American Beauty (album) 178307 225913774 2008-07-16T00:05:15Z 67.86.139.7 /* History */ {{Infobox Album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums --> | Name = American Beauty | Type = [[Studio album]] | Artist = [[Grateful Dead]] | Cover = Grateful_Dead-American_Beau.jpg | Released = November 1, 1970 | Recorded = August - September 1970 | Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[folk rock]], [[country music|country]], [[rock and roll]] | Length = 41:23 | Label = [[Warner Bros. Records]] | Producer = [[Grateful Dead]]</br>Steve Barncard | Reviews = * [[Allmusic]] {{rating|5|5}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Ajm6zeflkhgf3 link] *[[Robert Christgau]] (A-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1445&name=Grateful+Dead link] * ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (Positive) [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/109104/review/6068133 link] | | Last album = ''[[Workingman's Dead]]''<br />(1970) | This album = ''American Beauty''<br />(1970) | Next album = ''[[Grateful Dead (album)|Grateful Dead]]'' aka ''Skull & Roses''<br />(1971) }} '''''American Beauty''''' is the fifth album by the [[Grateful Dead]]. It was recorded between August and September 1970 and originally released in November of [[1970 in music|1970]]. {{RS500|258}} In 1991, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked ''American Beauty'''s [[album cover]] as the 57th best of all time.[http://rateyourmusic.com/list/fedderedder/rolling_stones_100_greatest_album_covers/] The album was released in a multitude of ways in the years since its original release. * It was released three more times on [[Gramophone record|LP]] — by [[Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab|Mobile Fidelity]] in 1978, by [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]] in 1990, and by Warner subsidiary [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]] in 2003. * It was released on CD twice; in 1987 by Warner Bros. and in 2001 by Rhino. * In 2001, the CD version was remastered, expanded and was also part of the [[The Golden Road (1965-1973)]] 12-CD box set. This version included live and unreleased studio tracks (see below). * On October 24, 2004, it was released as a [[DualDisc]] recording, including a [[DVD]] side with bonus material ([[American Beauty (album)#Dual Disc additions|see below]]). Additionally in 2001 a standalone [[DVD Audio]] version was released including a [[Surround sound|5.1]] Surround Sound mix. ==History== The band began recording ''American Beauty'' only a few months after the release of ''[[Workingman's Dead]].'' An odd occurrence was that the band recorded the album without their sound crew, which was out on the road as part of the Medicine Ball Caravan tour (which the Dead were originally scheduled to join), and this led to staff engineer Stephen Barncard replacing Bob Matthews as producer -- "a move that irks Matthews to this day." Barncard mused that "I had heard bad stories about engineers' interactions with the Dead ... but what I found were a bunch of hardworking guys."<ref>''Garcia: An American Life'' by Blair Jackson, Penguin Books, 1999, pg. 196.</ref> Both ''Workingman's Dead'' and ''American Beauty'' were extremely innovative at the time for their fusion of [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]], [[rock and roll]], [[folk music]] and, especially, [[country music]]. Compared to ''Workingman's Dead'', ''American Beauty'' had even less lead guitar work from Jerry Garcia, who instead filled the void with shimmering [[pedal steel guitar]] passages on both albums. (Songs with Garcia lead guitar are: "Casey Jones", "Cumberland Blues", "Easy Wind", "New Speedway Boogie" from ''Workingman's Dead'' and "Truckin" from ''American Beauty'') It was during the recording of this album that Garcia would first collaborate with [[mandolin]]ist [[David Grisman]]. "I just bumped into Jerry at a baseball game in Fairfax, and he said, 'Hey, you wanna play on this record we're doing?'" commented Grisman.<ref name="multiple">''Garcia: An American Life'' by Blair Jackson, Penguin Books, 1999, pg. 202.</ref> In fact, there were many big names in the "San Francisco scene" rotating in and out of the same studio. [[Phil Lesh]], in his autobiography, commented "the magnetism of the scene at Wally Heider's recording studio made it a lot easier for me to deal with Dad's loss and my new responsibilities. Some of the best musicians around were hanging there during that period; with [[Paul Kantner]] and [[Grace Slick]] from [[Jefferson Airplane]], the Dead, [[Carlos Santana|Santana]], [[David Crosby|Crosby]], [[Graham Nash|Nash]], and [[Neil Young]] working there, the studio became jammer heaven ... Thank the Lord for music; it's a healing force beyond words to describe."<ref>''Phil Lesh: Searching for the Sound'' by Phil Lesh, Little, Brown and Company, 2005, pg. 190.</ref> "[[Truckin']]" and "Ripple" were released as a single,<ref>[http://www.deaddisc.com/GDFD_Grateful_Dead.htm#s1 List of Grateful Dead singles on DeadDisc.com]</ref> and the songs "[[Sugar Magnolia]]" and "[[Friend of the Devil]]" also became "instant radio favorites." In his book on Garcia, Blair Jackson noted that "if you liked rock'n'roll in 1970, but didn't like the Dead, you were out of luck, because they were inescapable that summer and fall."<ref name="multiple"/> ''American Beauty'' peaked at #30 on [[Billboard Music Charts|Billboard]]'s Pop Albums chart (North America), while the single, "Truckin'", peaked at #64 on the Pop Singles chart and achieved considerable [[FM broadcasting|FM rock radio]] airplay. It is the final album with [[Mickey Hart]] until his return to the band four years later in 1975. The highly-ranked [[Alton Kelly|Kelley]]-[[Stanley Mouse|Mouse]] Studios album cover can also read ''American Reality''. ===Anthem to Beauty=== The making of ''American Beauty'' and ''[[Anthem of the Sun]]'' are described by former members and associates of the Grateful Dead in the 1997 ''[[Classic Albums]]'' documentary ''[[Anthem to Beauty]]''. ==Track listing== ===Original release=== ====Side one==== #"[[Box of Rain]]" ([[Robert Hunter (lyricist)|Hunter]], [[Phil Lesh|Lesh]]) – 5:16 #"[[Friend of the Devil]]" ([[Jerry Garcia|Garcia]], Dawson, Hunter) – 3:20 #"[[Sugar Magnolia]]" ([[Bob Weir|Weir]], Hunter) – 3:15 #"Operator" ([[Ron "Pigpen" McKernan|Ron McKernan]]) – 2:21 #"Candyman" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:12 ====Side two==== #"Ripple" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:10 #"Brokedown Palace" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:18 #"Till the Morning Comes" (Garcia, Hunter) – 3:13 #"Attics of My Life" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:09 #"[[Truckin']]" (Garcia, Lesh, Weir, Hunter) – 5:09 :''This was the same track listing for the CD released in 1987 and 2001. ===2003 Rhino Reissue=== #"Box of Rain" (Hunter, Lesh) – 5:18 #"Friend of the Devil" (Garcia, Dawson, Hunter) – 3:24 #"Sugar Magnolia" (Weir, Hunter) – 3:19 #"Operator" (Ron McKernan) – 2:25 #"Candyman" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:12 #"Ripple" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:09 #"Brokedown Palace" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:09 #"Till the Morning Comes" (Garcia, Hunter) – 3:09 #"Attics of My Life" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:14 #"Truckin" (Garcia, Lesh, Weir, Hunter) – 5:17 #"Truckin'" (single edit) – 3:17 #"Friend of the Devil" (live) – 4:21 #"Candyman" (live) – 5:18 #"Till the Morning Comes" (live) – 3:20 #"Attics of My Life" (live) – 6:31 #"Truckin'" (live) – 10:10 [This track actually ends at 9:03, the remaining minute+ contains silence] #"Ripple (Single Version)" - 3:02 [Unlisted Bonus Track] #"American Beauty Promo" - 1:11 [Unlisted Bonus Track; A radio commercial promoting the release of this album] ===Dual Disc additions=== This reissue included the same track listing as the original on both sides. One side was regular CD audio, while the other was enhanced 5.1 Surround Sound [[DVD audio]] and included: *Interviews with Mickey Hart and Bob Weir *A photo gallery *Lyrics to all songs ==Personnel== '''[[Grateful Dead]]:''' * [[Jerry Garcia]] - [[guitar]], [[pedal steel guitar]] on "Sugar Magnolia", "Candyman", and "Brokedown Palace", [[piano]] on "Box of Rain", vocals * [[Bob Weir]] - guitar, vocals * [[Ron "Pigpen" McKernan]] - [[harmonica]], vocals * [[Phil Lesh]] - [[bass guitar]], acoustic guitar on "Box of Rain", piano, vocals * [[Bill Kreutzmann]] - [[drums]] * [[Mickey Hart]] - [[Percussion instrument|percussion]] '''Additional performers:''' * [[Dave Torbert]] - bass on "Box of Rain" * [[David Nelson (musician)|David Nelson]] - [[electric guitar]] on "Box of Rain" * [[David Grisman]] - [[mandolin]] on "Friend of the Devil" and "Ripple" * [[Howard Wales]] - [[organ (instrument)|organ]] on "Candyman" and "Truckin" and piano on "Brokedown Palace" * [[Ned Lagin]] - piano on "Candyman" * [[New Riders of the Purple Sage]] * [[Robert Hunter (lyricist)|Robert Hunter]] - lyricist Recorded at [[Wally Heider Studios]], [[San Francisco]]. '''Production:''' *Tom Flye - engineer, mixing, mastering supervisor *Dave Collins, Joe Gastwirt - pre-mastering assistants *Daniel Goldmark - editorial research *Robin Hurley - producer *David McLees - executive producer *Stanley Mouse - photography, design *Jeffrey Norman, Fred Ordower, Rudson Shurtliff - engineers *Henry Diltz, Robert Altman, Herbert Greene, Fred Ordower, Amalie R. Rothschild - photography *Ginger Dettman, Steve Pokorny, Steve Woolard - project assistants ==Bonus tracks production details== *"Truckin'" - single version *"Friend of the Devil" recorded at the Filmore East on 5/15/1970 *"Candyman" recorded at Winterland on 4/15/1970 *"Till the Morning Comes" recorded at Winterland on 10/4/1970 *"Attics of My Life" recorded at the Filmore West on 6/6/1970 *"Truckin'" recorded at Legion Stadium on 12/26/1970 ==Reissue production credits== *David Lemieux, James Austin - reissue producers *Vanessa Atkins - editorial supervision *Gary Peterson, Shawn Amos - liner note coordination *David Gans - liner notes, project assistant *Jo Motta - project coordinator *Jimmy Edwards - product manager *Greg Allen - design, reissue art director *Joe Gastwirt - mastering, production consultant *Daniel Goldmark - editorial research *Eileen Law - research *Rachel Gutek, Hugh Brown - design, reissue art directors *Michael Wesley Johnson - associate producer *Stephen Barncard - producer, audio supervisor *Eileen Law - research *Jeffrey Norman - mixing *Steve Silberman, Bill Belmont, David Gans, Jeff Gold, Bill Inglot, Blair Jackson, Gary Lambert, Steve Lang, David McLees, Hale Milfgrim, Randy Perry, Janette L. Simmons, Owsley "Bear" Stanley - project assistants ==Notes on individual tracks== ===Operator=== *Key: F *Time signature: 4/4 *Chords used: F, C, Dm, Bb, G *[[Cover version]]s - [[The Andrews Sisters]], [[Asleep at the Wheel]], [[Chuck Berry]], [[Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen]], [[The Flamin' Groovies]], [[John Lee Hooker]], [[George Thorogood & the Destroyers]], [[Mitch Woods & the Rocket 88's]] "Operator" debuted at [[The Fillmore]] in [[San Francisco]] on [[August 18]], [[1970]]. It is the last song recorded by Pig Pen McKernan before his death ([[March 8]] - 1973). The song is about a man calling a telephone operator, trying to learn the phone number for a woman. The [[House of Blue Lights]], referenced in the song, is a real, famous nightclub in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. ===Candyman=== * Key: C * Time signature: 4/4 (12/8 feeling) * Chords used: B-flat, F, C, G, Gm, Dm, Am7 "Candyman" debuted at the [[Field House]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] on [[April 3]], [[1970]]. Throughout the band's career, the song was almost always played in the first set. The song opens with "Come all you"; [[come-all-ye]]s are a common type of folk song, and variations on the line open many traditional songs. A "candyman" is, in early 20th century [[African-American]] slang, a man who is lusty, and has "got a stick of candy nine inches long" (in many old [[blues]] songs, the "candyman" carries a candy bar, intended as a [[double entendre]] referring to the [[penis]]). In the 1960s, the term also frequently applied to drug dealers. See also ''[[Candyman (movie)]]''. The line "roll them laughin' bones" probably refers to gambling with [[dice]]. ===Ripple=== * Key: G * Time signature: 4/4 * Chords used: G, D, C, A, F#, G7, Am * [[Cover version]]s - [[Chris Hillman]], [[Jane's Addiction]], [[Perry Farrell]], [[The New Riders of the Purple Sage]], [[Jimmie Dale Gilmore]], [[Rick Danko]], [[Dar Williams]] Like many folk songs, "Ripple" addresses itself as a song and an instrument of the performers' emotional expression. Several lines throughout the song echo the [[23rd Psalm]] of the [[Bible]]. The signature lines in this song were played by mandolin master David Grisman. The songwriter, Robert Hunter, wrote this song in 1970 in [[London]] in the same afternoon he wrote "Brokedown Palace" and "To Lay Me Down" (reputedly also drinking an entire bottle of [[retsina]] in the process). The song debuted [[August 18]], [[1970]] at [[The Fillmore]] in [[San Francisco]]. Among fans, "Ripple" is widely considered one of the best Grateful Dead songs, and is also often cited as one of the most beautiful and poetic songs in [[popular music]] {{Fact|date=October 2007}}. ===Brokedown Palace=== * Key: F * Time signature: Cut time * Chords used: G, Am, B-flat, F, Dm, A * [[Cover version]]s - [[Henry Kaiser (musician)|Henry Kaiser]] Robert Hunter, the songwriter, wrote this song in 1970 in [[London]] in the same afternoon he wrote "Ripple" and "To Lay Me Down". It debuted [[August 18]], [[1970]] at [[The Fillmore]] in [[San Francisco]]. The term "brokedown palace" comes from [[John Steinbeck]]'s ''[[Cannery Row (novel)|Cannery Row]]'' (1945), where it referred to an abandoned warehouse where some bums slept. In 1986, [[Steven Brust]] wrote a [[fantasy]] novel called ''[[Brokedown Palace]]'', which contains many references to Grateful Dead songs. In the folksong tradition of the British isles and of the Appalachians, the [[weeping willow]] is a symbol of mourning for lost love. Many of the lyrics seem adapted from a folk song called "Fare Thee Well". In later years of touring, the band would frequently play Brokedown Palace as an encore at the last show of a multi-night stand at a particular venue. ===Till the Morning Comes=== *Key: E *Time signature: 4/4 *Chords used: E, D, A, G, A7, B "Till the Morning Comes" debuted at [[The Fillmore]] in [[San Francisco]] on [[August 18]], [[1970]]. The song was only performed live five times before it was retired. The line "till we all fall down" refers to the children's song "[[Ring around the rosey]]". ===Attics of My Life=== *Key: E *Time Signature: 4/4 *Chords used: A, E, B, D "Attics of My Life" debuted at [[Meramec Community College]], in [[Kirkwood, Missouri]] on [[May 14]], [[1970]]. The lyrics to the song are structured like a [[prayer]], and it is usually sung with harmonic, slow and reverent vocals. {{Seealso|Box of Rain|Friend of the Devil|Sugar Magnolia|Truckin'}} ==Charts== '''Album''' - [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] {| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width="500px" !align="left"|Year !align="left"|Chart !align="left"|Position |- |align="left"|1971 |align="left"|Pop Albums |align="left"|30 |- |} '''Singles''' - [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] {| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width="500px" !align="left"|Year !align="left"|Single !align="left"|Chart !align="left"|Position |- |align="left"|1971 |align="left"|"Truckin'" |align="left"|Pop Singles |align="left"|64 |- |} '''[[RIAA Certification]]''' {| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width="500px" !align="left"|Certification !align="left"|Date |- |align="left"|[[Gold album|Gold]] |align="left"|July 7, 1974 |- |align="left"|[[Platinum album|Platinum]] |align="left"|October 13, 1986 |- |align="left"|[[Platinum album|Multi-platinum]] |align="left"|August 24, 2001 |} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://arts.ucsc.edu/GDead/AGDL/discog1.html Lyrics] {{Grateful Dead}} [[Category:1970 albums]] [[Category:Grateful Dead albums]] [[Category:Warner Bros. Records albums]] [[Category:DualDisc albums]] [[Category:Rhino Records albums]] [[de:American Beauty (Album)]] [[fr:American Beauty (Grateful Dead)]] [[he:American Beauty]] [[no:American Beauty (album)]] [[sv:American Beauty (musikalbum)]]