Of all the albums in the Grateful Dead catalog, American Beauty is the one with the widest appeal. Its proto-Americana tunes are neither antique nor modern; instead, they are timeless. The album’s sound is clean and lean, up to modern snuff even more than a half-century after its original release in November 1970.
The tunes seem to roll like a Sunday drive on a country road, in and out of dark hollows and up and down hills (footnote 1). Three of its 10 songs have become folk-rock standards: “Friend of the Devil,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Truckin’.”
As you’d expect, the album has been reissued many times since its release; Discogs lists 116 vinyl versions (footnote 2), though there may be some redundancy on the list. In recent times, Rhino Records has put out two very different reissues. First came the 50th Anniversary version, cut in 2020 by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering from David Glasser’s Plangent-processed digital master. (A 2023 release, also from Rhino, though available only at Target, is the same as the 2020 release except that it’s pressed on “limeade”-colored vinyl.) The other is the new, all-analog Rhino High Fidelity version, cut by Kevin Gray from the master tapes. It’s a 5000-copy “direct from Rhino” limited edition.
The two Rhino platters sound more similar than different, indicating that the master tapes still sound good and are in playable condition. The Plangent Process, which takes place after the tape is transferred to digital, undoes time-domain distortions (flutter and wow, phase shifts) inherent to tape recording and playback. As such, it takes the sound back to something similar to what entered the tape machine’s recording head. The audible result is crystal-clear transients and rock-steady imaging.
I asked Stephen Barncard, the original album’s coproducer, which version he prefers. He was unequivocal. “Both versions are very good, [but] I prefer the Plangent version. Everything’s tighter. The transients are in place, how it sounded when I mixed it. … It’s like going back to what I heard in the control room.”
On the other hand, Gray’s cut may sound more like what longtime American Beauty fans expect. The transients and imaging are distinct enough, but it sounds a bit distant and hazy. Its big plus is superb tonality on the harmony vocals and impressive dynamics—for any rock LP of any era.
As a physical artifact, the Rhino High Fidelity LP sets a high bar. The extra-heavy, high-gloss gatefold jacket is printed so finely that the faux wood on the cover image seems like real wood. Inside the gatefold is a gritty, fuzz-focused photo by Arthur Usherson of the band live onstage. The 180gm black platter, pressed at Optimal in Germany, occupies the right leaf. In the left is a four-page 12″ × 12″ insert that includes images of the side A and B master tapes and an essay by musician and Grateful Dead historian David Gans.
I compared these two Rhino American Beauty reissues to the three streaming options on Qobuz: the 2020 Glasser/Plangent remaster, the 2013 Glasser/Plangent remaster for the digital-only HD The Grateful Dead Complete Studio Albums Collection, and the 2013 CD-resolution version. To my ears, Bellman did a faithful cut of Glasser’s 2020 remaster, with a bit of vinyl sound added. If you favor the sound of the Plangent Process/Glasser version, and can do without an artifact, the 24/192 version is best. Both Glasser remasters sound better than the 2013 version.
Back in the vinyl world, I wanted to hear prior AAA versions. Interwebs to the rescue. There’s a legendary needle-dropper out there who goes by “The Vinyl Archivist (Patrick)” and “pbthal.” He has a YouTube channel. One of his videos is a “shootout” of three AB vinyl versions: an original Warner Bros. LP cut at Artisan Sound by Bob MacLeod, a recent-times Mobile Fidelity two-disc 45rpm version, and Bellman’s 2010 cut for the box set The Warner Bros. Studio Albums (footnote 3). In the descriptor text is a link to download 24/96 files of the three versions of the album’s first two tracks, “Box of Rain” and “Friend of the Devil.”
I was surprised how good the original Warner Bros. tracks sounded, reflecting a state-of-the-art cutting job in 1970, when the tapes were brand-new. Bellman’s 2010 cut is superb, and the five-LP box set is a beautiful collectable artifact. To my ears, it’s the best of all AAA versions. The MoFi sounded weird and unlike other vinyl versions: heavy in the bass and not very punchy or dynamic. In all three versions, I could hear that “pbthal” has a good-sounding vinyl playback rig and takes care of his records. While noting that his rig and mine sound a bit different, I would say Gray’s new cut sounds most like the original Warner Bros. version.
So where does this leave the vinyl collector? If you can break free of the AAA mentality (which can be self-defeating, a topic for a different day), the best mainstream-priced option is the 50th Anniversary LP—either that or buy a cheap used copy so you can hold the sleeve as you stream the album in HD. The new Rhino High Fidelity vinyl is limited-edition, a fine artifact, collectable, with very good if not superb sound (that’s to my ears; your mileage may vary). The 2010 box set, or the 2011 standalone LP from the same Bellman cut, are pricey on the used market but will sound great (if in great condition) and likely hold their value. An original Warner Bros. platter goes for either hefty or heftier bucks, depending on condition and which Columbia plant it was pressed at—but damn those needle drops sounded good. As far as genuine-authentic-real-thing, it’s still the max.
Footnote 1: Despite its deep-water calm vibe, American Beauty was recorded at a time of turmoil and tragedy for the band and its members; see tinyurl.com/yc7enynt and tinyurl.com/ywup93dt.
Footnote 2: See tinyurl.com/yc2ues57.
Footnote 3: See youtu.be/j9r8Ek0Ggfg and then check youtu.be/cRBvSPZASI for the identities of needle drops A through C.