Grateful Dead Music Forum

Hello Helpful People,

I'm new to this site, but have been playin' dead stuff for more than 20 years (which is not to say that I'm a very talented player, but I can noddle pretty darn good). Anyway, my quesion has to do with the fact that I just got around to learning Slipknot! I used Bic's video instruction on this site. So now, what's your favorite version? I want a version to learn and practice with. I am most familiar with 8-13-75 as is probably no surprise. Bic's version, as he states, does not match all versions of this tune. This is the case with the '75 performance.

I've got a hard drive full of shows. Mostly mid 70's. Something from that era other than 75 would be nice. Or maybe the best is the simplest version you know. I would really like to have your recommendations.

Thanks in advance!
Ben

One of my personal fav's is from the War Memorial in Buffalo, I think it's 5/9/77. My other favorite is 10/1/94 Boston Garden - smokin' hot version (as is the entire show)

10/31/91 Hornsby. love the smooth jazzy version.

Several of the '83 versions top my list. I love the crisp tempo of these, as well as the updated/solidified arrangement of Slipknot:

4/26/83-each of the three parts of this trio totally smoke. Embodies H>S>F perfection (along with the obvious 8/13/75)
4/9/83
6/28/83
4/12/83
6/24/83
9/2/83
9/11/83

also:
9/24/76 the Slipknot jam is a MUST listen! One of my very favorites of a fairly uneven year.

7/18/90 attendance bias!!! thunder on a sunny day...

and although 77 gets wayyy too much focus imho, props to 5/9/77

4-22-83 is special to me, first one I heard live.

As TS mentioned 9/2/83 is another of my personal favs.

I like what Brent does during the main Slipknot! theme.

shakedown_04092 wrote:One of my personal fav's is from the War Memorial in Buffalo, I think it's 5/9/77. My other favorite is 10/1/94 Boston Garden - smokin' hot version (as is the entire show)

This space from boston garden is one of the best spaces i've ever heard

LazyLightnin wrote:10/31/91 Hornsby. love the smooth jazzy version.

yeaah 91/06/24

Paramount Theater 6/3/76

nasty Jerry Travis Bean days. bell tone, evil. evil. pure evil.

This show is unstoppable.

10-31-91 great help-slip; the whole show is amazing. The Kesey rap before drums still makes my hair stand up. The jam they play behind Kesey is AMAZING...

its gotta be 8-13-75 (one from the vault)

Holy Cow! I didn't expect so many suggestions so quickly. I can't believe I didn't think of the War Memorial show, 5/9/77, or the Winterland of exactly one month later 6/9/77. These are in heavy rotation for me. Actually, not so much the Buffalo show, I kinda burned out on that one last decade. The 6/9/77 Winterland has quickly replaced other shows as one of my all time faves.

I will give these a listen to see which might be best to practice with. Remember, that is the focus here. While the '75 version might me a favorite, I am not sure it's the best to learn with.

I like the Hornsby days, so maybe I should broaden my horizons and dip into those. I have a real issue with later shows. Jer's voice. I pains me to hear him sound so old.

FOLLOW-UP Question: What is the chord (and fingering) right after the A in the transition into Franklin's? Seems vaguely like a Cmaj7, but I know that's wrong.

Thanks a ton. And keep the suggestions coming. I figure I have to memorize a version start to finish to really get comfortable with this tune. Is that what you guys did? Who here actually covers this tune? I have found slightly different fret positions than what Bic shows to work better for me in some of the sections, BTW. But I don't think I could have got some of those sections down without the video help.


All the best,
Ben

swainsonsthrush wrote:I will give these a listen to see which might be best to practice with. Remember, that is the focus here. While the '75 version might me a favorite, I am not sure it's the best to learn with.

I figure I have to memorize a version start to finish to really get comfortable with this tune. Is that what you guys did? Who here actually covers this tune?

My band covers it. Some of the hardest rehearsal ever, and it still sometimes falls apart at the seams!

If you like the earlier arrangement, it doesn't come much more precise than 8/13/75 (just wish Bill hadn't insisted on talking over the intro!!) ... if you like the later arrangement (which I believe was retained through the 89-95 revival), then if I had to pick one it would be 4/26/83.

Many versions have little "beautiful trainwrecks" in them that can actually add to the giddy delight, but be terribly confusing in terms of following the arrangement. 9/2/83 is a prime example (in the first half of the "knot"): Is Phil correct? Or is Jerry? Was Jerry playing the updated arrangement while Phil forgot and played the old 70's arrangement? But within moments they merge again like nothing ever happened, and you are zooming through the Horsehead Nebula...

Sweet. Thank you, tigerstrat!

Ok. I listened to the sbd 4/26/83 and both sbd and aud of 9/2/83. I can not get into the Boise Pavillion 9/2/83 version. Jerry flubs the words on more than one verse, there are several musical flubs when it seems like the boys are not connecting to Jer (probably the other way around). I bet it's Jer that was a bit out-there. IMHO, it's a loud, intense version without good direction. I guess that's the "Horsehead Nebula."

BTW, I intend no offence at all. I really like discussing the mertis of different shows and reading what others find and enjoy in the myriad choices.

The Spectrum Show, on the other hand, is tight and clean and might be great to practice with. I think I will start with this one and progress to '75 Great American Music Hall. Before I get started, I will chech out some of the '76 and see.

Thanks again for your help.

as far as practice material is concerned, why overlook the album version? its certainly tight, and obviously the sound is great which makes picking out instruments easier.

Rev_Roach wrote:as far as practice material is concerned, why overlook the album version? its certainly tight, and obviously the sound is great which makes picking out instruments easier.

Holy Crap Rev! You're right! I never even think about putting on studio albums. It's just not how I relate to the music. Thank you for slapping me in the head. I needed that. Now, do I even have a copy of that....

By the way, for anyone following this thread, I checked out 9/24/76. It's freakin' hilarious. It starts off real (painfully) slow. Then at the end of the jam Jerry brings back the closing theme at a blistering/off the charts tempo. He's totally out of control until Keith brings things back to reality. Nice! I mean this in only in the best and loving way. The jam is great.