American Beauty

The title on the front cover is an ambigram; it can also be read as American Reality, created by Mouse-Kelley Studios

Sugar Magnolia by Phil Lewis

American Beauty was the sixth album by the rock band the Grateful Dead.  It was recorded at the at Wally Heider Studios, in San Francisco, between August and September 1970 and originally released on November 1, 1970 by Warner Bros. Records.  Some of the best musicians around were hanging at the Wally Heider Studios during that period; with Paul Kantner and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, the Dead, Santana, Crosby, Nash, and Neil Young working there, the studio became jammer heaven. For once a truly beautiful album cover is more than matched by the record inside.  The Dead just refuse to keep within any normal limits.  Workingman's Dead was a lovely album, lush, full, and thoroughly real in musical and lyrical content.  American Beauty is a joyous extension of Workingman's Dead.  If possible there is even more care on vocal work.  A complete contentment shines through the vocal work on this album.  The instrumentation is rich with sound that moves through, under, and into the listener.

The iconic Skull & Roses - the skeleton symbolizing death and the roses that symbolize rebirth and love

Box of Rain takes plenty of time, and moves surely.  The band isn't in any great hurry.  Layers of music weave in seemingly simple patterns, deceptively simple patterns.  Phil Lesh's singing is just right.  The chorus is fine: "A box of rain will ease the pain/And love will see you through."  "Believe it if you need it/If you don't just pass it on."  Praise be Bob Hunter who wrote the lyrics. Friend of the Devil, is a snappy little country number, with some extremely fine bass and acoustic guitar interplay.  Jerry Garcia's voice makes him a perfect wobbly, outlaw, cowboy. Sugar Magnolia, written by Bob Hunter and Bob 'Ace' Weir. With his lead vocal Ace generates an urgency for a brighter, sunnier day with the lyrics: "She's got everything delightful, she's got everything I need."  "A breeze in the pines and the sun and bright moonlight, lazing in the sunshine yes indeed."  Sugar Magnolia is a classic Grateful Dead song. Operator, sung by Ron "Pigpen" McKernan.  Pigpen songs are always enjoyable, because they're Pigpen songs.  That would be enough, but they are often good too, which is an added bonus, and this one certainly is good with his growling vocal.

American Beauty dancing through the trees

Candy Man, opens side two as a dark backwoods tale of rural gambling and the dark side of the country social circles.  The rolling melody, a mournful slow blues, is accented wonderfully by Phil Lesh's bass guitar, which provides a subtle energy to the music.  Jerry Garcia's lead vocal, back to the outlaw cowboy, is superb.  Another great feature are the harmony vocals, which were certainly inspired by the band's friendship with Crosby, Still & Nash. Ripple and Brokedown Palace are coupled by a vocal chorus, a little reminiscent of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but only in a complimentary sense.  The songs meld together and are much pretty and sad, as is Attics of My Life, which has some very nice harmony work. The two songs that come closest to being rockers on the album are Till the Morning Comes and Truckin'.  Truckin is just the story of the Dead, going on the road, losing old friends, gaining new ones, trying to keep everybody happy, trying to play some nice music for people, and succeeding on all counts with American Beauty.

Wanderin' Spirit
December, 2014
"American Beauty"

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