Editing American Beauty (album) (section)

==Reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/american-beauty-mw0000192627|title=American Beauty|last=Thomas|first=Fred|website=AllMusic|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
|rev2Score = A−<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: G|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=G&bk=70|access-date=February 24, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' 
| rev3score = 10/10<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/grateful-dead-american-beauty-the-angels-share/ |title=Grateful Dead: ''American Beauty'' |last=Cush |first=Andy |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=October 31, 2020 |access-date=October 31, 2020}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev4Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-grateful-dead/albumguide |title=Grateful Dead album ratings |magazine=Rolling Stone |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228234021/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-grateful-dead/albumguide |archive-date=December 28, 2013 }}</ref>
| rev5 = Sputnikmusic
| rev5Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/385/The-Grateful-Dead-American-Beauty/|title=Grateful Dead – American Beauty (album review 4) – Sputnikmusic|website=www.sputnikmusic.com|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev6Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th|isbn=978-0857125958|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
}}

Andy Zwerling of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' felt that the album was a continuation of ''[[Workingman's Dead]]'', though there was more care and contentment in the singing, as well as the instrument playing being rich.<ref name=RS1>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/american-beauty-19701224 |title=American Beauty |department=Album Reviews |magazine= [[Rolling Stone]] |first=Andy |last=Zwerling |date=December 24, 1970 |access-date=December 4, 2011}}</ref> [[Robert Christgau]] also compared the album to ''Workingman's Dead'', feeling it was "sweeter vocally and more direct instrumentally".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1445&name=Grateful+Dead |title=Grateful Dead |first=Robert |last=Christgau |website=robertchristgau.com |access-date=December 4, 2011}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' writer Tom Zito felt that the album showed "wisdom of age" when compared to their earlier works, while maintaining an  "exuberance of youth."<ref name="WP RV">{{cite news |url=http://media.proquest.com/media/pq/hnp/pc/1745232/page/26/pdf?hl=&_a=ChgyMDE2MDIwNjE1NTMyNDIwNzozMzYzMjMSBTk2Njg2GgpPTkVfU0VBUkNIIg0xNTIuMi4xNzYuMjQyKgU0NzAxMjIJMTQ3Nzc4MzY2Og9TaW5nbGVQYWdlSW1hZ2VCATBSBk9ubGluZVoCSVBiA1BGVGoKMTk3MC8xMS8yOHIKMTk3MC8xMS8yOHoAggElUC0xMDA2MzU5LTE0MjQ0LUNVU1RPTUVSLW51bGwtMTE1NjYxNJIBBk9ubGluZcoBSE1vemlsbGEvNS4wIChXaW5kb3dzIE5UIDYuMTsgV09XNjQ7IHJ2OjQzLjApIEdlY2tvLzIwMTAwMTAxIEZpcmVmb3gvNDMuMNIBFUhpc3RvcmljYWwgTmV3c3BhcGVyc5oCB1ByZVBhaWSqAitPUzpFTVMtUGFnZVBkZlBhZ2luYXRpb24tZ2V0UGFnZVZpZXdQZGZVcmwxygIPRmVhdHVyZXxBcnRpY2xl0gIBWeICAPICAA%3D%3D&_s=lP0LicF6WEO8IFulLg8C2%2BBzIC4%3D#page=1 |title=The Grateful Dead: Settling Down|last=Zito|first=Tom|date=November 28, 1970|page=B6|newspaper=The Washington Post |url-access=subscription  |access-date=February 6, 2016}}</ref> Jason Ankeny at [[AllMusic]] feels that the album is the Dead's "studio masterpiece", and in comparing it to ''Workingman's Dead'', it is "more representative of the group as a collective unit".<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/american-beauty-r8554 |title=American Beauty&nbsp;– Grateful Dead |first=Jason |last=Ankeny |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=December 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930142834/http://www.allmusic.com/album/american-beauty-r8554 |archive-date=September 30, 2011}}</ref>

In 2003, the album was ranked number 258 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|the 500 greatest albums of all time]]. The American [[National Association of Recording Merchandisers]] placed the album at number 20 in its 2007 list of "definitive 200 albums".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timepieces.nl/Top100%27s/2007NARM.html |title=The Definitive 200 as chosen by a committee of music retailers within the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) |publisher=National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) |date=March 6, 2007 |website=TimePieces in history of music recording |access-date=December 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210030146/http://timepieces.nl/Top100%27s/2007NARM.html |archive-date=February 10, 2010 }}</ref>  The album is included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''<ref>{{cite book |author1=Robert Dimery |author2=Michael Lydon |title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition |date=7 February 2006 |publisher=Universe |isbn=0-7893-1371-5}}</ref> and in 1991 ''Rolling Stone'' ranked ''American Beauty''{{-'}}s [[album cover]] as the 57th best of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rateyourmusic.com/list/fedderedder/rolling_stones_100_greatest_album_covers/ |title=Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Album Covers |publisher=Rate Your Music |date=November 14, 1991 |access-date=March 18, 2011}}</ref>{{deprecated inline|certain=y|date=November 2024}} It was voted number 103 in [[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]'s [[All Time Top 1000 Albums]] 3rd Edition (2000).<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2000|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=76|title-link=All Time Top 1000 Albums}}</ref>