No band has had more available music than that of Grateful Dead.  From every new unearthed, re-mastered, and revitalized Live album, the band has inserted fresh volumes of their music into the stream of Dead music.  It’s a mystique of sorts that amazes and pleases.

In 1978, Grateful Dead took a trip to Egypt to perform at the Cradle of Civilization (hence the title – Rocking the Cradle) at the base of the Great Pyramid, and near the Sphinx.  Already, this concert was becoming an historic affair, unmatched by its proximity to great wonders of the world.  The performances over three nights yielded plenty of music but much would be marred by technical issues, which likely explains why we never heard these shows in official release until now, decades after the event.

Rhino put together a magnificent package with 2 CDs of music and a bonus DVD of accumulated footage, most from the final night of the concert sets.  Upon opening the set, you surprisingly experience a pop-up of The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid along with pictures of various stages of a lunar eclipse (which actually happened).  There is a shaped sand design of the Dead skull logo in the center which makes for a nice overall presentation use of the digipak set.  This artistic creation underscores further the effective and necessary use of digipaks as an enduring and memorable art form.

Inside, there is an ample 20-page booklet with an informative essay by Alan Trist, which encompasses 12 pages.  The rest is filled with historic photos and concert memorabilia like all-access passes for the band, programs, etc.  Pockets carry all of the discs and the booklet in the four-panel dual-fold package.

There are 18 performances over two CDs, all sounding as clean as possible.  However, the songs are delivered in a less than excited mode.  Whether that was the heat of the day that had drained the pluck from the band or the exhaustion of set-up, or even energy-draining visits to monuments and other locales, the show still went on and was played in professional manner.  You can sense tiredness in the band’s performances, none more recognizable than in their soft cover of Womack’s “It’s All Over Now.”  But then again, we’re talking about Grateful Dead here.  Even if their performances were tired, the shows were unique in their presentation and location.  And, in all actuality, the songs here are fun to listen to.  There are also performances of songs from their upcoming album, the 1978 Arista released album of Shakedown Street.  Those include “New, New Minglewood Blues,” “Stagger Lee,” “I Need a Miracle,” “Fire on the Mountain,” and “Shakedown Street.”

Historically, the added DVD included within this package really helps make the set ‘come alive.’  It’s a feature that I wish many releases from other bands would replicate as it just seems to up the value level.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching the filmed show, which is not bad visually, and has very good audio.  But most importantly, it gives you the proverbial front-row seat at an unusual show in an unusual location.  There are 13 performances pieces here, all fun to watch.  With occasional turns of the cameras to focus in on dancing audience members and awed fans packed at the front of the stage, the film provides a good look at a time when music and The Grateful Dead were essential parts of a shared culture.  There is an extra feature tucked into the DVD called The Vacation Tapes.  Within this Super 8 film, there are snippets of the members of the band as they take in sights.  In addition, the short film covers the concert set-up efforts, some photo stills, etc, all over a soundtrack of songs from the show.  Together, the DVD is a trip to another place, another time.

Rocking the Cradle- Egypt 1978 represents another Live set within an already vast collection of Live works, a stage that suits The Dead as well as any other.  Given the historical aspect of this set of shows, its release gives us a front row seat to the event that we would not otherwise have enjoyed.  And for that alone, this album is worth its slot space in your library.