Rating: ****
(4 stars)
Title: American
Beauty
Company: Warner
Brothers
Catalog: BS
1893
Year: 1970
Grade
(cover/record): VG/VG
Comments:
Available: 1
Price: $10.00
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Perhaps the band's most mainstream outing, 1971's self-produced
"American Beauty" featured another group of relatively short, musical focused and commercial efforts. Collaborator Hunter's trippy lyrics remained an acquired taste, but as
epitomized by "Box of Rain" the collection's laidback folk-rock attack held considerable mainstream appeal. Throughout, Garcia and Weir's vocals were surprisingly
impassioned, the rest of the band sounding extremely tight. Elsewhere, the album contained a number of Dead classics, including "Friend of the Devil", "Sugar Magnolia", the autobiographical "Truckin" and "Ripple". The album was also notable for introducing the New Riders of the Purple Stage
(initially including Dead members Garcia and Hart). Hardly monumental, but an album most folks will play from time to time ... A big seller, the LP hit #30.
"American Beauty" track listing:
1.) Box of Rain (Robert Hunter - Phil Lesh) - 5:16
2.) Friend of the Devil (Robert Hunter - Jerry Garcia - Dawson) - 3:20
3.) Sugar Magnolia (Robert Hunter - Bob Weir) - 3:15
4.) Operator (Ron McKernan) - 2:21
5.) Candyman (Robert Hunter - Jerry Garcia) - 6:12
6.) Ripple (Robert Hunter - Jerry Garcia) - 4:10
7.) Brokedown Palace (Robert Hunter - Jerry Garcia) - 4:18
8.) Till the Morning Comes (Robert Hunter - Jerry Garcia) - 3:13
9.) Attics of My Life (Robert Hunter - Jerry Garcia) - 5:09
10.) Truckin (Robert Hunter - Jerry Garcia - Phil Lesh - Bob Weir) - 5:09
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Rating: **
(2 stars)
Title: Historic
Dead
Company: Sunflower
Catalog: SNF
5004
Year: 1970
Grade
(cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: minor
ring, edge and corner wear
Available: 1
Price: $10.00
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Under some weird arrangement of questionable
legality, 1970's "Historic Dead" was released by the MGM affiliated Sunflower label (an interesting partnership given MGM president Mike Curb had previously dropped a slew of acts from the label based of
their pro-drug images). Similar to the earlier "Vintage Dead", the collection unearthed a series of four mid-60s selections. Drawn from 1966 performances at San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom, the results were surprisingly impressive. Sure, unless you were a Dead fanatic you could live without the 11 minute "Good Morning Little School Girl" or the twelve minute "The Same Thing". On the other hand, the performances were surprisingly tight (particularly if you were accustomed to their extended jam sessions). The only real complaint had to do with the audio quality. Sounding distant and echoy, "Stealin'" sounded like it was recorded in a shower stall. Demonstrating the band's surprisingly commercial clout, the set even managed to hit #127.
"Historic Dead" track listing:
1.) Good Morning Little School Girl (Williamson) - 11:01
2.) Lindy (traditional arranged by the Grateful Dead) - 2:49
3.) Stealin' (Cannon - traditional) - 3:00
4.) The Same Thing (Willie Dixon) - 12:01
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