Your favorite Grateful Dead song(s)?

[red dog 1]

Last edited Mon Jan 30, 2017, 09:03 PM - Edit history (2)

My 8 favorites are:

- Truckin'
- Ripple
- U.S. Blues
- Good Lovin'
- Touch of Grey
- Uncle John's Band
- Friend of the Devil
- Operator (Ron "Pigpen" McKernan song)



(For link to Rolling Stone interview with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, see Reply # 32)

"The Day the Grateful Dead's Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan Died"
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/ron-pigpen-mckernan-dies/

[HassleCat]

1. Depends on my mood

If I'm feeling raucous, something like Johnny B. Goode. For a more introspective moment, something like Dark Star.

[Stargleamer]

2. Here's mine

Mine:

Uncle John's Band
Ripple
Touch of Grey
Truckin'

[red dog 1]

7. Thanks for reminding me of Uncle John's Band & Touch of Grey

I'm adding both to my favorites list.

[ghostsinthemachine]

3. Depends on my mind of the moment

Just like they were live, everynight one particular song would stick in your mind...

For the moment however, and keeping in mind my recent stage 4 cancer diagnosis, I've been loving

Black Peter
Ripple
Stella Blue (10-20_78 is the all timer)
Sugaree
Dark Star 10-31-91 right after Bill Graham died with Ken Kesey narration)


And for the idiot living in the People's House I am loving

Ship of Fools ("Don't lend a hand to raise no flag, atop no ship of Fools)
Throwin' Stones. (Ashes ashes, all fall down)

[hollowdweller]

4. Gosh that's hard

I'd say

It Must Have Been The Roses
Uncle John's
Terrapin
Help Slipknot Franklins
That's It For The Other One

My favorite Terrapin I ever saw I think was Hampton 84

My favorite Uncle Johns might be my first show WVU Coliseum 4/10/83

I never saw many Help, Slipknots, maybe Deer Creek and Hampton the suprise show. March 92. They opened with it.

The favorite Other one was Merriweather 85 because it was the first time I ever heard them do the Cryptical part of it.

I never got to see them do the acoustic version, which i love but the best it must have been the roses was Freedom Hall 89 Louisville. Also a killer version of Ramble on Rose.

Speaking of that. This is just plain cool.

[hollowdweller]

5. #4

https://archive.org/details/gd1989-04-09.fob.thompson.motb.83523.sbeok.flac16

[vi5]

6. Hmmmm...depends on a lot of factors

i love all versions studio and otherwise of Scarlet Begonias, Jack Straw, and Bertha.
Box of Rain and Unbroken chain are two of my favorite studio album songs but Phil just cannot sing well in a live setting and I've never heard really good live versions of either one.
Cassidy and Eyes of the World I love all live versions of but the studio versions are pretty underwhelming for me.

The only Dead songs I don't like in any context are the typical blues rock based ones. Promised Land, Alabama Getaway, US Blues, One More Saturday Night, that type of stuff. I also can't say I'm a fan of any of their covers except Dear Mr. Fantasy although I don't actively dislike them.

[Warren DeMontague]

24. There have been a few really good Unbroken Chains over the years I've heard.

The Warfield with Trey & Paige from Phish (and Steve Kimock) in 99 wasn't bad:

There's one I have on my ipod from the Furthur years-- I want to say 2013- that is just INSANELY good, but I can't remember the date & venue. But what Jeff Chimienti is doing is simply spectacular, clocks in at like 25 minutes or some shit.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

8. Friend of the Devil.

Also, Ripple and Uncle John's Band.

[d_r]

9. Ripple, box of rain, uncle johns band nt

[Miles Archer]

10. The Other One, Wharf Rat, Dark Star, Bird Song, Stella Blue, China Cat/Rider...

...Althea, Help/Slipknot/Franklin's, Jack Straw, Throwing Stones.

[dawg]

11. Terrapin Station

?c=2

[Warren DeMontague]

25. I HAVE THAT SHIRT

love liquid blue's stuff

[pintobean]

12. Alabama Getaway

I'm not a huge fan, but I have a few of their albums. I really like this, though.

[Ahpook]

13. Got to be China Cat Sunflower

Love this live version

[Grassy Knoll]

14. Casey Jones

[GReedDiamond]

15. Box of Rain...

Wharf Rat...

Bird Song...

Just 3 out of many more of course.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

16. Has to be a bootleg.

Not in to much anything from the albums. Maybe from Deadset.

Then of course Dick's Pick's

Has to be audience recording. Everybody gets all excited about "soundboards" but I feel a lot (not all) soundboards take the edge off.

China/Rider

Help/Slip/Franklin's

Morning Dew (cover)

Deal

Bertha

Basically what I call "the big production numbers"

We always stream from archive on road trips. My partner gets mad when I pull over to pick a bootleg. He says "just tell me what show you want and I'll load it" and I say "I'll know it when I see it"

I just got turned on to this Holly Bowling. My partner likes this stuff around the house. Would be nice for brunch music.

https://m.

[ghostsinthemachine]

18. She is the hottest jam artist going right now

This is the summer of Holly!

[Warren DeMontague]

22. I disagree. charlie miller's soundboards have spoiled me, i wont listen to anything else.

Hearing the crowd in the mix doesnt do that much for me.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

23. I'll check him out.

Will I find his recordings on archive if I search by name?

Obviously some are better than others. Sometimes I feel like some are over mixed - if that makes sense. It seems like a lot of the soundboards over represent the vocals.

Obviously recordings like One from the vault make you feel like you are there.

It's just when I'm looking for something to drive by, I search for audience tapes

[Warren DeMontague]

26. Yeah, you should be able to search by miller or charlie miller. He's THE guy for soundboards.

You can also search for "walscoller" which is Walker-Scotton-Miller, Joanie Walker someone Scotton and Charlie, who were involved in the taping/transfer/or whatever but from what I've heard pretty much EVERYTHING with that pedigree sounds great.

(edited to add: I may be confusing etree with archive.org, you might not get anything on archive.org under walscoller: but charlie miller should come up)

[DFW]

17. A few

Friend of the Devil
Truckin'
Dark Star
Cold Rain and Snow*
Their Candlestick Park cover of The Star Spangled Banner

*My band was one of the first in the Washington D.C. area to cover the Dead's version note for note as on their first album. We were freaked out to find that the Dead had all been on speed when they recorded it, and when they performed it live, it was at half speed. We kept our version the way it was, since we liked it better that way.

[red dog 1]

20. Interesting!

That's the reverse situation that happened with the Kinks.

I've been a huge Kinks fan since their early days ("You Really Got Me&quot , and I had most of their albums by the time I finally got to see them live at Winterland in San Francisco, (I think it was 1979)

From the moment the concert began, they played all their songs as if they were on speed.
They had to be on speed...Every single song they played seemed to be performed in 4/4 time, unlike the excellent, much slower, album versions of the same songs.

It was a huge disappointed to pay that much to see one of my all-time favorite bands, and then have to sit through the "Kinks on Speed" concert.

(I also saw the Dead at Winterland many times)

[kwassa]

19. I like this cover version of Shakedown Street

I never would have guessed that this was a Dead song.

[Warren DeMontague]

21. OH MY GOD ALL OF THEM except maybe "Picasso moon"

Seriously, it depends on the mood, context, version, etc

I'm partial to Terrapin Station these days because it has a very pacific northwest vibe. New Speedway Boogie is politically timely.

Box of Rain. Friend of the Devil. CRAZY FINGERS yes indeed

Some of the Weir-Barlow stuff has great lyrics, too. Throwin' Stones. I need a miracle.

Scarlet--->Fire, and as HBS said Help--->Slip--->Franks

Dark star, st. Stephen, caution do not stop on tracks...

Like I said, all of em.

[SHRED]

27. Estimated Prophet

Love the jams in this song about the 1977-78 period.

[hollowdweller]

36. 77/78 was a great era.

[Botany]

28. Mine

US Blues
Mississippi Half Step Toodeloo
Ripple
Dire Wolf
I want you that way
One more Saturday Night
Mama Tried
Sugar Magnolia
Friend of the Devil
Knocking on Heavens Door
Don't ease me in

[red dog 1]

34. In the Rolling Stone interview with Robert Hunter (see reply # 32),

he was asked: "How about a favorite lyric or line you wrote?"

HUNTER;
"Let it be known there is a fountain that was not made by the hands of man." (From Ripple)

[red dog 1]

35. I actually meant this to be a reply to another DUer who mentioned how great the Dead's lyrics were

(Reply # 32)

[TygrBright]

29. Right now? NO CONTEST: "Ship of Fools"

"But I would slave to learn the way,
to sink your Ship of Fools."

appreciatively,
Bright

[Warren DeMontague]

30. not exactly answering the question, but one thing I love about the Dead's lyrics in general;

is that thing where you can hear a line you've heard fifty bajillion times for 20 or 30 years, in a new context or with a different set of associations, and "aha!" grok a totally new and expanded or different meaning to it.

[red dog 1]

32. "Robert Hunter's lyrics say the right things in a few words, like 'dry your eyes on the wind.'

His lyrics tell a story, and he can turn turn a phrase in ways that aren't obvious."
(Scott Devendorf of the "National&quot

"Robert Hunter on Grateful Dead's Early Days, Wild Tours, Sacred Songs"
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/robert-hunter-on-grateful-deads-early-days-wild-tours-sacred-songs-20150309

[Warren DeMontague]

33. yep.

that's a good one.

[hollowdweller]

37. I always loved the 17 min Hunter song Eagle Mall

What a great wild bunch of lyrics.

The drunken battle in the desert, John Silver and the Wheel of Fear, just great.

#23 here:

https://archive.org/details/rh1980-02-06.84406.sbd.glassberg.flac16

[Dulcinea]

31. Hell in a Bucket, Throwing Stones

I also like Friend of the Devil.

[Jhall5]

38. Scarlet begonias

'Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right'