Grateful Dead* – American Beauty

Mind blowing sound quality with this pressing, don’t miss out

Sounds absolutely amazing. I’m pretty sure the shop had my copy labeled VG+, I’d love to hear near mint to see if it could actually sound better. Love this album and this is my first time listening on vinyl and it’s really just a whole new level of amazing. I’m sure my new to me Sansui 881 and my modded/upgraded pioneer pl10 with a vm95ML are helping out, but damn it’s a good sounding record.

Just picked this up, sounds fantastic! Definitely recommend this one.

The music shines on this pressing even on G+ vinyl. Sounds excellent.

The gatefold is obviously beautiful and of top-notch quality. Kevin's mastering job is really nice. Though it may be a tad bit hard-edged at times, by the time "Candyman" got going I was won over. The stereo image is perfect with a soundstage is very wide. If you close your eyes at the right volume, it's easy to imagine the band right in front of you.
...Which brings me to the catch. When cranked to optimal levels (no pun intended), I realized it sounds like side 1 on my copy has some intermittent non-fill. It's not quite frequent or loud enough to destroy my listening experience, but it is noticeable enough to pull me out of it occasionally. I feel like an "audiophile" pressing shouldn't have this sort of defect. Will I go to the trouble of sending it back for a replacement? Probably not. But I may seek out other pressings to compare and see if I can find one that is quieter.

Update: I changed my mind and had a replacement shipped to me. The new copy has a dinged-up gatefold with a seam split, even the inner sleeve is split. I immediately played the record, and it sounds perfect. So I put it away in the sleeve and cover for my original copy (numbered 0185). Now, I have one perfect copy of American Beauty and one that's f@$#ed up! Works for me.

Got the fruit punch repress, and it's not the greatest mix. The vocals are drowned out; the problem isn't as bad on one speaker. The problem might be the stereo mix. Not sure if it's just my issue, but I wouldn't recommend this pressing.

An outstanding live performance in its entirety, with all of set one on CD 2 and all of set two on CD 3. That may not seem such a big deal, but if you have a single-disc-only player, listening to a set from start to finish without having to jump up and rapidly change discs to preserve continuity is a comfort. As for the choice of 2/18/1971, David Lemieux points out in his booklet essay that it's "one of the most requested archival recordings in the Dead's vault " Numerous songs had been played live before 2/18 but others are played before an audience for the first time ever! Perhaps the highlight of an awesome night, "Dark Star" segues beautifully into a first-ever performance of "Wharf Rat" and then back into "Dark Star" with palpable emotional intensity throughout. "Bertha" debuts here, too, opening the concert on a confident, enthusiastic note. "Loser" and "Greatest Story Ever Told" also debut in the first set. Oddly enough, the song that became arguably more popular than any of these other songs, "Playing in the Band" is a little shaky early in set two. Nonetheless, 2/18/71 is a great performance by a band in transition -- this was Mickey Hart's last performance before a 3 1/2 year absence, the band had just completed their two greatest studio albums, Pigpen was ailing and his participation was dwindling, and Keith and Donna Godchaux were soon to join the band. Essential for anyone seriously into Grateful Dread, and a nice addition to a newcomer's collection of live shows because it displays the band performing songs that were soon to crystalize into essential parts of their repertoire.

Dear god avoid this pressing at all costs. It is lifeless. Was night and day when I got the Rhino High Fidelity version. Spend a few bucks more and get a decent pressing.

Wow, this is a great pressing. The whole album sounds fantastic, but I get chills hearing that transition between Ripple into Brokedown Palace. The bass level is perfection. So good!

Do not have another copy. Went for it because of rave reviews. Can state that the new fidelity pressing is dead silent, in addition to living up to the sound hype.