GRATEFUL DEAD – AMERICAN BEAUTY

Review by Gil Israel

            This is not the Grateful Dead you may expect at first going into this album. This is not the hallucinogen fueled jam band that will meander through a half an hour version of “Darkstar,” nor is it the band that powers through psychedelic rock jams like “St. Stephen.” No. This album showcases a quieter, more conservative Dead. A dead that looks less towards the electric psychedelic blues-rock that was prevalent at the time and more towards the folk, the country, and Americana styles of years past. So when you see the bright tie-dyed Grateful Dead shirts, or the Steal-Your-Face skulls, or the pictures of them jamming with huge PA systems in front of thousands, you’ll probably be surprised when you listen to this seemingly mellow album. However, that being said, it’s a surprise that you’ll likely find quite pleasant.

            This album from front to back is like some sort of religious experience. Its blend of folk, country, and even gospel at times is quite soothing, and the often-surreal lyrics by Robert Hunter leave the listener feeling as if they are in some sort of Western fantasy world: a world filled with outlaws, magnificent fountains, sugar magnolias, and glass palaces. The twang-y acoustic guitars and gorgeous mandolin lines compliment the lyrics and keep you fully immersed in the world of this album, while the Dead’s three-part harmonies direct you through the journey and keep you from drifting too far afield in the Dead’s universe. What’s most admirable about this album is that without ludicrous amounts of reverb or delay pedals/effects or synthesized ambient drones, the Dead still manage to concoct a dreamy encapsulating atmosphere – not an LSD inspired atmosphere, but an atmosphere inspired by simple life on the countryside.

            Interestingly, it is the songs that deviate more from this folk/country style that threaten to break the atmosphere of the album the most. For example, after opening tracks “Box of Rain” and the second track “Friend of the Devil,” which do such an excellent job of establishing the aforementioned atmosphere, the track “Sugar Magnolia,” feels out of place. Unlike most of the other songs, the track is focused around a central guitar riff that pulls me out of the Dead’s folk/country bliss, and back into the Dead’s more familiar world of rock and roll. However, the next few tracks, “Operator,” and especially “Candyman” ultimately make up for this misstep and successfully reintroduce me into the album’s original and most pronounced ambiance.

            The only other track I feel that threatens to break the atmosphere is the album closer, “Truckin’.” Once again, though it is one the band’s most famous songs, and one of the only ones to make it onto the pop charts, it initially didn’t seem to fit with most of the preceding tracks. Though in isolation it is undoubtedly a great song, like “Sugar Magnolia,” it is much more focused on an electric guitar riff than most of the album, and seems to break the dreamy haze of the rest of the album with its chugging, and somewhat aggressive rhythm.

However, after listening to the lyrics of “Truckin’,” which serve as a reflection of sorts on the 1960’s, I’ve ultimately come to interpret the album and the placement of “Truckin’” in a new light. To elaborate, just as “Truckin’” in a song is a reflection of the 1960’s, perhaps the American Beauty album as a whole serves as an even greater reflection of the 1960’s. The album, through its mellow tracks and atmosphere illustrate the dream like blur of the euphoric and drug-addled counterculture of the 1960’s, while the abrupt change of pace and conclusion of “Truckin’” represents the abrupt end of the 1960’s with the onset of the 1970’s. Thus, I believe the whole album is in fact a microcosm of, as well as a farewell to, the 1960’s with its ultimate conclusion with the year of 1970 – the year the album was released. Perhaps then, “Sugar Magnolia” represents the times where the euphoria of the 60’s counterculture was interrupted with events such as the Vietnam War, Kent State shootings, and/or the other events.

Yet, whether my analysis is true or not, American Beauty is a great album full of rich folk instrumentation, luscious harmonies, and some great songwriting. If you interpret the album similarly to how I did, then it’s masterpiece, and if not, then it’s still pretty damn good.

OVERALL SCORE:

9.2