User Reviews

I enjoyed this DVD. Amazing footage that this Head has never seen before....I really enjoyed seeing/hearing Hunter. He seems like such a wonderful man. My only complaint with this release is that it seems to end very abruptly, and it is rather short (75 minutes).

This is a very well produced documentary about the evolution of the Grateful Dead from its early days of mind-ripping psychedelic explorations like "Alligator" to the bittersweet Americana lullabies of "Brokedown Palace." The band has never been famous for its studio work and the albums "Anthem of the Sun" and "American Beauty" could not be more different from one another - from the music to the cover art - but they are unquestionably products of the same musicians whose hallmark was always exploration. That said, I would still argue that "American Beauty" is a wonderful studio album that I think everyone should have in their record collection regardless of whether or not you are a Deadhead.

People who were key but little-known figures for the band like Neal Cassidy are further revealed in rare footage while band narrations tell the stories you always want to hear when seeing a band documentary. Hearing individual tracks isolated in playback with Phil Lesh and Bob Weir at the console are a special treat for audiophiles familiar with the intricacies of these two particular albums. Hearing things explained from the Warner Brothers executive point of view adds an unexpected chuckle too.

This has some incredible old footage I've never seen before. That alone makes the film worth it, but there's so much more than that. Getting the back stories from Hunter, Lesh, Weir, Garcia, Hart and others is a must for anyone who loves the Grateful Dead, and I also highly recommend this film for those who never "got it" about the band. Hearing these guys talk about the how and why of making the music they did, interspersed with some fantastic recordings displaying their musical prowess should make a believer out of anyone. You still might not like the music, but at least you'll understand why people who do like the music are ravenous about it.

I remember watching the start of this DVD for the first time & instantly falling in love with it, how could you not fall in love with The Grateful Dead performing Truckin' live in 1972? I have seen a few other classic albums in this series such as Jimi Hendrix - Electric Lady Land & The Who - Who's Next, although I love both of those albums the episodes dedicated to the making of them were really boring, so boring in fact I started to dislike the bands, so thats when I knew I had to turn the t.v off.

Anthem To Beauty is different to all the other ones for several reasons, i.e It focuses on several albums rather then one, it also is a lot more funnier and interesting because of all the old hippies commenting on the band and the albums (true freaks) with Anthem To Beauty it felt like a mini documentary on the era as well as the albums and the band.

The first part is dedicated to the acid rock phase of The Grateful Dead and that is always a lot of fun, the second part is less weird and more down to earth, just like the music. Robert Hunter provides a heartfelt moment when he talks about his view of the time around the making of American Beauty, there are simply beautiful scenes in which a song from the album will be playing and you will be shown footage of them traveling on a train along with other great images. The whole band realises how many lives have been changed by American Beauty and they to share their thoughts and feelings on one of the most heartfelt albums of all time.

The Dead have been described as the greatest bar band of all time. From this documentary it's clear to see that the bar they started out in and the bar they ended up in are two very different bars. This chronicle of their movement from house band of the acid tests to a return to their traditional American roots is amazing. "Anthem of the Sun" is wild. Bob Weir tried to get the sound of the desert in the mix. They mixed live and studio recordings into an amalgamation of tripped out acid tinged songs. Then things changed. Band members' parents were dying or dead. The acid tests were over. The Dead were returning to their roots. They started as a jug band (if you want to count Jerry, Bob, and Rob as the beginning of the band) and on "American Beauty" they went back to the feel of folk/country. They followed it with "Workingman's Dead", another album in a similar vein. Both latter albums are classics that belong in any rock and roll fan's collection. The Dead were going acoustic while Dylan went electric. That's not all they were doing, however. They were also going into the acid jazz realm, the experimental realm, and further out into space when they played live. But after a few orbits around the earth they could always splash down and play a rocker like "Scarlet Begonias", a country ballad like "Friend of the Devil", or a folkie like "Ripple". If you're interested in the development of the Dead or of rock itself you should own the albums (I call them that although I never bought an album in the store--I'm too young. Wait, I think I bought a Cure album.) mentioned here. If you don't, see why you should by watching this movie.

The amount of background information is amazing. I really like finding out what went into the making of an album. From the lyrics to the producing to the musicianship, this mini-doc provided me a great understanding. Understanding of how I become a Dead fan before ever seeing a single show. The music on the albums is solid; deep and poignant. This difference between the studio work and the live music is beautifully summed up by Jerry and, later, Bobby. Wow. Phil and Micky also provided wonderful insights into their mindsets at the time. You will find here that their studio work is not to be overlooked.

While Jerry and Robert Hunter turned me onto Americana, it was the live shows that sent me all over the country. What a way to tour; I hope you went too.

This is a film that helped me really get into Grateful Dead - I already owned a couple of albums, but hadn't quite figured out what all the fuss was about, although 'Skull and Roses' was just about starting to come together for me. The key thing is that this is very human in the way the relate the way they arrived at 'American Beauty'. Robert Hunter and Phil Lesh are particularly articulate in the way they describe the development of the record. The only member of the band who didn't contribute to the film was Bill Kreutzmann, and that's his business.

When I first saw this, broadcast on the BBC as part of their 'Classic Albums' series, it was stated that this was Garcia's last television interview. I don't know if this is true, but it must be one of the last. Whatever your own reaction to 'American Beauty' - it can elicit tears and smiles from me - Jerry Garcia has a permanent wry smile when talking about it on this film. Ever the joker.