nm34@sdcc12.UUCP (nm34) (03/25/85)
I wanted to tyhink of something that we Deadheads can write about
that will bore the rest of the music net in order to get us our own
subgroup. I thought that a good topic, that will generate alot of
response is "Your favorite Dead Album".
For me, as for many others, 'American Beauty' comes first to mind.
It isn't just a bunch of songs that are found on one piece of plastic,
but a complete feeling. It has put me in another world so many times.
A world where a pond ripples due to unknown forces, the most desirable
woman lives, one can 'see' only by closing one's eyes. The music also
creates a perfect world of harmony, airyness, light and love.
In the end of the album, "Truckin'" brings us back to reality; as
the Dead often like to spin a dream and then break it back to the harsh
light of day so we can see that the day's light also has an aspect of
the sureal beauty of a dream. We find that we can live in that 'Beauty'
world if we just take time to live.
Andrew Bindman
myers@uwmacc.UUCP (Jeff Myers) (03/27/85)
> > For me, as for many others, 'American Beauty' comes first to mind. > It isn't just a bunch of songs that are found on one piece of plastic, > but a complete feeling. It has put me in another world so many times. > A world where a pond ripples due to unknown forces, the most desirable > woman lives, one can 'see' only by closing one's eyes. The music also > creates a perfect world of harmony, airyness, light and love. > I would say that Beauty is my favorite *studio* album, but probably not my favorite Dead album. ``Box of Rain'' always brings back memories of my carefree high school days (especially the summer of my junior year when I was first introduced to the dead via this album and Workingman's). I'm still quite fond of cranking up the volume on ``Sugar Magnolia'' on sunny summer mornings. In my opinion, the latter is their tightest studio performance on a song. My favorite dead album is probably Europe '72. Alot of it is due to the fact that I condensed it to a side and a half of a 90 minute tape. Picking your favorite dead album (or dead concert tape) is alot like picking your favorite food...one's tastes shift with the surrounding, the season, etc. Europe '72 is just the album that I've played most frequently over the past few years (with a recent hiatus of alot of Dead Set). Regardless of whether or not net.music.dead arrives, I think that the generated discussion had been well worth it. "Good morning, Mr. [Rosen], I see you're doing well. If I had me a shotgun, I'd blow you straight to hell." ;-) jeff m