Okay, so this is the obvious Dead pick, right? Yeah, but that's because it's so damn good. This record came out in 1970, just 5 months after its sister record, "Workingman's Dead". Both records were a departure of sorts from the band's psychedelic-blues-rock sound, showing a more pastoral side of their sound with forays into country and bluegrass, two of the many styles of music which influenced the Dead. Both records also contained many eventual concert favorites. I have a closer affinity to American Beauty, and count it as one of my favorite albums of all time.
The opener is the stunning Phil Lesh song "Box of Rain" with a typically touching and enigmatic Robert Hunter lyric. Lesh wrote the tune for his dying father and Hunter penned the lyric with this in mind. It's my favorite song on the LP, but there's no let down after track one. "Friend of the Devil" is next, one of the most enduring Dead tunes with it's lilting acoustic guitars and evocative lyrics. It's that bittersweet mixture of acoustic instrumentation (most notably mandolin and Jerry's wonderful pedal steel) and Hunter's distinctive, psychedelic Americana (he wrote the lyrics to all but one of the songs) that make this record so indelible.
The opener is the stunning Phil Lesh song "Box of Rain" with a typically touching and enigmatic Robert Hunter lyric. Lesh wrote the tune for his dying father and Hunter penned the lyric with this in mind. It's my favorite song on the LP, but there's no let down after track one. "Friend of the Devil" is next, one of the most enduring Dead tunes with it's lilting acoustic guitars and evocative lyrics. It's that bittersweet mixture of acoustic instrumentation (most notably mandolin and Jerry's wonderful pedal steel) and Hunter's distinctive, psychedelic Americana (he wrote the lyrics to all but one of the songs) that make this record so indelible.
"Sugar Magnolia" would be a concert favorite for the rest of Bob Weir's ongoing career, and it's delightful here in it's 3 minute form. Likewise, "Truckin'", "Candyman", "Brokedown Palace" and "Ripple" would all join Sugar Mag at the top of the Dead's canon. Unlike many other GD albums, in which songs often seem to be rendered tame and limp by the constraints of the recording process, on "American Beauty" the songs truly shine thanks to intricate playing (with guest appearances by David Grisman and members of New Riders of the Purple Sage) and excellent production by the band. Highlights abound, from the pedal steel on "Candyman", to Grisman's mandolin on "Ripple", to the almost too-sweet harmonies on "Attics of My Life" to Phil and Pigpen's great vocal turns on "Box of Rain" and "Operator", respectively.
The appropriately folk/psych cover art is by Kelley and Mouse, and on it the word Beauty can also be read as Reality.
I bought this particular LP as part of the recently released box of the Dead's first five studio albums on 180-gram vinyl. Perhaps we'll see one or two more from that set in upcoming spins.
I bought this particular LP as part of the recently released box of the Dead's first five studio albums on 180-gram vinyl. Perhaps we'll see one or two more from that set in upcoming spins.
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