[BlobWeird]

dicks picks 1 and 4 if you have em, both early 70's shows...

mind blowing

as for the 3rd show i love, 12-27-77, listen to the peggyo for a glimpse into the beauty of that night.

Favorite peggyo by a long shot! What a beautiful solo

[weirimpressed]

what about the 6-24-94 peggy-o on youtube? its not as rocking as others or the best of them all, but you can see all the emotion on jerrys face

good listen and excellent watch

[Chuckles]

That disco Dancin' is garbage, IMO, too...that's how EVERYONE played it (the more "upbeat" versions of the early 70s & 80s). Their re-arrangement found on the Terrapin album, and played at Cornell and other shows in 77-78 are where it's at GDwise. The other version lacks BEEF.

Meh. The Dancin from Harpur blows every other version out of the water.

Scar>Fire? Normal '78. Unbelievable transition, great Wier slide and Jer vox.

Thanks, pappy for the 3/16/90. I focus on 3/15 (Phil's 40th, my 25th), but forgot what a great show the 16th was!

[bucketorain]

5 8 77 is by far the most circulated recording...backin the tape days, if you were going to get your 1st tapes it would have been that show...or 4-17-71 or 4-29 for sure...

i know that when i went digital, that was the 1st show i wanted to replace.

you can go wrong with any may 77 shows.

btw...imho, the scarlet fire from Cornell has the Best PHIL BASE SOLO...never done again, i think?

[mttourpro]

5 8 77 is by far the most circulated recording...backin the tape days, if you were going to get your 1st tapes it would have been that show...or 4-17-71 or 4-29 for sure...

i know that when i went digital, that was the 1st show i wanted to replace.

you can go wrong with any may 77 shows.

btw...imho, the scarlet fire from Cornell has the Best PHIL BASE SOLO...never done again, i think?

It's funny cause as I was reading this thread, I was thinking the same thing. It's often the case that the primary reason why people praise one version or another isn't as much for how great it was (they usually are great ones though) but moreso because that particular show was available to them.

I think this especially true the older the show. It's easy to forget that the Taper's section didn't exist til 84. Even though the GD were cool with recording, lots of venues and promoters were not.

I'm always a bit leary when I hear "the greatest version ever".....YMMV.

[I'm on the Bozo Bus]

It's funny cause as I was reading this thread, I was thinking the same thing. It's often the case that the primary reason why people praise one version or another isn't as much for how great it was (they usually are great ones though) but moreso because that particular show was available to them.

So true... I'll add a twist....
My favorite show is a quite un-remarkable show.... however it was my first. Don't we all remember our first????

28-APR-80 Boutwell Auditorium - Birmingham, AL.
MANY firsts that night. This show, as well as many others is my background music at the office.
I was doing some work at home on the laptop last night and had the sooper-dooper mack daddy headset (Typically reserved for late night jamming) listening to the 28-APR-80 show... As much as that show means to me and it is still my favorite to listen too..... It ain't that great of a show. However my impression and experience of that show (Similar to getting your first muddy, warb-ly sounding AUD cassette) brings more to the show than the music itself.
Again.... Another rambling that seems never to end...
PEACE,
Phil

[timothydarcangelo]

7-8-78 Red Rocks - High Energy
4-28-71 Fillmore East - Great top to bottom
7-16-90 Rich Stadium, Buffalo - Huge Show
9-14-91 MSG - Bruce!!!
5-13-77 Chicago - Dr. Beechwood!

Any person you know that seems curious about the Dead, turn them on to any of these five shows and they'll get hooked right away.

[BlobWeird]

2/27/81 Scarlet> Fire eats the 5/8/77 Scarlet> Fire for breakfast, and come lunchtime, is VERY hungry!

I really don't get it about the 5/8 S>F.... is it the phat bass swoops at the beginning? THOSE make it the "greatest" S>F? Because after the cool bass on the intro, it settles into a rather average version of this song pairing- where are the fantastic mindbending peaks?? Fairly weak Dancing In The Streets too... go to 5/19/77 for the really great Disco Dancin' jam. Great Dew, though, no argument there!

(ducking for cover)

The dancin isnt the greatest. But then again im not a huge fan of dancin. I like the jams sometimes but the vox bore me. As for the S>F for me its Jerrys solo in Scarlet which I think came out better and more unique than most of the ones Ive heard. And also for the transition from S>F came out nicely. Row Jimmy-decent, Lazy Lightnin>Supp-sick!, Deal-decent, Morning Dew-decent, and my personal fav of the show Jack straw! He's just on in that one. Theres no pointin me to a better one cuz this is it for me. Go To Nassau is second for me.

[Stagger Lee]

2/27/81 Scarlet> Fire eats the 5/8/77 Scarlet> Fire for breakfast, and come lunchtime, is VERY hungry!

I really don't get it about the 5/8 S>F.... is it the phat bass swoops at the beginning? THOSE make it the "greatest" S>F? Because after the cool bass on the intro, it settles into a rather average version of this song pairing- where are the fantastic mindbending peaks?? Fairly weak Dancing In The Streets too... go to 5/19/77 for the really great Disco Dancin' jam. Great Dew, though, no argument there!

(ducking for cover)

The dancin isnt the greatest. But then again im not a huge fan of dancin. I like the jams sometimes but the vox bore me. As for the S>F for me its Jerrys solo in Scarlet which I think came out better and more unique than most of the ones Ive heard. And also for the transition from S>F came out nicely. Row Jimmy-decent, Lazy Lightnin>Supp-sick!, Deal-decent, Morning Dew-decent, and my personal fav of the show Jack straw! He's just on in that one. Theres no pointin me to a better one cuz this is it for me. Go To Nassau is second for me.

Row Jimmy....decent?
Morning Dew.....decent?

I dunno, I thought they were some of the sickest versions ever played.

The Jack Straw is pretty damn good, but I prefer '78 Jackies, check out 1/22/78, 5/7/78, 10/17/78 and 10/22/78 for starters

[BlobWeird]

Heard all those Jacks...Very good but not a fav. 1-22 is nice just cause how powerful it is when vox come back in after the last jam. And Row Jimmy I meant to put sick lol. Cuz thats my fav version. Second fav being 9-11-73

[Zack]

I'll toss in 2-26-77 for the debut of Terrapin (killer) and Estimated.

And how about the one in summer 74 from the Jai-Alai arena with the jam that's on So Many Roads. Some technical problems here and there, but at some points it sounds like Jerry's whispering in your ear.

And RFK 7-12-90, with arguably the best Dark Star of the Brent era, in the rain. (I was there!)