Grateful Dead's Workingman's Dead vs. American Beauty

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by serge, Jun 2, 2013.

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  1. serge

    serge Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    These records were cut about the same time (well, in 1970, within six months of each other) and are both similar in some ways... which one is your favorite and why?

    In my case I much prefer American Beauty because it has more songs I really like but I like both of them

    I've noticed digging for records that its much easier to find copies of Workingman's Dead (on LP).......

    Also, why is the back cover of Workingman's Dead upside down? I often hear its only so on the first press but I have a late 70s early 80s pressing which is also upside down..

    and who is the guy by the door on the Workingman's Dead album? seems to be seven people but only six members at time?
     
  2. thematinggame

    thematinggame Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    I much prefer WD to AB , it sounds rougher and grittier and I think the sequencing works much better than on AB , American Beauty has one side with too many slow numbers , still a very good album though
     
  3. JulesDassin

    JulesDassin Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    monterey,ca.usa
    I voted for American Beauty slightly better songs imo...imagine what a great double album Workingman's/Beauty would have been perhaps they could have called it American Dead.
     
  4. on7green

    on7green Senior Patron

    Location:
    NY & TN
    I like them both a lot. I voted for Workingman's Dead. It was my first Dead LP.
     
  5. LandHorses

    LandHorses I contain multitudes

    Location:
    New Joisey
    I can't vote.......love both equally.
     
  6. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    Love them both but I went with Workingmans dead.
     
  7. jamesmaya

    jamesmaya Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Both great albums but if I really, really had to choose, I'd go with American Beauty if for no other reason than it has my favorite Grateful Dead song - "Box of Rain". I also think the songwriting is a little better on AB. And I like the New Riders.
     
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  8. gkella

    gkella Glen Kellaway From The Basement

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Love them both but voted for AB because Ripple is on
    it. That song broke the tie.
    Glen
     
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  9. ghostdwg

    ghostdwg Senior Member

    Location:
    New Milford, CT
    American Beauty-some of the Dead's finest moments like "Box Of Rain", 'Ripple", "Brokedown Palace" & "Attics Of My Life".
     
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  10. Zack

    Zack Senior Member

    Location:
    Easton, MD
    I love them both equally but American Beauty is substantially higher among my all-time favorites. Some of the most gorgeous music ever made.
     
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  11. MikeT

    MikeT Prior Forum Cretin and Current Impatient Creep

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    I won't vote either since I love both albums.

    The guy sitting in the doorway is actually Bill Kreutzmann drummer for the Dead. Lyricist Robert Hunter is actually standing next to Garcia on one end of the group. He was at one time considered a "member" of the band even though he generally only wrote lyrics for Garcia tunes (although in the early days of the band he seemed to write most of the lyrics regardless).
     
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  12. Barnabas Collins

    Barnabas Collins Senior Member

    Location:
    NH
    Love 'em both but I give the edge to AB.
     
  13. NickDanger

    NickDanger Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lancaster PA
    I give the edge to AB only because it's the first GD album I heard when it was released. I've been a DeadHead ever since.
     
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  14. American Beauty edges out Workingman's Dead. However, I tend to follow one up with the other when I listen.

    I have a RhinoVinyl reissue of WmD which has the back cover upside down as well.
     
  15. skybluestoday

    skybluestoday Forum Resident

    God, it's such a tossup.

    American Beauty is just so goddamned gorgeous. Hard to ignore that.

    Workingman's Dead has the only legit jam of the two LP's -- Easy Wind. And another veritable cornucopia of classic tunes.

    They are peas in a pod. I loved the earlier posting that they should have just released a double LP called American Dead.
     
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  16. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    tough choice, I prefer Workingman's...but with the added Mason's Children studio outtake
     
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  17. serge

    serge Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    oh good to know..he does look like Hunter
     
  18. jpmosu

    jpmosu a.k.a. Mr. Jones

    Location:
    Ohio, USA

    Close to a tie for me, too. But "Box of Rain" is the tiebreaker--Phil was the difference-maker when it comes to separating these 2 classics.
     
    Todd W., wilejoe and Marvin like this.
  19. rene smalldridge

    rene smalldridge Senior Member

    Location:
    manhattan,kansas

    This is the song that broke a tie for me as well.
     
  20. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    Working and Dead for music American Beauty for the cover.
     
  21. malcolm reynolds

    malcolm reynolds Handsome, Humble, Genius

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    American Beauty but I love both. I actually put them both on one CD-R for the road.
     
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  22. American Beauty is my favorite Dead album. Workingman's Dead is my second favorite.
     
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  23. I have American Beauty on DVD-A, and it sounds fantastic, both on the 5.1 mix, and through headphones. I love Workingman's Dead, but I don't own a copy, and haven't heard it in years. I refuse to buy the CD, because I know there's a DVD-A of this one too out there somewhere. Anyway, I voted for American Beauty.
     
  24. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    Damn auto correct Workingman's Dead for the music, American Beauty for the cover art.
     
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  25. wilejoe

    wilejoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Parlin,NJ USA
    American Beauty not to say Workingman's Dead isn't great also!!!!!!
     
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