American Beauty [Fruit Punch Colored Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]

by Grateful Dead

Overview

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 bandmembers 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 (on the anthem to hippie love "Sugar Magnolia"), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (on the husky blues of "Operator"), and Phil Lesh (on the near-perfect opening tune, "Box of Rain"). This album also marked the beginning of what would become a long musical friendship between Garcia and Dave Grisman, whose mandolin playing adds depth and flavor to tracks like the outlaw country-folk of "Friend of the Devil" and the gorgeously devotional "Ripple." American Beauty eventually spawned the band's highest charting single -- "Truckin'," the greasy blues-rock tribute to nomadic counterculture -- but it also contained some of their most spiritual and open-hearted sentiments ever, their newfound love of intricate vocal arrangements finding pristine expression on the lamenting "Brokedown Palace" and the heavenly nostalgia and gratitude of "Attics of My Life." 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. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2024
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0081227813635

Tracks

1. Box of Rain
2. Friend of the Devil
3. Sugar Magnolia
4. Operator
5. Candyman
6. Ripple
7. Broken Down Palace
8. Till Morning Comes
9. Attics of My Life
10. Truckin

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Grateful Dead   Primary Artist
New Riders of the Purple Sage   Guest Artist
David Grisman   Guest Artist,Mandolin
Dave Nelson   Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Electric)
Bill Kreutzmann   Drums
Bob Weir   Guitar,Vocals
David Nelson   Guitar (Electric)
Howard Wales   Organ,Piano,Keyboards
Jerry Garcia   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Pedal Steel,Guitar (Steel)
Ned Lagin   Piano,Keyboards
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan   Drums,Vocals,Harmonica,Keyboards
Phil Lesh   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Mickey Hart   Drums,Percussion
Dave Torbet   Bass
Dave Torbert   Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric)
Stephen Barncard   Co-Producer
Dave Nelson & the King's Men   Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Grateful Dead   Audio Production,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Allen Jones   Composer,Composer
Alvertis Isbell   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Betty Cantor   Engineer
Bill Kreutzmann   Composer,Producer
Bob Weir   Composer,Producer
Kevin Moore   Composer
David Lemieux   Producer
Chuck Berry   Composer
Joe Gastwirt   Producer,Pre-Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Fred Foster   Composer
Elmore James   Composer
Greg Allen   Reissue Design,Reissue Art Director
Steve Woolard   Project Assistant
John Phillips   Composer
Hugh Brown   Reissue Art Director
Jeffrey Norman   Mixing,Engineer
Jerry Garcia   Composer,Producer
Marshall Sehorn   Composer
Merle Haggard   Composer
Otis Redding   Composer
Norman Petty   Composer
Steve Hall   Stereo Master,Mastering
Luther Dixon   Composer
John Dawson   Composer
David McLees   Executive Producer
Robin Hurley   Producer
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan   Composer,Producer
Robert Hunter   Composer,Producer,Songwriter
Phil Lesh   Composer,Producer
Mel London   Composer
Mickey Hart   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Sound Design,Remix Producer
Rachel Gutek   Reissue Design,Reissue Art Director
Dave Collins   Pre-Mastering Assistant,Assistant Mastering Engineer
Amalie R. Rothschild   Photography
Vanessa Atkins   Editorial Supervision
Buddy Holly   Composer
Daniel Goldmark   Editorial Research
Tom Flye   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering Supervisor
Al Smith   Composer,Composer
David Gans   Liner Notes
Henry Diltz   Photography
Stephen Barncard   Producer,Audio Supervisor
Bob Matthews   Engineer
Kris Kristofferson   Composer
James Austin   Producer
Ginger Dettman   Project Assistant
Fred Ordower   Photography
Jimmy Edwards   Production Manager
Herbert Greene   Photography
Mouse Studios   Design
Michael Wesley Johnson   Associate Producer
Steve Pokorny   Project Assistant
Stanley Mouse   Photography
Rudson Shurtliff   Engineer
Peter McQuaid   Executive Producer
Charles Harding   Composer