The 10 Greatest Grateful Dead Songs (Part 4)

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7) St. Stephen

An awesome song, and here it is played for Hef on Playboy After Dark in 1969. An example of one of Jerry's great riffs, and it's hardcore rock and roll, forget the off key singing, it doesn't matter. They were a powerhouse at their best, knocking down walls and doors all the way straight up to Hugh Hefner's castle. Listen to the version on "Live Dead" for the best version of this song that I've heard.



Here's a link to "Live Dead" on Itunes.


8) Dire Wolf

Robert Hunter is alive and well, "don't murder me, I beg of you don't murder me. Please don't murder me". The Dead have released a ton of live albums over the years, and my favorite one of them all, and the one that got me into them in the first place was "Dick's Picks, Volume 8; Harpur College". It's a show from 1970 and they do a stripped down acoustic version of a bunch of their songs, including this one, and they just sound awesome. Dire Wolf's one of the best tracks on the cd and also one of their best songs ever. It's catchy but not stupid, Jerry was great at writing beutiful melody's and Robert Hunter was great at making them shine. And shine on it does; shine on you crazy dire wolf.




Here's a link to "Dick's Picks Vol. 8" on Itunes

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