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Mickey Hart's Mystery Box

Mickey Hart

Initial release : June 1996

Rykodisc 10338

This Hart album merges percussion and song elements. Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics for all the songs. Bob Weir and Bruce Hornsby contribute to the music. The album is dedicated to Mickey Hart's mother, Leah, and to Jerry Garcia. Vince Welnick as credited as a musician who was involved in the project but does not appear on the final released recording.

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album cover

Tracks

  • Where Love Goes (Sito) (Hunter/Hart, Mint Juleps, Olatunji, Hidalgo, Hussain)
  • Full Steam Ahead (Hunter/Hart, Jenkins, Welnick, Mint Juleps, Hussain, Hidalgo, Adepoju)
  • Down the Road (Hunter/Hart, Hidalgo, Jenkins, Welnick)
  • The Sandman (Hunter/Hart, Hussian, Jenkins, Mint Juleps, Welnick)
  • The Next Step (Hunter/Hart, Jenkins, Welnick, Sterling, Hussian, Hidalgo, Adepoju)
  • Look Away (Hunter/Hart, Adepoju, Hidalgo, Mint Juleps)
  • Only the Strange Remain (Hart/Hunter)
  • Sangre de Cristo (Hunter/Hart, Hidalgo, Hussain, Jenkins, Welnick)
  • John Cage Is Dead (Hunter/Hart, Hidalgo, Hussain, Jenkins, Welnick)
  • Last Song (Hunter/Hart, Adepoju, Hidalgo, Mint Juleps)
Musicians

The CD booklet provides track by track musician information.

Where Love Goes (Sito);

  • Mickey Hart - drums, claps, timbales, high crystal percussion
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - bongos, timbale, cowbell
  • Zakir Hussain - dholak, shekere, duggi tarang, djembe
  • Sikiru Adepoju - talking drum
  • Habib Faye - bass
  • Jeff Sterling - synthesizer
  • Babatunde Olatunji - background vocals
Full Steam Ahead;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, beam, castanets
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - congas, metal percussion
  • Zakir Hussain - madal, dholak, metal percussion
  • Habib Faye - bass
  • Sikiru Adepoju - talking drum
  • Airto Moreira - split bamboo on sleigh bells
  • Jeff Sterling - synthesizer
Down the Road;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, cowbell, gourd, guiro, vocals
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Bruce Hornsby - accordion, background vocals
  • Habib Faye - bass
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - congas
  • Jeff Sterling - synthesizer
The Sandman;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, timbales, vocals
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Zakir Hussain - octobon, madals
  • Mark Smith - bass
  • Bob Weir - guitar
  • Robin Millar - marimba
  • Jeff Sterling - burundi drums
  • Airto Moreira - caxixi
  • Sikiru Adepoju - talking drum
The Next Step;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, chains, hoop drums, low bass drum (the beast - homeplate), bird whistles, synthesizer
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Zakir Hussain - udu
  • Habib Faye - bass
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - congas
  • Sikiru Adepoju - talking drum
Look Away;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, sandpaper, shekere, shakers, finger snaps
  • Taro Hart - drums
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - congas, bata
  • Zakir Hussain - shekere, finger snaps
  • Mark Smith - bass
  • Sikiru Adepoju - talking drum
  • Airto Moreira - sleigh bells, springs, percussion
  • Jeff Sterling - synthesizer strings, low bamboo
Only the Strange Remain;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, udu, chains, wine glasses, devil chasers, synthesizer, berimbau, cymbals, bells, vocals
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - congas, guiro, bells, springs
  • Graham Wiggins - didjeridoo
  • The Gyuto Monks Tantric Choir - vocals
  • Robin Millar - sine bass, computer vocals
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - congas, bata
Sangre de Cristo;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, angklungs, berimbau, dumbek
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - bata
  • Zakir Hussain - dholak, dimri
  • Mark Smith - bass, synthesizer
  • Robin Millar - sine bass
  • Jeff Sterling - synthesizer strings
John Cage Is Dead;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, prepared piano, noise, metal saw high hat, djembe, vocals
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - congas, djembe
  • Zakir Hussain - djembe
  • Habib Faye - bass
  • Jeff Sterling - door stoppers, prepared piano sequence
  • Robin Millar - keyboards
Last Song;
  • Mickey Hart - drums, synthesizer, surdo, dumbek
  • Mint Juleps - vocals
  • Sikiru Adepoju - talking drum
  • Airto Moreira - clacker
  • Mark Smith - bass
  • Jeff Sterling - synthesizer, keyboards
  • Giovanni Hidalgo - congas, cowbell
  • Babatunde Olatunji - shekere
Other musicians were involved in the project that lead to the release of the CD but do not appear on the music finally released. These musicians are credited in the CD booklet as follows.

This work started out as a probe into an uncharted world of music. On the journey these songs mutated into their current forms. I would like to acknowledge the creative contributions of the following musicians who helped us along the path to the final versions of the songs contained on this recording:

  • Dave Jenkins
  • Vince Welnick
  • Bobby Vega
  • David Garibaldi
  • Babtunde Olatunji
  • Chalo Eduardo
  • Scott Vornvolakis
  • Rodolfo Ortiz
  • Jorge Bermudez
  • Dennis broughton
  • Carter Beaufort
  • Malonga Casquelourd
  • Vince Delgardo
  • Raul Rekow
  • Armando Peraza
  • Mimi Spencer
  • Emil Richards
Credits

  • Producer - Mickey Hart
  • Co-producer - Robin Millar
  • Recording and mix engineer - Tom Flye
  • Mixing - Mickey Hart, Robin Millar
  • Second engineer - Jeff Sterling
  • Additional engineer - Bob Levy, Wayne Pooley, Jen Monnar
  • Programming - Andrew Scheps, Mark Smith, Jeff Sterling
  • Technical Support - Jack Crymes
  • Mastering - Joe Gastwirt
  • Production management and coordination - Howard Cohen
  • Production consultant - Barry Melton
  • Photographic illustration (front cover and tray card) - Karen R. Ollis
  • Band photography - John Werner, Jay Blakesberg, Verna Gillis
  • Design - Steven Jurgensmeyer
  • Artists management - Cameron Sears
  • Rainforest ambience and birds recorded by Steven Feld in Bosavi, Papua New Guinea
A lengthy list of 'Special Thanks' and 'Thanks' are included in the CD booklet.

The album is dedicated as follows;

This recording is dedicated to the loving memory of my mother, Leah, who taught me how to drum, and to Jerry Garcia, a great lover of noise.
Notes

One verse of the song Down The Road refers to Jerry Garcia:

From the corner of my eye I saw the sun explode
I didn't look directly 'cause it would have burned my soul
When the smoke and thunder cleared enough to look around
I heard a sweet guitar lick, an old familiar sound
I heard a laugh I recognised come rolling from the earth
Saw it rise into the skies like lightning giving birth
It sounded like Garcia but I couldn't see the face
Just the beard and the glass and a smile on empty space
Related releases

Where Love Goes (Sito) and Down The Road were included on;

At least two promotional released were distributed in conjunction with Mystery Box;

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