CinemaOSMovie · 1997 · 1h 15m

Grateful Dead: Anthem to Beauty

68%(8)IMDbMusicDocumentary

This installment of the Classic Albums series follows the making of two Grateful Dead albums, the fiercely experimental Anthem of the Sun and the understated masterwork American Beauty, which spawned melodic gems like "Sugar Magnolia" and "Ripple." Between the archival scenes and contemporary interviews with band members, the DVD shows a band making seismic inroads in pop music--and five young guys coming to terms with artistry, mortality, and, yes, the pursuit of happiness. There is priceless footage of Neal Cassady driving Ken Kesey's bus and of the Dead, surrounded by martini-sipping hipsters, on Playboy After Dark. The best scenes involve band members talking about specific songs (you will never hear Phil Lesh's "Box of Rain" again without thinking of it as a gift to his dying father) or deconstructing a tune by playing each track separately. Intimate and surprisingly cohesive, Anthem to Beauty is a rare glimpse into how the Dead's magic was made.

Directed byJeremy Marre

Play
Status
Released
Runtime
1h 15m
Language
EN
Released
February 22, 1997

Featuring

Cast & crew

3 credited
Starring
Jerry Garcia

Jerry Garcia

Self

Bob Weir

Bob Weir

Self

Phil Lesh

Phil Lesh

Self

Creative team
Directed by
Jeremy Marre
Jeremy Marre

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