![]() The album continued the folk rock and country music explored on Workingman's Dead and features the lyrics of Robert Hunter prominently. It was recorded between August and September 1970 and originally released in November 1970 by Warner Bros. In 1991, it was listed as 57th best albums of all times.Īmerican Beauty is the fifth album by the Grateful Dead. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine listed this as album 258 on their greatest albums of all time list. There is also a DVD Audio 5.1 surround sound version that Mickey Hart mixed that was also released in 2001. In 2001, the album was released in The Golden Road box set with bonus songs and reissued again 2003 on it's own. American Beauty's country-blues feel was enhanced by guest performances from famed mandolin player David Grisman, guitarist Dave Nelson (of New Riders Of The Purple Sage) and others. Three cuts, "Truckin'," "Box Of Rain," and "Ripple," received considerable FM radio play, while songs such as "Sugar Magnolia" and "Friend Of The Devil" became standards in the group's concert repertoire. Produced by the Grateful Dead, the album contains 10 original selections showcasing the band's songwriting skills. The trend continued with American Beauty (1970). On Workingman's Dead (1970), the band returned to its American musical roots with a selection of blues, country and folk-styled originals. The band's first four albums, Grateful Dead (1967), Anthem of the Sun (1968), Aoxomoxoa (1969) and Live Dead (1970) concentrated on capturing the band's legendary live sound on vinyl. In 1968 they added Mickey Hart to the line-up. Jerry Garcia (guitar), Phil Lesh (bass), Bob Weir (guitar), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (keyboards) and Bill Kreutzmann (drums) made up the original band. For Deadheads, this film is essential.but what makes it so respected is that the "uninformed" consumer can just as easily access this movie and see what life was like for a bunch of beatniks from San Francisco.Formed in 1967, The Grateful Dead championed the free-form improvisational sound that defined San Francisco rock & roll in the 60's. To this day, I still get chills when listening to the climax of that piece. Jerry made a wonderful decision to have Morning Dew be shown in its entirety. The mixture of five different cameras and how close they get to the band help aid in their attempt to "explain the unexplainable." The highlight of the film is definitely the "Morning Dew", from 10-18-74, right out of a beautiful Dark Star. The film also does the best attempt of all released Dead videos of capturing "it" - that unexplainable, natural force at work which can make the experience transcedent for those in attendance. We get to see pre, during, and post-show activities, as well as interesting insights from the band members. ![]() Rather than just show concert footage, the movie dives into the hearts and lives of both the audience and the band members. ( You can add body if you like to boogie during the film.) It weaves the many layers that make up a Dead show into a cohesive whole. The reason I have watched this movie so many times is because it is food for your mind and soul. And it's not just because they have full versions of Morning Dew and GDTRFB on it. It's not just because the time filmed is during one of my favorite GD years, 1974. But it's not just because I'm a Deadhead. Hey now, I think I have watched this movie about 200 times.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |