Search - Grateful Dead :: Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978 (2CD/1 DVD Set)

Cats Under Egyptian Stars

PHILIP S WOLF | SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA. USA | 10/03/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The long-awaited release of: "Egypt 1978" is over. Was it worth a 30 year wait? For me, yes it was, good or bad this package is an accurate document of a legendary event, The Grateful Dead playing right in front of The Great Pyramid and right next to The Sphinx. The 3 record set was due for release in early 1979, to help pay the 1/2 Million dollars of debt that this vacation cost the band. Jerry Garcia, wasn't happy with the tapes and the plan was canceled.



Over the years many tapes have circulated from audience and soundboard sources. I saw a lavish bootleg CD set at a record collector's show in 1996. This Box contained 8 Cd's, a hardshell book, a poster, stickers, the works. The vendor, wouldn't go under $80.00 for the package, and I passed on the deal. The tapes that I have heard, were high-quality sound and good to not-so-good performances by The Dead.



This set of two CD's {3, if you buy it from The Grateful Dead Website} and a DVD of 13 songs, and a short home movie of band and friends in Cairo, and on The Nile. This is a nice package, of an event of legendary proportions.



30 YEARS OF BAD VIBES:

The band didn't play well in Egypt, The equipment did weird things in the 110 degree heat, No: "Blues For Allah" performed, The amps melted together in the sun, The piano was outta tune, Billy could only drum with one arm, Donna was singing 'Flat' again, No hash was allowed to be smoked on stage, only behind the amps, No: "Dark Star" performed, not enough Stella Beer, after the crew stole all of it, The King's Chamber deep inside the Great Pyramid wasn't successful for use as an echo effect for the concerts, sand in equipment...ETC, ETC, ETC.



THE MUSIC:

After 30 years of rumors like that, you will have to be the judge of this package. The music here isn't better or worse than any other Live Dead CD's available already...It is DIFFERENT from other things, that you have already heard before. And that is the reason that it was released in the first place. The Grateful Dead plays DIFFERENTLY under a full eclipse of the moon next to the massive paws of The Sphinx than it does in Winterland back in San Francisco. Everything that makes this group special IS here, but on: "Rocking The Cradle" the music takes on new shapes and forms, textures and colors are unique to this recording.



"Ollin Arageed" featuring Hamza El Din and the Nubian Youth Choir, melts into a sparkling; "Fire On The Mountain". "New, New Minglewood Blues" features a wonderful solo from Keith on "Outta-Tune" piano, that lays waste to almost every other keyboard player anywhere. "Stella Blue" is a tune, that I have never payed much attention to, here on this CD, it is amazing! Some of this is lackluster, but I have found more GOOD than BAD here. A Grateful Dead Show contains peaks and valleys, there is serious detail to flow and dynamics within every concert, and when that doesn't work out...well, it doesn't work out all the time, such is LIFE.



THE FILMS:

The DVD contains 13 songs from the concerts, and a feature called; "The Vacation Tapes" of band, crew and friends in Cairo and on the Nile. These videos are not shot by a professional film crew and are of homemade quality {jerky camera movement, fuzzy & out-of-focus zoom-ins and outs, cameras way off target.} Had the band produced some video by a professional crew, the results could have been amazing, as is these curios are interesting and show a little insight into the world of The Grateful Dead. The DVD is interesting but not essential.



I Like this Set, and have been playing the CD's, in rotation with other GD music since it arrived at my door. I have less use for the DVD, but I will give it another try a few months down the road. The booklet is fine, and the package with the fold-outs, is nice as well. A book about this entire event is still available, it is entitled: "Truckin' With The Grateful Dead To Egypt" by Robert Nichols. This book was published in 1984 with the band's approval, it is an interesting read, and it includes many photos and graphics that I have never seen anywhere else.

This set of music and visuals is a welcome addition to the growing bulk of live performance work available from The Grateful Dead.

Four Stars !!!

"

A Piece of History

ECU_Classic_Music_Fan | Charlotte, NC United States | 03/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I guess I was expecting the worst and that's why this recording from one of their nights in Egypt just doesn't seem that bad to me. I'll say it didn't live down to my expectations. The first time through I was about to give it 3 to 3 1/2 stars but I started to enjoy the weirdness of the whole event. Eveything that could go wrong did go wrong (as has been pointed out in other places). Of course, Donna was out of tune as usual and her typical lost self. But I really like what we get. An overall good groove. And there is something about Jerry's guitar this night that stands out. Maybe it was the heat.



This was the Dead at their most ambitious. Maybe they missed the mark but how many groups go and play at the Great Pyramid during an eclipse? Seriously? So, I give them two thumbs up for giving this a try and then I give the effort 5 stars for the band fighting through some oppressive musical roadblocks.



Now, if you're new to this whole live Dead thing then you might want to start with something else. Maybe something from '73, maybe their best year. Rocking the Cradle is more of an event album than anything else.



For the rest of you who have heard all the bad stuff you might want to give this a whirl. Who knows, you might like it.



Lastly, my review is based on the download and not the cd/dvd release. For the collectors that seems like an awful cool thing."

Egypt at last

Thomas C. Beall | Tucson AZ | 12/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been waiting for an "official " release of these concerts for many years. There have been some rather poor quality unofficial releases before, even a cd box set that was disappointing. They have done a good job upgrading the tapes for this cd set and the dvd of the show is of great historical interest to any serious Deadhead. I've been to the pyramids but years after these shows, and to see the Dead there is really fabulous. It was not their best concert ever to be sure but it was a seminal episode in their history and it's great to have it available now."