This is an early Scarlet Begonias, before it was regularly paired with Fire on the Mountain. The Music Never Stopped -> Scarlet Begonias, US Blues Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco, California Magnificent playing on this Scarlet Fire, particularly during the transition phase. Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the Mountain The long jam that follows Truckin' in this segment of songs is beyond the pale, and Garcia's notes in Not Fade Away are impeccable. The Grateful Dead always sounded great in the Pacific Northwest, which was part of their northern backyard. Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad -> One More Saturday Night Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon The Playin' in this segment is not as well known as many other Playin' heavy-hitters, but it stands with the best, with rich, textured playing and a unique 1979 delivery, which includes a shining first-year Brent. While Terrapin's rarely depart from the composed themes of the song, this night, Jerry Garcia's lead lines were unlike any other night. Note that the intro for is nearly six-and-a-half minutes long. This Eyes intro passes the four-and-a-half minute mark, while most are less than a minute. As a lifelong fan of Eyes, I have always paid particular attention to the intros. Stephen itself starts to feel infused with Eyes notes, but when Eyes actually begins, it's pre-lyric introduction extends for eight glorious minutes. The centerpoint of this stunning segment is the transition from St. Jam -> Let It Grow -> Drums -> Let It Grow, Franklin's Tower Boston Music Hall, Boston, Massachussetts This Sugaree, which doesn't let up through its entire record-breaking 21:30 minute length, solo after scorching solo, reminds me of the intensity of that scene. The author depicted a world of lizard-riding townsmen, a heroine in a cloak, turning her back on the song's narrator, who is about to be hung. Sugaree Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, ConnecticutĪ long time ago, I saw a graphic novel interpretation of Sugaree. Eyes of the World Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jerseyĭuring the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound era, the band played this fast, crystalline version of Eyes, with bright, audible Phil Lesh solos, and tight, exploratory lead by Garcia. This is another example of crisp playing and crisp recording. Garcia is all over the fretboard and Weir's rhythm is strangely submarine. But 1973 is the year for Here Comes Sunshine, and there is little argument among Deadheads that this complex and varied version is the pinnacle. This bright song about the days following a devastating flood in Portland, Oregon's Vanport area was always in short supply in the Grateful Dead's repertoire. Here Comes Sunshine Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, Florida This soundboard recording from the Grateful Dead's most celebrated month of music enscapsulates the two things that I look for the most in Grateful Dead: crispness and exploratory playing. There is a lot going on in Grateful Dead music, and so it's easy for the sound to get muddy. With Grateful Dead jams, choosing the best material is not just about the music, but the recording, and the sound of the hall. Help on the Way -> Slipknot -> Franklin's Tower Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida These ink spatters are my attempt to visualize the color combinations of these jams. I am a color-grapheme synesthete, and while that is not a form of synesthesia directly correlated to music or sound, I subconsciously associate colors with jam sequences, and will often remember a jam by its color. I am adding ink spatters to go along with different jams. Use best-of lists only as a stepping-off point. Listening to improvised music is to get to know the many versions. Anybody who uses a list to find the best version of a song is missing the point. It is important to note that the idea of picking best jams is really counterintuitive to listening to improvised music. These picks are the result of listening to Grateful Dead tapes since the age of 15, and slowly building up a list of my best picks specifically for the road, which for me is exploratory improvisation, especially when it strays far from its basic form. Improvised music isn't necessarily better than great studio work, but for me, the sensibility of not knowing where the music is going lends itself well to travel, because it gets your synapses firing in all the right ways. Many of these segments are long enough that getting caught up in them is best practiced when you are away from home, where you have big, open spaces of time to dive in to the music. This list is about the Grateful Dead's most exquisite improvised jams the ones that go along with open car windows, solitary hikes in foreign places, and doodling travel sketches in old cafes. This has nothing to do with great songs (like Ripple or Box of Rain), or great versions of songs (like Ruben and Cherise at Folsom Prison).
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