The Grateful Dead are capping off an incredible year of archival releases - and offering a note of thanks and hope to fans around the world - with a brand-new video for "Ripple," one of the standout tracks from the band's 1970 release American Beauty.
The video, animated by Actuality Films, brings a tarot reading to life against the heartfelt poetry of lyricist Robert Hunter and an impassioned performance that's taken on a multifaceted cosmic meaning for generations of Deadheads. Sharp-eyed viewers will take note of several visual references to the band's incredible career and iconography.
"Ripple" here serves as a song of light and optimism for the year ahead as well as a fitting cap to an incredible share of treasures for fans across 2020. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, listeners shared in the joy of rediscovering the band's music. The limited June 1976 box set saw the release of five concerts on 15 CDs. 1970's Workingman's Dead and American Beauty were both reissued for their 50th anniversaries this year with two live sets apiece, and The Angel's Share digital collections offered a treasure trove of demos and studio outtakes from the album sessions.
Read More: From "Box of Rain" to 'Freaks and Geeks': 50 Years of The Grateful Dead's 'American Beauty'
Dead discovery wasn't limited to album listening this year: The Grateful Dead Podcast recently wrapped up its second season with a deep dive on the immortal "Truckin'," and fans and musicians helped the "Shakedown Stream" series of live concert broadcasts raise more than $300,000 for charity.
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