The Grateful Dead played The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” a dozen times, but it was always brief, with only a minute or so of open playing. With the big beat and the drones, you’d think they would have stretched it out.
For this post, I’ve chosen my two favorite versions - the debut and the third from last one. The 5/92 debut definitely has the heft of a recently-rehearsed song, while the 5/93 version has the most elaborate, continuous Garcia lead of any of them.
Additionally, I’ve edited pieces of eight other performances into an approximation of the bigger jam that could have been. It combines three intros, eight instrumental breaks, one verse, and two conclusions. The rock steady tempo of the drummers from show to show makes this mix possible.
- Tomorrow Never Knows (5/21/93) (5:25)
- Tomorrow Never Knows (1992-1993 mix of 8 versions) (9:16)
- Tomorrow Never Knows (5/19/92 – debut) (3:58)
Cover art by Emek.
Edited version includes this sequence of bits, all just the instrumental breaks between the two verses, except as noted:
- 6/20/92 intro
- 12/17/92 intro
- 12/17/92
- 6/6/92
- 7/1/92
- 3/21/93
- 3/21/93 intro
- 6/20/92
- 6/14/92
- 9/20/93
- 5/31/92 w/verse & conclusion
- 9/20/93 conclusion