Infrared Sightings
Encyclopedia
Infrared Sightings is a video by the Grateful Dead
, consisting of computer animation
and other imagery set to music from their album Infrared Roses
. It was released on VHS
video tape and on laserdisc
in 1992
, and is 18 minutes long.
Infrared Roses is known to fans as "the all Drums and Space album". Produced by Grateful Dead sound designer Bob Bralove, it contains free form improvisational
music recorded live at a number of different Dead concerts.
The visuals for Infrared Sightings combine computer generated images, many of them abstract
, with found footage
that has been altered or edited in various ways. The video is therefore somewhat reminiscent of the light shows that were projected on large screens at many Grateful Dead concerts.
", "Playing in the Band
", "Not Fade Away
", "Sugar Magnolia
", and "Friend of the Devil
". As explained above, the soundtrack of Infrared Sightings actually is made up of sections of different performances of the free form musical improvisation known as "Drums" and "Space". Allmovie also incorrectly lists the release date of the video as 1995.
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, consisting of computer animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
and other imagery set to music from their album Infrared Roses
Infrared Roses
Infrared Roses is a live compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It is a conglomeration of their famous improvisational segments "Drums" and "Space."...
. It was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
video tape and on laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
in 1992
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
, and is 18 minutes long.
Infrared Roses is known to fans as "the all Drums and Space album". Produced by Grateful Dead sound designer Bob Bralove, it contains free form improvisational
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
music recorded live at a number of different Dead concerts.
The visuals for Infrared Sightings combine computer generated images, many of them abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
, with found footage
Found footage
Found footage is a filmmaking term which describes a method of compiling films partly or entirely of footage which has not been created by the filmmaker, and changing its meaning by placing it in a new context. It should not be mistaken for documentary or compilation films. It is also not to be...
that has been altered or edited in various ways. The video is therefore somewhat reminiscent of the light shows that were projected on large screens at many Grateful Dead concerts.
Infrared Sightings on Allmovie
The Allmovie entry for Infrared Sightings http://allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:178339 erroneously states that the video includes the songs "Truckin'Truckin'
"Truckin'" is a song by the Grateful Dead, which first appeared on their 1970 album American Beauty. It was recognized by the United States Library of Congress in 1997 as a national treasure....
", "Playing in the Band
Playing in the Band
"Playing in the Band" is a Grateful Dead song. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir composed it. The song first emerged in embryonic form on the self-titled 1971 live album Grateful Dead...
", "Not Fade Away
Not Fade Away (song)
"Not Fade Away" is a song credited to Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and first recorded by Holly's band The Crickets in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957...
", "Sugar Magnolia
Sugar Magnolia
"Sugar Magnolia" is a song by the Grateful Dead. Written by Robert Hunter and Bob Weir, it is one of the most well-known songs by the band, alongside such hits as "Truckin'," "Casey Jones," "Uncle John's Band," and "Touch of Grey."...
", and "Friend of the Devil
Friend of the Devil
"Friend of the Devil" is a song recorded by the Grateful Dead. The music was written by Jerry Garcia and John Dawson and the lyrics are by Robert Hunter. It is the second track of the Dead's 1970 album American Beauty....
". As explained above, the soundtrack of Infrared Sightings actually is made up of sections of different performances of the free form musical improvisation known as "Drums" and "Space". Allmovie also incorrectly lists the release date of the video as 1995.
Track listing
- intro – FreeQuency Beach
- part 1 – Underwatermelons (music: "Riverside Rhapsody")
- part 2 – Synchronations (music: "Post-Modern Highrise Table Top Stomp")
- part 3 – Yes I Kandinsky (music: "Infrared Roses")
Musicians
- Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
– guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Mickey HartMickey HartMickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Bill KreutzmannBill KreutzmannBill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
– drums, percussion - Phil LeshPhil LeshPhillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Brent MydlandBrent MydlandBrent Mydland was the fourth keyboardist to play for the American rock band the Grateful Dead. He was with the band for eleven years, longer than any other keyboardist.- Early life :...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Bob WeirBob WeirBob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
– guitar
Production
- Len Dell'Amico, Larry Lachman – directors, producers
- Fritz Perlberg – executive producer
- Bob Bralove – music producer
- Maury Rosenfeld — spatio-temporal opto-orchestrator
- Fred Raimondi – visual effects and creative entity
- Sam Hamann – electronic paintmeister
- David Tristram – electropaint graphics programmer/artist
- Steve Burr, "Mad" Johnny Modell – intro sound design
- Quency – special animated appearance