American Beauty

Grateful Dead - American Beauty

American Beauty
List Price: $11.98
Our Price: $6.24
You Save: $5.74 (48%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.10 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Listen soundtracks from this album



(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store

Music CD Cover

Artist: Grateful Dead
Brand: GRATEFUL DEAD
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2003-02-25
Music Label: Rhino
Soundtracks:
  1. Box of Rain
  2. Friend of the Devil
  3. Sugar Magnolia
  4. Operator
  5. Candyman
  6. Ripple
  7. Brokedown Palace
  8. Till the Morning Comes
  9. Attics of My Life
  10. Truckin'
  11. Truckin' [*]
  12. Friend of the Devil [*]
  13. Candyman [*]
  14. Till the Morning Comes [*]
  15. Attics of My Life [*]
  16. Truckin' [*]
  17. Bonus Track 1
  18. Bonus Track 2

Free Music Notes for American Beauty

Free Music Review: One of their most essential
Hit: 5 Stars

Three months after Workingman's Dead reached the shops, the Dead were in the studios for the second time that year, at Wally Heider's in San Francisco, to record its sequel, American Beauty, making 1970 probably the high water mark as far as their studio work is concerned. It was a time when a number of American-based musicians such as Dylan and the Band, the Byrds, the Flying Burritos, Ry Cooder, Van Morrison and others had been rediscovering their country's musical roots, unplugging their guitars and adding fiddles and button accordions to forge a new Americana. It was natural that the Dead should be associated with this movement since they had been long term students of folk, blues, jug band and bluegrass music even before they had begun their psychedelic explorations in the mid-sixties.

In Workingman's Dead they had shown themselves to be highly adept at mastering the demands of these structured and mostly acoustic musical forms with a collection of brilliant new songs, and the self-produced American Beauty, which came out in November 1970, proved that this was no fluke. If anything, the songs on American Beauty are even stronger and equally timeless.

Furthermore, the music is beautifully recorded by engineer Steve Barncard, with deep clarity and resonance, in a way that would expose any flaws or weaknesses in the singing and playing, should there have been any. The performances were live in the studio, with restrained overdubs added to the basic tracks by Jerry Garcia and guest musicians, and is a testament to their proficiency. The songs, with Robert Hunter's exquisite lyrics, are allowed to speak for themselves, with very little soloing, and Jerry Garcia mostly using his pedal steel guitar in place of his normal electric 6-string.

Songs such as Friend Of The Devil and Bob Weir's Sugar Magnolia became staples of the band's live repertoire, while Truckin' and the very beautiful Ripple were released on a single in January 1971 to become their biggest selling single to date. This is one of the most essential of all Grateful Dead albums.

This edition was re-mastered for the box set The Golden Road and became available separately in 2003. It benefits considerably from the improved mastering (especially if your CD or universal player supports HDCD). The album is also available elsewhere on DVD-Audio with a 5.1 surround mix prepared by Mickey Hart.

Additionally, this CD has been filled to the brim with 37 minutes worth of bonus tracks. In between the mono shortened single edits of Truckin' and Ripple (the latter a "hidden" track) are live versions of five of the songs from the album, three recorded in the summer of 1970, before the album's recording, and two shortly after in October and December. These are Till The Morning Comes and a rough and ready Truckin' (unfortunately from an original tape which is missing the opening chorus but which has some lovely guitar halfway through). Although there are live versions from the period of all these songs on other Grateful Dead records, none of these tracks has been previously released. They demonstrate how these songs change in a live setting and add a valuable coda to this most studio of albums.

American Beauty Poster

Expanded & remastered (HDCD) version of the band's 1970 classic featuring many of the Dead's best-known songs plus 6 bonus tracks 'Truckin' (single version) & 5 live tracks 'Friend of the Devil', 'Candyman', 'Till The Morning Comes', 'Attics of My Life' & 'Truckin'. Digipak. Warner/Rhino. 2003.
Who says discipline is a bad thing? No one who's heard American Beauty, the Dead's greatest studio achievement. Showcasing 10 concise, country-rooted gems that sound equally good whether you're hanging on the front porch in the afternoon or nursing a bottle after hours, this one could win over many an anti-Jerry. Bewildered by loss both personal and social--the hippie dream was quickly crashing by Beauty's 1970 release date--the band put its querulousness ("Box of Rain") and wry humor ("Truckin'") into the service of a masterwork. The most impressive cut of all may be "Ripple," Garcia's spiritual credo. --Rickey Wright
Who says discipline is a bad thing? No one who's heard American Beauty, the Dead's greatest studio achievement. Showcasing 10 concise, country-rooted gems that sound equally good whether you're hanging on the front porch in the afternoon or nursing a bottle after hours, this one could win over many an anti-Jerry. Bewildered by loss both personal and social--the hippie dream was quickly crashing by Beauty's 1970 release date--the band put its querulousness ("Box of Rain") and wry humor ("Truckin'") into the service of a masterwork. The most impressive cut of all may be "Ripple," Garcia's spiritual credo. --Rickey Wright

Classic Rock Music CDs

Music Genres
Top music charts in Classic Rock Music CDs
Wings at the Speed of Sound ImagePaul Mccartney, Wings - Wings at the Speed of Sound
Release date: 1996-09-24; Music CD
Best price: $288.22
Boxed ImageSmall Faces - Boxed
Release date: 1997-11-01; Music CD
Best price: $39.95
Gris Gris ImageDr John - Gris Gris
Release date: 1994-07-15; Music CD
Price in other shops: $18.98
Eric Clapton: Live in Hyde Park [VHS] ImageEric Clapton: Live in Hyde Park [VHS]
Warner Bros / Wea; Release date: 1998-02-17; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $13.50
Price in other shops: $19.98
Human Highway [VHS] ImageHuman Highway [VHS]
Warner Bros / Wea; Release date: 1995-08-08; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $153.94
The Monkees - Head [VHS] ImageThe Monkees - Head [VHS]
Rhino / Wea; Release date: 1995-01-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.40
Price in other shops: $14.98
Live & Loud [VHS] ImageOzzy Osbourne - Live & Loud [VHS]
Sony; Release date: 1993-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $3.96
Price in other shops: $14.98
Unplugged [VHS] ImageBruce Springsteen - Unplugged [VHS]
Sony; Release date: 1992-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $2.75
Price in other shops: $14.98
Peter Gabriel - P.O.V. [VHS] ImagePeter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel - P.O.V. [VHS]
Virgin Records Us; Release date: 1992-06-29; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $19.98
Past to Present [VHS] ImageToto - Past to Present [VHS]
Sony; Release date: 1991-07-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $77.99
Top Rated Albums
From the Mars Hotel (Dig) ImageGrateful Dead - From the Mars Hotel (Dig)
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2006-03-07; Music CD
Best price: $11.31
Price in other shops: $18.98
Wake of the Flood (Dig) ImageGrateful Dead - Wake of the Flood (Dig)
Release date: 2006-03-07; Music CD
Best price: $12.76
Price in other shops: $18.98
Aoxomoxoa ImageGrateful Dead - Aoxomoxoa
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2003-02-25; Music CD
Best price: $6.61
Price in other shops: $11.98
Europe 72 ImageGrateful Dead - Europe 72
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2003-03-25; Music CD
Best price: $16.91
Price in other shops: $24.98
Anthem of the Sun ImageGrateful Dead - Anthem of the Sun
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2003-02-25; Music CD
Best price: $4.46
Price in other shops: $7.98
Live / Dead ImageGrateful Dead - Live / Dead
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2003-02-25; Music CD
Best price: $4.53
Price in other shops: $7.98
Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) ImageGrateful Dead - Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2003-03-25; Music CD
Best price: $6.33
Price in other shops: $11.98
Grateful Dead ImageGrateful Dead - Grateful Dead
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2003-02-25; Music CD
Best price: $4.25
Price in other shops: $7.98
Workingman's Dead ImageGrateful Dead - Workingman's Dead
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2003-02-25; Music CD
Best price: $6.73
Price in other shops: $11.98
Very Best of Grateful Dead ImageGrateful Dead - Very Best of Grateful Dead
GRATEFUL DEAD; Release date: 2003-09-16; Music CD
Best price: $8.06
Price in other shops: $18.98
Compare prices and find music notes for more than one million Music CD titles