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The Grateful Dead produced some of the most extraordinary and innovative music ever to fall under the general heading of "rock". In fact a blend of exploratory jazz, folk, rock & roll and world music all bound together by the purest improvisatory psychedelia, few bands have attempted music of such scope and ambition. The problem was that although they could often produce music of this stature live, their inspiration nearly always crumbled when faced with a studio setting. The exceptions that proves the rule, American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, are the band's finest studio excursions. They contain more excellent songs, better performed, than any other two albums of theirs. Featuring a smooth electric/acoustic mix of instrumentation spiced by pedal steel and mandolin, American Beauty harks back to their folk and jug-band days of the mid-60s. Besides the stunning harmonies--which owe a debt to David Crosby's coaching--and the band's outstanding songwriting ability, it's Robert Hunter's lyrics which raise this album to classic status. Songs such as "Truckin" (a true story of life on the road with the Dead in early 1970), "Box Of Rain", "Friend of the Devil", "Brokedown Palace", "Attics of My Life" and the magnificent "Ripple" contain some of Hunter's most direct and compelling verses. For those who might want to hear where the Grateful Dead could take songs like these on a good day, however, an attempt should be made to get some of the many live recordings now available.--James Swift
Product Description
Heavyweight 180gm vinyl LP pressing of this album. Rhino. 2011.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Justin Allen
Format:Audio CD
This was the first Dead cd I bought and I loved it right away. Classics like Truckin, Candyman, and the great overlooked song, Operator, and the live songs are awesome to listen to. Any fan of classic rock should own this.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
What can I say about this album? In my opinion it's one of the best Dead albums ever made. I know that's up for debate, because they made so many albums, but this one seems to have such a cohesivness and rock solid feel to it, it's hard to think otherwise.
I've been a dead head for a long time, at least since the very early stuff they did. For starters, I've never seen another band that in my opinion is as versital as The Grateful Dead. Start with their first album. They just seemed to be kicking to get out of the stall. Then get into Anthum of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa. Now, down the road here we get back to their roots and have an album called American Beauty, and boy what a beauty it is. What a colection of songs, finely crafted and very cohesive together. Still, they have the variety and style of the one and only, Grateful Dead. How could you not like a song like Sugar Magnolia, or the bluegrass oriented Friend of the Devil. It's almost too much fun for one album. Then you get soulful with songs like Box of Rain and Ripple. In the words of good old American slang: "It just don't get no better than this". These guys can play their ass off on songs like Dark Star and Turn on your love light, then turn around and do something like Box of Rain or Ripple. What a nice transition. To me this just shows the incredible versitility of the band called "The Grateful Dead" Long live The Grateful Dead. They'll stretch you're musical horizons.
I've been a dead head for a long time, at least since the very early stuff they did. For starters, I've never seen another band that in my opinion is as versital as The Grateful Dead. Start with their first album. They just seemed to be kicking to get out of the stall. Then get into Anthum of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa. Now, down the road here we get back to their roots and have an album called American Beauty, and boy what a beauty it is. What a colection of songs, finely crafted and very cohesive together. Still, they have the variety and style of the one and only, Grateful Dead. How could you not like a song like Sugar Magnolia, or the bluegrass oriented Friend of the Devil. It's almost too much fun for one album. Then you get soulful with songs like Box of Rain and Ripple. In the words of good old American slang: "It just don't get no better than this". These guys can play their ass off on songs like Dark Star and Turn on your love light, then turn around and do something like Box of Rain or Ripple. What a nice transition. To me this just shows the incredible versitility of the band called "The Grateful Dead" Long live The Grateful Dead. They'll stretch you're musical horizons.
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
I wonder sometimes what motivates people to say what they do and why. This CD is a desert island disc, or , if you only had 10 cd's to own, or, if you wanted to pick out music that was the most significant and important in rock n roll history, this is one of them. And this is not coming from a "Deadhead". This album is a gem. Not one bad tune. It re-defined the role of American themes and genres in a contemporary setting. It is a record almost perfect : we should all be so lucky if someone down the line could produce something equally as significant.
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4.8 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
American Beauty
Vintage Grateful Dead. I was overjoyed to find this CD on Amazon, since the original album was so meaningful to me back in the day.
Published on Jan 30 2010 by Lynne
5.0 out of 5 stars
1970's Deadly one-two punch!
So what if the Dead (or the 70's for that matter) never got better than this. American Beauty along with Workingman's Dead are astonishing works of sonic bliss. Read more
Published on May 20 2004 by Ed Kaz
4.0 out of 5 stars
One great studio CD from a legendary band
I was NEVER a fan of the Dead until the past few years, as I have gotten into more mellow music and jam bands, and began to rediscover the past music that I either ignored or... Read more
Published on May 14 2004 by The Bas
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Studio Dead
This is their best studio album. What more can I say? Brokedown Palace may be the most beautiful rock song of all time. A must.
Published on May 12 2004 by John Candy
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Let there be songs...to fill the air!"
"It's the same story the crow told me it's the only one he knows..." Yes, we have heard the story. You know... Read more
Published on April 7 2004 by Kenneth M. Gelwasser
5.0 out of 5 stars
always wonderful
I'm now 21, and this has been my favorite album since I was 13. Definitly something worth having.
Published on April 6 2004 by "amazonvalkryie"
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Greatful Dead Studio Album!
This is by far the best studio album The Greatful Dead ever recorded. Workingman was good but this is just that much better. Read more
Published on Feb 17 2004 by Morton
5.0 out of 5 stars
The title of the album says it all...
The Grateful Dead have made many, many albums but this has got to be the best and essential album. If you are interested in listening to the Grateful Dead at all buy this album... Read more
Published on Dec 6 2003 by dave
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's Not Live!
O.K.--it's the Grateful Dead, but... you really need to hear live stuff to fully appreciate them. There are several good songs on this album, most notably being Truckin', Friend of... Read more
Published on Nov 30 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
A studio masterpiece from the quintessential live band
The Dead sound has never been captured in a studio but American Beauty was undoubtedly their best studio album if not the best country/folk/rock album ever released. Read more
Published on Nov 28 2003 by R. J. Marsella
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