Classic Albums: Grateful Dead - Anthem to Beauty

4.5 stars!!This DVD is from the Classic Albums collection, meaning it has interviews, song & concert snippets, etc. I never understand the reviewers, of whatever band in this series, complaining about them not being a live concert. It's called the Classic Album series!I love this DVD because it shows behind the scenes in the making of the GD's weirdest, trippiest album, & also one of their most commercial--in a good way--albums. The difference is, even non-Deadheads and non-freaky counter-culture types can love American Beauty, but Anthem for the Sun... now that's an acid test! I still consider side 1 a masterpiece, even if I don't listen to it that much.I enjoyed seeing the way the GD member's personalities have changed. Phil Lesh was Mister Avant-Garde, very vocal & opinionated. Mickey Hart was like a wild savage unleashed. I laughed about how Bob Weir & Pigpen were fired for lack of musical chops, but didn't leave, & eventually got better. I guess I deduct a half a star because it seems a crime not to have a bonus full-length version of "Mountains of the Moon" from Playboy After Dark, with Tom Constanten on harpsichord no less!! They rarely played this gem live, & nearly never w/ TC.As you would expect from the Dead, this DVD is about 20 minutes longer than any others in this series. I highly recommend this, as well as Hendrix Electric Ladyland, & Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon. Fairly cheap & they make great presents.

I loved this DVD but I am a Deadhead. As others have mentioned, Robert Hunter's interviews are great as are the rest of the band's....

WOW - what a fantastic look back at the making of those two albums! The footage, while grainy at times (What do you expect from stuff that's 40 years old?), probably isn't available anywhere else. Not even in the recent "Long, Strange Trip." There are multiple interviews with Hunter (and we know how hard it is to get him on camera!), Garcia, Weir, and Lesh, plus the people who helped make the music into what it was for the studio albums. It's fantastic to have this "portal" into their thoughts on the lyrics and creation of the songs. Highly recommended, and a real bargain for its price!

Bought this DVD for my sister at Christmas. She loves it. We saw a good amount of Dead shows when we were younger. Great documentary .

This is a classic. Many of the interviews are included in the recent amazon release Long Strange Trip. This is the best you could get in the 90's though great rare footage, for what it costs to get this, it very worth it

I have way too much Grateful Dead DVD's, videos, CD's etc. However, very glad I added this to my collection and found it informative and entertaining.

This was a great look into the making of these albums and this earlier period of the Grateful Dead.

Some deeper looks into a truly cool band and philosophy. Stellar.

A great insight into the San Francisco scene. Members of the Dead give us their views on how things were and the album recording process they used. Also goo archive film is used and the whole period of the Grateful Dead looks like an absolute blast.