and I'm left feeling RS should have noted that AI created the content and that they really don't know squat.
If I’m ranking songs rather than specific live versions, my all-time Grateful Dead top 10 would be:
“Terrapin Station” — The grandest, most ambitious Dead composition.
“Dark Star” — The ultimate improvisational vehicle; a whole universe unto itself.
“Ripple” — Beautiful, concise, and probably their most universally beloved song.
“China Cat Sunflower” — Pure psychedelic energy, especially when paired with “I Know You Rider.”
“Scarlet Begonias” — One of Garcia/Hunter’s finest melodic songs.
“Eyes of the World” — Jazz-inflected, spacious, and endlessly expandable live.
“Uncle John’s Band” — The song that announced the Dead’s mature acoustic/folk side.
“Friend of the Devil” — Nearly perfect Americana songwriting.
“Truckin’” — The quintessential Dead anthem.
“St. Stephen” — Strange, heavy, mystical, and quintessentially early Dead.
Just missed: “Morning Dew,” “Playing in the Band,” “The Other One,” “Bertha,” “U.S. Blues,” “Althea,” “Wharf Rat,” “Sugaree,” “Box of Rain,” and “Shakedown Street.”
If we're ranking the best live performances/versions, though, the list changes dramatically—and I’d put “Morning Dew,” “Dark Star,” “Eyes,” “Scarlet > Fire,” and “Help > Slip > Franklin’s” much higher.
Wharf Rat should be near the top of any GD best original songs list.
It's whisper quiet, thunderous roof-raising loud and then back to whisper quiet, it tells a real, heart wrenching story where the somber tone and tenor of the music perfectly matches tone and tenor of the story, and it's got a raging solo in it.
it's like trying to rank your old girl (or boy) friends..... they were all the greatest for at least one special moment and for different reasons.
Jerry has been known to claim that he GD were a dance band at heart, so contrary to the more obvious psychedelic jam tunes or ballads, a contender should make your body move involuntarily.
Personally, I predict "Only the Strange Remain" will be judged a literary masterpiece at some future date.
^ I mean seriously, Mr Hunter step aside please. Mr Lennon, please sit. Mr Dylan, stand over there. Our Mickey begat the great phrase"... the cream of the strange." So friggin evocative. It always moved me. Taylor Swift level lyric, right there (unfortunately the rest of the lytics induce Dr Suess tempos).
Yea, yea, yea
Only the strange remain
Only the strange remain
Only the strange remain
Tell me friend, have you noticed of late
How only the strange remain?
I'm speaking about the cream of the strange
Not the merely weird, out of sight or insane
No, only the strange remain
Only the strange remain
They keep on talking just to rattle their teeth
A light coat of surface and nothing beneath
They're fishing for answers with love as the bait
Related to something that time doesn't date
Soon as it's spoken, it no longer applies
Words twist and stutter and deliver up sighs
correction ...In 1982 concert, Robert Hunter said:
A friend of mine said in an interview somewhere that all my songs are about rain, cards, cats, and roses and stuff like that, so I sat down and wrote this line: "Rats, cats, playing cards, roses and rain, only the strange remain."
Operator is very special in its own way. It really shows the range and scope they had going. Has any of us seen it live? I'm pretty sure they played it once, anyway.
Maybe Rolling Stone should have gone with two lists (oh, do I love lists): studio and live "BEST OF"?
The real question should be: which is better? St Stephen or Cumberland Blues.
Speaking of merely the weird, out of sight & insane, allow me to twist, stutter & deliver up my humble reflections
> One song at a time Plz
> Bot list WAY butter then RS How the mighty have fallen
> Uncle John's Band, Dark Star, Other One, Box, Dew (cause it's Dew) R musts
> Let it Grow (cause it's the best / or at least my fav). Operator suggestion is pure inspiration Works for me.
> Definitely The Eleven Also (hard to leave) Stephen (out).
> Easy Wind, Hard to Handle
> Lot's mo': In no particular order. Scarlet, Fire, MNS, Jack Straw, Cassidy, Eyes, China Doll, Wharf Rat, Supplication
> OK mo then 10 here Plus mo then a few simply forgotten / left out; Like Cold Rain & Snow & Fie & High Time & Attics. & Slipknot! & Stronger then Dirt
The other part of Operator that turns it even farther for me is the historical relevance of a world that some of us were a part of that has disappeared and been replaced, or our witnessing of evolution in our lives. And so it goes.
China/Rider. It's not either song that is great, although China Cat is way up there, it is the cusp of the Rider that takes this set into the outer limits. That hitting of the peak of the roller coaster, and the knuckling up for the downhill run with all the loop de loops, ups, downs and hairpin corners in the ride, that ever changing track that we all ride each time.
I can't do favorites but I have always thought Ramble on Rose and Sugaree are quintessential Grateful Dead and if anyone asked me what the band was about I would start them there.
If you think about the live versions of the Garcia songs, they show the value of Hunter knowing him well and writing songs that speak to him. When Garcia was all in emotionally, many tunes could go through the roof. >Loser<
I didn't go to a lot of post Brent shows so I missed a lot of those songs. The first time I heard DSO do Liberty I thought they had written one of their own songs.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
Not a bad list IMHO. At
Not a bad list IMHO. At least it doesn't have Truckin, Casey Jones, or Touch of Gray.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
Crazy Fingers
In no particular order, and not including Uncle John's Band which of course is the song
Crazy Fingers
They Love Each Other
Estimated Prophet
Bird Song
Unbroken Chain
Comes A Time
Cassidy
Stella Blue
Brokedown Palace
The Other One
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
... Morning Dew isn't even a
... Morning Dew isn't even a Grateful Dead song. They just covered it. Just an oversight, I'm sure.
I got nothing against " Truckin' " for the record. Not saying it should be on the list either.
Terrapin feels like an aberration to me. An epic one at times, for sure.
I do wonder what it would tally to if we ran a Zoner poll on the top ten?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
It's getting interesting... ;
It's getting interesting... ;)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
Somebody with better admin
Somebody with better admin skills than I should keep score. Additionally, I'm corrupt by nature. Surely I'd skew the results :D
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank
Nobody's mentioned Playing in
Nobody's mentioned Playing in the Band or Jack Straw yet? I wouldn't expect RS to pick JS, but PITB belongs on their list.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
How come Scarlet Fire doesn't
How come Scarlet Fire doesn't get the two and threefer like Help Slip Frank and China Rider?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
you got turn it up to 11
you got to turn it up to 11
dark star
eleven
Playing>other one
scarlet>fire
eyes
unbroken chain
Here comes sunshine
weather report suite > Let it grow
and whatever else Phil would throw in there in 2001
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
> How come Scarlet Fire doesn
> How come Scarlet Fire doesn't get the two and threefer like Help Slip Frank and China Rider?
Clearly, they don't care for FOTM. You'll have to get over it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
Suspicious minds...
Suspicious minds...
I consulted the almighty ChatGPT...
and I'm left feeling RS should have noted that AI created the content and that they really don't know squat.
If I’m ranking songs rather than specific live versions, my all-time Grateful Dead top 10 would be:
“Terrapin Station” — The grandest, most ambitious Dead composition.
“Dark Star” — The ultimate improvisational vehicle; a whole universe unto itself.
“Ripple” — Beautiful, concise, and probably their most universally beloved song.
“China Cat Sunflower” — Pure psychedelic energy, especially when paired with “I Know You Rider.”
“Scarlet Begonias” — One of Garcia/Hunter’s finest melodic songs.
“Eyes of the World” — Jazz-inflected, spacious, and endlessly expandable live.
“Uncle John’s Band” — The song that announced the Dead’s mature acoustic/folk side.
“Friend of the Devil” — Nearly perfect Americana songwriting.
“Truckin’” — The quintessential Dead anthem.
“St. Stephen” — Strange, heavy, mystical, and quintessentially early Dead.
Just missed: “Morning Dew,” “Playing in the Band,” “The Other One,” “Bertha,” “U.S. Blues,” “Althea,” “Wharf Rat,” “Sugaree,” “Box of Rain,” and “Shakedown Street.”
If we're ranking the best live performances/versions, though, the list changes dramatically—and I’d put “Morning Dew,” “Dark Star,” “Eyes,” “Scarlet > Fire,” and “Help > Slip > Franklin’s” much higher.
Who knew Chat was a deadhead?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: r n
I would have a hard time
I would have a hard time narrowing down the top 40 Garcia/Hunter tunes
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
I'll second you Bss on Stella
I'll second you Bss on Stella Blue!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
Performing live is what the
Performing live is what the Grateful Dead were.
I still think Operator is one of the most well crafted songs by the band, but it ain't making my list
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance HTT Newberry
Wharf Rat should be near the
Wharf Rat should be near the top of any GD best original songs list.
It's whisper quiet, thunderous roof-raising loud and then back to whisper quiet, it tells a real, heart wrenching story where the somber tone and tenor of the music perfectly matches tone and tenor of the story, and it's got a raging solo in it.
It's of the best songs they ever crafted.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Jumping Jill Flash
Aw
Aw
Phil's number 2
Phil's number 2
!!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
it's like trying to rank your
it's like trying to rank your old girl (or boy) friends..... they were all the greatest for at least one special moment and for different reasons.
Jerry has been known to claim that he GD were a dance band at heart, so contrary to the more obvious psychedelic jam tunes or ballads, a contender should make your body move involuntarily.
Personally, I predict "Only the Strange Remain" will be judged a literary masterpiece at some future date.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
^ I mean seriously, Mr Hunter
^ I mean seriously, Mr Hunter step aside please. Mr Lennon, please sit. Mr Dylan, stand over there. Our Mickey begat the great phrase"... the cream of the strange." So friggin evocative. It always moved me. Taylor Swift level lyric, right there (unfortunately the rest of the lytics induce Dr Suess tempos).
Yea, yea, yea
Only the strange remain
Only the strange remain
Only the strange remain
Tell me friend, have you noticed of late
How only the strange remain?
I'm speaking about the cream of the strange
Not the merely weird, out of sight or insane
No, only the strange remain
Only the strange remain
They keep on talking just to rattle their teeth
A light coat of surface and nothing beneath
They're fishing for answers with love as the bait
Related to something that time doesn't date
Soon as it's spoken, it no longer applies
Words twist and stutter and deliver up sighs
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
correction ...In 1982 concert
correction ...In 1982 concert, Robert Hunter said:
A friend of mine said in an interview somewhere that all my songs are about rain, cards, cats, and roses and stuff like that, so I sat down and wrote this line: "Rats, cats, playing cards, roses and rain, only the strange remain."
Mickey only supplied the tempo.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
Alan, you're messing with the
Alan, you're messing with the algorithm!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
^ Ok, you get a pass for that
^ Ok, you get a pass for that last tidbit
Sweet redemption.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
Wharf Rat can be as epic as
Wharf Rat can be as epic as it gets, no question.
Operator is very special in its own way. It really shows the range and scope they had going. Has any of us seen it live? I'm pretty sure they played it once, anyway.
Maybe Rolling Stone should have gone with two lists (oh, do I love lists): studio and live "BEST OF"?
The real question should be: which is better? St Stephen or Cumberland Blues.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dave
Speaking of the merely weird,
Speaking of merely the weird, out of sight & insane, allow me to twist, stutter & deliver up my humble reflections
> One song at a time Plz
> Bot list WAY butter then RS How the mighty have fallen
> Uncle John's Band, Dark Star, Other One, Box, Dew (cause it's Dew) R musts
> Let it Grow (cause it's the best / or at least my fav). Operator suggestion is pure inspiration Works for me.
> Definitely The Eleven Also (hard to leave) Stephen (out).
> Easy Wind, Hard to Handle
> Lot's mo': In no particular order. Scarlet, Fire, MNS, Jack Straw, Cassidy, Eyes, China Doll, Wharf Rat, Supplication
> OK mo then 10 here Plus mo then a few simply forgotten / left out; Like Cold Rain & Snow & Fie & High Time & Attics. & Slipknot! & Stronger then Dirt
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
^ More gems unearthed!
^ More gems unearthed!
Easy Wind, Attics, High Times
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DZ
SPACE
SPACE
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
The other part of Operator
The other part of Operator that turns it even farther for me is the historical relevance of a world that some of us were a part of that has disappeared and been replaced, or our witnessing of evolution in our lives. And so it goes.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
China/Rider. It's not either
China/Rider. It's not either song that is great, although China Cat is way up there, it is the cusp of the Rider that takes this set into the outer limits. That hitting of the peak of the roller coaster, and the knuckling up for the downhill run with all the loop de loops, ups, downs and hairpin corners in the ride, that ever changing track that we all ride each time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank
The GD didn't perform it much
The GD didn't perform it much, but Mission in the Rain is one of the great ones.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Deal, Bertha, Brown-Eyed
Deal, Bertha, Brown-Eyed Women, Cryptical Enveiopment, Throwing Stones, Hell In A Bucket, West L.A. Fadeaway all should be in the conversation.
If Mission In The Rain gets in, so does Reuben & Cerise.
And what of Shakedown Street and Music Never Stopped ?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
>>>If Mission In The Rain
>>>If Mission In The Rain gets in, so does Reuben & Cerise.
Then we have to add Comes A Time
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank
The lyrics alone should get
The lyrics alone should get Days Between a place on the list.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Althea is another one.
Althea is another one.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 5lb. Blocks of Cheese
days between is a piss break,
days between is a piss break, yeah, i said it.
i'll raise you The Wheel.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: r n
Comes a Time - yes top 40
Comes a Time - yes top 40 very underplayed
Althea - top 40
and I'll vote for Standing on the Moon
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank
Doin' That Rag and Mountains
Doin' That Rag and Mountains of the Moon
We are so blessed.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
I can't do favorites but I
I can't do favorites but I have always thought Ramble on Rose and Sugaree are quintessential Grateful Dead and if anyone asked me what the band was about I would start them there.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance HTT Newberry
Thank you Turtle.
Thank you Turtle.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Capt. Optissimo 24/7
^ Somebody had to keep it
^ Somebody had to keep it real.
If you think about the live versions of the Garcia songs, they show the value of Hunter knowing him well and writing songs that speak to him. When Garcia was all in emotionally, many tunes could go through the roof. >Loser<
Ramble on Rose sure is uniquely GD
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
Days Between would be #1 on
Days Between would be #1 on my list of worst Grateful Dead songs
It's downright horrible
Easily worse than Corrina, France, Money Money, Day Job and every other worst song on the tip of your tongues
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
I didn't go to a lot of post
I didn't go to a lot of post Brent shows so I missed a lot of those songs. The first time I heard DSO do Liberty I thought they had written one of their own songs.