Apocalypse Now Sessions The Rhythm Devils

Director Francis Ford Coppola was in the process of conceptualizing his musical underpinnings of "Apocalypse Now" when he attended a Grateful Dead concert at the invitation of the late impresario Bill Graham. In the "Drums" segment of the evening, when Hart and Kreutzmann let loose with their percussive underworld of innovative instruments, he found the perfect accompaniment for his cinematic vision of the Apocalypse. Hart and Kreutzmann were recruited to bring together the myriad sounds and "colors" for this retelling of the primal myth.

To the subsequent 1979-80 sessions at the Grateful Dead's Marin County studios as well as Mickey's famous "Barn" in Novato, each musician contributed a personal selection of instruments and objects, resulting in a massive assemblage of possible sonic palettes. Instruments were arranged in sound groups, and the musicans moved among them as they watched the film being screened before them. This album is a collection of the resulting jungle of sound and passion, and features an extra track ("Kurtz") and an extended version ("Napalm for Breakfast") not included on the original LP release.

* Compound * Trenches * Street Gang * The Beast * Steps * Tar * Lance * Cave * Hell's Bells * Kurtz * Napalm For Breakfast Featured Musicians: Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzman. Instruments: Bird Percussion , Beam, Beast.