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American Beauty
 
 

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American Beauty

~ Grateful Dead
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
Price: £6.78 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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29 new from £3.78 9 used from £3.00 1 collectible from £12.92
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American Beauty + Workingman's Dead + Live Dead (Remastered and Expanded)
Price For All Three: £23.24

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Product details

  • Audio CD (1 Jun 1989)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Warner
  • ASIN: B000002KBH
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  DVD Audio  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 29,402 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. Box Of Rain (Remastered Version) 5:17£0.69
Listen  2. Friend Of The Devil (Remastered Version) 3:21£0.69
Listen  3. Sugar Magnolia (Remastered Version) 3:17£0.69
Listen  4. Operator (Remastered LP Version) 2:22£0.69
Listen  5. Candyman (Remastered LP Version) 6:10£0.69
Listen  6. Ripple (Remastered Version) 4:09£0.69
Listen  7. Brokedown Palace (Remastered LP Version) 4:05£0.69
Listen  8. Till The Morning Comes (Remastered LP Version) 3:07£0.69
Listen  9. Attics Of My Life (Remastered LP Version) 5:10£0.69
Listen10. Truckin' (Remastered Version) 5:03£0.69

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Grateful Dead produced some of the most extraordinary and innovative music ever to fall under the general heading of "rock". In fact a blend of exploratory jazz, folk, rock & roll and world music all bound together by the purest improvisatory psychedelia, few bands have attempted music of such scope and ambition. The problem was that although they could often produce music of this stature live, their inspiration nearly always crumbled when faced with a studio setting. The exceptions that proves the rule, American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, are the band's finest studio excursions. They contain more excellent songs, better performed, than any other two albums of theirs. Featuring a smooth electric/acoustic mix of instrumentation spiced by pedal steel and mandolin, American Beauty harks back to their folk and jug-band days of the mid-60s. Besides the stunning harmonies--which owe a debt to David Crosby's coaching--and the band's outstanding songwriting ability, it's Robert Hunter's lyrics which raise this album to classic status. Songs such as "Truckin" (a true story of life on the road with the Dead in early 1970), "Box Of Rain", "Friend of the Devil", "Brokedown Palace", "Attics of My Life" and the magnificent "Ripple" contain some of Hunter's most direct and compelling verses. For those who might want to hear where the Grateful Dead could take songs like these on a good day, however, an attempt should be made to get some of the many live recordings now available.--James Swift


CD Description

AMERICAN BEAUTY was an instant classic when it was first released November of 1970. It is among the most satisfying andenduring of the Grateful Dead's studio recordings, expanding as it does on the engaging mix of country, blues, and folkmaterials they first coined earlier in the year with WORKINGMAN'S DEAD.
The musical vision of the Dead is more sharply focused on AMERICAN BEAUTY--from the serene reflection and compassion of the opening "Box Of Rain" and the earthy mysticism of "Ripple", to the sensual rock of "Sugar Magnolia" and the anthemic proto-boogie of the closing "Truckin'". Butthen, every tune on AMERICAN BEAUTY has attained a classic resonance, both from decades of steady airplay, and the way the Dead seemed to continually revive these popular standards for their concert repertoire.
Also available with WORKINGMAN'S DEAD on one cassette.

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great songs!, 18 Jan 2004
By Stephen Rogers (Totnes, Devon, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
The Dead made their first three albums in a drug-addled haze, attempting to be "experimental" and in the process ruining quite a few classic songs with too-weird production. Also, their best songwriter, Jerry Garcia, was shy about his voice and used to phase it.

With "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" they pulled themselves out of the stone soup and did justice to their great songwriting skills by recording with a straightforward, delicate sound.

The standout track here, although almost every track is perfect, is "Box of Rain" which, by virtue of its lovely melody and shape and exquisitely compassionate lyrics, contains more truly psychedelic inspiration than a hundred years of funny noises.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sunshine music, 28 Mar 2004
By DD (UK) - See all my reviews
  
I have been a fan of the Dead for about 20 years and this album has always been my favourite. The combination of acoustic and electric works so well with Garcia's silky smooth voice. The songs are all classics with 'Box of Rain' being one of the most beautiful that the Dead ever recorded. This is an album that I play when the sun is shining and all is well with the world. And it makes a change from the doom metal that I listen to most of the time!? The Dead have a special place in my heart and long may they remain there.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best of a lost American era, 28 Jan 2001
With the magificent Ripple and a series of other acoustic tracks this album is one of the all-time greats of the American 60's. It evokes another time, of long hair, harmonies and warm Californian nights. If you ever wondered why and when the Grateful Dead attained the status of near-legend, listen to this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit disappointing
I like the Dead's lengthy live improvisations, and 35 years late I finally got around to buying this supposed studio classic. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rabbit

5.0 out of 5 stars American Beauty is a beautiful relaxing country/folk/rock album.
The Grateful Dead were the most successful group for touring America of all time for many years. They gave a lot of money to different charities from their concerts. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dragonlord

3.0 out of 5 stars Not What Many Might Expect
I always associated The Grateful Dead with psychodelic rock. So when I bought this, and I could be forgiven given the lsd induced colour scheme of the cover, I was expecting long... Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. M. Salinas

4.0 out of 5 stars A Beauty
This is my first album review. I didn't choose to do this album first because it has some kind of special significance to me or anything, I've chosen it because I just spent the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by DJC

4.0 out of 5 stars best studio effort
this is probably the deads best studio album, i personally prefer them live, but this is fantastic. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Andrew Ferguson

5.0 out of 5 stars Removing the Sellophane
This is indeed a fabulous album, but the main point of this review is to say two things:-

1) If you already have the original CD version, get this version as well and... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Peter Loosley

5.0 out of 5 stars One of their most essential - Expanded and Remastered
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,... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Laurence Upton

5.0 out of 5 stars A thing of real beauty
This has long been one of my favourite albums of all time and you owe it to yourself to let it be one of yours as well. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Derick Holcombe

5.0 out of 5 stars One of their most essential
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,... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Laurence Upton

5.0 out of 5 stars Oldie music-Mum u rule!
I loved this!!!!
I know it was out before i was even born (maybe i dont know) but i loved the soulful(?) feel to it and the songs are very infectious! Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2007 by Chocoholic gal149

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