A double-bill of recordings from Grateful Dead members made all the difference to their financial and artistic situation. Gone was the psychedelic rock of their earliest works, a welcome change but still longed for at times on Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty. Both albums shine a light on the reformed and honed desire of a band with more to prove, and little time to do it. Bluegrass shakedowns and the Americana style which would boom through the 1970s and had formed such a sweet tone in the decade preceding American Beauty is the core of this release. A sensible release, which is not to say Grateful Dead’s members forget to innovate. There is plenty to love here. Their folk-rock fundamentals are established further, this desire to feel their way back to the freedom of label security, of creative urgencies. American Beauty is filled with this hope of “it”.
“It” becomes clear on Box of Rain, a song which does not give specifics because the change in fortunes can come from anywhere. Where most artists would find their muse and offer examples of their influence, American Beauty keeps itself broad and maintains that those specifics we seek are too personal to provide. We can dig deep into our lives instead of being guided by the folk and psychedelic-tinged tracks from Grateful Dead. But that is not to say there is no meaning. Charm is abundant in these recordings, songs of Devilish intent, of modern-day trail songs like Friend of the Devil. American Beauty is an album where the great outdoors can provide an intense and influential experience. Cool guitar work on Sugar Magnolia keeps an upbeat sense as Jerry Garcia works those romanticised lyrics into the band’s committed blur of the frivolous 1960s with the stony-faced 1970s.
Their last gasp of psychedelic fury during this period is delightfully upbeat and relies on some wonderful harmonies and instrumental warmth. Consistency is the crucial tone taken by American Beauty, a gentle and relaxed feeling spreads through despite the worries in the studio at the time, and the sense of urgency needed in turning out extremely well-regarded works. Grateful Dead manages this with Operator and Candyman best of all, the sweet and moving pedal steel taking precedence. Do not mistake the upbeat tones for a sense of security. Ripple considers life and intimacy. Even with the warmth of its backing vocals and the interjections which bleed so well with the softer acoustic guitar work, we are alone.
A sense and want for independence can be heard in those latter American Beauty songs. Isolation in the face of support and reliance. Harmonies, hope and the lighter spills of Americana folk recordings are pursued by Grateful Dead hear and it hides the harsher tones they spell out very well. American Beauty remains a tremendous achievement, backed well by previous album Workingman’s Dead. A song like Attics of My Life explores the highs and lows with an effective instrumental flourish but also a poised and likeable heartbreak which portrays Garcia and the rest of the band as a band wholly turning their sound around. Their fortunes had changed with these softer psychedelic touches, and American Beauty remains one of their best releases, not least thanks to the openness placed gently on these sharp instrumental tones.
