American Beauty (The Grateful Dead)

American Beauty
The Grateful Dead (1970)

Top Tracks: “Box of Rain”, “Sugar Magnolia”, “Ripple”

Nothing against previous Dead albums — Workman’s Dead is exquisite, for example — but American Beauty is really where the Dead began to allow themselves a higher quality of musicality in their recorded work, putting more effort into vocal harmonies and arrangements. The classic "country and bluegrass Americana combined with rock and roll psychedelia vibe” that became their hallmark is in full force here. Good stuff (May 2020).