way, I think some nights I have.I don't recall ever hearing a weak version of this one. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. Wiliam Blake

This is a fun thread.Forgive me If I repeat some or mistake a date Hey Little One 2/25/66 Cream Puff War 11/19/66 He Was A Friend Of Mine 11/19/66 Doin That Rag 1/25/69 (?) Mountains Of The Moon 3/1/69 Hard To Handle 4/29/71 8/6/71 , also Canada DVD Bonus blanking od name Casey Jones DP3 Dark Star 11/11/73 Morning Dew DP7 Estimated Prophet►The Other One (of many) 11/4/77 I Need A Miracle 12/31/78 Little Red Rooster 7/14/84 Black Throated Wind 9/10/91 Baby Blue 9/10/91 Stagger Lee 3/24/93 Corrina►Mathilda►Drums 3/23/95 So many more, should I go on?

Make That Casey Jones DP11 (not DP3)

Help/Slip/Frank 5/9/77 War Memorial BuffaloJack Straw DP 7 Morning Dew 12/27/89 Truckin' DP 34 (Toronto) Viola Lee Blues DP 22 Disc 4 of Steppin' Out England Europe 72 is sublime Dancin'/Frank on the new Road Trips '79 is KILLER

Went thru this thread and saw some real interesting comments. I don't know if it's possible to choose which is the best version of songs but I'll go with three. First, the Sugaree from 9-2-80? It's a boot I used to own and have lost it transit. There was also a real good FOTD on that one , too. That Sugaree was real intense. Second, Jack Straw from Syracuse 1984. I think the actual date was 10-20-84. Hell, that whole Carrier Dome show was intenese. "The fire marshall is gonna shut down the show. Step, take step back." Hot Smokestack and Lovelight. Drove up from Baltimore on blotter. Guy driving was nursing a hangover and had no aspirin so he dropped. The rest of us did too. Enjoy the ride. Third, Morning Dew 1986 at the Spectrum in Philly. Came out of space with the one song that defined Jerry. After he finished, the boys walked off the stage. Place was going crazy. You can see this one on youtube. This band always brought out emotions of joy--this song the tears flowed so freely. The year before Jerry did this and his voice was gone, the jam real short, and Bobby carried the day. You just had to have seen the Dew in '85 to understand the '86 Dew. I remember holding my then girlfriend, both of us just crying as the song ended. Still sends chills right up my spine. watched it on youtube the other day and I still had tears flowing freely.

if you have some time, give this one a listen: http://www.archive.org/details/gd89-07-07.sbd.wiley.7855.sbeok.shnf good show.

I was there with my sister( Miss u Patty!!) and a bunch of friends. I was pregnat with my twin girls ( now tuning 18 this month) WOW!! Awesome Scarlet Begonias!!

From about December of ’73 through the “retirement” shows, Phil would sometimes (maybe half of the time or a little less), at the end of the second “Well the sun will shine in my back door some day” line in IKYR, include a little vocal embellishment on the word “day”. He would sing it kind of like “day-YEAH”. I loved this the first time I heard it – Phil’s obvious enthusiasm at those moments is just super-great to hear - and thereafter sought out shows where he did it. To date my favorite example is 6/20/74 Atlanta. I plan to check out the ’77 Peggy-O’s that have been mentioned in this thread, but I don’t really expect them to surpass, for my ears at least, the sublimely melancholy Peggy-O of 8/4/74, that appears on DP31. Finally there’s that haunting Ship of Fools from 6/23/74, with the beautiful instrumental intro, that opens Set 2.

I was there, too, mom. you see? we HAVE danced together! grate show. peace.

I like picasso moon. I memorized the whole song lyrics. I used them at last during "the Glow".

I heard there was a fourty minute dark star cut. Any one know where i could get my paws on it? I love darkstar. my cousin's tribute band did some awesome jams based off of it recently and i would love to hear some originals.Kid