American Beauty

Actual songs with tunes and melodies, which makes it a million times better than the Grateful Dad's live recording. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Friend of the Devil Date listened: 06/02/24

Pretty cool.

Con LSD lo subiria a un 4

El country no es mi género favorito, pero el album me lo escuché conduciendo y estuve vibing todo el camino. Parafraseando a Álvaro, te deja bien tiernito el soul de redneck.

meh

I kind of like Ripple, Til the Morning Comes, and Truckin

I’ve never really listened to Grateful Dead. First impression: I’m pleased this isn’t super long. Overall, I didn’t hate it but it didn’t excite me in any way. Truckin’ is pretty cool though.

Very much looking forward to this, know of the influences, but haven't heard it. * Friend of the Devil *Ripple *Attics of my Life *Box of Rain (second listen) Really enjoyable. I hope this hasn't awakened something in me. (later) Listened to some live recordings. Nope, it hasn't awakened anything in me. I'll probably go and listen to The Band now.

Helt okej utan att ha låtar som sticker ut.

Pretty good, nothing too memorable though in my opinion. The band and singing was good. It is not usually the type of music I would listen to. I don't have much to say.

The album is average. The songs go on quite long and kind of blend together after a bit. The entire album reminds me of you were going on a road trip through the woods or something. The singers were good and the instrumental was very 70s. A few good songs but due to the length and some are just meh to me I’d give this a 6/10

Easy listening. Nothing exceptional.

Up beat folksy and enjoyable

another example of being pleasantly surprised by the dead. 3

Nice bakgrundsmusik

Very serene. Released in 1970, beginning the decade of the hippy. Acoustic melodies dancing together embracing under an umbrella of rock and country. I found this sound of music a bit too unappealing. Solid songs like Friend Of The Devil, and Till The Morning Comes. Other than that I really wouldn’t wish to listen to the same church like rhythm all that much.

Solides Rock Album der frühen Stunde

I've yet to understand why Dead are so heralded. This album was fine, but nothing more so than that

Opened well with "Box of Rain" and a folk sound with hints of rock and country. Harmonies were consistently well executed, but it all became consistently boring and repetitive.

послушать то я конечно послушал, но хз как реагировать. ну я не люблю кантри, я славянин нахой, мне чужда эта музыка. в целом то как бы звучит интересно, да и у Джерри Гарсии определённо есть харизма, но я не испытал почти никаких эмоций. даже на фоне на самом деле это скучноватенько, хотя музыка довольно лайтовая и приятная. но мне кажется просто из за огромного культурного разрыва мне этим не проникнуться. но потраченного времени не жаль, опять же, гитарки тут секс. короче уважаю но не моё оценка - 6,5/10

Tried and tried to get into these guys. I respect the talent of Jerry, but I can’t do it. At least this album didn’t have the 20 minute jam nonsense.

Country. Ni fu ni fa.

Same as too many albums of that time

есть душа там, но чет иногда банально

Кажется, это то кантри, которое не бесит. Даже гармошка не смогла вывести меня из состояния душевного равновесия! Я беглым взглядом окинул историю группы: возможно, будь мы американцами и постарше лет на 15-20, мы бы сейчас просто отрывались по полной. Но увы. Иногда звучит как будто слишком плоско и "по заказу". Как-то искусственно.

намана

its alright

3 1/2

This album feels like a product of it's time. It's all about radio air play and something like this just fits the bill. Being their fifth album I guess they had a big enough following to keep up the momentum. Fave track Truckin' -- I just love a good driving song.

It is pretty mystifying to me how this band came to hold the cultural position they do. I guess it's just one of those foibles of human culture, similar to how yellow umbrellas became a symbol of revolution in Hong Kong. It's nothing to do with the umbrellas themselves - the movement needed a symbol and they were to hand. So yeah, this album is like a yellow umbrella. Perfectly serviceable classic/folk rock, with not much to distinguish it from all the other mass produced umbrellas, as far as I can tell. I guess I'll wait for their live album to come up to see if that makes them click for me. Fave track - "Truckin'", that being the only track that had a little something going on...

Not what I expected for some reason. Better than I thought. 3

I've never been a big fan of Grateful Dead but this album was better than I thought. The vocals were a bit more pitchy than I would have thought but the music itself was pretty good. I wouldn't skip a GD song but I wouldn't listen to a full album either. I guess, I'm not a Dead Head.

Easy, laid-back Cali vibe. Pleasant but instantly forgettable.

didn't like it as much as I thought I did

This was ok. Felt pretty generic honestly. 6/10

Grateful Dead is one of those bands where I think you have to be born in the 60s and/or in the United States to truly appreciate what they were doing.

Jsp y'a rien qui m'a sauté aux oreilles

envie de trucker (non)

I listened a lot to this album in the 90s when I was then married to a hippie girl. I enjoyed it, in spite of my then acid-punk leanings. She dragged me to a show—I was being a pill about it—and I ended up maybe enjoying it more than her? I remember just saying that “it’s just a bunch of old guys up there wearing it out”. Of course now I’m a year away from how old Jerry was then. He died later that year I believe. So upon relisten. Not bad, the only real clunker is Operator. This is one of two albums held up by Deadheads to counter the argument that they couldn't write a good album, and sure, they did that. This one does not betray AT ALL what the band is remembered for today, which is psychedelic exploration. They tried to write a hit album ala CSN&Y and kind of succeeded. But, as surprisingly good as the harmonies are--given how bad they often were live--do they hold up against other California harmony bands of the time? I don't think so. Anyway, Friend of the Devil is a timeless americana classic. And Ripple is good shit. Other than that, you know, the Dead are better at other things. This album doesn't, and doesn't want to, show what they were capable of achieving via an inspired Dark Star, and ok, but on the album-making front they are outclassed by many many other bands.

Not bad, not very interesting either

Heard some Dead & Company play some Grateful Dead songs before and had some expectations because of it. Found this a bit underwhelming compared to those songs I heard before

Had some high hopes for this but turned out pretty mediocre. Friend of the Devil is an alltime favourite though!

I used to love this album when i was 19/20.

Nothing stood out, but not bad by any means. Also not my genre.

The Grateful Dead has a very unique mix of genres that leads to them having a very distinct sound… that works well with some songs more than others.

I've always thought these guys were overrated, but this album is actually OK - pleasant country style

I grew up surrounded by the Grateful Dead records and have never really been a fan. But it's been decades since I gave this an honest listen and it was honestly better than I recall. I love how neatly carved out the bass sounds on this record, and Phil Lesh is unquestionably a hell of a bass player. Overall not bad.

Wasn't bad. I even enjoyed most of it. 3.49/5

Historically not a big Dead fan, largely due to Jerry Garcia’s voice, but I do tend to like their studio recordings better than their live jams. This is probably their best album, the band does country alright. Still not really my thing, but not bad for them. C

Fine. The Dead aren't so bad when they're bound by a studio setting and can't noodle around for 45 minutes on one song. Nothing I'm rushing back to listen to again. Truckin' is ok.

Helt ok, litt "traust" country-ish? Ikke noe for meg, sånn egentlig.

You’d expect me to enjoy the Grateful Dead, but it’s just a little blah to me

Okay. TGD Know of them and probably only one or two of their songs. Oh Friend of the Devil! HA they mention Utah in that song. The 60s and 70s were great decades for music. They had a shit ton of albums. Oh okay 13 according to ChatGPT. Second song they mention Utah. (Operator) Harmonica in this one. Reminds me a lot of Simon and Garfunkel. Truckin' I've heard this one too.

it was ok

I tried. I gave it a few songs. Decent for Grateful Dead. But not a Deadhead.

Surprisingly good. I think these guys are incredibly over rated but I’ve also not taken a ton of time to listen to them. I appreciated this

Favorite song: “Friend of the Devil”. This album was just too mellow for me, but it was alright.

Never really listened to Grateful Dead. It's nice! A little more country than I was expecting. The softest of rocks.

i don't much care for the Dead, but this was a good album

An easy going breezy album from The Grateful Dead, a band I've heard a lot about but almost know nothing beyond their faithful fans and never-ending tours. This was better than I expected!

Gimme it live please

Trippy shit

09.04.23. Довольно неплохая 'чисто американская' музыка, которая вполне могла бы войти в какое-нибудь 'чисто американское' кино в качестве саундтрека. Однако местами этот альбом был довольно скучным, а иногда и вовсе раздражал.

I have to say I am not a big Dead fan. So I went into this album not expecting much but was genuinely sold on it after giving it a chance and skipping some more repetitive tracks. I kinda put them in the CSN and America category in my mind: classic, light, Americana.

A decent listen from a talented band that somehow wasn't as exciting to me as all the British bands at the same time. They had something outstanding that GD lacked. Hence the album flows mellow but highlights are missing.

Very much meh, a disappointment considering how famous the Grateful Dead are, as well as the fact that this is supposedly their best studio album. Solid opening with someone upbeat country rock, but soon falls into unmemorable and slightly dreary, homogenous 70s Americana. 03/04/23

Un disco que engloba muchos sus mas que claras influencias. No cansa, pero tampoco me vuelve loco, es jna realidad, otro disco plano que intenta ser algo mas que no puede 6,50/10

Never really been a Dead Head, but that's probably more because of my lack of interest in really checking out their catalog. Having been "forced" to listen to this album in the context of this list makes me want to check out a few more. This is a solid folk/rock hippy album, and I'm here for it.

I feel like the album does the band a disservice.

I’ve heard of this band but I have never sat and listened before. This band had a reputation for having a great sounding live show PA system, and sort of you can tell that they care about that here - this is a lush mix with lots of little details. Feels more luxurious than a lot of the contemporaries I’m familiar with. That said, the music isn’t grabbing me much. Friend of the Devil was an early standout (I feel like I’ve heard a cover of this before) but nothing else stood out to me. Standouts: Friend of the Devil 3

Nice, nothing special but nice.

Klinkt beetje standaard eigenlijk. Niet zo legendarisch als je wel eens hoort

They were always a live band and studio stuff always sounds a bit tame. Still its pretty pleasant soft country jangle rock. Lovely harmonies but all a bit bland.

You wouldn't think you'd get '70s soft rock with a name like Grateful Dead.

Friend of the Devil is definitely the highlight.

The vibe is really cool, but several songs just go way too long. Candyman and Attics especially. I think a major part of this is the overuse of harmony. When it’s the whole song there’s no contrast or emphasis, and the lyrics get muddied so I don’t even get an idea what they’re singing about. Trucking uses it more sparingly and is so much more interesting for it.

1970. Box of Rain, Friend of the Devil, Ripple

Started strongly but ran out of puff - by which I mean that I grew a little wearied by the puritan production and arrangements. Still, this is my favourite version of the Dead - the limitations of vinyl meaning they cannot jam out endlessly. So you've got a fairly focused, well-delivered collection of roots and country rock that is pleasant, rather than spectacular.

a strong 3 star album. Proof that I can really like 3 star albums

I thought the album was pretty average on my first listen. But I know how much people like the Dead so I gave it another listen. I appreciated it more the second time around, but I'm still not sure if it's that good. It's folksy and there's a lot of attempts at harmony among the bandmates but their achieved harmony isn't as good as contemporaries like the Mamas and the Papas or CSNY and all their related acts (the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, etc.). It's a light, easy-going sound and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a good pick-me-up when in a bad mood. But I think it needs more. I'm not sure I fault this list for having one Grateful Dead album on it, because these guys are musical icons - a phenomenon all their own. It's just that I don't get what the big deal is about. A fine group and album, nothing more.

I enjoyed this but maybe less than expected.

Was the only Grateful Dead album I owned and took me a while to get into it back then. Friend of the devil is a stand out, but it's pretty forgettable beyond that. Didn't hate, but nothing special.

First time listening to the Dead. Was expecting Jefferson Airplane psychedelia, but this was like The Band or a less accomplished Allman Brothers. Ok,nothing particularly pressure, singing was pleasant, ambience was convivial. Low 3.

Non-offensive, aber etwas eintönig. Hippie Musik

Sympathique pour moi, mais semble un peu daté et je ne trouve pas ça très original

With such a huge catalog to pull from, why is THIS the Grateful Dead album that's on the list? Why even this ERA of Dead? Everyone knows Grateful Dead as the masters of psychedelic acid-rock jam-band music. That's why they're legends. Not because of this weird pseudo-country Americana album. Ok, rant aside, it's an alright Americana album. The skills are there and the production is legit. It's just... gah. It's so disappointing to be served a Dead album and then have to listen to... this.

This album changed Lindsay Weir’s life but alas it did not change mine. Pleasant overall tho

Seems pretty overated, or maybe I am missing something. Seems like it may grow on you with multiple listens. But the glory escaped me.

Chill, easy listening. Didn’t jump out as particularly interesting. Maybe I should have dropped a second tab.

Nice, chill and have listened to some of their stuff before

A little bit bluesy. Never listens to Grateful Dead before. Enjoyed it - well done everyone

Solid 3 for me. Not one bad song but I did some out from time to time. I was waiting for one out there track that didn’t come. There are little teases when the likes of Candyman when the organ kicks in a bit like That’s Life. I also enjoyed Friend of the Devil.

The dead are hella nostalgic for me because my dad played them a ton while I was growing up. For whatever reason I never really pursued them as an adult but I've always wanted to change that. Maybe this is a sign that I should? This album is great but I’d rather listen to their live stuff.

Sure! Not my favorite album or artist of all time, but an easy, enjoyable listen.

Einde beetje saaiig prima album niks meer niks minder

Studio albums doen de band geen eer. Niet heel interessant dit, maar live is het stukken beter. Omdat ik toch deze moet raten moet het genoegen doen met een 3

Rock folk

too american

This was my first experience listening to a Grateful Dead album! I have somehow always been able to unintentionally avoid them over the course of time. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this, really, but it was okay! The tight harmonies on this album are certainly reminiscent and likely inspired by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, but in comparing the two, I didn't quite love the music as much as I typically do CSNY. I think this album probably focuses more on fusing folk and country/bluegrass. Really, this album sound felt more like a mash-up of CSNY and Bob Dylan, which is maybe why I like it a little bit less than just pure CSNY. That said, this album was nothing to frown at -- I ultimately enjoyed listening to it. As a first time Grateful Dead listener, I think my favorite song on the album was probably Sugar Magnolia!

definitely my cup of tea

3 sterren, omdat ik op een of andere manier daar bijna 10 lp's van heb (gekregen).

Niet zo opmerkelijke folkrock/country muziek. Tof voor de achtergrond, maar blijft zeker niet hangen

Yeah Folk Rock/Country describes this well. Nice to listen to, even in the backgound. I love the way that behind the images lies sweet-natured chilled chaps who play mellow music.

yeah sure

This is good, but it doesn't really stand out for me. I'm sure at the time it was more noteworthy.

Im so sorry dead heads I’m so sorry

has a little more twang than i was expecting, kinda bored listening to it.

I’ve never been a fan of jam bands

Really enjoyed this, almost a 4

Alright

Nice album, but not so memorable even though several songs are really enjoyable.

Americana

It's good, but I prefer the more psychedelic GD

Enjoyed

I like Grateful Dead, I could enjoy them more, I like a lot of the songs on this record. That said, for every studio version of these songs, I feel like I've heard a live version that's way better or has more soul in it, and I'm not even much of a huge Grateful Dead follower. So I think I'd prefer to listen to their live records over this. That said, I'm surely missing some context with this record, but that was my reaction.

I’m surprised, I thought the Grateful Dead were much more hard rock than this first track, Box of Rain, is suggesting. This has some major Simon and Garfunkel vibes? What the heck! “Friend of the Devil” has a jumping banjo. I’ve been so wrong about The Dead. “Sugar Magnolia” is a catchy and beautiful song. Loving these harmonies. “Ripple” is another beauty. I think I’ve heard this one before but didn’t know it was Grateful Dead. Okay I’m still Jewish after that guitar solo on Truckin,’ but this song is definitely going on my road trip mix. What a great tune. I like this band a lot. They look like a bunch of Dads. I get why so many Dads are Dead Heads. They all wanted me to believe they were so tough for enjoying a band with skeletons on their t-shirts, but this band loves tight, sweet harmonies just like the next guy. Thoroughly enjoyed this listen. Didn’t light a fire underneath me. 3/5.

3.5 So, I’m actually surprised by how much of this was…coherent. Almost good even. At best it’s really catchy and well paced but at worst it’s like sleepy country music.

To my shame, this is the first time I have actually listed to the Dead. I have always been put off by the thought that they were absolutely shambolic, and unlistenable to. More than pleasantly surprised.

This album wasnt for me. Will be interested to listen to more since they are so iconic.

Good folky rock, not as special as I expected.

I’ve always had a hard time getting past the Phil Lesh’s vocals on Box of Rain and the harmonies are not tight. I can be more forgiving of their vocals and harmonies live but I think they could’ve gotten some better takes. I like their later 70’s albums and their live stuff better - never been a fan of their blues songs or their folky stuff. I do like David Grisman’s mandolin playing. Phil Lesh’s bass playing is so weird on friend of a devil. I like Brokedown palace .

Some of these songs are super nostalgic for me, like friend of the devil and truckin. Brokedown palace is cool. I think they write some great songs but the performance is not exciting to me. The vocals are not good

My favorite was Brokedown Palace. I enjoyed it but I don’t understand why they have such a crazy following. A lot of the songs remind me of church songs.

3.5 I’m not a dead head but good music is good music.

fairly bland considering the deads reputation, however luckily for this album it popped up on to the list a couple of days after i'd been on a day trip to Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. listening to this hot on the heels of knocking about in their home town and the birthplace of the whole hippy counter culture thing it sort of works a bit better, even if the haight is now a bit of a tourist hippy pastiche. everything this album does was done better by love with arthur lee.

Can see why people like it. Just wasn’t anything special after first listen. Never have listened to Grateful Dead though. Sounds like many of the bands of that time.

A little bit too much country, GDead did other greater things

Aardig, maar sommige zeikerige nummers

For one of the most influential and inventive bands of the '70s, this is a pretty boring album. Should have included one of their live albums instead

I tried and have tried a number of times to listen and/or get into the Grateful Dead. I just can't do it. I understand their cultural/counter cultural relevance and I get it but it just doesn't do it for me. I wouldn't be upset if I was at a BBQ and it was on but listening to it in isolation it's a bit meh.

Gets a little better each time I've tried. I do find every Grateful Dead album fairly dull though. The mythology of the band does not match their output. That is not to say that they are not talented or are not sonically pleasing. There is just not enough to hook me and there's a lack of energy. Jack of all trades but master of none (3.0)

As someone who has never understood the (mass) appeal of the Grateful Dead, I can say this album...did nothing to change my mind. There are a few OK songs, enough to warrant the 3 star rating (Ripple, Truckin, Friend of the Devil, Sugar Magnolia), but for the most part what I've always thought of them holds true: boring musically and lyrically, sup-par vocally, just all around uninteresting.

I'm a huge fan of the Dead but mostly listen to their classic live material and hadn't heard this CD start to finish in a while. There's some incredible songs on here. But a lot of this material is just OK in the recorded LP format. "Operator" at least is mercifully brief. Overall the album has a bit of a thin sound and is awfully ballad-heavy. Their vocal harmonies on songs like "Box of Rain", "Ripple" and "Attics of My Life" carry through well, but the instrumental sound on most of the ballads is not that strong. The three rockers ("Sugar Magnolia", "Till The Morning Comes" and "Truckin'") all get a nice full sound, as does "Friend of the Devil" (the mandolin counter-melody on that one is delightful), but the others are mixed practically like A Capella. And overall the album lacks energy, in part from the mix, in part from how few rockers it has, and in part from how little Jerry's guitar is featured. I would've given "Europe 72" a 5. For whatever reason it's not on this list (there's a Grateful Dead / "before you die" joke to be made in there somewhere). I thought about giving this one a bump up as a make-up call but doesn't seem sporting. As recorded it's an average-quality album.

Nice folksy stuff. Nothing special.

Blómabarnatónlist, kom á óvart.

It wasn't what I remembered, but I remembered it being awful so that's a bit of a bonus

That was ok, it doesn't have the tight harmonies of say Crosby, Stills and Nash but it was pleasant enough in its own warbling way.

Not quite a dead-head just yet but this was cool

I listened but don't actually remember much about it

I feel like it's always too late to "get into" Grateful Dead – their catalogue is intimidatingly massive. I've listened to this album before though, and it seems like they've departed quite of bit into the jam band genre. Although this is early in their career, to my minimal knowledge and exposure, it's much more straight-forward than other music they've released. I do respect their cult-like following, and I like aspects of the GD aesthetic, but their music overall doesn't do much for me.

This was alright! I've never listened to Grateful Dead before, and this album wasn't what I was expecting; it was much lighter. I do like this brand of light acoustic rock with folk and country influences. A couple songs towards the end caught my attention but overall, I found this to be kind of bland and forgettable.

I'm sure they were fun to see live (or was it the drugs?) but overall I think the Grateful Dead were pretty mediocre as a band. Sometimes I like the way their voices blend together - a bit reminiscent of the Band's harmonies but not as good - but otherwise their music is pretty boring. This was okay. 3 stars.

It's fine. The dead head thing has never got me? What draws people to this band over other folky rock bands like the byrids or the band. Dunno was fine.

It's inoffensive but I fail to see why deadheads are so fanatical.

Mid

Kinda dull but not so bad

Rating: 6/10

pretty good album fun to listen to.

Surprisingly mellow and pleasant. Not sure why, but I thought it was going to be more rock.

I enjoyed this, It's my first full Grateful Dead experience.

A decent album. The Dead just don’t spark joy in me.

This is a pretty good collection of songs let down by poor production. Lacking oomph in places.

What a weird album. I either hated or loved every song on it. All the hits were great. “Operator” and “Candyman” were complete garbage. I’m giving it 3.5 stars but it could have easily been 1 or 5 depending on which songs they kept.

Country. Ni fu ni fa.

Groovy vibes.

Kinda sounded like the Beatles mixed with Lynnard Skynard mixed with CCR.

Very 60’s. Hippie music. To be expected. Listened to the whole album. Not a Deadhead.

Ihan lepposa levy. Ei ehkä nyt soittolistoille pääse, mutta kuunteli kivasti läpi.

Never listened to Jerry and the band much, if ever, before. I was excited to hit the grateful dead train. This left me a little underwhelmed. Maybe I needed a tie-dyed shirt ..

A nice spot of acid-tinged rock. My dad asserts it's a 5 but I beg to differ.

Definitely overhyped. People say that Grateful Dead were at their best when performing live... too bad I'm not a fan of live music. As is American Beauty is a weird mix of americana, country and psychedelic rock that's just fine but doesn't excel at any of thise particular genres.

First time for everything etc. Actually, I get the appeal. But I don't get the fanaticism. Nor the line in The Boys of Summer. So what if a Deadhead wants to drive a Cadillac? We all succumb to the dark side eventually, one way or the other...

Nice, gentle, country folk style stuff. A couple of recognisable songs (Friend of the Devil and Ripple), but was all a bit chilled. 3/5, pleasant enough to listen to but not particularly memorable.

This is not the best of the Dead. In fact, some of these tracks are just poorly executed. Disappointing, because the highs are really high. Best track: Truckin'

American Beauty is supposed to be the best studio album of Grateful Dead. It clearly shows that for something spectacular you have to listen to the live stuff. This album is tame and the songs are ok, not great.

6/10 Best Song - Candyman

yee-haw Prefs: Box of Rain, Sugar Magnolia, Attics of My Life, Truckin' Moins pref: Ripple

Still not a deadhead, but worth a listen

This is the first time I ever listened to a Grateful Dead album. I find that shocking since they are a well known band with lots of die hard fans. In fact I just met someone last week who talked about a vacation in the 90s when he went to a number of Grateful Dead shows. I previously said that it's hard to like more than a handful of folk bands. You need to dedicate time to really get to know them. These guys deserve one rating in the 4/5 category since they are legendary but this isn't the album to dole it out.

Lekker albumpje

Good album, influences are clear, and much of their sound has influenced a bunch of other people. Truckin' was my favourite, but it was pretty solid all the way

Lilting folky rock with slightly darker lyrical themes

Peut-être pour pas cher (trop vedge)

unremarkable

I've never listened to a whole Grateful Dead album, so that was a worthwhile check on my list. It's got a good folksy sound and I get the appeal of the mellow ambiance it creates as a whole. Nothing really there to grab your attention and pull you away from that vibe.

I just loved it

I bash hippies and their ilk a lot. I generally hate their music and their...ways. A lot of my ratings here use the term and never positively. Surprisingly I do not and never did hate Grateful Dead. Well, their studio music anyway. I don't need an 18 minute drum solo or whatever nonsense. I'm the guy who hates live Dead and is fine with studio stuff. Odd in a way. American Beauty is ok. I'm very casual about this band. I like some stuff, other stuff kinda bores me. I like the country rock sound. When done right it's pleasant. A 3 seems fitting. I guess a friend of the devil is a friend of mine after all.

The first few tracks (and Truckin') are awesome but it definitely loses me in the middle when it gets too slow and meandering.

Easy listening like I was on an old VW bus.

A chill, pleasant album. It gives me “summer afternoon barbecue” vibes. No particular song rose above the rest, but I wouldn’t complain if one showed up on a playlist.

I enjoyed it. I listen to these while working so they are mostly background music and I am not analyzing each song or getting super invested. That being said, this is much more my speed and was GREAT for just playing in the background. However I do like songs with a bit more weight and musical oomph. Found it a little bland. Very easy to tune out. There was nothing memorable about it at all.

I've never been a dead head. Bed head, yes. They do have good harmonies. And some pretty iconic songs that remind you of the 60s and 70s, because you've mostly forgotten what they were.

When I read I was gonna listen to 'American beauty' by the 'Grateful dead' I expected some kind of metal band with lots of criticism for the state of humanity. This was just an easy listeb and bop. Not to say I didn't like it, but it's just much less.... Eventful than I expected

An alright album. Not a big fan of grateful dead

Jipis piojosos de los que esperaba un poco más… Tienen mucha fanaticada y muchos músicos que me gustan los citan como sus influencias y les hacen covers, pero la neta es que se necesita un poco del mood San Francisco con olor a tapete quemado para que el disco te llegue. No significa que no me haya gustado; de hecho "Friend Of The Devil" se me hace una gran rola, pero si prefiero un poco más de acción.

Yeah it this was quite pleasant but I wonder if it needed more of my attention. it didn't massively stand out to me in any way but I appreciated pretty harmonies in the singing

I like the Grateful Dead and know they are a legendary band but just didn't quite click with this album like I have with others of theirs and I don't really know why. Maybe just not in the mood for it!

Je m'excuse auprès de tout le monde pour cette série d'albums insipides que nous devons nous coltiner, j'en suis le principal responsable comme expliqué dans mon review précédant. Tout devrait revenir dans l'ordre dès demain, puisque Robert nous a promis un album de Radiohead pour repartir sur les chapeaux de roues après cette punition bien méritée. Le firewall anti virus robien a été rétabli sur mon générateur pirate, aucune nouvelle erreur ne surviendra de mon côté, ce qui nous permettra de profiter pleinement de l'expérience offerte par Robert.

Un bon divertissement. Bonne musique qui fait très 70s au soleil en roadtrip au US.

I'm not a deadhead, but this is a nice-sounding album. 3/5. Standouts: Truckin' Other: Box of Rain, Friend of the Devil, Ripple,

If there’s any Grateful Dead album you have to listen to before you die, it would be a concert recording. This is a good album, however

Helt swag, älskade Trucking

At first, I pegged this as disappointingly square, given that my one Grateful Dead album (the debut) is as loose as a pocketful of change and totally wild. But after a few songs the squareness started sounding tight, and tightness has merits of its own. They pick pretty and sing straightforward, the wooden rhythms still have forward motion, and from the lyrics I picked out there's something going on in every song. And then I checked the run times. Four 5+ minute songs? If they can keep shit sounding tight at those lengths, this can't be the downhill slide I feared.

The Dead make folded music, which I happen to like, and it's easy to listen to in its folk clothes. If American Beauty stuck to the high points of the opener and Till the Morning Comes, occasionally dipping into territory like the closing track, it would be a great album. As it slowed down, though, I found myself merely liking it. The musicians are playing with something as the tunes unravel, but not with something as complicated or rewarding as one would hope.

Lovely guitar. Must listen again

Nothing stuck out too much to me. Felt very country.

скипнул

American Beauty lacks thrill and does not bode well for the impatient listener. Less thrill and more chill would be an appropriate assessment of the listener that this album appeals to. Background music is the best quality this album can conjure as nothing really seems to set itself apart. Perhaps a generational chasm separates this listener from the capability of real appreciation for the Grateful Dead's contribution here, but the context of this list does enable a sort of respect for this album. The album lends unsolicited advice to the bored listener to 'come back later' and the advice seems like a good piece.

pretty chill rock has some country influence but you can hear why people want to hear this live

Not really for me

Twang

Very grateful and mesmerizing although it doesnt grip me all the time

2021.12.03

Imao sam tu neku fazu gdje sam ih baš htio zavoliti, pasao mi taj stil u to vrijeme, taj neki zabiti osjećaj da si negdje na zapadu, slušaš ovaku glazbu negdje kod benzinske stare. Taj stari folk/country rock. Zapravo mogu reći da album bolje zvuči sada, nego tada, više mi je sada ušima drag. Iskreno mogu i bez Truckin', možda da je Attics of My Life zadnja pjesma, e to bi bio poso (ujedno i favoritna).

Enjoyable, easy listening!

Enjoyable listen. Turns out I knew a few Grateful Dead songs without knowing it!

The music of this album is not complex by any means, which makes it to be an easy going listen. It gets a bit boring at times but overall a good album to relax to.

My only experience of 'the dead' was through their collaboration with Dylan at the end of the 80's. Listening to this I can see why they were a good match as there are echoes of The Band and The Wilbury's in this, but nothing truly lands unfortunately.

Excellent album from the Dead. It's a solid listen, with a great chill vibe and beautiful guitar work. Fave Songs: Truckin', Box of Rain, Sugar Magnolia, Ripple

I just cannot get into this band. Even with the connection to my hometown and the rich history there....I just do not get it. It's a bit boring.

Kicks off with some enjoyable folksy guitar and decent tunes, then follows the template to diminishing returns as the album progresses. I’d rather listen to CSNY. That song about calling the operator was a bit much.

This is so easy to listen to. Soothing, rolls over the skin and senses. I cant say I'm 100% invested, but I have no desire to run away screaming either.

Here we have another album that has no bad songs yet no songs that really stand out from the rest. It’s just a competent, solid Grateful Dead album. Fav songs: candy man, truckin

I have already listened to it and I liked listening to it again. Gives me the feeling of driving in the car with my brothers.

Never listened before – not what I expected. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Leuk rustig album

Worth another listen

It was ok. Not exactly my kind of music.

Joskus aikoinaan koitin kuunnella jotain Grateful deadia, mutta ei tuolloin uponnut ja en ymmärtänyt bändin kulttiasemaa ja bändiä kiertueella seuranneita faneja. En ymmärrä edelleenkään mikä tässä niin erityisesti puhuttelee. Ihan ok taustamusaa, ei siinä mitään, mutta ei tästä mitään erityistä mieleen jäänyt.

Nyt tuli genre puskista, kaikkea uutta sitä oppiikin. Jostain syystä olin kuvitellut Grateful Deadin olevan jotain 80 -luvun progemetallia. Tämähän olikin mukavan leppoisaa country/folk/americana -meininkiä. Ei mikään täyskymppi genressään, mutta taustamusiikkina meni oikein sujuvasti läpi pariin kertaan. Ehkä levyn alkupään biisit jäivät eniten mieleen. Lopussa kappaleiden keskinäinen samankaltaisuus alkoi vähän puuduttamaan.

Pretty good american folk rock. Very pleasant. A 3.5 for me. For most of the album I thought I would round that up to a 4, but the last two tracks were pretty bad. Especially Attics Of My Life was horrible. Therefore rounded down.

First Listen. Very good stuff. Better than expected.

If grateful dead are known for playing 12 hour concerts - this album is what they play at 2 am when everyone is asleep

Pretty good album. Favorite of their first five. 7/10

Mellow country sound. 3 stars

Pleasant album. I wouldn’t be upset if someone threw it on in the car, but I’m not going out of my way to listen to it

Can someone please explain the hype behind this band? They really don’t seem that special.

Classic hippie music, wasn't bad. I don't really get why they had such obsessive fans, the music seems good and the instrumentals are deceptive in that when you really start listening close you can see how much is going on with them.

Boring

:)

Forgettable 3

Not bad, but I didn’t love it.

Beautiful vocal harmonies; jangling guitar; laid-back, feel-good melodies. I was already pretty familiar with this album, and while I wouldn't rank it among my favorite albums, I'll put it on every once in a while e.g. for a peaceful break on a long drive.

Good classic rock stuff.

Why are their songs so...repetitive? It’s fine. One song I really liked - “Friend of the Devil”. This is kind of like Christian music without the Christians. On the plus side - Grateful Dead don’t suck as much as I assumed they do.

Ok, but folk is not my thing

A little too much folk for me. Great production and musicianship, and the lyrics are wonderful. But I'd rather listen to the Allman Brothers...

I don't have the qualms rusty has with the "folk/country rock style". that part i think is genius. mixing blues, folk, and psychedelic rock is - A OK with me. love it! I've tried time and time and time and time and time and time and time and time (oh wait this isn't a jam session or a record skip) again to get into the "dead". its always the same for me: vocals kill me. not just lead, but harmony too. i've spent a time or TOO in church choir. the serious yet still off pitch, but trying so hard to harmonize. in church choir it's all about THUH GEEEZZZUUUSSS. the dead sing so seriously about love and heartbreak and being alive. beautiful topics. just cant deal with the lack of vocal execution<PERIOD>

Not my vibe but I get the hype!

A classic from a band not known for their studio recordings. Standouts include Friend Of The Devil, Sugar Magnolia, Beautiful sounding album recording and engineering wise. The clear separation between guitars and vocals is impressive for 1970. "What a long strange trip it's been"

A folk rock album from the psychedelic Grateful Dead. Easy listening and good vibes are side effects from this album. Can't go wrong with some classic Grateful Dead!

через пару часов после прослушивания поймал себя на том, что один мотив засел в голове и постоянно напевается. а потом понял, что это песня из альбома саймона и гарфункеля. А благодарный дед — ну не альбомная это группа, я хз. Так же как и с Крэмпс, это, вероятно, был мощный экспириенс живьем (хотя я тут послушал пару их живых тем, каждая по длине как этот альбом, если честно довольно унылый перфоманс), но в музыкальном плане никакого откровения не вижу от слова совсем. Ну да, кантри-роцк, даже психоделики, коей якобы отцами являются, не особо увидел. Без негатива, но переслушивать вообще не тянет, не моё. 5/10

Well the Grateful Dead are great, but mostly as a live band, probably should've looked for a live version of this album, but oh well.

Interesting. Shows it’s age a bit.

Hinter dem Bandnamen würde man ja eher Metall vermuten als Ohrwurmhippies. Kann man mal hören, ein paar richtig gute Tracks sind dabei, Friend of the Devil zB. Insgesamt vllt etwas seicht und eintönig.

I'm been putting of this review for a few days because slaughtering sacred cows makes me uneasy, but here goes: American Beauty's standing in the pop music canon is more due to it's place in the cultural zeitgeist of 1970 and the ferocious loyalty of The Grateful Dead's fans than any intrinsic musical value. The harmonies are wobbly, as are the lead vocals, instrumental performances, arrangements, and compositions. If any of these guys had sung in church, the choir director would have slipped them a quarter not to sing. The music itself is an amalgam of early rock 'n roll, country, folk, and most importantly bluegrass. That's crucial because the Dead were the only high profile band to incorporate bluegrass into their music at the time (the Byrds and others of their ilk stuck to country). Together with the shambolic vocals and performances, this lent the music a ramshackle stoned charm that resonated with counter cultural audiences of the time. I know because I was part of that audience, even if I wasn't much of a fan. I can't count the number of times I heard Box of Rain or Sugar Magnolia or Friend of the Devil sung around a campfire or played at a party or on an eight track cassette in a Volkswagen van with a bunch of kids getting stoned. Actually, the more bluegrass oriented songs, like Friend of the Devil, tend to be the strongest. (An offshoot of the Dead, Old And In The Way, went on to make a very good bluegrass album five years later.) I actually find the music charming in a low key way, but a bona fide classic this is not. Frankly, the biggest accomplishment of American Beauty is that it made bluegrass cool to a whole new generation. My guess is that Bill Monroe owes his latter day career resurgence in large part to the Dead.

It was OK, but I'm not a fan of the Dead

70s rock so a bit country, not too bad.

This was not what I was expecting but I found it enjoyable. Quite folksy and a 60s vibe. ***

Enjoyed it, especially some of the guitar work and vocal harmonies.

Nothing grabbed me.

Me deja un poco indiferente aunque tiene alguna buena

Listened through three times. Was not particularly impressed first run through but it did grow on me.

Very of it's time. Was half dreading it as the only previous time ive heard them was 'dylan and the dead' which is shite. Bit bland, but ripple is fantastic. Overall, i enjoyed it but wouldn't rush to fire on again. 6.7/10

Ripple and Friend of the Devil were the standouts - pleasant but not incredible.

Hippie music. Some nice jams if you're in the mood. Ripple," "Attics of my Life," and "Brokedown Palace" are all pretty good.

Reeks of west coast America, some nice harmonies and twangy guitar in places. I know they were huge in the U.S. not so much in the U.K.

Much better if I was smoking a doobie presumably

Enjoyable and easy to listen to. Nothing that rocked my world. But I liked it! Favorite track: truckin'

Not bad. Nice to drive to Aldi playing in the background

sounds like grateful dead. pleasant background what i'd call folk rock. i will return when i'm specifically in the mood but otherwise would make great playlist filler

Easy listening. Nothing to take offence too.

All a bit meh.

Innoffensive enough, but just... not memorable. Nothing that really makes it stand out, but I can imagine how it laid the roots for things that followed it.

Excelente! Buen sonido. Que bueno descubrir nuevas canciones. Gracias.

Not a Deadhead but not too shabby. I’ll take a Box of Rain to go.

Pretty good! Nice vibes

(Folk rock / Americana) Decent and consistent album, well-regarded among psych rock fans. 6/10

Not back light listening.

A bit too mellow. 5/10

No es la octava maravilla, pero suena muy bien. Una calidad de sonido que no esperaba de un disco de 1970. Tiene canciones entretenidas: Box of Rain, Sugar Magnolia o Till the Morning Comes.

Another album I just couldn't get into. It's absolutely musically competent, but I didn't find anything here that engaged me. Your mileage may vary

so, so meh. barely noticed it was on. i get that it must have been great at the time, and influenced lots, but it felt like a pale shadow

It's fine

Why did I think the Grateful Dead were a heavy metal band? Pleasantly proven wrong

i was hyped because i hear about the dead a lot, but i wasn’t that impressed.

just not a deadhead, need to smoke more for that.

Hmm ok... not my usual cup of tea but I can see why folks see this as a classic.

Classic Grateful Dead. Hmmm... why there is a helicopter next to the bay where I live?

Band I'd never listened to before. A mellow mix with a mild country twang. Would take more than one listen to do it justice.

Not bad, just not really my style. Just sounds like music from that era.

Groovy

This album was a little slow for me. This just is grateful dead style. I did like friend of the devil and ripple.

Here's another album that there's absolutely nothing wrong with except the fact that I don't like the musical stylings -- kind of a folk/country rock style with lots of harmonizing. This one hovers between 2 and 3 stars for me, and I'm feeling generous. 3 it is! rusty, i love that i finally know about this site. also i figured out you can only be in one group at a time and there's no security on user accounts whatsoever. glad to see toddles started rating yesterday. he would also be abysmally disappointed in the securitIIIIEEE! The extra notes REMAIN! :D

В целом -- неплохо. Очень качественная запись. Как по мне, ей не хватает скорости. Все как-то вяло. Возможно у американцев такой стиль жизни. Больше всего понравилась последняя песня "Truckin", ибо была быстрее, нежели все остальные.

It's got its moments, but there there are lots of other moments when I wonder when this album is going to finally end 3/5

Visste inte att dem körde folk/country

Was okay! Laid back tunes and a good vibe. Not something that blew me away though

Chill album. Obviously great for the time, unsure if I’ll crave listening to it

Meh. Never was a big fan.

Ok background country music

While I'm apparently the oddball and prefer their studio work to their live stuff. I'm just not in the mood for this level of chill in my music right now.

I absolutley love the first 2 songs, but the rest of the album loses me a bit. Still a pretty good album though, closer to a 3.3

i like this genre, the chill guitar strums and occasional harmonica <3

The grateful dead has an awesome name but their music is boring. This is no exception. I know they're like the dictionary entry on hippie rock, but... eh? This just sounds like that half country folk rock shit, same as the rest. 3/5 because I have no good excuse to give it less.

Eh, just not the biggest Grateful Dead fan.

This is too folkyyyy

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

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.