Hey Sup Forumssic freaks! Which of these beauties do you prefer?

Hey Sup Forumssic freaks! Which of these beauties do you prefer?

Grateful Dead's 'American Beauty' or Frank Zappa's 'Freak Out!'?

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youtube.com/watch?v=cNkl1avYXRM
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youtube.com/watch?v=DuABc9ZNtrA
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Freak Out, how is this even a question

weird unclerock > dadrock

they're both weird unclerock, just that one's for the acid burnout uncle and the other's for the antidrug yet nevertheless eccentric uncle

Nah, most Zappa fans are acid casualties or potheads, just he wasn't himself

I'm looking for in depth opinions. Things like
>why you favor it

>favorite track(off both or just the one)

>was there a time when you enjoyed the other more? what changed?

>do you like one artist over the other in general or just between these two albums?

I tend to lean more toward American Beauty because of it's more steady and soothing atmosphere. Ripple is definitely my favorite track for it's lyrical content, but as far as lyrics as a whole go, Freak Out comes out on top imo.

Fucking god damn hippies

How are they even comparable?

How are fish and asparagus comparable? You can potentially eat both or either and each one will offer a different set of flavors that appeal to different audiences.

I'm gathering notes for a project and, due to it being musical in nature, I thought Sup Forums would be a great place to get some opinions from all types.

Unfortunately everyone is going to say Zappa because

1. Sup Forums has no appreciation for country or blues, and
2. Sup Forums thinks music has to be experimental and "groundbreaking" in order to be good.

I'd suggest almost any other music community if you want a variety of opinions and not a hivemind.

Freak Out because I prefer music that's more interesting or diversity (not to sound pretentious at all).
Dead are great but they're too chill for my taste.
Who Are the Brain Police Is my favorite track btw.

They're both Jambands. They both play long improvised live shows that are never the same show to show. They're very similar in their approach, Zappa is just weirder.

I'd say Freak Out though because Dead studio albums suck.

The Who sells out is far superior to freak out.

American beauty was an outside band trying to make a mainstream album.

Freakout was an outside band trying to make an outside album.

Both are equally enjoyable, I think the Dead aged better.

this

At least 5 Grateful Dead albums are better than Freak Out and this is one of them. Not really a hard question to answer if you legitimately enjoy music

wow. Can you tell me at least 3 of those albums? (the best ones in your opinion). I'm a huge Zappa fan and I want to get into Greatful Dead (my dad has almost every album but he's always to high to tell which album is the best to get into it)

Sweetheart at the rodeo is far superior to american beauty.

I'm too high rn too I'm probably your dad but American Beautyf, Workingman's Dead, Live/Dead, and Wake of the Flood, s/t, Anthem of the Sun, Skull and Roses, Aoxomoxoxoamaoa, and , and Terrapin Station, and

american beauty. i dont like the production on freak out, even though it's still enjoyable.

there are some shit songs on AB, though

I'm not good for three, but American Beauty is a good starting point. Took me a few times to really come around and get a feel for the album, but I'm now glad I took the time. Their self titled album is pretty solid too.

you should try out Workingman's Dead next to make yourself good for three

grateful dead is the most overrated rock band in existence.
I'll never understand how they even got the amount of praise. you would have to be a LEGIT drug addict to think that wankfest sounds good

freak out shits on it so easily.

great post, just replace "grateful dead" with "frank zappa" and you hit the nail on the head

As far as studio albums are concerned, they're usually considered subpar compared to the Dead's live material, but some of them hold up incredibly well, like "American Beauty" and "Workingman's Dead". Definitely check these out.

If you want to get into their live stuff, I'd suggest you start with "Live/Dead". It's their first live album and it features some great songs that they jam out without going completely overboard. Alternatively, check out "Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)". The songs are shorter, more concise, if that's what you prefer.

>Dead studio albums suck
>what is Aoxomoxoa, Blues for Allah, Mars Hotel, s/t, Anthem for the Sun, Terrapin Station, and Wake of the Flood

Zappa is just weirder and also has about zero emotion or soul. If you think logical coldness is the epitome of music than yeah Dead BTFO by Zappa

I think what you're trying to say is that he was emotionally dishonest. Why are you still here, may I ask? It even failed at the pinnacle of shitposting - Sup Forums.

Dumb post, Dead's music was influenced by soul/funk and they sang that way. That doesn't make any music that isn't soul music bad.

never said it was bad, just soulless, which isn't wrong.

no not emotionally dishonest, but rather emotionally detached--non-emotional

how is this lacking soul or emotion.
youtube.com/watch?v=cNkl1avYXRM

Zappa. I don't listen to Grateful Dead, never have.

Alright, you changed one word, good for you.

Watermelon In Easter Hay is one of the most emotional guitar solos i've heard.

meh, I own most of those on Vinyl but rarely listen since everyone talks about how much better live stuff is so just listen to their shows instead. Same with Zappa though, I listen to his live albums more then his studio ones.

>I'm looking for in depth opinions
You've come to the wrong place

I prefer Freak Out over American Beauty, and this is coming from a die hard Dead Head.

>Alright, you changed one word, bad for you
one word can make a huge difference actually, I don't understand your point here

>egotistical guitar-wankery
I feel nothing

How were TMOI a "Jam Band"? Because their songs tend to be long in concert and just sort of wander off?

No, I tend to consider The Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident, and, to a lesser extent The Allman Brothers jam bands. TMOI were just experimental and basically threw in every thing but the kitchen sink into their music. The Kitchen sink is dangerous. Who the fuck wants to clean it? (Zappa fans will get that joke)

I like both albums equally.

American Beauty and Workingman's Dead are book ends. Both are good for the type of music, but can be a little boring at times if one's not in the mood. Live/Dead is amazing, and is an example why this was the band to see in it's heyday, especially if you scored some good Owsley, although the feedback part might be too much for some people, but I think it's edgy enough for a new generation of people who grew up on Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. (Some of the new generation might even argue that it's their best song ever. LOL!) Wake of The Flood is alright, but it's really just Workingman-AB rehashed w/o Pig Pen. There's some great songs, on it but I prefer Mars Hotel. S/T, The Warlocks demo, Vintage/Historic Dead, and any concert recordings from that period are MY jams! I love that garage/punk feel, and I'm a huge Pig Pen fan. I also dig both Anthem and AOXOMOXOA, and I like both versions, but I tend to prefer the original mixes as opposed to to the 1971 re-mixes. And I'm sorry to say, but I think Terrapin Station is a terrible album. Live, those songs worked, but the studio album sounds so sterile and soulless. Shakedown Street was a much better album. (God Bless Lowel George) Everybody recommends Workingman-AB as a starting point but I think Skull and Roses is much better.

I understand the Terrapin Station thing. Good songs, bad recordings.

I think beginners should listen to Skull and Roses before attempting to listen to Live/Dead. S&R is accessible, and have shorter songs, whereas Live/Dead might be a little too psychedelic for some people and it might go over some people's heads.

With the exception to TS, those are all excellent albums. TS only works when performed live. The studio version is just soulless.

I'm a dead head, and I don't blame you for not listening to them. They have a variety of styles, and it can be very intimidating at times. I mean one minute, their a garage/punk band, the next minute they're all over the place with their psychedelic noodling, then they can become a folk/country band, and then they might go into improv jazz and even throw in some funk/disoc into the mix. (Hell, they even have one or two honorary punk songs) all those styles all at once can be quite intimidating, especially w/o a flow chart, or a description of what to expect from each, individual album.

Exactly my point.
Glad somebody here knows what I'm talking about.

being egotistical requires emotions dumbass.

??? wrong

not wrong

indeed wrong
proof: psychopaths have egos

psychopaths still have emotions

wrong

not wrong
nice trips

Zappa's style isn't soul, it's dumb to say that's a negative thing about him. And Watermelon in Easter Hay is pretty fucking soulful. Please tell me what's wrong with this. youtube.com/watch?v=Xb1WntjHZso

na bro. you know this goes to Zappa.

Why does this have to be an argument? Both are good in different ways for different reasons. I prefer American Beauty, listened to Freak Out! for the first time in a decade today because I saw this thread and it's still fucking awesome.

Stop bickering like children. Just enjoy what you enjoy and accept that others feel differently. Fuck.

Well what are we supposed to do if we can't argue over which complete opposite album is better?

I strongly disagree with your comment. Not getting a person doesn't mean their being is less valid than your own in any way, just like not feeling strong emotion because of a recording doesn't mean no emotion was put into the recording. To say the opposite is true is silly, if we're being honest.

Compare these two tracks and tell me both aren't full of emotion. Very different feelings, but both clearly written because of and as a way to express those feelings.

youtube.com/watch?v=Id0HUt4eNkU

youtube.com/watch?v=DuABc9ZNtrA

I strongly disagree with your comment. Not getting a person doesn't mean their being is less valid than your own in any way, just like not feeling strong emotion because of a recording doesn't mean no emotion was put into the recording. To say the opposite is true is silly, if we're being honest.

Compare these two tracks and tell me both aren't full of emotion. Very different feelings, but both clearly written because of and as a way to express those feelings.

youtube.com/watch?v=671AgW9xSiA

youtube.com/watch?v=DuABc9ZNtrA

I gotta say American Beauty. I'm not a big fan of Zappa or the Dead, but when Zappa's good he's good, and when the dead are good, they write some of the best songs ever written. I defy anyone here to listen to Sugar Magnolia and not smile, listen to Friend of the Devil and not feel like a lonesome bandit, listen to Ripple and not be grateful to be alive. Zappa music just doesn't reach those heights, even though I'm not huge on the rest of the album.