Fifty years ago, the Grateful Dead released two consecutive masterworks: Workingman's Dead in June, and American Beauty in November. Rhino delivered a 50th anniversary edition of the former earlier this summer, and as promised, the latter will be released in its own golden anniversary set this fall. On October 30 - almost 50 years to the day after its original release (November 1, 1970) - American Beauty will return as a both a 3-CD set and a 1-LP picture disc.
American Beauty: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition features a remastered version of the original album on its first disc, while a previously unreleased concert recorded on February 18, 1971 at Port Chester, New York's Capitol Theatre comprises Discs 2 and 3. The show has been mixed from the original 16-track analog masters by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir's TRI Studios and mastered by David Glasser. Also on October 30, Rhino will release an anniversary picture disc limited to 15,000 copies with just the remastered album audio.
Like its predecessor Workingman's Dead, American Beauty was focused on tight, accessible songs with a folk- and country-rock flavor. Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart convened in August and September 1970 - not long after the June 14 release of Workingman's - with co-producer Stephen Barncard at San Francisco's Wally Heider Studios. The ten songs on the finished album reflected some of the band's most beloved creations including the charting single "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "Box of Rain," and "Friend of the Devil." Mandolinist David Grisman joined the group for "Friend of the Devil" as well as "Ripple," while other guest musicians included David Nelson, Ned Lagin, Dave Torbert, and Howard Wales.
Upon its original release, American Beauty reached No. 30 on the Billboard 200, just three spots lower than Workingman's Dead. By 1974, it had been certified Gold; it reached Platinum status in 1986 and went Double Platinum in 2001. It remains one of the Dead's best-selling albums, and eight of its ten songs remained staples in the Dead's setlist.
It's joined by the February 18, 1971 show at the Capitol Theatre. That night, the band introduced audiences to five new songs: "Wharf Rat," "Playing In The Band," "Bertha," "Greatest Story Ever Told," and "Loser." Ned Lagin, who played piano on "Candyman" on American Beauty, sat in for the concert which also featured "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," and "Candyman" from the recently-released album.
In the press release for the Deluxe Edition, Dead archivist David Lemieux comments, "It still boggles my mind to think of the Grateful Dead's creative output in 1970. For any other band, catching lightning with an album as perfect and excellent as Workingman's Dead is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. The Dead, however, followed up just a few months later with an album that virtually every Dead Head considers its equal. Ten songs, nearly all of which became cornerstones of the band's live repertoire for the next 25 years. Today, 50 years on, these songs are still essential parts of the band members' continuing live activities. The 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition includes one of the first, and best, live performances of 1971, just a couple of months after the release of American Beauty, and the five live debuts in the show demonstrate that the spectacular creativity of 1970 was no fluke. This was the new Dead, and we're still tapping our feet and humming along to these songs 50 years later."
Dead historian David Browne provides new liner notes. He writes, in part, "American Beauty was, at heart, a beautifully made record. The interplay of rippling piano, vocal harmonies, and slide guitar in 'Brokedown Palace' was unlike anything they had created before, even on Workingman's Dead. Thanks to Barncard's expertise with recording acoustic instruments, 'Ripple,' perhaps [Robert] Hunter and Garcia's most meditative song, had a country-stream clarity. 'Friend of the Devil'--a Hunter, Garcia, and John "Marmaduke" Dawson tale of an on-the-run rogue that almost ended up with Dawson's New Riders of the Purple Sage--had the same crispiness. (Both tracks also benefited from overdubbed mandolin parts from David Grisman.)"
Dead.net has also introduced a line of American Beauty-branded merchandise including a Levi's jacket, jewelry, apparel, and more. Both the 3-CD Deluxe Edition and vinyl picture disc arrive from Rhino on October 30.
Grateful Dead, American Beauty: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Warner Bros. WS 1893, 1970 - reissued Grateful Dead/Warner/Rhino, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1: Original Album Remastered
- "Box Of Rain"
- "Friend Of The Devil"
- "Sugar Magnolia"
- "Operator"
- "Candyman"
- "Ripple"
- "Brokedown Palace"
- "Till The Morning Comes"
- "Attics Of My Life"
- "Truckin'"
CD 2: Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY (2/18/71)
- "Bertha"
- "Truckin'"
- "Hurts Me Too"
- "Loser"
- "Greatest Story Ever Told">
- "Johnny B. Goode"
- "Mama Tried"
- "Hard To Handle"
- "Dark Star">
- "Wharf Rat">
- "Dark Star">
- "Me And My Uncle"
CD 3: Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY (2/18/71)
- "Casey Jones"
- "Playing In The Band"
- "Me And Bobby McGee"
- "Candyman"
- "Big Boss Man"
- "Sugar Magnolia"
- "St. Stephen">
- "Not Fade Away">
- "Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad">
- "Not Fade Away">
- "Uncle John's Band"
Grateful Dead, American Beauty (50th Anniversary picture disc) (Warner Bros. WS 1893, 1970 - reissued Grateful Dead/Warner/Rhino, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- "Box Of Rain"
- "Friend Of The Devil"
- "Sugar Magnolia"
- "Operator"
- "Candyman"
- "Ripple"
- "Brokedown Palace"
- "Till The Morning Comes"
- "Attics Of My Life"
- "Truckin'"
Bill says
It would be nice if there was a single disc version released.
Guy Smiley says
If the remaster sounds as good as the recent Workingman’s Dead 50th, this will be a gem. The previous Rhino WD already sounded pretty good, but the 50th is the one to have. Hoping for the same for American Beauty
Better still, another release from Port Chester ‘71 as the included live show! It only features three songs from AB, so, like the show issued with WD 50 (2/21/71, also Port Chester), it’s not a thematically relevant pick but it is a fine show from legendary run that needed to be released. Again, if 2/18 sounds as good as job done on 2/21 it’ll be another must-have.
Also hoping we’ll get a separate release of studio outtakes from AB, just like we were treated to with “The Angel’s Share” of Workingman’s outtakes. That was a real surprise. A similar treatment here would be most welcome.
DAVID M BOURLAND says
limited color vinyl sold out on GD site. So now what? Loud surface noise picture discs for the rest of us?
Where's the non-picture disc vinyl?
DAVID M BOURLAND says
I see they have released the normal black vinyls now. I got lucky and got a dead.net color pressing on restock the day of release after it had sold out
Richard Allen says
Really annoying that previous 50th Dead albums have seen a CD version with a lenticular cover and one without. Amazon do not distinguish between the two so must be getting lots of returns...