American Beauty

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.

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. 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.

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 strongly pretty and sad, as is Attics of My Life, which has some very, 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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