Reviews (page 2 of 9)
Nå vet jeg hvordan The Band og The Byrds ville hørtes ut om de skrev kjedelige låter. Jeg bør vel kanskje sjekke ut noen av konsertalbumene til The Dead før jeg avskriver dem helt.
Nothing stands out.
Only thing that would improve this album would be if it was live.
I guess you had to be there because to my virgin ears that sounded as bland as The Eagles
This one didn't do a lot for me, unfortunately.
Great music, a blueprint for a whole lot of bands.
yeah kinda boring lol 6/10 best song - operator
One for the Deadheads
This was just not for me. 2/5.
Beetje teleurstellend
I was never a Deadhead despite the best efforts of my college roommate but I do think American Beauty is a very pretty album. Maybe not beautiful enough to drop out of high school and follow the band around, but definitely worth registering to from time to time
This album had the benefits of me listening to it while paddling in a foggy serene lake. Ripple in still water indeed. It also has some smooth sounds and heartfelt, cosmic lyrics. So nice!
I enjoyed it a fair bit. But dragged out a bit and not sure I’ll go back to it. Might be one I change later
I thought these guys were weird psychedelic jam band hippies. This is just great folk rock.
An alright sound
I can hear this is not shit. It’s just not for me.
Not my favorite. Some just bad songs on here.
This is nice enough, but it's pleasant more than enjoyable. This sounds a lot more produced and structured than their famous live shows / jam sessions, but it's still The Grateful Dead, which basically means they spend an album's length noodling around. This is an album which you hear more than you listen to. Two stars feels a bit harsh, but three stars marks the threshold for "listen again" for me and there ain't no way I need to hear this twice.
Has a consistent sound and was overall more enjoyable than what I was expecting. Between a 6 or a 7/10 on a good day
4/5
A solid enough country rock album with some solid highlights, but nothing too outstanding. I like a lot of their jam band stuff, so this was kind of dissapointing.
Solidly my favorite Dead album. Absolute classic from start to finish.
A true classic. One of my all time favourite albums.
Just a great album. There’s a bit of a lull about 2/3 of the way through, but even the less great songs are still pretty solid. I think Box of Rain is my favorite song on the album, Friend of the Devil is close though. But from Rain to Ripple is such a satisfying run of songs. And then truckin’ to end it is so good.
I have listened to this a few times, but when I listened to it again after a few years, I was even more amazed at how great it is and how it really stays consistently great all the way through. Classic album.
3.5
7/31/26. Honestly expected a little more. I respect the Grateful Dead but the songs didn't blow me away, pretty mellow throughout. Ripple is a great track.
I was expecting a psychedelic wig-out but all I got was a pleasant but unexceptional country rock album. Reminded me of a lot of Neil Young’s output, another artist who I can kind of appreciate but not really get the adulation for. Certainly nothing terrible about this, but would it have sounded better if I was dosing and nodding in a darkened room with a lava lamp…?
Did not like. Extra ⭐ for meeting notability guidelines.
Enjoyed this more than I expected.
If there's a band whose visual style least closely matches their sound, it's the Grateful Dead. Their album covers and merchandise are full of skulls, acid colors, and smoky fonts, which the brain automatically perceives as hallmarks of psychedelic sound. This remained the case until 1970, when, after frequent hangouts with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, the band abruptly pivoted to acoustic country rock, releasing two such albums in the space of a year. This is the second of them. And overall, the album sounds good, if somewhat repetitive — twangy acoustic instruments, interspersed with occasional guitar solos and harmonious vocals. This music clearly inspired King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, who sometimes sound exactly the same, only with the guitars plugged into amplifiers. But why crowds of fans followed a band with such a sound on tour across the whole country is completely beyond me.
This is the band people always go on about? Am I missing something? Even if I give them the benefit of the doubt, I just don't think this was very interesting. It sounded like every other country rock album I've had so far.
Grateful Dead came good briefly in 1977 when they went all Prog with Terrapin Station. But that was 7 years off when this album was released. Great band name shame about the music. 1/5 1/8/26
Low cortisol music The type of music that only works when it’s hot outside (in a good way)
Meh.. not horrible not good
Feels like a prime example of had to grow up with it. So boring, nothing excited me on this thing. It feels so damn empty. It’s not devoid but I do not understand why there are people to this day following this shit around.
Me pasó de noche, pero se escuchaba lindo
This mild sound isn't bad, but other than Truckin, this fell flat for me.
The record that answers the "weren't they just a live band" question definitively — tight, focused, beautifully arranged country-folk-rock songs that don't need a four-hour concert to make their point. American Beauty is the Dead at their most accessible and most enduring, a collection of songs that entered the Americana common language so completely that hearing the originals after years of covers feels like finally meeting the person everyone has been telling stories about. "Friend of the Devil," "Sugar Magnolia," "Truckin'," and "Ripple" have been covered by everyone from Counting Crows to Old Crow Medicine Show, and the source material earns that canonization completely. Garcia and Hunter wrote songs that sound like they've always existed — the definition of great songwriting, or proof that they tapped into something genuinely archetypal, which might be the same thing. The Americana DNA sits in the same lineage as the Flying Burrito Brothers five — warm, communal, acoustic instruments given room to breathe, harmonies that suit the Sunday morning quality of the whole record perfectly. Garcia's guitar serves the songs rather than showcasing himself, which is the Dead at their best regardless of format. A four that the songs earn honestly. The Americana center of gravity has shifted enough that even a record this warm and this full of standards lands just short of five — which says more about where the listening energy currently lives than about what American Beauty actually is.
7.5/10
Of course this is an amazing album. I've listened to it so many times - so many great hits. In fact, I'm not a huge Grateful Dead fan, and don't really get into "jam-bands" but this is great music, great writing that seems a lot more tame than a lot of the other stuff or live stuff by the Dead.
Сара 3,5 Марко 3
A number of decades ago I had a bunch of lovely friends who were Deadheads, and this record reminds me of them, and the interesting things we got up to back in those days. If you’ve read some other of my reviews here, you may be surprised by my fondness for this popular American album from the early 70s, but I still like a lot of stuff by the Dead, and this record in particular. It’s also an absolutely solid album, with music that ranges from roadhouse blues and bluegrass to quiet songs that sound like a hymn, and many of the lyrics are the kind that don’t make immediate sense and make you think a bit, which I always like. “Ripple” in particular is a great song; it makes me cry every time I hear it for some reason I can’t quite put my finger on. And while we all may have heard “Truckin’” a million times, it’s a great ending to the album. There are times when I get sick of hanging around and I’d like to travel, but then there are other times when I get tired of traveling and want to settle down. I appreciate the Dead writing a song reminding me that that’s ok.
There have been attempts in my life to enjoy the Grateful Dead, this has been the first full-album experience. I still find them too Americana for my liking. It's properly embellished, the lyrics feel thought out. I'd consider hearing this one again with two tabs of acid or some other psychedelic alternative. Otherwise it feels like background music after a Southern farmer's long arduous day. 2.7/5
2 1/2
Not much to say about this one, you are either on the bus or you aren't. The studio albums will never catch the magic of seeing them live. There are some great songs on this album and it is a gateway but sonically not the best thing you are going to ever hear.
Tedious hippie jam band bullshit. I've never been a music fan who thought that anything the Grateful Dead did was essential listening. "Touch of Grey" from their album IN THE DARK was the only track of theirs that I thought didn't completely suck. Definitely not essential. I not sure they ever really were, but definitely not now.
Being British, I have never listened to a Grateful Dead album before. It’s ok, reasonably good gentle folky country rock, nothing offensive and nothing outstanding. I suspect colossal amounts of mind altering substances would help with the enjoyment but, like I say, I’m British.
Grateful Dead was my first album (Live/Dead), and now again for my 247th. This was always a band I had wanted to learn more about. While my first listen/impression of this album was relatively unremarkable, upon further inspection and second listen through I found I appreciated it, but can’t say I’d revisit again.
standard for this list
I seriously cannot get into them no matter how hard I try
Pretty good! 3.5/5
good listen!
Ik had niet verwacht dat ik dit zo leuk ging vinden
Pretty nice. 4/5
Love this vibe. Maybe my favourite Dead record?
First track is great. Souly and country. Really well written and performed, vocals especially. The twangy second track is very nice aswell. Love Mandolin/guitar licks. Track three is nice but a bit bland. 4 is not my favorite aswell. Nice but not memorable. Candyman is much better. A more interesting song with more soul. Beautiful and special guitar solo. Great keyboard parts. Ripple is a deseved classic. Till the morning is a very pretty song. Gentle ans moving. The entire second half is very pretty. Except of a few song in the beginning it's really a stunning album. Very American, as the name suggests. But the beautiful, slow and stony America. Let's hope it's still there somewhere
Proper quality, friend of the devil was the only song we knew going into it but it came as a real surprise. Dead head status confirmed.
I could see this making waves when it dropped.
I never listened to the Dead, but always thought there must be something good there as they have so many vociferous fans. But no, this was dull and unremarkable
Never been much of a deadhead, but unlike my colleague the warm embrace of middle age has indeed prepared me well for this. Not sure I'll be going deep into the discography but this hits the spot and I can see going back to it again and again. But maybe I was just prepped for this by Tesla's cover of Truckin on Five Man Acoustical Jam, an underrated classic.
This wasn't nearly as painful as I was expecting, and maybe helped me realize how unfamiliar I am with the Dead outside of the hits. Sounds more like a country album to me, and I kept thinking I was listening to Uncle Tupelo. So I didn't mind it at all, but I won't be revisiting.
I thought the warm embrace of middle age might prime me for the Dead, but NOPE. Their charms remain as lost on 50-year-old me as they did my 18-year-old counterpart. I appreciate their musicality, and the music itself doesn't necessarily bother me. But I actively dislike the vocals and their syrupy harmonies. By "Candyman," I was growing hostile, and I still had five songs to go. Things did not improve.
Yea good stuff. I get it but isn't really my thing
6/10
Fine, but not really my thing
The knock against the Dead is the LPs are weak and you need to hear the live shows. American Beauty is the exception. Some of their best known tracks surrounded by great Americana. 5 weeping willows.
Love the melodies. Love the sound.
More pleasant than I expected!
Solid Dead Album
I never listened to it all the way through , solid album
best grateful dead album no shade so many bangers, truckin will always be my fav from this album, houstonnnnnn to close to new orleansssss
extremely fine
Un pedazo de bodrio gigante 4/10
American Beauty the band's second studio album of 1970 is the band's magnum opus. Everything works on American Beauty. Every song essential not just for Dead heads but anyone with a vested interest in great music by a great band at the peak of their powers (in the studio that is) American Beauty with its fusion of country, bluegrass, folk and rock music (that's Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar) remains a vital piece of Americana and THE Grateful Dead album to get if you are only getting one (good luck with that) album. American Beauty is American reality. Get your chips cashed in.
Some really weird chord progressions into some really basic country music. 3/5
4-/5
The first generation of jam band music that I am aware of. Very easy to listen to. Simple yet unpredictable harmonies and song structure.
I think they have better songs
Pleasant rock, did not save anything, but do not regret listening to it.
A lot of great writing by both Bobby & Jerry
Eh, just not the biggest Grateful Dead fan.
This is offensively, painfully dull. I would truly rather listen to white noise
Good solid album though I can’t get too excited about it. A generous 4.
This is too folkyyyy
I don’t have any problems with Grateful Dead. But I’m also never interested.
It's all but one of the songs that I think one can actually like by the Grateful Dead and, after years away from this album, it's actually pretty darn good.
Not a bad record but they will never become a band I will really love.
*The Dead sound better with live performances that can expand each track compared to limited length studio album versions of their songs.
It’s a pleasing album to listen to. Nothing really stood out for me though, just your typical folk influenced rock album from the 70s.
Two great hits. The rest are just fillers.
Best studio album for a band whose entire fandom is built on live jamming. I recognize their fam and importance, but I am not a jam band fan. A couple hits on here, but nothing I would cherish.
there's some nice bass playing. maybe it's just cus i'm in a foul mood but i'm finding this pretty annoying. also realizing that lindsey in freaks and geeks starts the album on the b side. funny!
A few good songs but kind of boring and so many sound the same
With deep apologies to the ghost of Bill Walton, I didn't really care for this. This might be a case of a jam band doing mediocre studio work, but this album didn't feel like anything special that I needed to listen to. It was basically country-folk with a few harmonies and some hippie flair mixed in. The closing track 'Truckin'' was the only Dead song I had ever heard before this listen, and it was the only one that really stood out on this album; the rest of the songs were bland country music. Safe to say I am not a Deadhead. 2/5
Мабуть, загалом цей альбом не зовсім мій за стилістикою. Не можу не визнати, що тут вистачає хороших пісень. Мені найбільше запам'яталася Sugar Magnolia. Але були й бісячі, як Candyman.
Я б сказав що кантрі-американа грейтфул дед це скоріш не моє, ніж моє. Але тут теж є хороші пісні типу наприклад хіта Friend of the Devil. Коротше трійка стабільна.
One of the best Dead albums
This is a recors ive heard before but under i wouldn't say strange circumstances but abnormal for me. This was the record I put on the first time i did acid as a teenager. And I liked it then yet I never came back either. So even having heard this before its almost like it was at another time in another life. So that being said its less captivating than I felt it was back then. I obviously was more moldable and impressionable at that time but in clear mind its just sort of alright. It does things well enough without rocking the boat in any significant way. I get that listening to a two minute album version of a song that live is a half hour is almost not even the same thing. It just feels wrong in a way. Maybe is get behind a live version more. But the songs are just OK. Thats the biggest hurdle. I dont hate any of them. I just only really like the first and last song. Everything else just floats on by. Kinda have to put it in the meh category. I could see the potential for what this band is but I just dont really see it clearly here.
This is always pointed to by critics and fans alike as evidence the Dead were not just a jam band, but could create full-length albums worth your time. To me it further substantiates that they are indeed incredible performers, but can’t write a compelling melody. In fact, possibly the most “iconic” song in their history - the album closer Truckin’ - shamelessly borrows its verse melody from The Beatles. Which is kinda the Dead in miniature: borrowing/aping material and technique from other, better artists, which their fans see as genius, but unlike in, say, the best hip-hop repurposing of a song, is anything really heightened or improved? Further, the whole album is full of CS&N-inspired 3-part harmonies, right down to the technique they learned by visiting them when Deja Vu was being recorded. It’s music for some of the most self-satisfied, incurious and affluent white people on the planet.
Aggressively generic classic rock
enjoyed this record
This is fine. I'm struggling to say anything other than "this is fine". I think everything from Box of Rain to Operator is solid, then somewhere around Candyman it gets a little too country for me. 100 albums in, and I don't think I'm starting to vibe with "this is fine" anymore.
I was quite content when I got this one! A lot of y'all irrationally hate the Grateful Dead. I don't understand the hate. Frankly, it's weird. Smile. It's the Dead! 5
Now this is a jam band album that I understand. The songs have a beginning and an end and are deeply beautiful, especially “Ripple,” which I will never tire of hearing.
This is my kind of music. Obviously you can't really capture the "magic" of a jam band in a polished studio album, but every jam band needs one (a la Phish's Farmhouse). Lots of classic songs on this album, it's one of my favourites.
First time listening to the Dead and I must say that they're pretty decent. Though not my absolute favorite of the more psychedelic country rock albums this was still a pleasant listen with quite a few good songs. Fav Songs Box of Rain Friend of the Devil Ripple Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? I'd say so, quite a historic band and a pretty inoffensive genre that should be nice for most people looking to experience some classic rock
My first experience with the dead was a good one and I really enjoyed what I experienced some of the songs are a little forgettable but a good chunk like truckin and candy man were really great recordings. The production and style of instrumentation is really good and easy to listen to. A good LP. Fav tracks: box of rain, friend of the devil, candy man, ripple, and truckin
For how devoted a fanbase Grateful Dead has, this was a very middle of the road record
ok but not really my style
I enjoyed this one surprisingly. The harmony and guitar play had a good sound.
They can either be amazing or awful. Somehow they found the middle of that
Fine, expected more. Kinda boring tbh.
Maybe I expected more but just found this a kind of boring listen. Good melodies tho
While I am not an overall fan of the Dead, the 5 hour shows, the inability to end a song, etc. The feel of this album is just one of ease and peace. I could listen to it over and over comfortably. A controlled version of them is just the thing I needed today.
Very overrated band good jam and musicians but not great. Live its another vibe but on album its just better than ok
It’s not bad.
This is why this challange is so good. I always hsf an adversion to the Grateful Dead. I imaged some experimental 20 minute songs with drum and guitar solos. Instead c&w with a gospel tinge. Absolutley love this.
Notorious for being mediocre in the studio, I actually really enjoyed this album.
I'm not really a deadhead and I don't normally gravitate to jam bands, but this album is classic. I leaned 4 all day, but I have no good reason to not give it a 5. It's a fun listening experience and I’m confident I’ll return again.
One of those perfect albums with no weak songs. Favorite: Brokedown Palace
Why is this in hear? Cheap southern music.
I haven't listened to the Dead in such a long time so this is nice to remember. I used to like them quite a bit, this is great road music. However in recent times I feel I outgrew them just a little bit. Anywhere between super strong 3 and good 4 stars, might be 4 if I am feeling generous tomorrow morning!
Very different to the first Grateful Dead album on the list, that was widdly jazz nonsense. This one is a pleasant listen. A bit Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, without the cheese.
Shout out to Tom N. For my introduction to the Grateful Dead in high school.
Was expecting some mad drug fuelled experimental psychedelia and instead got a fairly pedestrian 70s American rock album, to the point I double checked I was listening to the right thing. I think this is part of the issue with feeling like Ive completely missed out on grateful dead - they are either so weird as to put me off against repeated listens and now also sometimes seemingly straightforward to the point of forgettable. It wasn't bad, nice authentic sound, good singing, just don't understand the interest from this.
Significantly more middle-of-the-road (again) than I was expecting. I thought more Jefferson Airplane, but this is more Allman Brothers (but more structured). It was fine, is the best I can say about it. Sounds like it was made in a tinny bathroom.
Ah ha, a grateful dead album that isn't just a live show of crazy jamming. Been waiting for this. This was perhaps way less "out there" than I was expecting. Pretty standard hippy blues rock really. I enjoyed it, but still not sure I fully appreciate the hype that goes along with them. I liked box of rain, friend of the devil and ripple most I think. Enjoyed it all though, just was maybe expecting a little more 3.5
nothingburger album
A bit too country for me
I've never quite understood the appeal of the Grateful Dead. Just a bit middle of the road, really.
nuda w chuj ujdzie w tlumie dostyv szybko sie skonczylo tho
Overall pretty solid but honestly a bunch of the songs seem to run together. 3
First time listening to this band, based on everything I’ve heard in pop culture I assumed they were heavier than this. It’s a solid album with some good lyricism but absolutely unexpected for me
I guess I'm just not a Grateful Dead fan.
Much better live but this is one of there best studio albums
Not sure why I am enjoying this but I really didn't think it was bad even though it is just not music I listen to. 4/5. Maybe after listening to some truly terrible music my perception of judgement has changed.
Another jam band - this is way more vanilla than at fillmore, but maybe that makes it better for me. I like the album format more than the long, drawn-out live stuff, and the songs aren't anything special but they're mostly pleasant
I had never actually listened to the Grateful Dead before, and I enjoyed listening to this album more than I expected. None of the songs particularly stood out to me, and I'm not sure I'll come back to it, but it was still a nice listen.
i thought grateful dead were hard rockers... what da hell is this chill dadrock? zzzz
meh. it's okay, and i'm happy for the deadheads who like this stuff but it's just so dull to me. the only thing that this music challenges is your attention span. favorites: sugar magnolia, truckin
Probably the Dead's best album overall, even if it's not my personal favorite. Great mix of slower songs, and uptempo songs. Album came out right before the band started to get more psychedelic and electric and is a great example of the bluesy/folk roots that were integral to the bands early success. Possibly the most complete album of that 70's hippie era. 5/5 Will definitely listen again
I give up. I can't get into Grateful Dead. I just don't get it.
Really a pretty standard country rock album, though a quality one. The opener is a highlight, as is the tighter, catchier "Friend of the Devil." The more upbeat songs, with prominent country instrumentation and good hooks, are the album's strength. As it goes on, it becomes clear it's an album full of pretty conventional tunes, even if those tunes are well-written. There just isn't that much variety or many risks taken. The slow, long "Attic of my Life" is the low point, though the closer brings things back a bit. For all the hoopla over the Dead as a live band, it's hard to find much about this that's all that different from the studio work of similar bands.
meh. pretty boring
Rock de pai divorciado. 2/5
Хипарский американский рок. При всей культовости группы, не смог дослушать
I like the country-rock vibe on this. I’d much rather listen to a studio album by the Dead than any live jamming garbage.
Didn’t feel any of the psychedelic jam band feeling, it felt like very repetitive country songs. I still liked it but it wasn’t what I was expecting at all
Long strange trip? Nei en hún er fín og dansar milli þrists og fjarka. Og eins og svo þá skila auknar hlustanir sér í hærri einkunn, svo við endum í ca. 3.7. Sumt er ekki spes, en það sem er næs er næs. Friend of the devil, Supermagnolia, Ripple og lokalagið.
I can see why they are a jam band. This isn't unskilful but I listened through it twice and it all disappeared once I was done both times. Good to be on the list.
The sound mixing is better than I expected for some reason. Some nice music, and I wouldn't mind listening to it again, but it just doesn't do anything memorable. It's a trusty warm sound.
The Good: We get to watch a movie! The Bad: Wait, didn’t that actor get cancelled? The Ugly: Guess there goes the beauty part… I met a bunch of dead-heads in my lifetime, a couple of them even went so far as to follow the band around for over a year… how many blowjobs does one have to give to be able to afford taking that time off? Anyway, Grateful Dead… they’re a live band, aren’t they? This album was, I don’t know, a chore to sit through… I ended up dialing in a 80s-90s pop radio channel to wash away the bad taste in my mouth… You guessed it, I am no Dead Head… Never have been able to understand them… then again, never dropped acid either. 2*
Easily the best studio album... but thats not why they exist so I'm conflicted. Listening to this makes me reminisce of flannel shirts and making holes in apples. Album holds its weight throughout so jam band haters can still appreciate.
Not sure how this made it into the top 1000. Completely forgettable.
the car is going through feet
Not as bad as others also why is there feet still not food
not for me
I want to scream. Dear diary, today 'm grateful for this album has a quick end.
Listening to this album with no knowledge of the Dead, one would have to assume that this band went nowhere. Compared to much of the other popular music at the time, this is exceptionally bland and repetitive. The songwriting, singing, and guitar playing are all mediocre by comparison to contemporaries, and there are only a couple songs I’d consider coming back to more than once or twice.
Easily the best Dead album I’ve heard. I still find them pretty grating for some reason but this was fine. Ripple is very nice.
Oh how I've dreaded this day. If this is the quintessential Dead album that you must listen to in order to determine how much you like (or dislike) them, so be it. Then it has every right to be on this list. But that is not what I'm rating here. I'm rating how good I think the album is. And I think it's trash. Side note: I listened part of it in my car. I drove for 3 minutes... my kid fell asleep, and my car told me that maybe I should consider taking a break from driving
++: Friend of the Devil, Sugar Magnolia, Operator, Ripple, Till the Morning Comes, Truckin' +: Box of Rain, Candyman, Brokedown Palace, Attics of My Life 7,9/10
Of all of the Grateful Dead discography this is in my opinion their best work and Jerry Garcia was an underrated guitarist. Here is my favorite part about the Dead: 2 stars
# Album Name: American Beauty # Artist: Grateful Dead # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Pretty boring. Didnt enjoy it. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No
A great American classic from a truly great American band.
This is my favourite Grateful Dead album, although I only own a small selection. A classic from an American legend, their blend of folk, rock and country elements, I love Friend of The Devil, Sugar Magnolia and Truckin'.
3.5 stars
The Dead get a bad rap. They're an easy target as their permanent (cult-like?) popularity have basically made them caricatures. Yup, they're the ur-hippie band and -- I can only imagine this is true -- supposedly the music was better live than on an album. It's hard to ignore all of this context when listening to the music. It's mostly competent country-folk-rock that's really mellow. I can see why a bunch of stoners would love it. Apologia aside, there's a ceiling to how much of this I tolerate and how well I like it. The vocals on all of the tracks are weak as hell and the music on all of them starts to bleed into one another. It just languidly rolls along until the 'hit' song, "Truckin" finishes the album. Not great, for sure, but ok in small, mediated doses. The only exciting moments are when a harmonica pops in which is far and few between. (3/5) But a low '3'. I agree with this album's inclusion on the list because of the oversized presence of this band in the public consciousness. You don't have to like them, but you can't ignore them. If this is their best studio record, then so be it. Let it truck on.
I've tried on a few occasions to get into the Grateful Dead. Much like Jimmy Buffet, and later, Phish, there's an entire cult of personality associated with the band that is appealing and cool. There's a legendary live show appeal that can't be summed up with video and documentary evidence (you kinda just had to be there, man). But as albums go, this is just... okay. It's fine, even, bordering on good. Friend of the Devil and Truckin' are certainly the recognizable draws, and the reset is adequate to mellow one out and encourage that a load be taken off. I didn't care for the Frankensteining of Jim Croce's Operator early in the album (which rounds it down ever so slightly), but it still backs into a 3/5 without scuffing the bumpers.
Variety: 2 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 2 Emotionality: 4 = 3.6 rounded up to a 4 "There is a road, no simple highway/ Between the dawn and the dark of night/ And if you go, no one may follow/ That path is for your steps alone" I used to actively avoid the Grateful Dead. I've never been much for the whole hippy thing, and by the time I was old enough to form any coherent thoughts about it, I think the hypocrisy and dark parts of the movement had already been well combed through and brought to light. This prejudice extended well into my 20s and caused me to dismiss a whole slew of great acts that I would come to, slowly and uneasily, over the next few years as music for lazy, hygienically-challenged, burnouts. The Dead I especially avoided as the whole cultish touring following was slightly creepy, and the few tracks I heard sounded the same to me ( though I would have admitted "Touch of Grey" was pretty damned solid). This was not helped by the fact that my first full listen was "Shakedown Street" which appalled me with its disco flavors and weak funk offerings. I changed my tune after I heard the self-titled "Old & in the Way" bluegrass album that Garcia had a heavy hand in. I absolutely loved it, and thought this Garcia guy couldn't be all bad, so went back and started again with American Beauty, and was surprised at how much I ended up liking it ( despite having previously heard "Truckin'" which I did not care for - though I have since softened on it). Since then I've very occasionally tried some of there more well regarded stuff and mostly dug what I've heard. As a bonus there are a lot of great side projects and related things worth investigating ( see "Ace). So looking forward to revisiting this one. THE TRACKS Side one "Box of Rain" - While it doesn't overwhelm the song enough to completely move it over into that genre, I can certainly hear country influences on this, which we'll be getting a lot more of. A pretty piece of unhurried melancholia. Lesh doesn't have the best voice, but it full of emotion and works very well here. "Friend of the Devil" - A sort of funny little outlaw tale, with Garcia taking lead vocals. He's much more accomplished, but never showy. This one has been covered a TON by a lot of great musicians. Of the ones I've heard, would recommend the Tom Petty one from the Live Anthology. There's also a fun Ministry one out there :) "Sugar Magnolia" - This was just...ok. It felt more than a little like a half-baked Crosby Stills and Nash throwaway track. Especially with the "doo-doo-doo" background vocals. Bob Weir is fine here but lacks Garcia's personality. "Operator" - Oof... Not a fan of Pigpens's vocals. We'll call this the Ringo track, and be thankful it's just the one. Though he does play a mean harmonica. Why not kick an man while he's down though - this feels like poorly done pastiche by someone who is very unsure of themselves and ends up overcompensating. "Candyman" - Of all the laidback tracks on the album, this is the laziest (in a good way) one there is. And despite the somewhat dark content, this is prime porch sitting music. Squeeze onto the swing, grab a jar of lemonade, and pass the dutchie on the left hand side. Or whatever your choice of enhancement might be. Side two "Ripple" - Another very pretty, laid back countrified number with some gospel feeling. Love that beautiful banjo roll bit by Garcia ( I assume), and makes me want to listen to the Old & in the Way album right after this. The chorus reaches up into the air on this one, and could see this very easily being reworked int an actual gospel choir number ( a quick search reveals a lot of interesting covers of this including some childrens choir arrangements, and one from the Kennedy Center Honors where Sturgill Simpson duets with Garcia via a bit of digital necromancy). Top notch. Think my favorite track on the album and the rare song that gets an emotional rise out of me. "Brokedown Palace" - This one rivals "Candyman" for the slow motion vibes, but it's got a sweet mournful tone that the previous one doesn't touch on. This compares favorably to "The Weight" by The Band. Though nowhere as iconic as that one, it carries an acceptance of sadness ( and some rather spiritual piano lines) also present in that one. Willing to bet some hard money that many a Deadhead have used this at funeral or memorial services. "Till the Morning Comes" - Light and groovy, bouncy and upbeat, this one seems like it wandered in from another, poppier album completely. More CSN/ Byrdsy vibes here. Good stuff, if a little off topic. "Attics of My Life" - More gospel overtones here, and maybe the most spiritual song on the album. Love that the whole thing is done in harmony. A neat trick that I'm glad they saved for just this track. Works equally well as a love song. "Truckin'" - I did NOT care for this when I first heard it. At the time this felt like the anthem for the band and it's culty followers. I will still never understand that part of the band's appeal, but I can at least accept that this is not a terrible song by any means. I just don't think it fits in with all the stuff I do love about the album - the pretty, slow, considered, country and bluegrass flavored stuff. This seems like the band in a completely different mode. One that is just not my speed. HIGHLIGHTS - "Box of Rain" - "Friend of the Devil" - "Candyman" - "Ripple" - "Brokedown Palace" - "Attics of My Life" MIDLIGHTS - "Sugar Magnolia" - "Till the Morning Comes" - "Truckin'" LOWLIGHTS - "Operator" FINAL THOUGHTS I think the Dead are underrated in general as an act, at least outside of their cult status, by people who are turned off by the whole "drop out" vibe and the drug culture cliches who ever give them a chance. Like how many people have even heard ore than a few of their songs? This is a prime example of their musicianship and easily sits along similar roots stuff by other big names of the era. It's just maybe not flashy enough. This album is far from perfect, but it's got enough great material that I can't argue with it's importance. And maybe the more gospely stuff even explains the Deadhead phenomenon a bit. Taken as a whole I could maybe sort of see the band and their whole vibe as sort of spiritual music for those that have chosen to drop out of the mainstream. This one has some very pretty, emotionally effecting numbers, and while they will never be favorites of mine, I can still enjoy them over acts like The Band who I think have much more of a sense of unearned self importance than these guys, who just genuinely seem to be ALL about the music. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Keep those highlights for a giant playlist of all the best of their more country and bluegrass flavored stuff. FURTHER LISTENING - Sweetheart of the Rodeo by The Byrds - Workingman's Dead by the Grateful Dead - Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - After the Gold Rush by Neil Young - The Adventures of Panama Red by New Riders of the Purple Sage - Ace by Bob Weir (and the entirety of the Grateful Dead minus Pigpen) - The Gilded Palace of Sin by The Flying Burrito Brothers - Old & In the Way by Old & In the Way - 12 Golden Country Greats by Ween - Billy Breathes by Phish
When I was in high school there were a group of girls in my class that were pure Deadheads. Most days one them would be wearing a Grateful Dead shirt and often the group was decked out in tie-dye. They were cool. Thing is, I went to high school in the mid-1990s. Now the 90s were lousy with 70s nostalgia, but I think my classmates spoke to the longevity and enduring popularity of The Grateful Dead. I was never into The Grateful Dead. They didn't have enough energy (at least of the music I heard, their live jams seem to be the stuff of legend but those missed me in my youth) for my MTV primed mind. So here I am with another new listen off the 1001 Albums list. Two tracks in and I can see the appeal. "Box of Rain" and "Friend of the Devil" are a wonderful start. I'm listening to this album on a lazy warm Sunday and it is fitting my mood. This album is slightly shorter than 45 minutes and it feels like hours are passing as the clouds wheel in the sky. Every pluck of the guitar and bend of the note seems to take an Age. "Candyman" was 6:14 long as a track but I swear the seasons seemed to change during that song. I can imagine someone in an "altered" state of mind might live in these long moments for quite a while. Perhaps they want to follow that experience wherever it goes. There is a dip in quality near the end of the album, "Attics of My Life" was the weakest track on here for me. "Truckin'" tries to end on an energetic note, but at this point that felt a little half-hearted. All in all, this was a 3.5 that I'm rounding-up to a 4 in honor of The Grateful Dead's long mark on music and pop culture. Track Highlights Box of Rain Friend of the Devil Candyman Ripple
not bad, but not all that appealing. very reminiscent of late 60s early 70s hippy music
On this record the Grateful Dead glues together the corniest and most cliché aspects of American folk and rock music and plays the resulting mess in the most pedestrian way possible. They try to pull off some CS&N-style harmonies at times but no one has a decent enough voice to make it work. The dry, lifeless production doesn't help either, but even if it were top drawer it still wouldn't be able to sell this thin, unimaginative material. Only album closer "Truckin'" has any semblance of spark to it, but hearing the few first chords of it makes me want reach for the Pop-O-Pies' kickass version instead.
Chord structure was inventive in the middle; the latter half of the album was gospel. This was my first GD album listen and I get the Deadheads lotta wisdom in the lyrics to some bum who knows nothing.
Never listened to a Grateful Dead album despite their status in the music community. With a name like that they sound like an edgy band or at least hard rock. This album sounds more like the Byrds under a Bob Dylan folk rock beat.
This was good. Now I'm craving Cherry Garcia ice cream. 3.0/5.0: Good
this is probably more of a 4 but this hit just right so its getting a 5
I'm having a bit of a problem with this one. When I saw it pop up, I was positive it would get a 5, but I think I'm going 4.5 rounded down. This was the first Dead album I ever listened to and the one I listened to the most for quite some time, but I tend to reach for others more now. "Box of Rain" is a perfect song. Maybe their best, certainly a top 15 song all time by any artist ever. There's multiple other fantastic tracks here as well.
This is really nice. It's very chill and happy. Very mellow. Good vocals, brilliant guitar. The songs are great. Sugar magnolia, friend of the devil, truckin, its a great album.
Sounds exactly like something George Harrison woulf make
Fine listen but no standouts
Ma perception. Il y a des groupes comme Grateful Dead ou genre Phish qui jouissent d'une grande popularité parmi les états-unien(ne)s mais moins hors pays. Je n'ai jamais été un partisan du groupe mais j'ai malgré tout quelques-uns de leurs albums, dont America Beauty, et c'est définitivement celui que j'écoute le plus souvent car je le trouve très bon.
Ça faisait un bout que je voulais découvrir Jerry Garcia et sa gang. Je n'ai pas été déçu ! Mais quelque peu surpris, je m'attendais pas à quelque chose d'aussi soft, plus du versant Everly Brothers, Byrds, ou Beach Boys qu'autre chose. Friend of the devil et Ripple évidemment, des hits!
Bien aimé mais vraiment pas le son que j’imaginais. Grateful dead étant un jam band fameux, je m’attendais à des longues chansons sinueuses, à la War on Drugs. Probablement juste en live! Tres bon quand même. Bien aimé Truckin’ pour closer l’album.
Es bonito
I don’t see how even being on acid would make this any better. Kinda figures, though, that this soulless banality would be what turned the hippies away from revolution and inward towards apathetic selfishness. Extra star because I have fond memories of singing “Ripple” in summer camp.
It is a good album, but a song or two in the backhalf really slows this album down and makes it longer than it is. It really shouldn't be that way with 4 classics "Box of Rain", "Friend of the Devil", "Ripple" and "Truckin" 3.5/5
Easy listening
I'm not much of a Deadhead. This album is nice but not much really grabbed me. I feel like that shouldn't happen when I'm as high as I am. This was alright for me. "Candyman" was really the only one that got me interested fully
LOVE THIS ALBUM!!! so happy to see it today. sugar magnolia and box of rain truckin til the morning comes friend of the devil!! AHHHH!!
Americana beauty. All classics. Love Jerry on the steel pedal. Attics of my Life is my fave. Poetry and harmony.
No matter their musical taste throughout my college tenure - i was never without at least one roommate that had a copy American Beauty and Legend. Both are full of songs that feel like they had always been. Songs singable even you don't really recall ever actively seeking them out. In the ether not as overplayed pop songs but something deeper. They just are. This album just is.
1. "Box of Rain" 2. "Friend of the Devil" 3. "Truckin'"
I have never understood the appeal of the Grateful Dead. Perhaps it because I have not smoked ripe since I was a child. Perhaps the appeal of sitting outside with a bunch of other drug addled denizens smoking dope and listening to what amounts to electrified folk rock with harmonies is not that appealing to a kid from the Yukon. Perhaps wild animals would be attracted if this record was played in a forest. Likely not. Anyway, a good effort but still dull as fuck.
CHATO P CRLLLLLLLLLLLLL mas ok tho
Absolutely boring
I like both folk and country, but it doesn't really work on this album. Most songs are lame, and the vocal harmonies don't seem to fit too well. The singer's thin voice doesn't help either. Notable exception: Sugar Magnolia.
dead is so over rated
High 3
My wife loves Greatful Dead, so naturally I really want to like them also. Some of the tracks are great, but most of the others just blur into what feels like 2 hour jam track. Did the next track start? Who knows? Not my choice of band to do drugs too.
Rating: 2.5/5 Favorite: Truckin Least favorite: Attics of my life/Candyman
Rating : 3/5 Favorite Song: Box of Rain Least Favorite: Candyman
Excellent grooves
All new to me and not at all unpleasant
Not my first time round with this album and I wanted to like it more than I did. Partly because I think Box of Rain is one of the most moving songs written about loss. And partly because the Dead are legendary. Sadly though most of the album doesn't do it for me - maybe because I'm on the other side of the pond. A reluctant 3*
Why did I fight listening to this band for so long? (4.5)
Meh. Never really been a fan of the Dead. This wasn't terrible, but I'm not a big fan of folk music.
Gostei da música Candyman
Wasn't terrible. And that's about as much good as I can say about it. Can hear Beatles and Young inspiration.
Dull, dull, dull, dull, dull
I think The Grateful Dead is the only band where I'd be totally fine if their only representation on this list is live albums. Their studio work is fine, but it's nothing compared to Live/Dead. This album doesn't do a whole lot past proving that. It's fine enough, but I really can't find anything of note enough to talk about.
First dead album I didn’t love, this on the other hand was really good. Great production, awesome songs. Big influence on one of my favourite bands Wilco, so nice to hear where it’s come from. I need to listen to this again.
Such a great and soulful album with solid songwriting and meaningful lyrics. I've known this one for years. There's no evidence of the Dead's "jam band" status here, just some great tunes that I'm sure lead to great jams live. Liked Songs Added: Box Of Rain Friend Of The Devil Sugar Magnolia Ripple Truckin'
This was a wonderful reprieve after listening to a 69 song album yesterday and wanting to kms
For a band well known for their huge rocking live shows, American Beauty happens to be the exact opposite of that and one of if not their sharpest studio project to date. It is just the band playing around a Country Rock sound and it is perfect roadtrip fuel for a grand ol' time. It doesn't do anything crazy and the songwriting is surprisingly simple and charming, and yet that is all I really need to be enthralled with American Beauty. I had a feeling I would really enjoy this project for some time and I am glad I seem to know myself well enough to say I was right. It is a soft spoken album that doesn't pull anything crazy out of the hat, but is a great time from front to back as it hits that near perfect 42-43 minute sweet spot for an album runtime. Don't get why some of y'all can't enjoy this because it is a great album??
A few good songs, but this album is pretty mid. It’s like The Band made an album with zero interest in anything but LSD.
Lovely
Rv
No my thing really
I always forget that I like the Dead more than I think.
Not feeling the country vibe
Stripping away the GD mythos, they admittedly ain’t much. They sound like a crusty country bunch, doped to the point of quiet resignation from life. Checking the lyrics, they aren’t quite as poetic as one might expect from their San Francisco art scene rep. Their sound isn’t necessarily trippy by today’s standards, although there are moments, typically triggered by a relaxed concentration, an intention to transmit the acid experience. Some tracks, I feel the depleted energy of someone playing music because they’d set out to be a musician years before they discovered the divine light that consumes all, so here they are, singing a song. Still, Friend of the Devil and Ripple are absolute classics, and there are moments on American Beauty where I really get it. In another life, in another time, under a different upbringing, I can see what it would be like to have been a dead head. In this life though, I enjoy showers. I prefer wine to weed. I’ve heard the bootlegs of their supposed best concerts and I’ve regularly felt meh about them. It just isn’t for me. I’m too grateful living.
I don't know what I was expecting from this. Maybe something louder? Harder? The dissonance between my expectations and experience was quite jarring. I didn't dislike this album, but I didn't really like it either.
I mean this is fine I guess, but I don't get the cult following. This sounds like AI generated rock before AI.
Bien.
Zzzzzz
Yes, I am grateful that most of them are Dead. This was shit. A bunch of countrified ramblings that ultimately bored me shitless. I hadn't heard anything by the Dead prior to now, and I know now that I haven't been missing much.
Box of Rain - 3/5 Friend of the Devil -2/5 Sugar Magnolia - 2/5 Operator - 2/5 Candy Man - 3/5 Ripple - 3/5 Brokedown Palace - 4/5 Till the Morning Comes - 3/5 Attics of My Life - 2/5 Truckin' -1/5
Boring
Interesting listen, whilst aware of them hadn’t knowingly heard them before
Yeah quite liked it
This album confirms what I've long suspected, that I'm not a Dead fan. They might have been a great band to see live (and high), but as a studio band they are subpar. I was surprised at how bad the vocals are, these dudes definitely can't sing.
Most of the GD songs overplayed on classic rock are here. But it is a good intro to GD's studio Americana music. Not their best, but still really good. 4/5
perfectly pleasant. i wasn't paying the most amount of attention to this but also nothing made me stop and listen on purpose.....for whatever that's worth. but i think it was on me
Hippy
I've never really listened to the Grateful Dead before, and this was not what I was expecting. Put me in mind of the Byrds more than the Doors-style rock I was anticipating. A nice enough listen, but not much stood out to me.
I had never really listened to the Grateful Dead before, and now I kind of see why. It was definitely a little too country for my taste. I understand they're really a jam band, and any album they put together is just a sample of what they're doing, but I didn't care much for the sample. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't my thing at all.
Want to make 42 minutes feel like 3 hours? Listen to this record. Peak grandpa-rock.
itt: people rating deadheads instead of the album. the album isnt that much better though
Friend of the Devil Operator Till the Morning Comes Truckin’
Box of Rain Friend of the Devil Ripple Till the Morning Comes
This is fine
This album changed my life when I first heard it. Beautiful harmonies and wonderful songwriting. The guitar interplay with moving basslines makes this album perfect
Nice to listen to and sort of sway back and forth. I guess the loose feeling is to be expected with a jam band. I can't give more than a 2 because I fell asleep. Not because it was boring though! Kinda lulled me to bed. I was tired and the music was peaceful without being ambient. That said, listening through the rest did confirm that everything is pretty samey and that likely didn't help me stay up either.
The Dead suck.
Sorry, I didn’t have any acid to take, so I don’t have any strong opinions on this.
Too folky and countryish There was one song I really enjoyed, but I think only because I heard it on Freaks and Geeks years ago, and even then it was a bit of a drag. 2 stars.
This is like going to the county fair and getting lost. One minute you’re at a petting zoo, chilling with some llamas, next thing you can’t find your dad (you’ll later come to learn he has gone to find moonshine). An elderly woman with minimal dental hygiene and a dress that you think has been worn at least four times since it was last washed comforts you while you wait for a parent to pick you up. They are very welcoming, and all of a sudden you wonder if this is how carnies join this travelling band. Oh shit, this might be your life now.
Despite not sounding anywhere near as metal as thier name suggests, I did quite enjoy this. Not my standard go to style and yet it sits their in thw background as aplesent listen. Good use of space by the instruments as well as restraint. And nice vocal melodies
Good but not great, Friend of the Devil is a really enjoyable song, and no songs on here that I dislike. The album lacks variety but it’s a really easy listen.
Nisam baš očekivala da će bend koji je sponzorisao litvansku košarkašku reprezentaciju i dao im one kul dresove zvučati ovako bljutavo. Prvi put da čujem i pjesmu od njih i bio mi je totalni šok.
A beautiful studio output by the live legends.
ok 60's tumes
I just dont like TGD. 2.9/5
Chill cosmic American music with some legendary acoustic riffs, fun lyrics, and some great solos. Hard not to feel good listening to this one. 9/10
This was just a really nice blend of blues, rock and country. The reputation of The Dead is that they're an essential live band rather than one with great records but this made me want to listen to more.
I can't call myself a huge dead fan but I love this album. I'm really starting to have an appreciation for this band.
Fun little bit of psychedelic rock with some jams, but not very many memorable songs considering
There is no way for anyone to understand the Grateful Dead by just listening to this record. In 2016, when I started being interested in The Dead, I listened to this first. I liked it, but I could not understand why this band is worshipped and followed. Then I saw Dead and Co play in 2021. I figured it out. I saw them 9 more times and had my mind blown every. single. time. This is one of my favorite bands. Musically, culturally, personally, they mean so much to me. Seeing them play, changed the way that I view live music. It made me appreciate the fusion of genres, and homages to old music. It made me understand the power of American music and what that really means. It made me respect ambition, and the chase. Not every GD song works, but they always tried and experimented and took the music further. Bobby wanted this music to live on 300 years from now. It will, because of the people that carried the tradition and moved it furthur. NFA. ⚡️💀🌹
Based on their cult like following of tie-die clad Deadheads claiming you just have to experience them live maaaaaan, I always assumed the Grateful Dead made some sort of out there psychedelic rock that could only be fully appreciated high as a kite. But this...this is just boring.
Classic album, but doesn't really do anything exciting.
Not my style
NO. 2/5
I heard three of The Beatles and both Simon and Garfunkel in here but nothing that would make me want to remember the sixties, even if I'd been there man.
Tämähän oli oikeasti ihan mieluista kuunneltavaa, toisin kuin tämän haasteen alkumetreillä vastaan tullut livelevy Live/Dead. American Beautylla kuullaan paljon rentoja ja akustisia biisejä, jotka sopivat mukavasti aurinkoiseen aamupäivään. Grateful Dead ei kuitenkaan ole isoimpia suosikkejani oman aikansa legendaarisista rock-yhtyeistä.
Very good album I liked ‘Box of Rain’, ‘Sugar Magnolia’ and ‘Ripple’ in particular. Rated:3.5/5 GEMV (17.04.2026)
Such good vibes. Good writing, great jams.
Deeply inoffensive
Man this really close some idols liked Too but not get a chance like thjs
Jamais écouté avant. Beaucoup moins marqué par le psychédélisme que ce à quoi je m'attendais, un album de country/folk-rock efficace et compétent. Rien de renversant, mais ça s'écoute très bien. Top : Brokedown Palace Flop : Attics of My Life
rock folk medio country. me gustó siento que es para un martes o sábado a la mañana que te despertas buena onda pero chill.
grew on me but still pretty average
This is my favorite Dead album I’ve heard so far. I like its calm simplicity and pleasant melodies.
Ripple is a masterpiece
I like the Dead on Studio album about as much as I like them live, which is to say not very much at all. This felt long at 40 minutes
I had never been much of a fan of this band, but to be fair, my exposure had been limited to two or three songs. So I was a bit surprised at how much I liked this album. Sort of a chill country rock vibe with some nice harmonies. It’s a solid four star record for me, and I will be listening to it again.
Probably the only Grateful Dead album Ive heard. Starts strong, but then becomes less interesting than other 60s bands. 3.5 rounded down Heard before? Some Owned: No 65/261 (25%) Will I get: No
To be up-front, I talk a *lot* of shit about The Grateful Dead. It is, admittedly, less about the band than it is about the culture of interacting with the band. Before there was something a little wrong with Phish fans, or Ween fans, or (perhaps to a lesser extent) Primus fans, there was something wrong with Grateful Dead fans. Grateful Dead fandom appears to be a full time job, and part of me wants to check out the club. After all, I like the aesthetic, and abstract, lengthy rock excursions. But another part of me can't bear to see myself become someone who says things like "listen, this really isn't what The Dead are all about, check out Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) on Europe '72, Vol. 6, disc 3, and *that* will really change your life". All I'm saying is that Grateful Dead fandom seems like a lot of work, and it may come at the cost of living a life that is completely unrelatable to the out crowd (read: the rest of society). Anyways, the band's live reputation is such that I occasionally forget that they have any studio albums at all. And I have been led to believe that American Beauty is their most successful (if not only successful) studio effort. All of this is to say that while American Beauty is a pretty good album, it doesn't exactly give me insight into why people feel the way they do about The Dead. This is a roots rock album with pretty enjoyable songs, and the odd moment of transcendence. Box Of Rain, Friend Of The Devil, Sugar Magnolia, and Truckin' are among my favorites. And the organic, kind of free way these songs unravel does hint at the band's bread and butter. I ultimately enjoyed American Beauty, but I also don't really get a glimpse into what makes The Dead special here. Although, the list does also have Live/Dead, and I am interested in giving that a try when the time comes.
Started bad, got worse. The last song was the best of a bad bunch, but by that point I'd checked out I'd actively avoid this album
Flask? Bottle? Gourd? Vial? All seem more practical for holding rain...but I'm not high.
I have tried and failed to make myself appreciate this but I just don't like it and I can't get around that. So much of the album is built around featuring their harmonies and I don't like any of their voices.
I think I’d rather listen to their live albums that I like less because they’re more interesting. Like, their live stuff is emphatically not for me but I can at least try to get past that and see if I can come round the other side. that’s fun and challenging and rewarding. This is smoother and less rambly and more controlled and easier to listen to and those qualities are not wholly positive It’s ok.
Had no idea what to expect, knew they had a cult following (live at least) but had no idea why, and now I am still perplexed. Sub-par Eagles. Well, I guess you had to be there.
Omg??????? I have always avoided listening to the grateful dead because I assumed from their name they were a thrash metal band?????? But what hvlave I just heard??? Well apparently I heard an "eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, and world music with psychedelic"..... So not thrash metal then. Anyways I enjoyed this and this is exactly why I signed up to this little exercise. Consider my horizons broadened and my apologies to the grateful dead 😂 although I do kinda think the name needs work shopping now....
Its been a while since I got a good album. Im getting sour.
Reminds me of eagles Favorites: candyman, friend of the devil
Fascineranes mye mer countryaktig enn æ hadde trodd (æ trodde det va gitar-noodling og greier?), men ikke nokka som pekte sæ ut i særlig grad?
Aggressively eh
Not at all what you'd expect from their band name
Lot of good songs, evocative lyrics, country/bluegrass type playing. Better singing than they often have, less JG noodling too. Guess they could've been a studio band.
Ok folk rock but I never really was into the Grateful Dead.
This was perfectly fine. I’d only previously heard Live/Dead, which I enjoy and far prefer to this. But yeah, it’s good for what it is. Their music doesn’t accurately reflect the dedication of their fans though, in my opinion - it’s hardly that special, yet there is essentially an entire culture based around it which I find intriguing.
I’ve never been a big Grateful Dead fan, usually just because my attention span is much too short for their drawn out jams. I was surprised this album fit 10 tracks into 42 minutes- maybe I would like this? Well, no. There is some really ponderous stuff on here. They must have been on some serious downers. It felt like a struggle to get through most of the tracks they were dragging so much. Truckin’, the last track, was a relief because they finally picked up the pace! So yeah, this album did nothing to make a Dead head out of me.
Great classic album! Grew up listening to the dead and this is definitely a good one
I simply found this utterly boring and uninspiring. I can't say that I actually actively disliked any of this, but I just can't even fathom how these guys are considered the American counterpart to The Beatles, who are so clearly the superior band and it's not even close. This is nothing more than super average and somewhat generic American country rock, really nothing hugely special about it at all.
8.8
I’m not a Dead Head
4.5/5
“Ripple” has always been my favorite Dead song, and this album on the whole showcases their strengths in writing charming melodies and songs that aren’t just 20-minute meandering jams.