The Grateful Dead played Friend Of The Devil a decent amount. When it debuted in 1970 it was in the rotation pretty steadily. Then all of a sudden it disappeared for all of 1971. A comeback occurred in 1972, when it was played 17 times, then it went back on the shelf for all of 1973 and most of 1974, only being played 3 times that year.

I bring this up because what we have here is one of the few fast, electric versions of the song that has come to see the light of day. Looking through my collection there are a number of versions of Friend of the Devil, but it seems that the fast versions are quite elusive. Given that a chunk of the 1970 versions were played as part of the band’s acoustic sets in that year and the number of live, electric versions dwindles even more. Between the 1972 and 1974 shows there are only 20 possible options (plus however many were electric in 1970, but I would assume that most of those were acoustic. Feel free to correct me!).

A quick scan through my library shows about 5 versions of the fast FOTD have been released and of those only this one is fully electric. Not the most scientific analysis, but you get the idea.

Ah! The fast version of Friend of the Devil. In the electric milieu it’s a bit of a different beast. Billy gives it a bit more oomph, and that slinky guitar work you hear really makes it stand apart from the fast acoustic versions. There really aren’t a ton of sparks here, but there are a number of subtleties that make it a great version. Keith’s playing is a bit understated, but when he steps out it adds quite a bit. The guitars have more twang to them. Therein lies the difference between the more folky sound of the acoustic arrangement and the country blues of the electric one. Hearing this arrangement really makes me wish they had kept it around for a bit longer. It’s a real treat to hear and offers its fair share of surprises along the way.

Complete Setlist 9/27/72

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