When it doesn't fit anywhere else
 #45980  by jck_strw
 
I'm not sure what the fuck the boys/Rhino are doing. For as long as I can remember everyone in the band said the Egypt shows sucked (musically). And now they're releasing it? Whoopee. Forgive me if I don't open my wallet for this one.

------------------

The Dead Rock the Cradle of Civilization

2-CD/1-DVD Collection Rocking The Cradle: Egypt 1978 Celebrates The
30th Anniversary of the Band’s Historic Concerts at Giza With
Previously Unreleased Audio and Video

Fans Who Pre-Order on Dead.net Will Receive an Exclusive Bonus Disc
Containing Additional Egypt Performances

Available September 30 from Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino

In the fall of 1978, author and counterculture icon Ken Kesey reported
to a close friend that he had recently witnessed “the latest Rocking
of the Cradle of Civilization.” The course of events that he went on
to recall was the Grateful Dead’s assorted family, friends and fellow
Pranksters—“Pyramidiots” of various origins—descent upon Egypt’s Nile
Valley that culminated in three legendary concerts performed at the
foot of the Great Pyramid in Gizah. Although perhaps unintentionally,
the entire adventure might have been easily seen, as Kesey did, as one
very special contribution to the then-critical Middle Eastern peace
effort. To commemorate the 30-year anniversary of this cosmic
convergence of sound and sphinx, Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino
will release ROCKING THE CRADLE: EGYPT 1978, a collection of
highlights from this historic three-night stand. The 2-CD/1-DVD set
will be available September 30 at regular retail outlets and www.dead.net
for a suggested list price of $34.98. Fans who pre-order the set from
Dead.net will receive an exclusive eight-song bonus disc that includes
additional unreleased performances from the Egypt run. A digital
version that includes all the CD content will also be also available.

Recorded September 15-16, 1978 at the Gizah Sound and Light Theater,
the original 24-track recordings have been remastered for this set in
HDCD for superior sound quality. The two CDs contain 18 tracks
featuring more than three hours of music, including a version of “Fire
On The Mountain” that many fans consider one of the band’s best.
Except for three performances that appeared on 2004’s Beyond
Description boxed set, the tracks on ROCKING THE CRADLE have never
been released. The accompanying DVD features more than 100 minutes of
footage; including 13 songs from the third and final Egypt show, which
took place during a rare lunar eclipse. Legendary promoter Bill Graham
called this show “one of the great experiences of my life.” The DVD
also includes a featurette titled “The Vacation Tapes” which catches
never-before-seen candid band footage from the trip. The set comes in
pyramid-inspired packaging and features rare photos from the trip and
liner notes by longtime Dead associate Alan Trist, who was pivotal in
making the trek to Egypt happen.

Trist recalls that “the Dead long dreamed of playing at the foot of
the Great Pyramid.” However, pulling off this dream proved to be a
monumental task as no other American band had ever performed there.
The band spent months planning and making arrangements with the
Egyptian Ministry of Culture. The band agreed to pay all of its own
expenses for the trip and donated all of the proceeds from ticket
sales to several Egyptian charities, as well as the Department of
Antiquities, which preserves the country’s ancient treasures. Another
major challenge was the minimal amount of power available at Gizah,
which required the band to bring in an enormous generator to power its
state-of-the-art sound and recording equipment. In the end, the
massive effort paid off. The shows were spectacular successes,
attracting a mix of world cultures including American Dead Heads and
European fans as well as curious Egyptians and Bedouins on camels
drawn by the unusual spectacle.

Unbeknownst to the band at the time, these shows would soon have a
remarkable historical context. On September 17, the day after the last
show, the Camp David Peace Accords were signed after nearly two weeks
of secret negotiations. The Accords lead to the Egyptian-Israeli Peace
Treaty, which made Egypt the first Arab country to officially
recognize Israel and ended a near 30-year state of war between the two
countries. One has to wonder if the Dead’s message of peace and love
might have had some sort of impact on the negotiations.

ROCKING THE CRADLE features Jerry Garcia (guitar, vocals), Donna Jean
Godchaux (vocals), Keith Godchaux (keyboards), Mickey Hart (drums),
Bill Kreutzmann (drums), Phil Lesh (electric bass, vocals), and Bob
Weir (rhythm guitar, vocals). These performances took place just a few
months before the band released Shakedown Street, its tenth studio
album. The shows featured performances of several songs from the
upcoming album, including the title track, “I Need A Miracle,” “Fire
On The Mountain,” and an updated take on the blues standard, “Stagger
Lee.” The band also peppered its Egyptian setlists with classics like
“Deal,” “Truckin’” and “Stella Blue.”
ROCKING THE CRADLE: EGYPT 1978

Track Listing

Disc 1

1. “Jack Straw”

2. “Row Jimmy”

3. “New, Minglewood Blues”

4. “Candyman”

5. “Looks Like Rain”

6. “Stagger Lee”

7. “I Need A Miracle”

8. “It’s All Over Now”

9. “Deal”

Disc 2

1. “Ollin Arageed”

2. “Fire On The Mountain”

3. “Iko Iko”

4. “Shakedown Street”

5. “Drums”

6. “Space”

7. “Truckin’”

8. “Stella Blue”

9. “Around And Around”

DVD

Track Listing

1.“Bertha”

2. “Good Lovin’”

3. “Row Jimmy”

4. “New, Minglewood Blues”

5. “Candyman”

6. “Looks Like Rain”

7. “Deal”

8. “Ollin Arageed”

9. “Fire On The Mountain”

10. “Iko Iko”

11. “I Need A Miracle”

12. “It’s All Over Now”

13. “Truckin’”

Featurette: “The Vacation Tapes”

Dead.net Exclusive Bonus CD

1. “Bertha”

2. “Good Lovin’”

3. “El Paso”

4. “Ramble On Rose”

5. “Estimated Prophet”

6. “Eyes Of The World”

7. “Terrapin Station”

8. “Sugar Magnolia”
Last edited by jck_strw on Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

 #45981  by strumminsix
 
I believe when Jerry was interviewed he said that they (the GD) always fucked up the big ones and cited Egypt and Woodstock as 2 examples...

 #45982  by Tennessee Jedi
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYhyDUgK1U8
Heres the F.O.T.M
Which comes out of some local guys drum jams...
Uneven shows ...
Truckin' is good til they blow the big E jam ....
Shakedown is a cool ... I love it !
Slow and spacey - Almost DarkStar like ..
The vocals on the vocal jam seem turned down - when you can hear them they suck ...Maybe a re-mix would help ...
Billy K. fell off a camel and busted his arm ...
The locals set is cool - Hamza El Din dude ...
They played on equipment provided by the Who I think.
I give it 6 :D out 10 :D
:cool:

 #45985  by astroman99
 
I think one of the main probs I remember from hearing boots is that the paino was terribly out of tune!

 #45986  by Tennessee Jedi
 
Maybe they can re master some of these flaws out via new technology ?
I dont know it seems there could be better releases ...
:smile:

 #45987  by deadguise
 
it's a mediocre show, there's a few Youtube clips of the Egypt shows out there, and you be the judge. As stated, Billy had a broken arm, the vocals were flat and Jerry wasn't able to obtain his "regular supply" so he was on lots of pain medication.

 #45988  by bucketorain
 
its must be difficult to play on opium.... 8)

 #45989  by Tennessee Jedi
 
could be some good video for the guitar licks ....
:smile:

 #45990  by astroman99
 
bucketorain wrote:its must be difficult to play on opium.... 8)
No it is quite fun..
It is difficult playing on one foot though!

 #45992  by acidrain30005
 
I've listened to some of the stuff on youtube and it's not that bad. It's not great either but being the junkie that I am for GD DVDs I'm definitely gonna get it.

 #45993  by frankielee
 
When asked about these shows Garcia replied"The pyramids won." This is a money making scam from the suits. There are much better shows that should be released.

 #45998  by CountryMile Cadillac
 
Not the best shows, but I'm sure it will be cool good to see this stuff. Been a while since I listened to any of this, but I recall a really cool Iko Iko, slow groove to it. This may be the first GD release purchase I have made in close to ten years...
 #46003  by jck_strw
 
jck_strw wrote:including a version of “Fire On The Mountain” that many fans consider one of the band’s best.
Wha? I don't know anyone that ever pulls out the old "that Egypt Fire on the Mountain is one of the best EVAR!"

Does anyone know anyone that ever said that (with a straight face)?
 #46005  by hesgone95
 
jck_strw wrote:
jck_strw wrote:including a version of “Fire On The Mountain” that many fans consider one of the band’s best.
Wha? I don't know anyone that ever pulls out the old "that Egypt Fire on the Mountain is one of the best EVAR!"

Does anyone know anyone that ever said that (with a straight face)?
Dude I say that to my peeps all the time, and with just that accent-"EVAR".


:drink:

 #46023  by Rusty the Scoob
 
Might be a good video... supposedly they brought all the good recording gear hoping to release an album, but then the shows sucked. But maybe they brought film cameras instead of video cameras.... that would go a long way toward making this release worthwhile.