JQuery :: Cycle - How To Fade In First Set Of Images

I'm using Cycle to transition multiple (8) images at one time. I want to fade in the first 8. In a slideshow where only 1 image displays at a time, the Cycle FAQ advises using the following code to fade in the first image:

$(function() {
$('#slideshow img:first').fadeIn(1000, function() {
$('#slideshow').cycle();
});
});

This doesn't work on IE or Firefox at all; it kind of works on Safari, in thatthe fade actually works. However, this seems to have also changed the behavior of the slideshow. For some of the cycles, instead of sliding the slides off the page, it hides the old slides and slides in the new ones.