American beauty

**glauber** · Oct-31-2006, 2:23pm

I just received this CD today, kind of a surprise (unplanned). Beautiful album, and just in time, before the end of Grisman month. Recommended.

**Steve Cantrell** · Oct-31-2006, 6:50pm

It certainly is, Glauber. Maybe their best.

**JEStanek** · Oct-31-2006, 7:44pm

My personal favorite.

Jamie

**Fred G** · Oct-31-2006, 8:29pm

their best studio album, workingman's dead a close second. I have the workingman's re-mastered in 5.1 and like the ameriacn beauty re-mastered it has a completely different sound. Somewhere I read when Mickey help re-master them he could not beleive the nuances of the music that were lost because of the equipment available at the time.

**SternART** · Oct-31-2006, 9:33pm

Well I still only have stereo.......but with tubes & ribbons.
I'm with you on Workingman's Dead, that was a great era for
seeing the Dead, one acoustic set & one electric.

**Paul Kotapish** · Nov-01-2006, 11:59am

In a recent interview, Mickey said that Workingman's Dead and American Beauty were recorded at the same time and then divided up onto the two LPs, but that in his mind, they were all part of the same album.

The vocals and harmony lines on those records are amazing. David Crosby apparently was hanging around the studio when those tracks went down, and although he doesn't get a vocal credit, he certainly had some influence, and rumor has it that his voice is in the mix, too.

**SternART** · Nov-01-2006, 12:41pm

Hey Paul......there's an idea for your next Wake the Dead CD
Danny Carnahan harmonizing with David Crosby!

**mandocrucian** · Nov-01-2006, 1:13pm

Anyone catch the 8 hours of live concert stuff on 5th Annual "Night of the Live Dead" last night on XM Radio?

NH

**SternART** · Nov-01-2006, 1:27pm

Missed that.....I wasn't driving my pickup last night.
Was it good? What era stuff did they play?

**mandocrucian** · Nov-01-2006, 1:46pm

From all eras. David Gans, who does the #weekly The Grateful Dead Hour (which airs on broadcast radio stations as well as XM) selected some primo stuff. Over a 30+ year time span. What's so good about having XM as part of the DirecTV package is that I can set the vcrs to LP speed (4 hours) and set the timers to record whether I'm home or not, or asleep or doing something else. As far as last night's Dead extravaganza, I'm only about 3 hours into the vhs>cdr listening/transfer.

Lots of live concert stuff on there (XM) in various genres. #And then there are the specialty genre shows (rockabilly, 50's R&B) where the DJs are collectors or performers and really know their stuff and play a lot of obscure tracks.

NH

**Rick Schmidlin** · Nov-01-2006, 1:52pm

I was lucky enought to see th Workmans Dead /American Beauty Tour in 72 in Scranton PA. I was also able that night after the show to just walk back stage,I was 16 at thje time.I got to spend a few minutes talking to Pig Pen. It was was the best show in memory along with the Cash: Boy Named Sue tour with Mother Maybelle.

**ira** · Nov-05-2006, 6:55pm

too young for the 72 tour, but those two albums are superb. i am partial to workingman's more than american beauty. as for best albums- as with everything grateful dead, it depends on the mood- if i want something a bit experimental, - blues for allah, though many older heads don't love it- i am a big fan of terrapin, and if i want a bit on the strange side-and all jerry- aoxomoxoa. i also love the early live acoustic- bear's choice and for a picture of early dead- commercially available- live dead. but again, its all about the feeling of the moment. i actually just started listening to dead albums again recently, i almost always went for the live tape. obviously a different feel on commercial enterprises- too much thought went into it and not enough intuition maybe, but still good!

**Undercover Brother** · Nov-05-2006, 8:39pm

Check the cover of "American Beauty" out... it can also be read as "American Reality".
Dig it!
Nice Kelley-Mouse art, there.
I love these Dead threads when they pop up on the Cafe!
"Friend Of The Devil" is a staple at our pickin' and grinnin' sessions.

Chris

**Rick Schmidlin** · Nov-05-2006, 8:59pm

And I always have Trucking on my mind.

**Paul Kotapish** · Nov-05-2006, 11:10pm

Originally Posted by (SternART @ Nov. 01 2006, 10:41)

Hey Paul......there's an idea for your next Wake the Dead CD
Danny Carnahan harmonizing with David Crosby!

Art,

That would be really fun, I'm sure, and I can almost figure out the connections to make it happen . . . but not quite. I know some folks who know some folks . . . but . . . Still, I'd love an excuse to work up a few of those dreamy songs from If I Could Only Remember My Name. Maybe we'll do that anyway.

On the other hand, we just finished recording our third CD, and even if Danny doesn't get to sing with David Crosby, he does get to sing with Sylvia Herold, and they sound pretty great together, IMHO. Should be out sometime around the first of the year. Blue Light Cheap Hotel is the working title.

PK

**ira** · Nov-06-2006, 9:44am

still waitin for wake the dead to come back east- hint,,, hint...

**Perry** · Nov-06-2006, 10:29am

My favorite Dead period is '72. I have a DVD from Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and to me Jerry is at the height of his powers playing that Strat with the Alligator sticker. It just doesn't get better then that to me. This is also the time of Workingman's and American Beauty.

I have attended 100's of Dead and JGB shows, mostly in the eighties, but in retrospect I really love that early seventies sound. I think alot of it has to do with the lack of gutiar effects and the sound of the Strat plugged straight into that Twin. Clean and crisp!

Here's a pic

**ira** · Nov-06-2006, 11:54am

60-72 - good stuff, but man those tapes from 77- kiler!

**holdenzdad** · Nov-06-2006, 3:00pm

Box of Rain is one of my personal favorites - and I got to see It at the Hampton Coll. show ('86) - love that song!!!!

**gr_store_feet** · Nov-06-2006, 4:14pm

i agree ira

1977 - the best year for me[B]

**gr_store_feet** · Nov-06-2006, 4:27pm

I was at the shows at the Hampton Colliseum in 1986, too.

**GeoMandoAlex** · Nov-06-2006, 5:28pm

As far as the years the Dead peaked (they peaked many times, unfortunately/ fortunately, each keyboard player had a role).

1977-Boston, Barton Hall, Swing Auditorium
1989-Hampton Roads (HOTW-->Slipknot-->Franklin's gets pulled from the shelf along with a Dark Star).

The Dead are a fun band to cover. For the most part, the chord progressions allow for us amateurs to "doodle".

**holdenzdad** · Nov-06-2006, 7:12pm

gr_store_feet - cool! It was my first show!

**SternART** · Nov-06-2006, 7:14pm

I really like that 69 Fillmore stuff made available not that long ago.....
the shows that the original Live Dead album was culled from. That IMO was when
their unique style really focused....the morphing of songs....etc. After
Pigpen, just wasn't the same....I liked going till the mid 70's, and there were
plenty of great moments over the years, as they went on down the road...but I really
morphed myself from a Deadhead to a Dawghead & mostly started listening to acoustic
roots type music, with mandolins of course. I used to still go every NYE, at least
to one show from the series.....but I didn't sweat it if I missed other Bay Area shows.
It went full circle for me when Jerry reunited with David in his later years.

**AlanN** · Nov-06-2006, 7:27pm

Originally Posted by (SternART @ Nov. 06 2006, 20:14)

I really like that 69 Fillmore stuff made available not that long ago.....
the shows that the original Live Dead album was culled from. That IMO was when
their unique style really focused....the morphing of songs....etc. After
Pigpen, just wasn't the same

Funny, just have the Fillmore West 1969 Dark Star on (via Napster) as I'm reading/typing this, and which I never tire of. I agree with you, SternART, but don't forget, every generation has its heroes.

But having said that, to me, the era up to Europe 72 was it, which included the early years, NRPS, Garcia's first solo record, that live double album with Bertha, the Howard Wales stuff, Merl Saunders, etc. Although Mars Hotel and Wake of the Flood had some great moments too.