Cryptical Envelopment - Grateful Dead Song Review

"Cryptical" is a cool song that I think someone told me was completely written by Garcia (words and lyrics) - interestingly the very last song reviewed (Cream Puff War) is the only other GD song that I know of that falls into this category. Here is the memorable opening line:

The other day they waited, the sky was dark and faded,
Solemnly they stated, "He has to die, you know he has to die."

Cryptical Envelopment is probably thought by most people to be part of The Other One - and it most definitely is, but of all the various parts of The Other One that were listed on the original track listing for Anthem of the Sun, Cryptical Envelopment is the only one I consider to really stand on it's own (as opposed to sections like Quadliblet for Tender Feet which were merely named as separate tracks as part of a ploy to increase royalties).

Cryptical has a circular feel to it and otherworldly lyrics. It is a really cool song fragment and I think it could have been a song that stood on its own although it does provide a great intro to The Other One. The song was played well over a hundred tunes between 1967 and 1972 and then dropped from the repertoire until it made a reappearance in 1985 for several shows.

Also don't forget that when they finish the other one it returns to the Cryptical theme:

And when the day had ended, with rainbow colors blended,
Their minds remained unbended,
He had to die, oh, you know he had to die.

Then Jerry goes off and wails: "You know he had to dieeeeeeeee....." This is one of the earliest examples of him taking a phrase and repeating it several times with more and more emphasis, so I always enjoy hearing it.

Cryptical Envelopment Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.5

Disclaimer: This is part of my review of every Grateful Dead song from A-Z. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).

Anthem of the Sun - Grateful Dead Album Review

Anthem of the Sun - NOW we're talking....

After a pretty tame and commercial debut record (reviewed here) the Grateful Dead emerged from the studio with a hodge podge of sound effects, live tracks, and studio sessions called Anthem of the Sun (and often referred to as merely Anthem)

You can tell as soon as you compare the difference in the album cover artwork between the two that The Dead were going to bring a more authentic and experimental offering to the table. Indeed Anthem was far from "playing it safe" like the debut and seems like it would be borderline inaccessible to the average music listener. There are long periods of dissonance, feedback, sound effects, and the like.

Side one is dominated by The Other One and it starts out with the gorgeous Cryptical Envelopment section sung by Jerry (is this another "song" written in complete by Garcia - words and lyrics?). I am a huge fan of Cryptical and I love hearing it on bootlegs to get the full effect of The Other One. This studio version does not disappoint with some great effects on Garcia's voice and beautiful overdubbed instruments.

Then it launches into The Other One, and as the studio recorded portion blends in with the live concert recordings there is a bit of cumbersome murkiness to the album which has not stood the test of time all that well. The Other One is a prolific Grateful Dead tune that would be played hundreds of time throughout their almost thirty year run. I will not discuss the numerous "sub tracks" that are listed for The Other One on the Anthem liner notes, I've never liked these names and if I remember correctly I read they were really created to get more royalties from the record company (to give the appearance that more tracks were on the album).

The Other One fades out with some gorgeously terrifying sound effects including prepared piano courtesy of Tom Constanten and then New Potato Caboose begins. This song has a great mellow vibe to it and I am surprised it wasn't more of a favorite for me in the past as I listen to it now. There is some nice harpsichord and the very recognizable Bobby Weir opening line:

Last Leaf Fallen...

New Potato Caboose rolls on for a little while and sounds like it becomes a live concert recording (like The Other One before it) and there is a little bit more of lo-fi sounding music but definitely a small price to pay for a creative blend of music.

I've reviewed Born Cross Eyed on the blog before and frankly this song is interesting with it's fairly complex structure and numerous surprising punches, twists, and turns but not a real standout (is that mariachi trumpet I hear at the 1:20 mark?).

The second side features the absolutely fantastic medley of: Alligator and Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks). I've reviewed both of these songs on the blog but will say again that this acid rock at its finest. I have no idea what is recorded in the studio and what is from a concert recording in this track but it doesn't matter to me, I just like to crank it up and enjoy the Good ol' Grateful Dead at their finest. Some of the piano that is overdubbed is so beautiful during Alligator, it has almost the feel of a montuno and then the drums section definitely also has some afro-cuban overtones with a clave beat among other things.

Anthem of the Sun is a masterpiece. Every time I listen to this album I hear something new. How often can you say that about an album?


Anthem of the Sun Album Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.4

Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).