A NOTE FROM THE TAPE ROOM
“Best” starts a conversation.
This collection follows the 101 tracks in Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Grateful Dead Songs playlist, posted by Grateful Dead. Only the original Grateful Dead’s performances are included.
Song order
Choose “Rolling Stone order” to follow the playlist from Scarlet Begonias at position 1 to I Need a Miracle at position 101. Numbers are Spotify playlist positions, not individual article rank numbers or fan votes. A–Z keeps the same songs in alphabetical order.
Song titles are normalized for live-performance lookup; “That’s It for the Other One” is represented by The Other One. The five added live sequences are outside the Rolling Stone playlist and appear after its 101 songs in this sort. This order is separate from each entry’s HeadyVersion-favorite recording. Some newly added songs still need performance research and are clearly marked.
Most played live
This sort uses the supplied top-100 performance list: 71 entries match this collection. Counts have not been independently verified; ~ marks an approximate count. Ties retain the supplied order, and position numbers refer to that full list. The 30 collection songs and five sequences without a supplied count follow alphabetically; missing counts do not mean zero plays.
The supplied list separates The Other One (495) from That’s It for the Other One (139). This collection’s The Other One uses 495; those totals are not combined. The remaining 29 list entries do not have separate songs in this collection.
First & last
Dates are the earliest and latest concert entries found in The SetList Program. Early histories can be incomplete or disputed. Studio sessions are excluded where identified. These dates are documented bounds, not a guarantee of the true debut. An unavailable recording is never silently replaced by a different date.
The HeadyVersion favorite
“Best” is the highest-voted entry on each song’s HeadyVersion ranking, checked on the date shown on each card. Every pick shows its vote count, check date, and a link to the ranking. This reflects that community’s votes, not a universal consensus. Vote counts are a snapshot and can change.
HeadyVersion has separate categories for individual songs and sequences such as Scarlet Begonias → Fire on the Mountain, China Cat Sunflower → I Know You Rider, and Help → Slipknot → Franklin’s. Individual-song listings use the individual-song category and link the relevant sequence ranking separately. The five sequence listings use their own combined categories. Sequence votes are not individual-song votes and are never added together.
If entries tie for the most votes, the card discloses the tie and displays the first entry listed on HeadyVersion. Rankings can include disputed dates or unusual versions; the linked discussion provides context.
Audio must match the winning song and exact performance date. An unavailable recording never causes a lower-ranked date to replace the winner. Best picks without verified source data are marked “Best not yet verified.” Internet Archive concert ratings no longer determine any Best selection.
Complete live sequences
Scarlet → Fire, China → Rider, Help → Slipknot! → Franklin’s, Sailor → Saint, and Drums → Space each have their own listing. Their First and Last picks refer to the complete sequence in order. Best comes from the sequence’s own HeadyVersion category; individual-song votes are never combined.
Play sequence continues through consecutive recording tracks from the same show and source, including separately indexed transition jams. It stops after the final part. A brief loading gap can occur between files. The player’s time and seek controls refer to the current track. Play all three finishes each sequence before moving to the next pick.
Drums → Space evolved gradually, so its First card remains unverified rather than assigning an unsupported debut date. Help → Slipknot! → Franklin’s includes its instrumental June 17, 1975 debut, identified on the card.
The tapes
Audio streams from Internet Archive. Some early shows have no surviving tape; some recordings are missing tracks, mislabeled, or temporarily unavailable. Track matches and source links are shown per performance. Playback depends on Archive availability.
First/last data: September 18, 2026. Individual-song votes checked: September 20, 2026. Sequence votes checked: September 21, 2026. No affiliation with the Grateful Dead, HeadyVersion, or Internet Archive.
