legendary set of shows at the soon to be demolished Winterland in San Francisco. The shows were heavily influenced by the Egyptian trip, with slides being shown and Hamza El Din reprising his role as bridger of worlds. This two CD set brings together the best moments of two of those shows. Highlights include a rare and stellar version of “Got My Mojo Working” that leads into what are some of the highest energy versions of “The Other One” and “Stella Blue” from the second half of the band’s career. The power of these versions can’t be overstated. The second disc contains one of the sweetest “Scarlet Begonias/Fire On The Mountain” medleys ever. Following that is a long, jammed-out and fully realized “Not Fade Away/Goin’ Down The Road” featuring Quicksilver’s John Cipollina. For once, this coupling really hits all the right notes. This is the Dead just at the end of the silver era. After these shows they became a highly competent touring machine for another decade and a half, but much of the “mystery” of the early days was gone. This set comes with a bonus disc of even more great stuff from this classic run including one of only a couple of versions of “If I Had The World To Give” ever played.
Showing posts with label hamza el din. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hamza el din. Show all posts
Friday, October 10, 2008
Grateful Dead - Road Trips Vol. 1 #4: From Egypt with Love
The one that got away. Most of the attention in Dead land is going to the somewhat disappointing Egypt release. While it has its moments (particularly on the DVD) this release is the one that deserves the accolades. Shortly after returning to the U.S. the band played a 
legendary set of shows at the soon to be demolished Winterland in San Francisco. The shows were heavily influenced by the Egyptian trip, with slides being shown and Hamza El Din reprising his role as bridger of worlds. This two CD set brings together the best moments of two of those shows. Highlights include a rare and stellar version of “Got My Mojo Working” that leads into what are some of the highest energy versions of “The Other One” and “Stella Blue” from the second half of the band’s career. The power of these versions can’t be overstated. The second disc contains one of the sweetest “Scarlet Begonias/Fire On The Mountain” medleys ever. Following that is a long, jammed-out and fully realized “Not Fade Away/Goin’ Down The Road” featuring Quicksilver’s John Cipollina. For once, this coupling really hits all the right notes. This is the Dead just at the end of the silver era. After these shows they became a highly competent touring machine for another decade and a half, but much of the “mystery” of the early days was gone. This set comes with a bonus disc of even more great stuff from this classic run including one of only a couple of versions of “If I Had The World To Give” ever played.
legendary set of shows at the soon to be demolished Winterland in San Francisco. The shows were heavily influenced by the Egyptian trip, with slides being shown and Hamza El Din reprising his role as bridger of worlds. This two CD set brings together the best moments of two of those shows. Highlights include a rare and stellar version of “Got My Mojo Working” that leads into what are some of the highest energy versions of “The Other One” and “Stella Blue” from the second half of the band’s career. The power of these versions can’t be overstated. The second disc contains one of the sweetest “Scarlet Begonias/Fire On The Mountain” medleys ever. Following that is a long, jammed-out and fully realized “Not Fade Away/Goin’ Down The Road” featuring Quicksilver’s John Cipollina. For once, this coupling really hits all the right notes. This is the Dead just at the end of the silver era. After these shows they became a highly competent touring machine for another decade and a half, but much of the “mystery” of the early days was gone. This set comes with a bonus disc of even more great stuff from this classic run including one of only a couple of versions of “If I Had The World To Give” ever played.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Garcia, Nash - when young
An early look at the new Grateful Dead DVD
I received an advance version of the new Rocking The Cradle CD and DVD set and am a little mystified by what I have seen and heard. I am well familiar with these shows, having listened and watched unofficial versions for years. I was hopeful for a massive
upgrade in quality, or a complete version, or something. What I have says “Not Final Mixes” which is good because I had a few problems with the audio side of things. The quality was sub-par and the editing hard to understand. To me, the most interesting moments of these shows were the few numbers where Nubian musician Hamza El Din shared the stage with the band. There is one of these moments, but it cuts in just as El Din is about to leave the stage. Otherwise the audio portion confirms the Egypt shows’ reputation for being…ok. The video portion promises a much more compelling experience. The band looked great at this point (with the exception of Keith Godchaux who seems really out of it). Garcia is animated and wearing his hair in pigtails. Weir is deep in his L.A. phase and he looks like a movie star. Billy Kreutzman has one arm in a cast thus explaining some of the musical sluggishness. Donna Godchaux provides a wonderful visual counterpoint to the rest of the band which is something that is often forgotten about her tenure with the band - it kind of felt like a family. Unfortunately, the video sample I have is only four songs long, so it just gives a tantalizing glimpse into what looks like the ultimate vacation home-movie of the Grateful Dead. The visuals of the Sphinx in the distance while the band plays in front of a pyramid is pretty enticing stuff. Hopefully the full version will live up to the promise.
Graham Nash - Songs For Beginners Deluxe Edition
This album, released in the spring of 1971 really deserves the attention that Nash’s counterparts received in this heady era. Like Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name the album is loaded with the cream of players from the scene; Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, David Crosby, Dave Mason, David Lindley, Rita Coolidge and many others deliver warm and
memorable performances on a great batch of songs. Many of them stand up today as some of Nash’s best. “Military Madness,” “Chicago,” and “We Can Change The World” seem weirdly relevant to our current political situation, while “Better Days,” “Simple Man,” “There’s Only One” and especially the magnificent “I Used To Be A King” with a soaring pedal steel solo by Garcia are classic hippie fare.
The thing that really excited me about this reissue is the addition of a DVD with the entire album in a three-dimensional 5.1 mix. It is a completely different experience to step inside this album and have all the instruments cascading around in a circle. This technology has improved greatly and albums that have been properly produced for the medium are a rewarding experience indeed. I would suggest this album and Crosby’s Only Remember My Name… discs as the perfect albums to explore the world of surround sound. It truly is a step forward.
I received an advance version of the new Rocking The Cradle CD and DVD set and am a little mystified by what I have seen and heard. I am well familiar with these shows, having listened and watched unofficial versions for years. I was hopeful for a massive
upgrade in quality, or a complete version, or something. What I have says “Not Final Mixes” which is good because I had a few problems with the audio side of things. The quality was sub-par and the editing hard to understand. To me, the most interesting moments of these shows were the few numbers where Nubian musician Hamza El Din shared the stage with the band. There is one of these moments, but it cuts in just as El Din is about to leave the stage. Otherwise the audio portion confirms the Egypt shows’ reputation for being…ok. The video portion promises a much more compelling experience. The band looked great at this point (with the exception of Keith Godchaux who seems really out of it). Garcia is animated and wearing his hair in pigtails. Weir is deep in his L.A. phase and he looks like a movie star. Billy Kreutzman has one arm in a cast thus explaining some of the musical sluggishness. Donna Godchaux provides a wonderful visual counterpoint to the rest of the band which is something that is often forgotten about her tenure with the band - it kind of felt like a family. Unfortunately, the video sample I have is only four songs long, so it just gives a tantalizing glimpse into what looks like the ultimate vacation home-movie of the Grateful Dead. The visuals of the Sphinx in the distance while the band plays in front of a pyramid is pretty enticing stuff. Hopefully the full version will live up to the promise.Graham Nash - Songs For Beginners Deluxe Edition
This album, released in the spring of 1971 really deserves the attention that Nash’s counterparts received in this heady era. Like Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name the album is loaded with the cream of players from the scene; Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, David Crosby, Dave Mason, David Lindley, Rita Coolidge and many others deliver warm and
memorable performances on a great batch of songs. Many of them stand up today as some of Nash’s best. “Military Madness,” “Chicago,” and “We Can Change The World” seem weirdly relevant to our current political situation, while “Better Days,” “Simple Man,” “There’s Only One” and especially the magnificent “I Used To Be A King” with a soaring pedal steel solo by Garcia are classic hippie fare.The thing that really excited me about this reissue is the addition of a DVD with the entire album in a three-dimensional 5.1 mix. It is a completely different experience to step inside this album and have all the instruments cascading around in a circle. This technology has improved greatly and albums that have been properly produced for the medium are a rewarding experience indeed. I would suggest this album and Crosby’s Only Remember My Name… discs as the perfect albums to explore the world of surround sound. It truly is a step forward.
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