Workingman's Dead
Workingman’s Dead is the fourth studio album by Grateful Dead. Released in June of 1970, it was recorded back to back with companion album American Beauty. The majority of the album was written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter. They utilized an Americana, folk-band style that was different than the psychedelic, electrified tone of previous albums. According to drummer Bill Kreutzmann, the album was influenced by the Bakersfield sound, a genre of country music that was significantly influenced by rock and roll. Garcia had purchased a steel guitar while on tour the previous year and was keen on using it for this album. The album opens with the highly acclaimed Uncle John’s Band along with popular tracks Dire Wolf, Cumberland Blues, and Casey Jones. Rolling Stone readers voted it the best album of 1970.
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American Beauty
American Beauty is the fifth Grateful Dead studio album. Released in November of 1970, it continued the bluegrass, folk-rock stylings of Workingman’s Dead that was released earlier in the year. Like Workingman’s Dead, most of the album was written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter. While recording the album at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, they were around Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and other artists creating a “jammer heaven.” You can hear their influence on the band and album through folk melodies and vocal harmonization. The album title has a double meaning, referring to Americana style of music and the rose ‘American Beauty’ featured on its cover. Box of Rain opens side one, flowing right into Friend of the Devil, while side two starts with Ripple and finishes with Truckin’.
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Europe '72
Europe ‘72 is a live triple album composed of songs recorded from Grateful Dead’s European tour in the spring of 1972 showcasing live favorites and new songs like Jack Straw and Brown Eyed Women. It was the last album to feature Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, one of the founding members, who died after its release. Originally recorded to recoup the expensive costs of the tour, it received commercial and critical success. Starting in London, the band made stops in Denmark, Germany, France, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, concluding the tour back in London. Their crew grew to 43 members who became known as the “Grateful Dead Family.” While it features songs from previous albums like Truckin’ and Sugar Magnolia, they are transformed into new performances with their improvisations.
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In the Dark
After a 7-year hiatus from recording studio albums, Grateful Dead released their twelfth in July of 1987 with In the Dark. They had been playing the songs for several years prior to recording, allowing them to be matured and perfected. The band took a more comfortable approach when recording, playing in a darkened theatre with the same lighting they would use on tour, but with no audience. Reaching No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, it gained unexpected popularity and became the band’s only top ten album. It was led by the band’s only top 40 single, Touch of Grey, peaking at No. 9 as well as frequenting MTV with its music video. This mainstream success brought on a new set of fans referred to as “Touchheads.” This led to the “Mega-Dead” period where they began to sell out stadiums, a mixed blessing for some hardcore fans.
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