Grateful Dead – American Beauty (1970)

The fifth studio album by the Grateful Dead and a major commercial success, hitting #30 on the Billboard charts and doing their best to incorporate Crosby, Stills & Nash into their country-rock sound, mellowing out considerably in the process.

1. "Box of Rain" - 5:18
2. "Friend of the Devil" - 3:24
3. "Sugar Magnolia" - 3:19
4. "Operator" - 2:25
5. "Candyman" - 6:14

6. "Ripple" - 4:09
7. "Brokedown Palace" - 4:09
8. "Till the Morning Comes" - 3:08
9. "Attics of My Life" - 5:12
10. "Truckin'" - 5:03

Cecily's Review

Personal Background: I used to listen to Slacker radio - anyone remember them? I added all kinds of bands I wasn't familiar with and it did a good job giving me a feel for their work. Anyway, one day it played 'Box of Rain' by the Grateful Dead and I was transported. Went to Amazon, bought this CD on the strength of one track.

Resonance: There's some good stuff here but none of it matches up to the opening track, 'Box of Rain.' Warm and wistful with a simple piano riff driving the song, this is my favorite of all their works and I doubt it will ever be replaced. Somehow it just sticks with me and all my cares fall away until its closing notes. What is it about this song? Just some illusive magic tailored to my brain waves, because I can't explain it. As for the other songs, 'Candyman' is stark and creepy, probably due to the sickly-sweet delivery. It takes a REAL psychopath to sing like that, am I right? The ramblin' country ballads are hit or miss. The pseudo-philosophy of the lyrics (check out 'Ripple') and snatches of folk melodies in the midst of their hippie constructs have a soothing quality, sunny and untroubled. When I'm not in the mood (and to be honest the mood rarely stays alive for the duration of the album) it starts to feel really inadequate. At its best, American Beauty is very nice. There's still room in the world for nice records, isn't there? 3/5

Design: The Grateful Dead do not interest me very much. Mostly they sound like a house band that somehow made good. The singers aren't interesting, the songwriting is just okay, the musicianship is average to my ears and yet there's this giant cult around them. Never understood it. This album gets off to a beautiful start but it doesn't really go anywhere from there, meandering its way to 'Truckin.' This is a common problem with albums that put their best song first. 3/5

Utility: This one works best with housework or maybe an art project. Completely inoffensive, no wonder it was such a big hit. Boring on the road - yes, even 'Truckin.' I would much rather hear 'The Passenger' or 'Turn the Page.' 3/5

Conclusion: 9/15. Completely middle of the road. Just squeaks into the collection. Workingman's Dead and Aoxomoxoa had better start praying for 9s because I think I just found my lower limit on this rating scale.

Best: Box of Rain.

Worst: Attics of My Life is the definition of soporific. I think they were going for heavenly. Sorry dudes.

See Also: According to this guy, the cult leader of the Deadheads was not the band but the drugs. What a surprise. https://classicsdujour.com/explaining-grateful-dead/

Ticharu's Review

Personal Background: I routinely write bands off before ever giving them a proper listen. That's what I did with The Grateful Dead. When they released Terrapin Station I thought the album was terribly commercial, sub-par and not of the moment. I had Blues For Allah in my collection but had only listened to it once. With the advent of punk rock, all the old hippy music had to go, most of it anyway. The Grateful Dead joined the bin where I put the rest of the unwanted and unloved. However, I was aware all through the 80s and 90s that Deadheads were the people to know if you wanted quality psychedelics. I knew a few. Why were they so into this band? I could never get a "straight" answer.

Resonance: During a fit of nostalgia early in the 2000s I ran across the American Beauty CD at Cheapo's (Lake Street, Uptown) and included it in the weekly haul. B wasn't entertaining the prospect of listening to this with me so I listened on my own in my little basement room and was completely transported. I liked hippies a lot. They were colourful when the world was still black n white. They loved everybody except "the man" who was always trying to hold them down. So yes, the emotional resonance was quite strong with me (feel the resonance) but for the intellectual resonance I will need to listen to this again. Fortunately, I've got the MP3s... but since my ears are completely hatched from so many years of abuse I will not be listening on headphones so must wait with the rest of this "review" until I can play the files on speakers.
  After listening to this just now I kind of think I may have only listened to the full CD that one time on my own. Maybe I just played the handful of outstanding tracks once or twice after that. For what it's worth, my observations on why I like this band... They have a unique sound, that being their voices, no one else sounds like The Grateful Dead. Their voices are dry and sometimes strained. They sound old and world weary and manage to make their hippy themes sound like the themes of ancient cowboys, the revels and strange concerns of travellers eons past. The way they play is never amazing, never edgy, just consistent and filled with improv. I'd score this 5/5 for resonance but that's not to say every song speaks to me.

Design: For me this album could have been combined with Workingman's Dead, the best of both and you'd have one very strong record. Or, better yet, some longer jams on the best tracks here and dump most of side two. That would have been really good but probably wouldn't have sold as well. 3/5

Utility: Seeing as I don't really like half of this album, the utility score fails. 1/5

Conclusion: 9/15

Best: Box of Rain, Operator, Candyman and Truckin' (these aren't just good songs, these songs border on the sublime)

Worst: Attics of My Life and side two generally except for Truckin'.