American Beauty (50th Anniversary Edition LP)

American Beauty (50th Anniversary Edition LP) cover $45.00 Out of Stock
6+ weeks
add to cart more by this artist

Grateful Dead
American Beauty (50th Anniversary Edition LP)

[ Rhino / Warner / LP ]

Release Date: Friday 30 October 2020

This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.

With 1970's Workingman's Dead, the Grateful Dead went through an overnight metamorphosis, turning abruptly from tripped-out free-form rock toward sublime acoustic folk and Americana. Taking notes on vocal harmonies from friends Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Dead used the softer statements of their fourth studio album as a subtle but moving reflection on the turmoil, heaviness, and hope America's youth was facing as the idealistic '60s ended. American Beauty was recorded just a few months after its predecessor, both expanding and improving on the bluegrass, folk, and psychedelic country explorations of Workingman's Dead with some of the band's most brilliant compositions. The songs here have a noticeably more relaxed and joyous feel. Having dived headfirst into this new sound with the previous album, the band members found the summit of their collaborative powers here, with lyricist Robert Hunter penning some of his most poetic work, Jerry Garcia focusing more on gliding pedal steel than his regular electric lead guitar work, and standout lead vocal performances coming from Bob Weir.

While the Dead eventually amassed a following so devoted that following the band from city to city became the center of many people's lives, the majority of the band's magic came in the boundless heights it reached in its live sets but rarely managed to capture in the studio setting. American Beauty is a categorical exception to this, offering a look at the Dead transcending even their own exploratory heights and making some of their most powerful music by examining their most gentle and restrained impulses. It's easily the masterwork of their studio output, and a strong contender for the best music the band ever made, even including the countless hours of live shows captured on tape in the decades that followed. - AllMusic

Tracks:

Side A:
Box of Rain
Friend of the Devil
Sugar Magnolia
Operator
Candyman

Side B:
Ripple
Brokedown Palace
Till the Morning Comes
Attics of My Life
Truckin'