Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Dark Star from 2/18/1971 at the Capitol Theatre is my favorite live cut, but Doin’ That Rag and Cosmic Charlie are my favorite studio cuts. Thanks so much for doing this episode, have only just started the video it but it means a lot to a young head to have this episode exist at this time. Thank you Abigail n RIP Phil
sorry to be ungrateful. sometimes the music just doesn't happen. this was my intro to the band during the fufufufu, maybe, and my reaction was lukewarm then: it's the same now.
Well done, Abby. You knocked it out of the park. My late wife was a Deadhead. Her favorite Dead song was Box of Rain. I always think of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty as a single piece.
Thank you for covering this one. The Dead irrevocably changed my life and how I listen to music, though it took until I was twenty years old for them to truly leave an impact (and that was 20 years ago). Phil was the member who first fascinated me, and I can't begin to say how hard his death hit me. American Beauty was a record I first picked up when I was 17 (after that particular episode of Freaks and Geeks), but it didn't truly enter my consciousness until September, 2004, by which time I was beginning to get into the band... and also when a childhood friend of mine died in a motorcycle crash two days after his twentieth birthday. I can't begin to tell you how many times I spun this record, which I still believe is the only truly "sad" album the Dead ever released. Brokedown Palace, Box of Rain, and especially Attics of My Life were balm for my grieving soul, and they still make me think of my friend. Long live Phil Lesh, and long live the Grateful goddamn Dead.
Phil wasn't a technically gifted vocalist, but his singing on Box Of Rain is heartfelt, REAL, and perfect. His bass playing was beyond amazing and very unique. RIP Phil, and thanks for the ride.
"Box of Rain" has been in my act for 30 years. I was playing it for Dad when he died in July after I cared for him in his final weeks. That is my statement.
Thank you! I’m a 77 years old born in San Francisco. I’ve loved this album since it came out. You amaze me with your research and analysis. I ALWAYS learn new facts about my favorite albums. BTW, saw the Grateful Dead open for The Who in 1976 in Oakland. (Dick’s Picks #33). Love your shows!!
Abby, this was my favorite of your reviews. Perfectly balanced background info, subjective impressions and lyrical quotations. You navigated through an almost infinite minefield of 4 generations of hippi pontifications. You have the rare gift of not just reporting on words, music, art & history, but you also sail the ether of timeless inspiration that flows thru the centuries and cultures.
@@paulmancini-sb9qn There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go, no one may follow That path is for your steps alone
followed the Dead all over America soon as the Beatles broke up in 1970. Saw em last at Ridge Stadium in NY in 94. 09/08/95 RIP Jer Bear. Thanks Abbi. I needed this, like a ripple in still water
Where do I start?... I saw the Dead 47 times between 1989 and 1995. I traveled up and down the east coast and all over the Midwest to see them. They were hugely important to me during that time. I lived and breathed their music, had hundreds of concert tapes, all that stuff. After Jerry died, I eventually drifted away from that scene and got interested in completely unrelated types of music. I have several friends who will remind me about a certain show, or a specific jam or solo in a show, so I still check in and always enjoy it. Our new Subaru has the GD channel and I always get a craving for them on road trips. When I got the news about Phil, I knew what I had to do: go home and listen to American Beauty. Phil was my favorite person in the band, so needless to say, my listening session was drenched in tears. But this record has always done that to me. Ripple/Brokendown Palace was played at a friend's funeral, a scene that could have been right out of a Scorcese film. Basically, this music has a deep spiritual resonance with me. The Dead taught me everything I know about the communal power of music. And I'll always be grateful for that. Thanks Phil, you were a one of a kind player in a one of a kind band.
Superb, Abby! A great video essay and tribute to Phil and The Dead. Thank you. Edit: and the placing of the rose at the end along with the text memorial to Phil, was just perfect.
Hey Abby! I so enjoyed your dive into Heavy Lifting video as I was one of the fortunate Detroiters who saw the MC5 on many occasions in my youth(and yes my ears are still ringing) I hope I can describe what it felt like to stand outside the building with so many other fans and yelling up to one of the windows that faced the street after seeing someone I knew leaning out yelling down to us to meet at the main stairs. It wasn't a giant place and it was always filled to capacity+. I mostly went during the Summer shows and like any other venue without AC it was always pretty claustrophobic and aromatic. The faux Middle Eastern decor was like nothing else I had ever experienced. The "dance floor" was encircled by a walkway that had large open window seating through which you could watch the show and the people on the floor. Being a seat yourself venue(no chairs, yep sit on the floor) it was always elbow to elbow once the show started. As an aside 3 of my classmates are on the front cover of the MC5's live album. Two of them were twins and the 3rd appears as a ghostly figure next to them. They were apparently heavily retouched to look that way by the record company avoid being sued by their parents. Needless to say, they were minor celebrities at our high school when the record came out. There are some very heartbreaking docs about the deteriorating state of The Grande which brought me tears so watch at your own peril. So many memories! Some of the shows: The MC5,The Who,Joe Cocker, Led Zeppelin and of course The "Psychedelic" Stooges.Just a little look back with a smile. Be good and keep up the incredible reviews. Your peeps need to have this in their trick bag.
This is my first time coming to your channel. I grew up with this music lived with it and listened to it on the stereo in my truck tooling all over the back roads of California. I can't count the times I toasted a big fat one and listened to this album end to end while cruising through the mountains on sunny days with the windows open and the volume cranked up. It's wonderful to see new generations of listeners hearing this music for the first time and seeing what they make of it. It's kind of like opening a time capsule from my time. I love your review. I love this album and it's definitely on my list of top ten albums along with Moondance, Abraxas, New Morning (Dylan), Dark Side of The Moon, Blue (Joni) and another Dead adjacent gem Old and In the Way. My fav track off the album is Broke Down Palace. It may grow on you the more you listen to the album. Saw them 3 times and one of those times was at the Hollywood Bowl with the Wall Of Sound (Google it). It was 1973 and they were at their peak. That concert was an experience I will always look back on as one of my most treasured memories. And sadly for this generation an experience as you so aptly put that can't be captured on an album. You had to be there I'm afraid.
Been a Deadhead for 45 years. Saw them over 100 times. There was a magic there that would be impossible to replicate today. Those days are over. I guess you had to be there to get it.
@@terryenglish7132 I agree. I used to hitchhike, get tix for next to nothing, bought great sheets of acid, and made so many friends. That sort of freedom has disappeared. Try hitchhiking today...
@@bongodave13 Yeah, internal frame packs were easier to swing into a car. People would scratch their names into the wood posts. I saw one along the 99 (Central Cal) that said - stuck here for 18 hours.
I am so blessed to get to share this with my Deadhead friends. I haven't been able to see any iteration of this band, but their music keeps me going! "Box of Rain" is for sure my favorite off of this one, because it got me through August 2020, when I lost a close friend to brain cancer. Ugh I could cry a box of rain just writing this all over again. Thank you Abby for teaching me stuff about The GD that I didn't even know!
Just had to say that "Candyman" is absolutely gorgeous and one of my favorite songs on the album. Jerry's watery pedal steel solo, plus the organ at the end, is a definite highlight for me.
“Maybe you’ll find direction around the corner where it’s been waiting to meet you” thank you Abby for you featuring the Dead’s American Beauty. This was a transition album for me.
Bob Dylan upon Jerry’s passing: “There's no way to measure his greatness or magnitude as a person or as a player. I don't think eulogizing will do him justice. He was that great - much more than a superb musician with an uncanny ear and dexterity. He is the very spirit personified of whatever is muddy river country at its core and screams up into the spheres. He really had no equal. To me he wasn't only a musician and friend, he was more like a big brother who taught and showed me more than he'll ever know. There are a lot of spaces and advances between the Carter family, Buddy Holly and, say, Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school. His playing was moody, awesome, sophisticated, hypnotic and subtle. There's no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep.”
Thanks for reviewing one of the sweetest albums....a deadhead since 1982 I'm glad you got it. RIP Phil Lesh he was a friend of mine❤ Try some live Dead sometime it is different depending on what generation it is from
They played Box of Rain at my first and only show with Jerry. It was the encore at his final show. When I was in high school, I first started teaching myself guitar with Uncle John's Band, Wish You Were Here, and Ripple. Now at 43, I'm in a Pink Floyd tribute and I play Bobby in a Pigpen-era Dead tribute. Thank you, Abby. This album means a lot to so many of us, especially now. I cried a lot throughout your video. IMHO, their best studio efforts were the 3 on their own label.
Back in the day when my music library was 4-6 boxes of 8 tracks (early '70s). American Beauty and Volunteers were staples. I had to rebuild each of them several times. Strip all the tape off and hand rewind it back onto the spool by hand after you've cleaned the capstan. Ahhh, the good old days. You've bought back a lot of memories. My best friend's van was a favorite play location. I could write a book about the things that went on that van. Thanks.
Brokedown Palace is one of those songs that has an emotional power which might only truly register with those of us who have experienced losing everything they loved. I think it’s my favorite song on American Beauty, but it took experiencing great loss in my life for it to earn that title in my heart. I love to perform this as a cover song in my live sets sometimes, but it’s always a gamble… there’s about a fifty percent chance that I’ll tear up and my voice will choke at “Fare you well, Fare you well. I love you more than words can tell”. This is clearly more than just a simple goodbye. This person is losing someone they love dearly. And it’s a metaphor of “that’s the way life goes sometimes” as the verse ends with “listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul”.
The Dead’s American Beauty presented by another American beauty, great way to start the week. Studio Dead is somewhat accessible, but Working Man’s Dead is brilliant. Live Dead and Europe ‘72 are outstanding.
I love, Love, LOVE your videos. This is no exception - beautifully done vid Ms. Devoe. As a bass player, I appreciate your fondness the bass and I join you in spirit on your shout-out to Phil Lesh. His playing made the world a more beautiful place.
First time viewer and loved the vid! The album cover isn't meant to be turned upside down but if you look at the word Beauty it could be read as Reality.
Thanks for the review of American Beauty. It is the “gateway” album in to the GD world for most people (for me, it was Anthem of the Sun; first show was in 1970). There were many versions of the GD, and this represents a sweet spot between the psychedelia and the jazzy years. Phil was named as the best Bass player by Bay Area Music magazine several times in the 80’s. He was a true great, infusing free-form jazz and avante-garde music into a rock and roots framework. Although the songs did not have standard “earworms”, there were poetic and philosophical lines from Robert Hunter that transcended the songs: What a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there What a long strange trip it’s been If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will I ain’t often right but I never been wrong Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right Too many favorite songs (and everyone has a different list): Dark Star; Ripple; Sugar Magnolia; Eyes of the World; Help/Slipknot/Franklin’s Tower; Stella Blue And re: Candyman - sometimes at the concerts Garcia would sing a song (that I’d dismissed in earlier listenings) in such a way that I finally understood the inner meaning. And I heard the song differently from then on. That phenomenon seldom happened on studio albums, but when it occurred live, one experienced true musical magic. And Abby - you are an American Beauty!
Thanks for reawakening many fond memories from the 70's. The Dead have been in my top 3 list since way back then. FYI.... your Santana review took me down a HUGE rabbit hole to Tito Puente, 1950's Samba/Conga/Cumbia/etc..... very worth my journey. Same as after your Coltrane review, there was 20 years worth of jazz to explore after that dropped. If you keep making this level of content, my free time and computer memory storage might get all used up. Not a bad thing.... LOL.
Thanks for finally getting around to the Grateful Dead. There aren't a whole lot of "Phil bombs" on American Beauty. {RIP} You'll need to sift through their live recordings for Phil's best moments. Of the two "roots" albums from the early 70's Workingman's Dead hits better for me but the counterculture found the hippie anthems of AB to be exactly what they needed for the courage to carry on. Both those albums yielded material that would serve the Dead for decades. I consider myself to be a Dead fan but not a Dead Head. I saw them play live one time only, in Seattle, 1972, There were two new members of the band I wasn't familiar with, Keith and Donna Godchaux. Donna a backup singer, was a perfect tall, willowy hippie chick that couldn't quite hit her pitches all the time. Keith, on keyboards, turned out to me a huge asset over the next few years and I learned to tolerate Donna. Oh well. Chiming vocals were never the Dead's strong suit, American Beauty being the exception. Everybody who really knows the Dead has a favorite period, year, run of concerts, concert or even set within a concert. It's crazy. As a more casual listener I go for the primal Dead of the 60's. Live Dead and Fillmore East Live 2/11/69 are crazy good albums. I love the 1st album as well. It's highly underrated. They kept getting better and better throughout the 70's with some peaks and valleys. You can get to know their music without going overboard collecting all their shows. In my exploration so far I'd have to say 1974 may have been their peak. Over the past couple years I've been enjoying the Good Old Grateful Dead podcast. It's fun to marvel at the attention Dead Heads pay to every last bit of minutia. Reply
Thanks Abby. I remember ( mostly, after all it was the 60's/70's) when Beauty and Workingman's Dead were released, what a time it was, in my mind they are one record and when I listen to them on vinyl I will sometimes play them back to back. Thanks again and RIP Phil Lesh 😢 Favorite song from this album, probably Brokredown Palace.
Wonderful tribute. New to the channel and it’s much appreciated. In case you didn’t know, the beautiful last verse Phil sings on Box of Rain you recalled was the last line ever sang by a member of the Grateful Dead at their last show before Jer died…and always felt like a prediction of what was to come…and it was of course. Thank you!
That is the essence of the Grateful Dead, "the band getting hit with tragedy after tragedy. You don't get that from the music. We're left in the golden glow of the simplest happiness us humans can feel. Just beng happy to experience life" And that's why we are Grateful.
Thank You! A superb album, one of my favourites. I was never a "dead head" just an English Hippy with a love of music & American Beauty stole my heart & I still love it, your run down of the tracks follows my own feelings close enough. "Ripple" is one of my all time tracks & one I want played at my send off, along with "Light Flight" by Pentangle.
My favorite Grateful Dead song is Sugaree. I love the gentle groove of that song. It picks you up and moves you along like a slow moving river. By the time the song ends, I find myself far away from where I was when it started, but didn’t realize I was drifting.
The first time I saw the Grateful Dead, they opened for Iron Butterfly. It's kind of hard to believe now, but at the time the Dead were relatively unknown. After Live/Dead, A Workingman's Dead was kind of jarring. But the more I listened, the more I grew to love it, which prepared me for American Beauty. To this day AWMD and AB are my favorite GD records. Thanks for your insights on this album, Abby.
Great review as usual, Abby. In addition to the influences you mentioned (and highlighted on screen), I heard a bit of Van Morrison in the particular sample you chose. As for the "outlaw" thing, the image was - or became - popular in country music, particularly from artists such as Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. But I might date it (in rock) to the Allman Brothers Band's "Midnight Rider", which doesn't use the word but certainly has the image in its lyric. Speaking of the Allmans, another appearance on your channel is long overdue; "At Fillmore East" would be the best choice, perhaps for that "live month" of episodes for which I keep advocating. Not sure just what you were referring to with "college bathroom mead"! But your pause and subsequent reaction was hilarious. A few words about Phil Lesh's playing and sound: He developed what I call a "wood" sound to his bass playing. Of course, most basses are made of wood, but they often don't sound like it, particularly in rock. I don't know if it was his jazz background or something else, but it's a bottom sound that can really move one while listening. Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane has a similar (but not identical) sound, while Jack Bruce - one of Phil's heroes per Wikipedia, and one of mine - does not have that sound at all. Finally, I'll throw in my favorite Grateful Dead song. It's the live version of "Bird Song" from the "Dead Ahead" concert video. It's acoustic from Jerry and Bob, but Phil's got his signature sound on the bass. Jerry's vocal is extremely ethereal - to the point where the ends of phrases disappear - and Brent Mydland's keyboard provides fantastic counterpoint to the guitars. The drums are soft and provide the perfect backing. Check it out if you get a chance.
I'm not the biggest Dead fan...buuuuut, I do have a lot of time and respect for them. Also, a real appreciation for them as musicians and for their unwavering respect for their fans and how important the fan experience was to them...equally imperative for the fans to heavily vibe as the band connecting with the fans in that rarified air/space/time/orbit. As a bass player myself, my appreciation for Phil's excellent and wonderfully creative bass arrangements and execution is extremely high. IMHO, American Beauty (my fave is Workingman's Dead tbh) begins with what is likely Lesh's greatest song (Box of Rain) and, concludes with one of (if hot his best) bass playing (Truckin) in which he basically plays lead bass (even when he lays off the killer groove and drops out, leaving some of the best "space" you are likely to (not) hear (as you said in your fab review...some real McCartney-isms herein)! My father had no freaking clue who performed Box of Rain and, he had likely never heard it when he was at the 11 month point in his end-of-life palliative care hell...but, I would visit him and play him songs that meant something to me with hopes that he'd somehow connect with them as we discussed easing him into his final resting point. Box of Rain was one of the songs I played which he had a strong and positive reaction to. The other was Days (Kinks). Those moments were integral parts of each of us coming to terms with our pending loss and, how it was he and I (not my sisters and mother) who would plan out his final days inbetween our little musical bonding rituals. That's the unique and special power that music has...it connects us. In so many ways and so profoundly. I am super thankful to both Robert Hunter and Phil Lesh for sharing that time and place that they were experiencing profound change (and, likely sadness, emptiness, confusion, loss, feeling somewhat rudderless, etc...) but, sharing those feeling through song and unselfishly putting it all out there for people like my father and I to clutch on to in our own time of need. Sorry for the novella. Thank YOU for the fabulous upload today. Like I sort of said, not really super huge on the Dead...my biggest musical pillars are really similar to yours...Fun House, High Time, Nick Drake, Kinks, The Clash, LOVE, Alice Cooper, DEVO, Replacements...you already know most of them... Cheers Dusty Doug Vancouver
I love the inclusion of "Freaks and Geeks". That show hit me hard and was a big part of turning me onto the Dead, and this album in particular. One of the most criminally underrated shows of all time!
So happy to see Vinyl Monday finally covering my beloved Grateful Dead. I always wondered if you’d ever get around to them. I loved your review, my only disagreement is calling “Candyman” the weak link, it’s a great song (to my ears there is no weak link on this flawless masterpiece). I knew of the Dead’s existence and knew the (few) songs of theirs you’d hear on classic rock radio, but seeing Lindsay Weir dancing to “Box of Rain” on Freaks and Geeks convinced me to buy the album. This was the year 2000, and I was 23. Having been raised on classic rock and grunge, I was getting disillusioned with the new music of the time. Upon my first listen, I was utterly blown away, transfixed by their sound, their playing, Robert Hunter’s poetry. Not too long thereafter I bought Workingman’s Dead, which conveyed a lost Americana like a new world I wish I’d lived in. I plunged headlong into my Dead fandom, buying massive boxsets of all their studio work, and many live albums. Nearly a quarter century later their music remains a vital part of my life; they even supplanted the Beatles as my all-time favorite group (my teenaged self would find that blasphemous!) The trouble that so many have with the Dead is the cultural baggage associated with them. The idea of zonked out barefoot pothead hippies saying “Hey man! Jerry was, like, the greatest man!” can be annoying and turn people off. As someone who has led a drug and alcohol-free life, I have some issues with the Deadheads, seeing some very unsavory characters at concerts of the various offshoots of the group. The band could often noodle aimlessly and even as a huge fan, I can understand the joke “What did the Deadhead say after the drugs wore off? This music sucks!” But at their best their playing was just sublime, as close to magic as I’ve ever heard. All that comes from the magnificent songs they wrote. No more a magnificent collection can be found than on American Beauty, and I thank you for highlighting it. RIP Jerry, Pigpen, and Phil. “Fare you well, I love you more than words can tell”
My first exposure to the Dead, this album, freshman year of college '71. Still hooked. No clear favorite song but cannot imagine the world without Row Jimmy, Cumberland Blues (Live Europe), Althea, and Box of Rain. And Bertha. And Unbroken Chain.... and so it goes.
Saw the Dead three times, was a great experience, the parking lot scene was really a trip, and they were one of the best sounding live band I ever saw. Everything was mixed perfectly, it was just the right volume, their sound people really knew what they were doing. Their music really put you in a good mood, very relaxing and peaceful.
You should hear 'one from the vault'. Bill Graham's band intro is legendary. Thank you for finally doing the dead! I spent my 20's chasing them around.
My brother came home from Vietnam with a TEAC reel to reel along with, among other tapes, LIVE/ DEAD. This was my first hearing of the band and it was a great introduction to live rock improvisation.
Such an enjoyable way to start the week. Great job (again). The Dead have so many wonderful songs but if I had to pick a favorite (with the understanding that I am allowed to change my opinion tomorrow) I would go with "Dark Star" from "Dick's Picks, Vol. 4: Fillmore East."
What a great idea, Abigail. Very well done. Saw The Dead for the first time at UCSB in 1973. Looked up into the bleachers, and a gigantic redhead towered above all. Of course, Bill Walton. Favorite song? Any from this monumental album.
Happy to watch your review of the classic, truly great. album of the era. However, I feel that 'Ripple' deserved more attention and analysis, as the impact of this song has been felt at many weddings and funerals over the decades. 'Ripple' touches many people in a quasi-religious manner.
As a native Louisianan what Abby didn't tell you is that the two DAs Warner made generous contributions to were Jim Garrison (of JFK fame) and Harry Connick, Sr. (father of Actor/Singer Junior). Excellent review, Abby. "Touch of Grey" was my gateway and my love for the Dead only grew as time went on throughout High School. I hate I missed the entire experience, but the music lives on. Excellent review, Abby.
The Beatles taught me about life and friendship. The Stones taught me confidence. The Impressions and Bob Marley taught me about the Soul. Kurt, Eddie, Iggy and Chris gave voice to my very confusing teenage years. Bowie and T Rex taught me it was okay to be different. Brian Wilson, Joni, Van Morrison and Taylor taught me about Love and Relationships. The Dead opened my eyes to life beyond my Military upbringing. That there can be kindness and goodness in this very broken world if you only know where to look. There is so much more I could say, but those are my memories.
This album and Workingman's Dead were my introduction to this band because my dad had a tape of them. They always struck me as a country-tinged boogie band and I had no idea of their huge psychedelic past; rather, at the time it just seemed like they came from truckers, miners, etc, rather than tie dyes and acid tests, which shocked me when I found out. The Dead explored a lot of different things musically as a band, but I like this simple, straightforward period the best.
![Grateful Dead - The Grateful Dead Movie [HD Remaster] | 50th Anniversary Watch Party](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JOciFuV2APg/mqdefault.jpg)
what's your favorite grateful dead song? EVERYTHING is on the table, bootlegs included. comment below!
Friend of the devil. The first one I've ever heard and the one that got me hooked on them
Alligator
Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Dark Star from 2/18/1971 at the Capitol Theatre is my favorite live cut, but Doin’ That Rag and Cosmic Charlie are my favorite studio cuts. Thanks so much for doing this episode, have only just started the video it but it means a lot to a young head to have this episode exist at this time. Thank you Abigail n RIP Phil
U.S. Blues
sorry to be ungrateful. sometimes the music just doesn't happen. this was my intro to the band during the fufufufu, maybe, and my reaction was lukewarm then: it's the same now.
Make America GRATEFUL Again.
Nice varation of that classic line. Greetings from Polish Grateful Dead fan🌹💀🌹
RIP Phil Lesch. Your amazing music will live forever
He may rest more peacefully if his name is spelled correctly. Lesh.
@@petera7403 nah. I’m sure Phil wouldn’t care.
@@Rob_OT42 It's pretty bad, misspelling the name of such a well-known person.
@@commontater8630 John Lunnin would agree....
@@josemaria8177 Lesh
Well done, Abby. You knocked it out of the park. My late wife was a Deadhead. Her favorite Dead song was Box of Rain. I always think of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty as a single piece.
One double album separated by 6 months.
@@KarlKrogmann "ACE" By Bob Weir the third installment of this sequence. The Grateful Dead are the backing band and the songs are good.
Best bumper sticker ever: "Who are the Grateful Dead, and why do they keep following me?"
Ripple remains, to this day my favorite Dead Song. I can't imagine it not being in my life. Simply beautiful.
When I die Ripple will be played at my funeral. My license plate frame reads (TOP) "If I knew the way" (BOTTOM) "I would take you home"
Let there be songs to fill the air!
gorgeous!!
Thank you for covering this one. The Dead irrevocably changed my life and how I listen to music, though it took until I was twenty years old for them to truly leave an impact (and that was 20 years ago). Phil was the member who first fascinated me, and I can't begin to say how hard his death hit me.
American Beauty was a record I first picked up when I was 17 (after that particular episode of Freaks and Geeks), but it didn't truly enter my consciousness until September, 2004, by which time I was beginning to get into the band... and also when a childhood friend of mine died in a motorcycle crash two days after his twentieth birthday. I can't begin to tell you how many times I spun this record, which I still believe is the only truly "sad" album the Dead ever released. Brokedown Palace, Box of Rain, and especially Attics of My Life were balm for my grieving soul, and they still make me think of my friend.
Long live Phil Lesh, and long live the Grateful goddamn Dead.
Phil wasn't a technically gifted vocalist, but his singing on Box Of Rain is heartfelt, REAL, and perfect. His bass playing was beyond amazing and very unique. RIP Phil, and thanks for the ride.
"Box of Rain" has been in my act for 30 years. I was playing it for Dad when he died in July after I cared for him in his final weeks. That is my statement.
Thank you!
I’m a 77 years old born in San Francisco.
I’ve loved this album since it came out.
You amaze me with your research and analysis. I ALWAYS learn new facts about my favorite albums.
BTW, saw the Grateful Dead open for The Who in 1976 in Oakland.
(Dick’s Picks #33).
Love your shows!!
Abby, this was my favorite of your reviews. Perfectly balanced background info, subjective impressions and lyrical quotations. You navigated through an almost infinite minefield of 4 generations of hippi pontifications. You have the rare gift of not just reporting on words, music, art & history, but you also sail the ether of timeless inspiration that flows thru the centuries and cultures.
Ripple has some of the most beautiful lyrics put to paper.
@@Royalle_with_Cheese from the master lyricist’s Robert Hunter
@@paulmancini-sb9qn
There is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go, no one may follow
That path is for your steps alone
Ripple was what made me click into the Dead.
and some of the greatest melodies and vocal harmonies too.
One of the best reviews I’ve ever heard for this album.
followed the Dead all over America soon as the Beatles broke up in 1970. Saw em last at Ridge Stadium in NY in 94. 09/08/95 RIP Jer Bear. Thanks Abbi. I needed this, like a ripple in still water
18:05 Lindsey: "quoting the who?"
Mr. Rosso: "Not The Who, the Grateful Dead."
So UTTERLY relatable.
Grateful Dead channel posted this full album a half hour ago. 3 hours after you posted this video. They watch Vinyl Monday 🤯
Where do I start?...
I saw the Dead 47 times between 1989 and 1995. I traveled up and down the east coast and all over the Midwest to see them. They were hugely important to me during that time. I lived and breathed their music, had hundreds of concert tapes, all that stuff.
After Jerry died, I eventually drifted away from that scene and got interested in completely unrelated types of music. I have several friends who will remind me about a certain show, or a specific jam or solo in a show, so I still check in and always enjoy it. Our new Subaru has the GD channel and I always get a craving for them on road trips.
When I got the news about Phil, I knew what I had to do: go home and listen to American Beauty. Phil was my favorite person in the band, so needless to say, my listening session was drenched in tears. But this record has always done that to me. Ripple/Brokendown Palace was played at a friend's funeral, a scene that could have been right out of a Scorcese film. Basically, this music has a deep spiritual resonance with me.
The Dead taught me everything I know about the communal power of music. And I'll always be grateful for that.
Thanks Phil, you were a one of a kind player in a one of a kind band.
Superb, Abby! A great video essay and tribute to Phil and The Dead. Thank you.
Edit: and the placing of the rose at the end along with the text memorial to Phil, was just perfect.
It was...but while we're at it, bonus points for the pattern on her blouse.
After Astral Weeks, now you do American Beauty. You just made one happy camper!!!
(~);|
Hey Abby! I so enjoyed your dive into Heavy Lifting video as I was one of the fortunate Detroiters who saw the MC5 on many occasions in my youth(and yes my ears are still ringing) I hope I can describe what it felt like to stand outside the building with so many other fans and yelling up to one of the windows that faced the street after seeing someone I knew leaning out yelling down to us to meet at the main stairs. It wasn't a giant place and it was always filled to capacity+. I mostly went during the Summer shows and like any other venue without AC it was always pretty claustrophobic and aromatic. The faux Middle Eastern decor was like nothing else I had ever experienced. The "dance floor" was encircled by a walkway that had large open window seating through which you could watch the show and the people on the floor. Being a seat yourself venue(no chairs, yep sit on the floor) it was always elbow to elbow once the show started. As an aside 3 of my classmates are on the front cover of the MC5's live album. Two of them were twins and the 3rd appears as a ghostly figure next to them. They were apparently heavily retouched to look that way by the record company avoid being sued by their parents. Needless to say, they were minor celebrities at our high school when the record came out. There are some very heartbreaking docs about the deteriorating state of The Grande which brought me tears so watch at your own peril. So many memories! Some of the shows: The MC5,The Who,Joe Cocker, Led Zeppelin and of course The "Psychedelic" Stooges.Just a little look back with a smile. Be good and keep up the incredible reviews. Your peeps need to have this in their trick bag.
Thank you for the eloquent description of life in Detroit. I was in San Francisco in the 60’s
Great job, Abby. This has been my favorite Dead album since it came out, and you really did it justice. Thanks for that.
This is my first time coming to your channel. I grew up with this music lived with it and listened to it on the stereo in my truck tooling all over the back roads of California. I can't count the times I toasted a big fat one and listened to this album end to end while cruising through the mountains on sunny days with the windows open and the volume cranked up. It's wonderful to see new generations of listeners hearing this music for the first time and seeing what they make of it. It's kind of like opening a time capsule from my time. I love your review. I love this album and it's definitely on my list of top ten albums along with Moondance, Abraxas, New Morning (Dylan), Dark Side of The Moon, Blue (Joni) and another Dead adjacent gem Old and In the Way. My fav track off the album is Broke Down Palace. It may grow on you the more you listen to the album. Saw them 3 times and one of those times was at the Hollywood Bowl with the Wall Of Sound (Google it). It was 1973 and they were at their peak. That concert was an experience I will always look back on as one of my most treasured memories. And sadly for this generation an experience as you so aptly put that can't be captured on an album. You had to be there I'm afraid.
Never could really get into the Dead but I got American Beauty and Workingman's Dead at the Goodwill store and I like them a lot
Reckoning is your live vibe.
Been a Deadhead for 45 years. Saw them over 100 times. There was a magic there that would be impossible to replicate today. Those days are over. I guess you had to be there to get it.
All scenes eventually evaporate .It is enough to have fully enjoyed them while you could.
@@terryenglish7132 I agree. I used to hitchhike, get tix for next to nothing, bought great sheets of acid, and made so many friends. That sort of freedom has disappeared. Try hitchhiking today...
And it helped to be stoned out of your mind to "get it".
@@bongodave13 Yeah, internal frame packs were easier to swing into a car. People would scratch their names into the wood posts. I saw one along the 99 (Central Cal) that said - stuck here for 18 hours.
@@c.a.t.732 No.
Great Video Abby, Freaks and Geeks was the exact reason why I got into The Grateful Dead 😂, I'm so happy you mentioned it, that show deserved better.
Whaaaaaat? You need to read the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test yesterday...
You're a unique individual, Abby, in a beautiful way! Thanks for enlightening us!
I cried, literally, at your commentary about Box Of Rain. Thank you.
Box of Rain is one of my favorite songs! Cool to see American Beauty get some well-deserved attention
I am so blessed to get to share this with my Deadhead friends. I haven't been able to see any iteration of this band, but their music keeps me going! "Box of Rain" is for sure my favorite off of this one, because it got me through August 2020, when I lost a close friend to brain cancer. Ugh I could cry a box of rain just writing this all over again. Thank you Abby for teaching me stuff about The GD that I didn't even know!
share it with all your deadhead friends! they really are the coolest fan base in the world. my condolences about your friend ❤
This was wonderful. Funny, interesting, heartfelt, real. Pretty great way to pay tribute to Phil too.
One of my favorite albums, and One of the bands that made me want to play music. Phil Lesh. You will be missed. May the music never stop
Just had to say that "Candyman" is absolutely gorgeous and one of my favorite songs on the album. Jerry's watery pedal steel solo, plus the organ at the end, is a definite highlight for me.
Thanks for this Abigail - such a lively and articulate piece!
“Maybe you’ll find direction around the corner where it’s been waiting to meet you” thank you Abby for you featuring the Dead’s American Beauty. This was a transition album for me.
Bob Dylan upon Jerry’s passing: “There's no way to measure his greatness or magnitude as a person or as a player. I don't think eulogizing will do him justice. He was that great - much more than a superb musician with an uncanny ear and dexterity. He is the very spirit personified of whatever is muddy river country at its core and screams up into the spheres. He really had no equal. To me he wasn't only a musician and friend, he was more like a big brother who taught and showed me more than he'll ever know. There are a lot of spaces and advances between the Carter family, Buddy Holly and, say, Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school. His playing was moody, awesome, sophisticated, hypnotic and subtle. There's no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep.”
Thanks for reviewing one of the sweetest albums....a deadhead since 1982 I'm glad you got it. RIP Phil Lesh he was a friend of mine❤
Try some live Dead sometime it is different depending on what generation it is from
Thanks so much for doing this. RIP Phil.
They played Box of Rain at my first and only show with Jerry. It was the encore at his final show. When I was in high school, I first started teaching myself guitar with Uncle John's Band, Wish You Were Here, and Ripple. Now at 43, I'm in a Pink Floyd tribute and I play Bobby in a Pigpen-era Dead tribute.
Thank you, Abby. This album means a lot to so many of us, especially now. I cried a lot throughout your video.
IMHO, their best studio efforts were the 3 on their own label.
That must be very heavy in retrospect
Back in the day when my music library was 4-6 boxes of 8 tracks (early '70s). American Beauty and Volunteers were staples. I had to rebuild each of them several times. Strip all the tape off and hand rewind it back onto the spool by hand after you've cleaned the capstan. Ahhh, the good old days. You've bought back a lot of memories. My best friend's van was a favorite play location. I could write a book about the things that went on that van.
Thanks.
Brokedown Palace is one of those songs that has an emotional power which might only truly register with those of us who have experienced losing everything they loved. I think it’s my favorite song on American Beauty, but it took experiencing great loss in my life for it to earn that title in my heart. I love to perform this as a cover song in my live sets sometimes, but it’s always a gamble… there’s about a fifty percent chance that I’ll tear up and my voice will choke at “Fare you well, Fare you well. I love you more than words can tell”. This is clearly more than just a simple goodbye. This person is losing someone they love dearly. And it’s a metaphor of “that’s the way life goes sometimes” as the verse ends with “listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul”.
The Dead’s American Beauty presented by another American beauty, great way to start the week.
Studio Dead is somewhat accessible, but Working Man’s Dead is brilliant. Live Dead and Europe ‘72 are outstanding.
and Skull and Roses, another great. I'm surprised Abi didn't mention the live albums... (you can't not, with the Dead!)
Thanks Abi.... caught myself misting up a few times, and laughing the next...
I love, Love, LOVE your videos. This is no exception - beautifully done vid Ms. Devoe. As a bass player, I appreciate your fondness the bass and I join you in spirit on your shout-out to Phil Lesh. His playing made the world a more beautiful place.
First time viewer and loved the vid! The album cover isn't meant to be turned upside down but if you look at the word Beauty it could be read as Reality.
Thanks for the review of American Beauty. It is the “gateway” album in to the GD world for most people (for me, it was Anthem of the Sun; first show was in 1970). There were many versions of the GD, and this represents a sweet spot between the psychedelia and the jazzy years.
Phil was named as the best Bass player by Bay Area Music magazine several times in the 80’s. He was a true great, infusing free-form jazz and avante-garde music into a rock and roots framework.
Although the songs did not have standard “earworms”, there were poetic and philosophical lines from Robert Hunter that transcended the songs:
What a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there
What a long strange trip it’s been
If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will
I ain’t often right but I never been wrong
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right
Too many favorite songs (and everyone has a different list):
Dark Star; Ripple; Sugar Magnolia; Eyes of the World; Help/Slipknot/Franklin’s Tower; Stella Blue
And re: Candyman - sometimes at the concerts Garcia would sing a song (that I’d dismissed in earlier listenings) in such a way that I finally understood the inner meaning. And I heard the song differently from then on. That phenomenon seldom happened on studio albums, but when it occurred live, one experienced true musical magic.
And Abby - you are an American Beauty!
Well done and stated. Thank you for your research. Looking forward to the next one.
Thanks for reawakening many fond memories from the 70's. The Dead have been in my top 3 list since way back then. FYI.... your Santana review took me down a HUGE rabbit hole to Tito Puente, 1950's Samba/Conga/Cumbia/etc..... very worth my journey. Same as after your Coltrane review, there was 20 years worth of jazz to explore after that dropped.
If you keep making this level of content, my free time and computer memory storage might get all used up. Not a bad thing.... LOL.
Good journalism attempt done with respect, It's a deep subject Abby. thanks RIP Phil
Well done Abigail. That deserves a subscription.
Thanks for finally getting around to the Grateful Dead. There aren't a whole lot of "Phil bombs" on American Beauty. {RIP} You'll need to sift through their live recordings for Phil's best moments. Of the two "roots" albums from the early 70's Workingman's Dead hits better for me but the counterculture found the hippie anthems of AB to be exactly what they needed for the courage to carry on. Both those albums yielded material that would serve the Dead for decades. I consider myself to be a Dead fan but not a Dead Head. I saw them play live one time only, in Seattle, 1972, There were two new members of the band I wasn't familiar with, Keith and Donna Godchaux. Donna a backup singer, was a perfect tall, willowy hippie chick that couldn't quite hit her pitches all the time. Keith, on keyboards, turned out to me a huge asset over the next few years and I learned to tolerate Donna. Oh well. Chiming vocals were never the Dead's strong suit, American Beauty being the exception.
Everybody who really knows the Dead has a favorite period, year, run of concerts, concert or even set within a concert. It's crazy. As a more casual listener I go for the primal Dead of the 60's. Live Dead and Fillmore East Live 2/11/69 are crazy good albums. I love the 1st album as well. It's highly underrated. They kept getting better and better throughout the 70's with some peaks and valleys. You can get to know their music without going overboard collecting all their shows. In my exploration so far I'd have to say 1974 may have been their peak. Over the past couple years I've been enjoying the Good Old Grateful Dead podcast. It's fun to marvel at the attention Dead Heads pay to every last bit of minutia.
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This album is will always remind me of one of my favorite shows, freaks and geeks
Thanks Abby. I remember ( mostly, after all it was the 60's/70's) when Beauty and Workingman's Dead were released, what a time it was, in my mind they are one record and when I listen to them on vinyl I will sometimes play them back to back. Thanks again and RIP Phil Lesh 😢
Favorite song from this album, probably Brokredown Palace.
Wonderful tribute. New to the channel and it’s much appreciated. In case you didn’t know, the beautiful last verse Phil sings on Box of Rain you recalled was the last line ever sang by a member of the Grateful Dead at their last show before Jer died…and always felt like a prediction of what was to come…and it was of course. Thank you!
Saint Stephen/the Eleven off of Live Dead (1969). Loved it, still love it.
Recently stumbled across your channel and am hooked! Great job describing this album! Subscribed!
American Beauty is essential listening and got me into the Dead. I dug into the live soundboards after that and am now a huge fan.
That is the essence of the Grateful Dead, "the band getting hit with tragedy after tragedy. You don't get that from the music. We're left in the golden glow of the simplest happiness us humans can feel. Just beng happy to experience life" And that's why we are Grateful.
Thank You! A superb album, one of my favourites. I was never a "dead head" just an English Hippy with a love of music & American Beauty stole my heart & I still love it, your run down of the tracks follows my own feelings close enough. "Ripple" is one of my all time tracks & one I want played at my send off, along with "Light Flight" by Pentangle.
My favorite Grateful Dead song is Sugaree. I love the gentle groove of that song. It picks you up and moves you along like a slow moving river. By the time the song ends, I find myself far away from where I was when it started, but didn’t realize I was drifting.
NEVER a Bad Sugaree !
One of the best album covers ever! It was in heavy rotation at our household of country hippies in the early 70s.
"What a long strange trip it's Been"
Thanks for showcasing this timeless album. Phil was the anchor of the sound! I think that they were "acid hats" in the early daze!😊
The first time I saw the Grateful Dead, they opened for Iron Butterfly. It's kind of hard to believe now, but at the time the Dead were relatively unknown. After Live/Dead, A Workingman's Dead was kind of jarring. But the more I listened, the more I grew to love it, which prepared me for American Beauty. To this day AWMD and AB are my favorite GD records. Thanks for your insights on this album, Abby.
OMG! I'd been hoping for a Grateful Dead review so this is perfect, thanks
My favorite Grateful Dead album
Love your reviews. Thank you for posting them 😅
Great album and, great rundown of the songs. Fare thee well, Phil.
From one goodbye to another...
Hopefully Phil and Jerry are truckin' in rock & roll heaven ❤🌹
Along with Pigpen, Keith Godchaux, and Brent Midland.
Great review as usual, Abby. In addition to the influences you mentioned (and highlighted on screen), I heard a bit of Van Morrison in the particular sample you chose. As for the "outlaw" thing, the image was - or became - popular in country music, particularly from artists such as Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. But I might date it (in rock) to the Allman Brothers Band's "Midnight Rider", which doesn't use the word but certainly has the image in its lyric. Speaking of the Allmans, another appearance on your channel is long overdue; "At Fillmore East" would be the best choice, perhaps for that "live month" of episodes for which I keep advocating.
Not sure just what you were referring to with "college bathroom mead"! But your pause and subsequent reaction was hilarious.
A few words about Phil Lesh's playing and sound: He developed what I call a "wood" sound to his bass playing. Of course, most basses are made of wood, but they often don't sound like it, particularly in rock. I don't know if it was his jazz background or something else, but it's a bottom sound that can really move one while listening. Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane has a similar (but not identical) sound, while Jack Bruce - one of Phil's heroes per Wikipedia, and one of mine - does not have that sound at all.
Finally, I'll throw in my favorite Grateful Dead song. It's the live version of "Bird Song" from the "Dead Ahead" concert video. It's acoustic from Jerry and Bob, but Phil's got his signature sound on the bass. Jerry's vocal is extremely ethereal - to the point where the ends of phrases disappear - and Brent Mydland's keyboard provides fantastic counterpoint to the guitars. The drums are soft and provide the perfect backing. Check it out if you get a chance.
your roommates never tried to brew mead in the bathtub? RIP to all the brain cells my college apartment lost to that stuff
Attics Of My Life is my all time fave Dead track. Incredible.
I'm not the biggest Dead fan...buuuuut, I do have a lot of time and respect for them. Also, a real appreciation for them as musicians and for their unwavering respect for their fans and how important the fan experience was to them...equally imperative for the fans to heavily vibe as the band connecting with the fans in that rarified air/space/time/orbit.
As a bass player myself, my appreciation for Phil's excellent and wonderfully creative bass arrangements and execution is extremely high. IMHO, American Beauty (my fave is Workingman's Dead tbh) begins with what is likely Lesh's greatest song (Box of Rain) and, concludes with one of (if hot his best) bass playing (Truckin) in which he basically plays lead bass (even when he lays off the killer groove and drops out, leaving some of the best "space" you are likely to (not) hear (as you said in your fab review...some real McCartney-isms herein)!
My father had no freaking clue who performed Box of Rain and, he had likely never heard it when he was at the 11 month point in his end-of-life palliative care hell...but, I would visit him and play him songs that meant something to me with hopes that he'd somehow connect with them as we discussed easing him into his final resting point. Box of Rain was one of the songs I played which he had a strong and positive reaction to. The other was Days (Kinks). Those moments were integral parts of each of us coming to terms with our pending loss and, how it was he and I (not my sisters and mother) who would plan out his final days inbetween our little musical bonding rituals.
That's the unique and special power that music has...it connects us. In so many ways and so profoundly. I am super thankful to both Robert Hunter and Phil Lesh for sharing that time and place that they were experiencing profound change (and, likely sadness, emptiness, confusion, loss, feeling somewhat rudderless, etc...) but, sharing those feeling through song and unselfishly putting it all out there for people like my father and I to clutch on to in our own time of need.
Sorry for the novella. Thank YOU for the fabulous upload today. Like I sort of said, not really super huge on the Dead...my biggest musical pillars are really similar to yours...Fun House, High Time, Nick Drake, Kinks, The Clash, LOVE, Alice Cooper, DEVO, Replacements...you already know most of them...
Cheers
Dusty Doug
Vancouver
I love the inclusion of "Freaks and Geeks". That show hit me hard and was a big part of turning me onto the Dead, and this album in particular. One of the most criminally underrated shows of all time!
I love that album. Your review is awesome. Now to go find my copy of the disk and spin it.
Thanks for doing this one. Means alot ✌️
So happy to see Vinyl Monday finally covering my beloved Grateful Dead. I always wondered if you’d ever get around to them. I loved your review, my only disagreement is calling “Candyman” the weak link, it’s a great song (to my ears there is no weak link on this flawless masterpiece).
I knew of the Dead’s existence and knew the (few) songs of theirs you’d hear on classic rock radio, but seeing Lindsay Weir dancing to “Box of Rain” on Freaks and Geeks convinced me to buy the album. This was the year 2000, and I was 23. Having been raised on classic rock and grunge, I was getting disillusioned with the new music of the time. Upon my first listen, I was utterly blown away, transfixed by their sound, their playing, Robert Hunter’s poetry. Not too long thereafter I bought Workingman’s Dead, which conveyed a lost Americana like a new world I wish I’d lived in. I plunged headlong into my Dead fandom, buying massive boxsets of all their studio work, and many live albums. Nearly a quarter century later their music remains a vital part of my life; they even supplanted the Beatles as my all-time favorite group (my teenaged self would find that blasphemous!)
The trouble that so many have with the Dead is the cultural baggage associated with them. The idea of zonked out barefoot pothead hippies saying “Hey man! Jerry was, like, the greatest man!” can be annoying and turn people off. As someone who has led a drug and alcohol-free life, I have some issues with the Deadheads, seeing some very unsavory characters at concerts of the various offshoots of the group. The band could often noodle aimlessly and even as a huge fan, I can understand the joke “What did the Deadhead say after the drugs wore off? This music sucks!” But at their best their playing was just sublime, as close to magic as I’ve ever heard. All that comes from the magnificent songs they wrote. No more a magnificent collection can be found than on American Beauty, and I thank you for highlighting it.
RIP Jerry, Pigpen, and Phil. “Fare you well, I love you more than words can tell”
Wow Abby. I have an apple-sized lump in my throat; I don't know who put it there. You, most likely. Nicely done, much appreciated.
My first exposure to the Dead, this album, freshman year of college '71. Still hooked. No clear favorite song but cannot imagine the world without Row Jimmy, Cumberland Blues (Live Europe), Althea, and Box of Rain. And Bertha. And Unbroken Chain.... and so it goes.
althea is a whole vibe. surprised more producers haven't sampled that one, it's really naturally suited to hip hop
Saw the Dead three times, was a great experience, the parking lot scene was really a trip, and they were one of the best sounding live band I ever saw. Everything was mixed perfectly, it was just the right volume, their sound people really knew what they were doing. Their music really put you in a good mood, very relaxing and peaceful.
You should hear 'one from the vault'. Bill Graham's band intro is legendary. Thank you for finally doing the dead! I spent my 20's chasing them around.
This is a great talk about American Beauty
My brother came home from Vietnam with a TEAC reel to reel along with, among other tapes, LIVE/ DEAD. This was my first hearing of the band and it was a great introduction to live rock improvisation.
Well said as usual, much respect Abby.
Used to follow The Dead around. Man, those were some of the best times of my life.
Really enjoyed your take on this Grateful Dead classic . Waiting for your Led Zep 3 take now .
You're amazing, the shit you catch that went over my head, and
I'm a music freak.
Great episode! Thank you!
Never been a huge Dead Head but I love this album.
Arguably their best studio work. As we all know they were way more of a live experience and they had a tough time capturing that on vinyl
The Dead put out the acoustic demos for this a while back, it kind of sounds like the world's greatest campfire singalong.
Such an enjoyable way to start the week. Great job (again). The Dead have so many wonderful songs but if I had to pick a favorite (with the understanding that I am allowed to change my opinion tomorrow) I would go with "Dark Star" from "Dick's Picks, Vol. 4: Fillmore East."
What a great idea, Abigail. Very well done. Saw The Dead for the first time at UCSB in 1973. Looked up into the bleachers, and a gigantic redhead towered above all. Of course, Bill Walton. Favorite song? Any from this monumental album.
Never really got into the Dead, but always loved what they were about. And by all accounts they put together the best-sounding PA system ever!
Amazing album probably my favorite album by the dead great video Abby ❤❤❤ keep it up
12:47 PLEASEEEEEEE i go to college in the middle of nowhere Minnesota, so Music from big pink hasn’t left my rotation in months.
Happy to watch your review of the classic, truly great. album of the era. However, I feel that 'Ripple' deserved more attention and analysis, as the impact of this song has been felt at many weddings and funerals over the decades. 'Ripple' touches many people in a quasi-religious manner.
"Box of Rain" happens to be my favorite Dead song, though it makes me cry every time I hear it because of my dad...same situation...thanks anyway
Love AB. Really love Skull and Roses live album. Saw the Dead many times around that time.
Abby, You are an American beauty.
As a native Louisianan what Abby didn't tell you is that the two DAs Warner made generous contributions to were Jim Garrison (of JFK fame) and Harry Connick, Sr. (father of Actor/Singer Junior). Excellent review, Abby. "Touch of Grey" was my gateway and my love for the Dead only grew as time went on throughout High School. I hate I missed the entire experience, but the music lives on. Excellent review, Abby.
The Beatles taught me about life and friendship. The Stones taught me confidence. The Impressions and Bob Marley taught me about the Soul. Kurt, Eddie, Iggy and Chris gave voice to my very confusing teenage years. Bowie and T Rex taught me it was okay to be different. Brian Wilson, Joni, Van Morrison and Taylor taught me about Love and Relationships. The Dead opened my eyes to life beyond my Military upbringing. That there can be kindness and goodness in this very broken world if you only know where to look. There is so much more I could say, but those are my memories.
This album and Workingman's Dead were my introduction to this band because my dad had a tape of them. They always struck me as a country-tinged boogie band and I had no idea of their huge psychedelic past; rather, at the time it just seemed like they came from truckers, miners, etc, rather than tie dyes and acid tests, which shocked me when I found out. The Dead explored a lot of different things musically as a band, but I like this simple, straightforward period the best.