American Beauty

A horrible slice of Americana.

I will never understand the hype for Grateful Dead. This is a fine album, but it's nothing more than that. Jangly country stuff. Not bad in any way, but not remarkable either.

As a child born in the 80s in the UK, I obviously don't get the cultural, historic context of the Dead. It's clearly pleasing enough in that country / rock / "whoops, I've overdone the LSD again" genre - but perhaps this is one of the most "you don't know man, you weren't there" bands ever.

American Beauty is an okay album. Grateful Dead is just one of those bands where i knew who they were due to seeing every person under the sun wear shirts of them but i never really heard any of their songs until now. I always thought that they were a more punkish band due to their general image but nope, it seems they are more of a psychedelic country rock band. As for the album itself, it's fine, it does it's job well enough. None of the songs are real standouts but do generally have some good musicianship and lyrics. The album also didn't go on for too long which was nice. Other than that though, i don't have too much to say about this album.
Best Song: Sugar Magnolia
Worst Song: Attics of My Life

Had to be there. I wasn’t

I remembered the Grateful Dead differently. I didn't like this country album. I was expecting much more rock-oriented music. So I found the album disappointing. 2/5

Dad rock. It's fine, not offensive, nothing super interesting. 3*

I liked this! Will likely go Grateful Dead exploring! :)

IH eh aquela banda que a lindsay de freaks and geeks gosta muito!!

btw é só um "take" de uns noiado sobre folk rock/americana. mas não foi mto ruim não, é decente!

fun fact: essa banda literalmente teve um dos maiores (senão o maior) distribuidor de LSD dos estados unidos como ENGENHEIRO DE AUDIO vsf. os shows eram apenas ACIDO GRATUITO PRA TODOS. caos purinho.

Folkey country rock'n'roll. Fine but lacks bangers.

An incredible listen. So chill & easygoing. Perfect summertime music. And those harmonies, bah gawd those harmonies!

Favorite songs: Ripple, Sugar Magnolia, Truckin', Friend of the Devil, Box of Rain, Till the Morning Comes, Brokedown Palace

Least favorite songs: Candyman

5/5

A bit too scrappy for my liking.

I never understood the stature of the Dead in music history. I grew up with sort of hippy parents who weren't really fans but would put on this album and a few others from time-to-time. I'm not really sure what to classify the music as, I can't seem to tell what I am supposed to be feeling while listening, the tunes aren't super narrative, and I just don't get the hype. I've got plenty of friends who really respond to them as a group and I sincerely wish I didn't feel like I was missing out. I will say that it is a well-structured album and the basic tunes are fine. I do not hate it, but, merely wish I could engage with it further.

I have never listened to any Grateful Dead. I got bored fast.

The Grateful Dead are one of those groups I've heard enough songs in passing to be familiar with, but I would not consider myself a Deadhead, as the fans are called. They're a solid rock band with elements of folk, country, and psychedelia that have become the pioneers of jam bands worldwide.

American Beauty, their most well-known album, is very much representative of their sound. Through their combined efforts in songwriting and musicianship, the band delivered a decent collection of tunes. I already heard "Friend of the Devil", "Sugar Magnolia" and "Truckin'" beforehand, but I can now add the likes of "Box of Rain", "Ripple", and "Brokedown Palace" to the songs I enjoyed from them.

That said, the most I can say about this album is that it's solid and decent. Perhaps the enjoyment is best found in the simplicity and sweetness of their sound, and maybe that's enough for fans to hold onto. There could have been stronger hooks or tighter compositions. Also, while I acknowledge that the production is warm and organic for easy-listening, I wish there could have been more audible impact from the rhythm section to make these songs pop off more.

As is, American Beauty is a pleasant collection of songs to have in the background or played in a live setting that I can at least appreciate.

More country than I would have expected from Grateful Dead, but a decent album overall. 3/5

Ganz nett, weniger Rockig als ich erwartet habe

I remember trying to get into the Dead when I was in middle/high school. This album was one that I dove into. I didn't really care for it much at the time...but now that I am older the country rock sounds resonate a bit more, and I appreciated it for more than just the "hits". 4/5

I’ve always been told that the life material from the Dead is better than anything they did in the studio, and I guess I’ll have to check some of that out because I enjoyed this. A couple songs I recognized. Ideal album to listen to in a rental van driving across the country. Favorites were Box Of Rain, Friend Of The Devil, Ripple, Till The Morning Comes, and Truckin’.